Coach Muschamp : On Derrick Henry: "He's an elite back. ... They're going to force your secondary to make tackles during the game."
The odds are stacked against Auburn going into this Iron Bowl. They never lived up to the preseason hype, and they've underachieved with an all-star coaching staff. They know that a win against the hated rival would be a great finish to a sub par season. Nobody need to tell these players how big this game is, and they know what winning this game means.
If Muschamp's defense stands tall and Malzahn runs the ball to open up the pass, then Auburn could pull of this maximum upset. We need to go no huddle and switch backs on them every couple play. If we can get first downs then the defense will get the rest they need while staying off the field. If we pound that ball on them and can find success then the other stuff, trick plays and deep passes will be there when we need to go to them for big gains.
For Auburn to win this game they must get pressure from the defensive front, and the offensive line has to create openings. The Auburn running backs are as good as any in the league, and if switched out properly they can be unstoppable, but of course if one back gets hot stay with it until he's clearly tired or has been stopped. The preseason expectations were created because of the talent on this team. The players are young and the expectations came too soon, but make no mistake there is enough talent on this team to pull the upset.
We
lost another close game to Mississippi. It would appear that we
aren't getting it done. However, with young talent all over the field
the future looks good. This was not going to be the season even if JJ
had been the 2nd coming of Cam Newton.
The
expectations were unrealistic and there are some really gifted
athletes that just have come together yet. We are at least a year
away, but if Malzahn is given the chance he deserves we'll be
National Champions.
I
am not in favor of Auburn firing Gus Malzahn or Rhett Lashlee. The
expectations before the season do not match the talent on the field.
Have
there been some questionable calls? Yes
The
fact is that this looks nothing like Gus Malzahn's offense when it's
working the way he wants. This was not a championship team. It was a
team in transition and full of inexperienced players.
I
can see pieces of what Gus wants to do in the Auburn offense, but
it's not as fast as he wants it and it's not the variety of plays he
wants to use. Bottom line is that it hasn't been successful. It's
been said that he's playing to the strengths of the football team,
but I don't think he is. He's running a weak pass heavy version of
his offense.
We
has some real talent at running back. If we ran the ball right at
team with no huddle and switching backs on every other play we'd move
the ball and break teams down. This would really open up the passing
attack when we surprised them with a pass or had to try for a pass on
3rd down.
I'm
not sure what happened to giving coaches a chance to build a program.
They end up firing guys and paying the rest of the contract anyway. I
think the fact that some coaches find instant success at certain
schools builds an unrealistic expectation for others. Some of the
greatest coaches in football history wouldn't have gotten where they
did without time. That's just not the way it is anymore.
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.
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.
Auburn vs. Louisville The Auburn Tigers are going to have their hands full in Atlanta. Louisville has a strong running game and they're really strong on defense against the run. Bobby Patrino always has his team ready, and you can expect nothing less when he meets the #6 ranked Auburn Tigers. Patrino will have to stop Jeremy Johnson. He opened with a good first half one year ago. I truly believe now that the full time position is his he'll be ready to lead the team. Auburn has a plethora of running backs to turn to. Louisville is strong against the run, but I see Auburn finding success on the ground. http://www.chick-fil-akickoffgame.com/
Breakdown & Prediction Both teams defenses will probably stand up early. Malzahn will want to establish a running game. First, to see if he can against a strong Louisville defensive front. I do think they'll move it a little early on Louisville. When the run opens up the pass, and it will, Auburn will pull away and I see that being right after halftime.
Johnson has an strong and accurate deep ball. There will be more passes deep this year than last, but I'm sure Malzahn will still stay true to the short passing game. Especially if the run isn't opening things up. I think Roc Thomas will find success this season. It might take some time but the running attack will become a weapon for the Tigers. A good strong test like Louisville now will do them a world of good later.
The improvements on defense will be noticeable. Will Muschamp has enough talent to turn it around immediately. The defense will be strong over the course of the season, but I think Louisville is going to find it tough right out of the gate. Carl Lawson will be a huge factor if he's back to what he was before the injury. Louisville has a strong running game, and it will be a great opening test for Auburn.
Auburn is Too Deep for Louisville: It will be tough for Auburn early, but right before halftime they'll have found some success. 14-7 Auburn at the half. In the second half Auburn will have them guessing. The run had been more effective than Louisville hoped. The short and long passes open up a little more each play Both teams do more scoring in the 2nd half. Auburn gets another 21 points and Louisville another 10.
In 2012 under head coach Gene Chizik the Auburn Tigers won three games and none of those were conference games. It did include a narrow win over Gus Malzahn's Arkansas State team, and a win over Alabama A&M. After winning the 2010 Championship it didn't look as if would ever be that good again. Then they fired Chizik and hired Malzahn back to the team. After all, most Auburn fans knew that Malzahn had been the guy responsible for the championship. It has been said that Gene Chizik was the worst coach that ever won it all. He did little before or after that to say any different.
I didn't expect a huge turnaround from the 3–9 (0–8) season. Unrealistically I expected an 8-4 season with losses to LSU, Texas A&M, Georgia, and Alabama. It did seem like a bit much seeing the season they'd had a year before. Malzahn was the reason I believed Auburn could go 8-4. At the very least I knew he'd get us to a mid-level bowl game. Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine he'd secure an SEC Championship and shot at the National Championship. He'd said he could win with the talent at Auburn and he did. Malzahn pulled off the best turnaround that I've ever seen.
How Did They Turn it Around?
In reality I don't think there was that much change that needed to be made. It was Malzahn's offense that lured Cam Newton to Auburn, and it's that offense that won the National Championship over Oregon, but it's also the same offense that has Auburn in line for another BCS title thisseason. The players that were at Auburn were recruited for Malzahn's offense and Chizik could not win with those players once Gus was gone. The first part of the problem was solved.
Malzhan had to change the culture in Auburn. Chizik had published his book leaving the coaches and players pissed at the lack of credit they were given. He lost the respect of the locker room. Malzahn cleaned house firing all of Chizik's coaches. The right coaches were put into place, and the second part of the problem was solved.
LSU
Auburn entered the LSU game with a 3-0 record and coming off of a win over Mississippi State. The good start and the Malzahn offense had the Tigers believing they could beat LSU. Under rainy conditions they got off to a bad start. They fell behind early and came up short of the comeback.
Texas A&M
Auburn had gotten their season back on track with wins over Ole Miss and Western Carolina. They entered the game against Texas A&M with a 5-1 record and new found confidence. Auburn had learned a lot in the loss to LSU. It taught them how to win. They beat Texas A&M 45-41. It was a team that had blown them out the year before. It set up everything that was to come.
Georgia
When Auburn had been beat in the air they'd always managed to outscore their opponent. They jumped out to a quick start on the Bulldogs, and they needed to. Georgia behind Aaron Murray would make a comeback. It would force Auburn to throw the miracle pass. Murray had ripped the Auburn secondary to pieces. The connection on that miracle pass snatched the victory from Murray and the Bulldogs.
Alabama - The Iron Bowl
The Tigers played with the best team in college football and they beat them. Alabama were the defending National Champions and had not been defeated in their quest to win it all again. Auburn never really outplayed the highly talented team, but they hung around with them all night. That would give Auburn the chance to win it. Nick Saban and the Alabama football team challenged one second back on to the clock. That would set up the field goal/kick off that beat them.
SEC Championship Game
Tre Mason ran for 304 yards and 4 TDs as they beat Missouri 59-42 to win the SEC Championship. Neither team could stop the other offense, so it would go on to be the highest scoring SEC Championship game ever. Mason broke several records, including Bo Jackson's yards in a game and Cam Newton's TD in a season. James Franklin followed a blue print created by Aaron Murray, but the Mizzou defense couldn't stop the Auburn rushing attack.
I'd said last week that I thought Nick Marshall needed to improve. That's exactly what I saw from him in the Arkansas State game. He finished the day 10 for 17 with 147 yards and two touchdowns through the air and added 53 yards on the ground. There must be more improvement from him this week as he starts SEC play against Mississippi State.
Running Back University
There has always been good running backs at Auburn. This season is no different. Between Mason, Payne, and Grant, Auburn may have the best trio of RBs in the entire league. Auburn has almost always been a run first team, and nothing has changed with Malzahn's Hurry-Up-No-Huddle offense.
There are some issues with the defense. They seem to play with a bend but don't break philosophy. I don't believe the kind of defense they've played will work over the course of the season. There are some bright spots in what has been an overall mediocre defense. I believe it will improve and it will have to in order to beat the better SEC teams.
