What is the most pivotal game this season?

[bigbird 60,481]

31 minutes ago, keesler said:

Well I think they fielded an average D last season by SEC standards so they earned their pay I guess.  

I just feel like they gave up a lot of yards in SEC games.  It's a defense that makes big plays (sack/TFL) and gives up big plays.

AU Team Defense Ranks - SEC Games where AU went 3-5

• 3rd down conversions > 8th
• Plays of 10+ yds allowed per game > 10th
• Plays of 20+ yds allowed per game > 10th
• Plays of 30+ yds allowed per game > 13th

They will absolutely have to play better this season, because they're facing some pretty good offenses with a few veteran QBs/RBs/WRs.

The entire Staff has to pick up their game across the board this year.

 

Yards don't matter as much as points

[McLoofus 35,182]

5 minutes ago, bigbird said:

Yards don't matter as much as points

I can think of 3 people who don't know this. 

[gravejd 3,270]

I'll take Miss St. as most pivotal to AU having a decent season and therefore Gus surviving another season. We can lose Oregon and people will complain but it is not a critical game in anyway unless AU is in natty convo at end of season. And if we are in natty convo then the year went well and no one we care much about a loss to Oregon months ago. 

Next is A&M, first SEC game of the year.....we are playing away even if we have won the last couple played there. A loss and the fan base gets extremely restless. But we have state at home the next week so we can bounce back. 

Now if we lose to State at home thats when the noise will be too loud to ignore. Gus has not lost a team yet at AU but a loss here and gets really hard to see how the team makes a bowl game and therefore keep the coach employed. When you start talking about coaches getting fired then you start worrying about the team mental state. Would they coaches and seniors be able to stop the bleeding or would momentum be too far against them at that point? 

 

 

[ellitor 33,082]

33 minutes ago, AU80cruiser said:

Im trying to wrap my mind around why he listened to Muschamp about offense. I have to belive that isnt true or Gus is dumber than I thought possible.

Well @Hunter48 is a member. Let's see if he has an idea to the answer to that question.

[aujeff11 6,243]

23 minutes ago, bigbird said:

Yards don't matter as much as points

And TOP is all on the offense. 

 

That is quite the win-win narrative. 

[AUsince72 11,084]

7 hours ago, WarDamnEagleWDE said:

The most critical will be the first one. Then the most critical will be the 2nd one. All these games will be critical this year for Gus. He has lost at least 2/3 of the fan base. He better not let a UT game happen again. Losing is one thing. Compete hard and losing a game happens to them all. But the way Gus loses games has to stop.

^^^^^^^^^^^^

This should be pinned and a reference for some posters before they post replies.

I don't understand the disconnect between those of us that want to see Auburn always prepared, competitive & competent with fewer head-scratchers each year of a HC's administration and those who defend the opposite view, seemingly satisfied with mediocrity punctuated by a couple brilliant games every year only to be railroaded by the inevitable 4-5 "butgus" games every year.

I get it that we ALL should love and support Auburn.  And I believe we do.  That's why so many are skeptical of Gus.  We love Auburn & Auburn football.  We want what's best and going into every season expecting to have 4-5 bone-headed games per year (based on the experience of the same thing every year for the last 5 seasons) is not "what's best" for Auburn.  I don't get why several posters have a problem with this.....or simply don't get it.  But we're all different and outside of the Politics forum that helps make things interesting, I suppose. 

Anyway, to the OP, I 100% agree with WDE.  EVERY game is a critical juncture in this upcoming season, for one Gus Malzahn.  But, just to add my 2 rusty pennies, I'd like to think that Gus shouldn't be allowed to go 0-2 against thUga & bammer, yet again, regardless of the rest of the season.  If Auburn is not good enough by that point in the season (in year 7 [SEVEN] of his administration) to take at least one of the chief rivals down....especially if AU happens to be undefeated at that point.... then what exactly IS the HC's job description?

[Auburnfan91 1,407]

20 minutes ago, aujeff11 said:

And TOP is all on the offense. 

 

That is quite the win-win narrative. 

I know this is getting off track but I see things the same as McLoofus does on the Mississippi State game last year. 

Kicking FG's aren't going to win games. Even if Carlson had made the 50 yarder he missed it's still an at best 16-12 game in the 4th quarter and we would have still needed a touchdown to win. There was very little room for error on defense to hold Mississippi State out of the endzone the WHOLE game when the offense couldn't even put it in the endzone themselves. Mississippi State's offense realized that our defense was trying to prevent the big plays and they knew our offense wasn't capable of putting up a lot of points on their defense, so they ran plays designed to just get 1st downs and keep our defense on the field to try and wear them out. Any defense will wear down if the offense can't give them time to rest and the opponent is just pounding them and grinding them down.

[bigbird 60,481]

33 minutes ago, aujeff11 said:

And TOP is all on the offense. 

 

That is quite the win-win narrative. 

Link?

[bigbird 60,481]

24 minutes ago, Auburnfan91 said:

I know this is getting off track but I see things the same as McLoofus does on the Mississippi State game last year. 

Kicking FG's aren't going to win games. Even if Carlson had made the 50 yarder he missed it's still an at best 16-12 game in the 4th quarter and we would have still needed a touchdown to win. There was very little room for error on defense to hold Mississippi State out of the endzone the WHOLE game when the offense couldn't even put it in the endzone themselves. Mississippi State's offense realized that our defense was trying to prevent the big plays and they knew our offense wasn't capable of putting up a lot of points on their defense, so they ran plays designed to just get 1st downs and keep our defense on the field to try and wear them out. Any defense will wear down if the offense can't give them time to rest and the opponent is just pounding them and grinding them down.

It's not a hard concept. It's just that it doesn't reinforce their opinions so they ignore concepts and givens that football has proven over and over.

Save your time. 

[gr82b4au 5,568]

Well... My first thought was Oregon. Huge game, national spotlight on ABC at night, the entire college football-loving world will be watching. Oregon is set to win the Pac whatever with a stud QB. Oregon will probably be the favorite by a point or 2. It may even be the ESPN gameday game. It sets the tone for the season. It will also be the first game for our QB (either one)... and it is on the road. But we could conceivably lose that game close and still make it to the SECCG (probably not but it can happen). We still have a lot to play for even in a loss.

However...

Texas AM is the first SEC game. It is also on the road. We lose this game and we are sunk. With SEC games left against LSU, FL, UGA, and UA - there is very little chance we can have a good season. The season would go off of the track and we would probably spiral at that point. The Gus hatred on this and every other AU board would be overwhelming. 

So basically I agree with everyone else saying Oregon and TAM. Lose to Oregon and we are deep trouble. Lose to TAM and the wheels are coming off. Win both and we may surprise some folks this season. 

 

[aujeff11 6,243]

7 minutes ago, Auburnfan91 said:

I know this is getting off track but I see things the same as McLoofus does on the Mississippi State game last year. 

Kicking FG's aren't going to win games. Even if Carlson had made the 50 yarder he missed it's still an at best 16-12 game in the 4th quarter and we would have still needed a touchdown to win. There was very little room for error on defense to hold Mississippi State out of the endzone the WHOLE game when the offense couldn't even put it in the endzone themselves. Mississippi State's offense realized that our defense was trying to prevent the big plays and they knew our offense wasn't capable of putting up a lot of points on their defense, so they ran plays designed to just get 1st downs and keep our defense on the field to try and wear them out. Any defense will wear down if the offense can't give them time to rest and the opponent is just pounding them and grinding them down.

 Just let my previous statements stand as current thoughts and agree to disagree. At times we were getting pushed around or making defensive errors and that had an effect on our D staying on the field too long as well.  After all, Mississippi State came out of the locker room after halftime and pushed the ball down our throat for 8 minutes. Our offense wasn’t on the field for a full 12 consecutive minutes of gameplay. I’m not pardoning the offense, just saying the D wasn’t helping itself at times. 8 minutes of bend not break will wear on a defense while keeping the opponent’s fresh. 

[keesler 5,924]

30 minutes ago, Auburnfan91 said:

I know this is getting off track but I see things the same as McLoofus does on the Mississippi State game last year. 

Kicking FG's aren't going to win games. Even if Carlson had made the 50 yarder he missed it's still an at best 16-12 game in the 4th quarter and we would have still needed a touchdown to win. There was very little room for error on defense to hold Mississippi State out of the endzone the WHOLE game when the offense couldn't even put it in the endzone themselves. Mississippi State's offense realized that our defense was trying to prevent the big plays and they knew our offense wasn't capable of putting up a lot of points on their defense, so they ran plays designed to just get 1st downs and keep our defense on the field to try and wear them out. Any defense will wear down if the offense can't give them time to rest and the opponent is just pounding them and grinding them down.

Absolutely and I totally understand that.  

But there's no worse feeling than going to Starkville decked out in O&B watching that MSU QB carve up our defense over and over and over again.  Standing there in a daze wondering when a solitary soul on our coaching staff or one veteran on that field would make an adjustment to defend it.   I stood there and asked my brother if our defensive coaches had given up, or if our players were just frustrated and pissed off at the offenses piss poor performance?  Then to return home to JHS for that UT game 

 

[AUsince72 11,084]

25 minutes ago, keesler said:

Absolutely and I totally understand that.  

But there's no worse feeling than going to Starkville decked out in O&B watching that MSU QB carve up our defense over and over and over again.  Standing there in a daze wondering when a solitary soul on our coaching staff or one veteran on that field would make an adjustment to defend it.   I stood there and asked my brother if our defensive coaches had given up, or if our players were just frustrated and pissed off at the offenses piss poor performance?  Then to return home to JHS for that UT game 

 

I actually suggested this late last season.

I know there are those who simply look at football with a nuts & bolts approach but there's so much more to it.  To those, I say believe it or not, football is cerebral.  Emotion is SO important.  Otherwise nobody would talk about home-field advantage.

My point is, yes the Auburn defense as a whole, from CKS all the way down to the last substitute on the field that night against MSU crapped the bed.  It was a miserable performance punctuated by the UT debacle.  Both of those performances should be inexcusable.  

However, when all of those same personell watch their offensive brethren crap the bed 4-5 times per year (and those games were no different) then they're not as jacked as they should be.  They're not as focused as they should be.  They may have not even cared in those games as much as they should due to the frustration of knowing that no matter how well they perform they're going to lose anyway due to the ineptitude of their partner.

I'm surprised at those who think these guys (coaches & players) live in some sort of bubble and what one side of the ball does or doesn't do doesn't matter to the other side.  These are real people with emotions & intelligence but it seems some believe they truly are just X's & O's and they should just perform no matter what like their computer generated figures on TV.

[AU80cruiser 1,102]

15 minutes ago, keesler said:

Absolutely and I totally understand that.  

But there's no worse feeling than going to Starkville decked out in O&B watching that MSU QB carve up our defense over and over and over again.  Standing there in a daze wondering when a solitary soul on our coaching staff or one veteran on that field would make an adjustment to defend it.   I stood there and asked my brother if our defensive coaches had given up, or if our players were just frustrated and pissed off at the offenses piss poor performance?  Then to return home to JHS for that UT game 

 

I personally felt like that was the problem.

[aujeff11 6,243]

33 minutes ago, aujeff11 said:

 Just let my previous statements stand as current thoughts and agree to disagree. At times we were getting pushed around or making defensive errors and that had an effect on our D staying on the field too long as well.  After all, Mississippi State came out of the locker room after halftime and pushed the ball down our throat for 8 minutes. Our offense wasn’t on the field for a full 12 consecutive minutes of gameplay. I’m not pardoning the offense, just saying the D wasn’t helping itself at times. 8 minutes of bend not break will wear on a defense while keeping the opponent’s fresh. 

Make that 16 consecutive minutes the D was on the field. Ryan Davis had a timely muffed punt.... he was on ST then.

[AU80cruiser 1,102]

13 minutes ago, AUsince72 said:

I actually suggested this late last season.

I know there are those who simply look at football with a nuts & bolts approach but there's so much more to it.  To those, I say believe it or not, football is cerebral.  Emotion is SO important.  Otherwise nobody would talk about home-field advantage.

My point is, yes the Auburn defense as a whole, from CKS all the way down to the last substitute on the field that night against MSU crapped the bed.  It was a miserable performance punctuated by the UT debacle.  Both of those performances should be inexcusable.  

However, when all of those same personell watch their offensive brethren crap the bed 4-5 times per year (and those games were no different) then they're not as jacked as they should be.  They're not as focused as they should be.  They may have not even cared in those games as much as they should due to the frustration of knowing that no matter how well they perform they're going to lose anyway due to the ineptitude of their partner.

I'm surprised at those who think these guys (coaches & players) live in some sort of bubble and what one side of the ball does or doesn't do doesn't matter to the other side.  These are real people with emotions & intelligence but it seems some believe they truly are just X's & O's and they should just perform no matter what like their just computer generated figures on TV.

This is why i mentioned the Arkansas and southern miss games earlier in another thread. I remember the defense playing well and giving the offense the ball in good field position multiple times only for them to screw the opportunity up over and over. 

[AUsince72 11,084]

39 minutes ago, AU80cruiser said:

This is why i mentioned the Arkansas and southern miss games earlier in another thread. I remember the defense playing well and giving the offense the ball in good field position multiple times only for them to screw the opportunity up over and over. 

Exactly.

It's much easier to be fired up, focused, and be coachable when the other part of the team is playing on the same level.  If game after game, they're not reaching your level it wears on you mentally, thus affecting how you prepare & perform.

No, the defense did not perform up to expectations.  But then with AU's offense the last few years, Alabama's defense (who BTW only gave up 1 pt less per game than AU's last year) wouldn't perform up to expectations 100% of the time either.

[DAG 33,973]

17 minutes ago, AU80cruiser said:

This is why i mentioned the Arkansas and southern miss games earlier in another thread. I remember the defense playing well and giving the offense the ball in good field position multiple times only for them to screw the opportunity up over and over. 

Arkansas game was super frustrating 

[aujeff11 6,243]

40 minutes ago, AUsince72 said:

Alabama's defense (who BTW only gave up 1 pt less per game than AU's last year)

Just to be clear their defense wasn’t all that great. In a span of one hour and 32 minutes they gave up 78 points to Oklahoma and Clemson. Their DC was Tosh Lupoui and he was told to take a hike after the season ended. 

[DAG 33,973]

51 minutes ago, AUsince72 said:

Exactly.

It's much easier to be fired up, focused, and be coachable when the other part of the team is playing on the same level.  If game after game, they're not reaching your level it wears on you mentally, thus affecting how you prepare & perform.

No, the defense did not perform up to expectations.  But then with AU's offense the last few years, Alabama's defense (who BTW only gave up 1 pt less per game than AU's last year) wouldn't perform up to expectations 100% of the time either.

I just posted this same stat.  The Defense had their head scratching moment, but the offense underperformed all freaking year 

[augolf1716 21,102]

3 hours ago, bigbird said:

Yards don't matter as much as points

Now that's brilliance right there my friends

[augolf1716 21,102]

As for pivotal it has to be Samford without a doubt............think about it

[McLoofus 35,182]

1 hour ago, keesler said:

Absolutely and I totally understand that.  

But there's no worse feeling than going to Starkville decked out in O&B watching that MSU QB carve up our defense over and over and over again.  Standing there in a daze wondering when a solitary soul on our coaching staff or one veteran on that field would make an adjustment to defend it.   I stood there and asked my brother if our defensive coaches had given up, or if our players were just frustrated and pissed off at the offenses piss poor performance?  Then to return home to JHS for that UT game 

Really? Watching our defense keep them out of the end zone for almost the entire game was worse than watching our offense refuse to score? Maybe it was different in the stadium than on TV.

[gr82be 14,423]

6 minutes ago, McLoofus said:

Really? Watching our defense keep them out of the end zone for almost the entire game was worse than watching our offense refuse to score? Maybe it was different in the stadium than on TV.

The whole thing was hard to watch sitting there among those clanging cowbells. Couldn't shut them up because we couldn't score. Then to make it worse for me, I know I'm in the minority here, I had to sit through the Don't Stop Believing 4th Qtr intro. Hate that song. My wife knows I love her but if sitting there with her and her cowbell doesn't prove it beyond a shadow of a doubt I just don't know what will. I work with State fans and they don't need much encouragement to think they are something else. 🙄

[AUsince72 11,084]

1 hour ago, aujeff11 said:

Just to be clear their defense wasn’t all that great. In a span of one hour and 32 minutes they gave up 78 points to Oklahoma and Clemson. Their DC was Tosh Lupoui and he was told to take a hike after the season ended. 

I get that but this is more than just 2018.  This has been building for a few years.  Since so many like to compare to the bell-cow, Alabama, I just said, "what the heck", and also used them to make my point since they are generally thought of as one of, if not the, best defenses in the country year to year under Saban.

This has not been just a 1 year anomaly.   Pretty much since '13 the offense has been Jeckyl & Hyde, with too much Hyde.  The defense, since Boom, has been generally solid, if not spectacular but the lack of offensive support was just too much in '18.

So take Alabama's best defense over the last decade+ and insert them into my post and I still say they'd struggle to maintain top level performance with the lack of support from their brethren.