Things I Think I Saw: AU vs Kent State

[JMR 2,118]

Not a great deal to be learned from a game like this one, as Kent State is the least-talented opponent AU has faced thus far this season. Still, as is always the case, "it's more about us than about them", and how the team and players execute their assignments and responsibilities does matter, regardless of the opponent.

Auburn's defense has been an obvious strength all season, yet Kent State was able to convert four third downs on their opening drive, despite incurring a couple of untimely penalties.  Auburn was hurt repeatedly by the Kent State screen game.  How can that be? AU has chosen in every game this year to play conservatively on defense, with sizeable cushions given to wide receivers. Oregon took advantage early with their quick game, and Tulane was able to make some plays on the outside.  KS opted to exploit the open space with their screen game, figuring they would not be able to protect their QB from the AU pass rush.  That proved to be a wise decision, as Auburn did generate five sacks of the KS quarterback.  As the game unfolded and Kent State's plan became obvious, Auburn adjusted and took control.

I thought there was improvement this week in most areas, and with that in mind, here are some of the things I think I saw.....
 

• The offensive line showed major improvement this week.  With an obvious emphasis on the running game, the offensive linemen were moving their feet after contact for the first time this season.  AU also used two pulling guards much more than in any game so far, and Horton and Harrell are improving in that role.
   
• Bailey Sharp got the start at left tackle in order to rest Tega.  Sharp was hardly "great" but he was vastly improved over what I saw from him last year, and I would not put him in the "liability" category.  Great to have a little depth there, especially with Austin Troxell out this season.
   
• Marquel Harrell played really well in this game.  He wasn't perfect, but he was very good, especially as a drive blocker.  More of that, please!
   
• Big Kat Bryant is still learning to play the position.  He is talented, but still has a ways to go in refining his skills and techniques.
   
• Marlon Davidson is playing this season with great effort, and that showed again this week. Of Auburn's 5 sacks, Davidson had 2.5.
   
• Boobee Whitlow had a very good game but he is still learning the fine points of playing running back.  Boobee needs to learn to squeeze the seam, running as close to his offensive linemen's butts as possible which puts him further away from the first unblocked defender.  He also has to become a better blocker in pass protection, as he was solely responsible for a huge sack of Bo Nix.
   
• I was impressed with Tyrone Truesdell's play.  He generated a lot of push of the Kent State pocket and helped make the KS quarterback uncomfortable.
   
• Still seeing some missed assignments on the AU offensive line.  Hard to believe that, with five senior starters.
   
• Speaking of missed assignments, the AU defense struggled a good bit against Kent State's hurry-up offense in the first half and even to a lesser degree in the second half.  On KS' long TD pass in the second quarter, the AU safeties were confused and didn't get lined up at all before the ball was snapped.
   
• Bo Nix is having some accuracy issues at times, which appear to be related to his footwork.  His throws on the quick screens are, at times, forcing the WR to make difficult catches, which destroys the timing of the play.  He also missed two throws on plays that would have resulted in touchdowns.  I'm happy with the kid's play overall but he is going to have to continue to progress and not stray from the fundamentals he knows so well.
   
• Was glad to see Joey Gatewood get some authentic playing time, even though he was only afforded one passing opportunity. I thought I saw improvement in his execution as he gained confidence late in the game.  I hope Auburn can continue to get Gatewood playing time, as we are likely to need him at some point this season.  Having a capable backup would also allow Auburn to use Bo Nix more in the running game, where he can be a major contributor.
   
• Was interesting to note the formation Auburn used on the flea-flicker TD from Nix to Stove.  Auburn lined up with two tight ends, normally a running formation, and used max protection, putting seven blockers in front of Nix.  Kent State sold out to stop the run.
   
• I am more impressed each week with the development of Roger McCreary.  He is rapidly becoming a strong cover guy, and a sure tackler.  The same can be said for Noah Igbinoghene, but McCreary is still just a young pup.
   

SEC play starts this week, with AU visiting Texas A&M. I haven't felt real good about this game, with Auburn struggling to establish a running game but I thought I saw signs of improvement in that area this week and I'm certainly taking into account the caliber of the competition.  Auburn will need to play well in all three phases to win in Aggieland.  And get off to a fast start on both sides of the ball.  This week we get a real idea of whether we've gotten better since the opener.

WAR EAGLE!!

 

[around4ever 4,139]

Great analysis as usual!!  Thanks Coach. 

[fredst 9,064]

Thanks Coach. Love reading your analysis every week. Of your above points, the one that really stood out to me last night was Nix’s footwork. He has a great arm, mostly is making good decisions, and is accurate when his fundamentals are good. His footwork( last night especially on the long overthrow that should have been a TD) is terrible sometimes. I realize that I’m stating the obvious but really hope Dillingham can help him clean this up, he can be special. 

[leglessdan 1,934]

Not to put you on blast, so to speak,  but I'm curious as to why you wouldn't speak on the fact that JG was only used as a RB. Do you genuinely support a decision to NOT get him actual game experience passing the football? I do agree the OL showed improvement "at times", but against Kent St, I'm not sure we can measure that in the win column. 

[JMR 2,118]

41 minutes ago, leglessdan said:

Not to put you on blast, so to speak,  but I'm curious as to why you wouldn't speak on the fact that JG was only used as a RB. Do you genuinely support a decision to NOT get him actual game experience passing the football? I do agree the OL showed improvement "at times", but against Kent St, I'm not sure we can measure that in the win column. 

I thought I covered that with this:  Was glad to see Joey Gatewood get some authentic playing time, even though he was only afforded one passing opportunity. Do I need to put it in plainer terms?

[leglessdan 1,934]

1 minute ago, JMR said:

I thought I covered that with this:  Was glad to see Joey Gatewood get some authentic playing time, even though he was only afforded one passing opportunity. Do I need to put it in plainer terms?

Lol no, just thought you might expound on the topic a little more. Considering this is a road all too familiar. Thanks for the reply and for your thoughts on the game.  We appreciate it. Wde 

[JMR 2,118]

5 minutes ago, leglessdan said:

Lol no, just thought you might expound on the topic a little more. Considering this is a road all too familiar. Thanks for the reply and for your thoughts on the game.  We appreciate it. Wde 

FWIW, I think what Gus does with his backup QBs is criminal negligence. But I try to keep these things as positive as possible.

[leglessdan 1,934]

4 minutes ago, JMR said:

FWIW, I think what Gus does with his backup QBs is criminal negligence. But I try to keep these things as positive as possible.

That's all I needed to hear from another coach. Some of the thought processes on here are disturbing. I wanna see both these kids used in a way that promotes their talents. Namely to benefit Auburn. 

[AUFriction 1,179]

1 hour ago, leglessdan said:

Not to put you on blast, so to speak,  but I'm curious as to why you wouldn't speak on the fact that JG was only used as a RB. Do you genuinely support a decision to NOT get him actual game experience passing the football? I do agree the OL showed improvement "at times", but against Kent St, I'm not sure we can measure that in the win column. 

Honestly, I think we are trying to keep other teams from having film. If Gatewood threw it more, other teams (including A&M) would strategize around that. By making him exclusively a runner in these early games, defenses will expect him to be only used in that capacity. Wouldn’t surprise me to see Gatewood throw a deep pass next week when they sell out to stop him from running it.

I was a little surprised about the flea flicker. We have kept things really vanilla so far, aside from that one play. I think Gus has some stuff up his sleeve for later. Also, I noticed he had Joey and Bo in at the same time during some plays. I expect that will turn into some kind of reverse pass at some point this season.

[WarNole 141]

Thank you so much , Coach.  I agree that the defense has had trouble with 3rd downs.

[lost 452]

Enjoyed the info...  I tried not to get too excited over the offense or too disappointed about the defense because of the team we were playing.  I was excited to see the decision making of both QB's.   Gatewood(except for one play) made the best read on the read option.   Bo could have easily had a 100 yards himself running the ball if Malzhan desired.

The question is, and has been... Can we stretch the field with our passing game.  Hopefully with Schwartz getting healthier that will open up,  hurry back  Seth!!

[Butthead 525]

Thanks Coach.  I only wanted to break my tv once* during the game -- several times less than tulane.  so we are moving in the right direction.

Why in the hell after Boobee goes 40 around the left end do you hand it up on the middle on the next play?  He was so gassed that he barely made it to the los.  

 

[McLoofus 35,182]

15 hours ago, JMR said:

But I try to keep these things as positive as possible.

I'd say you space your lines just right to be read between when necessary. 

[McLoofus 35,182]

8 minutes ago, Butthead said:

Why in the hell after Boobee goes 40 around the left end do you hand it up on the middle on the next play?  He was so gassed that he barely made it to the los.  

Because the only thing in this world that death and taxes can count on is Gus doing Gus. 

[gravejd 3,270]

44 minutes ago, Butthead said:

Thanks Coach.  I only wanted to break my tv once* during the game -- several times less than tulane.  so we are moving in the right direction.

Why in the hell after Boobee goes 40 around the left end do you hand it up on the middle on the next play?  He was so gassed that he barely made it to the los.  

 

I'm pretty sure it is a new rule that you must run it into the middle of the line after a long play. I don't know why we are the only ones adhering to this rule but its the only reason i can think of why we would be doing this constantly for the last 3 years. 

It would be interesting to me for someone to look up how many passes the backup QB has thrown at AU over the last 3 seasons. Its mind blowing to me how Gus uses his backup QB. I would love for one of the beat writers to ask Gus an open question on his philosophy on playing and preparing the backup QB. I don't buy for one second that its about not showing future opponents what the backup QB can do.  

[Zeek 16,649]

20 hours ago, JMR said:

Bailey Sharp got the start at left tackle in order to rest Tega.  Sharp was hardly "great" but he was vastly improved over what I saw from him last year, and I would not put him in the "liability" category.  Great to have a little depth there, especially with Austin Troxell out this season.

Now Sharp is out for at least 6 weeks

20 hours ago, JMR said:

Marlon Davidson is playing this season with great effort, and that showed again this week. Of Auburn's 5 sacks, Davidson had 2.5.

Hope this trend stays. We badly need a pass rush moving forward.

20 hours ago, JMR said:

Still seeing some missed assignments on the AU offensive line.  Hard to believe that, with five senior starters.

Poor OL coaching

20 hours ago, JMR said:

His throws on the quick screens are, at times, forcing the WR to make difficult catches, which destroys the timing of the play. 

Let's be honest our quick screens have always been more miss than hit.

20 hours ago, JMR said:

I am more impressed each week with the development of Roger McCreary.  He is rapidly becoming a strong cover guy, and a sure tackler.  The same can be said for Noah Igbinoghene, but McCreary is still just a young pup.

Agreed 10000000%

[McLoofus 35,182]

16 minutes ago, Zeek said:

Let's be honest our quick screens have always been more miss than hit.

A few of us have mentioned it before but they were very good while Stidham and Davis were hooking up. Davis did very well after the catch but if you look at the passes, Stidham always placed them perfectly in front of Davis so that he was facing upfield when he caught the ball and sometimes even already moving upfield. Massive difference between that and the receiver having to gather the ball and himself and turn upfield after the catch. He's basically got no chance to make that first guy miss. The announcers even mentioned this the other night. 

You would think that one reason Bo won the job is because he could do these things better. He will need to. I'm sure he'll be fine but a lot of holes in his technique so far. 

[Zeek 16,649]

2 minutes ago, McLoofus said:

A few of us have mentioned it before but they were very good while Stidham and Davis were hooking up. Davis did very well after the catch but if you look at the passes, Stidham always placed them perfectly in front of Davis so that he was facing upfield when he caught the ball and sometimes even already moving upfield. Massive difference between that and the receiver having to gather the ball and himself and turn upfield after the catch. He's basically got no chance to make that first guy miss. The announcers even mentioned this the other night. 

You would think that one reason Bo won the job is because he could do these things better. He will need to. I'm sure he'll be fine but a lot of holes in his technique so far. 

Agreed and it seems odd to me some of the things he is struggling with currently. I don't know if he is still battling nerves or adjusting to the speed of the game but I believe a lot his current flaws are uncharacteristic of him. 

[lost 452]

Maybe this has been brought up somewhere but i missed it.  It has to do with the Defense.  Is anybody else concerned bout the lack of turnovers being generated?  We had two or 3 chances at interceptions just dropped!, and has anyone jarred a fumble loose?  Why was not our defense parked in their backfield--- cept when they burned us with  a screen?

[McLoofus 35,182]

6 minutes ago, lost said:

Maybe this has been brought up somewhere but i missed it.  It has to do with the Defense.  Is anybody else concerned bout the lack of turnovers being generated?  We had two or 3 chances at interceptions just dropped!, and has anyone jarred a fumble loose?  Why was not our defense parked in their backfield--- cept when they burned us with  a screen?

Well, to your last question, we had 5 sacks and 9 TFLs. How many did you require? Don't forget that Derrick Brown didn't play much at all and I'm not sure we had a single starter in for the entire 4th quarter.

It would be nice to see more turnovers. 

 

[homersapien 11,366]

1 hour ago, gravejd said:

I'm pretty sure it is a new rule that you must run it into the middle of the line after a long play. I don't know why we are the only ones adhering to this rule but its the only reason i can think of why we would be doing this constantly for the last 3 years. 

It would be interesting to me for someone to look up how many passes the backup QB has thrown at AU over the last 3 seasons. Its mind blowing to me how Gus uses his backup QB. I would love for one of the beat writers to ask Gus an open question on his philosophy on playing and preparing the backup QB. I don't buy for one second that its about not showing future opponents what the backup QB can do.  

Me either.  This is college football, not a chess tournament.

Execution is king in college football.  And the key to execution is reps - game reps.

[toddc 13,194]

2 hours ago, lost said:

Maybe this has been brought up somewhere but i missed it.  It has to do with the Defense.  Is anybody else concerned bout the lack of turnovers being generated?  We had two or 3 chances at interceptions just dropped!, and has anyone jarred a fumble loose?  Why was not our defense parked in their backfield--- cept when they burned us with  a screen?

What are you talking about with 5 sacks ! They were all in their backfield.

[fredst 9,064]

5 hours ago, Zeek said:

Agreed and it seems odd to me some of the things he is struggling with currently. I don't know if he is still battling nerves or adjusting to the speed of the game but I believe a lot his current flaws are uncharacteristic of him. 

All footwork related, IMO. Understandable for a freshman but I hope with coaching and game experience he can quickly improve this. It cost us probably 21 points against KS.

[Zeek 16,649]

57 minutes ago, fredst said:

All footwork related, IMO. Understandable for a freshman but I hope with coaching and game experience he can quickly improve this. It cost us probably 21 points against KS.

Yeah I just don’t remember him having these same issues before. Maybe Dilly Dilly can help.

[AuburnNTexas 7,140]

I agree about Nix not hitting runners in stride but this game was much better than previous games and don't forget the pass that Boobie dropped on the wheel route That was on the money and would have been a big gain. Another dropped pass was to Hastings I blame both Hastings and Nix on that one. It was thrown to low but still should have been caught. Thrown a foot higher and Hastings catches in stride and will pick up a lot more yardage as he had his man beat.

Those are the little things that need to be cleaned up to beat a team like A&M.