Disclaimer: I'm writing this under the influence of pain killers and migraine medicines thanks to a concussion, so it may not be the clearest writing I've had so far...then again, it may make the most sense. That being said...
What more can you say about the Auburn defense? I'm amazed that they could bottle up the Tennessee offense (although Jonathon Crompton did his best to aid in their effort). For the second time in three conference games, the opponent failed to reach 200 total yards - this one much more impressive to me than the game at Mississippi State. Unlike the Bulldogs, the Volunteers pose a threat at almost every offensive position with the exception of quarterback. Crompton was rattled from the beginning and rarely made the correct read, but with the game on the line in the fourth quarter, UT could only manage to punt, punt, punt despite their starting field position.
Coming into the game, I felt like Arian Foster was more lethal than Charles Scott - and LSU could not match a number two runner in Montario Hardesty. Now, I know that Scott is much better than both these runners combined. Hopefully, the defense will use these two weeks to be ready for Knowshon Moreno, Caleb King, Glenn Coffee and Terry Grant - the next group of runners that can come close to the three we've seen the last two weeks.
I've said this before, and I'll reiterate for effectiveness: Paul Rhoads may not be as good of a coordinator as Will Muschamp overall, but he is a much better fit for Auburn. It has taken five games to see what Tommy Tuberville attempted to steal away from Pittsburgh seven years ago when AU ended up with Gene Chizik. Rhoads' schemes center on keeping the play in front of you and making the tackle. There's not as much bending in the "bend but don't break" style as we've had at Auburn in year's past. Tennessee only earned half of those points with drives, and the defensive line matched our offense's output with Blanc's fumble recovery in the end zone in the second quarter.
Speaking of the offense, I'm still not ready to give up on these guys like many of Auburn's fanbase. We're going to a completely different attack scheme, and the coaches showed with more under center formations that they're willing to do whatever it takes to win games the rest of the season. Sure, we've got to get more points but it's not necessarily the quarterbacks' faults (either of them) that more touchdowns weren't scored against Tennessee. Kodi Burns finally came back into the game and provided a huge spark as the team marched down to the 20-yard-line. He made two smart throws that went through the hands of his intended receivers that prevented six more points and putting the game away prior to the halftime break.
Chris Todd has gotten such a bad rap that I am starting to feel sorry for him ever thinking of coming to Auburn. I don't care how bad a team plays or a particular player performs, you never boo the guy. Ninety-eight percent of the people in the stadium have never gone through the regiment those players push through day-in and day-out throughout their five college years. Auburn University is a special place to me and to every one of those 85 guys on scholarship that put their bodies on the line every fall Saturday and throughout the weeks between the games. It's not Todd's fault that Tony Franklin has put so much on his weakening arm.
Does it seem weird to anyone else that AU has done everything possible to lose the two conference wins but did everything to win in the loss to LSU? The double-edged sword shows that the Tigers could easily be 0-3 right now in conference play as well as only being one first down from a 3-0 record. A loss to Tennessee would have been devastating to staying in the race, and the defense would not allow that to happen. By leaving Burns and Mario Fannin on the field the last two drives of Saturday, the coaches proved that they weren't going to allow that to happen either.
There were a lot of good things in the Tennessee game that have been overlooked thanks to a bevy of glaring mistakes. The Vols have a strong defense and probably the most talented secondary in the conference. Several of the throws that were completed were right on the money and placed into small pockets where only the receivers could make the play. Several dropped balls stalled drives and we can't overlook the penalties that kept putting Todd's drives in long-yardage situations. I don't know what is going on with the offensive line, but I don't trust anyone in this country more than Hugh Nall to figure out something.
Several folks got up in arms when Tuberville came out Sunday and stated he helps with the offense. That's his job, people. His career and legacy are on the line a lot more than Franklin's or Nall's or any of the other assistant coaches. I still don't mind winning games 14-12, 3-2, 10-9, 9-7, 7-3 as long as we are winning them. Am I beating my chest about these two wins over Miss. State and Tennessee? No, but I also know that the season's not over and we're 4-1, 2-1 at the end of September with one of college football's hardest-working staffs looking to fix some glaring errors.
Personnel is a key component to Franklin's system, and we just don't have it in the right spots right now. So far, we have three proven receivers in Robert Dunn, Montez Billings and Rod Smith to use as go-to guys. Tim Hawthorne had the game of his life against LSU and just had a throw go off his fingertips against Tennessee that would have kept a promising drive alive. Chris Slaughter, Terrell Zachary and Quindarious Carr have all the talent in the world and are more than capable of moving into the go-to roles currently being held by Dunn, Billings and Smith. Until all seven of these guys are on the same page with either quarterback, though, we will continue to experience growing pains.
I love having the luxury of a deep running back stall, but it's just not there right now. Fannin got more carries against Tennessee (where was this package against LSU, by the way?), and Ben Tate is much better running straight ahead out of the I-formation than dodging offensive linemen getting pushed behind by the defensive lines we've faced the last three weeks. Brad Lester and Tristan Davis need to get healthy, while Eric Smith has done a good job when he's been asked to pick up a couple of plays to spell Lester or Tate.
If you're going to get faith in your offense and your philosophy, there is no better time to do this than over the next five games with the defenses we face before Georgia. We will win 10 games this year in a transition season when the SEC is probably the most balanced it has ever been. If this offense gains its identity in the next five games, 11 wins is not out of the question. We have difference makers on the roster right now that seem to have no idea what they're doing. Carr, Slaughter and Hawthorne have to get on the same page as the quarterbacks. Dunn has stepped up as a playmaker, and Smith has always been dependable (even though he is still a walk-on in talent).
We have seen this offense sputter in five games against defenses that have grown in difficulty from week-to-week. The next five games will be against defenses that play more like Louisiana-Monroe than LSU. I believe hiring Franklin was the right thing for our program, and it was the most logical decision at the time we made it. As our offensive coordinator, he's 5-1 and could very easily be 6-0 with one more first down against LSU. We had to make a change, and our offense with Al Borges would be producing the same results with Blake Field getting booed instead of Todd.
I vow to give this offense as long as we are asked to because I don't think the receivers or offensive line are making uncorrectable mistakes. We will be able to run a lot easier on Vanderbilt, Arkansas and West Virginia, which will help the passing game when we have to rely on it against Ole Miss. By all means, believe what you want as an Auburn fan and roll your eyes at me for being optimistic, but I believe in our coaching staff and will always believe in and love Auburn University.
War Eagle and thanks for reading.
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1 comment:
Preach it brother!
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