2024 GAME 8 REVIEW: FINALLY

Auburn 24  Kentucky 10.  Finally.  The Auburn football Tigers have won their first conference game of the year and broke an eight game losing streak to Power Four teams.  I guess some time on the pot helped head coach Hugh Freeze figure some things out.  Evidently he missed the regular team flight because of a stomach bug and had to fly over on Saturday.  Freeze finally finally finally figured out to just keep giving the ball to running back Jarquez Hunter in the second half and shocker it worked.  I am glad after EIGHT GAMES he could finally figure that one out.  Again I want Auburn to be a balanced team that can throw the ball but if your offensive line is not that good at pass blocking and your quarterback is just not that good then uh...  well I think everyone gets it now.  

Hunter of course responded with an all-time Auburn performance rushing for 278 yards and two touchdowns on the road in the conference.  It sure would have been nice for the Auburn coaching "brain trust" to have figured this out a long time ago but I guess better late than never.  It is really hard though to let it go when you see edge rushers simply blow by every left tackle Auburn puts in there every time they try to pass.  It has been going on all season.  It is hard to let go when you see Auburn quarterback Payton Thorne open the game with another terrible interception.  Jarquez Hunter is Auburn's best offensive player and the offensive line is best at run blocking...  JUST RUN THE DAMN BALL.  It might not work this well every game but it is Auburn's best chance at winning.

I guess in light of Auburn finally pulling one out I will not spend time on the mind-numbingly stupid series to end the first half that cost Auburn a field goal they sorely needed at that point in the game.  The Auburn coaching staff needs to stop overthinking it and stop overcoaching SO MUCH.  Auburn coaches remember KISS (Keep It Simple STUPID)!  There were a few more dumb calls on offense in the first half but the call to just it give it to Hunter in the second half took care of that.  The defense played pretty good but Kentucky is really bad.  I sure hope this win will help Auburn keep it's recruiting class together and keep any good ones from transferring out.  Auburn at least has talent at the skill positions where teams like Kentucky and Oklahoma seemingly have NONE.  

There will not be time to celebrate this win after today.  Auburn will finally return home to open November with a big game against the Vanderbilt Commodores.  I am not sure I have ever written those words before.  The Commodores acquitted themselves quite well this weekend on the road at Texas but the good thing for Auburn is that game had to take a toll.  This game sets up well for Auburn as even though Vandy is a better team I do not think I would ever call them deep.  Also hopefully the Auburn coaches will remember what those New Mexico State coaches on Vandy's staff plus quarterback Diego Pavia did to them last year.  I would hope there will be quite a few Auburn coaches and players looking for some payback.  I know I am!  

Auburn can beat Vanderbilt at home.  It would sure help if the coaches keep giving the ball to Jarquez Hunter.  They have to beat Vandy at the time of possession game.  That is how New Mexico State beat Auburn so bad and how Vandy beat Bama earlier this year.  Auburn cannot let them do it again.  They should lean hard on the Commodores with the run game because again they have to be tired after that Texas game.  I will really be back to being upset if Hugh Freeze and this staff do not capitalize on this win.  As I said last week, this season is unrecoverable in some ways but every win will help.  Also somehow there is still a small chance at a bowl game.  The Tigers get another week off after Vandy and then get Louisiana Monroe and a huge game against Texas A&M at home.

Obviously this team cannot look past anyone but if Texas A&M beats South Carolina this next weekend they will come into Jordan Hare undefeated and #1 in the SEC and most likely looking ahead to maybe their biggest game ever against Texas.  I definitely think Texas A&M is a much better team than Auburn but they are not an offensive juggernaut and Auburn will be in their favored complete underdog role.  All of the pressure would be on the Aggies...  What if?...  I am not sure why I am bothering to write this after one win over a bad team especially considering all the terrible losses this season but...  I still remember all the times this program thrived in this situation.  I still BELIEVE something sometime has to go right for this team, this program, and this fan base.

Hugh Freeze and company could erase so much and gain so much if Auburn could some how some way win these next two games and give themselves a chance, just a chance, to win a BIG ONE.  Of course if Auburn does not beat Vanderbilt then the Tigers will just hope to beat Louisiana Monroe and will most likely lose both after that.  This one last chance to redeem this season starts with beating Vanderbilt this next Saturday...

2024 GAME 7 REVIEW: The Wheel Keeps On Turning...

Missouri 21  Auburn 17.  I have never seen anything quite like this Auburn football team.  I was wrong a few weeks ago, this team has not quit (at least not yet) like say the 1998, 2008, and 2012 teams they will inevitably be compared to.  You can honestly say they should have won every game except Georgia and be absolutely right and not a crazed biased fan.  You can honestly say they had to work HARD to lose to Oklahoma and Missouri (!!!).  I mean in both games they were up by double-digit points in the fourth quarter.  I mean it defies all logic that they are able to blow these last two games.  The turning point in the last game was very similar to the Oklahoma game in that it came when Auburn had a chance to put the game away and ended up giving the momentum back to the other team.

This time Auburn was up 17-6 and went on a seven minute plus drive and ended up 1st and goal at the Mizzou 10.  A touchdown pass was dropped and then quarterback Payton Thorne takes a 12 yard sack...  That was a huge turning point in the game.  Auburn threw incomplete on third down and Auburn kicker Town McGough missed another critical kick.  It was only a thirty-yard kick and he should have made it but the sack on 2nd down never should have happened.  Auburn threw on first down and missed it, they should have ran the ball on 2nd down.  It is not a huge missed call by the coaches but they continue to show they just do not have good feel for the game.  That is one of the biggest reasons Auburn continues to lose.  The coaches definitely tried harder to do a better job but there were still quite a few not-too-smart calls.

On top of that, I cannot defend quarterback Peyton Thorne anymore.  I have put most of the blame on the coaches and that is correct but you need your quarterback to step up and also make smart plays to help win the game.  He has just not done that.  He has taken some sacks that he could have thrown the ball away to avoid in my opinion and he just cannot make the play when needed under pressure.  Yesterday Auburn punted twice in the fourth quarter before Missouri made their winning touchdown drive.  On third down for one of those drives Mizzou sent the house and Auburn called a pretty good play that had now little-used tight end Rivaldo Fairweather WIDE OPEN.  I know Thorne was under a heavy rush but all he had to do was give Fairweather a chance and he sailed it far over him.  Thorne just never makes the big-time play to help win the game.

I will say that in spite of all that the Auburn coaches did not allow Thorne to throw the back breaking pick this time and made Missouri march the length of the field.  You have to give Missouri credit for a clutch drive because they looked worse than Auburn to me most of the day.  The over-the-shoulder pass Missouri quarterback Brady Cook threw to receiver Luther Burden on 4th down was impressive.  They made the plays and Auburn did not.  Auburn's season now lies in tatters and a cloud of hopelessness has descended over most Tiger fans.  I know that is how I feel.  I guess in one way things get a lot simpler at this point, you forget all the preseason goals and expectations and you just try to win a game.  You have Kentucky on the road and other than a win over Ole Miss they are as down as Auburn.  They are not a juggernaut and Auburn will probably be the underdog.  

There is nothing that can save this season from being a colossal disappointment BUT Auburn can get a win next week and at the very least enjoy a happy locker room for a few moments.  I have seen these type seasons in different sports and at younger levels and a win just makes everything better.  Again it does not fix the season or stop the landslide of criticism but again for a few moments those players that have worked so hard can sit down, smile, and have some relief.  That is where we are at.  The Auburn football players and coaches need to just focus on getting a win at Kentucky.  I think that may involve using a different quarterback although I do not believe Auburn's future has anything to do with Hank Brown either.  Whatever, the job is simple, beat Kentucky and hey it is a lot easier in football than it is in basketball!

2024 GAME 6 REVIEW: CLOSE?

Georgia 31  Auburn 13.  This was the first Power 4 game this season for Auburn that pretty much went as expected.  Georgia is just better than Auburn and head coach Kirby Smart showed Hugh Freeze the way to put away teams you are better than.  Smart has pretty much employed this approach since Georgia's current win streak in the series started in 2018.  He plays a conservative run heavy or high percentage short passing game plan and plays good defense.  He knows he has Auburn outmanned on the line of scrimmage and sooner or later he will win if they do not make a lot of mistakes.  Last season they made those mistakes but still managed to pull it out.  This season the game pretty much went according to plan and Georgia pulled away in the end.

I have read on the Auburn web sites how "close the game" was and how Auburn "stayed right with them"???  I just completely disagree.  My evidence is this is how just about every Auburn Georgia game has gone since 2018.  Again Smart and Georgia have started slow and conservative in every one.  Now in a few after they have gotten the lead they have loosened up and put some points on the board but they always start slow and either grind Auburn down or wait till Auburn implodes.  Again I did not plan to do much criticism of the coaches in this review.  This game is about the last four years of recruiting.  Georgia is miles ahead of Auburn ESPECIALLY ON THE LINE OF SCRIMMAGE.  

The only thing I will say about the coaching this week is if the absolutely moronic Auburn coaches had used this game plan in their last three tough games they would have three more wins.  I mean I just shake my head, now they do it!  Auburn was just completely outmanned yesterday and that was the biggest thing that was evident.  Georgia has completely taken control of what used to be the greatest rivalry statistically in college football.  It is the second oldest around and just a few years ago the two teams were tied in wins and points!!!  Since then it has just been complete Georgia domination.  Auburn has not won in Athens in TWENTY YEARS now.  Auburn has only won three times period in those twenty years and all three of those wins took really good Auburn teams.  

I read on the Auburn sites how close we are but I just do not see it.  I am glad Auburn's recruiting is looking really good now but I still do not see the numbers of quality linemen that it is going to take to close the gap with teams like Georgia.  You can get in a great quarterback and more high rated wide receivers but the game is still won on the line of scrimmage as every game between Auburn and Georgia proves.  Also you need the coaching to make the most of these good players that are being brought in and I have not seen a lick of it at Auburn over the last two years.  Hugh Freeze's offense still appears to be almost completely a finesse offense.  He is always always trying to trick the other team and does not seem to recognize the times you just have to line up and run right at them.  You need a mix of both to be successful.

One play from yesterday proves every word I have written so far.  Auburn had the ball 4th and 1 close to midfield to start the 4th quarter down 21-10.  All of the Auburn homers I see writing about this play are acting like the game was closer.  It was not, Georgia was in complete control outside one Jarquez Hunter run.  Auburn did not score one touchdown in the red zone.  Anyway back to 4th and 1, Auburn lined up in the shotgun and it was not a "heavy" lineup while Georgia had absolutely stacked the line of scrimmage.  There is NO WAY Auburn is getting the first down running the ball the way both teams lined up.  It does not matter what running play is called.  Now of course Auburn ran an extra stupid no-chance-in-hell-it-would-work read option and of course Hugh Freeze yelled at quarterback Payton Thorne after the play and blamed him again in the presser for not running the called play???  

All that did was show the continued incompetence of the Auburn coaching staff in just trying to call a play THAT THEY HAD THE WHOLE QUARTER BREAK TO GET RIGHT.  It also showed by the formation that Freeze was once again just trying to trick Georgia and finally it showed the stark difference between the opposing lines.  Auburn left tackle Percy Lewis was completely exposed by Georgia all day.  Of course the few times this Auburn line has looked good is running the ball straight at the other team and again for the umpteenth time if Freeze and company had spent a lot more time running straight at Cal, Arkansas, and Oklahoma they would have three more wins.  That was the one thing that was again highlighted to me in the game against Georgia.

Auburn now has a bye week to try and salvage something from this season.  They have tougher games than most Auburn fans think with Missouri, Kentucky, and Vanderbilt coming up.  People still talk like Auburn is clearly better than those teams when only Mississippi State is actually worse than Auburn in the SEC.  Also those three teams now all have big wins over good SEC teams while Auburn does not.  I am sure there will be much written about how many changes Auburn is making and other such nonsense but I am just going to assume they will just keep running the same thing till they do not.  You can bet Auburn's upcoming opponents will be ready for the standard Hugh Freeze offense so my hope for a turnaround after the bye is low.  As always I hope I am wrong.

I guess the one positive from this week was Vanderbilt's monumental upset of Bama.  Auburn fans deserve to rub this one in as I am sure almost every Bama fan was laughing it up when New Mexico State was crushing Auburn last season.  Well they got a taste of that New Mexico brain trust at Vanderbilt yesterday as quarterback legend Diego Pavia and head coach Jerry Kill moved to Vanderbilt from New Mexico State and were major factors in the Commodores taking down the Tide.  I guess Bama fans would argue that a loss to New Mexico State is worse but is it?  Auburn was out of everything so it did not really matter where Bama's loss to Vanderbilt puts their error margin making it to even a twelve team playoff much smaller.  They lose again and they might be out and that would be a real shame.  

In conclusion, again I hope I am wrong and Hugh Freeze can get something going during this bye week and then finally win a game against an actual Power 4 team.  It would sure be a nice change of pace from this nightmarish first half of the season.