New At al.com: Roundtable For MSU

Here's a link to my contribution this week at al.com's Blogger Roundtable. A sample:

It was very heartening to see something that looked like an Auburn defense for the first time since last year's Alabama game. Other than that one, Tennessee '09 is about the only really impressive defensive performance we've seen out of the Tigers in quite a while.

MississiPPi State isn't exactly a title contender this year, but I remain ferociously impressed with the turn-around job Dan Mullen has managed over the last 20-odd months. Holding MSU to 248 yards, one sustained drive and two total scores, in a game they've been keying on for nearly a year, was no mean feat.

I was particularly relieved to see how well the defensive line and linebackers were able to get consistent pressure on State's quarterbacks and stuff the running game. If DL Nick Fairley isn't the defensive player of the week [I wrote and submitted this on Sunday, before the announcement], they ought to retire the award. It took a bit for the defense to adjust to Mullen's new option read play, but Ted Roof did a much better job making that adjustment than, say, Georgia's Todd Grantham.