Gus's O

[lala 327]

During the game I was amazed at how well the fsu d was playing our run and was just a nervous wreck. Then you realize points scored, total yards and tre's stats. Even against the best d in NCAA with a month to prepare, our offense was amazing.

Future is beyond bright for the good guys.

[berrytgr 0]

During the season there was a long thread about our passing game or lack thereof. I felt last night was a good example of why we need balance within our offense. Against the very best I don't think you will always be able to run at will. I think going forward you will continue to see us be a run first team except our passing game will be a better compliment. Gus will have all spring and fall camp to mold his QBs and WRs. I expect our offense to be even better next year. The better our passing game is, the more defenses will have to back off and therefore our running game could be even better.

[cooltigger21 0]

With Nick not arriving on campus until June, I am amazed the were as good as they were. It should get better. Nick simply must be more accurate. Receivers must catch better. With all the time available you would think they would. We shall see

[AU64 10,122]

Nick was harassed pretty well last night and many of his passes came when FSU knew a pass was in order...3rd and long. Overall, the passing game was good enough to burn FSU when they packed the line....and IMO, where we need real improvement is with the pass receivers. All year long we've seen dropped passes and the next AU WR who dives to make a catch will be the first one in more than a year. Then again, some..maybe most of our WRs are former QBs and perhaps the role is still new to them.

Other than Louis's catch against Ga...I can't think of more than a reception or two where anyone would say..."boy, can you believe that " because of some spectacular effort or grab by one of our guys. Most of the passes have to hit them right in the hands and even then, it's not a sure thing. Those big guys like Winston, Franklin and Manziel were throwing to can make a QB look pretty darned good.

[tigernt'town 4]

If we can improve the passing up to about 65-70% and still run the ball, and be able to add in true zone read pulls and gives, I see nothing but great years ahead for Auburn!!!

[Tiger 8,818]

Yup, with an offseason I think Nick can become an average passer. Hitting slants and easy intermediate throws consistently would have made this offense literally unstoppable. And an average passer is all we need to truly put this team on top. Obviously, it's pretty impossible to find a guy who has an elite arm and elite running ability. For instance, that play on the first drive Marshall under threw a wiiiiiiide open RIcardo Louis which would've been a sure TD. I think there are probably only 20 starting QBs in the entire FBS that miss that throw. Could Louis have caught it? Yes, but he's running full speed down the seam and has to stop and turn around. Yuck. But Marshall's running ability is so dangerous, and he's a cool customer, you can't take that away from him. He absolutely killed teams on the ground this year. I can't wait to see what he looks like after an offseason. I would also like to see him become a little smarter. His decision making is shaky sometimes -- which is toxic when you combine that with inconsistent accuracy.

[bwillaub 0]

I did question some of the play calling last night. The sweeps weren't working at all. I realize they are used to spread the field and loosen the defense. However, all they seemed to do last night was put us behind the sticks. Would have liked to see us go back to that play that we had early in the first quarter when NM missed a wide open RL.

We have won games all season in the fourth quarter. Last night, we lost the game in the fourth. A couple of big mistakes in the fourth cost us the Natty.

I am so proud of this team and coaching staff. The future is very bright for AUBURN!!

WAR EAGLE FOREVER!!

[WarEagle1983 2,185]

Nick will get better but i hope the same applies to our WRs stepping up with catching. We need someone other than Coates to step up at the WR position. Nick can't be perfect all the time and the WRs have to help the QB out sometimes. That was a very catchable pass. No blame as yes it could have been a better pass but with it being catchable some responsibility goes to the WR but missed opportunities are going to happen somtimes though.

I expect us to pass a little more for sure b/c there is no way to have a talent like DH Williams and not use him as much as the defenses will allow. I expect that we will mix up the pass and run more but still be heavy on the run side 60/40. That will make this offense even more dangerous. I think many teams will plan for us to be the same one dementional team with running so much so Gus will switch it up some to offset that with the new players we bring in on offense. That's what i like about his offense; he tailors things to the players he has and does not just try to force players into one specific system.

[VAtiger12 112]

Nick was harassed pretty well last night and many of his passes came when FSU knew a pass was in order...3rd and long. Overall, the passing game was good enough to burn FSU when they packed the line....and IMO, where we need real improvement is with the pass receivers. All year long we've seen dropped passes and the next AU WR who dives to make a catch will be the first one in more than a year. Then again, some..maybe most of our WRs are former QBs and perhaps the role is still new to them.

Other than Louis's catch against Ga...I can't think of more than a reception or two where anyone would say..."boy, can you believe that " because of some spectacular effort or grab by one of our guys. Most of the passes have to hit them right in the hands and even then, it's not a sure thing. Those big guys like Winston, Franklin and Manziel were throwing to can make a QB look pretty darned good.

Quan Bray has made a couple of real nice catches throughout the year. He never dove, I'll give you that but, if you don't think he's made a couple grabs then I think you are wrong.

[1auburn1 1,110]

We didn't entice D Williams to sign with us without promising a more balanced attack. I think Gus will go into spring and let them all compete for QB job and may the best man win. He knows we need to be more consistent throwing the ball.

[WarEagle1983 2,185]

Nick was harassed pretty well last night and many of his passes came when FSU knew a pass was in order...3rd and long. Overall, the passing game was good enough to burn FSU when they packed the line....and IMO, where we need real improvement is with the pass receivers. All year long we've seen dropped passes and the next AU WR who dives to make a catch will be the first one in more than a year. Then again, some..maybe most of our WRs are former QBs and perhaps the role is still new to them.

Other than Louis's catch against Ga...I can't think of more than a reception or two where anyone would say..."boy, can you believe that " because of some spectacular effort or grab by one of our guys. Most of the passes have to hit them right in the hands and even then, it's not a sure thing. Those big guys like Winston, Franklin and Manziel were throwing to can make a QB look pretty darned good.

Quan Bray has made a couple of real nice catches throughout the year. He never dove, I'll give you that but, if you don't think he's made a couple grabs then I think you are wrong.

Agree. Quan had a good year as well.

[WarEagle1983 2,185]

Quick question: Did CJ get hurt? I know we saw a lot of Melvin Ray. Melvin had a really good game catching and blocking...just was wondering if anything happened to CJ.

[war eagle6 0]

Defense!! Got to get better on D, that is just the bottom line. Jameis Winston should be in a ice bath somewhere as slow as he is. Our d should had folded him up on his qb runs. Guarantee u if that was michigan state's d, he would be soaking right now!But at the same time it would had been nice to get some obvious holding calls on fsu! All I know is its great to be an Auburn tiger, especially when AU was a 500-1 chance to win the ship at preseason, and a 400-1 to even make it, the future is indeed bright

[lala 327]

CJ played most of the game just looked covered. We lost our best receiver this yr to an injury so they will only get better. They are 100% better coached than they were.

Marshall is a very raw passer and with the little practice during the break was much better last night than in Nov. He and JJ pushing each other will be great.

[AU64 10,122]

Nick was harassed pretty well last night and many of his passes came when FSU knew a pass was in order...3rd and long. Overall, the passing game was good enough to burn FSU when they packed the line....and IMO, where we need real improvement is with the pass receivers. All year long we've seen dropped passes and the next AU WR who dives to make a catch will be the first one in more than a year. Then again, some..maybe most of our WRs are former QBs and perhaps the role is still new to them.

Other than Louis's catch against Ga...I can't think of more than a reception or two where anyone would say..."boy, can you believe that " because of some spectacular effort or grab by one of our guys. Most of the passes have to hit them right in the hands and even then, it's not a sure thing. Those big guys like Winston, Franklin and Manziel were throwing to can make a QB look pretty darned good.

Quan Bray has made a couple of real nice catches throughout the year. He never dove, I'll give you that but, if you don't think he's made a couple grabs then I think you are wrong.

Agree. Quan had a good year as well.

I wasn't singling out any particular player....lots of guys had catches....I was just noting that for the most part Nick had to hit them in the hands....rarely did any of our receivers out-fight a defender for a catch or do much more than catch the ball if it was thrown right to them. For the part also our receivers are undersized and though fast, still seem to have trouble beating their coverage. Good athletic kids but they need someone to make them more dangerous.

[doc4aday 1,887]

Will Jaylon Denson be back next year? I thought he was one of the best receivers on the team. Jeremy Johnson has all the skills to be as good, if not better than Winston. Winston will be gone after next season to the NFL. I just hope we can finish what was started last night and give Winston a full 4 quarters of misery when we meet him in the 2014 playoffs. Who knows, Nick could be unstoppable in 2014. The team motto for 2014 should be "Lets Finish what we started in 2013"

[war eagle6 0]

Will Jaylon Denson be back next year? I thought he was one of the best receivers on the team. Jeremy Johnson has all the skills to be as good, if not better than Winston. Winston will be gone after next season to the NFL. I just hope we can finish what was started last night and give Winston a full 4 quarters of misery when we meet him in the 2014 playoffs. Who knows, Nick could be unstoppable in 2014. The team motto for 2014 should be "Lets Finish what we started in 2013"

Unfinished Business!! ^^

[VAtiger12 112]

Will Jaylon Denson be back next year? I thought he was one of the best receivers on the team. Jeremy Johnson has all the skills to be as good, if not better than Winston. Winston will be gone after next season to the NFL. I just hope we can finish what was started last night and give Winston a full 4 quarters of misery when we meet him in the 2014 playoffs. Who knows, Nick could be unstoppable in 2014. The team motto for 2014 should be "Lets Finish what we started in 2013"

Jaylon Denson was one of our best blocking wide receivers also. Imagine how much better our running/screen game could have been all year.

[WarEagle1983 2,185]

Nick was harassed pretty well last night and many of his passes came when FSU knew a pass was in order...3rd and long. Overall, the passing game was good enough to burn FSU when they packed the line....and IMO, where we need real improvement is with the pass receivers. All year long we've seen dropped passes and the next AU WR who dives to make a catch will be the first one in more than a year. Then again, some..maybe most of our WRs are former QBs and perhaps the role is still new to them.

Other than Louis's catch against Ga...I can't think of more than a reception or two where anyone would say..."boy, can you believe that " because of some spectacular effort or grab by one of our guys. Most of the passes have to hit them right in the hands and even then, it's not a sure thing. Those big guys like Winston, Franklin and Manziel were throwing to can make a QB look pretty darned good.

Quan Bray has made a couple of real nice catches throughout the year. He never dove, I'll give you that but, if you don't think he's made a couple grabs then I think you are wrong.

Agree. Quan had a good year as well.

I wasn't singling out any particular player....lots of guys had catches....I was just noting that for the most part Nick had to hit them in the hands....rarely did any of our receivers out-fight a defender for a catch or do much more than catch the ball if it was thrown right to them. For the part also our receivers are undersized and though fast, still seem to have trouble beating their coverage. Good athletic kids but they need someone to make them more dangerous.

Oh i know you were not. I just forgot about Quan. He really have a good year in addition to Coates. I had forgot about him and wanted to acknowledge that. But i agree...our WRs have to learn how to fight for the ball rather than mostly waiting for it to come to them perfectly. Help the QB out. Marcus Davis had a good freshman year as well.

[WarEagle84 0]

Yup, with an offseason I think Nick can become an average passer. Hitting slants and easy intermediate throws consistently would have made this offense literally unstoppable. And an average passer is all we need to truly put this team on top. Obviously, it's pretty impossible to find a guy who has an elite arm and elite running ability. For instance, that play on the first drive Marshall under threw a wiiiiiiide open RIcardo Louis which would've been a sure TD. I think there are probably only 20 starting QBs in the entire FBS that miss that throw. Could Louis have caught it? Yes, but he's running full speed down the seam and has to stop and turn around. Yuck. But Marshall's running ability is so dangerous, and he's a cool customer, you can't take that away from him. He absolutely killed teams on the ground this year. I can't wait to see what he looks like after an offseason. I would also like to see him become a little smarter. His decision making is shaky sometimes -- which is toxic when you combine that with inconsistent accuracy.

Remember that this will be the first time in his collegiate coaching career that Gus has had the same QB 2 years in a row. I didn't pay attention to the details of his seasons elsewhere, but remember we started both 2010 and 2013 with a very different offense than we ended up with, because Gus was still learning the strengths of his players. With a returning QB with an offseason to sharpen his skills, he will go into next season knowing exactly what his offense will be capable of. It should be exciting to watch.

[berrytgr 0]

But i agree...our WRs have to learn how to fight for the ball rather than mostly waiting for it to come to them perfectly. Help the QB out.

I say this all the time too but I have started to temper my expectations some. I think it is far harder to do that we armchair coaches make it out to be. When I was watching the Bengals-Chargers game Sunday AJ Green made a similar mistake. He waited on a ball instead of attacking and fighting for it. The announcers said the same thing you just did. In case you did not know AJ has set the record for most receptions in the NFL in the first three years of a career... so he is tearing it up in the league. I bet all of our guys know they are supposed to attack the ball and fight for it but doing that in the heat of the moment must be harder than we think. The natural response is to wait for the ball with soft hands and just make the catch.

If a guy that has been in the league three years and is tearing it up still makes that mistake it make me wonder, what can DC do to teach it to our receivers? I don't know... just rambling at this point.

[VAtiger12 112]

The biggest adjustment that I think Gus needs to work on is how to run our offense when we have a lead. I think he starts to get a little too cute with his play-calling and we need to just keep the pressure on with our base sets.

Just an example, I thought the random wildcat set with CAP was one of those. It wasn't really a trick play, and it wasn't part of our regular offense, it was just kind of telegraphed that 'we are doing something different, but not really'. That drive ended up being a punt. We got cute a couple times against Georgia also in that infamous 4th quarter also.

[kd4au 1,145]

Defense!! Got to get better on D, that is just the bottom line. Jameis Winston should be in a ice bath somewhere as slow as he is. Our d should had folded him up on his qb runs. Guarantee u if that was michigan state's d, he would be soaking right now!But at the same time it would had been nice to get some obvious holding calls on fsu! All I know is its great to be an Auburn tiger, especially when AU was a 500-1 chance to win the ship at preseason, and a 400-1 to even make it, the future is indeed bright

The obvious holding by fsu but yet no flags by the refs really got to me.Big ten crew, wonder if they wanted to see the SEC streak end?

[berrytgr 0]

The obvious holding by fsu but yet no flags by the refs really got to me.Big ten crew, wonder if they wanted to see the SEC streak end?

I thought about that during the game and that missed call. EVERY other conference wanted to see the SEC streak end. I think the only fair crew we could have had would have been a NFL crew. That said they probably missed a few calls that could have gone against us too.

[AU64 10,122]

The obvious holding by fsu but yet no flags by the refs really got to me.Big ten crew, wonder if they wanted to see the SEC streak end?

I thought about that during the game and that missed call. EVERY other conference wanted to see the SEC streak end. I think the only fair crew we could have had would have been a NFL crew. That said they probably missed a few calls that could have gone against us too.

I think the word was out to "let 'em play"....and they missed calls on both sides...we "got away" with a face mask and a horse collar.... and FSU held with impunity and got worse as they got away with it. They had to call the Davis holding...it was pretty obvious and had an immediate affect on the game outcome.

Still, I was amazed the AU defense held FSU under control as well as they did with the refs basically taking a good part of our pass rush away. A few holding calls early-on against FSU and our DEs would have stopped Winston cold.JMO