What happened yesterday? Sunday persepctive.

[StatTiger 3,188]

During the last 448 Auburn games, the Tigers have led at halftime by at least 30 points on 30 occasions. It has occurred 6.7 percent of the time, so yesterday was indeed a treat.

Of the 30 games where Auburn led by more than 30 points at halftime, only seven of those games were conference opponents. Since 1981, it has occurred just 2.5 percent of the time in conference play.

Auburn led Ole Miss 35-3 at halftime, the identical halftime score of the Alabama-Ole Miss game, which included a defensive score for the Crimson Tide.

By halftime, Auburn had outgained the Rebels by 187-yards, while Alabama outgained Ole Miss by 167-yards at halftime.

Alabama closed out the deal more efficiently than Auburn, but that should be expected just because Alabama's has more talent on their depth chart than Auburn.

By the end of the third quarter, Auburn held a commanding 41-10 lead. The Rebels gained nearly 33 percent of their yardage and over 60 percent of their points during the final period when Auburn was playing backups on defense. If we learned anything from comparing the two games, it is Alabama has better talent and depth across the board. I think if we are honest, we already knew this to be the case before the season began. Coach Matt Luke said his team quit during the second-half of the Alabama game. During their week of preparation for Auburn, Luke reminded his team they had to learn to play two halves. No matter what happened against Auburn during the first half, they were not going to quit as they did against Alabama.

I will admit it is very tempting to focus on how Auburn finished the game rather than how they started with all hands on deck. Yes, the lack of production the second-half wasn't entertaining to watch. It revealed what subbing and shutting down the offense will do in conference play. Lesson learned.

If we return to how the first-half played out, it is clear the game plan on offense was sound and executed very well. The offensive personnel played with passion, building a lead that only occurs during 2.5 percent of Auburn's conference games. The defense stumbled coming off the line, giving up 107-yards during the first two possessions defended. They however closed out the first half with 97-yards allowed during the next five possessions. It was the best first half played this season. Can anyone really question whether or not this team was prepared to play against the Rebels?

Would it have been better for the team had the other running backs played sooner? Yes. Would it have been better to give Malik Willis more valuable reps on the field to provide him with more experience? Yes. Would it have been better had Chip Lindsey called a more creative second half? Yes. After defending 49 snaps during the first half, it was clear Auburn wanted to grind clock, knowing the game was safely in hand.

The way I see it today (Sunday)... the team I watched crush Ole Miss during the first half was pretty darn good. The second half performance tells me the coaches and players are still working towards improving, but it doesn't change the fact of how well the Tigers played when fully operational.

Now it is time to get ready for LSU in Death Valley. This Auburn team is far from perfect, but there is no doubt, they are a better team than six games into the 2016 season. During the last three games, Auburn has outscored the opponent 42-6 during the first quarter and 87-20 by halftime. If the team that opened up against Missouri, Mississippi State and Ole Miss, shows up in Baton Rouge, I like our chances for coming home with the victory.

War Eagle!

[AU64 10,122]

Thanks stat...I tend to judge the capabilities of the team based on what it does when playing at its best ....running the full offensive and defensive packages.

As you note, some people seem to judge the team's capabilities by play when it's obvious that the coaches are running the clock and playing the 2s and 3s .

I understand that some fans don't like the idea of just salting away a win with low risk play .....but that has nothing to do with what JS and the first offense can do and does not justify the criticism of the team and coaches just because they don't like the game strategy.  JMO

 

[OnthePlains 2,014]

I agree with everything Stat said.  Despite my being firmly in the skeptical of Gus crowd I am not and have not been critical of the 2nd half performance.  When the game mattered and was in doubt we won 35-3.  Most teams take their foot off a little with a big lead plus a natural letdown from the players.  I am critical of Gus's overall record at AU but there is no doubt this team has improved.  A road at LSU is tough no matter how good or bad LSU is perceived to be.  Bottom line is LSU has a ton of talent and is capable if we don't play well.  I would much rather folks be moaning about a poor second half performance in a blowout win than moaning about a close loss.  

[AUpreacherman22 3,885]

Great stats and analysis as always Stat!!!  

[TigerTennis80 345]

Love your analysis Stat. I particularly appreciate you pointing out that Bama's depth is still greater than ours. I'm hopeful that we're improving to the point where our primary rotation of players is right there with them. So, we have to stay healthy & keep getting better each week. May that be the case this week on the bayou! War Eagle!

[djg0017 726]

?? for health!

[JDUBB4AU 5,114]

56 minutes ago, djg0017 said:

?? for health!

This 

[corchjay 5,311]

To add to this and I’m not one to jump on a player but Stidham seemed to be the only player on the offensive side that checked out mentally which is understandable also.  He missed some key passes in 3rd down situations in the second half.  I wasn’t in the stadium but it also appeared the wind picked up a lot in the 2nd half which could be a contributing factor as many of Patterson’s throws looked like ducks and he’s a very solid thrower as well.

Edited October 8, 2017 by corchjay

[IronMan70 3,277]

Thanks Stat, good stuff.

[RunInRed 16,406]

Well said, sir.

[CountStandya 81]

Didn't Texas AM play ULCA this year....anyone recall that game?mmm

Funny how the backup position that needed the most reps and our current thinnest position is the one who got the least play

[jAUSon 2,836]

17 hours ago, AU64 said:

Thanks stat...I tend to judge the capabilities of the team based on what it does when playing at its best ....running the full offensive and defensive packages.

As you note, some people seem to judge the team's capabilities by play when it's obvious that the coaches are running the clock and playing the 2s and 3s .

I understand that some fans don't like the idea of just salting away a win with low risk play .....but that has nothing to do with what JS and the first offense can do and does not justify the criticism of the team and coaches just because they don't like the game strategy.  JMO

 

I didn't see a single person in here "judging the teams capabilities". I suspect it was our last chance until ULM to get our burnt redshirt some experience. We went from "rusty, not ready" week 1 to "we don't need practice" week 6? Anyway. Weekend is over. Team is definately truckin' right now. Nice read Stat. Let's go eat some corndogs.

[AUpreacherman22 3,885]

Someone posted this, which I thought was a good way of looking at this:

In the ole miss game, we saw our ceiling and our floor as a football team. 

Here’s to hoping we see a lot more of the upper part of the room.  

If we combine the wonderful info and analysis we get from @StatTiger and Coach @JMR, we have every opportunity to be “well-educated” fans.  I really appreciate what you guys bring to the table!!!

Edit:  not to discredit others who give some great insight, I was specifically referring to the weekly “report card”, “upon further review”, and “what I think I saw” posts. 

Edited October 9, 2017 by AUpreacherman22

[akillshot 294]

Stat,

I don't post much (32 posts since joining in 2010 ) but I thoroughly enjoy your data analysis of the games. Thanking you may be 10% of my total posts  WDE!

[AUFAN78 3,894]

12 hours ago, jAUSon said:

I didn't see a single person in here "judging the teams capabilities". I suspect it was our last chance until ULM to get our burnt redshirt some experience. We went from "rusty, not ready" week 1 to "we don't need practice" week 6? Anyway. Weekend is over. Team is definately truckin' right now. Nice read Stat. Let's go eat some corndogs.

Nice! Let's do it!

[aucanucktiger 1,791]

One of the most obvious execution improvements this game IMO was blocking by our wing players. For the most part it was technically sound and they HELD blocks (I mean within the rules) and didn't just shove & release. Glad to see it, a real headscratcher over the last few seasons when we've had ineffective blocking form some big strong receivers. 

[ToraGirl 5,498]

So helpful. Thank you, Stat, and prayers for health.

[doc4aday 1,887]

You have a way of making the complex sound simple of which is fantastic for arm chair coaches like me!  I hope we can get KP healthy enough to get into the game and add another dimension to KJ. Both backs 90% at the same time would be awesome. Get the other backs into the game early and often so that Lsu will not know what is hitting them until it is too late!