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| Carlton Davis Marcus Davis Ryan Davis |
Auburn 26 Texas A&M 10. Do NOT mess with Davis and Company. The Auburn football team went to their secret weapons on Saturday for big plays against the home team Aggies. Wide receiver Marcus Davis started things off in the first quarter with a touchdown catch that would give Auburn the lead which it did not relinquish. Immediately following that cornerback Carlton Davis stopped an Aggie drive with a big interception in the end zone.
Finally in the third quarter on a 1st and 25 coach Gus Malzahn called a trick play having smaller reserve wide receiver Ryan Davis squat right by the quarterback and then having everyone go one way while Davis after taking the handoff went the other way for 28 yards. This set up a big field goal that put Auburn up by three scores. Auburn fans with good memories will remember Gus Malzahn running the same play as the Arkansas offensive coordinator against Auburn in 2006. It was a big play in the game which Auburn lost resulting in a touchdown or a big first down. Auburn was undefeated and in the top five before the game.
Other than the Davis clan here is the rest of the good, the bad and the ugly from the game...
THE GOOD
First, as one of the last people in the I-think-Jeremy-Johnson-has-the-potential-to-be-far-and-away-our-best-quarterback club, it was satisfying to see him come out and play well. I think he would have never lost the job if the coaches had called the plays like they did in this game. I will continue to say I do not understand what the coaches were doing to begin this season. Against the Aggies the coaches did the right thing and called a lot of short passes and attacked the edges with both the run and the pass. They did not just run it up the middle repeatedly or at least not till it started raining.
Next it was great to see the other guy who was supposed to be great this season finally step up, i.e. running back Jovon Robinson. Robinson finally got his opportunity and delivered with over 150 yards rushing. This was the guy we expected to see and was rated the #1 JUCO running back in the country. Robinson definitely looks like the best total running back Auburn has with all due respect to Peyton Barber. In fact after watching Peyton Barber block on a Ricardo Louis jet sweep I think Barber would help the team a lot more playing H-back.
Robinson had help from Barber and just about everyone who runs the ball for Auburn as the Tigers rolled up over 300 yards rushing. Auburn finally found a defense and weather conditions that favored running the football like Gus Malzahn always wants to. However they sprinkled in just enough passing including an absolutely beautiful pass from Jeremy Johnson to Kerryon Johnson on the wheel route. I am telling you Kerryon and Roc Thomas are great receivers out of the backfield and Auburn needs to use that. Add Jason Smith to that and you have three very versatile playmakers.
Daniel Carlson was great again putting points on the board. However if there is one negative from the game on offense it is not finishing on some of these drives. On this night through it did not matter as Will Muschamp just completely undressed A&M true freshman quarterback Kyler Murray. Muschamp called a great game and forced Murray to throw bad pass after bad pass. He had three interceptions but should have had three more. It was good to finally see some good coaching on the defensive side of the ball. It also goes to show that you just cannot start a true freshman at quarterback in the SEC. That jump is almost impossible and the rare exception is not worth mentioning.
THE BAD
The worst thing I saw in this game was the unbelievable reversal of a brutal targeting play on Auburn cornerback Jeremiah Dinson by Aggie wide receiver Ricky Seals-Jones. It was a textbook example of leading with the helmet. I simply cannot believe that flag was picked up and on a review nonetheless. It was vicious play that ended Dinson's season. Can you imagine the uproar if an Auburn receiver had done that to a Bama cornerback and they picked up the flag? It would be Armageddon but in this case every thing is just swept under the rug. I have seen targeting calls made and upheld against Auburn for much less. How are the powers-that-be training replay officials? After this hit and the ridiculous game-winning Miami kickoff return you really have to wonder.
THE UGLY
The ugly here is the sea parting for Bama. I knew they would beat LSU but I did not think Ole Miss would refuse to win the game against Arkansas. I mean the Rebels had to work overtime (no pun intended) to give away the game to Arkansas. Bret Bielema better thank his lucky stars for this overtime win and the one against Auburn, he could have easily lost them both. On the other side of the state LSU came in and played right into Bama's hands. They tried to run over the biggest strongest defense in the nation.
You really have to wonder why these coaches are making millions of dollars. It is pretty much an iron clad fact that you have to throw to beat Bama and of course there was no way young LSU quarterback Brandon Harris was up to that but you have to try more than LSU did. Now it is cakewalk for Bama right into the playoffs. They will be heavily favored in their remaining games against Mississippi State, Auburn and Florida and I do not see any of those teams being able to make enough plays to derail them. So they will make the playoff again and of course every bandwagon hanger-on in the state has dug up their Bama apparel and are out in force.
THE LAST WORD
So the smoke has cleared and things have pretty much been decided with Florida winning the East and Bama winning the West. The only question left remaining for this Auburn team is can they beat Georgia? Can the Tigers help send Richt out the door? Or will Richt notch yet another win on his belt against Auburn? The only Auburn teams to beat Georgia in the last 15 years are two of Auburn's best teams ever in 2004 and 2010 and three good Auburn teams (2001, 2005 and 2013) that basically pulled it out in the last seconds of the game. That is it. Auburn is 5-10 against Mark Richt, ten brutal losses. This season will never be thought of as a great season but a win against Georgia would sure make it better.
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