Jeremy Johnson and the Auburn Tigers - The Next Level

Auburn Escapes Jacksonville St. at Home

The game was anything but pretty. Auburn fans have been waiting for two weeks to see an explosive Gus Malzahn offense. The Tigers have managed to grab a victory in consecutive weeks, but looked unimpressive against JSU.

Team Stats

	JV St	Aub
First Downs	28	23
Total Yards	438	401
Turnovers	1	3
First Downs	28	23
Passes for First	14	13
Rushes for First	12	10
Penalties for First	2	0
Third Down Efficiency	8-17	7-12
Fourth Down Efficiency	1-2	0-0
Total Yards	438	401
Total Plays	89	70
Avg Gain Per Play	4.9	5.7
Net Yards Rushing	161	165
Rushes	46	38
Yards Per Rush	3.5	4.3
Net Yards Passing	277	236
Comp-Att	26-43	21-32
Yards Per Pass	6.4	7.4
Times Sacked	2	0
Yds Lost To Sacks	22	0
Interceptions	1	2
Punts	2	3
Punt Average	29.5	38.3
Penalties	5	3
Penalty Yards	36	40
Fumbles	4	2
Fumbles Lost	0	1

Auburn didn't look like the team we expected to see before the season started. I think we all expected them to come together quickly, but there are a lot of new pieces that haven't come together yet. With all the great coaching we thought they would, but it's a process and completely new things were added and we're not just building off of last season.

I believe Malzahn used the Jacksonville State game to give Johnson some work. I think there were little tests being presented to him by the coaching staff. He obviously didn't pass these tests as he looked lost most of the time. There are those who want Johnson replaced, but there has been a lot of work put into Johnson and they don't want to give up on his athletic ability just yet.

The expectations were high as we entered the season. Were we overrated to begin the season? I'm not ready to say we were. I haven't seen all the talent we have come together yet. The talent is there to become successful, but to get everything in sync takes time. I expected to see some improvement from Louisville to JSU, but we didn't see it. Maybe the improvement I was looking for will show up this week against LSU. I truly believe Gus will have us ready to not only compete, but to win.  

Next Up: LSU

We all know LSU can run the football. Leonard Fournette ran for a career high 159 yards and 3 touchdowns against Mississippi State. LSU quarterback Brandon Harris went 9-14 and threw for 71 yards. Harris ran the ball 5 times for 48 yards. The defense stopped Mississippi State for most of the game. They only managed 3 points in the first half against the LSU defense. 

If Auburn is going to find a victory against LSU, as they have against Louisville and Jacksonville State, they'll have to finally put it all together. The talent is there on defense to stop Fournette, and I believe they can confuse and frustrate Brandon Harris. The real question is whether Auburn can get things going offensively. The talent is there to be a balanced football team, but so far they've underachieved. 

The best players on the Auburn football team haven't put it all together so far. That's what gives me hope that the best is yet to come. Johnson is taking over a complicated offense, Duke Williams was late joining the team, and our defense has been overhauled and completely changed from what we'd been running. It takes time to get things where they need to be. I know the coaches will have the team ready to compete. I think they'll provide our players a chance to win. 

Game 2 - Auburn vs Jacksonville State

Working Out the Kinks 

Auburn played pretty good in the neutral field opener against Louisville. There were clearly some things that need to be addressed, but they were all correctable problems and can easily be fixed. The best coaching staff in college football can get the kinks worked out. 

The defense played well against Louisville, but the offense was inconsistent at times and kept them out there too long. The defense had been overworked by the end of the 3rd quarter. Auburn fans know that the defense has improved by leaps and bounds. That was a tough Louisville offense. They were young but also very athletic. 



Jeremy Johnson

There has been a ton of talk about Jeremy Johnson's performance. It was the first game of the season against a tough Louisville team. He forced some passes as he appeared to lock into his first option. He didn't look comfortable at times, but other times he did. As he gains experience and takes more reps the offense will come easier to to him. 

Non-Auburn fans call Malzahn's offense a high school offense, and a lot of that probably comes from Gus once coaching high school. The truth is the offense is complicated and has a lot of moving pieces. One play is made to look like several others so the opponent gets the same look. 

Johnson was getting more praise than he deserved prior to the season. He was being compared to Cam Newton and some were calling him a front runner for the Heisman Trophy. Things were not what they made them then, and they're not as bad as everyone is making him to be now. 

Auburn vs Jacksonville St. 

Jacksonville St. should present enough challenges for Auburn to get some serious work in. Troymaine Pope rushed for 173 yards on 15 carries. His performance helped the Gamecocks come from behind to beat Chattanooga. Quarterback Eli Jenkins threw for 113 yard, a touchdown, and no interceptions. Jenkins rushed the ball 10 time for 33 yards. Jacksonville St. has a strong defensive from with size, and they should provide a test Jeremy Johnson must pass. 

We've seen Jeremy Johnson start before, and we've seen him come in late when the game was in hand. He's better than what we saw against Louisville. 
 He tried to force the ball and mostly to Ricardo Louis. I'm sure he's watched the video and the coaches have went over the mistakes with him. I'm sure the neutral site game being his to navigate brought on immense pressure. He'll turn it around. 

Prediction:

Auburn - 69
J. State - 7