''If we catch the Hail Mary and we make a two-point conversion that might have been the greatest win in my entire life.''
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.
No comments:
Post a Comment