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...