The 2012 Auburn Tigers football team represented Auburn University in the 2012 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The team was coached by

Gene Chizik Eugene C. Chizik Jr. (born December 28, 1961) is an American football coach who is currently the Assistant Head Coach for Defense at North Carolina. A veteran of the coaching ranks, Chizik previously was UNC's defensive coordinator for the 2015 ...

, who was in his fourth season with Auburn. The Tigers played their home games at

Jordan–Hare Stadium Jordan–Hare Stadium (properly pronounced n central Alabama dialectas ) is an American football stadium in Auburn, Alabama on the campus Auburn University. It primarily serves as the home venue of the Auburn Tigers football team. The stadium ...

Auburn, Alabama Auburn is a city in Lee County, Alabama, United States. It is the largest city in eastern Alabama, with a 2020 population of 76,143. It is a principal city of the Auburn-Opelika Metropolitan Area. The Auburn-Opelika, AL MSA with a population ...

, and competed in the Western Division of the

Southeastern Conference The Southeastern Conference (SEC) is an American college athletic conference whose member institutions are located primarily in the South Central and Southeastern United States. Its fourteen members include the flagship public universities o ...

(SEC). On November 25, 2012, Auburn athletic director Jay Jacobs fired head coach Chizik and all of the assistant coaches after finishing the season 3–9 overall with a 0–8 record in SEC play, the program's worst season in 60 years.

Previous season

Auburn finished 2011 with a record of 8–5 (4–4 SEC) and won the Chick-fil-A Bowl over

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

43–24. During the month leading up to the bowl game defensive coordinator

Ted Roof Terrence Edwin Roof Jr. (born December 11, 1963) is an American football coach and former player who is the defensive coordinator and linebackers coach at the University of Oklahoma. He previously served as a defensive analyst at Clemson Universi ...

resigned to take a similar position at

Central Florida Central Florida is a region of the U.S. state of Florida. Different sources give different definitions for the region, but as its name implies it is usually said to comprise the central part of the state, including the Tampa Bay area and the Gr ...

before ultimately becoming the defensive coordinator at Penn State, and offensive coordinator

Gus Malzahn Arthur Gustavo Malzahn III (; born October 28, 1965) is an American football coach. He is currently the head coach at the University of Central Florida ( UCF). He was the head football coach at Auburn University from 2013 to 2020. During the 20 ...

resigned to become the head coach at

Arkansas State Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the South Central United States. It is bordered by Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, and Texas and Oklahoma to the west. Its name is from the Osage ...

, but remained with the Tigers through the bowl game. Star running back Michael Dyer was released from his scholarship and followed Malzahn to Arkansas State after violating undisclosed team rules prior to the bowl game.

Forthcoming season

A shooting at an off campus party killed former players Ed Christian and LaDarius Phillips on June 9 after they had planned to transfer. Current Offensive Guard Eric Mack was also shot but survived, he remains on the team, but has not participated in summer drills. Freshman QB Zeke Pike was arrested for public intoxication and was dismissed from the team. Pike will transfer to Louisville. Other transfers included CB Jonathan Rose and OG Thomas O'Reilly. DE Joel Bonomolo quit the team and linebacker Jawara White suffered a career ending neck injury. Transfers Corey Grant, Mike Blakely and Melvin Ray will be eligible to play this upcoming season.

New coordinators

The Tigers played the 2012 season with new coordinators on both offense and defense. On offense,

Scot Loeffler Scot Loeffler (born November 1, 1974) is an American football coach and former player. He is currently the head coach at Bowling Green State University. He formerly served as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Boston College. He was ...

took control. Loeffler was previously the offensive coordinator at

Temple University Temple University (Temple or TU) is a public state-related research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1884 by the Baptist minister Russell Conwell and his congregation Grace Baptist Church of Philadelphia then calle ...

, and had served stints as an assistant coach at

Michigan Michigan () is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the List of U.S. states and ...

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

and the Detroit Lions. While serving as a graduate assistant coach at Michigan, Loeffler tutored future New England Patriots

quarterback The quarterback (commonly abbreviated "QB"), colloquially known as the "signal caller", is a position in gridiron football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive platoon and mostly line up directly behind the offensive line. In modern Ame ...

Tom Brady Thomas Edward Patrick Brady Jr. (born August 3, 1977) is an American football quarterback for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League (NFL). He spent his first 20 seasons with the New England Patriots organization, with which ...

. The new Auburn defensive coordinator was

Brian VanGorder Brian VanGorder (born April 17, 1959) is an American football coach and former player. He was the defensive coordinator at Bowling Green State University, a position he assumed in 2019. Prior to that, he was defensive coordinator at the Universit ...

, who most recently served in a similar capacity with the Atlanta Falcons. Also new to the Tigers defensive coaching staff was Willie Martinez, who coached defensive backs. Martinez was previously an assistant coach at Oklahoma. VanGorder and Martinez previously coached together at

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

in the early 2000s. The Tigers switched to a more aggressive blitzing scheme on defense. The presence of VanGorder on the Tigers’ coaching staff paid dividends in recruiting, as they secured commitments from several high-profile recruits for the 2013 class.

Coaching staff

Returning starters

Offense

Defense

Special teams

Key losses

*QB Barrett Trotter *RB Michael Dyer *WR Quindarrius Carr *LT A.J. Greene *RT Brandon Mosely *LB Eltoro Freeman *FS Neiko Thorpe *OC Gus Malzahn *DC Ted Roof

Key returners

*QB Kiehl Frazier *QB Clint Moseley *RB Onterio McCalebb *RB

Tre Mason Trence Mason (born August 6, 1993) is a former American football running back. He played college football at Auburn and was drafted by the St. Louis Rams in the third round of the 2014 NFL Draft. High school career Mason attended Park Vista C ...

*WR Emory Blake *TE Philip Lutzenkirchen *C Reese Dismukes *LE Corey Lemonier *LE Craig Sanders *LE LaDarius Owens *RE Dee Ford *RE Nosa Equae *DT Jeff Whitaker *LB Daren Bates *CB Chris Davis *CB T'Sharvin Bell *P Steven Clark *K

Cody Parkey Cody Parkey (born February 19, 1992) is an American football placekicker who is a free agent. He played college football at Auburn and was signed by the Indianapolis Colts as an undrafted free agent in 2014. He has also been a member of the Phi ...

Depth chart

''Offense'' Quarterbacks *10 Kiehl Frazier So 6'2 228 *15 Clint Moseley Jr 6'4 233 *12 Jonathan Wallace Fr 6'2 205 Running backs *23 Onterio McCalebb Sr 5'11 168 *21

So 5'10 205 *20

Corey Grant Corey Grant (born December 22, 1976) is the head coach for the Carleton Ravens football team of U Sports. He is a former professional wide receiver in the Canadian Football League where he played for 11 years and won two Grey Cup championships. ...

So 5'9 203 *22 Mike Blakely RFr 5'9 206 Fullbacks *35 Jay Prosch Jr 6'0 253 *48 Blake Burgess Jr 6'2 255 Slot receivers *1 Trovon Reed So 6'0 188 *4

Quan Bray Jaquan Bray (born April 28, 1993) is an American gridiron football wide receiver for the Ottawa Redblacks of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He played college football at Auburn, and signed with the Indianapolis Colts as an undrafted free ...

So 5'10 175 *8 Anthony Morgan Sr 5'9 204 Wide Receiver *80 Emory Blake Sr 6'2 197 *13 Sammie Coates RFr 6'3 210 *89 Jaylon Denson So 6'3 208 *6 Ricardo Louis Fr 6'2 210 Wide Receiver *85 Travante Stallworth Sr 5'9 195 *82 Melvin Ray Fr 6'4 205 *87 JaQuay Williams Fr 6'4 201 Tight End *43 Philip Lutzenkirchen Sr 6'4 260 *11 Brandon Fulse So 6'5 250 *81 C. J. Uzomah So 6'4 246 (was the wildcat last year) *46 Ricky Parks Fr 6'3 237 *84 Darrien Hutcherson Fr 6'8 272 Left Tackle *73 Greg Robinson RFr 6'4 312 *72 Shon Coleman RFR 6'6 295 *77 Shane Callahan Fr 6'6 285 Left Guard *71 John Sullen Sr 6'6 336 *63 Alex Kozan Fr 6'4 295 *76 Jordan Diamond Fr 6'5 295 Center *50 Reese Dismukes So 6'3 305 *65 Tunde Fariyike So 6'3 302 Right Guard *75 Christian Westerman RFr 6'3 310 *60 Eric Mack So 6'3 315 *70 Robert Leff Fr 6'7 275 Right Tackle *62 Chad Slade So 6'5 325 *51 Patrick Miller Fr 6'7 275 *56 Avery Young Fr 6'6 275 *74 Will Adams Fr 6'8 285 ''Defense'' Left End *55 Corey Lemonier Jr 6'4 250 *13 Craig Sanders Jr 6'4 266 *10 Ladarius Owens So 6'2 257 *42 Gimel President Fr 6'4 245 Defensive Tackle *54 Jeff Whitaker Jr 6'5 305 *92 Ken Carter Jr 6'4 297 *74 Jamar Travis Sr 6'0 294 *91 Tyler Nero Fr 6'2 291 Defensive Tackle *90

Gabe Wright Gabriel Alexander Wright (born April 3, 1992) is an American football defensive tackle for the DC Defenders of the XFL. He played college football at Auburn and was drafted by the Detroit Lions in the fourth round of the 2015 NFL Draft. Wrigh ...

So 6'3 305 *98 Angelo Blackson So 6'5 325 *95 Devaunte Singler So 6'5 295 *93 JaBrain Niles RFr 6'2 297 Right End *95 Dee Ford Jr 6'2 245 *94 Nosa Equae Jr 6'3 263 *52 Justin Delaine So 6'5 250 *45 Keymiya Harrell RFr 6'5 260 Strong Side Linebacker *17 Kris Frost RFr 6'2 233 *35 Jonathan Evans 5'11 230 *44 Anthony Swain 6'2 245 Middle Linebacker *5 Jake Holland Jr 6'1 238 *33 Chris Landrum RFr 6'3 233 *30 Cassanova McKinzy Fr 6'4 237 Weak Side Linebacker *25 Daren Bates Sr 5'11 225 *26 Justin Garrett So 6'2 206 *58 Ashton Richardson Sr 6'1 218 *18 Javiere Mitchell Fr 6'2 197 Left Corner Back *11 Chris Davis Jr 5'10 184 *6 Jonathan Mincy So 5'10 188 *1 Josh Hoseley Fr 5'9 175 *21 Jonathan Jones Fr 5'10 185 Free Safety *14 Enrique Florence So 6'1 185 * 9 Jermaine Whitehead So 5'11 195 *31 Trent Fisher So 6'1 187 Strong Safety *12 DeMutruce McNeal Jr 6'2 193 *24 Ryan Smith Jr 6'2 208 *16 Ikeem Means Sr 6'0 205 Right Corner Back *22 T'Sharvin Bell Sr 6'0 182 *27 Robensen Theirize So 5'8 203 *19 Ryan White Jr 5'11 195 *28 TJ Davis Fr 6'1 190 ''Special Teams'' *K 36

Jr 6'1 175 *P 30 Steven Clarke Jr 6'5 228 *LS 59 Jason Lembke Jr 6'2 242 *H 19 Ryan White Jr 5'11 195 *LS 61 C.T. Moorman Fr 6'1 220 *PR 20

So 5'9 203 *KR 20 Corey Grant So 5'9 203 *KR 4

So 5'10 175 Team Captains *Emory Blake * Philip Lutzenkirchen *Corey Lemonier Award Finalists *

Maxwell Award The Maxwell Award is presented annually to the college football player judged by a panel of sportscasters, sportswriters, and National Collegiate Athletic Association head coaches and the membership of the Maxwell Football Club to be the best al ...

- Onterio McCalebb *

Doak Walker Award Since 1990 the Doak Walker Award honors the top running back in college football in the United States. It is named in honor of Doak Walker, a former running back who played for the SMU Mustangs from 1945 to 1949 and in the National Football Le ...

- Onterio McCalebb *

Paul Hornung Award The Paul Hornung Award is a college football award that was created in January 2010 by the Louisville Sports Commission (LSC) with the support of Paul Hornung, a native and resident of Louisville, Kentucky and member of the College Football Hall ...

-Onterio McCalebb * Johnny Rodgers Award-Onterio McCalebb *

Fred Biletnikoff Award The Fred Biletnikoff Award is presented annually to the most outstanding receiver in American college football by the Tallahassee Quarterback Club Foundation, Inc. (TQCF), an independent not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization. The award was creat ...

- Emory Blake *

John Mackey Award The John Mackey Award is presented annually to college football's most outstanding tight end. Established in 2000 by the Nassau County Sports Commission, the award is given annually to the tight end who best exemplifies the play, sportsmanship, a ...

-Philip Lutzenkirchen *

Dave Rimington Trophy The Dave Rimington Trophy is awarded to the player considered to be the best American football center in college football. Dave Rimington was a center who played at the University of Nebraska from 1979 to 1982. A member of the National College ...

- Reese Dismukes *

Chuck Bednarik Award The Chuck Bednarik Award is presented annually to the defensive player in college football as judged by the Maxwell Football Club to be the best in the United States. The award is named for Chuck Bednarik, a former college and professional Ameri ...

- Corey Lemonier * Bronko Nagurski Trophy-Corey Lemonier *

Ted Hendricks Award The Ted Hendricks Award is given annually to college football's top defensive end. The award is named after Ted Hendricks, a member of both the College Football Hall of Fame and Pro Football Hall of Fame, and is presented by his own foundation. I ...

-Corey Lemonier *

Lombardi Award The Rotary Lombardi Award is an award for college football in the United States. Awarded by the Rotary Club of Houston, Texas annually to the college football player "who best embodies the values and spirit of NFL's legendary coach Vince Lomba ...

-Corey Lemonier *

Butkus Award The Butkus Award, instituted in 1985 by the Downtown Athletic Club of Orlando, is given annually to the top linebackers at the high school, collegiate and professional levels of football. The award, named in honor of College Football Hall of Fame ...

-Daren Bates *

Lou Groza Award The Lou Groza Award is presented annually to the top college football placekicker in the United States by the Palm Beach County Sports Commission. The award is named after former Ohio State Buckeyes and Cleveland Browns player Lou Groza. It has be ...

-Cody Parkey *

Ray Guy Award The Ray Guy Award is presented annually to college football's most outstanding punter as adjudged by the Augusta Sports Council. The award is named after punter Ray Guy, an All-American for Southern Mississippi and an All-Pro in the National F ...

- Steven Clarke (was finalist last year)

Recruiting class

The main focus in offseason recruiting was adding new offensive linemen. The Tigers signed seven, led by tackles Avery Young and Jordan Diamond, who were both rated five stars by Scouts.com. '' Parade'' All-American Shane Callahan and Patrick Miller, both rated as four star recruits, also highlight the recruiting class, as do tackle Will Adams and guard Robert Leff. The final signee to Auburn’s impressive class of offensive linemen is Alex Kozan, who signed with the Tigers three weeks after the National Signing Day. In addition, 2010 signee Shon Coleman has been cleared to play after being cured of acute

leukemia Leukemia ( also spelled leukaemia and pronounced ) is a group of blood cancers that usually begin in the bone marrow and result in high numbers of abnormal blood cells. These blood cells are not fully developed and are called ''blasts'' or ...

. He will have four years of eligibility remaining. The only high school

running back A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback to rush the ball, to line up as a receiver to catch the ball, and block. Ther ...

signed was Jovon Robinson; however, he has been unable to practice until potential irregularities in his high school transcripts are resolved. Three running backs have transferred to the Tigers from other programs: Mike Blakely (Florida), Corey Grant (Alabama) and fullback Jay Prosch (Illinois). The Tigers added two four-star recruits at wide receiver. Ricardo Louis signed with Auburn, picking the Tigers over Florida State; also, the Tigers beat out Georgia Tech for the services of JaQuay Williams. In addition, Melvin Ray transferred from Alabama and will be eligible for the 2013 season. The Tigers also signed two

tight end The tight end (TE) is a position in American football, arena football, and Canadian football, on the offense. The tight end is often a hybrid position with the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a wide receiver. Lik ...

s: highly regarded Ricky Parks and Darrien Hutchinson, who is 6’8” and weighs 272 pounds. On defense Auburn concentrated on the secondary, picking up four-star recruit Josh Hosely as well as T.J. Davis and Jonathan Jones. Defensive line signees include '' Parade'' All-American Gimel President and four-star recruit Tyler Nero, who has been timed running a 40-yard dash in 4.62 seconds. Linebackers Cassanova McKinzy and Javier Mitchell round out the class.

Schedule

:Schedule Source:

Game summaries

#14 Clemson

Mississippi State

Louisiana-Monroe

#2 LSU

Arkansas

Ole Miss

Vanderbilt

#20 Texas A&M

New Mexico State

#7 Georgia

Alabama A&M

Alabama

*Sources:

In the 2012 edition of the

Iron Bowl The Alabama–Auburn football rivalry, better known as the Iron Bowl, is an American college football rivalry game between the Auburn University Tigers and University of Alabama Crimson Tide, both charter members of the Southeastern Conferen ...

, Alabama shutout the Auburn

Tigers The tiger (''Panthera tigris'') is the largest living cat species and a member of the genus ''Panthera''. It is most recognisable for its dark vertical stripes on orange fur with a white underside. An apex predator, it primarily preys on un ...

49–0 at Tuscaloosa. The Crimson Tide opened the game with a 10-play, 75-yard drive that culminated in a two-yard

Eddie Lacy Edward Darwin Lacy Jr. (born June 2, 1990) is a former American football running back. He played college football at Alabama, where he was a member of three BCS National Championship teams in the 2009, 2011, and 2012 seasons. He was drafted by ...

touchdown run and a 7–0 lead. After the Alabama defense held Auburn to a

three-and-out A down is a period in which a play transpires in gridiron football. The down is a distinguishing characteristic of the game compared to other codes of football, but is synonymous with a "tackle" in rugby league. The team in possession of the ...

on their first possession, their offense responded with their second touchdown of the afternoon on a two-yard T. J. Yeldon touchdown run for a 14–0 lead. The Crimson Tide then forced a Tigers' punt on their second possession, and then scored their third touchdown in as many possessions when

A. J. McCarron Raymond Anthony "A. J." McCarron Jr. (born September 13, 1990) is an American football quarterback for the St. Louis BattleHawks of the XFL. He previously played in the National Football League (NFL) for eight seasons. McCarron played college ...

threw a 37-yard pass to

Amari Cooper Amari Cooper (born June 17, 1994) is an American football wide receiver for the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Alabama, where he was the Biletnikoff Award winner as the nation's top receiv ...

for a 21–0 lead early in the second quarter. On the Auburn possession that ensued, the Alabama defense collected their first turnover of the game when Robert Lester intercepted a Jonathan Wallace pass at the Tigers' 29-yard line. Five plays later the Crimson Tide led 28–0 after McCarron threw a seven-yard touchdown pass to Kevin Norwood. The Alabama defense held Auburn to their second three-and-out of the game, and then the Crimson Tide scored their fifth touchdown of the game on a one-yard Lacy run for a 35–0 lead. Auburn then committed their second turnover of the game when

Nico Johnson Nico Johnson (born June 19, 1990) is a former American football linebacker. He was drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs in the fourth round of the 2013 NFL Draft. He played college football at Alabama, where he was a member of National Championshi ...

forced a Tre Mason fumble that Dee Milliner recovered and returned to the Tigers' 35-yard line. Alabama then took a 42–0 halftime lead when McCarron threw a 29-yard touchdown pass to Cooper. With the Alabama starters in the game for the first possession of the second half, the defense again held the Tigers to a three-and-out and forced a punt. The offense then made it seven-for-seven on offense when McCarron threw a 38-yard touchdown pass to Norwood for a 49–0 lead. The Alabama defense then did not allow Auburn to get past their own 41-yard line for the duration of the game and secured their fourth shutout of the season. This marked the second consecutive Iron Bowl in which Auburn's offense was unable to score against Alabama's defense. The victory was the second largest in the history of the Iron Bowl after the 55–0 Alabama win in 1948 and improved Alabama's all-time record against the Tigers to 42–34–1.

Rankings

References

{{Auburn Tigers football navbox Auburn Auburn Tigers football seasons

Auburn Tigers football The Auburn Tigers football program represents Auburn University in the sport of American college football. Auburn competes in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the Western Division ...