Predictions Recap - Week 9

Checking in on my predictions for the Ole Miss game:

Prediction I
Auburn won't have much trouble running the ball, but Gus Malzahn will try to flex the passing game's muscle a bit more this week than we've seen recently. Auburn will gain 350 yards on the ground and 200 through the air.

Mostly Right
Ole Miss had a plan to shut down Newton's running ability, and were mostly successful, but Malzahn was ready for this defense and let the passing game loose from the very first snap. I wasn't expecting that much focus on passing that early in the game, but it was great to see some variation to balance out three straight weeks of nothing but Newton runs. Luckily, for my prediction, the focus shifted to the run game as the game got out of hand in the second half and McCalebb and Dyer piled on the rushing yards. The final stat line for Auburn was 343 yards rushing and 229 yards passing. I was off by 36 combined yards. I'm gonna call that close enough.

Prediction II
Zac Etheridge won't get a chance to make a solo tackle on Rodney Scott, but he will be seen helping him up after a play, which will delight the commentators and both fan bases.

Wrong
This was not nearly as big of a story line as I thought it would be. In fact, it wasn't even mentioned until the 4th quarter when the game was mostly decided and the commentators were getting desperate for something to talk about. I guess it helps that Rodney Scott was barely in the game. I only saw him once, on special teams, when he decided to deftly avoid tackling Demond Washington on the kick off return in favor of blowing up Onterio McCalebb. I'm sure you all saw it, since Bob Davie made it his mission to make sure everyone saw how stupid of a play it was. I'm sure Scott was just doing what he was coached to do, but I'm not so sure that included standing over McCalebb and taunting him while Washington was scoring a touchdown.

Prediction III
Cam Newton will be responsible for 1 turnover. Jeremiah Masoli will be responsible for 3.

Wrong
I'm not sure who got official credit for Auburn's fumble, but it appeared to be Newton's fault. It looked like he took too long trying to decide whether to hand it off or keep it, and then tried to give it away after McCalebb was too far away to receive it. Maybe McCalebb got too fast of a start, throwing off the timing of the play, or maybe he just never got a good grip on the ball. But, for the sake of my prediction. I'm going to call it a Newton fumble, so that I get that part of the prediction right. Masoli was only responsible for 1 turnover, which came in the form of an interception. There was another near interception in the 4th quarter, which would have made my prediction close. I was hoping that our defensive pressure would cause Masoli to be more erratic and mistake prone.

Prediction IV
Ole Miss will score a touchdown late in the 4th quarter, but the game will already be out of reach by that point.

Right
Ole Miss scored the last touchdown of the game with 1:53 left on the clock and a 27 point deficit. I'd say I nailed this one.

Prediction V
Someone in the crowd will be wearing a Cam Newton / Superman mashup Halloween costume. I'm guessing a simple Cam jersey with a cape, but I really want to see Clark Kent with a #2 poking out from beneath the button down shirt.

Right
ESPN2 showed a shot of a guy out on the Grove wearing a Superman costume with CAM written on the front. Not the cleverest take on the idea, but it's enough to fulfill my prediction. Cam's mother could also be seen wearing a Superman S on her shirt. That was a nice sight, and I was fully prepared to validate my prediction on that alone.

Final Score
Auburn 42
Ole Miss 31

Close
Actual Final Score:
Auburn 51
Ole Miss 31

I nailed the Ole Miss side of the scoreboard, but I shorted Auburn 9 points. I expected Auburn to score, but I didn't think it would be quite as easy as it was. I'll take Auburn scoring too many points any day of the week.

Results
Two rights, one mostly right and fairly close on the final score. I'd say that's a pretty successful outing for this week. Next week will be tougher. It's always hard to predict what will happen, or even who will play in a cupcake game.