Game 12 Review: The Ugly, the Uglier and the Ugliest

Bama 55  Auburn 44.  The 2014 Auburn football team defense is the worst defense on a winning team at Auburn I have ever seen.  They are simply the worst.  They might be the worst of all time.  Like tonight it is not about the numbers, it is about coming through in the clutch and this defense can give up the big play or score at the worst time every time.  I have never seen a worse job of defensive coaching in my life period.  Bad teams put their defenses in bad positions but the Auburn offense put up over 600 yards of TOTAL OFFENSE and over thirty points.  That is not near enough with this defense.  The only thing that stopped Bama on this night was Bama.  Here is my breakdown of this game:

THE UGLY
The Auburn defense in the first quarter.

THE UGLIER
The Auburn defense in the second quarter.

THE UGLIEST
The Auburn defense in the second half.

Here are the totals for this pathetic unit in our last six SEC games: Mississippi State had 469 yards of offense and 38 points, South Carolina had 535 yards of offense and 42 points, Ole Miss had 485 yards of offense and 31 points, Texas A&M had 457 yards of offense and 41 points, Georgia had 412 yards of offense and 34 points and finally the Pièce de résistance in Tuscaloosa tonight where Bama had 541 yards of offense and 55 points.  Auburn was also 2-4 in those games.

Gus Malzahn will not fire any of these defensive coaches so there will plenty more of this next year.  I also think that if anyone thinks a few new players or the return of Carl Lawson will change things they are sorely mistaken.  The game has clearly passed these coaches by.  The only results that matter on the resume is this season and again these totals are the worst I have ever seen for a winning team at Auburn.  It is also patently obvious that Auburn does not have many good defensive players either.  I just don't see any quick solutions to Auburn's defensive problems. 

However the obvious place to start is revamping the coaching staff and making a commitment to finding better defensive players.  Otherwise I see a lot more seasons just like this one in our future.

Game 11 Review: Sullivan's Last Ride

Auburn 31  Samford 7.  The 2014 Auburn football Tigers slogged through another unimpressive performance against in-state FCS foe Samford coached by former Auburn Heisman winner Pat Sullivan.  I think this might have been the last time we see Sullivan in Jordan Hare Stadium as a player or coach.  I think Sullivan's health issues will soon force his retirement from coaching.  It will end a career that has spanned over 40 years.  Pat Sullivan is a very special person and the definition of class.  My family and I made our first trip to Jordan Hare this year and I think the thing I will remember most about the game is the video of Sullivan's highlights at Auburn. 

 

First I want to again recommend the book this blog is named after, "Saturdays To Remember" by David Housel.  Housel's chapters on the greatest games of the Sullivan era are the best in the book.  People today just do not understand how good Sullivan was or what he did for Auburn.  The blocking rules for offensive linemen were much different in Sullivan's time.  His passing numbers for that era were truly amazing.  He was also the oasis in the middle of the deserts of the 60s and 70s for Auburn.  Sullivan played for Auburn from 1969 to 1971 and outside of 1963 and 1972 Auburn did not beat Bama or really have many good seasons from 1960 through 1980 (except for 1974 where the Tigers were very good but lost to Bama).

Pat Sullivan led the Auburn Tigers to a 25-5 regular season record from 1969-1971 including two wins over Bama.  He also brought an offensive magic never before seen on the Plains.  The Tigers scored 50 or more points six times under Sullivan.  Auburn averaged almost 35 points a game under Sullivan for three seasons.  He put on some amazing performances during that time including a 49-26 beatdown of Bear Bryant and the boys from Tuscaloosa.  Sullivan topped that the next year when he led Auburn back from down 17-0 to beat the Tide again.  There is also his legendary freshman team comeback over Bama where the Auburn freshman were down 27-0 and Sullivan brought them back to win 36-27. 

Pat Sullivan's finest performance might have been his last win at Auburn.  This was the game that clinched the Heisman Trophy and is still one of the greatest games in Auburn history.  Sullivan and Auburn were 9-0 and headed to Athens to take on Georgia who was also 9-0.  It was the first time two SEC teams had met this late in the season undefeated and untied.  It was a game for all the marbles including possible conference and national championships and a Heisman Trophy as well.  In the biggest game of his life Sullivan was 14 of 24 for 248 yards and four touchdowns leading Auburn to a 35-20 win.

Sullivan finished the season completing 162 passes on 281 attempts for 2,012 yards and 20 touchdowns.  Sullivan finished his college career with 6,284 passing yards and 57 touchdowns, along with another 18 touchdowns on the ground.  Sullivan would then go on to play in the NFL.  He would return to Auburn later as a color commentator on the radio and then as quarterbacks coach.  His five years (1986-199) as quarterbacks coach and offensive co-coordinator were the five most successful years in Auburn history.  Auburn went 47-10-5 in those five years and won three SEC titles.

Those five years also featured the best passing offenses since Sullivan had been at Auburn as a player.  Sullivan tutored three of Auburn's greatest quarterbacks in Jeff Burger, Reggie Slack and Stan White.  Sullivan would then leave Auburn to start his head coaching career at TCU following the 1991 season.  He would lead TCU to the Southwest Conference Championship in 1994 and was then hired by LSU.  Unfortunately in something you almost never see LSU could not negotiate a buyout of Sullivan's contract at TCU and the deal fell through.  It was basically a career killer for Sullivan but I know he would say God knows best.  Sullivan would return to his hometown of Birmingham as offensive coordinator at UAB and then head coach at Samford.

Sullivan also returned to the Auburn family after the arrival of head coach Gus Malzahn culminating in his role of honorary coach for the Tigers at last year's SEC Championship Game.  It was truly a special moment in Auburn history.  I hope Sullivan will continue to spend time in Auburn if he does retire from coaching.  He is still the first face on Auburn's "Mount Rushmore" of players in my opinion.  I have centered just on Sullivan throughout this post.  I know the first thing he would do when talking about all this history is point to all of his teammates, coaches, friends and family. 

 

"Maybe other people deserve this honor more than me, but from the bottom of my heart, no one will appreciate this more than me."

 

Pat Sullivan after winning the Heisman Trophy and after the unveiling of his statue at Jordan Hare

Game 10 Review: November Rain

Georgia 34  Auburn 7.  It is a cold rainy Sunday throughout most of Alabama.  It certainly matches the mood of most Auburn fans.  I ended last week's review with this statement: "Auburn can beat Georgia or Bama but the question is how will they respond to this gut wrenching loss."  Well everyone got the answer to that question loud and clear.  Auburn responded with one good drive and then the wheels came off in Athens. 

The Bulldogs simply pounded the Tigers into the Samford Stadium turf.  Time always tells the tale for teams and coaches and it did for this team as well.  As many great coaches have said, a team either gets better or worse and this one has gotten worse.  This team has shown some bad tendencies on both sides of the ball all year plus a lack of leadership and it finally caught up with Auburn yesterday.

THE GOOD
Well there is not much good you can find for Auburn in this game.  As Coach Gus Malzahn said the team got beat soundly in all three phases of the game.  There was a critical fumble and missed punt block on special teams and another complete collapse on defense.  Georgia had not one but two running backs with close to 150 yards.  Unfortunately in this game the offense also joined the party and put up less than 300 yards of total offense and only one touchdown.  The lowest output under Gus Malzahn as head coach. 

I guess the only good is remembering the magic of last year at the end of the season.  We knew last year was a once-in-a-lifetime type of end to a season.  We knew there would be plenty more days like this but last year helped so much and hurt our biggest rivals much more than this loss and another potential loss in two weeks.  Auburn had a lot coming back this year and a seemingly good chance at a title and no one wanted to lose that.  However now that it is gone, hopefully all the things that have gone wrong this season will be a good learning experience for these coaches.

THE BAD
I am really starting to worry that Gus Malzahn will spend the rest of his time at Auburn running this 2013 running offense.  I am starting to worry that he will not throw the ball enough even with Jeremy Johnson taking over.  All we hear from the coaches and other Auburn bloggers is how great a passer Marshall is yet in the game against State and yesterday's game Malzahn admitted he was too stubborn in not passing the ball.  What is going on?  I just do not understand his stubborn refusal to throw the ball. 

It has been obvious from day one of this season and I have said it many times on this blog that we had to throw more this year to be successful.  He has just refused to do it and it certainly contributed to losses against Mississippi State and against Georgia.  Auburn must become a more balanced offense or they will just be a slightly different version of Georgia Tech.  I certainly hope that with Jeremy Johnson taking the reins and seeing how this season ended that the coaches will open up the passing game next year.  You have to be able to run the ball but for long term success you have to be balanced as well.

THE UGLY
You take away Nick Fairley and Dee Ford and Auburn would have six consecutive years of the worst defenses in Auburn history.  Auburn has not had a defense ranked anywhere close to the top since the Tuberville era.  I can actually live with that, I just don't understand why Auburn defenses have to be SO bad?  I mean it is not like the Tigers even had a mediocre defense in 2010 and 2013.  They were still statistically bad defenses but just not an absolute train wreck like this year.  I know you cannot have a great defense running the offense we run but why can't we at least have a mediocre defense?

The defense this year has looked a lot like 2012.  Whatever we are doing is NOT working.  First, the Tigers have got to get some better players, especially on the line.  It all starts up front and Auburn is getting killed in the trenches.  Defensive line coach Rodney Garner needs to use some of his recruiting prowness to restock his own position.  It has to start there.  Auburn needs improvement all over but it has to start there.  Coach Malzahn then needs to really evaluate whether the defensive philosophy we are using is going to work.  I do not think it is working or will work.  I think a change in leadership and philosophy is needed.

THE LAST WORD
It sure seems like the sky is falling with Auburn's ugly fall from grace and Bama's concurrent rise to the top.  However we must again remember we were there last year.  We were on top of the world and ESPN was showing "The Immaculate Deflection" and the "Kick Six" over and over and over again.  We put a dagger through the heart of both Georgia and Bama.  We won the SEC Championship.  We are down some but with all our problems I do not see a 2008 or a 2012 collapse on our horizon under Malzahn. 

The biggest focus now must be on recruiting.  Unfortunately it is all about recruiting.  The teams with the best players win.  You have to coach them up but the teams with the best players win.  It is as simple as that.  Auburn needs more good players especially on defense.  Recruit, recruit, recruit.  That is the last word from this vantage point on this cold rainy November morning.

Game 9 Review: EXCRUCIATING

Texas A&M 41  Auburn 38.  This has to be one of the most excruciating games I have watched in over 30 years of watching Auburn football.  People have talked a lot about Auburn's exciting wins over the past year or so but there have been some excruciating losses as well between this one and the national championship game.  Auburn has a much better team than the Aggies but were outplayed on defense and gave it away on offense.  It was hard to watch Auburn's pathetic defensive effort and bumbling mistakes on offense and special teams. 

I guess the question is now how did Auburn beat these guys last year?  It is obvious now that A&M simply owns Auburn.  They crushed Bo Jackson in his final game as an Auburn Tiger in the Cotton Bowl, ran the Tigers out of their own stadium in 2012 and have now given one of the most well... excruciating losses in the long and storied history of Auburn football.  A team that Bama beat 59-0 a few weeks ago just delivered the death blow to Auburn's championship chances.  It is simply unfathomable what happened yesterday.  I will admit, I took the Aggies lightly as a fan but it is simply unacceptable to see an entire team do it.

THE GOOD
This would be the Auburn offense apart from the huge mistakes they made.  The Auburn offense rolled up almost 600 yards of offense (???) including close to 400 yards rushing and 200 yards passing.  Quarterback Nick Marshall was brilliant other than helping to fumble the game winning score away on the goal line.  Marshall was 15 of 21 for over 200 yards and a touchdown through the air and two touchdowns on the ground.  Cameron Artis-Payne who continues to turn in a better and better game each week rushed for over 200 yards and two touchdowns but of course was the other person involved in fumbling the game winning score on the goal line as well as a big fumble to open the game.

Almost every receiver had a big play and appeared to block well.  The line obviously blocked well to fuel all this offense but had several critical penalties that stopped drives and of course the final game losing snap.  I just do not understand what happened on the goal line or on that ill-fated snap.  We have not seen any of these types of mistakes the last two years and two pop up within minutes of each other to doom Auburn's season???  Unbelievable.  I know we are a read-option team but the coaches should have been more conservative on the goal line and just called a straight hand-off or quarterback run.  I still do not understand what happened on the botched snap.

THE BAD  THE UGLY PART 1
It is simply inexcusable for a championship team to be as lazy as they were on a critical field goal in a conference game where they are behind.  The special teams coach should be reprimanded for that awful play.  You could argue that ten point swing doomed Auburn as much as anything.  Another ugly part of the game was Duke William's knee injury.  He has been by far our best receiver and it was a huge loss to the team that I think also temporarily stunned the offense.

It was also ugly what happened after the game as LSU once again choked another one away to Bama in OT.  The Bama fans were in all their glory on social media rejoicing in Auburn's demise and their own lucky win.  The waves have parted for them and they have their two biggest games late in the year and at home.  Mississippi State has not looked near as good since upsetting Auburn and I am not liking their chances next week in Tuscaloosa.  Things will get much uglier in this state if Bama takes down State next weekend.

THE UGLY PART 2
Simply put, that was the worst display of defense I have ever seen on an Auburn team ranked in the top ten or the top twenty five for that matter.  What a complete disaster.  What a sickening display of defense as Texas A&M, a team that had been dispatched easily by both Mississippi schools and then by Bama 59-0 pushed the Auburn defense all over their own field.  Auburn could not get a stop.  The only thing that ever stopped A&M was playing it a little conservative late.  The Aggies rolled up almost 500 yards including almost 200 yards on the ground. 

You have to know the Aggies to know how bad that is.  They are not a running team at all however we made them look all-world.  Every time they needed a big run they got it.  The only thing worse than watching them run all over Auburn was watching the Tiger defense make their true freshman quarterback Kyle Allen who was in his first SEC road game look like Peyton Manning.  Unbelievable.  This 18 year old kid threw for almost 300 yards and four touchdowns against our soft awful defense. 

It all started up front as Auburn's defensive line did absolutely nothing but get their butts kicked.  They could not get any pressure on this kid and on top of that Auburn could not cover anybody.  What the heck are the coaches doing???  Every team Auburn plays has guys wide open over the middle taking it to the house, run slant after slant after slant, use swing passes go for big yards, etc...   At some point I do not understand why the coaches would not bring everyone up and make this green rookie quarterback hit the long pass.  How many slants can one team allow?

This defense has now allowed 38 points to Mississippi State, 35 to South Carolina, 31 to Ole Miss and now 41 to Texas A&M.  This defense is AWFUL.  Gus Malzahn better start getting to work on the defensive side of the ball.  It is obvious that coaching is a big part of this.  Ellis Johnson is not getting it done.  His job might on the line depending on how bad the defense is in Auburn's two upcoming rivalry games.  I have not even mentioned the brain dead penalties including a potential game turning offsides penalty.  What are these players thinking?  You cannot make those mistakes.

THE LAST WORD
Auburn is finished as far as any kind of championship goes.  The only thing left to play for is pride and playing spoiler to our biggest rivals.  Georgia is still in the race for the East and Bama is headed for this playoff unless Mississippi State or Auburn do something about it.  Georgia and Bama both have great running games and big play potential in the passing game.  That does not bode well for this Auburn defense.  However if the defense could just make a few plays and the players on both sides of the ball quit making dumb mistakes this could still be a very good team.  They can beat Georgia or Bama but the question is how will they respond to this gut wrenching loss.

Game 8 Review: The Ugly, the Bad and the Good

(BLOGGER'S NOTE: I want to apologize to my readers for the lateness of this post. It has been an out of the ordinary couple of weeks with soccer tournaments, tennis matches, basketball practices, basketball games, the new release of Call of Duty, etc...)

Auburn 35 Ole Miss 31. The #3 and #4 teams in the country played a de facto playoff game on Saturday November 1st and the game lived up to the hype. Both teams put it on the line and absolutely played their guts out. Unfortunately the game was tainted by penalties and a horrific injury. Everyone has seen horrible injuries in sports but I do not think I have ever seen an injury like this occur on the most important play of the game, the play that the entire game came down to.

THE UGLY
Auburn was clinging to a 35-31 lead as the time drained out of the fourth quarter. They had survived the last Ole Miss incursion into the red zone by stripping the ball from Ole Miss quarterback Bo Wallace as he stretched for more yardage.  This time it did not look like there was anyway Auburn would stop the Rebels especially as Wallace swung it out to superstar wide receiver Laquon Treadwell and he streaked toward the end zone.

 However just as Treadwell was about to take it in Auburn linebacker Kris Frost flew in and grabbed Treadwell's jersey and hips and pulled back mightily.  We then unfortunately found out what happens when an irresistible force meets an immovable object. Treadwell was bent back and his leg was broken and his ankle dislocated.  He then dropped the ball before crossing the goal line and Auburn linebacker Cassanova McKinzy jumped on it. 

 

There is not one person on the Auburn football team or fan in their right mind that was not horrified at the graphic injury. There is not much more you can say. It was horrible and everyone wishes it had never happened regardless of who won the game. Hopefully Treadwell can recover from this and resume his career.  Treadwell was a man among boys for the rest of the game shredding Auburn's defense for over 100 yards and a touchdown on 10 catches.

 

 In fact Ole Miss had TWO other 100 yard receivers in tight end Evan Engram and Vince Sanders. Bo Wallace was 28 of 40 for 341 yards and two touchdowns. Ole Miss rolled up almost 500 yards on the Auburn defense. The Auburn defense was looking like the bad or the ugly this week till making the two big stops at the end.

THE BAD
Penalties. This would be the ugly part of the game if Laquon Treadwell's horrible injury had not happened. I definitely do not want to just pile on the refs this week although they deserve plenty of criticism but also pile on Auburn for some of these penalties. Auburn was penalized 13 times for 145 yards. That has got to be close to a record. What are the coaches doing about all these penalties? The problem seems to get worse each game.

There was some incredibly stupid personal foul penalties along with some obvious pass interference or holding calls. I know one of those was a good play because the 15 yard penalty was better than the long pass being completed but that not true of the rest. This team looks incredibly undisciplined at times. You simply cannot win a championship killing your won drives or donating free yards to your opponent through penalties. I know the coaches want the players going all out but they have to do something about these penalties or it will definitely come back to haunt the Tigers.

With that said there were also some completely BS calls that did not make any sense. First there were some pretty bogus calls on Auburn and after that they let Ole Miss get away with things they called on Auburn. On top of all that they let both teams get away with things later in the game they had called early in the game. The reffing in the SEC has simply hit a new low this season.

I know I will be called a homer and biased with these observations but I have one huge piece of evidence that something stinks. An offensive holding call has still not been called on an offensive lineman playing Auburn in a big game since before the national championship game. There were none called against Florida State, Kansas State (in fact no penalties period were called on Kansas State), Mississippi State, South Carolina OR Ole Miss. There was a call in the Mississippi State game against a wide receiver after the game had already been decided but NONE in any of those games against an offensive lineman.

I know holding is done on every play but the egregious holds still have to be called and have been called on Auburn. Auburn was penalized for one bad hold in just about all of those games killing a potential scoring drive. Just calling one hold is huge. This streak encompasses almost 200 passing plays. It is literally impossible to not see at least half a dozen near felony holds in that many passes. You really have to wonder why it seems impossible for an Auburn's opponents offensive lineman to be called for a hold??? South Carolina is not that good a team and threw the ball 50 times yet no holds were called.

THE GOOD
Whew that is a lot of bad stuff to wade through to get to the good... There was some definite good though in this game for Auburn. The offense went toe-to-toe with one of the best defenses in the country and scored five touchdowns. The coaches finally threw the ball to open the run and what do you know, it worked. Auburn might have beat Mississippi State with a similar game plan. Nick Marshall was brilliant for the most part with over 250 yards passing and two touchdowns. Marshall's 65 yard bomb to Sammie Coates has to be one of the most unbelievable plays I have seen all season. 

Marshall really did a great job avoiding the rush and buying time long enough to get his receivers open downfield. Duke Williams had some big catches as well as Quan Bray. Marcus Davis made a great touchdown catch on one of the best play calls of the game. I would really have liked to see that call against Mississippi State in the red zone. Auburn also had what I think was their most impressive day running the ball. They made it look easy but Ole Miss does have a very good defense. Cameron Artis-Payne made that blocking count with 143 yards rushing and Nick Marshall had two rushing touchdowns.

THE LAST WORD
The injury was understandably the talk of the town after this game but beyond that Auburn beat the #4 team in the country on the road.  They overcame some serious obstacles to do it.  Regardless of how the season ends, this was a big win.  This game and the LSU game stand above all others so far this season.  Now Auburn just has to stay the course and beat two teams they are better than to set up another possible winner-take-all game in the Iron Bowl.  The Aggies are next.

The other big news around the SEC was Florida mauling Georgia.  I don't think anyone saw that coming.  That took a lot of air out of Georgia's sails but I GUARANTEE you will see a different team against Auburn in two weeks.  Richt has been historically bad against Florida and great against Auburn.  More relevant to Auburn this week was Texas A&M struggling against Louisiana Monroe.  I think the beatdown Bama laid on the Aggies ended their season. 

Butch Davis and Tennessee finally got another big win at the expense of Steve Spurrier and South Carolina.  I think Carolina was a little hungover after the Auburn game and let Tennessee catch them at the end and then anything goes in overtime.  While I don't think it was the signature win Davis needs it was a much needed win for the Vols.  Meanwhile Bret Bielema once again got very close to that signature win he needs against #1 Mississippi State.  They once again came up short but you have to give it to Bielema.  Arkansas is a much better team this year.

Auburn vs. Texas A&M coming up next.  Last year I thought Auburn got their respect back upsetting A&M and Johnny Football in College Station after the absolute whipping the Aggies laid on Auburn in Jordan Hare in 2012.  However after remembering that awful 2012 game this week I think Auburn needs some more payback for that game.  It is one of the most embarrassing moments in Auburn history and this is A&M's first game back to Jordan Hare since then.  Auburn needs to really bring it this Saturday to complete making up for that horrible game.

Game 7 Review: One more vs. the ol' Ball Coach

''If we catch the Hail Mary and we make a two-point conversion that might have been the greatest win in my entire life.''

 

Auburn 42  South Carolina 35.  The Tigers prevailed in a true barnburner against the South Carolina Gamecocks at Auburn on Saturday night.  I think what many people missed on Saturday is that this is probably the last game Auburn will ever play against a team coached by Steve Spurrier.  I do not think Spurrier will be around the next time Auburn plays South Carolina during the regular season so unless the teams meet again in Atlanta this game will be Auburn's last against one of the greatest coaches in SEC history.  Right now he is #2 after Bear Bryant in my book.  True to his style and reputation he went out with all guns blazing converting five fourth-down attempts.

Spurrier's history with Auburn has to be one of the most interesting chapters in Auburn and SEC history.  Right now though I will stick with last night's game which was a true classic only marred by the horrendous officiating.  South Carolina came in well prepared and ready to go against the Auburn defense.  Unfortunately their young and inexperienced defense could not handle the Auburn offense.  Auburn's offense was the best unit on the field and that was the difference in the game...

THE GOOD
Auburn's offense was very good last night however I don't think Auburn fans should assume all the problems are solved.  As I wrote two weeks ago, I thought Nick Marshall would have big games against South Carolina and Texas A&M.  They both have very bad defenses that cannot stop Auburn's running game.  I do not think that will be the case against Ole Miss, Georgia and Bama.  Auburn and Nick Marshall will have to pass more to beat those teams and I still have my doubts about Marshall's ability to do that.

However Marshall certainly proved again last night that he is an awesome quarterback executing a run heavy game plan against a team Auburn can run on.  Once the Auburn offensive line establishes dominance Marshall and the boys will kill you and they certainly proved that again last night.  Auburn scored touchdowns on six straight drives.  Marshall went 12 for 14 for 139 yards and a touchdown plus 89 yards and three touchdowns running the ball.  It was a vintage Nick Marshall performance. 

Cameron Artis-Payne chipped in maybe his finest night as a Tiger with 167 yards on 25 carries and a touchdown.  Ricardo Louis definitely put up his best night as an Auburn Tiger outside "The Immaculate Deflection" with a huge 75 yard touchdown run in the third quarter.  The receiving corps were pretty quiet outside of Louis with Auburn running the ball so well however Duke Williams and tight end Brandon Fulse both had several clutch catches.  Overall Auburn rolled up almost 400 yards rushing and over 550 yards of total offense.  Unfortunately the flip side was...

THE BAD
South Carolina also rolled up almost 550 yards of total offense including 400 yards though the air.  The Auburn defense which showed some promise early in the season has been eviscerated the last two games.  I am sorry but when you give up 400 yards passing and five touchdowns to Dylan Thompson you have serious problems.  The biggest problem is not having Carl Lawson.  Auburn has to blitz so much more because they have no pass rusher.  The Auburn coaches and fans kept hoping each week that maybe Auburn had found someone but the truth is they have not and will not.  There is just not a good individual pass rusher on this line.

The Auburn secondary also did not fare well in this one as South Carolina hit pass after pass.  They did grab three interceptions but were repeatedly burned throughout the night.  The good news was the return of senior safety Jermaine Whitehead from his four game suspension.  He will be sorely needed in Auburn's last five games.  The Auburn defense was trying hard but they are going to have to get more big stops if Auburn is going to have a chance in these last four conference games.  They have not been able to get near enough stops the last two games.

THE UGLY
This game was one of the worst officiated games I have ever seen.  It stretched from blatant holds not being called to phantom pass interference calls.  It sure seemed like they had a directive from the conference to keep the game close.  I like to emphasize this point when Auburn wins so it does not sound like sour grapes.  The worst offense was late in the third quarter when Auburn safety Joshua Holsey was pulled down by a South Carolina blocker on a sweep right out in the open.  There is literally no possible way to miss it.  It was right in front of the runner and no other players were that close. 

There were also at least two more highly questionable pass interference penalties that helped keep South Carolina in the game.  I am sure Auburn got away with a few blatant ones as well.  SEC officiating is simply beyond hideous.  They also appear to be getting help making calls from off-the-field as well: http://www.foxsports.com/college-football/story/alabama-tennessee-sec-officiating-replay-review-102514. 

My biggest bone of contention is that once again a team that threw the ball a ton did not get called for holding ONE TIME.  I believe a team cannot throw the ball over 30 times against a good team without at least one blatant hold.  I mean how long does it have to go on to be a conspiracy?  Florida State and Mississippi State both threw the ball 34 times against Auburn and not one holding call was made.  South Carolina threw the ball 50 TIMES and not one holding call was made.  I am sorry again I think it is impossible to throw the ball that many times without at least one blatant hold.

THE LAST WORD
Shortly after the Auburn game ended, LSU finished upsetting Ole Miss in Death Valley.  This sets up a de facto elimination game in Oxford next week between Auburn and Ole Miss.  The loser is eliminated from the SEC West race.  It should be a very interesting game.  Both teams have their strengths and weaknesses and they are opposite the other team.  The Auburn offense and the Ole Miss defense will be the strongest units on the field while the Auburn defense and Ole Miss offense are struggling. 

Can Auburn make some headway against Ole Miss' land sharks on defense?  Can Auburn's defense rise up against the Ole Miss offense like they did last year?  The answers to those questions will decide if Auburn stays in the race for a championship.

Game 6 Review: STATEment

Mississippi State 38  Auburn 23.  In an absolutely excruciating game to watch from the Auburn side, the Tigers went down hard in Starkville, Mississippi.  State beat Auburn, Auburn beat themselves and the refs piled on as well.  It was an ugly game from start to finish for Auburn.  It hurts even worse when it comes in a #2 vs. #3 matchup that was the nation's biggest game of the week.  It also hurts realizing that any hope of the college football playoff or getting back to Atlanta are probably gone as well.  I make that statement not based on this single awful loss but on the problems exposed by it.  I don't think this will be Auburn's last loss of the season with Nick Marshall at quarterback.

I am going to base this post off of quotes from Gus Malzahn's presser after game.  It can be found here on al.com.

QUOTE #1: "Give Mississippi State credit... they are a very good football team."
Yes they are.  I was actually more impressed with State's desire and team cohesion than their talent and execution.  State wanted that game more than Auburn and they went after it with as Coach Dan Mullen put it "relentless effort on every snap" especially on defense.  State definitely has some good football players but I thought quarterback Dak Prescott is a bit overrated. 

He is a good quarterback but not great, at least not yet.  He really made some bad throws yesterday that allowed Auburn a chance at getting back in the game.  Both quarterbacks were around a 50% completion percentage and made critical turnovers.  I thought the biggest difference in the game was State's defense in the red zone and so did Coach Malzahn...

QUOTE #2: "A big factor in the game was our red zone offense not scoring touchdowns."
This was the difference in the game.  Auburn as Coach Malzahn stated "started out in a hole" and gave State two quick touchdowns off turnovers.  However State did eventually give them back but Auburn was unable to capitalize.  The State defense stood strong while Auburn's did not.  Auburn had only two field goals plus a missed field goal to show for three trips to the red zone in the first half. 

I think you have to give credit to State but I also thought the play calling was atrocious.  Malzahn and Lashlee kept trying misdirections and all or nothing trick plays including some sort of pass option reverse to tight end C.J. Uzomah (???).  This is not Monday morning quarterbacking, those were awful play calls against a good team.  State was stacking the line, Auburn has very good wide receivers... everyone outside the Auburn coaches can do the math. 

In that case you have to call a straight drop back pass, your quarterback then has to make a read and  make a throw and then you let the chips fall where they may.  The Auburn coaches refused to do that on Auburn's first few trips but when they finally did later Marshall threw a touchdown to Duke Williams.  They should have done it much earlier, it was the right play no matter what, but of course I certainly cannot say I would be confident quarterback Nick Marshall would have completed it because...

QUOTE #3: "In the third quarter we got close but something would happen..."
Yeah something happened alright, Nick Marshall showed again he is just not that good a passer and he is not going to be.  I will say the same thing here that I wrote after the San Jose State game...

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"Last year was very special and will always be.  Nick Marshall was obviously a huge part of that and is a special player.  However he is just not that good a passer and he is not going to be.  Auburn with Marshall and Mason running behind Robinson and Prosch did something you just don't see much and that is run over people who are expecting you to run.  Last season was the exception not the rule.  The rule is you have to be balanced.  Moreover on a team with wide receiving talent like Duke Williams, Sammie Coates and C.J. Uzomah you have to use those guys.  All of them could be gone after this season.

Simply put, Auburn will not win a championship or beat Georgia and Bama (or State) running last year's offense.  It is not going to happen.  Auburn can beat both teams and win a championship by changing and running a more balanced offense behind Johnson and the devastating receiving weapons at his disposal.  It is also much easier to bring Marshall in as a wildcat or change of pace than it is bringing Johnson in with Marshall as the starter.

It would be a gutsy decision but as the saying goes... "no guts no glory".  Unfortunately head coach Gus Malzahn appears to have a Pat Dye-like stubborn streak and he is going to stick with Marshall till the bitter end.  Jeremy Johnson will then take over next year but most likely without Duke Williams and Sammie Coates.  Guys like them just do not come around very much.  The best thing for Auburn is to make this change now with a bye week to prepare.  I argued the other way coming into the season and have never been one who pines for the backup quarterback but Jeremy Johnson is clearly better with a much bigger upside."
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Nick Marshall is a playmaker and was the right guy last year to run a devastating front running rushing attack.  He is not near as good trying to run a balanced offense.  He is just not a consistent passer and he will never be.  Auburn had two shots yesterday in the third quarter only eight points down with good field position and Marshall threw four bad passes in a row.  Again he is just not that good a passer in a straight drop back situation.  He is also too short and is killing Auburn with tipped balls.  Marshall had a critical interception against KState and two more yesterday off tipped balls.

Auburn is a good rushing team, not a great one.  The wide receivers are better than the running backs.  The offensive line appears to be better pass blockers than run blockers.  This is a team that is begging to be balanced!!!  Auburn can still be a good offense but only fully including the passing game as much as the running team.  That is the best thing for this Auburn team and Nick Marshall is not the best quarterback for an offense like that.  Jeremy Johnson is, he is simply better and has proven it against an SEC team.

Of course Nick Marshall did throw one gorgeous pass yesterday to Sammie Coates that would have given Auburn first and goal on their first drive of the second half but was called back for "offensive pass interference" on what I think was the worst call I have ever seen in my life.  Gus Malzahn would only say...

QUOTE #4: "It was a big play in the game... it was a big play in the game."
It certainly was.  Both players had their hands up and Coates was using his hands to push away the State's defenders' hand that was on him (!!!).  Also, the commentators on TV said the official from the other side of the field (50 yards away) threw the flag (!!!).  Unbelievable, there was more contact on nearly every single other pass play in the game and you throw a flag on that play???  It is simply the worst call I have ever seen.  It did not cost Auburn the game but it certainly helped make sure they had a much smaller chance at coming back.

People can point to numerous penalties not called on Auburn as well like defensive holding but some calls are bigger than others and the call on Coates amounted to an 80 yard penalty killing Auburn's best chance at a comeback.  Also State was not called for one holding call by an offensive lineman after throwing the ball 34 times.  I know Auburn was called for at least one drive-killing holding penalty.  However I could live with the officiating as it is bad every week win or lose except for the call on Coates, that call was extraordinarily bad and had a huge impact on the game.

THE FINAL WORD
I think most people knew Auburn would not go through this season undefeated.  However it is always tough to take when it actually happens and you can see all the things that might have helped.  I think it is a little harder to take when you commit numerous dumb penalties and turnovers.  That one yesterday was a gut punch, no doubt.  Unfortunately for Auburn penalties and turnovers can be fixed but Nick Marshall cannot be made a consistent passer no matter how much the coaches tell us otherwise.

Auburn is going to play several other teams that will stop our running attack and make us pass.  I think Ole Miss, Georgia and Bama all can do it.  Marshall will probably have big games similar to LSU against South Carolina and Texas A&M but I see the exact same problems cropping up in the other big games.  Now that does not mean we will lose them all but it makes it a lot harder to win when you cannot consistently throw the ball from the pocket.

As for State, the only negative to come from this weekend is the increasing chances that Dan Mullen will be the head coach of the Florida Gators before this year ends.  I think he will stay if State is in the playoff but after this season or next I think he will be gone to Gainesville.

Game 5 Review: A BIG First Step

Auburn 41  LSU 7.  In a day of upsets around the country the Auburn Tigers played their finest game so far this season and absolutely destroyed the Tigers from LSU.  The buzz was in the state of Mississippi and people always quickly dismiss Auburn opponents but this was a big big win.  Les Miles has absolutely owned Auburn since arriving in Baton Rouge.  Auburn’s only wins against him were barely edging him in 2006 and having to have one of the greatest single game performances in Auburn history by Cam Newton to win in 2010 (and even that one was too close for comfort).

 

LSU has been Auburn’s nemesis for as long as I can remember.  They were the only team to beat Sullivan and Beasley twice (putting huge dents in those great seasons).  They are the only team to beat the 1972 Amazin’s.  They gave Auburn what I consider the worst loss in the program’s history in 1988.  They helped keep Auburn out of Atlanta in 1995 and 1996 in heartbreaking fashion.  They gave Auburn their only SEC loss of the season and once again kept them out of Atlanta in 2005.  Finally they were the only one to beat last year’s team in the regular season.

 

Enough was enough.  The word is Gus Malzahn asked the players in the locker room before the game who had beaten LSU.  Only fifth year senior Jeffrey Whittaker could raise his hand.  Malzahn asked them the same question after the game last night and there were a lot more hands in the air.  This was a big game for Auburn outside the rankings and all of that.  This was a statement game and a statement was made.  Regardless of what happens this season, this was a big win.

 

THE GOOD

Well just about everything was good on this night.  It started with the Auburn crowd.  It appeared to me that this was one of those games where there was just a buzz in the air.  The TV commentators even noticed it and the players certainly fed off of it.  Jordan Hare Stadium does not get the hype of some other places but it is one of the toughest places to play in the country and Gus Malzahn has still not lost there as a head coach.

 

The next big thing was Bama going down to Ole Miss as the game started.  It set the stage for a perfect Auburn Saturday.  The defense came out strong holding LSU to a three-and-out to open the game and then the offense “unleashed hell” after that.  Auburn went down the field and started the scoring with a field goal and after that would score four touchdowns before half time.  The defense would completely stymie the LSU offense other than one lucky pass.

 

LSU would finish the game 0-13 on third down conversions.  Their starting quarterback would finish 3-of-14 for 58 yards.  The Auburn D would hold LSU to only 138 yards rushing and less than 300 yards of total offense.  Yes I think it was a bad decision to start a freshman on the road against a top five Auburn team but this was an outstanding defensive effort.  I think Nick Ruffin had the statement play of the night blowing up LSU wide receiver Malachi Dupre.  He got penalized for targeting and tossed from the game but in this case it was worth it.  LSU has been the more physical team way to many times in this rivalry but not this night.

 

The only thing better than the Auburn defense this night was the offense.  Quarterback Nick Marshall finally returned to form and put up an all-time individual performance with over 100 yards rushing with 2 touchdowns and over 200 yards passing with 2 touchdowns.  Marshall’s versatility was unbelievably overpowering in this game.  Auburn was much more balanced as everyone including this blogger has been begging them to do.

 

The biggest story apart from Marshall was the return of Sammie Coates who had four catches for 144 yards and a touchdown.  Everyone has been waiting for Coates to get better and make an impact and he finally did.  Cameron Artis-Payne had another 100 yards rushing as well and I also liked getting him involved as a receiver.  On top of all that we were also reminded how good Jeremy Johnson is as well as he threw maybe the prettiest pass of the game off a reverse flea-flicker type play.  Johnson came off the bench and hit Coates 50 yards down field all the way across the field.

 

THE BAD
The bad this week is the fact that Mississippi State looks like the real deal as Auburn heads to Starkville this next weekend.  State dominated Texas A&M (although not on every snap as coach Dan Mullen so modestly put it) right after whipping this same LSU team last week in Baton Rouge.  Quarterback Dak Prescott looks like the real deal and the closest player to Cam Newton I have seen since Cam.  Prescott like Marshall was brilliant through the air and on the ground.

 

Coach Dan Mullen has worked patiently at State and this year his work seems to have finally borne real fruit.  His team does not look like a good team for State but a top ten contender.  It is going to be a real slobberknocker this coming weekend in Starkville.  State’s defense has also looked like the real deal as most of the yards and points they have given up the last two weeks have been with a big lead.

ESPN Game Day has already stated they will be there as this next weekend’s showdown looks like the biggest game of the week by far.  It also looks like the biggest game ever between Auburn and Mississippi State.  I think Auburn has more talent overall but State has the homefield advantage and that “team of destiny” tag this season.  I see this game as being just about a pick’em.  After this weekend’s other games the winner will have sole possession of top spot in the SEC West.

THE UGLY
The ugly this week is the scenes in Eugene, Norman and Tuscaloosa as some of the media’s biggest darlings went down.  For all the grief Auburn got for an ugly win at Kansas State the bottom line was they won in a huge trap game.  Oregon would sure swap places as they got trapped again on Thursday night falling to Arizona for the second year in a row.  Gary Patterson looks like he has TCU back rolling and the win over Oklahoma has them back in the national picture.

Finally the Ole Miss defense and senior quarterback Bo Wallace plus his receivers came up big in one of the biggest games in modern Ole Miss history.  The Rebels slayed the biggest dragon on their schedule taking out Bama in Oxford with the whole country watching.  Unfortunately Bama is not near dead yet but they definitely took a hit dropping that one.  They will have no more margin for error the rest of the season.

THE LAST WORD
I stated last week that the top contenders in the East were now Georgia and Missouri.  That became even more true this week as South Carolina went down again as did Tennessee.  Kentucky got a huge win against South Carolina and I think they might grab another big win or two but I think it will be Georgia or Missouri that wins the East.

Tennessee coach Butch Jones just cannot get a break.  He desperately needed to break Tennessee’s decade long losing streak to Florida and had the perfect opportunity against a bad Gator team but came up short.  It might be a season wrecking loss for the Vols.  I think Florida fans would have rather seen Tennessee win as well as the victory might help embattled Coach Will Muschamp survive another season.

The SEC West looks like it will be an unbelievable battle.  Either Auburn or Mississippi State will go down this next weekend and the winner will have a long way to go.  Every team really has to go with the ultimate cliché and take them one at a time.  This next weekend it is the Tigers vs. Bulldogs in as I said above the biggest game of the week and in the history of the series.  Will Auburn win another big one or will Mississippi State take their biggest step yet into the running for a championship?

Game 4 Review: Quan Bray Day

Auburn 45 Louisiana Tech 17.  The 2014 Auburn Tigers put up another erratic performance to close the preseason during Homecoming on the plains.  There was a lot of good and a lot of bad in this game for Auburn.  The end result was good as it has been the last three games but there were a lot of the same causes for concern and some new ones as well.  This team so far can just drive you crazy on offense.  They look so bad on one drive then make some absolutely amazing plays.  Let’s take a look at this latest serving…

 

THE GOOD

Quan Bray.  Up until this season, Quan Bray was that OK kind of guy that played in the slot.  Every once in awhile he might snag one for a first down but his reputation was that he was a bit overrated.  My lasting memory of him before this season was fumbling away the game on a punt return against LSU in 2012.  He has turned all that around this season.

First Bray took a punt return to the house against San Jose State and then did it again today.  Kick returns for touchdowns against anybody is impressive.  It is one of the harder things to do in football.  I know most Auburn fans are like me and remember the long dry periods when the Tigers had no production at punt returner.  Bray has now stepped into that very small class of elite punt returners at Auburn… as long as he holds onto the ball in the big ones this season.

Bray also stepped up as a wide receiver in one of the most impressive single game performances in recent year.  He first caught a beautiful 37 yard pass from Nick Marshall right before halftime.  Marshall did most of the work on that one but making the catch with somebody right on you is something you can never take for granted.  Auburn found that out last week in the KState game and I saw quite a few drops in other games this weekend.  Bray made the play and put Auburn up 24-0 with the momentum at halftime.

Bray would make his last big play at another crucial junction in the game.  The Auburn lead had slipped to 24-10 after the injury bug hit and LaTech had some momentum.  Auburn was 3^rd and long again and about to stall out when Marshall evaded two defenders and then unleashed a 44 yard rocket toward Bray in the end zone.  Bray timed his jump perfectly and made a great catch that put the game away for the Tigers.

The defense was also very good… at least until the injury bug hit.  They were still good after that but definitely gave up some yardage.  There were guys making plays all over the place and you just get a good vibe from the defense so far this season.  I definitely cannot say the same thing for the offense which is still the unit that must carry the team.  However at the end of the day there was a lot of good on the offense as well other than Quan Bray.

Cameron Artis-Payne put up another 100 yard rushing day as well as quarterback Nick Marshall.  There was Duke Williams unbelievable reach back touchdown reception and a few nice catch-and-runs by Ricardo Louis.  The offensive line at times was very good to lead all this but…

THE BAD
The Auburn offense continues its Jekyll and Hyde personality trying to execute the run-heavy game plans from the coaches.  Auburn started out (against Louisiana Tech) with two punts and then got a gift touchdown from the defense after an interception.  The next Auburn drive stalled and Daniel Carlson missed a 41 yard field goal.  Auburn then got the ball back and went three and out to end the first quarter.

So basically the Auburn offense was shutout in the first quarter for the second game in a row.  I am sorry folks but that is a huge cause for concern when you are talking about winning championships.  Auburn finally got it going in the second quarter much like KState.  The next drive would stall out but Carlson would make the field goal this time.  Auburn would then score touchdowns on their next two drives off Duke William’s great catch and Marshall’s perfect throw to Quan Bray.

Auburn would then go three-and-out twice more to open the second half and would be subsequently shut out in the third quarter.  However Auburn would open the fourth quarter with Bray’s great catch on Marshall’s desperation heave on third-and-long and effectively end the game.  Yes there were some great moments mixed in there but the offense under the current game plans is very inconsistent.

The coaches and other bloggers will point to all the positives but the bottom line is Auburn will not win a championship playing like this on offense.  They barely beat KState who might not be as good as any remaining opponent on Auburn’s schedule.  I am not sure now if Auburn would have beaten Arkansas had Jeremy Johnson not started the first half.  Auburn now faces seven out of eight games against teams currently ranked in the top 20.  Yes most of them have warts but so does every team.

If Auburn played against any one of them in a vacuum that might not be a big deal but when you are talking about playing six of them in a row and the cumulative effects that has on the team with fatigue and injuries that is a different deal entirely.  Everyone talks down Georgia but I am talking about playing Georgia after playing South Carolina, Ole Miss and Texas A&M the three weeks prior.  There will be serious fatigue, there will be injuries.

The Auburn offense is good.  I am not disputing that.  Nick Marshall is a playmaker.  Cameron Artis-Payne is a good running back.  Auburn has a good offensive line.  The problem is that it is just a good but inconsistent offense under run-heavy game plans.  The problem is when you look at the wide receiving talent Auburn has assembled especially after Quan Bray’s breakout you see that Auburn could have a great offense being more balanced.  It is just that simple.

Of course the next road block after the coaches is Marshall.  They can blather on about him being a better passer all they want but he is not.  He is still very inconsistent throwing the ball on a team that does not run the ball near as good as it did last year.  Again, Jeremy Johnson is clearly the better quarterback running a balanced offense.  I know that will not happen but even with Marshall Auburn must throw the ball more to win.

THE UGLY
Ugly is the feeling in the pit of my stomach when I saw Kris Frost and then Cassanova McKinzy out with injuries.  As most knowledgeable Auburn fans knew, Auburn could ill afford attrition in the back seven on defense.  The Tigers are already without senior safety Jermaine Whitehead because of his apparent blatant stupidity and now this.

Simply put, Frost and McKinzy might be the two most valuable players on the entire team the way the roster currently looks.  Auburn has many other very valuable players but also has some depth at those positions.  I am not sure who Auburn can beat starting Anthony Swain and Tre Williams at linebacker.

THE LAST WORD
It was a big weekend of conference games.  Texas A&M barely avoided the upset against Arkansas, Georgia barely held off Tennessee and then Missouri shocked South Carolina in Columbia.  I noted a couple of weeks ago that good things were happening at Arkansas and Tennessee but both needed that one big win to establish that momentum.  Both teams came so close yesterday to getting that big win but could not quite get there.

The biggest winner was Georgia who is now back in the running for the SEC East.  Right now it looks like a two horse race between the Bulldogs and Missouri.  The SEC West is a lot more interesting with Auburn, Bama, Texas A&M and both Mississippi schools undefeated with LSU and Arkansas both looking pretty formidable.  It all will come to a head next weekend as Bama visits Ole Miss, Texas A&M goes to Mississippi State and Auburn takes on LSU.  Spirits will soar and dreams will be shattered… just another weekend of football in the SEC Western division.

Game 3 Review: Tough Thursday Night in Manhattan

The Auburn Tigers pulled out the win 20-14 in a real cat fight against Kansas State to kick off week four of the 2014 college football season.  This one was definitely ugly on both sides but an ugly win is a lot better than an ugly loss for Auburn fans.  I have to admit I was a little more confident about this one than I should have been.  Kansas State head coach Bill Snyder is one of the best there is and I should have known he would have the Wildcats ready to play.

Kansas State became only the second team to hold Auburn under 200 yards rushing since Gus Malzahn took over.  There is no doubt that this game video will be must-see material for everyone else on Auburn’s schedule.  You can guarantee it will be analyzed and dissected by all of Auburn’s upcoming SEC foes.  This game showed a lot, both good and bad, about this 2014 Auburn football team.  Here is what jumped out to this blogger on Thursday night in Manhattan, Kansas…



THE GOOD

The Auburn defense.  I was confident but I will say I started getting a little worried when word leaked out that senior safety Jermaine Whitehead had been suspended.  I have been worried about attrition in Auburn’s back seven on defense since this summer.  I do not think anybody had any idea how some of these freshman like Stephen Roberts and Nick Ruffin would respond.  The best news for Auburn on Thursday was they played well along with everyone else in the secondary and in the defense as a whole.

Auburn linebacker Kris Frost walked away with player of the game honors after some big plays including a forced fumble.  The Auburn defensive line dominated the line of scrimmage holding the Wildcats to only 40 yards rushing.  Kansas State hit some big plays through the air but were aided by the fact that they were able to get away with any holding they wanted to do but more on that below.

The Auburn passing game also shined late.  Auburn and head coach Gus Malzahn finally had to turn to the passing game and quarterback Nick Marshall delivered.  It looked bad early on as Marshall was off target on a few passes and then the Auburn wide receivers, including Duke Williams and Sammie Coates, had a case of the drops when Marshall was on target.  Combine this with a struggling running game and that is why Auburn only had a field goal in the first quarter.

The Tigers finally got on track when Marshall hit Ricardo Louis who then put a few nifty moves on some KState defenders to get in the end zone.  This was doubly good to see since I believe it is the first really good play Louis has had since the “Immaculate Deflection”.  Marshall then hit Duke Williams for another big touchdown and a game clinching 39 yard pass on 3^rd and 9 with under two minutes to go in the game. 

Marshall finished 17 of 31 for 243 yards and two touchdowns and one interception.  Williams went over 100 yards again and continues to be Auburn’s biggest playmaker at wide receiver.  Sammie Coates had a couple of catches and a big drop.  Marshall also overthrew Coates on what would have been a huge play early on.  Auburn has to find a way to get Coates back on track.  I am looking for the game where both Duke Williams and Sammie Coates have big nights.

 

 

 THE BAD

“In the aftermath of the first game in the past 13 that Auburn failed to rush formore than 200 yards, Gus Malzahn admitted that he might have been a little stubborn with the play-calling.”

 

I whispered it through out the summer and have said it in my last two game reviews but now I will shout it with conviction… Auburn is NOT going to be able to run like they did in 2013.  It is NOT going to happen.  Auburn has a very good offense and a very good offensive line but to be the best it can be it must be balanced.  Auburn will lose more than one game if they continue to try and win using last year’s offensive strategy.

Shon Coleman is NOT Greg Robinson and I don’t think he will be.  Avery Young is NOT Alex Kozan at guard and I don’t think Patrick Miller is as good as Young at tackle.  On top of that, Brandon Fulse is not anywhere remotely close to Jay Prosch at H-back.  Robinson and Prosch might be the two best at their position in Auburn football history.  That is one of the biggest reasons Auburn was able to steamroll everyone last season.

When that is readily apparent and Auburn has two wide receivers capable of playing on Sundays next season you have to wonder why the coaches who are much closer to this don’t get it.  Auburn took it to the next level in 2004 balancing the offense after Hugh Nall’s stubbornness the year before.  Auburn took it to the next level in 2010 as Malzahn himself moved the team from relying on Cam Newton’s running to Cam Newton’s passing.  This year Auburn must balance the offense to take it to the next level.

Kansas State proved both sides of this against Auburn.  They sold out to stop the run and they did.  However on the other side of that they were ripe for the picking through the air just like everyone else will be on Auburn’s schedule.  Auburn was able to expose this but I think Auburn can do a lot more damage through the air.  This will also open back up the run game.  I still think Jeremy Johnson is the quarterback best suited to lead a more balanced offense but Nick Marshall proved again against KState that he can do it as well.

 



 

THE UGLY

My ears perked up when I heard a Big 12 crew was officiating the game.  I knew for inter-conference match ups like this that usually using an officiating crew from another conference outside the two involved was the standard procedure.  I think everyone saw why after watching the game and seeing the final box score.  Officially, not one penalty was called on Kansas State.  The Wildcats were called for an illegal chop block but it was not counted due to it offsetting with an Auburn pass interference penalty.

In a game where Kansas State threw 40 PASSES and were obviously struggling with Auburn’s defensive line not ONE holding penalty was called on the Wildcats.  In a game where Kansas State quarterback Jake Waters threw many of those passes while scrambling after the play had broken down not ONE holding penalty was called. 

Ridiculous does not even begin to describe this officiating.  Downright cheating is much closer.  I understand football players cheat on every play but when say Gabe Wright is blatantly and visibly hauled down to the ground (multiple times) you really have to wonder what is going on here. 

Everyone else can point to all of KState’s missed opportunities on field goals and the ball that popped out of wide receiver Tyler Lockett’s hands in the end zone but I believe the officiating balanced things out.  I would think that how the game is officiated is part of the contract between the two schools and I believe that comes under AD Jay Jacobs.  I certainly hope Jacobs does not make that mistake again.

THE LAST WORD

Auburn has one more preseason game against Louisiana Tech before hitting a brutal steak of six straight tough conference games.  I certainly hope the coaches use it to work on the passing game.  It looks like the two games after next week look a little different as Mississippi State took down LSU in Death Valley last night.  Auburn will have their hands full with both games regardless.  One more week till the fun really starts.