Game 7 Review: One more vs. the ol' Ball Coach

''If we catch the Hail Mary and we make a two-point conversion that might have been the greatest win in my entire life.''

 

Auburn 42  South Carolina 35.  The Tigers prevailed in a true barnburner against the South Carolina Gamecocks at Auburn on Saturday night.  I think what many people missed on Saturday is that this is probably the last game Auburn will ever play against a team coached by Steve Spurrier.  I do not think Spurrier will be around the next time Auburn plays South Carolina during the regular season so unless the teams meet again in Atlanta this game will be Auburn's last against one of the greatest coaches in SEC history.  Right now he is #2 after Bear Bryant in my book.  True to his style and reputation he went out with all guns blazing converting five fourth-down attempts.

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.

Game 6 Review: STATEment

Mississippi State 38  Auburn 23.  In an absolutely excruciating game to watch from the Auburn side, the Tigers went down hard in Starkville, Mississippi.  State beat Auburn, Auburn beat themselves and the refs piled on as well.  It was an ugly game from start to finish for Auburn.  It hurts even worse when it comes in a #2 vs. #3 matchup that was the nation's biggest game of the week.  It also hurts realizing that any hope of the college football playoff or getting back to Atlanta are probably gone as well.  I make that statement not based on this single awful loss but on the problems exposed by it.  I don't think this will be Auburn's last loss of the season with Nick Marshall at quarterback.

I am going to base this post off of quotes from Gus Malzahn's presser after game.  It can be found here on al.com.

QUOTE #1: "Give Mississippi State credit... they are a very good football team."
Yes they are.  I was actually more impressed with State's desire and team cohesion than their talent and execution.  State wanted that game more than Auburn and they went after it with as Coach Dan Mullen put it "relentless effort on every snap" especially on defense.  State definitely has some good football players but I thought quarterback Dak Prescott is a bit overrated. 

He is a good quarterback but not great, at least not yet.  He really made some bad throws yesterday that allowed Auburn a chance at getting back in the game.  Both quarterbacks were around a 50% completion percentage and made critical turnovers.  I thought the biggest difference in the game was State's defense in the red zone and so did Coach Malzahn...

QUOTE #2: "A big factor in the game was our red zone offense not scoring touchdowns."
This was the difference in the game.  Auburn as Coach Malzahn stated "started out in a hole" and gave State two quick touchdowns off turnovers.  However State did eventually give them back but Auburn was unable to capitalize.  The State defense stood strong while Auburn's did not.  Auburn had only two field goals plus a missed field goal to show for three trips to the red zone in the first half. 

I think you have to give credit to State but I also thought the play calling was atrocious.  Malzahn and Lashlee kept trying misdirections and all or nothing trick plays including some sort of pass option reverse to tight end C.J. Uzomah (???).  This is not Monday morning quarterbacking, those were awful play calls against a good team.  State was stacking the line, Auburn has very good wide receivers... everyone outside the Auburn coaches can do the math. 

In that case you have to call a straight drop back pass, your quarterback then has to make a read and  make a throw and then you let the chips fall where they may.  The Auburn coaches refused to do that on Auburn's first few trips but when they finally did later Marshall threw a touchdown to Duke Williams.  They should have done it much earlier, it was the right play no matter what, but of course I certainly cannot say I would be confident quarterback Nick Marshall would have completed it because...

QUOTE #3: "In the third quarter we got close but something would happen..."
Yeah something happened alright, Nick Marshall showed again he is just not that good a passer and he is not going to be.  I will say the same thing here that I wrote after the San Jose State game...

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"Last year was very special and will always be.  Nick Marshall was obviously a huge part of that and is a special player.  However he is just not that good a passer and he is not going to be.  Auburn with Marshall and Mason running behind Robinson and Prosch did something you just don't see much and that is run over people who are expecting you to run.  Last season was the exception not the rule.  The rule is you have to be balanced.  Moreover on a team with wide receiving talent like Duke Williams, Sammie Coates and C.J. Uzomah you have to use those guys.  All of them could be gone after this season.

Simply put, Auburn will not win a championship or beat Georgia and Bama (or State) running last year's offense.  It is not going to happen.  Auburn can beat both teams and win a championship by changing and running a more balanced offense behind Johnson and the devastating receiving weapons at his disposal.  It is also much easier to bring Marshall in as a wildcat or change of pace than it is bringing Johnson in with Marshall as the starter.

It would be a gutsy decision but as the saying goes... "no guts no glory".  Unfortunately head coach Gus Malzahn appears to have a Pat Dye-like stubborn streak and he is going to stick with Marshall till the bitter end.  Jeremy Johnson will then take over next year but most likely without Duke Williams and Sammie Coates.  Guys like them just do not come around very much.  The best thing for Auburn is to make this change now with a bye week to prepare.  I argued the other way coming into the season and have never been one who pines for the backup quarterback but Jeremy Johnson is clearly better with a much bigger upside."
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Nick Marshall is a playmaker and was the right guy last year to run a devastating front running rushing attack.  He is not near as good trying to run a balanced offense.  He is just not a consistent passer and he will never be.  Auburn had two shots yesterday in the third quarter only eight points down with good field position and Marshall threw four bad passes in a row.  Again he is just not that good a passer in a straight drop back situation.  He is also too short and is killing Auburn with tipped balls.  Marshall had a critical interception against KState and two more yesterday off tipped balls.

Auburn is a good rushing team, not a great one.  The wide receivers are better than the running backs.  The offensive line appears to be better pass blockers than run blockers.  This is a team that is begging to be balanced!!!  Auburn can still be a good offense but only fully including the passing game as much as the running team.  That is the best thing for this Auburn team and Nick Marshall is not the best quarterback for an offense like that.  Jeremy Johnson is, he is simply better and has proven it against an SEC team.

Of course Nick Marshall did throw one gorgeous pass yesterday to Sammie Coates that would have given Auburn first and goal on their first drive of the second half but was called back for "offensive pass interference" on what I think was the worst call I have ever seen in my life.  Gus Malzahn would only say...

QUOTE #4: "It was a big play in the game... it was a big play in the game."
It certainly was.  Both players had their hands up and Coates was using his hands to push away the State's defenders' hand that was on him (!!!).  Also, the commentators on TV said the official from the other side of the field (50 yards away) threw the flag (!!!).  Unbelievable, there was more contact on nearly every single other pass play in the game and you throw a flag on that play???  It is simply the worst call I have ever seen.  It did not cost Auburn the game but it certainly helped make sure they had a much smaller chance at coming back.

People can point to numerous penalties not called on Auburn as well like defensive holding but some calls are bigger than others and the call on Coates amounted to an 80 yard penalty killing Auburn's best chance at a comeback.  Also State was not called for one holding call by an offensive lineman after throwing the ball 34 times.  I know Auburn was called for at least one drive-killing holding penalty.  However I could live with the officiating as it is bad every week win or lose except for the call on Coates, that call was extraordinarily bad and had a huge impact on the game.

THE FINAL WORD
I think most people knew Auburn would not go through this season undefeated.  However it is always tough to take when it actually happens and you can see all the things that might have helped.  I think it is a little harder to take when you commit numerous dumb penalties and turnovers.  That one yesterday was a gut punch, no doubt.  Unfortunately for Auburn penalties and turnovers can be fixed but Nick Marshall cannot be made a consistent passer no matter how much the coaches tell us otherwise.

Auburn is going to play several other teams that will stop our running attack and make us pass.  I think Ole Miss, Georgia and Bama all can do it.  Marshall will probably have big games similar to LSU against South Carolina and Texas A&M but I see the exact same problems cropping up in the other big games.  Now that does not mean we will lose them all but it makes it a lot harder to win when you cannot consistently throw the ball from the pocket.

As for State, the only negative to come from this weekend is the increasing chances that Dan Mullen will be the head coach of the Florida Gators before this year ends.  I think he will stay if State is in the playoff but after this season or next I think he will be gone to Gainesville.

Game 5 Review: A BIG First Step

Auburn 41  LSU 7.  In a day of upsets around the country the Auburn Tigers played their finest game so far this season and absolutely destroyed the Tigers from LSU.  The buzz was in the state of Mississippi and people always quickly dismiss Auburn opponents but this was a big big win.  Les Miles has absolutely owned Auburn since arriving in Baton Rouge.  Auburn’s only wins against him were barely edging him in 2006 and having to have one of the greatest single game performances in Auburn history by Cam Newton to win in 2010 (and even that one was too close for comfort).

 

LSU has been Auburn’s nemesis for as long as I can remember.  They were the only team to beat Sullivan and Beasley twice (putting huge dents in those great seasons).  They are the only team to beat the 1972 Amazin’s.  They gave Auburn what I consider the worst loss in the program’s history in 1988.  They helped keep Auburn out of Atlanta in 1995 and 1996 in heartbreaking fashion.  They gave Auburn their only SEC loss of the season and once again kept them out of Atlanta in 2005.  Finally they were the only one to beat last year’s team in the regular season.

 

Enough was enough.  The word is Gus Malzahn asked the players in the locker room before the game who had beaten LSU.  Only fifth year senior Jeffrey Whittaker could raise his hand.  Malzahn asked them the same question after the game last night and there were a lot more hands in the air.  This was a big game for Auburn outside the rankings and all of that.  This was a statement game and a statement was made.  Regardless of what happens this season, this was a big win.

 

THE GOOD

Well just about everything was good on this night.  It started with the Auburn crowd.  It appeared to me that this was one of those games where there was just a buzz in the air.  The TV commentators even noticed it and the players certainly fed off of it.  Jordan Hare Stadium does not get the hype of some other places but it is one of the toughest places to play in the country and Gus Malzahn has still not lost there as a head coach.

 

The next big thing was Bama going down to Ole Miss as the game started.  It set the stage for a perfect Auburn Saturday.  The defense came out strong holding LSU to a three-and-out to open the game and then the offense “unleashed hell” after that.  Auburn went down the field and started the scoring with a field goal and after that would score four touchdowns before half time.  The defense would completely stymie the LSU offense other than one lucky pass.

 

LSU would finish the game 0-13 on third down conversions.  Their starting quarterback would finish 3-of-14 for 58 yards.  The Auburn D would hold LSU to only 138 yards rushing and less than 300 yards of total offense.  Yes I think it was a bad decision to start a freshman on the road against a top five Auburn team but this was an outstanding defensive effort.  I think Nick Ruffin had the statement play of the night blowing up LSU wide receiver Malachi Dupre.  He got penalized for targeting and tossed from the game but in this case it was worth it.  LSU has been the more physical team way to many times in this rivalry but not this night.

 

The only thing better than the Auburn defense this night was the offense.  Quarterback Nick Marshall finally returned to form and put up an all-time individual performance with over 100 yards rushing with 2 touchdowns and over 200 yards passing with 2 touchdowns.  Marshall’s versatility was unbelievably overpowering in this game.  Auburn was much more balanced as everyone including this blogger has been begging them to do.

 

The biggest story apart from Marshall was the return of Sammie Coates who had four catches for 144 yards and a touchdown.  Everyone has been waiting for Coates to get better and make an impact and he finally did.  Cameron Artis-Payne had another 100 yards rushing as well and I also liked getting him involved as a receiver.  On top of all that we were also reminded how good Jeremy Johnson is as well as he threw maybe the prettiest pass of the game off a reverse flea-flicker type play.  Johnson came off the bench and hit Coates 50 yards down field all the way across the field.

 

THE BAD
The bad this week is the fact that Mississippi State looks like the real deal as Auburn heads to Starkville this next weekend.  State dominated Texas A&M (although not on every snap as coach Dan Mullen so modestly put it) right after whipping this same LSU team last week in Baton Rouge.  Quarterback Dak Prescott looks like the real deal and the closest player to Cam Newton I have seen since Cam.  Prescott like Marshall was brilliant through the air and on the ground.

 

Coach Dan Mullen has worked patiently at State and this year his work seems to have finally borne real fruit.  His team does not look like a good team for State but a top ten contender.  It is going to be a real slobberknocker this coming weekend in Starkville.  State’s defense has also looked like the real deal as most of the yards and points they have given up the last two weeks have been with a big lead.

ESPN Game Day has already stated they will be there as this next weekend’s showdown looks like the biggest game of the week by far.  It also looks like the biggest game ever between Auburn and Mississippi State.  I think Auburn has more talent overall but State has the homefield advantage and that “team of destiny” tag this season.  I see this game as being just about a pick’em.  After this weekend’s other games the winner will have sole possession of top spot in the SEC West.

THE UGLY
The ugly this week is the scenes in Eugene, Norman and Tuscaloosa as some of the media’s biggest darlings went down.  For all the grief Auburn got for an ugly win at Kansas State the bottom line was they won in a huge trap game.  Oregon would sure swap places as they got trapped again on Thursday night falling to Arizona for the second year in a row.  Gary Patterson looks like he has TCU back rolling and the win over Oklahoma has them back in the national picture.

Finally the Ole Miss defense and senior quarterback Bo Wallace plus his receivers came up big in one of the biggest games in modern Ole Miss history.  The Rebels slayed the biggest dragon on their schedule taking out Bama in Oxford with the whole country watching.  Unfortunately Bama is not near dead yet but they definitely took a hit dropping that one.  They will have no more margin for error the rest of the season.

THE LAST WORD
I stated last week that the top contenders in the East were now Georgia and Missouri.  That became even more true this week as South Carolina went down again as did Tennessee.  Kentucky got a huge win against South Carolina and I think they might grab another big win or two but I think it will be Georgia or Missouri that wins the East.

Tennessee coach Butch Jones just cannot get a break.  He desperately needed to break Tennessee’s decade long losing streak to Florida and had the perfect opportunity against a bad Gator team but came up short.  It might be a season wrecking loss for the Vols.  I think Florida fans would have rather seen Tennessee win as well as the victory might help embattled Coach Will Muschamp survive another season.

The SEC West looks like it will be an unbelievable battle.  Either Auburn or Mississippi State will go down this next weekend and the winner will have a long way to go.  Every team really has to go with the ultimate cliché and take them one at a time.  This next weekend it is the Tigers vs. Bulldogs in as I said above the biggest game of the week and in the history of the series.  Will Auburn win another big one or will Mississippi State take their biggest step yet into the running for a championship?

Game 4 Review: Quan Bray Day

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 3^rd 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.

Game 3 Review: Tough Thursday Night in Manhattan

The Auburn Tigers pulled out the win 20-14 in a real cat fight against Kansas State to kick off week four of the 2014 college football season.  This one was definitely ugly on both sides but an ugly win is a lot better than an ugly loss for Auburn fans.  I have to admit I was a little more confident about this one than I should have been.  Kansas State head coach Bill Snyder is one of the best there is and I should have known he would have the Wildcats ready to play.

Kansas State became only the second team to hold Auburn under 200 yards rushing since Gus Malzahn took over.  There is no doubt that this game video will be must-see material for everyone else on Auburn’s schedule.  You can guarantee it will be analyzed and dissected by all of Auburn’s upcoming SEC foes.  This game showed a lot, both good and bad, about this 2014 Auburn football team.  Here is what jumped out to this blogger on Thursday night in Manhattan, Kansas…



THE GOOD

The Auburn defense.  I was confident but I will say I started getting a little worried when word leaked out that senior safety Jermaine Whitehead had been suspended.  I have been worried about attrition in Auburn’s back seven on defense since this summer.  I do not think anybody had any idea how some of these freshman like Stephen Roberts and Nick Ruffin would respond.  The best news for Auburn on Thursday was they played well along with everyone else in the secondary and in the defense as a whole.

Auburn linebacker Kris Frost walked away with player of the game honors after some big plays including a forced fumble.  The Auburn defensive line dominated the line of scrimmage holding the Wildcats to only 40 yards rushing.  Kansas State hit some big plays through the air but were aided by the fact that they were able to get away with any holding they wanted to do but more on that below.

The Auburn passing game also shined late.  Auburn and head coach Gus Malzahn finally had to turn to the passing game and quarterback Nick Marshall delivered.  It looked bad early on as Marshall was off target on a few passes and then the Auburn wide receivers, including Duke Williams and Sammie Coates, had a case of the drops when Marshall was on target.  Combine this with a struggling running game and that is why Auburn only had a field goal in the first quarter.

The Tigers finally got on track when Marshall hit Ricardo Louis who then put a few nifty moves on some KState defenders to get in the end zone.  This was doubly good to see since I believe it is the first really good play Louis has had since the “Immaculate Deflection”.  Marshall then hit Duke Williams for another big touchdown and a game clinching 39 yard pass on 3^rd and 9 with under two minutes to go in the game. 

Marshall finished 17 of 31 for 243 yards and two touchdowns and one interception.  Williams went over 100 yards again and continues to be Auburn’s biggest playmaker at wide receiver.  Sammie Coates had a couple of catches and a big drop.  Marshall also overthrew Coates on what would have been a huge play early on.  Auburn has to find a way to get Coates back on track.  I am looking for the game where both Duke Williams and Sammie Coates have big nights.

 

 

 THE BAD

“In the aftermath of the first game in the past 13 that Auburn failed to rush formore than 200 yards, Gus Malzahn admitted that he might have been a little stubborn with the play-calling.”

 

I whispered it through out the summer and have said it in my last two game reviews but now I will shout it with conviction… Auburn is NOT going to be able to run like they did in 2013.  It is NOT going to happen.  Auburn has a very good offense and a very good offensive line but to be the best it can be it must be balanced.  Auburn will lose more than one game if they continue to try and win using last year’s offensive strategy.

Shon Coleman is NOT Greg Robinson and I don’t think he will be.  Avery Young is NOT Alex Kozan at guard and I don’t think Patrick Miller is as good as Young at tackle.  On top of that, Brandon Fulse is not anywhere remotely close to Jay Prosch at H-back.  Robinson and Prosch might be the two best at their position in Auburn football history.  That is one of the biggest reasons Auburn was able to steamroll everyone last season.

When that is readily apparent and Auburn has two wide receivers capable of playing on Sundays next season you have to wonder why the coaches who are much closer to this don’t get it.  Auburn took it to the next level in 2004 balancing the offense after Hugh Nall’s stubbornness the year before.  Auburn took it to the next level in 2010 as Malzahn himself moved the team from relying on Cam Newton’s running to Cam Newton’s passing.  This year Auburn must balance the offense to take it to the next level.

Kansas State proved both sides of this against Auburn.  They sold out to stop the run and they did.  However on the other side of that they were ripe for the picking through the air just like everyone else will be on Auburn’s schedule.  Auburn was able to expose this but I think Auburn can do a lot more damage through the air.  This will also open back up the run game.  I still think Jeremy Johnson is the quarterback best suited to lead a more balanced offense but Nick Marshall proved again against KState that he can do it as well.

 



 

THE UGLY

My ears perked up when I heard a Big 12 crew was officiating the game.  I knew for inter-conference match ups like this that usually using an officiating crew from another conference outside the two involved was the standard procedure.  I think everyone saw why after watching the game and seeing the final box score.  Officially, not one penalty was called on Kansas State.  The Wildcats were called for an illegal chop block but it was not counted due to it offsetting with an Auburn pass interference penalty.

In a game where Kansas State threw 40 PASSES and were obviously struggling with Auburn’s defensive line not ONE holding penalty was called on the Wildcats.  In a game where Kansas State quarterback Jake Waters threw many of those passes while scrambling after the play had broken down not ONE holding penalty was called. 

Ridiculous does not even begin to describe this officiating.  Downright cheating is much closer.  I understand football players cheat on every play but when say Gabe Wright is blatantly and visibly hauled down to the ground (multiple times) you really have to wonder what is going on here. 

Everyone else can point to all of KState’s missed opportunities on field goals and the ball that popped out of wide receiver Tyler Lockett’s hands in the end zone but I believe the officiating balanced things out.  I would think that how the game is officiated is part of the contract between the two schools and I believe that comes under AD Jay Jacobs.  I certainly hope Jacobs does not make that mistake again.

THE LAST WORD

Auburn has one more preseason game against Louisiana Tech before hitting a brutal steak of six straight tough conference games.  I certainly hope the coaches use it to work on the passing game.  It looks like the two games after next week look a little different as Mississippi State took down LSU in Death Valley last night.  Auburn will have their hands full with both games regardless.  One more week till the fun really starts.

2014 Bye Week #1 Thoughts

It is frankly too early to draw many conclusions about this Auburn team, I think the first of those can be made after this coming Thursday.  However initial impressions were made all around the SEC and here are a few that hit me…

·         Steve Spurrier is still a great coach.  There are not many coaches that can get a team off the turf after the beat down South Carolina got from Texas A&M.  However Spurrier did it and Carolina won a huge game taking down Georgia 38-35 at home.  Carolina’s cause was aided by an unbelievable chip shot field goal miss by Georgia but they looked like the best team most of the day. 

Spurrier might now be Georgia’s greatest nemesis.  He was 11-1 against the Bulldogs as Florida’s head coach and has now won 4 out of the last 5 against the Bulldogs at South Carolina.  He has ruined another promising Georgia season in many ways.  Georgia was getting a lot of national love after the big win against Clemson and that all evaporated after the setback in Columbia.

·         Kentucky looks much improved under Mark Stoops but they should not almost beat Florida in the Swamp in coach Will Muschamp’s fourth year at the helm.  Florida survived 36-30 in overtime.  A loss surely would have signaled the end for Muschamp right now but I think that moment will still come this season.  Muschamp has had plenty of time and the Gators are a shadow of themselves just a few years ago.

·         There were a couple of notable SEC-Big 12 matchups this weekend in Tennessee vs. Oklahoma and Arkansas vs. Texas Tech.  Both turned into laughers as Arkansas ran Texas Tech out of its own stadium and Oklahoma overwhelmed a gutsy Tennessee team.  I think both Arkansas coach Bret Bielema and Tennessee coach Butch Jones desperately need a couple more big wins.  They are both building up their programs but are both at that key point and need momentum.

·         The rest of the slate were all cupcakes although that might have provided Vanderbilt with the only win it is going to get this year.  The Commodores barely squeaked by UMass (and in football that is not good).  It is obvious now why former head coach James Franklin was so desperate to get out of Nashville as the bottom has completely fallen out at Vandy.  A good coach can squeeze a few good seasons out of Vandy with the right timing, i.e. Tennessee being down, but long term success is not possible.

The countdown is now on for the first game of next week’s college football schedule and that is Auburn travelling to Kansas State for another huge SEC-Big 12 matchup…

Game 2 Review: Good but not great

Auburn 59  San Jose State 13.  A big win for Auburn but let me reiterate each week that this Auburn team will be measured each game by one measuring stick and that is of a championship team.  On that measure this team would get a B- from me this week.  I know my post last week and parts of this one would be considered "negative" but it is only because of how highly I think of this team.  You just do not get many teams that are truly capable of competing for championships.  You don't want to waste those opportunities and that is how I evaluate at this team and the coaching of it.

It was good to get a true tune-up game for the team and I think the coaches should have some things to work on.  The score is obviously good but San Jose State is frankly not in Auburn's league.  However the Spartans were good enough to show some trouble spots for Auburn.  Overall Auburn got it done but the effort seemed pretty lackadaisical and sloppy at times.  There were also some very positive things that came out of the game as well.  Lets look at the "The Good, The Bad and The Ugly" from last night...

THE GOOD
Cameron Artis-Payne.  CAP put up another great day running the ball with 112 yards on only 16 carries.  CAP is not quite as good as Tre Mason was last year but he is a very good running back who seems to still be improving as well.  Nick Marshall also had 100 yards rushing and Corey Grant was very close.  Auburn is still very good running the ball.  The offensive line also looked better than last week but they also vastly outweighed the San Jose State defensive line.  Fans also finally got to get their first glimpse of freshman Roc Thomas who scored a touchdown on his first carry as an Auburn Tigers.  Auburn seems to have an impressive stable of running backs.

One of the biggest plays of the game was Quan Bray taking a punt return to the house.  It was a pretty impressive return even against the likes of San Jose State as Bray broke numerous tackles and kept his balance.  Initially I thought Bray was the wrong man for this job but hopefully this run will be a breakout for him and give him the confidence needed to make more big plays.  Freshman Daniel Carlson looked good again on special teams as well.  It will be a huge plus for Auburn if Carlson can continue to play this well kicking and punting the ball.

THE BAD
The Auburn defense in spots.  Obviously when you give up only 13 points and force a couple of picks, it was not a bad night.  I am looking further down the road though.  This defense still has a penchant for giving up big plays and long drives at times.  Cornerback Jonathan Jones continues to look vulnerable in the secondary and there is still a noticeable lack of a true pass rusher.  Auburn has time to improve but right now this defense does not look as strong as last year's unit and they will have to get better for Auburn to have a chance at a championship.

THE UGLY
Auburn has a full blown quarterback controversy whether they want to admit it or not.  Folks, Jeremy Johnson is the better quarterback.  If you were really honest it was obvious last week but it was painfully obvious this week.  Nick Marshall on the read option did not look very good at times (against San Jose State) and midway through the third quarter he was under 50% passing for less than a 100 yards.  Overall he did not look good throwing the ball.  There is just no way around it.  On the flip side, Johnson came in with the second stringers and looked great.

Last year was very special and will always be.  Nick Marshall was obviously a huge part of that and is a special player.  However he is just not that good a passer and he is not going to be.  Auburn with Marshall and Mason running behind Robinson and Prosch did something you just don't see much and that is run over people who are expecting you to run.  Last season was the exception not the rule.  The rule is you have to be balanced.  Moreover on a team with wide receiving talent like Duke Williams, Sammie Coates and C.J. Uzomah you have to use those guys.  All of them could be gone after this season.

San Jose State showed glimpses of defenses catching up to Auburn's read option.  Simply put, Auburn will not win a championship or beat Georgia and Bama running last year's offense.  It is not going to happen.  Auburn can beat both teams and win a championship by changing and running a more balanced offense behind Johnson and the devastating receiving weapons at his disposal.  It is also much easier to bring Marshall in as a wildcat or change of pace than it is bringing Johnson in with Marshall as the starter.

It would be a gutsy decision but as the saying goes... "no guts no glory".  Unfortunately head coach Gus Malzahn appears to have a Pat Dye-like stubborn streak and he is going to stick with Marshall till the bitter end.  Jeremy Johnson will then take over next year but most likely without Duke Williams and Sammie Coates.  Guys like them just do not come around very much.  The best thing for Auburn is to make this change now with a bye week to prepare.  I argued the other way coming into the season and have never been one who pines for the backup quarterback but Jeremy Johnson is clearly better with a much bigger upside.

THE FINAL WORD
Auburn gets a week off to prepare for its biggest game of the year so far at Kansas State.  The Wildcats eked out a big win against Iowa State and will be ready for Auburn.  I look for much better effort and concentration from the Tigers in this game.  It might turn into a bit of a shootout if Auburn's defense does not show vast improvement but I think Auburn is the better team.  A big prime time game against another "power five" conference team who is coached by one of the legends of the game, I can't wait...