Well...

I'm really not quite sure how it happened. There were several things that happened during this game that got me excited. But ultimately, I was left disappointed and utterly shocked. As good as our defense is, their strong suit is not the first drive of the game. Thinking back to each game, we have kicked off first and surrendered some sort of points to each team. Perhaps we might consider receiving first next time. Cox's first pass attempt bounces off the hands off our 6th year senior TE and into the hand of a Miss St defender for a pick six. That hurts. On the ensuing drive, and a throw into triple coverage later, Auburn has now turned the ball over twice. 

Enter Kodi Burns. If you weren't paying attention as to why the crowd cheered so extremely loud, you'd have thought Superman made an appearance. Although the offense was different and over simplified, Burns was very impressive. He ran like a champ, his throws were there, and he sparked a dull offense. Its pretty clear who our best TE is now. Bennett had the deflection-INT and a big holding call, and Trott dropped a huge 3rd down conversion that was right in his hands-Im talking it might as well have gone right into his pocket. Burns lead Auburn to 2 second quarter TDs to go ahead 14-13 at the half. When MSU scored a late TD, Cox was brought in to lead us down the field...and that he did (good for him), all the way to the 9 for a 1st and goal. At this point is where things get blurry for me. It is kind of beyond me as to why this team couldn't score from the 9. The hard part was over. Going down the field, drive 80+ yards was the tough part. Scoring from the 9 in 4 tries should be easy.

Anyway, I was glad for Cox that he took us down the field, even though we didn't score. I'm pretty sure that booing your starting QB is something a Bama fan would do. Again, I was impressed with Burns. Some good news: we racked up over 300 yards on offense for the 1st time in several games going back to the GA game last year, maybe further. Our running game is good, and so is our defense. Apparently, Quentin Groves admitted to going for the big play (sack) too much and was getting out of our defense. Good for him, I look for our D to continue to get better (If that's possible).

Its going to be interesting to see how the QB situation plays out. I don't know what to think.

Mario Fannin is great, he just needs to hold onto the ball. Ben Tate has been nothing but solid. I cant wait until Tristan Davis returns. Similarly, welcome will be the sight of Lester lining up in the backfield. My confidence in Robert Dunn as a returner and a good receiver keeps building. I'm holding judgement on the WR corps just yet, as the game plan didn't give the new rotation (Smith, Dunn, Hawthorne) a chance to shine. 

It will also be nice to have our starting FS, CB, and MLB back. they've all been out for 2 weeks now. Our defense has been great considering. I think a convincing win over NM State will help this team bounce back and help jump start them going into a tough road and SEC schedule. I cant really gauge and future expectations at this point. I will say War Eagle anyway, and its still better than being a bammer.

Once again

The guys at TheAuburner never disappoint.

Super Mario Fannin

Tough to swallow

There's a lot of things for one to point at as a reason that the Tigers lost last nights game. A lot of people will wanna place the blame on the shoulders of Brandon Cox. I'm struggling with this one. Some I'm going to present 2 views; both positive and negative.

Positive

The Auburn defense is friggin STOUT. In the 3rd quarter it held USF on 12 straight downs inside the red zone to ZERO points. ZERO. They played 90% of the game without 4 starters. USF's supposed big time offense was pretty much held in check.

This Auburn team does not panic when they get behind. For the second straight week, they came back from behind, this week from 11 points back. That's a sign of a big time program.

Wes Byrum is a stud. 6/7 on the year with a long of 49. Impressive for a true freshman. This guy is our biggest recruit last year as far as impact goes.

Mario Fannin finally got some carries and was impressive. At one point he trucked his own offensive 300 lb O lineman (Antwon Daniels, who I later saw exiting the field with a trainer). Completely ran him over. 

Our receivers aren't half bad. Gabe McKenzie is money. He's had a big year thus far.

Ive been impressed with our DBs. All of them tackle really well in the open field when they break down.

Negative

It is completely ridiculous, in my opinion, that our kickers should have to make any tackles on punts or KO's. Byrum tweaked his ankled against K-State, and Shoemaker dislocated his elbow last night. The kick coverage setup USF's tying field goal allowing a 59 yd return into AU territory. 

As i said coming from behind to take the lead and not panicking was the sign of a big time program, another sign is keeping and extending a lead and not sitting on it...

Further related to that issue, is the tackling philosophy of this team. What happened to breaking down, wrapping up, and tackling through the opponent? Everyone now wants to "run into" the ball carrier, and fly around like a bunch of pin balls. Sure, sometimes it may work or even be necessary, but it doesn't work most of the time.

The offense does not have an attacking mentality. They just don't seem to want it (aside from those like McKenzie, Fannin, and maybe a few others). The plays run have been conservative and vanilla.

Brandon Cox has shown that he is a good quarterback. That's why his play has been so perplexing. He is a proven winner (20-6 as a starter) but he did not play well last night, or last week. The entire game he telegraphed his every pass, by locking on to his primary receivers and rarely looking elsewhere. He threw into double and triple coverage over and over again (resulting in 2 INTS). He also fumble on a QB sneak on a 4th down attempt. We cant place all the blame on him. But Im wondering what is up, because Ive seen him play incredibly (see 2005). Overall he made a lot of questionable decisions. I also know that I have no idea what its like to be in his shoes. But where will the line be drawn if play continues the way it has. This is a tough spot for coaches to be in. Its hard to bench a senior QB who has won a lot in the past. But if it keeps going this way, something needs to be done. I want him to turn it around and do well. It'll be great for him and the team, but if it doesn't happen, Id hope a change would be made. 

Our receivers and Tommy Trott dropped several passes.

I wonder why we ran the clock out when a few passes would've gotten us in field goal range...Byrum certainly showed he could've hit it.

So there are my thoughts. Its a frustrating loss. We should've won the game. Of course, USF missed 4 field goals. If they had made one of them, they would have won in regulation. The bottom line is that our offense needs to improve. We need to let Borges loose and start attacking. Quick drops from Cox are effective. Lets let our receivers gain some of our yardage. Keep the 1-2 punch of Tate and Fannin (hopefully Lester if he can return) going. It will open up our pass game. Lets see some trickeration. We need some flash. When we gain momentum on defense, instead of coming out and running, lets throw to the end zone. Each week, we get more and more predictable. I always tell my buddies sitting with me, we should throw a fade into the end zone here, and I always get the response, "you do know this is Auburn right?" Teams have found out that blitzing makes us fall apart. Try Kodi Burns as a change up every now and again. Something needs to change. To the defense: keep doing what you're doing. You can play with anyone in the country.

Man oh man

Well..that didn't quite go the way any of us expected. But when the offense woke up with 4 minutes to go in the game, they got it done. As expected, the defense played lights out. Groves is about as clutch as they come. The atmosphere at Jordan-Hare was great. I do love a good night game. We have another late one next week (8 PM CST). Anyway here are some things that stood out to me:

Welcome back the the world of catching the ball, Mr Rodriguez. Prechae was a big factor last night with 6 catches for 70-something yards, several of which were clutch 3rd down conversions.

Cox can take a beating. He got hit over and over again, but he continued to come back and make plays when we needed them. He had a very mediocre day, but when it counted, he was a winner.

Ben Tate payed well despite the lack of any holes to run through. Lester was missed more than I thought he would be. His quickness and explosion through the hole is a luxury. I was surprised that Fannin didn't get a carry, but I'm sure we will see him soon.

Tristan Davis was also missed on KO returns. Cant wait till he returns

Byrum and Shoemaker were spectacular. Bryum was 3/4 on field goals...apparently kicking with a sore ankle. Shoemaker averaged 42 ypk. Not bad for a couple freshmen.

Robert Dunn had a nice punt return to set up a field goal in the 3rd.

Gabe McKenzie had several key catches. Our tight ends are superb.

Tray Blackmon was flying around the field. He missed the 2nd half (ankle) but should be back this week. All the linebackers played well.

Jerraud Powers played a great game.

Looking ahead to next week, I have no clue what to expect. I haven't seen Grothe and South Florida play. I keep hearing they are the real deal. I still think Auburn will win. Our defense can keep us in any game.