Man, o man, o man... who in a million years would have thought we'd be where we are? Looking at the schedule to begin the season, everyone identified this stretch as the toughest stretch of our schedule. Many (including myself), just thought "if we can grab 1 of 3... I think we'll be good." Guess what. We swept the toughest stretch of our schedule. Unbelievable. We have a lot of confidence, and overall, we are getting better each week.
Let's break down what we saw:
Coaching:
1. Obviously, we came into the game ready to step up and make plays. And, boy, did we set the tone early. I hated our first series ended in a 3 and out, but I believe there might have been a case for a pass interference call in there.
2. Our coaches pulled out the right stops at the right times. 14 points off 2 AU turnovers on their first two plays from scrimmage. First off, hats off to our defense for stepping up (the INT was a tipped ball and then the strip fumble set us up again... great plays on defense). We capitalized big on both of these turnovers... and a third turnover on a fumble.
3. Speaking of, we had 21 points off turnovers to Auburn's 13... DESPITE being -1 in the Turnover margin. Just... wow.
4. Now.... the not-so-good. That fake punt was a HORRIBLE HORRIBLE call in my eyes. I made several posts earlier in the week about managing field position... and that is a prime example. Really, it was inexcusable. It set up and Auburn FG and gave them A LOT of momentum for the rest of the half that we really just weren't able to overcome. Even against teams like Auburn, there is no reason to get cute. Our offense can score... There's no doubt. Our defense can get stops.... We did all day yesterday. WHY WOULD YOU FAKE PUNT AND PUT THAT KIND OF MOMENTUM ON THE LINE? We lost momentum last year over a special teams coaching goof (2 point conversion early in the game). No reason to get cute there.
5. We didn't let our foot off the gas. I have zero complaints about the second half coaching. We made fantastic adjustments coming out of the locker room and got better as the game went on. Even though it felt we sputtered the rest of the game, put this in perspective... Leading up to our game, Auburn has given up 24 points TOTAL in the second half this year. That's pretty stout. We scored 17 points on them in the 4th quarter. Again, fantastic coaching by Mullen and crew. We kept playing our game. We knew Auburn can put together some crazy end-of-the-game heroics and we kept them out of that position. Well done.
6. Malzahn calling that timeout with a minute to go and down 15 was a dick move.
Special Teams:
1. Great Job by Sobiesk and Cooke. Again. Well done. Great job in the kicking game and in kick coverage. That punt to place AU on the 1/2 yard mark was a thing of beauty. I hated a ******** PI call negated it (I really didn't get a good look at the call... I'll offer my comments in the Defense section)
2. Graham... man... I feel we can coach this guy up, but the muffed punt yesterday was just a poor lapse in judgement. You gotta commit one way or the other before the ball ever gets there. It cost us 3 points. He's young and he'll get better.
3. I addressed the fake punt in coaching... and it was on coaching for calling it. No idea why we thought it was a good idea to fake punt there... we lost way too much momentum over that.
Defense:
1. No idea where to begin here. Like A&M, we knew Auburn was going to put up a vast number of yards... and they delivered. Where I want to begin is our red-zone defense. Guys, look no further to this to see how good we are defensively. Auburn may have chewed up yards through the middle of the field, out of Auburn's 6 trips into the redzone, we gave up 2 touchdowns, and even more impressive, we gave up none inside the 10 yard line (Auburn's first TD was a 10 yard pass, Auburn's second was a 15 yard pass). I was blown away by our red zone defense. This is our identity. Auburn is fast in the middle of the field... but when it comes time to tighten the chin strap and run it right at people, we dominated. Well done Collins, and well done Defense.
2. Excellent adjustments in the second half. We started playing a contain on the option to force the option up the middle and we did that. Great design and execution by our defense. Even though they were able to get some chunks of yards up the middle, we never gave them the edge. Force the play to go to your help... and we did that.
3. Our defensive line did a great job being disruptive... despite Marshall being able to evade the pressure. We kind of expected it, but pressure up front played a huge role in slowing them down. Preston Smith stands out on this unit, but my hats go off to all these guys for playing as well as we could up front.
4. Our Linebackers did a great job in the second half adjusting to the option. The first half... not so much. Specifically in the second quarter, we lost contain on the edge and they kept burning us on the perimeter. Collins made the adjustment in the second half to keep contain on the outside and force the play up the middle. Other than that, we did a great job defensively managing a very potent offense.
5. Our defensive backs have gotten better and better each week. Fantastic job. Greg McElroy pointed out when asked the question about our defensive backs that we forced Auburn to beat us outside the numbers (and we got beat on some scramble plays... just great plays made by Nick M.). Nick Marshall made the throws, but we gave up NOTHING over the middle.
6. Coates and Williams are badasses.
7. Will Redmond is also a badass. Since getting picked on against UAB, he's gotten better and better each week. He made some excellent plays 1 on 1. He knocked some balls down, and on the ones he couldn't get to, he was there to negate yards after the catch. I didn't see what he did to warrant the PI after we pinned them down outside the 1... it looked like the receiver tried to run through him. If that's the case, that shouldn't have been flagged. I couldn't see his hands, though... so it could have been something with his hands. Still... not a good call to give up after field position like that... because Auburn scored on that drive.
8. I know other guys made plays all day, but defensively, we made the right adjustments when we needed to and played excellent in the red zone. We limited them to 13 points off turnovers to our 21. Well done.
Offense:
1. Offense did a great job taking advantage of the turnovers. Coaches and players alike understood the importance of capitalizing on mistakes, and boy, did we. Great job and great execution.
2. Even when Dak had an off-day, He still performed fantastic. No reason he shouldn't be the clear front-runner for the Heisman trophy. It's unreal I'm actually typing this out... at this point, it's his to lose. Unbelievable. And aGAIN... hats off to him for overcoming some tough breaks in the game. He never broke... he kept fighting and he kept our offense believing in themselves. Many teams in the past would have folded after the 2 picks in the second quarter, but we came back out each time ready to go. I credit a lot of this to Dak Prescott.
3. Our O-Line did a great job today. We had a couple of protection breakdowns, but they did a great job. Auburn's defensive front is one of the best in the SEC... and that showed yesterday. They were keying in to stop the run, and did a very good job in the first half. I think we started winning those battles in the second half (coupled with some completed passes) that opened up the run.
4. Our receivers did OK. We are blocking very well down field. And a shoutout to MoJo for making some plays in the TE department. It's clear Auburn prepared for the back shoulder throw. They defended it very well... but my only beef with the coaches (and the QB) is that you have to make the adjustment that if the AU defenders are biting on the back shoulder, you have to use the double-move and open up the field vertically (a few of those probably would have gone for some Touchdowns).
5. We are missing Jameon. He really adds another dimension in the slot that no one else has been able to fill. I hope he's back for UK.
6. Gabe Myles is going to be very good, and he's excellent out of the backfield. He still dropped a few passes downfield that stalled some drives. He is getting better each week and he will be just as good, if not better than Jameon in a few years.
7. Bear made some great plays. However, I believe he was the target for both of Dak's interceptions. The one picked off in the end zone I believe was supposed to be a fade pattern that he never came back for. The other was a back shoulder throw that was defended perfectly by Auburn. Tough breaks there.
8. Overall, we played very very good offensively. AU is the best defensive team we have faced to this point, and we made some excellent adjustments as the game wore on. We also capitalized on 3 Auburn Turnovers. Great job today in a game we all knew was going to be a grind from start to finish.
Now, as DS would say, we have to go beat off. What a way to enter a bye week... having swept the most difficult stretch of your schedule. UK is coming up in 2 weeks and don't be surprised if this game is closer than we want it to be. I feel like we have the team that won't fall asleep on them, but you can bet your sweet *** they'll be ready to play a (probable) top 3 opponent. We are no longer the hunters... we are the hunted. We can expect team's best efforts from here out. I feel like we are out to prove something, and although the spot light will only get brighter, we are handling it very very well. Let's rest up and let's get ready to play UK.
Now... how does the west stack up? My rankings are below:
1. Mississippi State - Wut? Yup. This is not a homer pick. We beat 3 top 10 teams in a row... the first time since the early '80s a team in college football can make that claim. Unbelievable. We are good on offense, good on defense, and If we can find a way to not beat ourselves on special teams, we will be about unstoppable. Dak is the Heisman front-runner and we are for real.
2. Mississippi - Another team that refuses to lose (despite my wishes) is the Mississippi Rebelsharks. Great win against A&M last night... a pick 6 and a scoop and score accounted for 14 points. This team is stout on defense. Offensively, they got off to a lightning fast start (as expected), but cooled off as the game wore on. Although an impressive resume for Mississippi, the Bulldogs' resume is even better. Funny thing is... I don't think anyone of them would have believed you if you said "hey, in week 8, you are going to be ranked in the top 3... and one of the teams ranked higher than you will be Mississippi State." HAHAHAHAHA! Little Brother is right there with you, Landbears.
3. Auburn - Still a very good team. OM and Auburn will give us a very good indication of how our game with OM might go. We made all the plays yesterday, but Auburn is still a very legitimate football team. Look for them to bounce back (unlike A&M)
4. Bama? - Maybe? I mean... they are good defensively, but offensively... that was horrible last night. Sims has made some absolutely stupid plays. I love all the Saban salt on the sidelines, though... I'm glad we can witness some of the 2007 Nick Saban throwing things on the sideline and going ape ****. But Bama won on a blocked extra point and some U-Pig drops. But... whatever.
5. TAMU - TAMU has all the sudden been hit with the reality that they don't have a QB that can hang 60 points on opponents. They are also figuring out that you better have a defense if you want to play ball in the SEC West. They will get better, but they are far from the team many thought they were earlier in the season. They'll definitely be losing a few more games.
6. LSU - Hey! LSU won on some last second magic in the Swamp! They are still struggling to find a QB and their defense is just not as good as some of their counterparts from the past. They will get better as the year goes on, but they are far from the LSU of a few years ago.
7. Arkansas - Man... Hogs... you had a chance to beat Alabama at your place and couldn't. That dropped pass in the endzone and blocked EP cost them the game. Still a good team and could pose a threat to some teams down the road, but they can't throw the ball and Bert insisted on calling pass plays whenever he could. Bama was all over that ****. Arkansas has a couple of chances to win a few SEC ball games, but I imagine they will struggle more and more as the season goes on.
Let's break down what we saw:
Coaching:
1. Obviously, we came into the game ready to step up and make plays. And, boy, did we set the tone early. I hated our first series ended in a 3 and out, but I believe there might have been a case for a pass interference call in there.
2. Our coaches pulled out the right stops at the right times. 14 points off 2 AU turnovers on their first two plays from scrimmage. First off, hats off to our defense for stepping up (the INT was a tipped ball and then the strip fumble set us up again... great plays on defense). We capitalized big on both of these turnovers... and a third turnover on a fumble.
3. Speaking of, we had 21 points off turnovers to Auburn's 13... DESPITE being -1 in the Turnover margin. Just... wow.
4. Now.... the not-so-good. That fake punt was a HORRIBLE HORRIBLE call in my eyes. I made several posts earlier in the week about managing field position... and that is a prime example. Really, it was inexcusable. It set up and Auburn FG and gave them A LOT of momentum for the rest of the half that we really just weren't able to overcome. Even against teams like Auburn, there is no reason to get cute. Our offense can score... There's no doubt. Our defense can get stops.... We did all day yesterday. WHY WOULD YOU FAKE PUNT AND PUT THAT KIND OF MOMENTUM ON THE LINE? We lost momentum last year over a special teams coaching goof (2 point conversion early in the game). No reason to get cute there.
5. We didn't let our foot off the gas. I have zero complaints about the second half coaching. We made fantastic adjustments coming out of the locker room and got better as the game went on. Even though it felt we sputtered the rest of the game, put this in perspective... Leading up to our game, Auburn has given up 24 points TOTAL in the second half this year. That's pretty stout. We scored 17 points on them in the 4th quarter. Again, fantastic coaching by Mullen and crew. We kept playing our game. We knew Auburn can put together some crazy end-of-the-game heroics and we kept them out of that position. Well done.
6. Malzahn calling that timeout with a minute to go and down 15 was a dick move.
Special Teams:
1. Great Job by Sobiesk and Cooke. Again. Well done. Great job in the kicking game and in kick coverage. That punt to place AU on the 1/2 yard mark was a thing of beauty. I hated a ******** PI call negated it (I really didn't get a good look at the call... I'll offer my comments in the Defense section)
2. Graham... man... I feel we can coach this guy up, but the muffed punt yesterday was just a poor lapse in judgement. You gotta commit one way or the other before the ball ever gets there. It cost us 3 points. He's young and he'll get better.
3. I addressed the fake punt in coaching... and it was on coaching for calling it. No idea why we thought it was a good idea to fake punt there... we lost way too much momentum over that.
Defense:
1. No idea where to begin here. Like A&M, we knew Auburn was going to put up a vast number of yards... and they delivered. Where I want to begin is our red-zone defense. Guys, look no further to this to see how good we are defensively. Auburn may have chewed up yards through the middle of the field, out of Auburn's 6 trips into the redzone, we gave up 2 touchdowns, and even more impressive, we gave up none inside the 10 yard line (Auburn's first TD was a 10 yard pass, Auburn's second was a 15 yard pass). I was blown away by our red zone defense. This is our identity. Auburn is fast in the middle of the field... but when it comes time to tighten the chin strap and run it right at people, we dominated. Well done Collins, and well done Defense.
2. Excellent adjustments in the second half. We started playing a contain on the option to force the option up the middle and we did that. Great design and execution by our defense. Even though they were able to get some chunks of yards up the middle, we never gave them the edge. Force the play to go to your help... and we did that.
3. Our defensive line did a great job being disruptive... despite Marshall being able to evade the pressure. We kind of expected it, but pressure up front played a huge role in slowing them down. Preston Smith stands out on this unit, but my hats go off to all these guys for playing as well as we could up front.
4. Our Linebackers did a great job in the second half adjusting to the option. The first half... not so much. Specifically in the second quarter, we lost contain on the edge and they kept burning us on the perimeter. Collins made the adjustment in the second half to keep contain on the outside and force the play up the middle. Other than that, we did a great job defensively managing a very potent offense.
5. Our defensive backs have gotten better and better each week. Fantastic job. Greg McElroy pointed out when asked the question about our defensive backs that we forced Auburn to beat us outside the numbers (and we got beat on some scramble plays... just great plays made by Nick M.). Nick Marshall made the throws, but we gave up NOTHING over the middle.
6. Coates and Williams are badasses.
7. Will Redmond is also a badass. Since getting picked on against UAB, he's gotten better and better each week. He made some excellent plays 1 on 1. He knocked some balls down, and on the ones he couldn't get to, he was there to negate yards after the catch. I didn't see what he did to warrant the PI after we pinned them down outside the 1... it looked like the receiver tried to run through him. If that's the case, that shouldn't have been flagged. I couldn't see his hands, though... so it could have been something with his hands. Still... not a good call to give up after field position like that... because Auburn scored on that drive.
8. I know other guys made plays all day, but defensively, we made the right adjustments when we needed to and played excellent in the red zone. We limited them to 13 points off turnovers to our 21. Well done.
Offense:
1. Offense did a great job taking advantage of the turnovers. Coaches and players alike understood the importance of capitalizing on mistakes, and boy, did we. Great job and great execution.
2. Even when Dak had an off-day, He still performed fantastic. No reason he shouldn't be the clear front-runner for the Heisman trophy. It's unreal I'm actually typing this out... at this point, it's his to lose. Unbelievable. And aGAIN... hats off to him for overcoming some tough breaks in the game. He never broke... he kept fighting and he kept our offense believing in themselves. Many teams in the past would have folded after the 2 picks in the second quarter, but we came back out each time ready to go. I credit a lot of this to Dak Prescott.
3. Our O-Line did a great job today. We had a couple of protection breakdowns, but they did a great job. Auburn's defensive front is one of the best in the SEC... and that showed yesterday. They were keying in to stop the run, and did a very good job in the first half. I think we started winning those battles in the second half (coupled with some completed passes) that opened up the run.
4. Our receivers did OK. We are blocking very well down field. And a shoutout to MoJo for making some plays in the TE department. It's clear Auburn prepared for the back shoulder throw. They defended it very well... but my only beef with the coaches (and the QB) is that you have to make the adjustment that if the AU defenders are biting on the back shoulder, you have to use the double-move and open up the field vertically (a few of those probably would have gone for some Touchdowns).
5. We are missing Jameon. He really adds another dimension in the slot that no one else has been able to fill. I hope he's back for UK.
6. Gabe Myles is going to be very good, and he's excellent out of the backfield. He still dropped a few passes downfield that stalled some drives. He is getting better each week and he will be just as good, if not better than Jameon in a few years.
7. Bear made some great plays. However, I believe he was the target for both of Dak's interceptions. The one picked off in the end zone I believe was supposed to be a fade pattern that he never came back for. The other was a back shoulder throw that was defended perfectly by Auburn. Tough breaks there.
8. Overall, we played very very good offensively. AU is the best defensive team we have faced to this point, and we made some excellent adjustments as the game wore on. We also capitalized on 3 Auburn Turnovers. Great job today in a game we all knew was going to be a grind from start to finish.
Now, as DS would say, we have to go beat off. What a way to enter a bye week... having swept the most difficult stretch of your schedule. UK is coming up in 2 weeks and don't be surprised if this game is closer than we want it to be. I feel like we have the team that won't fall asleep on them, but you can bet your sweet *** they'll be ready to play a (probable) top 3 opponent. We are no longer the hunters... we are the hunted. We can expect team's best efforts from here out. I feel like we are out to prove something, and although the spot light will only get brighter, we are handling it very very well. Let's rest up and let's get ready to play UK.
Now... how does the west stack up? My rankings are below:
1. Mississippi State - Wut? Yup. This is not a homer pick. We beat 3 top 10 teams in a row... the first time since the early '80s a team in college football can make that claim. Unbelievable. We are good on offense, good on defense, and If we can find a way to not beat ourselves on special teams, we will be about unstoppable. Dak is the Heisman front-runner and we are for real.
2. Mississippi - Another team that refuses to lose (despite my wishes) is the Mississippi Rebelsharks. Great win against A&M last night... a pick 6 and a scoop and score accounted for 14 points. This team is stout on defense. Offensively, they got off to a lightning fast start (as expected), but cooled off as the game wore on. Although an impressive resume for Mississippi, the Bulldogs' resume is even better. Funny thing is... I don't think anyone of them would have believed you if you said "hey, in week 8, you are going to be ranked in the top 3... and one of the teams ranked higher than you will be Mississippi State." HAHAHAHAHA! Little Brother is right there with you, Landbears.
3. Auburn - Still a very good team. OM and Auburn will give us a very good indication of how our game with OM might go. We made all the plays yesterday, but Auburn is still a very legitimate football team. Look for them to bounce back (unlike A&M)
4. Bama? - Maybe? I mean... they are good defensively, but offensively... that was horrible last night. Sims has made some absolutely stupid plays. I love all the Saban salt on the sidelines, though... I'm glad we can witness some of the 2007 Nick Saban throwing things on the sideline and going ape ****. But Bama won on a blocked extra point and some U-Pig drops. But... whatever.
5. TAMU - TAMU has all the sudden been hit with the reality that they don't have a QB that can hang 60 points on opponents. They are also figuring out that you better have a defense if you want to play ball in the SEC West. They will get better, but they are far from the team many thought they were earlier in the season. They'll definitely be losing a few more games.
6. LSU - Hey! LSU won on some last second magic in the Swamp! They are still struggling to find a QB and their defense is just not as good as some of their counterparts from the past. They will get better as the year goes on, but they are far from the LSU of a few years ago.
7. Arkansas - Man... Hogs... you had a chance to beat Alabama at your place and couldn't. That dropped pass in the endzone and blocked EP cost them the game. Still a good team and could pose a threat to some teams down the road, but they can't throw the ball and Bert insisted on calling pass plays whenever he could. Bama was all over that ****. Arkansas has a couple of chances to win a few SEC ball games, but I imagine they will struggle more and more as the season goes on.
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