Game 2 Review: Wolf Hunt

Auburn Tigers 38 Arkansas State Red Wolves 9.  Auburn wore down the Red Wolves and then ran through them to put up some pretty good numbers but this game was a bit closer than it looked at the end.  Auburn's passing game put up some big plays and that was all the three-headed monster at running back needed.  The Tiger defense bent plenty allowing another night of 20+ first downs and 400+ yards but stiffened near the red zone and held Arkansas State to only three field goals.  Auburn did improve from their uneven week one performance but there are still some good reasons for concern heading into the SEC opener next week.

First here are two good commentaries on the game and specifically Nick Marshall to get the conversation started...

As Marshall improves, so will Auburn

Marshall makes enough plays 

Nick Marshall did improve this week to go 10 for 17 for 147 yards and two touchdowns.  He finally hit one of those bombs Auburn missed out on last week and hit the other touchdown on an actual real drop back and make-a-read pass.  Marshall added another 50 yards rushing on top of that.  Unfortunately he also missed on some easy throws and inexplicably fumbled the ball without anyone else touching it.  As Mr. Rankin points out in the second article above, that is what it is going to be like with Nick Marshall.  He won't be a high percentage passer and is the starter because he can make those explosive plays.  He is also right that with that inconsistency Auburn will hit several three-and-out dry periods during games when he gets off track.  We saw that last night as Auburn went three-and-out two times in a row in the first half.  The question is will the explosive plays more than make up for these dry periods?

The biggest positive Auburn has going at the moment is the three-headed monster of Grant, Mason and Payne.  I thought this would be a solid group but after two games they look a little better than I thought.  The coaches have done a great job so far of spreading the work load and getting them all involved.  On defense the biggest positive appears to be the overall more aggressive play and Chris Davis.  I hate it that Kris Frost will be out the first half against State but that is the biggest play I have seen an Auburn middle linebacker make since Josh Bynes in the Clemson game in 2010.  I know the coaches are going to crush the guy but I will take that any day over what we have seen the last two seasons.

Unfortunately while the defense has improved over the complete train wreck it has been the last two seasons it is still a below average SEC defense in my opinion.  These guys just cannot get off the field.  Arkansas State like Washington State converted on almost half of their third downs.  The time of possession difference before the fourth quarter was alarming.  Games can be lost when Auburn hits one of those dry spells on offense and the defense has to stay out on the field awhile.  Ellis Johnson is more aggressive than Auburn's last two horrible defenses but it sure seems like he needs to be even more aggressive.  Auburn has to take some chances to get some stops and give the offense more time.  Just like 2011, the worst thing is to let the other team take some long double-figure play drive down the field with our offense going to sleep on the bench.

Another cause for concern would be the nearly 100 yards in penalties last night including THREE holding calls against left tackle Greg Robinson.  Auburn is not going to win too many games in the SEC with almost 100 yards in penalties.  I am also hoping that Malzahn is waiting to spring C.J. Uzomah on one of these upcoming big game opponents.  Uzomah was another one of the only bright spots from last season.  He is a very good receiver and playmaker that has not been used at all.  Auburn was even throwing to Jay Prosch last night but Uzomah was nowhere to be seen.  The coaches need to get him involved.

I was also a little disturbed to see Auburn and Malzahn emulating 2011 in the passing game against overmatched opponents.  In 2011 Auburn was trying to rebuild it's passing game as well but would only throw the ball about 15 times and simply run over the few overmatched opponents they played.  Then, of course, Auburn was not able to pass the ball against the big boys.  I contend that games like last night are the place to get your young quarterback some extra reps in the passing game to get him ready.  However Marshall threw only 17 passes last night when the coaches could easily get him 5 to 10 more passes just for the practice.  All of Auburn's upcoming opponents are going to stack the box and dare Auburn to throw.  It is an absolute certainty. 

Well the preseason is over.  Auburn got two decent wins over teams that are better than your usual cupcakes and that is a good start.  Auburn's win last week looked a little better as Washington State won at Southern Cal last night.  Southern Cal is definitely overrated but that is still a big win.  Things get a bit tougher this week as Mississippi State comes to town.  This game is definitely one of the biggest games of the year and will go a long way toward showing what kind of season Auburn will have.  It is absolutely a must-win for Auburn with it being at home and looking at the rest of the schedule.  This is also the first real opportunity for Auburn to show things are different than last year as the train went off the tracks at State last season.  We will know a whole lot more about this team and this season around 10:00pm next Saturday night.