Please read and help me understand...

[alexava 6,973]

I understand we started off #6 in the country with a Heisman trophy contender and we were picked to win the SEC, so being 2-2 right now is a huge disappointment. I agree the offensive play calling has been questionable at times. The OL has struggled to protect the passer, and a few skill guys are falling short of expectations. The defense had a lot longer way to go than we thought under Muschamp.

What I don't understand is all the negativity I'm still hearing after Saturday. Can someone please enlighten me?

1. The defense started a bunch of young guys and we gave the best defensive effort we've given all year. (positive)

2. The run game showed some signs of life and consistently picked up chunks in the second half. (positive)

3. Sean White showed he is the future. I don't understand why everyone is questioning him or acting unimpressed. Heaven forbid the guy tries to make a play on his first drive as a college QB and throws a pick. Some people are saying he didn't look much better than JJ, they are unimpressed with his arm, and his ceiling isn't that high. Sean didn't put the ball in jeopardy after that 1 INT. Sean didn't look scared to get hit or unsure of where to go with the ball. Sean looked confident and in control. As far as his arm strength....I'm pretty sure his high school coach said it was well above average, and he can throw the ball 80 yards (correct me if I'm wrong). I'm also pretty sure his arm strength was good enough to win Elite 11 MVP and Under Armour All American Game MVP. Last time I checked Drew Brees never had an elite arm and his career has gone pretty well. Let's see how the guy does before we pick him apart. I know I'm a lot more excited to watch the rest of the season with him as our QB than I would be with JJ.

So considering how we looked in Baton Rogue, I feel better about this team even with the loss. I think we have a chance to use San Jose St. as a game to build some confidence, work on developing White and finding a rhythm offensively with him as our QB, get the young guys on defense some more experience, and most importantly get a W. Then we have a bye week before heading into Lexington. No we aren't going to make the playoff, and we probably don't run the table from here on out. But, I think that come November we can be a team that Ole Miss, A&M, Georgia, and Alabama do not want to play, and i thinking beating 1 or maybe even 2 of them is not an unrealistic goal.

Because we played one of the worst teams in the SEC west in terms of talent and coaching and didn't score a single touchdown. We failed in the redzone consistently and had no big plays.

White played moderately well, but he seemed afraid to make any throws down field. This offense needs big plays to be successful. Whether it's play calling, qb confidence, or qb arm strength, we didn't get those kinds of plays out of White.

Even accounting for White, play calling has been bad all season. Whenever we start to get a little momentum in the power run game, we completely go away from it. Basically, we aren't doing any of the stuff that has made this offense work in the past.

Finally, and probably most concerning, is the underperformance. This team is a lot more physically talented than it has shown which suggests a coaching or development problem. There is no excuse for the struggle of our 4-5 star loaded offensive and defensive lines in particular.

Yes... We looked a bit better... Against an inferior team... And we lost... And we are still underperforming 4 games into the season.

So forgive me for being one of the guys in panic mode, but I think many of us are starting to think that Gus is not ready and/or capable of fielding consistently good teams.

Did you have truth flakes for breakfast this morning? Finally, someone who's been watching the same team on the field as me and didn't feel the need to sugarcoat it or flat out lie to oneself. Welcome to the AUFamily community.

It was White's first snap ever taken in a college game...what did yall expect from the guy? He played well. If you look at where we are now in comparison to the preseason hype then yes it's really bad, but how we played Saturday in comparison to how we looked at LSU was encouraging IMO. The offensive play calling has definitely been questionable, but Gus has had a successful offense his entire career. I trust he will figure it.

Again, I think the key here is that it was Mississippi State. They are not a good team this year. They lost a ton of starters on both sides of the ball and they are coached by a complete moron. Imagine the 2011 team, but worse.

Miss St. hung with LSU.

a soccer player shy.

[IronMan70 3,277]

You are exactly right Bird. Most of the negative comments made on these boards are by folks that can't take uga and uat fans ragging them at work, even if uat had less yardage against ULM than we had against MSt. I keep hoping that some day some of these folks grow up and put on their big boy pants and quit worrying about what the rest of the world thinks about AU. As an Auburn fan I'm just happy to watch these kids represent AU. If you think we got to win everything we do at AU then you need to walk away from being a fan and find some other activity. It is not about winning and has never been about winning. It's about young men and women going out and particepting in sports to represent there school. Be happy for them when they win and respect them when they loose for at least they made the effort which is more than most of you can say. WDE

Funny, IIRC, Auburn had several players benched this week for their LACK of effort.

Funny, IIRC all the same guys played their butts off Saturday. SMDH

You weren't saying the same thing Saturday. What changed?

http://www.aufamily....00#entry2327054

http://www.aufamily....25#entry2327080

I took the comments by the 2 posters directly above yours as referring to the defensive players that were benched by Boom. Those "same guys" played better after they finally got in the game. On your 2 links from the game thread, it looks like FE is referring to a different subject, the O line, not Boom's benched defensive players.

[AuburnNTexas 7,140]

The reality was our expectations were unwarranted at the beginning of the season. A few people mentioned that the O-line was rebuilding and that while the individual Talent was good it takes time to develop the group chemistry that it takes to develop as a unit. A perfect example was the run Blocking was improved with a little better downfield blocking from ends we might have popped a really long run. The Pass blocking was not bad when Miss state played straight but when the blitzed we broke down bad. Blitzing is where an O-Line has to play as a unit that is where the O-line is weak. It will get better.

Everybody expected a great D but we were talented but thin. D started great in Louisville game then Lawson got hurt. Adams still dominated even without Lawson against Louisville and even against JAX state despite double teams. Miss. State double team kept him out of backfield but players were in position to stop the run game. We have had other players out on D for games or parts of games.

Also give Miss State D Credit they dialed up the Blitz and Auburn doesn't run the Blitz killer a quick dump to Tight end.

[McLoofus 35,182]

Also give Miss State D Credit they dialed up the Blitz and Auburn doesn't run the Blitz killer a quick dump to Tight end.

This is exactly what Cole Cubelic said.

[OnthePlains 2,014]

The best stretch of seasons Auburn has ever had is the 86 through 89 seasons and they less than perfect ones. So its a down year so what!! Enjoy watching the development of these young men and have pride in the team! I think they are getting enough grief from non Auburn fans!

http://www.jhowell.n...ores/Auburn.htm

Agree with this and I would put Tubb's 04-06 seasons in there too. Other than those time periods when has Auburn had sustained success? Either Auburn is what it is or there is more to changing the culture than just hiring and firing coaches because that has not worked before.

[cole256 17,050]

Also give Miss State D Credit they dialed up the Blitz and Auburn doesn't run the Blitz killer a quick dump to Tight end.

This is exactly what Cole Cubelic said.

That's so frustrating...everybody on earth knows Diaz likes to blitz....we didn't prepare for that?

[murpjf88 506]

I understand we started off #6 in the country with a Heisman trophy contender and we were picked to win the SEC, so being 2-2 right now is a huge disappointment. I agree the offensive play calling has been questionable at times. The OL has struggled to protect the passer, and a few skill guys are falling short of expectations. The defense had a lot longer way to go than we thought under Muschamp.

What I don't understand is all the negativity I'm still hearing after Saturday. Can someone please enlighten me?

1. The defense started a bunch of young guys and we gave the best defensive effort we've given all year. (positive)

2. The run game showed some signs of life and consistently picked up chunks in the second half. (positive)

3. Sean White showed he is the future. I don't understand why everyone is questioning him or acting unimpressed. Heaven forbid the guy tries to make a play on his first drive as a college QB and throws a pick. Some people are saying he didn't look much better than JJ, they are unimpressed with his arm, and his ceiling isn't that high. Sean didn't put the ball in jeopardy after that 1 INT. Sean didn't look scared to get hit or unsure of where to go with the ball. Sean looked confident and in control. As far as his arm strength....I'm pretty sure his high school coach said it was well above average, and he can throw the ball 80 yards (correct me if I'm wrong). I'm also pretty sure his arm strength was good enough to win Elite 11 MVP and Under Armour All American Game MVP. Last time I checked Drew Brees never had an elite arm and his career has gone pretty well. Let's see how the guy does before we pick him apart. I know I'm a lot more excited to watch the rest of the season with him as our QB than I would be with JJ.

So considering how we looked in Baton Rogue, I feel better about this team even with the loss. I think we have a chance to use San Jose St. as a game to build some confidence, work on developing White and finding a rhythm offensively with him as our QB, get the young guys on defense some more experience, and most importantly get a W. Then we have a bye week before heading into Lexington. No we aren't going to make the playoff, and we probably don't run the table from here on out. But, I think that come November we can be a team that Ole Miss, A&M, Georgia, and Alabama do not want to play, and i thinking beating 1 or maybe even 2 of them is not an unrealistic goal.

Because we played one of the worst teams in the SEC west in terms of talent and coaching and didn't score a single touchdown. We failed in the redzone consistently and had no big plays.

White played moderately well, but he seemed afraid to make any throws down field. This offense needs big plays to be successful. Whether it's play calling, qb confidence, or qb arm strength, we didn't get those kinds of plays out of White.

Even accounting for White, play calling has been bad all season. Whenever we start to get a little momentum in the power run game, we completely go away from it. Basically, we aren't doing any of the stuff that has made this offense work in the past.

Finally, and probably most concerning, is the underperformance. This team is a lot more physically talented than it has shown which suggests a coaching or development problem. There is no excuse for the struggle of our 4-5 star loaded offensive and defensive lines in particular.

Yes... We looked a bit better... Against an inferior team... And we lost... And we are still underperforming 4 games into the season.

So forgive me for being one of the guys in panic mode, but I think many of us are starting to think that Gus is not ready and/or capable of fielding consistently good teams.

Did you have truth flakes for breakfast this morning? Finally, someone who's been watching the same team on the field as me and didn't feel the need to sugarcoat it or flat out lie to oneself. Welcome to the AUFamily community.

It was White's first snap ever taken in a college game...what did yall expect from the guy? He played well. If you look at where we are now in comparison to the preseason hype then yes it's really bad, but how we played Saturday in comparison to how we looked at LSU was encouraging IMO. The offensive play calling has definitely been questionable, but Gus has had a successful offense his entire career. I trust he will figure it.

OK, then shouldn't we be comparing SW's first game with JJ's?

Jeremy Johnson (1st half) 12-16 243 YDS 2 TD's 0 INT's 98.5 QBR

Sean White 20-28 188 YDS 0 TD's 1 INT 35.8 QBR

So, I guess JJ had a better debut vs Arkansas than Sean White had against Miss. St. Also, though it's been stated time and time again, Mississippi State is NOT a good football team. They're one of the poorest tackling teams I've seen in a long time and their youth and inexperience had them playing out of position a number of times which led to a few defensive breakdowns. Auburn still couldn't manage to score a touchdown.

In addition, Miss St. had no way of preparing for Sean White because there was no game film available. Remember How Lamar Jackson shredded Auburn's defense in the second half of the Louisville game? Well, this is the part where I say, the shoe is on the other foot. You should never lower your expectations to meet the performance. Always raise the level of performance to meet your expectations. SW had a decent game but it's the type of performance that isn't going to net many SEC wins.

[WarTim 3,456]

The best stretch of seasons Auburn has ever had is the 86 through 89 seasons and they less than perfect ones. So its a down year so what!! Enjoy watching the development of these young men and have pride in the team! I think they are getting enough grief from non Auburn fans!

http://www.jhowell.net/cf/scores/Auburn.htm

Amen and Amen

[AU64 10,122]

Also give Miss State D Credit they dialed up the Blitz and Auburn doesn't run the Blitz killer a quick dump to Tight end.

This is exactly what Cole Cubelic said.

That's so frustrating...everybody on earth knows Diaz likes to blitz....we didn't prepare for that?

There is knowing it's coming and...... being able to block it....we had a bunch of moderate sized freshmen backs trying to deal with a pretty well designed blitz package....and did I mention a freshman QB too.

Not what we would have liked to have seen but AU was an easy mark for a blitzing team. All in all, it went pretty well. Their blitz is not what caused our red zone problems. ....those were pretty much self-inflicted.

[AubTiger14 0]

I understand we started off #6 in the country with a Heisman trophy contender and we were picked to win the SEC, so being 2-2 right now is a huge disappointment. I agree the offensive play calling has been questionable at times. The OL has struggled to protect the passer, and a few skill guys are falling short of expectations. The defense had a lot longer way to go than we thought under Muschamp.

What I don't understand is all the negativity I'm still hearing after Saturday. Can someone please enlighten me?

1. The defense started a bunch of young guys and we gave the best defensive effort we've given all year. (positive)

2. The run game showed some signs of life and consistently picked up chunks in the second half. (positive)

3. Sean White showed he is the future. I don't understand why everyone is questioning him or acting unimpressed. Heaven forbid the guy tries to make a play on his first drive as a college QB and throws a pick. Some people are saying he didn't look much better than JJ, they are unimpressed with his arm, and his ceiling isn't that high. Sean didn't put the ball in jeopardy after that 1 INT. Sean didn't look scared to get hit or unsure of where to go with the ball. Sean looked confident and in control. As far as his arm strength....I'm pretty sure his high school coach said it was well above average, and he can throw the ball 80 yards (correct me if I'm wrong). I'm also pretty sure his arm strength was good enough to win Elite 11 MVP and Under Armour All American Game MVP. Last time I checked Drew Brees never had an elite arm and his career has gone pretty well. Let's see how the guy does before we pick him apart. I know I'm a lot more excited to watch the rest of the season with him as our QB than I would be with JJ.

So considering how we looked in Baton Rogue, I feel better about this team even with the loss. I think we have a chance to use San Jose St. as a game to build some confidence, work on developing White and finding a rhythm offensively with him as our QB, get the young guys on defense some more experience, and most importantly get a W. Then we have a bye week before heading into Lexington. No we aren't going to make the playoff, and we probably don't run the table from here on out. But, I think that come November we can be a team that Ole Miss, A&M, Georgia, and Alabama do not want to play, and i thinking beating 1 or maybe even 2 of them is not an unrealistic goal.

Because we played one of the worst teams in the SEC west in terms of talent and coaching and didn't score a single touchdown. We failed in the redzone consistently and had no big plays.

White played moderately well, but he seemed afraid to make any throws down field. This offense needs big plays to be successful. Whether it's play calling, qb confidence, or qb arm strength, we didn't get those kinds of plays out of White.

Even accounting for White, play calling has been bad all season. Whenever we start to get a little momentum in the power run game, we completely go away from it. Basically, we aren't doing any of the stuff that has made this offense work in the past.

Finally, and probably most concerning, is the underperformance. This team is a lot more physically talented than it has shown which suggests a coaching or development problem. There is no excuse for the struggle of our 4-5 star loaded offensive and defensive lines in particular.

Yes... We looked a bit better... Against an inferior team... And we lost... And we are still underperforming 4 games into the season.

So forgive me for being one of the guys in panic mode, but I think many of us are starting to think that Gus is not ready and/or capable of fielding consistently good teams.

Did you have truth flakes for breakfast this morning? Finally, someone who's been watching the same team on the field as me and didn't feel the need to sugarcoat it or flat out lie to oneself. Welcome to the AUFamily community.

It was White's first snap ever taken in a college game...what did yall expect from the guy? He played well. If you look at where we are now in comparison to the preseason hype then yes it's really bad, but how we played Saturday in comparison to how we looked at LSU was encouraging IMO. The offensive play calling has definitely been questionable, but Gus has had a successful offense his entire career. I trust he will figure it.

OK, then shouldn't we be comparing SW's first game with JJ's?

Jeremy Johnson (1st half) 12-16 243 YDS 2 TD's 0 INT's 98.5 QBR

Sean White 20-28 188 YDS 0 TD's 1 INT 35.8 QBR

So, I guess JJ had a better debut vs Arkansas than Sean White had against Miss. St. Also, though it's been stated time and time again, Mississippi State is NOT a good football team. They're one of the poorest tackling teams I've seen in a long time and their youth and inexperience had them playing out of position a number of times which led to a few defensive breakdowns. Auburn still couldn't manage to score a touchdown.

In addition, Miss St. had no way of preparing for Sean White because there was no game film available. Remember How Lamar Jackson shredded Auburn's defense in the second half of the Louisville game? Well, this is the part where I say, the shoe is on the other foot. You should never lower your expectations to meet the performance. Always raise the level of performance to meet your expectations. SW had a decent game but it's the type of performance that isn't going to net many SEC wins.

Yes Jeremy Johnson's debut was way better than Sean White. That is a big part of why Jeremy Johnson was thought to be a legitimate Heisman contender, because his debut was so much better than the norm. Fast forward 13 months later and 90% of the Auburn fan base is happy with him sitting on the bench. Sean White can't be a good QB because he didn't set the world on fire in his first start? Peyton Manning had 4 TDs and 12 Ints through his first 5 games with the Colts. In my opinion Sean White showed he's got poise and confidence, which is something that for whatever reason abandoned Johnson. My expectations for the season were way higher, obviously. But after we almost lost to an FCS school and looked like a high school team against LSU, my expectations came crashing down. All I'm saying is I saw improvement from LSU to Miss St. and that is encouraging, especially on the defense side of the ball with a much different and very young group of starters. Offensively we moved the ball and just stalled in the red zone. We didn't snap the ball a single time in LSU's territory in the first half of that game.

And why is Miss St so much worse than LSU? If Miss St. hits a field goal they win that game.

[cole256 17,050]

I understand we started off #6 in the country with a Heisman trophy contender and we were picked to win the SEC, so being 2-2 right now is a huge disappointment. I agree the offensive play calling has been questionable at times. The OL has struggled to protect the passer, and a few skill guys are falling short of expectations. The defense had a lot longer way to go than we thought under Muschamp.

What I don't understand is all the negativity I'm still hearing after Saturday. Can someone please enlighten me?

1. The defense started a bunch of young guys and we gave the best defensive effort we've given all year. (positive)

2. The run game showed some signs of life and consistently picked up chunks in the second half. (positive)

3. Sean White showed he is the future. I don't understand why everyone is questioning him or acting unimpressed. Heaven forbid the guy tries to make a play on his first drive as a college QB and throws a pick. Some people are saying he didn't look much better than JJ, they are unimpressed with his arm, and his ceiling isn't that high. Sean didn't put the ball in jeopardy after that 1 INT. Sean didn't look scared to get hit or unsure of where to go with the ball. Sean looked confident and in control. As far as his arm strength....I'm pretty sure his high school coach said it was well above average, and he can throw the ball 80 yards (correct me if I'm wrong). I'm also pretty sure his arm strength was good enough to win Elite 11 MVP and Under Armour All American Game MVP. Last time I checked Drew Brees never had an elite arm and his career has gone pretty well. Let's see how the guy does before we pick him apart. I know I'm a lot more excited to watch the rest of the season with him as our QB than I would be with JJ.

So considering how we looked in Baton Rogue, I feel better about this team even with the loss. I think we have a chance to use San Jose St. as a game to build some confidence, work on developing White and finding a rhythm offensively with him as our QB, get the young guys on defense some more experience, and most importantly get a W. Then we have a bye week before heading into Lexington. No we aren't going to make the playoff, and we probably don't run the table from here on out. But, I think that come November we can be a team that Ole Miss, A&M, Georgia, and Alabama do not want to play, and i thinking beating 1 or maybe even 2 of them is not an unrealistic goal.

Because we played one of the worst teams in the SEC west in terms of talent and coaching and didn't score a single touchdown. We failed in the redzone consistently and had no big plays.

White played moderately well, but he seemed afraid to make any throws down field. This offense needs big plays to be successful. Whether it's play calling, qb confidence, or qb arm strength, we didn't get those kinds of plays out of White.

Even accounting for White, play calling has been bad all season. Whenever we start to get a little momentum in the power run game, we completely go away from it. Basically, we aren't doing any of the stuff that has made this offense work in the past.

Finally, and probably most concerning, is the underperformance. This team is a lot more physically talented than it has shown which suggests a coaching or development problem. There is no excuse for the struggle of our 4-5 star loaded offensive and defensive lines in particular.

Yes... We looked a bit better... Against an inferior team... And we lost... And we are still underperforming 4 games into the season.

So forgive me for being one of the guys in panic mode, but I think many of us are starting to think that Gus is not ready and/or capable of fielding consistently good teams.

Did you have truth flakes for breakfast this morning? Finally, someone who's been watching the same team on the field as me and didn't feel the need to sugarcoat it or flat out lie to oneself. Welcome to the AUFamily community.

It was White's first snap ever taken in a college game...what did yall expect from the guy? He played well. If you look at where we are now in comparison to the preseason hype then yes it's really bad, but how we played Saturday in comparison to how we looked at LSU was encouraging IMO. The offensive play calling has definitely been questionable, but Gus has had a successful offense his entire career. I trust he will figure it.

OK, then shouldn't we be comparing SW's first game with JJ's?

Jeremy Johnson (1st half) 12-16 243 YDS 2 TD's 0 INT's 98.5 QBR

Sean White 20-28 188 YDS 0 TD's 1 INT 35.8 QBR

So, I guess JJ had a better debut vs Arkansas than Sean White had against Miss. St. Also, though it's been stated time and time again, Mississippi State is NOT a good football team. They're one of the poorest tackling teams I've seen in a long time and their youth and inexperience had them playing out of position a number of times which led to a few defensive breakdowns. Auburn still couldn't manage to score a touchdown.

In addition, Miss St. had no way of preparing for Sean White because there was no game film available. Remember How Lamar Jackson shredded Auburn's defense in the second half of the Louisville game? Well, this is the part where I say, the shoe is on the other foot. You should never lower your expectations to meet the performance. Always raise the level of performance to meet your expectations. SW had a decent game but it's the type of performance that isn't going to net many SEC wins.

Yes Jeremy Johnson's debut was way better than Sean White. That is a big part of why Jeremy Johnson was thought to be a legitimate Heisman contender, because his debut was so much better than the norm. Fast forward 13 months later and 90% of the Auburn fan base is happy with him sitting on the bench. Sean White can't be a good QB because he didn't set the world on fire in his first start? Peyton Manning had 4 TDs and 12 Ints through his first 5 games with the Colts. In my opinion Sean White showed he's got poise and confidence, which is something that for whatever reason abandoned Johnson. My expectations for the season were way higher, obviously. But after we almost lost to an FCS school and looked like a high school team against LSU, my expectations came crashing down. All I'm saying is I saw improvement from LSU to Miss St. and that is encouraging, especially on the defense side of the ball with a much different and very young group of starters. Offensively we moved the ball and just stalled in the red zone. We didn't snap the ball a single time in LSU's territory in the first half of that game.

And why is Miss St so much worse than LSU? If Miss St. hits a field goal they win that game.

Sean white should start and I'm interested to see how good he may get, but as far as this argument you're trying to make, it's a slippery slope saying look what we did with this team and that team. We didn't throw the ball all over to move it, we ran it. LSU could simply be a better defense than miss st. If nothing else better against the run. That has nothing to do with qb play. Actually the fact msu played mostly two deep safeties would lead you to believe they would be more susceptible to run

[FoundationEagle 637]

You are exactly right Bird. Most of the negative comments made on these boards are by folks that can't take uga and uat fans ragging them at work, even if uat had less yardage against ULM than we had against MSt. I keep hoping that some day some of these folks grow up and put on their big boy pants and quit worrying about what the rest of the world thinks about AU. As an Auburn fan I'm just happy to watch these kids represent AU. If you think we got to win everything we do at AU then you need to walk away from being a fan and find some other activity. It is not about winning and has never been about winning. It's about young men and women going out and particepting in sports to represent there school. Be happy for them when they win and respect them when they loose for at least they made the effort which is more than most of you can say. WDE

Funny, IIRC, Auburn had several players benched this week for their LACK of effort.

Funny, IIRC all the same guys played their butts off Saturday. SMDH

You weren't saying the same thing Saturday. What changed?

http://www.aufamily....00#entry2327054

http://www.aufamily....25#entry2327080

Different players. The players benched were on D. My comments were about the Oline. Funny you took time to dig up during game posting. That must have taken a while to dig up posts that don't apply. I see why you did, because I was complaining mid game about some players...just not the same ones

[AFTiger 282]

Play execution was the problem. Our qb spent the entire night dodging MS defenders. Long plays never had time to develop. I think we will improve and win some games we are not supposed to.

With so many young players starting or playing significant time, how did we get so over rated?

[wdefromtx 3,159]

Play execution was the problem. Our qb spent the entire night dodging MS defenders. Long plays never had time to develop. I think we will improve and win some games we are not supposed to.

With so many young players starting or playing significant time, how did we get so over rated?

Marketing! LOL

[alexava 6,973]

I understand we started off #6 in the country with a Heisman trophy contender and we were picked to win the SEC, so being 2-2 right now is a huge disappointment. I agree the offensive play calling has been questionable at times. The OL has struggled to protect the passer, and a few skill guys are falling short of expectations. The defense had a lot longer way to go than we thought under Muschamp.

What I don't understand is all the negativity I'm still hearing after Saturday. Can someone please enlighten me?

1. The defense started a bunch of young guys and we gave the best defensive effort we've given all year. (positive)

2. The run game showed some signs of life and consistently picked up chunks in the second half. (positive)

3. Sean White showed he is the future. I don't understand why everyone is questioning him or acting unimpressed. Heaven forbid the guy tries to make a play on his first drive as a college QB and throws a pick. Some people are saying he didn't look much better than JJ, they are unimpressed with his arm, and his ceiling isn't that high. Sean didn't put the ball in jeopardy after that 1 INT. Sean didn't look scared to get hit or unsure of where to go with the ball. Sean looked confident and in control. As far as his arm strength....I'm pretty sure his high school coach said it was well above average, and he can throw the ball 80 yards (correct me if I'm wrong). I'm also pretty sure his arm strength was good enough to win Elite 11 MVP and Under Armour All American Game MVP. Last time I checked Drew Brees never had an elite arm and his career has gone pretty well. Let's see how the guy does before we pick him apart. I know I'm a lot more excited to watch the rest of the season with him as our QB than I would be with JJ.

So considering how we looked in Baton Rogue, I feel better about this team even with the loss. I think we have a chance to use San Jose St. as a game to build some confidence, work on developing White and finding a rhythm offensively with him as our QB, get the young guys on defense some more experience, and most importantly get a W. Then we have a bye week before heading into Lexington. No we aren't going to make the playoff, and we probably don't run the table from here on out. But, I think that come November we can be a team that Ole Miss, A&M, Georgia, and Alabama do not want to play, and i thinking beating 1 or maybe even 2 of them is not an unrealistic goal.

Because we played one of the worst teams in the SEC west in terms of talent and coaching and didn't score a single touchdown. We failed in the redzone consistently and had no big plays.

White played moderately well, but he seemed afraid to make any throws down field. This offense needs big plays to be successful. Whether it's play calling, qb confidence, or qb arm strength, we didn't get those kinds of plays out of White.

Even accounting for White, play calling has been bad all season. Whenever we start to get a little momentum in the power run game, we completely go away from it. Basically, we aren't doing any of the stuff that has made this offense work in the past.

Finally, and probably most concerning, is the underperformance. This team is a lot more physically talented than it has shown which suggests a coaching or development problem. There is no excuse for the struggle of our 4-5 star loaded offensive and defensive lines in particular.

Yes... We looked a bit better... Against an inferior team... And we lost... And we are still underperforming 4 games into the season.

So forgive me for being one of the guys in panic mode, but I think many of us are starting to think that Gus is not ready and/or capable of fielding consistently good teams.

Did you have truth flakes for breakfast this morning? Finally, someone who's been watching the same team on the field as me and didn't feel the need to sugarcoat it or flat out lie to oneself. Welcome to the AUFamily community.

It was White's first snap ever taken in a college game...what did yall expect from the guy? He played well. If you look at where we are now in comparison to the preseason hype then yes it's really bad, but how we played Saturday in comparison to how we looked at LSU was encouraging IMO. The offensive play calling has definitely been questionable, but Gus has had a successful offense his entire career. I trust he will figure it.

OK, then shouldn't we be comparing SW's first game with JJ's?

Jeremy Johnson (1st half) 12-16 243 YDS 2 TD's 0 INT's 98.5 QBR

Sean White 20-28 188 YDS 0 TD's 1 INT 35.8 QBR

So, I guess JJ had a better debut vs Arkansas than Sean White had against Miss. St. Also, though it's been stated time and time again, Mississippi State is NOT a good football team. They're one of the poorest tackling teams I've seen in a long time and their youth and inexperience had them playing out of position a number of times which led to a few defensive breakdowns. Auburn still couldn't manage to score a touchdown.

In addition, Miss St. had no way of preparing for Sean White because there was no game film available. Remember How Lamar Jackson shredded Auburn's defense in the second half of the Louisville game? Well, this is the part where I say, the shoe is on the other foot. You should never lower your expectations to meet the performance. Always raise the level of performance to meet your expectations. SW had a decent game but it's the type of performance that isn't going to net many SEC wins.

the arkansas game was not JJs first this was. http://espn.go.com/college-football/recap?gameId=332850002

he started one game and played extensively in another with Marshall nursing minor injuries in 2013.

[FoundationEagle 637]

I understand we started off #6 in the country with a Heisman trophy contender and we were picked to win the SEC, so being 2-2 right now is a huge disappointment. I agree the offensive play calling has been questionable at times. The OL has struggled to protect the passer, and a few skill guys are falling short of expectations. The defense had a lot longer way to go than we thought under Muschamp.

What I don't understand is all the negativity I'm still hearing after Saturday. Can someone please enlighten me?

1. The defense started a bunch of young guys and we gave the best defensive effort we've given all year. (positive)

2. The run game showed some signs of life and consistently picked up chunks in the second half. (positive)

3. Sean White showed he is the future. I don't understand why everyone is questioning him or acting unimpressed. Heaven forbid the guy tries to make a play on his first drive as a college QB and throws a pick. Some people are saying he didn't look much better than JJ, they are unimpressed with his arm, and his ceiling isn't that high. Sean didn't put the ball in jeopardy after that 1 INT. Sean didn't look scared to get hit or unsure of where to go with the ball. Sean looked confident and in control. As far as his arm strength....I'm pretty sure his high school coach said it was well above average, and he can throw the ball 80 yards (correct me if I'm wrong). I'm also pretty sure his arm strength was good enough to win Elite 11 MVP and Under Armour All American Game MVP. Last time I checked Drew Brees never had an elite arm and his career has gone pretty well. Let's see how the guy does before we pick him apart. I know I'm a lot more excited to watch the rest of the season with him as our QB than I would be with JJ.

So considering how we looked in Baton Rogue, I feel better about this team even with the loss. I think we have a chance to use San Jose St. as a game to build some confidence, work on developing White and finding a rhythm offensively with him as our QB, get the young guys on defense some more experience, and most importantly get a W. Then we have a bye week before heading into Lexington. No we aren't going to make the playoff, and we probably don't run the table from here on out. But, I think that come November we can be a team that Ole Miss, A&M, Georgia, and Alabama do not want to play, and i thinking beating 1 or maybe even 2 of them is not an unrealistic goal.

Because we played one of the worst teams in the SEC west in terms of talent and coaching and didn't score a single touchdown. We failed in the redzone consistently and had no big plays.

White played moderately well, but he seemed afraid to make any throws down field. This offense needs big plays to be successful. Whether it's play calling, qb confidence, or qb arm strength, we didn't get those kinds of plays out of White.

Even accounting for White, play calling has been bad all season. Whenever we start to get a little momentum in the power run game, we completely go away from it. Basically, we aren't doing any of the stuff that has made this offense work in the past.

Finally, and probably most concerning, is the underperformance. This team is a lot more physically talented than it has shown which suggests a coaching or development problem. There is no excuse for the struggle of our 4-5 star loaded offensive and defensive lines in particular.

Yes... We looked a bit better... Against an inferior team... And we lost... And we are still underperforming 4 games into the season.

So forgive me for being one of the guys in panic mode, but I think many of us are starting to think that Gus is not ready and/or capable of fielding consistently good teams.

Did you have truth flakes for breakfast this morning? Finally, someone who's been watching the same team on the field as me and didn't feel the need to sugarcoat it or flat out lie to oneself. Welcome to the AUFamily community.

It was White's first snap ever taken in a college game...what did yall expect from the guy? He played well. If you look at where we are now in comparison to the preseason hype then yes it's really bad, but how we played Saturday in comparison to how we looked at LSU was encouraging IMO. The offensive play calling has definitely been questionable, but Gus has had a successful offense his entire career. I trust he will figure it.

OK, then shouldn't we be comparing SW's first game with JJ's?

Jeremy Johnson (1st half) 12-16 243 YDS 2 TD's 0 INT's 98.5 QBR

Sean White 20-28 188 YDS 0 TD's 1 INT 35.8 QBR

So, I guess JJ had a better debut vs Arkansas than Sean White had against Miss. St. Also, though it's been stated time and time again, Mississippi State is NOT a good football team. They're one of the poorest tackling teams I've seen in a long time and their youth and inexperience had them playing out of position a number of times which led to a few defensive breakdowns. Auburn still couldn't manage to score a touchdown.

In addition, Miss St. had no way of preparing for Sean White because there was no game film available. Remember How Lamar Jackson shredded Auburn's defense in the second half of the Louisville game? Well, this is the part where I say, the shoe is on the other foot. You should never lower your expectations to meet the performance. Always raise the level of performance to meet your expectations. SW had a decent game but it's the type of performance that isn't going to net many SEC wins.

the arkansas game was not JJs first this was. http://espn.go.com/college-football/recap?gameId=332850002

he started one game and played extensively in another with Marshall nursing minor injuries in 2013.

True, though it is incomparable. Western Carolina had lost 32 straight to FBS and FCS teams and we ran for over 500 yards in that game. May be the worst opponent we've ever played. But, it definitely was his first start.

[tgr4lfe 220]

Also give Miss State D Credit they dialed up the Blitz and Auburn doesn't run the Blitz killer a quick dump to Tight end.

This is exactly what Cole Cubelic said.

That's so frustrating...everybody on earth knows Diaz likes to blitz....we didn't prepare for that?

Apparently not, and apparently CGM and CRL have no method to address it at the LOS or afford the QB to check off to hot route. It's incredibly frustrating to see other FBS teams recognizing a blitz or anticipating it and calling the appropriate blitz killer.

[Tiger 8,822]

QBs have be able to audible at some point. Defensive coordinators can just keep their D in the base alignment until CGM calls the play and then when the QB is talking to the OL about the playcall the D can then start to show whatever blitz they are going to bring. This would force a bad play or a timeout by the AU offense. I know Gus doesn't allow any QB to call audibles, and he probably formed this philosophy while he was coaching in HS when the players he had to work with weren't as savvy with their football IQ. But damn just hot routing a slant to the blitzing linebackers area could be extremely beneficial.

[McLoofus 35,182]

QBs have be able to audible at some point. Defensive coordinators can just keep their D in the base alignment until CGM calls the play and then when the QB is talking to the OL about the playcall the D can then start to show whatever blitz they are going to bring. This would force a bad play or a timeout by the AU offense. I know Gus doesn't allow any QB to call audibles, and he probably formed this philosophy while he was coaching in HS when the players he had to work with weren't as savvy with their football IQ. But damn just hot routing a slant to the blitzing linebackers area could be extremely beneficial.

We did it last year, or at least finally started throwing quick slants to Duke (not sure about pre-snap reads, audibles, called in from sideline, etc). Not sure WTH is going on this year.

[Tiger 8,822]

QBs have be able to audible at some point. Defensive coordinators can just keep their D in the base alignment until CGM calls the play and then when the QB is talking to the OL about the playcall the D can then start to show whatever blitz they are going to bring. This would force a bad play or a timeout by the AU offense. I know Gus doesn't allow any QB to call audibles, and he probably formed this philosophy while he was coaching in HS when the players he had to work with weren't as savvy with their football IQ. But damn just hot routing a slant to the blitzing linebackers area could be extremely beneficial.

We did it last year, or at least finally started throwing quick slants to Duke (not sure about pre-snap reads, audibles, called in from sideline, etc). Not sure WTH is going on this year.

I don't think we did it much last year but I could be off.

Edit: I think we did it in the Arky game with JJ in there but not much with NM

[cole256 17,050]

Also give Miss State D Credit they dialed up the Blitz and Auburn doesn't run the Blitz killer a quick dump to Tight end.

This is exactly what Cole Cubelic said.

That's so frustrating...everybody on earth knows Diaz likes to blitz....we didn't prepare for that?

Apparently not, and apparently CGM and CRL have no method to address it at the LOS or afford the QB to check off to hot route. It's incredibly frustrating to see other FBS teams recognizing a blitz or anticipating it and calling the appropriate blitz killer.

He has to have some plays besides the wr screen for overloading blitzes. They were blitzing on just about every first down and they seemed to anticipate our long developing plays as well because hey usually had a blitz to mess that up

[lost 452]

To me...It is not the losses are the failure of JJ. It Is the endless rumors of duke and Coach Malzhan and the lack of courage of Rudy and Trigger...... and the discontent of the players you see. It is the lack of effort until you have dug a deep hole, etc.

[cole256 17,050]

Lack of courage?

[doc4aday 1,887]

To me...It is not the losses are the failure of JJ. It Is the endless rumors of duke and Coach Malzhan and the lack of courage of Rudy and Trigger...... and the discontent of the players you see. It is the lack of effort until you have dug a deep hole, etc.

I see you are new to the board, and I will give you a pass this time young grasshopper. We tend to have an influx of bammers on this site when they need to feel all big and bammerish when their team loses and they need a pick-me-up by disguising as an upset Auburn fan looking for ways to discredit our Tigers. Annabelle, the official "War Damn Corgi" is in the process of seeking relief on her Kardashian Poop Pad. Some wise seers like to read the bones. The Doc reads the Corgi poop when it comes to gaining knowledge of all bammerish mischief going on. From what I see, there is a lot of bammerish going on here.

[McLoofus 35,182]

To me...It is not the losses are the failure of JJ. It Is the endless rumors of duke and Coach Malzhan and the lack of courage of Rudy and Trigger...... and the discontent of the players you see. It is the lack of effort until you have dug a deep hole, etc.

I see you are new to the board, and I will give you a pass this time young grasshopper. We tend to have an influx of bammers on this site when they need to feel all big and bammerish when their team loses and they need a pick-me-up by disguising as an upset Auburn fan looking for ways to discredit our Tigers. Annabelle, the official "War Damn Corgi" is in the process of seeking relief on her Kardashian Poop Pad. Some wise seers like to read the bones. The Doc reads the Corgi poop when it comes to gaining knowledge of all bammerish mischief going on. From what I see, there is a lot of bammerish going on here.

WDC