Things I Think I Saw (AU vs Miss State).....

[JMR 2,118]

Quick caveat as always: I watch the game once, and note a few of the things I think I saw. I don't go back and re-watch anything, so I may have missed something, or seen something wrong. With that out of the way, here are some things I think I saw in the Miss State game....

• The offensive line is finally starting to come together. Still nowhere near perfect, but for the second week in a row, I've seen notable improvement. This week's combination of Austin Golson at left tackle and Darius James at right tackle, with Casey Dunn at center, looked pretty good overall.
   
• Left guard Mike Horton looks to be getting comfortable with his assignments mentally. He is going to the right place and taking the correct path to get there; now he needs to start dominating once he arrives. It takes experience for an offensive lineman to understand the nuances of the position, like coming under control as you line up a block, then accelerating into the block so you have plenty of force to finish. Horton looks to me to be getting there.
   
• The combination blocks that AU has used since Malzahn was the OC there have been noticeably lacking this season, with no one scraping to the second level most of the time. Big improvement there this week, as Braden Smith made a couple of textbook combo blocks, and Casey Dunn executed a couple as well.
   
• Speaking of Casey Dunn, I have liked what I've seen from him in these last two games. He's not a dominating blocker, but he has good technique and sticks on his blocks better than most. He is also doing an excellent job of making the calls, especially the pass protection.
   
• I thought it was pretty obvious that Kerryon Johnson still is not 100% recovered from his hamstring injury. When he broke a big run early in the game, he had nowhere near the top-end speed he had before the injury. My understanding is that the hamstring problem will be with him for the rest of the season.
   
• Kamryn Pettway is also very limited, with both plantar fasciitis and ankles that are prone to strains and sprains. He doesn't appear to have the quickness he had last season before his quad injury. He also seems like he isn't "mentally" into the game, an example being when he ran the ball into heavy traffic this week carrying it in one hand, and fumbled. He's played enough running back, under enough good coaches, to know he needs two hands on the ball in those circumstances.
   
• DT Andrew Williams had a very strong game. The hands-to-the-face penalty he got was (IMO) just a case of a kid playing hard, trying to leverage the guy blocking him, and (although the correct call), not a malicious or selfish act. I continue to be impressed with the improvement Williams has made since his arrival at Auburn.
   
• Nick Coe is getting better every week. A very talented kid, who plays with great effort. Fun to watch, and even as a redshirt freshman, he is helping AU win football games. Following his assignment to the letter, he (along with Derrick Brown) was in perfect position to blow up State's attempt at a shovel pass, resulting in a key tackle for loss.
   
• Jeff Holland is an offensive lineman's nightmare as a pass rusher. He is big, fast, and quick. And he is relentless in going after the quarterback.
   
• I thought Jarrett Stidham continued to improve this week. I may be wrong, but I believe he has completed around 80% of his passes over the last three games. There are still things for Stidham to improve on, as he is occasionally not recognizing a potential blitz and adjusting the protection to offset that. And he can be more accurate on the wide receiver screens; when a receiver has to make anything other than a routine catch, the timing of the play is thrown off.
   
• On the underthrown deep ball Stidham threw on the reverse out of the Wildcat formation, that was an extremely difficult throw. Stidham was moving to his left, making it tough to put a lot on the ball for a right-hander. Not a bad throw at all under the circumstances.
   
• I enjoyed the replay of Will Hastings' long TD reception. Beautiful to watch a receiver skillfully turn a DB the wrong way before making his final cut.
   
• For the second week in a row, I was impressed with the blocking efforts of the wide receivers. Kyle Davis in particular showed a real effort to make blocks.
   
• I thought Chandler Cox had some key blocks on the edges. For some reason, he is attempting more cut blocks this season, and many of those end up being misses. But overall, I thought he was very effective, particularly in pass protection.
   
• State hurt the AU defense a couple of times when Auburn only rushed three. That's a little surprising, given the skill and aggressiveness of the Auburn secondary.
   
• Speaking of the secondary, when everybody is healthy back there, we have a really talented group. Stephen Roberts continues to play very well, both in run support and in coverage (a big improvement there for him from last year). Carlton Davis looked last night like we expected him to look last season.
   
• I am very impressed by the "ball skills" of the AU corners. Jamel Dean, Javaris Davis, and Carlton Davis all made plays with their hands that would have almost certainly been pass completions for State. I don't keep stats, but I believe Auburn had 12 pass breakups in last night's game. That's a fantastic number, and several of those balls were ripped right out of a receiver's hands.
   
• Seems like just a couple of years ago when we were all complaining about the pursuit angles of our defense. I was reminded of that as I watched one player after another take a great angle last night. There is some big-time coaching going on with the Auburn defense.
   
• I thought the one sack given up by Auburn last night was pretty much a coverage sack. There was no one open, things got congested, and there was nowhere for Stidham to go. He did throw the ball away once when he had failed to recognize a blitz situation on the backside.
   
• Loved the downhill attacking style of linebackers Deshaun Davis and Darrell Williams. Some highlight blows struck by those two. Conversely, when State finally got a TD, both Davis and Williams over-committed to stopping Fitzgerald's running, leaving absolutely no one in the vicinity of the throwback to the tight end.
   
• The Daniel Thomas tackle on State's fake punt was a terrific play. Disappointing that AU couldn't make points out of that situation, but at least opponents will think carefully about faking punts or kicks.
   
• Two weeks in a row now I've been impressed with the tackling done by Jeremiah Dinson. He's made some dynamite plays vs the run these past two weeks, not bad for a kid who at one time looked like he might never be healthy enough to play again.
   
• Kudos to Chip Lindsey for the call when Stidham threw out of his own end zone to Eli Stove in the third quarter. There is nothing as demoralizing to a defense as having the opponent backed up inside their own one-yard line and having them hit a big play on a play-action pass. Kudos to the offensive line on that play as well.
   
• I haven't seen any stats from the game yet, but it looked like little Aidan Marshall did a decent job punting. Let me tell you, standing back there waiting for the snap is a pretty scary experience. I thought the kid handled it pretty well.

 

All in all, I thought AU continued along the improvement path this week. There's still lots of room for improvement, but for the second consecutive week, I feel like we made steps forward. Keep in mind when you're mulling that around, lots of players are getting valuable experience, particularly on defense. There is no substitute for that experience, and it's critical in building quality depth.

Let's hope everyone can get healthy this week, and we can continue to get better game by game. No question in my mind we've done that the past two weeks.

WAR EAGLE!!

[WFE12 9,191]

20 minutes ago, JMR said:

Seems like just a couple of years ago when we were all complaining about the pursuit angles of our defense. I was reminded of that as I watched one player after another take a great angle last night. There is some big-time coaching going on with the Auburn defense.

Yes thank you Steele and Brown for keying in on this! A major irritant in the past.

[selias 2,398]

39 minutes ago, JMR said:

On the underthrown deep ball Stidham threw on the reverse out of the Wildcat formation, that was an extremely difficult throw. Stidham was moving to his left, making it tough to put a lot on the ball for a right-hander. Not a bad throw at all under the circumstances.

I remember thinking during the game that if the play was reversed, it would've been a TD because Stidham would have been able to get his feet under him and drive into the throw. I'm not a coach of any sort so I didn't say anything at the time

[Gowebb11 9,305]

Regarding KP, it is obvious he hasn't been completely  there physically all season. Now he is showing that he is not where he needs to be mentally. I wish the best for him. It is obviously time to get MM and DB ready for the stretch. Both look very effective  and capable of contributing.  DBs burst is especially impressive. I hope we start giving them more reps each week. We will need them in November. WDE!?

[WDG 109]

#33 brings this old man to remember #88

[AidiAU 1,270]

Interesting your view on Kyle Davis and blocking. He's my crush so clEarly I'm a fan, but I thought he wasn't blocking well as our WR were stopped a few times. 

Disclaimer: I'm like the furthest thing from a football coach so your comment makes me feel better. 

[creed 1,629]

I've been keyed in on the dbs the last few games and their technique in coverage and tackling are awesome. Great job by coach Brown and every top cornerback and safety recruit should take notice.

[fredst 9,064]

Really look forward to your posts after each game- thanks coach! What are your thoughts about our intermediate passing game, which still seems to be lacking? Is stuff there to be had that we're missing/not trying to exploit or are we just taking what IS available. I'm just thinking really good defenses (read: UGA and Bama) are gonna be tough to pull off the stuff that's working against the Mizzous and MSUs of the world. I'll hang up and listen....

[JMR 2,118]

22 minutes ago, fredst said:

Really look forward to your posts after each game- thanks coach! What are your thoughts about our intermediate passing game, which still seems to be lacking? Is stuff there to be had that we're missing/not trying to exploit or are we just taking what IS available. I'm just thinking really good defenses (read: UGA and Bama) are gonna be tough to pull off the stuff that's working against the Mizzous and MSUs of the world. I'll hang up and listen....

Good question, Fred. I think the success we are now having with the deep ball will lead to openings underneath the safeties and behind the linebackers. Will be interesting to see how that plays out. FWIW, Lindsey has had a pretty stout intermediate game everywhere he's been. 

[au_bsci_04 407]

I said in the off-season that our best OL combo would include CD at C, not bc he is better at that position than AG, but bc AG was more valuable at other positions. I'm glad to see Dunn taking over that C position bc I think that move has helped tremendously with our OL play.

[bigbird 60,368]

@JMR, with our zone run blocking, there have been some nice cut back lanes that have opened up that we are either not seeing or not able to get to. With KP and KJ not 100%, why do you think we aren't utilizing our other backs that are healthier and seem to be better cut back runners?

[JMR 2,118]

1 minute ago, bigbird said:

@JMR, with our zone run blocking, there have been some nice cut back lanes that have opened up that we are either not seeing or not able to get to. With KP and KJ not 100%, why do you think we aren't utilizing our other backs that are healthier and seem to be better cut back runners?

Coach, you know the answer as well as I do. ?

[bigbird 60,368]

Just now, JMR said:

Coach, you know the answer as well as I do. ?

Just seeing if you thought the same. Glad we think alike

[AU64 10,122]

19 minutes ago, bigbird said:

Just seeing if you thought the same. Glad we think alike

Anything you want to share ? ?

[fredst 9,064]

25 minutes ago, bigbird said:

@JMR, with our zone run blocking, there have been some nice cut back lanes that have opened up that we are either not seeing or not able to get to. With KP and KJ not 100%, why do you think we aren't utilizing our other backs that are healthier and seem to be better cut back runners?

This was painfully obvious from up in the end zone last p.m.- big holes that just can't be effectively exploited. Would love to hear why you two think KM and MM aren't being utilized more?....

[selias 2,398]

28 minutes ago, bigbird said:

@JMR, with our zone run blocking, there have been some nice cut back lanes that have opened up that we are either not seeing or not able to get to. With KP and KJ not 100%, why do you think we aren't utilizing our other backs that are healthier and seem to be better cut back runners?

I've never coached but I think even I could answer that

[RunInRed 16,357]

Had very similar thoughts about Andrew Williams as I was watching the game.

 

[jwilco 5]

I'm thinking it might have a little something to do with coaches' decision making. Do you notice many other teams, college of NFL, just sticking with one back every game? Not to mention one that isn't 100%. Seems like they might benefit from a few less carries, and the young ones might just benefit from the experience. Maybe I'm just crazy.

[tigerman1186 537]

I wonder if B. Cowart wished he would have not quit....would have played a lot of plays...

[PowerOfDixieland 3,225]

I saw quite possibly the worst officiating crew in the SEC in a long time.  Those guys were throwing flags and waving them off like I've never seen.

Jeff Holland has OT's spooked, was the cause of 5 or 6 false starts.

Offensive line absolutely stonewalled MSU's defensive front on Stidham's long throw from our end zone.  He had all the time to wait on the receiver...almost waited too long to get it there.

[johnnyAU 3,630]

Just now, PowerOfDixieland said:

Offensive line absolutely stonewalled MSU's defensive front on Stidham's long throw from our end zone.  He had all the time to wait on the receiver...almost waited too long to get it there

You have to admit it was a beautiful throw, right on the money as was the one to Davis.

[kd4au 1,145]

4 hours ago, selias said:

I remember thinking during the game that if the play was reversed, it would've been a TD because Stidham would have been able to get his feet under him and drive into the throw. I'm not a coach of any sort so I didn't say anything at the time

The TV guys said he threw it 60 yards into a strong wind.

[fredst 9,064]

6 minutes ago, kd4au said:

The TV guys said he threw it 60 yards into a strong wind.

That was a stiff breeze those throws to Slayton and Stove went to- otherwise those were both looonnnggg TDs. Stidham has the arm, that is not a ? at this point.

[WVR 818]

“I enjoyed the replay of Will Hastings' long TD reception. Beautiful to watch a receiver skillfully turn a DB the wrong way before making his final cut.”

 

This was a thing of beauty to watch in person. 

As always Coach, enjoy reading your observations.

 

Edited October 2, 2017 by WVR

[wdefromtx 3,159]

2 hours ago, johnnyAU said:

You have to admit it was a beautiful throw, right on the money as was the one to Davis.

The play by play commentary on the radio was great....he was like "he's going to throw it from the end zone," but his tone of his voice was pure disbelief. 

That was a Chip Lindsey call all the way, because Gus wouldn't ever think about slinging it in that situation. It would have be a run up the middle for a 2 yard gain. 

 

Edited October 2, 2017 by wdefromtx