Also before Georgia State goes too far blaming that one call for Auburn winning they need to get over themselves. They got away with a few penalties as well and if they could have gotten a punt off when it was obvious Auburn was coming for it they would have won the game. They also simply ran over Auburn receiver Ja'varrius Johnson on a screen pass during this same drive and both teams did plenty of hand checking all day. Auburn was called for six penalties for 65 yards and Georgia State for only two for 20 yards so give me a break with the whole "the refs were on Auburn's side" garbage. It was a tough and frankly embarrassing day all around for the Auburn Tigers. It showed how far the talent level on the lines eroded under the previous coach. For most of the game, Georgia State simply looked like the best team. The defensive line in the first half looked about as bad I have ever seen.
There is no point in trying to break down this game, Auburn was awful in every phase of the game except special teams. Anders Carlson was 4 of 5 on field goals and although his miss was costly as Auburn had the momentum he is going to miss one at some point. The punt block and recovery for a touchdown was as big a play as the last one and how cool that it was blocked by one CAYLIN NEWTON. That was about it on the positive side. On defense, I know team leaders Owen Pappoe and Zakoby McClain were out, McClain only for the first half because of the horrendous targeting call last week, but it was simply unbelievable how bad the unit got beat in the first half. The lack of real talent on the line was stark and the coaching was unacceptable. The Tigers got it together in the second half but why in the world did it take that long? Georgia State was just running read options?
However before I delve into the rest, let me hold up and say one thing about when Auburn inevitably loses one of these games. First, it is pretty incredible that Auburn has not yet. The Tigers have escaped sure losses like this several times including Appalachian State in Tommy Tuberville's first game at Auburn and against Jacksonville State in 2015. Auburn keeps escaping but it will most likely happen sooner or later. Let me be clear though to all the Bama fans and others who were just ready to pile on, it has already happened to you and your "best ever" coach in Bama's case. Uh UAB was worse than Georgia State in 2000 and $aban lost to them in "Death Valley" in his first year at LSU. He then lost to Louisiana Monroe as well his first year at Bama. So while yes I understand rubbing it in and enjoying it as we did during those losses, it will not be the end of the program and you still have more...
Back to the situation Auburn finds itself in... defensively things look pretty bleak. The Auburn defense first allowed Penn State quarterback Sean Clifford to go 28 of 32 for 280 yards last week and then allowed Georgia State to run over, through and around them this week. Obviously there are some coaching issues but the main issue that jumps out to me is again the lack of elite talent and size on the line. Auburn has some good players and gamers on defense but the line is not close to the better teams in the conference. This is all on Gus Malzahn and his staff, as they did not bring in ONE elite defensive tackle after Derrick Brown in 2016. The preseason is over and Auburn has a bunch of good teams and good offenses coming their way. Right now there is nothing else to expect but more of the last two games or worse. The biggest thing that can be done is RECRUIT. I mean can Auburn just get ONE elite tackle???
Offensively things are not much better and now Pandora's box has been opened with the quarterbacks. On Bo Nix I will just repeat what I said last week: "I like Bo Nix and have defended him in this space as he was a victim so many times of our predictable offense under Malzahn. He developed some bad habits from that experience and frankly from him trying to be a playmaker in high school. I think we all hoped the new coaches could help with these issues but it just does not look like it is going to happen. Nix is just not an accurate quarterback. He can make plays, throw some great passes, and get hot at times but he is just not accurate. He refuses to step up in the pocket, make the throw, and take the hit. The bottom line is you just cannot be a good passer unless you do that." Bo Nix proved every bit of this correct with his performance yesterday.
Auburn's wide receivers may be the weakest point of this offense but Bo and frankly T.J. Finley as well continue to miss passes when somebody gets open. You just cannot miss open guys many times as this level. The quarterback issue will be a problem going forward for the rest of the season now unless T.J. Finley starts and shows a lot more than he did yesterday but I will say he did come in to a tough situation. Finley has looked to me like a baseball-style quarterback with a tremendous arm but not much touch and like Nix, not accurate. The only thing I do like better about Finley is he is more of a pocket quarterback. It is hard to bench Nix after the good things he has done the last two years but he brought this on with his poor performances and decisions the last three weeks. His performance yesterday was just unacceptable and him not being a captain also points toward something being wrong as well.
Let me address the booing for a moment, I would not do it but it is inevitable at any school in situations like this. Also as someone reminded me, the minute a player starts taking money for endorsements, all bets are off when it comes to booing. Nix now in two years has had some amazing moments against Oregon, Mississippi State, and obviously Bama in 2019 plus LSU last season however he has had as many or more poor performances. They say "it just means more" in the SEC and when you are the quarterback you get more of the credit when you win and more of the criticism when you lose. It is the nature of the position. I feel bad for the Nix family but as I learn more every year, sports are not fair or forgiving. I did think the team seemed to respond to Finley and again it has concerned me ever since I heard Nix was not a captain. I do not think I have ever seen a successful SEC team with a two year starter not a captain.
Auburn now heads to Baton Rouge with the season literally hanging in the balance. Auburn and LSU both need this win badly to have any kind of successful season. Who will Auburn start at quarterback? It would appear to be Finley after Saturday however it would be pertinent to remember Auburn and Nix absolutely DESTROYING LSU and Finley just a year ago. However Bo Nix with all his experience has yet to have a big performance on the road against a decent team. That is the deciding factor to me. I think T.J. Finley will lead Auburn next Saturday night against his former team in his home state. THAT is a lot to put on a young quarterback especially since it was reinforced by Georgia State to sell out to stop the run and key on Tank Bigsby whenever he is on the field. I believe every single team left on Auburn's schedule is going to do just that and Auburn is only going to win by passing better.
All eyes are now on LSU and this game will soon be forgotten but as many bad things as there were it was also special for many Auburn players especially T.J. Finley. No matter what happens the rest of his career, this will always hopefully be a cherished memory. It brought me to my feet cheering for one of the few times this decade. He took the field 98 yards from the end zone and Auburn had to have a touchdown against a determined opponent. He made some critical completions and a big scramble and then he did what really only a rare few ever get to do. He made an absolutely tremendous clutch do-or-die play on fourth down to win the game for Auburn. It is an incredible moment regardless of the opponent or circumstances. Auburn appeared to lose the game with less than a minute remaining but T.J. Finley reached out and pulled victory from the jaws of defeat. He is now an AUBURN Tiger.
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