Game 8 Review: Bad Offense and Bad Officiating

You did NOT see any of these calls yesterday!

LSU 23  Auburn 20.  Sometimes I have to really rack my brain to come up with a fresh or original title for my posts but that was certainly not the case this week.  I think this might be the most dead-on and accurate title for a game review ever.  On offense it was not Gus' finest work but it was the same meltdown we have seen everytime Auburn has played a good team on the road under Malzahn.  It was frustrating but nothing new however the officiating might have been the worst I have ever seen.  I am certainly not blaming the officials for Auburn losing the game, I am just pointing out their clear incompetence or game-influencing calls.  College football is starting to resemble wrestling in my opinion.  It is just not any fun to watch with this kind of blatant incompetence or game-influencing.

THE GOOD
It is sad the Auburn defense got absolutely no support from the offense or officials and I mean NO SUPPORT.  The defense was left out there for almost 90 plays or almost 120 if you count plays cancelled by penalties and then replayed.  I read that is the equivalent of the defense playing FIVE QUARTERS.  That makes the 508 yards gained by LSU not look quite as bad.  These guys absolutely played their guts out.  It was really sad to watch because there was no way the offense or the officials were going to let them even have a chance at being on the winning team. 

Derrick Brown and Marlon Davidson were once again outstanding.  These guys are men.  It is really sad they have played with such bad offensive teams the last two years.  I pray nothing bad happens to either of these two guys and they are ready for the start of the NFL season next year.  Any team will be lucky to get these guys.  Auburn's secondary was outstanding as well yesterday with FIVE guys having double figure tackle totals.  The other guy that really stood out to me was K.J. Britt.  The guy is just a beast.  He played with so much passion and energy.  Auburn is certainly lucky to have a guy like Britt to replace Deshaun Davis.  He is definitely what I would look for in a middle linebacker.  

THE BAD
"Bo Nix never had a chance.  He will be just another in a long list of quarterbacks that showed promise but then got worse under Auburn head coach Gus Malzahn.  Auburn came out yesterday and played horrible on offense like they have done so many other times under Malzahn especially on the road.  It was just par for the course and we all should have seen it coming.  I hate Malzahn's offensive system.  This stupid offensive system is just a step above the triple option and it always will be.  Nothing has ever changed regardless of who is calling the stupid plays.  There is a bunch of formations and then the same few running and passing plays.  

The results at Auburn closely resemble that of a triple option team.  Auburn destroys teams it can run on and is a little better than but it nearly always loses to teams with good defenses and experienced coordinators.  THE OFFENSE IS SO PREDICTABLE.  It always has been and it always will be under Gus Malzahn.  He has never beaten anybody any good on the road outside of Texas A&M and it appears he never will.  He simply cannot beat a good team on the road.  It has been over six years, it is in stone.  I will never expect anything but an embarrassing loss anytime an Auburn team under Malzahn plays AWAY against a good team.

The problem here is not losing.  It is the offense looking completely lost and playing embarrassingly bad.  It is just like in 2014 against Mississippi State and Georgia or 2015 against LSU and Georgia or 2016 against Clemson and Georgia or 2017 against Clemson and LSU or 2018 against Tennessee and Mississippi State.  Those were mostly good teams.  I am not talking about whether we should have won or lost, I am talking about the bottom falling out on offense all the way in every single one of those games and others I did not mention.  

Bo Nix once again looked really bad and really unprepared.  I expect a coach, especially one PAID SEVEN MILLION DOLLARS A YEAR, to be able to at least put a basic rudimentary passing game on the field but Gus never has on the road against a good team and he never will.  Again we will get to see some more games like Mississippi State a few weeks ago but when Gus Malzahn has to play a team as good or better than his team on the road in a big time game he will lose every single time and he will probably look extraordinarily bad doing it..." AND HE DID IT AGAIN YESTERDAY.

I wrote all that after the Florida game two weeks ago and it is still exactly right.  You can read my post from Auburn's meltdown two years ago when they blew a 20-0 lead in Baton Rouge if you need more detail. Honestly how many times can you say the same thing?  How can any coach be this stubborn to keep running the same stupid offense and never change?  I do not want to make a mistake and end up like Arkansas or Tennessee but Auburn has gone as far as it is ever going to go under Gus Malzahn.  I simply cannot stand watching his offense.  I am just so sick of watching the same thing for the last SEVEN YEARS.  Thanks for 2013 but is time to make a change.  PLEASE.

THE UGLY
I am even more sick of watching college football become the WWE.  As I said last week, the college football system already allows the "playoff teams" to be subjectively picked to get the "best matchups" but now it sure appears that games are being influenced during the regular season.  I just do not think that is an opinion but observable fact.  I am not mad that LSU beat Auburn.  I expected that as I wrote above and many times in the past.  I am mad after watching LSU being allowed to blatantly hold the ENTIRE GAME.  Yes yes I know there are always missed calls and I know LSU had some penalties but it was obvious the refs were letting LSU blatantly hold.  

This strategy allowed LSU to have a huge advantage with their passing game.  Auburn defensive end T.D. Moultry was pulled down in full sight of the refs on LSU's first touchdown.  Let us see if LSU gets away with that in two weeks.  I bet they will not.  It is almost like not calling one foul on a basketball player the whole game.  LSU THREW THE BALL 42 TIMES, IT IS LITERALLY IMPOSSIBLE TO THROW THE BALL 42 TIMES AGAINST A DEFENSIVE LINE LIKE AUBURN'S AND NOT HOLD ONE TIME.  I do not count the stupid holding call they made at the very end of game when LSU was running out clock.  I am counting the 42 PASSES MADE BY LSU.

Is this LSU offensive line the greatest of all time or even the best this season?  They are not even close!  Auburn's defensive line IS being called the best in the country.  The refs are saying that LSU did not hold on one pass play that entire game.  I am sorry it sure looks like blatant game-influencing.  The refs got the message that nothing can derail the Bama vs. LSU game from being another stupid "game of the century" (even though LSU has not beaten Bama since 2011).  It is time to make more money!  This is just ridiculous.  One of the cons of being a passing team is having a few holding penalties a game.  Again this travesty is like saying a basketball team did not foul one time in a game or lets just say not fouling on 42 possessions.  IT IS IMPOSSIBLE.

THE LAST WORD
I say next year we just go ahead and pick the four playoff teams at the start of the season and get it over with.  Maybe then we could get some decent officiating without the pressure of preventing the next "game of the century".  I know officiating is extremely difficult but there is no excuse for what happened yesterday.  It is just a game but I will make these observations.  This game and whatever happens in it will not effect my life.  I can find other things for entertainment and still love my school but "I believe in a sound mind, in a sound body and a spirit that is not afraid, and in CLEAN sports that develop these qualities."  Lets keep it clean and let the games be settled on the field fairly.

Game 7 Review: The Haves and the Have Nots

Auburn 51  Arkansas 10.  Gus Malzahn might be up and down or just down against some teams but there is no doubt that he owns Arkansas.  Auburn once again destroyed the Razorbacks this past Saturday.  Unfortunately I think that says more about Arkansas than it does Auburn.  It has been painful to watch the crash of the Arkansas football program since that fateful day former head coach Bobby Petrino crashed his motorcycle.  Bret Bielemma had a few big moments but otherwise it has pretty much been a free fall for Arkansas football since that day.  This once solid football program has now lost 15 consecutive SEC games along with losing at home this season to San Jose State.   

You look at Arkansas and Tennessee and various other once good or great programs and you wonder about the future of college football.  How long will these programs pour money into these sports with no return on investment?  Tennessee's history says they will eventually make it back but will Arkansas?  They are not in a great recruiting spot geographically and under siege from other great football programs all around them.  You add to that the dwindling population of football players overall and you have to wonder what will happen to Arkansas and other programs like them?  College football is turning more and more into a small group of "have" programs and a large group of "have not" programs that might be heading toward being "never will be" programs.

THE GOOD
I guess that intro points out the good for Auburn and head coach Gus Malzahn.  Malzahn despite being unlikable much of the time and not being a very good coach at other times has continued to win at Auburn.  It has been frustrating because he has recruited well and then not gotten the most out of that talent but when you look at disasters like Arkansas and Tennessee you have to be thankful Auburn has not slipped into that abyss.  Gus has shown he can recruit to a certain level even with Nick $aban taking over the world and teams around Auburn like Florida State a few years ago and Georgia now rising up in recruiting as well.

It is no small feat to lead a program for over five years and keep it going at a fairly successful level as Malzahn has done.  Pat Dye did it and handed over a very good team to his successor Terry Bowden but Bowden could not keep it going.  He did a great job a few years but then fell apart.  He did not have what it took to lead a program especially in recruiting for more than a few years.  Tommy Tuberville was able to lead Auburn's program for almost a decade but bad choices at coordinator and the tsunami of Nick $aban's arrival was too much.  Tuberville did leave a decent cupboard for Gene Chizik who like Bowden did a good job for a few years but then fell apart as well.

THE BAD
The bad is the enormous pressure someone in Auburn's administration is going to have on them to make a good choice for head coach sooner rather than later I think.  Auburn has a really good team this season but will be rebuilding in the trenches next season.  The schedule next season is a little better overall but has a horrible ending with LSU and Bama back-to-back.  It could be a tough season.  Gus has also burned some bridges and flopped too many times to save himself when his buyout reaches a "reasonable" point and he has that inevitable bad season.  Malzahn has saved himself several times when I thought he was gone but I think his time will end in the next three years.

Also I have always thought Steve Spurrier was right when he said that most of the time now a head coach is only going to last around a decade even if he is successful (if he is not Nick $aban).  The program just needs a new voice.  Auburn has followed that trend as Coach Dye and Tuberville both made it about a decade.  I just do not think Gus Malzahn will last much longer than that and this season is year seven.  Auburn University as a whole appears to be suffering from leadership issues so even though I have big problems with Malzahn I am scared as hell at the current people in charge picking a new head football coach.  Will they make a good choice or turn us into Tennessee?

THE UGLY
The ugly this week is once again the absurdity of the college football "playoff".  This stupid system is just as bad as it's predecessors.  It is just more subjective tripe (which means "something poor, worthless, or offensive").  NOTHING HAS CHANGED.  You now have a committee picking teams as compared to the media polls.  It is all SUBJECTIVE.  Love it or hate it, the NFL is at least OBJECTIVE.  The greatest team in NFL history was the 2007 New England Patriots who went 17-0 but were upset in the Super Bowl by a New York Giant team who went 9-7 in the regular season.  A team like that Giant team would never get a chance in college football.  

I was asked today how I would fix it.  I understand the college football "playoff" can not be like the NFL but it can be made less subjective.  It can also be changed to just plain make things easier for all involved (like not having to leave a "Power 5" conference out) and get different teams in.  Frankly it is easy and is an idea championed by many.  The "playoff" should be changed to eight teams and there should be five automatic bids for the conference champions and three wild-card selections.  This way the "Power 5" conferences are always happy and the whole thing is more objective but they still have a chance to get three "deserving" teams in.  It just makes too much sense.

THE LAST WORD
The powers-that-be though will never do it because they do not want to give up control and hate objectivity.  I get so sick of hearing the arguments against conference champions.  It is again arguing against objectivity as the way of determining conference champions is mostly objective.  It does not matter if the team has a "bad loss", they won their conference.  That "great" team they always want to put ahead of them had their chance and they failed.  I mean how can anyone outside the "in" teams like this system?  The playoff this season will be Clemson, Ohio State, Oklahoma and the perceived best team from the SEC.  It really does not matter if those teams lose a game, they will still select them.  

Hopefully this post was more enjoyable than a breakdown of an Auburn win over a team that was 0-14 in the conference coming in.  Honestly, what is there to say about that game?  I could not think of anything so I decided to bring up these subjects today.  Getting back on track, Auburn could have a big impact or even determine the SEC race in both divisions.  They could win out but that does not seem likely considering the schedule.  We will find out a lot this week as Auburn heads to Baton Rouge as huge underdogs.  That is a spot Auburn loves and they do have a good team... but as we have seen the last six years and again in the Florida game this year, Gus does not win on the road.  Can the law of averages kick in and override the Gus factor?  I doubt it but I will be watching.

Game 6 Review: PREDICTABLE

Florida 24  Auburn 13.  I have to eat some crow this week.  I patted myself on the back last week because I knew Auburn would come out fired up and play well against Mississippi State.  However I also said last week I would not bet against Bo Nix at Florida.  I should have known that it had nothing to do with Nix.  He never had a chance.  He will be just another in a long list of quarterbacks that showed promise but then got worse under Auburn head coach Gus Malzahn.  Auburn came out yesterday and played horrible on offense like they have done so many other times under Malzahn especially on the road.  It was just par for the course and we all should have seen it coming.

I knew it but man I just wanted to get excited about Auburn football.  It has been so repetitive under Malzahn that whenever something good happens you just want to have some fun with it.  I watch most games in stony silence with a seething hate for Malzahn's offensive system.  I do not know how many times I have to say it and I do not understand why more people do not see it.  This stupid offensive system is just a step above the triple option and it always will be.  Nothing has ever changed regardless of who is calling the stupid plays.  There is a bunch of formations and then the same few running and passing plays.

The results at Auburn closely resemble that of a triple option team.  Auburn destroys teams it can run on and is a little better than but it nearly always loses to teams with good defenses and experienced coordinators.  THE OFFENSE IS SO PREDICTABLE.  It always has been and it always will be under Gus Malzahn.  He has never beaten anybody any good on the road outside of Texas A&M and it appears he never will.  Why in the world did I ever think he would yesterday?  He simply cannot beat a good team on the road.  It has been over six years, it is in stone.  I will never expect anything but an embarrassing loss anytime an Auburn team under Malzahn plays away against a good team.

The problem here is not losing.  It is the offense looking completely lost and playing embarrassingly bad.  It is just like in 2014 against Mississippi State and Georgia or 2015 against LSU and Georgia or 2016 against Clemson and Georgia or 2017 against Clemson and LSU or 2018 against Tennessee and Mississippi State.  Those were all good teams.  I am not talking about whether we should have won or lost, I am talking about the bottom falling out on offense all the way in every single one of those games and others I did not mention.  I will never in all of my life understand why we were so desperate to keep this man that we gave him the most ridiculous contract I have ever seen.

Let's break it down...

THE GOOD
The good was obviously the defense.  Other than allowing a simple slant play to go for a long touchdown at the start of the game the defense played good enough to win.  They stopped Florida plenty of times and forced four fumbles and stuffed a fake punt.  However they did give up nearly 400 yards of offense including Florida running back Lamical Perine getting 134 yards including an 88 yard touchdown run to ice the game.  Florida wide receiver Freddie Swain also had almost 150 yards receiving and a touchdown plus there were numerous pass interference penalties.  The bottom line though is that they basically held Florida under 20 points and got no help from the offense.

They gave the offense every chance to do something, anything, and they did not.  Senior defensive tackle Derrick Brown was dominant again forcing two fumbles and almost scoring on one.  The defensive line as a whole was strong all day.  The back seven were good as well but had some penalties and critical missed tackles in spots.  Again though they did enough to win IF Auburn had ANY coaching at the top on the offensive side of the ball.  The only problem is that Florida did show some cracks in Auburn's defensive armor and Auburn will play some really good offenses before the season ends.  The offenses at LSU, Georgia and Bama are much better than at Florida.

THE BAD
The bad was watching history start to repeat itself again.  Bo Nix's dad Pat had a great season in 1994 but Auburn was on probation.  His senior year in 1995 Auburn had a fresh start and seemed destined to win their first SEC West title.  Nix led Auburn to wins over Georgia and Bama to end the season so everything was good right?  Wrong.  Unfortunately more bad offensive coaching led to inexplicable losses at LSU (I was there) and at Arkansas.  His son now seems destined to the same fate, he will win some big games for Auburn but I fear no championship is in the cards.  The schedule is bad enough but I just do not think he will ever develop as a passer under Gus Malzahn.

I know Bo Nix is a true freshman and it is a lot to ask of a kid that young to lead a top ten ranked Auburn team into a place like the Swamp against a good Gator team.  I thought before the season we would lose this game.  However Nix looked really bad and really unprepared.  The Auburn quarterback he looked like yesterday was Jeremy Johnson.  I know many I talk to and read this blog respond, well what do you expect?  You almost always look bad in a loss.  I can answer that question today very easily.  I have railed against Gus Malzahn for six years on his hapless passing game against good teams so bottom line what exactly am I expecting from him?

I will tell you, I expect a coach, especially one PAID SEVEN MILLION DOLLARS A YEAR, to be able to at least put a basic rudimentary passing game on the field LIKE FLORIDA DID YESTERDAY.  The Florida offense is not great or maybe even very good.  However other than the turnovers they played a solid game against a very good Auburn defense.  Their quarterback is barely adequate but he was coached up enough to be able to complete basic passing plays, to be able to run a half decent passing game against a very good defense.  Kyle Trask completed over sixty percent of his passes for over 200 yards and two touchdowns against a fearsome rush. 

He is not a big recruit or great player, HE WAS COACHED UP TO AT LEAST DO A DECENT JOB IN THE PASSING GAME.  THAT is what I hate most about Gus Malzahn, he cannot do what Dan Mullen did yesterday.  He simply cannot do it.  Auburn either blows someone off the field they are a little better than or they usually look like they did yesterday and that is completely devoid of any good coaching in the passing  game.  Bo Nix also looked a lot like Jarrett Stidham yesterday when all his receivers were covered because they were running the same predictable pass routes on the same predictable plays.  The other coaches know what Auburn is going to run over half the time!

THE UGLY
The ugly is first that jerk Dan Mullen inciting the crowd on the play Kyle Trask got hurt and then calling Auburn "dirty" at halftime.  Marlon Davidson did absolutely nothing wrong on that play and the reason he came in low was because he was being HELD AND PULLED DOWN by the Florida offensive lineman!  It is completely classless and flat out wrong to start making accusations like that and Mullen ought to know better.  However he has done garbage like this his whole career so I guess I should not be surprised.  This is another reason I do not cheer for the rest of the SEC.  Every SEC team is ready to stab the other in the back if it will give them any edge.

It is also ugly that the Auburn fans will be subjected to many more games under Gus Malzahn.  He may get a few more big wins in his career but there will be plenty more ugly ones as well.  I got excited one more time for Bo Nix as I and many other Auburn fans are desperate to be positive about something.  However we know now that freshman or senior, Bo Nix is not going to develop as a passer under Malzahn.  The evidence is clear and conclusive.  He has never done it and he never will it appears.  Again we will get to see some more games like Mississippi State but when Gus Malzahn has to play a team as good or better than his team on the road in a big time game he will lose every single time and he will probably look extraordinarily bad doing it. 

THE LAST WORD
I guess I need to look past my Malzahn depression to what the outlook is for this Auburn team now.  Auburn is still a pretty good team and even with Malzahn they might have a chance at one more big win.  They should beat Arkansas, Ole Miss and Samford.  They should beat them bad.  I do not think Auburn has any chance at LSU and while they should play Bama tough, I just do not think this offense can score enough points to beat them.  I still think Auburn's best chance at one more big win this season is Georgia at home.  Georgia is very good but they are not near as good a passing team as LSU or Bama.  I think Auburn even with Malzahn matches up with them well.

Auburn is off next week and after yesterday I think that is a good thing for everyone.

Game 5 Review: RESPONSE REQUIRED

AUBURN 56  MISSISSIPPI STATE 23.  I ended my post last week writing about the obvious hard feelings that the Auburn coaching staff and players had about their embarrassing loss to Mississippi State last season.  Coach Gus Malzahn actually avoided the usual coachspeak clichés and admitted he and the team got "embarrassed" last season.  It was obvious to me it was not just another loss.  State ran for almost 350 yards with no passing threat and just mauled Auburn's vaunted defensive line.  The Auburn offensive line got wrecked about as bad.  After that I think State also went a little overboard on the celebration as well.  Again it is sure obvious now that it was not just another loss.

I ended my post last week saying this: "I do not "talk big" on this blog very often...  I think this is one of the rare times where I will say that State better watch out and they better come to play because I do not think we are getting the same old cliches or coachspeak this week.  For the first time in maybe his entire career I think Gus Malzahn is being dead honest talking to the press.  I will give Gus the last word here this week:  "It is a completely new year, but at the same time, when you have experiences, whether you are a player or a coach YOU REMEMBER.  AND WE HAVE GOT TO RESPOND."  This Saturday we will see the response."

Auburn responded.  I just had that feeling that Auburn would come out looking for payback but even I could not envision the hell they unleashed on Mississippi State.  I was there for the 2005 Bama game and Auburn sacking Brodie Croyle over and over and jumping out to a 21-0 lead and I remember Auburn going up 35-0 at Starkville in 2016.  I remember many more fast starts by an Auburn football team but I do not think I have ever seen a finer half of football than I saw last night.  The game was also a hard sellout and over 80,000 screaming Auburn fans and students made their presence known immediately as State had a delay of game penalty on the FIRST PLAY (!!!).

The Auburn defense, literally frothing at the mouth, stopped State with a huge sack on third down and then the crowd backed up State another five yards when they caused ANOTHER delay of game penalty on fourth down.  Christian Tutt returned the ball 16 yards to the State 30 yard line after State finally got the punt off.  The Auburn offensive line then literally ended the game on Auburn's first offensive play opening a hole big enough for a bus to drive through.  Boobee Whitlow ran through that hole and took it 30 yards basically untouched for Auburn's first touchdown.  You could tell, the game was over.  It was just how bad it was going to get.  It got bad.

The Auburn defense pushed State back again and State punted again.  It took Auburn five plays this time with Bo Nix hitting his first big pass of the night to Seth Williams and then taking it himself three plays later.  I just got chills as I remembered watching Bo Nix's dad Pat have his coming out party at Mississippi State in 1994.  Auburn had not got it clicking on offense that season and I think State was favored in that game.  Auburn took it to State and it was Pat Nix's first really good game as a starter at Auburn.  The very next week he led Auburn over #1 Florida in the Swamp.  His son will lead Auburn next week against #9 Florida in the Swamp...  does it not give you goosebumps?

Back to last night...  Auburn kicked off to State up 14-0 and State added to their misery by fumbling the kickoff.  It took Auburn just two plays to score again as Anthony Schwartz took it in this time.  Auburn was up 21-0 and the game was barely six minutes old.  State then showed some toughness and resolve and ground out a twelve play 75 yard touchdown drive.  There was no way though Auburn was going to let State even sniff getting back into this game.  Bo Nix and company then ground out their own eleven play 78 yard touchdown drive.  Nix hit Seth Williams three times on this drive, the big one being a thirty yard completion on 3rd down and 7.  It was shades of his dad and Frank Sanders twenty five years ago!  Boobee Whitlow took it in for the touchdown to make it 28-6.

State once again ground out another eleven play drive and kicked a field goal and once again Auburn would immediately RESPOND.  The Tigers once again flew down the field on the arm and legs of Bo Nix.  The kid is already a legend, the question is how big it is going to get.  Nix broke off a nice 30 yard run on the third play of the drive and even though he fumbled at the end Auburn retained possession.  Nix then hit Seth Williams again for a 39 yard touchdown pass.  There have been a lot of great quarterbacks and wide receivers at Auburn but those famous combinations have been much more rare.  There have been Sullivan and Beasley, Burger and Tillman, Marshall and Coates, NIX AND SANDERS and now it looks like we have NIX AND WILLIAMS.  

Auburn was now up 35-9.  The Auburn defense got back on track and stopped State three and out.  The ferociousness of the Auburn defense was palpable last night.  Derrick Brown and Marlon Davidson were the clear leaders.  They chased down every single play, they never stopped.  They made up for that night in Starkville last year and then some.  The rest of the defense followed their lead and were just flying to the ball.  Lineman, linebackers, defensive backs... it did not matter, I never saw just one Auburn blue jersey on the ball.  State would not score again till the game was clearly over and the reserves were in.  The Auburn defense responded and made a clear statement.

The Auburn offense was not done either.  They were stopped on their next drive when Seth Williams was called for a fumble when he was clearly down.  I have seen some of these Auburn runs stopped by a fumble but not this night.  Owen Pappoe, the Bo Nix of the defense, forced State to fumble two plays later and Auburn got the ball back at the State eight yard line with under three minutes left in the half.  This is where Gus typically runs the clock out content to go to the locker room with a big lead and just runs vanilla the entire second half not getting anything else out of the game.  He has done it many times.  He did it up 35-0 at State just three years ago.  He did NOT do it this night.

State did actually stop Auburn but in typical State fashion they committed a dumb personal foul penalty to keep the Auburn drive alive.  Win or lose, every single year State will usually commit several personal fouls.  They never change.  Nix would find his guy Seth Williams for 14 yards on second down.  Nix then zipped one to Will Hastings on a big third down conversion and then hit Anthony Schwartz in stride for 48 yards to the State three yard line.  Boobee Whitlow took it in from there making it 42-9 at halftime. Auburn basically scored a touchdown on every single possession in the first quarter against a decent SEC opponent.  Again THAT is a RESPONSE. 

The game was over, the only question was would Gus Malzahn just completely shutdown and let State win the second half like he has done so many times in the past.  I will say to his credit, he did not.  I sure hope this was a learning experience and not a one time response.  I really hope so because the Auburn drive to start the second half was a thing of beauty.  The Tigers and Bo Nix came out FIRING.  Nix hit Anthony Schwartz for 19 yards to open the half.  He then, after a short Kam Martin run, hit Will Hastings for 21 yards and then, once again, hit Seth Williams on a beautiful pass and catch for a 32 yard touchdown.  It was now 49-9.

The defense stuffed State after one first down and Bo and the boys were back at it again.  Nix hit Eli Stove for almost 30 yards but then Shaun Shivers fumbled the ball.  The Auburn defense stopped State again three-and-out but then for the first time all night State forced Auburn to punt.  State then hit a couple of big passes and scored to make it 49-16.  Oh well I assumed Gus would pack it in, it was almost the end of the third quarter and the game was over.  In the words of Lee Corso, not so fast my friend...  Auburn was not done quite yet.  Bo Nix would hit yet another big pass to Sal Canella for 30 yards on a 3rd and 10 play.  Nix would then complete his final pass of the night for 16 yards to Jay Jay Wilson and Kam Martin did the rest of the work taking it in to make it 56-16.  

That would do it, State would tack on a late meaningless touchdown and it ended 56-23.  Auburn had responded and a statement had been made.  I do want to mention that even after sending in the reserves Gus let Joey Gatewood throw two real passes.  He has never done that in the past in this situation.  I really hope he keeps this up.  I just think it is so important to get your backup quarterback game reps and not just waste that time.  It was just a great game for Auburn from beginning to end.  It was just a tremendous effort by the players, coaches and the sellout crowd.  The night was made even more special as Auburn honored last year's Final Four basketball team and handed out rings.  Again what a special night to be an Auburn Tiger.

The party is now over though.  It was great but Auburn cannot waste a second celebrating.  The Tigers now head to the Swamp to take on the Florida Gators.  It will be Auburn's first road game between two top-10 teams since 2014.  It is by far the biggest game in the conference next week and like Texas A&M could make or break Auburn's season.  I thought Texas A&M was so big because it would give Auburn the momentum to help play good against State and have a good chance to beat Florida.  I think that if Auburn beats the Gators it gives them the confidence and the momentum to then knock off one of the big boys coming up on the schedule.  

I think Auburn is a little bit better overall than Florida.  I think the Auburn defense is the best unit on the field and the Auburn offense can be more explosive.  However Florida is still very good, Dan Mullen is a good coach and the Swamp is a tough place to play.  Also, can Auburn avoid a let down after playing a near perfect game against State?  We will see next Saturday.  I am already excited.  Florida used to be one of Auburn's biggest rivals and now they hardly ever play anymore.  It has been a long time since a good Auburn team took on Florida down there.  The last time was when the Tigers and Wes Byrum upset Tim Tebow and the Gators in 2007.

However I am again thinking about 25 years ago when another Nix led us into the Swamp after a big win against Mississippi State and delivered one of the biggest wins in Auburn football history.  Can his son repeat that feat this coming weekend?  I can tell you right now, I would not bet against him.

Game 4 Review: Early Returns Are In

Auburn 28  Texas A&M 20.  As I have been saying the last couple of weeks I thought this game was really big for Auburn.  It had an election-night-type feel to it.  A definite decision was going to be made on this team.  Based on last year's game I felt A&M had the edge but I have to give it to the Auburn linemen on both sides of the ball.  They both dominated the line of scrimmage most of the day.  I thought last week that Derrick Brown would be a key factor in this game but I sure could not envision the terror he wreaked on the Aggies.  Brown had two sacks and three tackles for a loss.  He also made millions of dollars in that game because barring injury he will be a top pick in the NFL draft.  He was not alone either as the rest of the defense helped hold A&M to 56 yards rushing.

On the other side of the ball Prince Tega Wanogho and the offensive line led the way.  The signature moment was on Boobee Whitlow's eight yard touchdown run to effectively seal the game with eight minutes left in the fourth quarter.  On that play Tega Wanogho pushed his guy almost all the way to the end zone.  I was pretty impressed.  The offense had some great moments but also struggled at times as well.  However overall it was an extremely impressive win.  I think it will give the Tigers momentum going into another huge game in the Swamp in two weeks (if Auburn can take care of Mississippi State this week).  Finally it was big for head coach Gus Malzahn.  That was Auburn's first win on the road against a ranked team in a long time.

THE GOOD
This section is pretty easy this week.  Auburn looked well prepared and ready to play on both sides of the ball.  That is a big deal.  As I said above it definitely started in the trenches but the guys behind the line took advantage.  On defense the secondary again stood out led by Noah Igbinoghene's eight solo tackles.  These guys are bringing a lot of energy and you can never take for granted good open field tackling.  It is rare at every level of football these days.  The linebackers are not far behind and K.J. Britt is really showing he is the player he was hyped to be in the offseason.  He was second in tackles on Saturday and really seems to be playing with that reckless abandon that you like to see. 

On offense, Anthony Schwartz finally returned for real and made a huge impact on this game.  He got Auburn out to the big start it needed with his 57 yard touchdown run on the Tigers' opening drive.  He also had another big catch and run to help Auburn on another touchdown drive.  It was also good to see Malzahn and company finally call some of the plays us "dumb" fans have been calling for years.  First, hey great idea bringing in the "wildcat" quarterback in a running situation (2nd and goal) but then throwing to the blocking tight end.  I would have liked to have seen this play a couple more times the last six years.  Actually this play kind of got messed up and Joey Gatewood made a great adjustment and throw.

These thoughts go double for Auburn's next touchdown.  Bo Nix dropped straight back and threw a strike to Seth Williams on the SLANT.  Again good call and one just about every Auburn football fan who knows anything about the game has been asking for over and over.  The slant play is a basic passing play that should be used several times every game either for a quick strike or a fake.  It opens up so much.  First if you have a big strong receiver and you throw it right then it is almost unstoppable.  However if the defense overplays the slant the receiver can run the "sluggo" or slant-and-go route.  I believe I saw Bama score twice on that route this weekend when Southern Miss was trying to jump the route.  

Finally, I liked going to Whitlow to close it out.  That has worked well so far this season and later in the second half with a good lead is when you really want to go to that running game.  I also thought that running Bo Nix a few more times on the read option really helped the running game as well.  I do not want to do it a whole lot and get him hurt but in the Malzahn offense you really have to run the quarterback a few times.  Overall there is just not much to dislike in this game for Auburn on offense, defense or special teams.  There were some lapses and there are always definite places for improvement on both sides of the ball but going into a place like Texas A&M against a good team and getting a win like that is about all you can ask.

THE BAD
The bad is Auburn winning this game and showing it is a good team and getting momentum... and then looking at the schedule again.  It is simply not fair and completely ridiculous.  It is never fair in college football but at Auburn things just get progressively worse in that department.  Right now Auburn still has the #2, #3 #4 and #9 TEAMS IN THE COUNTRY TO PLAY (with two of those games on the road).  On top of that if somehow Auburn won the West they would have to play either the #3 or #9 team AGAIN like in 2017.  I have been very hard on Gus Malzahn but COME ON, nobody and I mean nobody, and yes I am including Nick $aban, is winning a championship against that schedule.

It all basically comes down to who you play from the East.  Auburn's goal every season is first to win the Western division.  At this point Auburn is basically competing with Bama and LSU to do that.  The schedule each team plays against the East becomes a huge part.  Bama plays two complete LOSERS this season in South Carolina and Tennessee.  There is no debate, both of those teams are terrible.  LSU plays Florida and Vanderbilt.  There is no debate, Vanderbilt is terrible.  Auburn plays Florida and Georgia.  You can nitpick Florida but they are miles ahead of South Carolina, Tennessee and Vanderbilt and that will be proven over the season.  Georgia has already proven they are one of the best teams in the country.  The schedule is just bad and will be too much for Auburn.

THE UGLY
I just read an article about what I was going to write about here.  There is only one thing I think you can write about it in this spot with the Mississippi State game coming up and that is the humiliating beat down State put on Auburn last season.  Nobody talked about it in the offseason but it was definitely one of the ugliest regular season conference losses I have seen.  It seems Gus Malzahn and I finally agree on something... "We are playing a very good Mississippi State team; a team that really just, bottom line, embarrassed us last year," Malzahn said.  "THEY JUST LINED UP AND WHIPPED US... THAT WAS A TOUGH ONE.""  

State rushed for almost 350 YARDS without the threat of a passing game and beat Auburn 23-9.  This vaunted defensive line that played so well this past weekend was ABSOLUTELY MAULED.  Malzahn went on and said there was nothing left to say, "THEY EMBARRASSED US."  Derrick Brown echoed Malzahn and said there was nothing left to say about it and that is was "time to go to work".  It is a rare occasion when the team and fans are in complete unison but it sounds like this week is one of those times.  The unfair scheduling and Auburn's championship chances will take a backseat this week.  This game coming up is about pride and redemption.

I do not "talk big" on this blog very often.  I think I spend much more time on where Auburn can improve in order to win a championship but not this week.  I think this is one of the rare times where I will say that State better watch out and they better come to play because I do not think we are getting the same old cliches or coachspeak this week.  For the first time in maybe his entire career I think Gus Malzahn is being dead honest talking to the press.  I will give Gus the last word here this week:  "It is a completely new year, but at the same time, when you have experiences, whether you are a player or a coach YOU REMEMBER.  AND WE HAVE GOT TO RESPOND."  This Saturday we will see the response.

Game 3 Review: Preseason is Over

Auburn 55  Kent State 16.  I was out carting kids around when this game started and as I listened on the radio I knew I was not missing much.  I have loved Auburn football all my life and have watched every game I could starting in the 70s.  However Gus Malzahn has finally beaten me down to the point that I just do not enjoy watching games like this live anymore.  I have better things or things I enjoy more to do for three-plus hours that watch Gus Malzahn call SIXTY PLUS running plays.  Again it just gets really old and I mean really old after watching it for six years.  It is just mind numbing.  I did watch an abbreviated version of the game this morning to I could write this post. 

Good gosh it was hard watching even that.  I literally wince now every time I see Auburn make a first down and then have to watch Gus do that idiotic hurry-up motion to watch us run up the middle EVERY STINKING TIME.  It cost us a national championship and it makes me mad every time I have to watch it.  I guess with all the upsets we see around college football Auburn cannot take for granted blowing anybody out but man it is still hard to watch.  I have said it before and I will say it again, Gus Malzahn never uses these games to get better at passing the ball.  He never has and he never will.  He just bludgeons the outmanned opponent running the ball and again he does it EVERY STINKING TIME.  He got what he wanted last night with 467 yards rushing.

Can we get anything out of this game?  I will say the pass Bo Nix threw on the flea-flicker was very nice.  I have seen that pass thrown a little late or underthrown many times because the quarterback does not want to mess it up.  It is not as easy as it looks.  Jarrett Stidham missed one of those last season.  Nix though released it at the right time and hit Eli Stove in stride.  It was a beautiful pass.  I liked seeing Joey Gatewood get some good playing time.  He was of course just running the ball and not practicing what he needs to practice most but hey at least he got out there.  I guess it is good that the offensive line can blow Kent State off the ball and the running backs can make big plays.  

The team had better have enjoyed it because the preseason is over.  Auburn's entire conference schedule lays before them with only a bye week and a game against Samford on November 23rd as the only breaks.  It starts next week with the biggest game of the season at Texas A&M.  As I said last week I think it will determine if Auburn can have a good season or another Music City bowl or worse season.  The offense is what it is.  Auburn will try to run the ball and hope for a few big play-action pass plays.  The defense will try to improve against the pass after taking a bit of a step back allowing Kent State to pass for over 200 yards.  The biggest question on defense though is if Derrick Brown is OK after an injury last night and will he be full speed against the Aggies.  He is not replaceable.  

I guess this would be a good time to look around the conference and do a little analysis but there is not a whole lot to say there either.  Bama, Georgia and LSU look far ahead of everyone else.  Auburn and Florida are in the top ten but Florida just lost their starting quarterback Felipe Franks for the season and Auburn has a true freshman quarterback.  Bama, Georgia and LSU all have veteran quarterbacks that are playing extremely well.  Back to Florida, I never hope anybody gets hurt but you cannot ignore the fact that it could really help Auburn IF they can win against Texas A&M.  Overall though since Bama has LSU at home it sure looks like it will be Bama and Georgia in Atlanta again...

Auburn though really does have to take it "one game at a time" from here on out.  Auburn at Texas A&M is not only a big game in my opinion, it is by far the biggest game in the Southeastern Conference next week.  Right now it is #8 Auburn at #16 Texas A&M and it will be on CBS at 2:30pm as the game of the week.  I will also say this is not just the game of the week or just a critical game for Auburn 2019 season.  I think this game could also have a huge impact on Gus Malzahn's career at Auburn.  It is all on the line next week.  The preseason is definitely over.

Game 2 Review: Wave of Doubt

Auburn 24  Tulane 6.  The season that started as a fairy tale may quickly turn into a nightmare.  I am sure Auburn will romp next week against Kent State but now I have serious doubts about the rest of this season.  I know Auburn was due for a let down after a big win, I understand that.  However the fact is that Auburn's offensive line, all senior or not, is just not that good.  They have been good enough to wear down undersized opponents so far but what happens when the other side is not undersized?  Auburn could not run or protect the quarterback very well.

On top of that, anointed superstar running back Boobee Whitlow fumbled the ball twice.  The wide receivers were better but not great and several got hurt.  Of course, that gives the sunshine pumping web sites their excuses to run when the team starts losing.  Finally you have the coaching... It is impossible to find anything new to say after watching and blogging about Gus Malzahn for six years.  He did throw more (where was that last year with a SENIOR quarterback?) but the offense on a whole is still painfully predictable.  That is obvious even to us who do not engage in football "technospeak" when breaking down a game. 

The defense is very good.  Auburn has a lot of big strong fast football players on defense.  During this game I was most impressed with the young guys in the secondary.  Auburn appears to be doing a good job recruiting in the secondary.  The young linebackers continue to fly around and of course the defensive line is nasty.  There is still only one glaring problem and I hate to keep harping on it but the Tigers still do not have a consistent pass rusher.  It really stinks because this could be an exceptional group with a big-time pass rusher.  Auburn is going to have to blitz more against the big boys.  I think this group can be successful doing that.  Be aggressive, do not lay back with these guys.

The special teams were better other than giving up one big punt return.  I really like Christian Tutt returning punts, he looks like a good one.  The team on a whole has a lot of good players but unfortunately it is hard to overcome an average offensive line and predictable offensive play calling.  It is obvious too that as much as I love Bo Nix he is going to have some tough games this season.  His stats rolling out and lofting the ball will continue to be really bad and the teams down the line are going to make him pay for those mistakes.  On the flip side Auburn is going to face a lot of good veteran quarterbacks this season.  

The upcoming stretch of games after Kent State will really decide Auburn's season.  In fact the game against Texas A&M is starting to look like a real deciding factor in this season.  Auburn wins that game and then takes care of Mississippi State and the Tigers are 2-0 in the SEC going into Florida with some momentum and at least a chance at an upset in the Swamp.  The Tigers lose in College Station and I think the momentum goes the other way.  I believe in two weeks we will see what this team is made of.  Auburn at Texas A&M is going to be a HUGE game.

I do want to end this post on a positive note though.  I have been very critical of Gus but I will say it could be worse, a lot worse.  I cannot believe what has happened in Knoxville the last two weeks.  I am certainly not poking fun at Tennessee, I love Tennessee doing well.  It does not usually hurt Auburn and it can hurt Bama.  Auburn and Tennessee have a common rival.  The situation at Tennessee though right now looks really bad.  These were absolutely backbreaking losses that puts yet another Tennessee head coach on the hot seat.  Thank goodness that regardless of the tough times upcoming Auburn has so many good young players.