Jump to content

Opponent Preview: Washington


WFE12

Recommended Posts

AUBURN vs WASHINGTON - SEPTEMBER 1 - ATLANTA, GA - MERCEDES-BENZ STADIUM

Jack Condon

Let’s just say it — the Pac-12 was not good last year. Of the eight teams that reached a bowl game, only one came away with a victory (Utah over West Virginia). Conference champion USC got trounced by Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl, but there was one more team that reached a New Year’s Six bowl game — the Washington Huskies.

Washington lost to Penn State in the Fiesta Bowl, 35-28, to end the season at 10-3 overall, after going 7-2 in conference play. The Huskies lost some big playmakers, but they’ll return the core of a solid group, and they’ll have an immediate measuring stick game when they head all the way to Atlanta for the opener with Auburn on September 1st.

In 2017, the Huskies ran out to a 6-0 mark and a #6 ranking in the polls, but it was a total mirage at the midway point of the season. The non-conference opponents were Rutgers, Montana, and Fresno State, and the three Pac-12 games came against the three worst teams in the league. Washington lost its seventh game of the year at Arizona State in an inexplicable offensive failure, scoring just one touchdown in Tempe.

After that, the Huskies rolled Oregon and UCLA before falling at Stanford in the game that would ultimately decide the North Division champion. They’d finish strong with two wins over Utah and #14 Washington State before earning a bid to the Fiesta Bowl.

Here’s the statistical book on Washington from 2017:

  • TOTAL OFFENSE: 405.5 YPG (58TH)
  • PASSING OFFENSE: 222.2 YPG (72ND)
  • RUSHING OFFENSE: 183.2 YPG (44TH)
  • TOTAL DEFENSE: 298.8 YPG (8TH)
  • PASSING DEFENSE: 197.2 YPG (32ND)
  • RUSHING DEFENSE: 101.7 YPG (4TH)

It’s pretty evident that the Huskies aren’t going to be a total pushover on defense, boasting one of 2017’s best units overall. Things faltered a little bit down the stretch, after the Huskies didn’t allow more than 16 points through the first seven games of the year. In losses to Stanford and Penn State, Washington allowed 30 and 35 points respectively, and the defense was gashed in both regards. PSU rolled up 545 yards of offense, ran for 5.3 yards per carry, and converted 25 first downs. Stanford pounded out an efficient ground attack for nearly 200 yards and three touchdowns. The point is, Washington can be beat, and their defensive rankings may very well have been somewhat inflated by an easy early schedule.

Now, that’s not to say that this is going to be easy. Let’s remember that Washington’s going to be led by one of the top quarterbacks in the college game.

Jake Browning earned Honorable Mention All Pac-12 last season after winning the Offensive Player of the Year award in 2016. He ranked 15th in the country in passer rating (Jarrett Stidham was 18th), and is a versatile quarterback that’s perfect for the college game. He might not have the size or arm strength to make it as a long time NFL pro, but he’s a huge threat in the backfield for a college offense.

Browning will begin his senior season after choosing to stay in school, just like his backfield counterpart.

Does that look a little familiar? A little Wildcat action with the tailback going the distance? Maybe Auburn and Washington aren’t that dissimilar after all. With Browning losing receiver Dante Pettis to the draft, it may take some time for him to find a go-to guy on the perimeter. That acclimation period’s probably not applicable to Myles Gaskin, who returns after a 1380-yard, 21-touchdown season a year ago. He averaged 6.2 yards per carry. He’s good.

Speaking of the wideouts, Washington has had a very solid tradition with John Rossand Dante Pettis both getting drafted over the last two years. Early on, Browning will have to find a guy that he’s comfortable with, as Pettis’ departure leaves 63 catches and seven touchdowns on the table.

After Pettis, the Huskies got a good chunk of production from freshman tight end Hunter Bryant (22 grabs, 331 yards, 1 touchdown), and rising junior Aaron Fuller will have to play a much more highlighted role as a receiver after a season in which he caught 26 passes for 291 yards. There are a couple of highly-touted freshmen coming in like Marquis Spiker, but it’s a lot to ask for them to be super productive in a cross-country game to open the season.

For the backfield talent that Washington’s got, they’ll have to make sure the offensive line is set. Gone are All-Pac 12 First Team selection Coleman Shelton, who started every game at center, and left tackle/guard Andrew Kirkland, who became the regular starter on the interior during the last half of the season.

On the outside, Kaleb McGary returns to man the right tackle spot after an All-Pac 12 First Team season in 2017, but on the other end, Luke Wattenberg comes back with plenty of room to grow.

Flipping things around, the Huskies lost some of the meat in the middle of their defensive front seven.

Goodbye, Vita Vea. The mammoth defensive tackle won the 2017 Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year award and was honored with a 2nd-Team All-American nod as well. But he’s gone, and in his place will likely be Jared Pulu, who played sparingly in 2017. It’s going to be a spot that Auburn will almost certainly look to attack. Across the rest of the 3-4 front it’ll be Greg Gaines (6’2, 322 lbs, 2nd-Team All Pac-12) and Jaylen Johnson(6’3, 298 lbs) helping to stem the Tiger running game.

Washington will have some work to do in the middle behind the line, where both starting inside linebackers from 2017 got drafted earlier this week. Azeem Victor and Kieshawn Bierria were both chosen in the sixth round on Saturday, and so the Huskies need to find someone to replace not just the production of the two redshirt seniors, but their leadership as well.

Austin Joyner and Myles Bryant (2017 Honorable Mention All Pac-12) man the corners, with JoJo McIntosh coming back off a 2nd-Team All Pac-12 season at one safety spot, and Taylor Rapp watching over the top after a 1st-Team All Pac-12 campaign a year ago. Washington’s pass defense will be nothing short of very good, and that’ll be interesting to see how Auburn fares with Jarrett Stidham likely needing to shoulder more of the load early on in the season.

What should happen here is that we’re going to see a strength on strength type of game. Auburn’s front seven should be one of the best in the country, and should be able to contain Washington’s ground game. On the other hand, Washington’s pass defense boasts multiple all-conference selections, with the Tigers likely leaning on Stidham and the returning corps of receivers until a running back is established.

This could be the type of game that’ll catapult whoever wins to a very good season, but that especially rings true for Auburn. Should the Tigers win, they’ll have four straight home games before the first true road game at Mississippi State. That kind of schedule can build momentum and allow for a team that has some definite wrinkles to iron those out and gel.

We’ll hear the perspective from the Washington guys later on this week. War Eagle!

Link to comment
Share on other sites





I honestly wouldn't be too worried for this game if it weren't the opener...we're not a great week 1 team

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, Zeek said:

I honestly wouldn't be too worried for this game if it weren't the opener...we're not a great week 1 team

I'm not picking on you, Zeek. So this is not personal.

 

I don't understand how ANY Auburn fan can EVER say that they aren't worried about a single game on our schedule. We're so inconsistent, every year and every week. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 hours ago, WFE12 said:

AUBURN vs WASHINGTON - SEPTEMBER 1 - ATLANTA, GA - MERCEDES-BENZ STADIUM

Jack Condon

Let’s just say it — the Pac-12 was not good last year. Of the eight teams that reached a bowl game, only one came away with a victory (Utah over West Virginia). Conference champion USC got trounced by Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl, but there was one more team that reached a New Year’s Six bowl game — the Washington Huskies.

Washington lost to Penn State in the Fiesta Bowl, 35-28, to end the season at 10-3 overall, after going 7-2 in conference play. The Huskies lost some big playmakers, but they’ll return the core of a solid group, and they’ll have an immediate measuring stick game when they head all the way to Atlanta for the opener with Auburn on September 1st.

In 2017, the Huskies ran out to a 6-0 mark and a #6 ranking in the polls, but it was a total mirage at the midway point of the season. The non-conference opponents were Rutgers, Montana, and Fresno State, and the three Pac-12 games came against the three worst teams in the league. Washington lost its seventh game of the year at Arizona State in an inexplicable offensive failure, scoring just one touchdown in Tempe.

After that, the Huskies rolled Oregon and UCLA before falling at Stanford in the game that would ultimately decide the North Division champion. They’d finish strong with two wins over Utah and #14 Washington State before earning a bid to the Fiesta Bowl.

Here’s the statistical book on Washington from 2017:

  • TOTAL OFFENSE: 405.5 YPG (58TH)
  • PASSING OFFENSE: 222.2 YPG (72ND)
  • RUSHING OFFENSE: 183.2 YPG (44TH)
  • TOTAL DEFENSE: 298.8 YPG (8TH)
  • PASSING DEFENSE: 197.2 YPG (32ND)
  • RUSHING DEFENSE: 101.7 YPG (4TH)

It’s pretty evident that the Huskies aren’t going to be a total pushover on defense, boasting one of 2017’s best units overall. Things faltered a little bit down the stretch, after the Huskies didn’t allow more than 16 points through the first seven games of the year. In losses to Stanford and Penn State, Washington allowed 30 and 35 points respectively, and the defense was gashed in both regards. PSU rolled up 545 yards of offense, ran for 5.3 yards per carry, and converted 25 first downs. Stanford pounded out an efficient ground attack for nearly 200 yards and three touchdowns. The point is, Washington can be beat, and their defensive rankings may very well have been somewhat inflated by an easy early schedule.

Now, that’s not to say that this is going to be easy. Let’s remember that Washington’s going to be led by one of the top quarterbacks in the college game.

Jake Browning earned Honorable Mention All Pac-12 last season after winning the Offensive Player of the Year award in 2016. He ranked 15th in the country in passer rating (Jarrett Stidham was 18th), and is a versatile quarterback that’s perfect for the college game. He might not have the size or arm strength to make it as a long time NFL pro, but he’s a huge threat in the backfield for a college offense.

Browning will begin his senior season after choosing to stay in school, just like his backfield counterpart.

Does that look a little familiar? A little Wildcat action with the tailback going the distance? Maybe Auburn and Washington aren’t that dissimilar after all. With Browning losing receiver Dante Pettis to the draft, it may take some time for him to find a go-to guy on the perimeter. That acclimation period’s probably not applicable to Myles Gaskin, who returns after a 1380-yard, 21-touchdown season a year ago. He averaged 6.2 yards per carry. He’s good.

Speaking of the wideouts, Washington has had a very solid tradition with John Rossand Dante Pettis both getting drafted over the last two years. Early on, Browning will have to find a guy that he’s comfortable with, as Pettis’ departure leaves 63 catches and seven touchdowns on the table.

After Pettis, the Huskies got a good chunk of production from freshman tight end Hunter Bryant (22 grabs, 331 yards, 1 touchdown), and rising junior Aaron Fuller will have to play a much more highlighted role as a receiver after a season in which he caught 26 passes for 291 yards. There are a couple of highly-touted freshmen coming in like Marquis Spiker, but it’s a lot to ask for them to be super productive in a cross-country game to open the season.

For the backfield talent that Washington’s got, they’ll have to make sure the offensive line is set. Gone are All-Pac 12 First Team selection Coleman Shelton, who started every game at center, and left tackle/guard Andrew Kirkland, who became the regular starter on the interior during the last half of the season.

On the outside, Kaleb McGary returns to man the right tackle spot after an All-Pac 12 First Team season in 2017, but on the other end, Luke Wattenberg comes back with plenty of room to grow.

Flipping things around, the Huskies lost some of the meat in the middle of their defensive front seven.

Goodbye, Vita Vea. The mammoth defensive tackle won the 2017 Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year award and was honored with a 2nd-Team All-American nod as well. But he’s gone, and in his place will likely be Jared Pulu, who played sparingly in 2017. It’s going to be a spot that Auburn will almost certainly look to attack. Across the rest of the 3-4 front it’ll be Greg Gaines (6’2, 322 lbs, 2nd-Team All Pac-12) and Jaylen Johnson(6’3, 298 lbs) helping to stem the Tiger running game.

Washington will have some work to do in the middle behind the line, where both starting inside linebackers from 2017 got drafted earlier this week. Azeem Victor and Kieshawn Bierria were both chosen in the sixth round on Saturday, and so the Huskies need to find someone to replace not just the production of the two redshirt seniors, but their leadership as well.

Austin Joyner and Myles Bryant (2017 Honorable Mention All Pac-12) man the corners, with JoJo McIntosh coming back off a 2nd-Team All Pac-12 season at one safety spot, and Taylor Rapp watching over the top after a 1st-Team All Pac-12 campaign a year ago. Washington’s pass defense will be nothing short of very good, and that’ll be interesting to see how Auburn fares with Jarrett Stidham likely needing to shoulder more of the load early on in the season.

What should happen here is that we’re going to see a strength on strength type of game. Auburn’s front seven should be one of the best in the country, and should be able to contain Washington’s ground game. On the other hand, Washington’s pass defense boasts multiple all-conference selections, with the Tigers likely leaning on Stidham and the returning corps of receivers until a running back is established.

This could be the type of game that’ll catapult whoever wins to a very good season, but that especially rings true for Auburn. Should the Tigers win, they’ll have four straight home games before the first true road game at Mississippi State. That kind of schedule can build momentum and allow for a team that has some definite wrinkles to iron those out and gel.

We’ll hear the perspective from the Washington guys later on this week. War Eagle!

Thank you for this. I think I will get the ”what are they saying thread” rolling in about a month or so haha

Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 hours ago, Zeek said:

I honestly wouldn't be too worried for this game if it weren't the opener...we're not a great week 1 team

Well, they are a favorite to win their conference...we should be a little worried regardless.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It is so hard to predict how good a team will be from year to year. Every team loses some really good players every year and often we see so little of the backups we have no idea if there will be a big drop off, same level or an improvement. It would have been easy to predict Auburn's D-line would have been weaker during the last season when you look at the top two D-linemen going to the Pro's. I think the D-Line was better. this year. We thought we had stud RB in KP and that KJ  could spell him some KJ was the stud.

We have no idea what our O-line will be like same for Washington's as key players in both are gone. Their D-Line was statistically strong last year but not against strong running teams and they lost their key big man in the middle they lost two stud LB's so if our O can run block we should be able to run on them. At this time of the year it is all about if's and but's.

After reading the Post I do believe we will be able to run on them which is something Grimes is supposedly very good at teaching. There were times in the A-Day game where the O decided not to try and be cute and just jam the ball down D's throat that showed me we can run with this O-Line  I still am not sure how well they will protect our QB.  This would also be a great game to hit TE's and RB's as they will have new LB's, the problem is that hasn't been in our game plan in a long time.

A lot of people are saying Auburn will be real good this year, I need to see how the O-line develops before I can say that but I do believe we will beat Washington because I think we just have more talent across the board their strength is their QB and we at least match them there. I think our D-Line will be dominant against Washington as D usually is stronger than O at beginning of season.  I think we win with D and a running game and I actually think we will see a mixture of RB's in this game.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

AU wins this one on pure talent & strength.  We will man handle 'em on the dline and run the ball at will on these guys.  As long as CGM doesn't get too cute with the offensive game plan, we'll be fine.  There's no point in pulling any tricks on offense, just man up and play strong SEC ball.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Not to say that Washington isn't a good team, but there is something pretty big to consider about them... the PAC 12 SUCKED last year. All but 4 teams in the conference had 7 or fewer wins and Washington didn't play the top team (11 win USC) and lost to one of the 9 win teams (Stanford).  On top of that, their non-conference slate was Rutgers, Montana, and Fresno State. What that tells me is that their numbers could easily be inflated by the fact that they played an extremely weak schedule.  Auburn on the other hand played in the toughest conference in the country including facing 2 #1s in a row and the defending National Champions in non-conference, all of whom ended up in the playoffs.

TOTAL OFFENSE: 405.5 YPG (58TH)          AUBURN 451.6 YPG (26TH) - Difference 46.1 YPG
PASSING OFFENSE: 222.2 YPG (72ND)     AUBURN 233.4 YPG (65TH) - Difference 11.2 YPG
RUSHING OFFENSE: 183.2 YPG (44TH)    AUBURN 218.3 YPG (26TH) - Difference 35.1 YPG
SCORING OFFENSE: 36.2 PPG (17TH)      AUBURN 33.9 PPG (27TH)    - Difference 2.3 PPG

TOTAL DEFENSE: 298.8 YPG (8TH)           AUBURN 319.4 YPG (14TH) Difference 20.6 YPG
PASSING DEFENSE: 197.2 YPG (32ND)     AUBURN 182.4 YPG (18TH) - Difference 14.8 YPG
RUSHING DEFENSE: 101.7 YPG (4TH)      AUBURN 137.0 YPG (35TH) Difference 35.3 YPG
SCORING DEFENSE: 16.1 PPG (5TH)       
 AUBURN 18.5 PPG (12TH)    - Difference 2.4 PPG

So, against much tougher defenses, we out rushed them and out passed them, and they only out scored us by less than a field goal. Against arguably tougher offenses (especially rushing), we held our own. We bested them in passing defense and while they were better in total and rushing, the numbers are a wash when compared to offensive production.  The only thing they have is in is scoring, and again, it's less than a field goal... something we excel at :) 

Yes, there will be 2 different teams on the field thanks to personnel changes, but on paper, we should be the better team.
 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, lionheartkc said:

Yes, there will be 2 different teams on the field thanks to personnel changes, but on paper, we should be the better team.

Yes we should, but don't be surprised if our left tackle gets the direct snap on 3rd and 1

Link to comment
Share on other sites

6 minutes ago, CullmanTiger said:

Yes we should, but don't be surprised if our left tackle gets the direct snap on 3rd and 1

People really need to get past the disaster that was the 2016 Clemson game. I would lay serious money down that we will never see anything like that again.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We will win by two possessions, but per our tradition with CGM, it won't be overly pretty. Not a bash on the coach, but generally the offense doesn't click for about a month. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 hours ago, lionheartkc said:

People really need to get past the disaster that was the 2016 Clemson game. I would lay serious money down that we will never see anything like that again.

Maybe so, but 2017 had way more than it's share of Bizarro World Superman moments too.

Until we can get through a season without complete headscratchers (not just bad games, but WTF games) then very few of us are gonna be "all in" and "we're gonna dominate cuz we're Auburn" types.

There's no need in the total foul mood doomsday feelings a handful on this board have but Gus has given us no reason to blindly follow him into a wood chipper either.

As for me, I have no grasp of this game at all.  We'll see what we see and then MAYBE be able to make up our minds.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 minutes ago, AUsince72 said:

Maybe so, but 2017 had way more than it's share of Bizarro World Superman moments too.

Until we can get through a season without complete headscratchers (not just bad games, but WTF games) then very few of us are gonna be "all in" and "we're gonna dominate cuz we're Auburn" types.

There's no need in the total foul mood doomsday feelings a handful on this board have but Gus has given us no reason to blindly follow him into a wood chipper either.

As for me, I have no grasp of this game at all.  We'll see what we see and then MAYBE be able to make up our minds.

I have so everyone else might as well....Get used to there being at least two WTF games a year. Whether we still end up winning those WTF games we'll see but I'm 100% sure there will be times like those. Players will need to overcome it. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 minutes ago, WFE12 said:

I have so everyone else might as well....Get used to there being at least two WTF games a year. Whether we still end up winning those WTF games we'll see but I'm 100% sure there will be times like those. Players will need to overcome it. 

Yup... everyone has off days in all levels of all sports. Remember when the Carolina Panthers dominated the NFL and then laid the biggest egg ever in the Superbowl?

In any case, none of the WTF games are even in the same zip code as the 2016 Clemson game. That's an anomaly that people just love bringing up when they want to put the team/staff down.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

7 minutes ago, lionheartkc said:

Yup... everyone has off days in all levels of all sports. Remember when the Carolina Panthers dominated the NFL and then laid the biggest egg ever in the Superbowl?

In any case, none of the WTF games are even in the same zip code as the 2016 Clemson game. That's an anomaly that people just love bringing up when they want to put the team/staff down.

Yes this is true...all teams have off days there's no arguing against that. I'm not saying to expect anything like the 2016 clemson game every year but we will have a game with very questionable play calls that can be questioned by casual fans. I will end it there before this conversation turns into you know what.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

A lot of people say that we will have to rely on Stidham because of the rb situation. As long as the o-line is prepared I say that Whitlow will have a coming out party against Washington.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just to clarify, I'm not referring to some bad plays, or bad series....or even not playing their best game.  I'm talking about record setting sack performances (on the wrong end -Clem), complete turtle shell shutdowns (LSU), mind blowing decisions to play your broken RB using the same exact game plan 3 weeks after (Ga 2.0).

These may not quite be Whirlybirds but they don't allow me to blindly say "we gonna win!"

With that said it's a new season and I'm giving them a chance....as always.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

29 minutes ago, lionheartkc said:

Yup... everyone has off days in all levels of all sports. Remember when the Carolina Panthers dominated the NFL and then laid the biggest egg ever in the Superbowl?

In any case, none of the WTF games are even in the same zip code as the 2016 Clemson game. That's an anomaly that people just love bringing up when they want to put the team/staff down.

It's justified even till this day - that mess was idiotic.  I've watched games where we've swapped QB's after every snap that IMO were just as idiotic too. 

I feel comfortable knowing that the boneheaded play calling should cease now, it's just not needed any longer.  We have depth and a seasoned QB, WRs, Oline coach, and OC - just man up and play ball without the foolery crap & tricks.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

So I hope there are no excuses if we lose this game with the consensus being we should win on pure talent. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

So , thanks again for this wonderful thread. Here are a few key things that really have me unsettled , yet excited about this match up.

I characterized what I see now as the optimistic off-season phase. This is great. A sense of school pride, which you see on most boards at this point. Arkansas thinks they will win 9 games (including their bowl game), UF believes they will win the SEC East,  UGA believes they will win a NC, etc, etc. Not knocking it, a sense of pride is good, however, I often feel in this state of mind, objectivity is fairly diluted. 

Now just a few of my thoughts: you are more than welcome to disagree.

1. JS - where is he at mentally? For us to go far, he will have to be the best player out there. Not just another blue chipper. There will be blue chippers all over the field. He has to be the difference maker next year. Will he? I have no clue. I saw a glimmer of it in the Alabama game last year, but pre and post that I didn't. We already know he has the physical acumen to make all the throws but again, it will take more than that.

2. The offensive line - Do not go in there expecting Grimes to get in here and sprinkle pixie dust on these boys, having them resembling the Nebraska Huskers line of the 90s. These guys are talented, yet inexperienced. I expect Coach Peterson to throw a lot at them to cause confusion and it will work at times. There are going to be some growing pains.

3. The running game - I know some of you guys can't wait to say how right you are when Kam gets stuffed at the line, but let me go right on the record and say it probably will happen a bunch in this first game. I do not expect the run game to will us to victory in this game. Again, a lot of talent but new faces. They will have to get used to the speed and the mentality of playing in a game of this magnitude. Also, the coaches need to figure out what they have, so I expect there will be some rotation until they find someone who settles in.

4. Coaching - This is for both sides. I can already see our fans getting lulled into that trap that talent alone will win you games. It can against the Arkansas of the world, but against teams with quality players that will not be new enough. Coaching will be huge this game and no I am not just talking Xs and Os.

How we handle adversity mentally will be the difference because rest assure there will be some adversity. You can have the best game plan available, but if you are also playing against a team with their best game plan, crap happens. Do not overlook this team because they have less talent or they play in a conference we consider lower than us. They have a coach who lives for these type of games. He has been able to lead his perspective teams in the past to victory in these type of games with far less talent. 

Also, be ready to be frustrated or not. We will try to establish the running game. This has been Gus’s MO for a while now. He wants to be a physical, downhill run team and that means at times calling plays to set things up in the future. It is what it is. Expect a good portion of run plays.

5. Defense - This will be our saving grace. I believe we will have one of the best in the nation and they will wreak havoc. With that being said, I expect Gus to lean on them in this game. I don't see him playing Russian Roulette because of this. The goal is to get a victory without doing too many boneheaded things and a great way to go about this is to know what you have and don't have. I feel like we know we will have a great defense and that will be the deciding factor.

Conclusion: To me, this game is a flip of the coin. I would be presently surprised if this team goes Blitzkrieg on UW like Penn State did last year early in their bowl game (remember, UW still fought to make that a one-possession game). We will be the favorite and essentially have home-field advantage. UW will come in with a chip on their shoulder and I expect both teams to be pressing early with mistakes to be had. I just can't get a feel for this game with so many unknowns, but I will say, I won't overlook the impact of Chris in games like this. I am hoping and cheering for an Auburn victory.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

32 minutes ago, DAG said:

So , thanks again for this wonderful thread. Here are a few key things that really have me unsettled , yet excited about this match up.

I characterized what I see now as the optimistic off-season phase. This is great. A sense of school pride, which you see on most boards at this point. Arkansas thinks they will win 9 games (including their bowl game), UF believes they will win the SEC East,  UGA believes they will win a NC, etc, etc. Not knocking it, a sense of pride is good, however, I often feel in this state of mind, objectivity is fairly diluted. 

Now just a few of my thoughts: you are more than welcome to disagree.

1. JS - where is he at mentally? For us to go far, he will have to be the best player out there. Not just another blue chipper. There will be blue chippers all over the field. He has to be the difference maker next year. Will he? I have no clue. I saw a glimmer of it in the Alabama game last year, but pre and post that I didn't. We already know he has the physical acumen to make all the throws but again, it will take more than that.

2. The offensive line - Do not go in there expecting Grimes to get in here and sprinkle pixie dust on these boys, having them resembling the Nebraska Huskers line of the 90s. These guys are talented, yet inexperienced. I expect Coach Peterson to throw a lot at them to cause confusion and it will work at times. There are going to be some growing pains.

3. The running game - I know some of you guys can't wait to say how right you are when Kam gets stuffed at the line, but let me go right on the record and say it probably will happen a bunch in this first game. I do not expect the run game to will us to victory in this game. Again, a lot of talent but new faces. They will have to get used to the speed and the mentality of playing in a game of this magnitude. Also, the coaches need to figure out what they have, so I expect there will be some rotation until they find someone who settles in.

4. Coaching - This is for both sides. I can already see our fans getting lulled into that trap that talent alone will win you games. It can against the Arkansas of the world, but against teams with quality players that will not be new enough. Coaching will be huge this game and no I am not just talking Xs and Os.

How we handle adversity mentally will be the difference because rest assure there will be some adversity. You can have the best game plan available, but if you are also playing against a team with their best game plan, crap happens. Do not overlook this team because they have less talent or they play in a conference we consider lower than us. They have a coach who lives for these type of games. He has been able to lead his perspective teams in the past to victory in these type of games with far less talent. 

Also, be ready to be frustrated or not. We will try to establish the running game. This has been Gus’s MO for a while now. He wants to be a physical, downhill run team and that means at times calling plays to set things up in the future. It is what it is. Expect a good portion of run plays.

5. Defense - This will be our saving grace. I believe we will have one of the best in the nation and they will wreak havoc. With that being said, I expect Gus to lean on them in this game. I don't see him playing Russian Roulette because of this. The goal is to get a victory without doing too many boneheaded things and a great way to go about this is to know what you have and don't have. I feel like we know we will have a great defense and that will be the deciding factor.

Conclusion: To me, this game is a flip of the coin. I would be presently surprised if this team goes Blitzkrieg on UW like Penn State did last year early in their bowl game (remember, UW still fought to make that a one-possession game). We will be the favorite and essentially have home-field advantage. UW will come in with a chip on their shoulder and I expect both teams to be pressing early with mistakes to be had. I just can't get a feel for this game with so many unknowns, but I will say, I won't overlook the impact of Chris in games like this. I am hoping and cheering for an Auburn victory.

After the UCF game we can't afford to overlook anybody. The onus is on Gus...He knows what he has to do to change the narrative about his teams beginning the season. I couldn't say for certain that we win big but I say we should win. I believe Jarrett does a great job of not getting rattled and staying even keel through games. I feel that he's well aware that we are counting on him to be THE guy and will us and mentally I think he has what it takes. I will just hope for the best from the o-line. Comments about the OT's have worried me. I do see Kam struggling and a guy like Whitlow coming in and putting up big yards. I want Kam to succeed...I really do. Coach P will come at us with his best and I surely am not underestimating him. Washington's pass defense is really solid and wr's could be too. I'm not buying this "they played teams in a weak conference" crap. The same was said about UCF and we know what happened there. It's time to finally punch somebody's face in to start the season and put the nation on notice. It might not be pretty at times but we have to win this game.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 minutes ago, WFE12 said:

After the UCF game we can't afford to overlook anybody. The onus is on Gus...He knows what he has to do to change the narrative about his teams beginning the season. I couldn't say for certain that we win big but I say we should win. I believe Jarrett does a great job of not getting rattled and staying even keel through games. I feel that he's well aware that he we are counting on him to be THE guy and will us and mentally I think he has what it takes. I will just hope for the best from the o-line. Comments about the OT's have worried me. I do see Kam struggling and a guy like Whitlow coming in and putting up big yards. I want Kam to succeed...I really do. Coach P will come at us with his best and I surely am not underestimating him. Washington's pass defense is really solid and wr's could be too. I'm not buying this "they played teams in a weak conference" crap. The same was said about UCF and we know what happened there. It's time to finally punch somebody's face in to start the season and put the nation on notice. It might not be pretty at times but we have to win this game.

Amen brother 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

13 hours ago, DAG said:

5. Defense - This will be our saving grace.

In week 1, I think our front 7 will have to play their best football for us to win. Our secondary, as Bird has said, should be okay as long as the 1s are in, but we just lost Tray Matthews, Carlton Davis and Stephen Roberts. Yeesh. 

Our offense will look like a week 1 offense, but hopefully in a general sense and not the "Gus Malzahn week 1" sense. Not having Ryan Davis sucks. 

EDIT: I meant Stove, not Davis. Doh!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

39 minutes ago, McLoofus said:

In week 1, I think our front 7 will have to play their best football for us to win. Our secondary, as Bird has said, should be okay as long as the 1s are in, but we just lost Tray Matthews, Carlton Davis and Stephen Roberts. Yeesh. 

Our offense will look like a week 1 offense, but hopefully in a general sense and not the "Gus Malzahn week 1" sense. Not having Ryan Davis sucks. 

What's the status of Ryan Davis?  I thought we were expecting him back at full speed for fall practice.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 minutes ago, Auburn 6 said:

What's the status of Ryan Davis?  I thought we were expecting him back at full speed for fall practice.

I'm not expecting him back for Washington. 

Edit: Sucks that we won't have Hastings, too. As big a fan as I am of his, though, Davis was a cornerstone of the offense last year. 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...