There is really not a whole lot more to say about this game so I will keep this tight...
THE GOOD
This would be the aforementioned rushing attack. Obviously a whole lot of credit has to go to the boys up front and last night that was Greg Robinson, Tunde Fariyike, Reese Dismukes, Chad Slade and Avery Young. Auburn now has one of the best rushing attacks statistically in the nation. Of course the Owls like Western Carolina and Texas A&M's league worse defense did not offer much resistance. In the coming weeks we will see how good Auburn's rushing attack really is.
Also on the good side would be quarterback Jeremy Johnson's performance in relief of an injured Nick Marshall. Johnson tossed a 36 yard touchdown pass to Sammie Coates on his first play and found Coates again a few minutes later for a 67 yard touchdown pass. Johnson finished 10 of 16 for 192 yards with those two touchdowns and one interception. Coates finished with over a 100 yards receiving as well for the second straight game. Marcus Davis was the leader in receptions with four.
The defense played very well holding Florida Atlantic under 250 total yards as did the special teams outside punt returns. Auburn only had a few injuries with Nick Marshall going out and had Marcus Davis down. I believe both are OK but you won't really know till next week. Marshall was seen laughing and cutting up on the sidelines so you have to think he is not hurt too bad. Guard Alex Kozan sat this game out but it sounded like he should be ready to go next week.
THE BAD
In my opinion, the bad of this game was Gus Malzahn's decision to not get Nick Marshall any reps in the passing game. Yes he got hurt on his second drop back of the night but let us be clear here, the guy still needs a lot of work on his passing game. Marshall hit some big passes last week against Texas A&M but finished with an under 50% completion percentage. Auburn did not attempt one pass in the first quarter??? Auburn's rushing game has proved itself and there was no doubt Auburn would get plenty of reps running the ball.
I have already pointed out several times how Malzahn did this in 2011. Auburn would just run the ball and get the win and not work on the passing game any. Auburn would then fail miserably in the big games when they needed to pass the ball. Auburn can not just run the ball to beat several of their remaining opponents, they will need to hit some crucial throws. Marshall has made enough of those throws so far but again I still think he needs as many reps throwing the ball as he can get. Auburn wasted a good opportunity to get him some of those reps last night.
Also, I think it hurts recruiting to look so one dimensional. I know Jeremy Johnson got to throw some balls later but you make a hell of a first impression to any quarterback or wide receiver recruits when you don't throw a pass in the first quarter. Another thing that makes it so frustrating is we did it right with Cam Newton. Malzahn used some of those nothing games to let Newton work on his passing game. Cam did not run the ball in those games.
The only other bad thing I saw in this game was the punt returner. First, Chris Davis is arguably our best and most valuable defensive player and we are taking the chance of getting him hurt again returning punts. We have a dozen wide receivers that would not be as big a loss that should be able to get the job done. Second, Davis did a terrible job last night. First he caught a punt he should not have going back into the end zone. Yes he made a good run after that but it was still a terrible decision. Next, he tried to run one back and got popped. He could have gotten a concussion and been out the next week or so. Finally he fumbled one. Jason Bray did not look any better but he is just not as valuable as Davis.
THE UGLY
The ugly I will point out today is the Bama vs. Tennessee "rivalry". I know Auburn has not fared well against Bama the last couple of years but Tennessee has now lost seven in a row with six of them being blowouts. I know the series is dominated by winning streaks by one team or the other but this has to be one of the ugliest steaks for Tennessee in its history.
Of course, when Bama can get away with anything, it doesn't help any of us. Safety Ha-Ha Clinton-Dix returned last week with little to no attention at all. Again as I posted a few weeks ago, it is hypocritical, biased and unfair. Again, if any Auburn player had been busted taking an "illegal loan" from an ACTUAL EMPLOYEE OF THE UNIVERSITY then all hell would have broke lose. He certainly would not have been back after two games.
THE LAST WORD
Auburn's destiny lies in it's own hands and is playing and feeling good. The toughest part of the season though starts this week as Auburn ends the season with four straight conference games. Auburn goes on the road against Arkansas and Tennessee and returns home for Georgia and Bama. A lot of Auburn fans are already chalking up the wins but Auburn is still not quite good enough to just show up and get the win. It is always tough on the road in the SEC. A good example would be Cam and the national championship team. Auburn barely beat Mississippi State 17-14 and Kentucky 37-34 on the road. Those were two of the worst teams Auburn played in-conference that year.
The same can be said of Arkansas and Tennessee. These are both trap games but hopefully Coach Malzahn will keep the Tigers focused like he has the rest of the season. I think Auburn should be able to outscore the Razorbacks. I think Auburn has a lot more weapons but weather could be a factor. More than one Auburn team has had to play in some tough weather out in Fayetteville. November football is here and the Auburn Tigers have put themselves in position to make this one exciting month...
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