Will Muschamp’s Auburn defense will be tested early against Bobby Petrino, Louisville

By Chris Schultz | Aug 27, 2015

Auburn will be tested early in the Chick fil A Kickoff Classic against Louisville

The Auburn Tigers hope to come full circle in 2015 by kicking off the season in Atlanta, GA and then ending it there on December 5 for the SEC Championship Game.

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Many of the experts agree they will do just that and move on to the College Football Playoff. However, head coach Gus Malzahn will be the first to tell you that he and his team don’t want to get caught up in the hype. Their focus will be squarely on their first opponent in the Chik- fil-A Kickoff Classic, the Louisville Cardinals.

Although Louisville comes into this season unranked in both the AP and Coaches poll, it would be unwise to overlook the Cards. Like Auburn, Louisville has a winning tradition when it comes to college football. You needn’t look any further than head coach Bobby Petrino to understand that.

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Petrino, the 17th winningest active coach in the nation, is in his second stint with the Cards where he boasts a phenomenal 50-13 record. Even with the loss of quarterback Teddy Bridgewater and wide receiver DeVante Parker over the last two years, Petrino is capable of orchestrating an offensive onslaught on any given Saturday.

With a decision at quarterback still looming, Petrino will be relying on playmakers like junior James Quick to provide the spark the Cardinals need. Quick is a perfect last name for the Cards leading returning receiver who hauled in 36 passes for 566 yards last year along with three touchdowns.

The perfect counterpoint to a Bobby Petrino offense though, is a Will Muschamp defense. Muschamp returns to the Plains as defensive coordinator for the Tigers where he has eight returning starters with which to work. Unfortunately, Muschamp couldn’t get the offense working during his time at Florida, but there is no denying the strength of the Gators defense that ranked No. 11 in the FBS with 30 takeaways last season.

He most certainly will improve the Tiger defense and cause Petrino to think twice before executing a play. Combine this with Gus Malzahn’s hurry-up, no-huddle offense and it’s easy to see why Auburn is receiving a lot of attention going into the new season.

The unstoppable force against the immovable object is a great way to describe this most anticipated match up in September. Every game is a must win in college football. The pressure will be squarely on Auburn with such high expectations going into this year. While other SEC teams have scheduled “warm up” games to kick off the year, playing Louisville in game one most certainly will give us an early indication as to whether the Tigers are as good as advertised.

It will be the SEC vs. the ACC again at this year’s Chik- fil-A Kickoff Classic. The SEC has been dominant in this game since its inception, but the ACC’s lone win came back in 2012 when then No. 14 Clemson beat No. 24 Auburn 26-19.

Thousands of Auburn fans will make the 100-mile trek to the Georgia Dome on September 5 to do their part and make sure this doesn’t happen again. Card Nation will no doubt be present too, cheering on their team and hoping to paint the town red. Whether it’s “Go Cards “or “War Eagle”, this is a can’t miss game and one heck of a way to start the season.

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