The Auburn Tigers are foaming at the mouth.

"Big stadium, I can't wait,'' Auburn tailback Carnell Williams said. "It's going to be a lot of fun.''

Fun?

There was a time when facing Tennessee's defense was anything but fun. Now, it seems, the No. 10 Vols (3-0, 1-0 SEC) have merely become "Team X.''

Auburn coach Tommy Tuberville makes no secret of his team's confidence heading into Saturday's 7:45 p.m. game at Neyland Stadium.

"We're prepared for any defense that anybody throws at us,'' said Tuberville, whose troops rushed for 95 yards in the first quarter alone in last year's 28-21 win over the Vols. "We're better in the offensive line; we're much more consistent and we've got more depth.

"It doesn't really have a lot to do with the defense. We feel we've got a good offense, and if we go out and execute, it doesn't matter who you play.''

Mississippi State coach Sylvester Croom, who saw Williams and Ronnie Brown combine for 269 yards on 34 carries, said stopping Auburn's run starts up front.

"Their backs get a lot of credit, and they're very good, but Auburn's offensive line is very, very good,'' Croom said. "The center is an outstanding player; he can single block a very good player on the nose himself they don't have to double team inside.

"To have any chance to stop Auburn's run game control the line of scrimmage so those backs don't get started. Once those backs hit the line of scrimmage, there's not many times guys will bring them down in the open field by themselves.''

The No. 8 Tigers (4-0, 2-0) dominated the Vols' front seven last season. Departed safety Gibril Wilson led UT with 11 tackles in the loss at Auburn.

LSU coach Nick Saban said the defensive linemen aren't the only ones who have to step up to stop the Tigers' run.

"You better be able to play on the line and stay in your gaps and tackle well, which we didn't do when they got in space on us,'' Saban said. "Your perimeter people have to play well, too; your outside linebackers and secondary.''

Vols On Offense: UT looks to establish a run threat early to set up play-action passes and force Auburn into single coverage.

"If we can get them to bring seven guys in the box, it means we're probably getting more man-to-man coverage,'' UT offensive coordinator Randy Sanders said.

Sanders expects both Erik Ainge and Brent Schaeffer to be more efficient against man coverage than zone.

"It's easier for a young guy because if a receiver's open, you just throw it,'' Sanders said. "Against zone, there's more to read.''

Auburn makes that difficult by not giving the QBs or the coordinator much of a pre-snap read, often shifting into its coverage plan after the ball is snapped.

Projected Stats: Ainge 55 percent completions, 205 yards, one TD, one interception; Schaeffer 60 percent completions, 70 yards, one TD. UT run game: 125 yards on 31 carries.

Vols On Defense: Auburn single blocks the front four and releases other linemen onto the linebackers, so UT's focus this week was on getting off blocks.

Easier said than done: The Vols return just three starters — LB Kevin Burnett and DEs Karlton Neal and Parys Haralson — from the front seven that got trucked last year.

Projected Stats: Williams and Brown 34 carries, 215 yards, two TDs; Jason Campbell 60 percent completions, 155 yards, two TD, two sacks.

On The Spot: Campbell. With the Vols selling out to stop the run, Campbell can have a big day if he's accurate. UT safety Jason Allen will be asked to be all over the field in run support and pass coverage.

Players To Watch: UT defensive tackles Jesse Mahelona and Justin Harrell will be challenged to plug the middle; Auburn's Williams is the most-electrifying runner in college football.

Prediction: Auburn 28, Tennessee 24.