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 3rd 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.
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