Things I Think I Saw: AU vs Washington

[JMR 2,118]

Things I Think I Saw: AU vs Washington….


In case you haven’t seen this before, I named it as I did because I’ve watched thousands of hours of film, tape, and video of football games, and always been surprised at how differently I saw things each time I watched. Rather than watch replays of our games endless times, I just go with my first impression in these columns. So I may be wrong, and you may see things entirely differently. These are just my takes on assorted things from the game.
 

• Jarrett Stidham seems much more confident than at any point last season. He wasn’t perfect by any stretch, but he was pretty darn good. Missed a couple, and made a bad decision or two, but given the magnitude of the game, the quality of the opponent, and the proficiency of Auburn’s pass protection, he was outstanding. We are fortunate to have him as our QB.

 

• I remember when Auburn grabbed Daniel Thomas from one of the Montgomery high schools after making a last-minute offer. The kid has seemed to play with a chip on his shoulder since then, and he was an exceptional tackler in this game. In fact, the secondary as a whole tackled really well, especially Thomas, Dinson, and Javaris Davis. All of those guys made huge plays in the open field.

 

• Jamel Dean came up with his first interception, even with a “club” on his hand to protect his injured finger. Dean’s a heck of a competitor, and it was great to see him starting such a big game after all the injuries he’s had. Remember, he originally signed with Ohio State, and only came to Auburn after failing his physical at OSU.

 

• While the Auburn defense gave up some plays and yardage, once it was over it was great to see that Myles Garrett was limited to 75 yards on 17 carries. Gaskin is one of the top running backs in the country, and the fact that he was unable to hurt AU is very impressive.

 

• One of the concerns for Auburn going into the game was the center position. Kaleb Kim eventually won the job in fall camp, and got his first-ever start in this game. Kim was neither “great” nor “awful”, but for his first game as the starter, against a great nose tackle like UW’s Greg Gaines, he did reasonably well. Won some battles and lost some, and looked very tentative at times, but logic says he will get better with experience. I was reasonably happy with what we got from him.

 

• I was disappointed overall with the offensive line play. Tega didn’t always keep his feet under him in pass protection, but most times he was able to use his long arms to keep his man off Stidham. Newcomer Jack Driscoll wasn’t quite as “finished” as I’d hoped he would be, but he may have been our best offensive lineman in this game. Marquell Harrell looked a lot like he did when he was forced into the lineup last year…..uncertain and tentative…. and Mike Horton played maybe the worst game I’ve seen from him. LOTS of work to be done by J.B. Grimes and his group, but I never saw a lack of effort, so I’m expecting the improvement to happen over the next two weeks.

 

• After Gus praising the improvement of punter Aiden Marshall, the kid shanks one for 30 yards in the first game of the season. To be fair, Mike Horton was one of the up-backs in the punt formation, and he just waved at a Washington player running by him, almost getting Marshall’s punt blocked. Arryn Siposs replaced Marshall after that. He punted reasonably well, but did look a little nervous. He will get better with experience, and I wouldn’t be surprised if Marshall doesn’t make a run at the starting job again.

 

• I’m sure some fans are frustrated with the officials for the game, as the two teams combined for over 200 yards in penalties. I didn’t see any obvious “bias,” just some inconsistencies in how pass interference was called. Bottom line from an Auburn perspective, we played a very sloppy game on defense. Numerous offside penalties, personal fouls, a face mask, etc. Not totally surprising for an opening game, but atypical for a Kevin Steele defense. I feel certain those issues will be cleaned up over the next few days.

 

• After getting good pressure on Jake Browning right out of the gate, Auburn seemed to struggle a bit generating pressure during the middle quarters. I didn’t check every play, but I did notice once that while AU rushed 4, UW kept 7 in to block. I don’t care how good your defensive linemen are; if your four are going against seven, it’s gonna be pretty tough.

 

• All of last season, Auburn fans were crying for Gus to let Chip (Lindsey) run the offense. I don’t know how involved Gus was in this game, but the passing game we saw from Auburn looked pretty close to those I saw when Chip was at Southern Miss and Arizona State. There were some frustrating things in this game, especially in the running game. Lots of inside zone, despite UW’s defensive alignment being less than “ideal” for that play stood out to me. I’m all for not backing away from a challenge, but pounding your head into a wall when there’s a door open doesn’t make a lot of sense.

 

• Converted corner Noah Igbinoghene got quite a workout from Washington receivers. In his first game at corner, Iggy was picked on by the Huskies. He wasn’t bad at all in coverage, but his ball skills have got to improve. Of course, it doesn’t help when the receiver is allowed to push off, which UW’s did all day.

 

• Was kind of fun to watch Washington run their pick play down on the goal line. Everybody in football runs some kind of pick plays, but Washington’s was one of the more obvious I’ve seen. West Coast teams are usually mostly about finesse, and I was surprised to see that “blunt instrument” play from UW.

 

• Nick Coe has worked hard since arriving at Auburn, and was impressive as a backup last season. I was happy and surprised to see him named a starter this week, and he really delivered. The play he made causing Browning to fumble on an option play on third and goal at our three was tremendous. I look for more big plays out of that young man.

 

• Noticed our interior offensive linemen struggling with a simple twist stunt by UW. That can (and hopefully will) be corrected right away.

 

• Andrew Williams was impressive as part of the DL rotation. Not surprising, as he was very effective last year as well, but it’s good to see him remind us that there’s no drop-off when he comes in the game. Speaking of defensive linemen, Dontavius Russell has become a dominant player, very quietly. He and Derrick Brown owned the middle vs Washington.

 

• Young TD Moultry is having his problems.  Coach Garner has been pushing him pretty hard, and the kid made a couple of discipline errors in the game. Gonna be a week of tough love for TD and his coach. He’s a talent; I hope RG can get him on track.

 

• Speaking of youngsters and mistakes, Big Kat Bryant jumped in the air on a pump fake by Browning, allowing Browning to take off and pick up a key third down conversion. I’m sure Bryant has been told “Never leave your feet” before, but I’ll bet he will remember next time. Experience is a tough teacher, but also the best.

 

• When stories came out saying Gus was going to give Stidham more latitude to change plays at the line, I thought about the “teaching” that Gus and Chip would have to do to make Stidham proficient at doing that. Saw one time in this game where UW was obviously going to blitz from the secondary, and Stidham didn’t seem to see it, didn’t change the play, and was ultimately called for intentional grounding. The game is literally always “a work in progress.”

 

• I absolutely loved the blitz call by Kevin Steele on UW’s last offensive play of the game. Even a four-year starter like Jake Browning didn’t know what to do once he saw all those Auburn defenders heading in his direction.

 

• On Auburn’s failed two-point conversion after the first score, I was fine with the decision to go for two, but not crazy about the play, and certainly no fan of the execution. In defense of whoever drew it up, Auburn did appear to have the motion man wide open, but Malik Willis chose to run.

After watching the game carefully, we have LOTS of things to improve on. But, the game actually played out very well for us, as we got some great teaching tape, and ALSO got a huge win on the national scene. As a friend told me right after the game, “It’s good that some of these problems showed themselves early. Otherwise, we’d have had some nasty surprises later in the season.” I agree. Now we have two weeks to get our issues corrected before we face LSU, and a game next week with Alabama State to hopefully get some things tuned up. War Eagle!

[afblue 128]

Thanks for taking the time and effort to do the thread again this year, Coach.  I enjoy reading your observations and analysis.

[RunInRed 16,406]

Thanks Coach!  This is easily the best analysis I've read since the game Saturday.  A couple of points to add, at random stream of thought, to what you said ...

• I was surprised how positive you were on the Center position.  It's seems like every time I watched Kim, he was getting stoned, knocked around or otherwise being at the nucleus of lack of movement in the middle.
• What's your thoughts on the RB situation?  I like Kam Martin, I really do.  But IMO, he's a outside guy or someone we need to get the ball in space.  Boobie is the guy if we're going to pound the inside zone.
• What has happened with TD Moultry?  Seems he went from fast rising star to have taken two tremendous steps back.
• Cox running the ball is a wasted play.
• Any one else find themselves screaming at our cornerbacks ... "turn your head around, play the ball!"
• Ryan Davis was a refreshing burst at punt returner.  Can't remember the last time we've had that explosive potential back there.  He'll bust a few this year, it's just a matter of time ...
• Derrick Brown will not only be playing on Sundays but he will be a first rounder.  Legit talent.  Love watching him play.
• I hate our extra point formation.  Just line up and kick the ball.  I'm fine with being "aggressive" but time and time again it seems the cuteness just creates trouble for us, instead of creating some kind of advantage.
• Glad you mentioned Big Kat leaving his feet ... definitely a scream at the TV moment for me.
• My other player of the game, Darrell Williams ... love watching that kid play.  He's going to have a big year.

[WFE12 9,191]

1 hour ago, JMR said:

pounding your head into a wall when there’s a door open doesn’t make a lot of sense.

Quote of the season so far

[JMR 2,118]

6 minutes ago, RunInRed said:

Thanks Coach!  This is easily the best analysis I've read since the game Saturday.  A couple of points to add, at random stream of thought, to what you said ...

• I was surprised how positive you were on the Center position.  It's seems like every time I watched Kim, he was getting stoned, knocked around or otherwise being at the nucleus of lack of movement in the middle.
• What's your thoughts on the RB situation?  I like Kam Martin, I really do.  But IMO, he's a outside guy or someone we need to get the ball in space.  Boobie is the guy if we're going to pound the inside zone.
• What has happened with TD Moultry?  Seems he went from fast rising start to have taken two tremendous steps back.
• Any one else find themselves screaming out our cornerbacks ... "turn your head around, play the ball!"
• Ryan Davis was a refreshing burst at punt returner.  Can't remember the last time we've had that implosive potential back there.  He'll bust a few this year, it's just a matter of time ...
• Derrick Brown will not only be playing on Sundays but a first rounder.  Legit talent.  Love watching him play.
• I hate our extra point formation.  Just line up and kick the ball.  I'm fine with being "aggressive" but time and time again it seems the cuteness just creates trouble for us, instead of creating some kind of advantage.
• Glad you mentioned Big Kat leaving his feet ... definitely a scream at the TV moment for me.
• My other player of the game, Darrell Williams ... love watching that kid play.  He's going to have a big year.

I kind of think we ought to be patient with Kim. He is a smart player, just not terribly physical. He doesn't have to be, if he'll use his smarts/technique wisely. Greg Gaines is one powerful dude. Also, neither of our guards played real well, not getting off the combo blocks with Kim and moving to the second level quickly enough. J.B. needs to get busy; both Harrell and Horton are *capable* of being really good players. Kim looked a little lost at times, as did Harrell and Horton. That's on J.B. to fix.

I'm not thrilled with the RB situation. Kam Martin is a good little back, but he has his limitations. To be honest, that's hard to evaluate when your OL isn't doing its job. Whitlow has potential, but having played at a small school, this is a major step up for him. I do think he will get better and be a guy we can count on, given time. He is progressing pretty rapidly IMO.

Love Ryan Davis. He is "electric" with the ball.

[alexava 6,973]

I disagree on Iboneg.......hell #4. I thought he looked like a natural on ball skills 

[AuMarine 1,372]

Love reading your analysis each week. Thank you 

[WFE12 9,191]

1 minute ago, alexava said:

I disagree on Iboneg.......hell #4. I thought he looked like a natural on ball skills 

Just call him iggy

[WarTim 3,456]

Thanks Coach. Always much appreciated and enjoyed. 

[The Plainsman 948]

Willis did miss the open man in motion on the failed 2pt conversion.   It would have been an easy toss too.  

[BJCrawford 1,568]

Been waiting on this. Thanks!

[AUMASTERS 555]

1 hour ago, RunInRed said:

Thanks Coach!  This is easily the best analysis I've read since the game Saturday.  A couple of points to add, at random stream of thought, to what you said ...

• I was surprised how positive you were on the Center position.  It's seems like every time I watched Kim, he was getting stoned, knocked around or otherwise being at the nucleus of lack of movement in the middle.
• What's your thoughts on the RB situation?  I like Kam Martin, I really do.  But IMO, he's a outside guy or someone we need to get the ball in space.  Boobie is the guy if we're going to pound the inside zone.
• What has happened with TD Moultry?  Seems he went from fast rising star to have taken two tremendous steps back.
• Cox running the ball is a wasted play.
• Any one else find themselves screaming at our cornerbacks ... "turn your head around, play the ball!"
• Ryan Davis was a refreshing burst at punt returner.  Can't remember the last time we've had that implosive potential back there.  He'll bust a few this year, it's just a matter of time ...
• Derrick Brown will not only be playing on Sundays but he will be a first rounder.  Legit talent.  Love watching him play.
• I hate our extra point formation.  Just line up and kick the ball.  I'm fine with being "aggressive" but time and time again it seems the cuteness just creates trouble for us, instead of creating some kind of advantage.
• Glad you mentioned Big Kat leaving his feet ... definitely a scream at the TV moment for me.
• My other player of the game, Darrell Williams ... love watching that kid play.  He's going to have a big year.

Agree on Darrell Williams, he seemed to be everywhere.

I think I was more frustrated with Iggy's play than anyone else, also think it was him that blocked in the back on Ryan Davis's long punt return (unnecessary).

Gene Chizik thought JB Grimes unit did very well considering the opponent.

Was glad to see us get Seth Williams involved in the passing game, and across the middle at that. 

Only saw Shivers get one carry but it was a big one for the 1st down.

[RunInRed 16,406]

6 minutes ago, AUMASTERS said:

Was glad to see us get Seth Williams involved in the passing game, and across the middle at that. 

Forgot to add a note about Seth.  Looks like the fall camp hype was real.  But why did we go away from him in the second half?  Never saw him after halftime ...

[AU64 10,122]

Thanks for the analysis....and as a general comment I think folks were being pretty hard on our OL...mostly guys with little or no experience, playing the first game of the year against a team with 9 returning players on defense.  Washington has a real defense...probably not that far from some of the better SEC defenses.  

The OL made some plays when they needed them and looked to get better as the game went along.....especially on the game winning drive.   And the last 6 or 7 minutes of the game made me a "Boobie" fan.....especially when he plowed over that Washington DB at the goal line and made that first down to close things out..   

[johnnyAU 3,630]

Would like to see more Shivers and some Asa Martin, Hill, Jackson, and some of the other youngsters get into the mix this coming game.

[gr82be 14,423]

The comparison of Stidham and Browning not handling the blitz well on those two occasions is much appreciated. I was personally giving Stidham a lot a grief in the 3rd quarter.  He's still learning as a QB and at my age I'm still learning as a fan. 

[oracle79 3,569]

3 hours ago, JMR said:

I was disappointed overall with the offensive line play. Tega didn’t always keep his feet under him in pass protection, but most times he was able to use his long arms to keep his man off Stidham. Newcomer Jack Driscoll wasn’t quite as “finished” as I’d hoped he would be, but he may have been our best offensive lineman in this game. Marquell Harrell looked a lot like he did when he was forced into the lineup last year…..uncertain and tentative…. and Mike Horton played maybe the worst game I’ve seen from him. LOTS of work to be done by J.B. Grimes and his group, but I never saw a lack of effort, so I’m expecting the improvement to happen over the next two weeks.

I didn't focus on the line a lot during the game but when I did, Kim seemed "ok".  Spot on with the other guys.  Even on the winning TD by Whitlow, I thought Kim and Horton screwed the pooch on their combo on the backside tackle.  I would have expected Kim to hit the DT and then scrape to backside backer, and Horton to reach inside and then take over the DT, but it seemed Kim blocked back on the DT and Horton tried to scrape to the backside backer, and in doing so almost shoved the DT and Kim into Whitlow, but he got through the hole before it happened.  Kim just isn't big/strong enough at this point. Wouldn't be surprised to see Brahms take over soon if he's healthy.

 

3 hours ago, JMR said:

When stories came out saying Gus was going to give Stidham more latitude to change plays at the line, I thought about the “teaching” that Gus and Chip would have to do to make Stidham proficient at doing that. Saw one time in this game where UW was obviously going to blitz from the secondary, and Stidham didn’t seem to see it, didn’t change the play, and was ultimately called for intentional grounding. The game is literally always “a work in progress.”

We will never know the results of this, unless someone says it in a press conference and you choose to believe them.  Unless you know their calls, you can never know for sure if Stidham checked out of a play, used a dummy check, or didn't check at all.  It sounds good, but it is what it is.

3 hours ago, JMR said:

I was fine with the decision to go for two

Why? What are the percentages of a benefit there?  D had just molested Washington and took away their manhood, O scores on first series, why take a chance on missing a 2 point conversion and losing that TON of momemtum.  Kick it and go up 7 and never look back.

3 hours ago, JMR said:

I’m sure some fans are frustrated with the officials for the game

Officiating was horrible! But, it horrible all around and consistently horrible, so I can live with that.

Thanks for your take!

[auskip07 930]

as the punters were warming up  Marshall's punts were consistently 1 second longer in hang time than Siposs from the ones i measured.    Most punts were 40-60 yards also  with Siposs putting more closer to the 60 mark.     But thats just warming up

[Eagle Eye 7 2,535]

Thanks for the write up. I think Kim did well for his first start. No bad snaps while staring in the face of a good seasoned NT is always a plus. I was quite pleased with our new DB field. They played with aggression. Backshoulder throws are tough to defend, but as stated UW was getting away with a lot of push offs. I wondered how much latitude JS would have at calls but I saw several times when he made big changes without even looking at the bench so I have no doubt they are giving him room. That as you said will be a learning situation. Probably the best thing I saw last night was good tackling. Gone are the days of arm tackling. Sure there were block outs but when our guys made contact with their ball carriers they took them down. I would be interested in seeing their YAC numbers from last night. And our RBs didn’t do bad just wasn’t a lot of running room to be found, give their defense some credit for that. Thanks again for your knowledgeable opinions. 

Edited September 3, 2018 by Eagle Eye 7

[Indy 166]

I absolutely love your post game write-ups, and appreciate all of your efforts that go into these very detailed analysis of the games.  Looking forward to another full season's worth!

 

my $.02 on a couple of things.

 

1. I was very impressed with the amount of pressure we were able to get on Browning, and I thought the first series of the game really set the tone for Auburn on both sides of the ball.  Think of how many absolutely ridiculous catches some of the Washington wideouts made that are usually not going to be completed.  And that last series, when we absolutely had to have the stops, the all-out blitz that ended the game was schemed so well.  No time for Browning to even think of reacting and I think if he does manage to get the ball off there it would have been a quick dump that would not have netted a first down regardless.

2. Staying with the above theme I am so proud of the the way the defense absolutely did not break on so many occasions where it looked for the world as though UW was going to punch it in.  I think it was back-to-back possessions in Q3 where they had the ball inside the 10 and came away with a lost fumble and a missed FG.  Bend but don't break was the mantra of the night in our house.

3. #20 on UW pushed off so blatantly so many friggin' times I was about to charter a chopper and fly down to Atlanta myself (not sure what I would have done when I got there).  When they actually did call it (which seemingly NEVER happens) I was amazed and relieved.  I kept telling my wife if they don;t call it he'll continue to do it every time and it would continue to make coverage next-to-impossible.

4. FOUR MORE YEARS of a Carlson kicking FGs.  Love it!

 

Finally, and this has NOTHING to do with the game ... has anyone found a great online sight to stream the Auburn Radio Network for games?  I'd much rather listen to Bramblett up here in Indianapolis than the clowns usually doing the games, but the problem is the delay.  Last night's delay was at least 30-seconds. There has to be a better sight out there, so I'd appreciate any help!  And yes I have tried pausing the live game and running on delay but it still seems to never work out very well.

 

Edited September 3, 2018 by Indy

[around4ever 4,139]

Great analysis Coach!!  

[shawnb01 3]

1 hour ago, Indy said:

 

1 hour ago, Indy said:

 

Finally, and this has NOTHING to do with the game ... has anyone found a great online sight to stream the Auburn Radio Network for games?  I'd much rather listen to Bramblett up here in Indianapolis than the clowns usually doing the games, but the problem is the delay.  Last night's delay was at least 30-seconds. There has to be a better sight out there, so I'd appreciate any help!  And yes I have tried pausing the live game and running on delay but it still seems to never work out very well.

 

Have you tried the Tune In App? AU has its own channel and games are streamed live. Not sure about a delay. 

[SaturdayGT 719]

Thanks coach! How do you rate our ability to adjust at halftime? Im no expert, but it really seems to me like we struggle with halftime adjustments. Just seems like, in so many games, the opposing teams come out in the 2nd half improved against us, where we just look the same. Maybe Im being overly  critical, but as long as Ive watched football, in bad games, I have always had hope that things will turn around after halfime. Now, halftime kind of makes me nervous....because it always seems to be the opponent that adjusts and improces, not Auburn. Im curious if you agree, and if you dont...maybe you can end this streak of frustrating negativity Im going through

[TAYLORKEETON 790]

Could it be that our OL didn’t play all that bad...just UW’s D was that good? Maybe some of both? 

[corchjay 5,311]

7 hours ago, AUMASTERS said:

 

I think I was more frustrated with Iggy's play than anyone else, also think it was him that blocked in the back on Ryan Davis's long punt return (unnecessary).

 

I think it was McClain on the block in the back.  

Iggy did ok on defense.  Made one really bad read trying to play catch-up when he was trailing.  When you go man to man as much as we do they are gonna hit some throws.