Veterans of Auburn's unbeaten 2004 team say it can happen againBy Phillip Marshall, Senior WriterPosted Jul 5, 2008Copyright © 2008 AuburnUndercover.comIt was obvious to freshman Auburn tailback Brad Lester in the summer of 2004 that he had walked into something special.He was surrounded by great athletes. There was an offensive backfield that included running backs Cadillac Williams and Ronnie Brown and quarterback Jason Campbell, all of whom would be first-round draft picks months later. There was a lineup that included 17 players who would eventually play in the NFL. Cornerback Carlos Rogers would also be a first-round pick in 2005. Offensive guard Ben Grubbs would follow in 2007. Offensive tackle Marcus McNeil would make the Pro Bowl as a rookie after being a second-round pick in 2006.But it was more than all that. Something special was in the air. Lester could feel it. He could taste it.“Every day, you would watch those guys,” Lester says. “You’d watch their work habits. You’d watch how they carried themselves, how they related to other players. The thing is, they were all team players. They weren’t worried about stats. They just wanted to win, and they were determined to do it.”And do it they did. When they walked off the field in the Superdome after beating Virginia Tech in the Sugar Bowl to finish a 13-0 season, they had secured their place in Auburn history.Eight scholarship players remain who were on campus when the 2004 Tigers won the Southeastern Conference championship and made Auburn history. Sixth-year senior nose guard Tez Doolittle was a backup who was in on three tackles. Lester played in three games before an injury resulted in a redshirt year. Center Jason Bosley and linebacker Chris Evans were grayshirts, not officially part of the team until bowl practice. Running back Tristan Davis, linebacker Merrill Johnson, safety Blake Schrader and offensive guard Tyronne Green were redshirted.They all watched and they all learned."Those guys were great not only for our team, but for the SEC and college football," Auburn coach Tommy Tuberville says. "How they played, how they handled themselves and their unselfish acts on and off the football field had a drastic trickle-down effect."Guys like that just don't come along that often. They cared about each other, they cared about doing things the right way and they cared about winning."The 2008 Tigers aren’t likely to have four first-round draft choices. They don’t have the depth of experience that the 2004 team had. But those who were there say there are similarities that can’t be dismissed. This Auburn team, they say, has the same kind of closeness and unselfishness. And it is hungry for a championship.“There aren’t a lot of individuals,” Bosley says. “Everybody gets along well with everybody. That’s a plus. Everybody feels comfortable enough to push each other, which is good, especially as hard as this summer has been.”To a man, the veterans of that year of glory say their mission is to leave the same kind of legacy that was left to them by tha team that might have been the best in Auburn history.“I know I can have the same impact on (freshman running back) Eric Smith and the young guys that come in that Ronnie and Cadillac and those guys had on me,” Lester says. “That’s what I want to do. This is my school. Even after I’m gone, I still want this program to be 13-0 every year.”After 2004, Auburn players would never again have to wonder if they could stand up against best. They knew they could. They had done it. What they haven’t done since is win a championship.“So much talent comes through here every year,” Green says. “Every year, I’ve felt like we should have been there. We shoot ourselves in the foot one game. I think this is the team that can do it. I feel like we can win a national championship. We can be like that team was.”On Aug. 2, when preseason practice begins, their journey will begin.
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