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.

2014 Bye Week #1 Thoughts

It is frankly too early to draw many conclusions about this Auburn team, I think the first of those can be made after this coming Thursday.  However initial impressions were made all around the SEC and here are a few that hit me…

·         Steve Spurrier is still a great coach.  There are not many coaches that can get a team off the turf after the beat down South Carolina got from Texas A&M.  However Spurrier did it and Carolina won a huge game taking down Georgia 38-35 at home.  Carolina’s cause was aided by an unbelievable chip shot field goal miss by Georgia but they looked like the best team most of the day. 

Spurrier might now be Georgia’s greatest nemesis.  He was 11-1 against the Bulldogs as Florida’s head coach and has now won 4 out of the last 5 against the Bulldogs at South Carolina.  He has ruined another promising Georgia season in many ways.  Georgia was getting a lot of national love after the big win against Clemson and that all evaporated after the setback in Columbia.

·         Kentucky looks much improved under Mark Stoops but they should not almost beat Florida in the Swamp in coach Will Muschamp’s fourth year at the helm.  Florida survived 36-30 in overtime.  A loss surely would have signaled the end for Muschamp right now but I think that moment will still come this season.  Muschamp has had plenty of time and the Gators are a shadow of themselves just a few years ago.

·         There were a couple of notable SEC-Big 12 matchups this weekend in Tennessee vs. Oklahoma and Arkansas vs. Texas Tech.  Both turned into laughers as Arkansas ran Texas Tech out of its own stadium and Oklahoma overwhelmed a gutsy Tennessee team.  I think both Arkansas coach Bret Bielema and Tennessee coach Butch Jones desperately need a couple more big wins.  They are both building up their programs but are both at that key point and need momentum.

·         The rest of the slate were all cupcakes although that might have provided Vanderbilt with the only win it is going to get this year.  The Commodores barely squeaked by UMass (and in football that is not good).  It is obvious now why former head coach James Franklin was so desperate to get out of Nashville as the bottom has completely fallen out at Vandy.  A good coach can squeeze a few good seasons out of Vandy with the right timing, i.e. Tennessee being down, but long term success is not possible.

The countdown is now on for the first game of next week’s college football schedule and that is Auburn travelling to Kansas State for another huge SEC-Big 12 matchup…

Game 2 Review: Good but not great

Auburn 59  San Jose State 13.  A big win for Auburn but let me reiterate each week that this Auburn team will be measured each game by one measuring stick and that is of a championship team.  On that measure this team would get a B- from me this week.  I know my post last week and parts of this one would be considered "negative" but it is only because of how highly I think of this team.  You just do not get many teams that are truly capable of competing for championships.  You don't want to waste those opportunities and that is how I evaluate at this team and the coaching of it.

It was good to get a true tune-up game for the team and I think the coaches should have some things to work on.  The score is obviously good but San Jose State is frankly not in Auburn's league.  However the Spartans were good enough to show some trouble spots for Auburn.  Overall Auburn got it done but the effort seemed pretty lackadaisical and sloppy at times.  There were also some very positive things that came out of the game as well.  Lets look at the "The Good, The Bad and The Ugly" from last night...

THE GOOD
Cameron Artis-Payne.  CAP put up another great day running the ball with 112 yards on only 16 carries.  CAP is not quite as good as Tre Mason was last year but he is a very good running back who seems to still be improving as well.  Nick Marshall also had 100 yards rushing and Corey Grant was very close.  Auburn is still very good running the ball.  The offensive line also looked better than last week but they also vastly outweighed the San Jose State defensive line.  Fans also finally got to get their first glimpse of freshman Roc Thomas who scored a touchdown on his first carry as an Auburn Tigers.  Auburn seems to have an impressive stable of running backs.

One of the biggest plays of the game was Quan Bray taking a punt return to the house.  It was a pretty impressive return even against the likes of San Jose State as Bray broke numerous tackles and kept his balance.  Initially I thought Bray was the wrong man for this job but hopefully this run will be a breakout for him and give him the confidence needed to make more big plays.  Freshman Daniel Carlson looked good again on special teams as well.  It will be a huge plus for Auburn if Carlson can continue to play this well kicking and punting the ball.

THE BAD
The Auburn defense in spots.  Obviously when you give up only 13 points and force a couple of picks, it was not a bad night.  I am looking further down the road though.  This defense still has a penchant for giving up big plays and long drives at times.  Cornerback Jonathan Jones continues to look vulnerable in the secondary and there is still a noticeable lack of a true pass rusher.  Auburn has time to improve but right now this defense does not look as strong as last year's unit and they will have to get better for Auburn to have a chance at a championship.

THE UGLY
Auburn has a full blown quarterback controversy whether they want to admit it or not.  Folks, Jeremy Johnson is the better quarterback.  If you were really honest it was obvious last week but it was painfully obvious this week.  Nick Marshall on the read option did not look very good at times (against San Jose State) and midway through the third quarter he was under 50% passing for less than a 100 yards.  Overall he did not look good throwing the ball.  There is just no way around it.  On the flip side, Johnson came in with the second stringers and looked great.

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.

San Jose State showed glimpses of defenses catching up to Auburn's read option.  Simply put, Auburn will not win a championship or beat Georgia and Bama 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.

THE FINAL WORD
Auburn gets a week off to prepare for its biggest game of the year so far at Kansas State.  The Wildcats eked out a big win against Iowa State and will be ready for Auburn.  I look for much better effort and concentration from the Tigers in this game.  It might turn into a bit of a shootout if Auburn's defense does not show vast improvement but I think Auburn is the better team.  A big prime time game against another "power five" conference team who is coached by one of the legends of the game, I can't wait...