Pass heavy against Arkansas?

[AuburnTiger4Life 2,225]

1 hour ago, atl-tiger said:

No, it will be a run heavy day as Gus doesn't want any film on the complex route tree he installed over the bye week that utilizes short to intermediate passes, sometimes the middle of the field, that don't have 3 fake handoffs and that should help out our weak offensive line.

Well thats what I hope.

Finally someone gets it 

[AUsince72 11,084]

I mean.... C'mon y'all.  Vanilla IS a spice after all...

[GwillMac6 20,666]

5 hours ago, Tiger said:

What are the chances Gus went vanilla vs UF thinking we could beat them with a scaled back playbook?

I mean barely any Seth and Schwartz on the field together? We played the least amount of guys on O to this point in the season vs the Gators IIRC

That was not Vanilla Gus.  We know what that looks like and this was not that. That was just big road game Gus. Happens every year.

[GwillMac6 20,666]

3 hours ago, Swamp Eagle said:

I'm not hung up on being a pass-happy offense...I would just like to see some diversity and consistency in play-calling again.  He's done it before.

I am. Auburn has been way way way too run first for way to long. Time to join modern day football.

[jAUSon 2,836]

3 hours ago, atl-tiger said:

No, it will be a run heavy day as Gus doesn't want any film on the complex route tree he installed over the bye week that utilizes short to intermediate passes, sometimes the middle of the field, that don't have 3 fake handoffs and that should help out our weak offensive line.

Well thats what I hope.

We grinded Tulane to disguise a plan for aTM, killed them, but couldn't disguise a plan for Fla, so we sand bagged that one.

Now we will grind out Arkansas to disguise our plan for LSU, kill them, thus leaving no plan available for Ole Miss. But.....

With some minor concealed adjustments we can grind Ole Miss and disguise our plan for Uga. 

So all we really need is some luck against Ole Miss for the Master Plan to hold up.

 

[keesler 5,924]

2 hours ago, SumterAubie said:

I had not thought of this specifically. But did mention to my son, the playcalling did not seem as dynamic against uf as it did against State or A&M.  I attributed it to uf's better defense an/or Malzahn falling back into old habits when the pressure started to build. Not to intentionally holding back. Either way, something was different against uf vs A&M/Sate.

His freshman QB became a liability in that UF game, that's what was different.  I honestly can't blame him for going into a shell, and reverting back to old tendencies.

BUT, IMO there were other offensive weapons at his disposal that I would've like to have seen get some action to try to get a spark started.  It may not have mattered one bit if Gatewood/Schwartz/Shiver got action, but I'd at least have felt like Gus was throwing everything he had at UF and was fighting for the win.  

[keesler 5,924]

4 hours ago, mcgufcm said:

I think viewing "run first" offenses as a death knell is wrong. Flat out. It flies in the face of what is actually happening on the field.

Oklahoma. This year's version. Run-first offense without question. Fifth in the country in rushing. They are built around the QB/RB battery. Their entire pass scheme is based around play action passing and RPOs. Both of those give defenses a run-first look to frees up their WRs. They have great success in the passing game, but everything in the offense is built on running first. 

Ohio State. This year's version. Run-first offense. Third in the nation in rushing. Again, that offense is built around JK Dobbins, Master Teague, and Justin Fields' legs. They run the ball 64% of the time (which is a higher clip than Auburn).

Wisconsin. They are a successful offense built around a traditional run game, not one with a mobile QB. They run 66% of the time. 

Then, you have traditional offenses like Clemson and UGA that are a pure mix. Both are running more than they pass it. Both are built on physical running games with pro-style QBs and passing schemes. 

Again, I think saying a team cannot be successful with a run-first offense is just wrong. I know what Bama and LSU are doing is flashy. I know Dan Mullen has restructured his traditionally run-heavy offense toward the passing game to fit his personnel, but there are a TON of coaches winning a LOT of football games with a run-first and run-often approach.

When you lay it out like that, I agree with some of what you say.  

The deal we have right now is that Auburn hasn't been able to execute it's offense consistently at the level of Oklahoma/OSU/Wisky/Clemson/UGA/UAT those teams are championship contenders more times than not recently.  If anything, the LSU offensive evolution flies right in the face of everything Auburn has tried to do recently. They overhauled that offense in a single off season and they look unstoppable right now.

Auburn's offense sputters, the it looks great, then looks inept - it's a constant roller coaster.  And the only constant in these years of inconsistency is our new OC (Gus).  He's damn sure got the talent to do anything he wants on offense, he's had years to build for his scheme and philosophy just like Okalhoma/OSU/LSU,etc.  

So why does it always seem like a struggle when the other teams like you mentioned above make it look so easy and effortless?

[GwillMac6 20,666]

9 minutes ago, keesler said:

When you lay it out like that, I agree with some of what you say.  

The deal we have right now is that Auburn hasn't been able to execute it's offense consistently at the level of Oklahoma/OSU/Wisky/Clemson/UGA/UAT those teams are championship contenders more times than not recently.  If anything, the LSU offensive evolution flies right in the face of everything Auburn has tried to do recently. They overhauled that offense in a single off season and they look unstoppable right now.

Auburn's offense sputters, the it looks great, then looks inept - it's a constant roller coaster.  And the only constant in these years of inconsistency is our new OC (Gus).  He's damn sure got the talent to do anything he wants on offense, he's had years to build for his scheme and philosophy just like Okalhoma/OSU/LSU,etc.  

So why does it always seem like a struggle when the other teams like you mentioned above make it look so easy and effortless?

Also those teams passing games are still DEADLY. They just are running the ball more because their QBs are more of a true Dual Threat QB. Justin Fields has thrown for 1.3k yards with 18 touchdowns and only 1 interception.  Jalen Hurts has thrown for 1.7k yards with 17 touchdowns and only 3 interceptions.

[toddc 13,194]

Just win any way you have to. I believe we run the full offense and get better at it hopefully before lswho game. I hope we see a lot of DJ and Shivers and get the ball to Swartz any way you can.

War Eagle 🦅 

[AUsince72 11,084]

1 hour ago, keesler said:

I'd at least have felt like Gus was throwing everything he had at UF and was fighting for the win.  

^^^^^^^^^

There's something that would be a pleasant diversion from the norm.  It's not like he has REAL job pressure. 

Job pressure is the fear of losing your $30K-60K (PER YEAR) job therefore taking away your ability to provide food, housing & clothing for your wife & 2 children... therefore being conservative and toeing a line is understandable.

However, in his case, he gets more BY BEING FIRED than this entire board (put together) will likely see in our lifetime.....so that's not pressure.

Therefore it would be nice for him to quit going into the Gus Turtle Shell when things get tough and instead, maybe throw caution to the wind.  What's the worst than can happen to him?.....and GENERATIONS of Malzahns to come, financially.

To paraphrase Rob Bramblett...GO CRAZY GUS!!!!!

[leglessdan 1,934]

3 hours ago, GwillMac6 said:

I am. Auburn has been way way way too run first for way to long. Time to join modern day football.

Well the thing is....we have major weapons for a pass happy offense. We don't have the OL for a run dominant offense. 

[AU64 10,122]

10 minutes ago, leglessdan said:

Well the thing is....we have major weapons for a pass happy offense. We don't have the OL for a run dominant offense. 

Maybe,  but if so, we need to see the new and improved Bo Nix for the passing game to be a threat.     Not saying we abandon the pass, but I have the feeling that we can run over or around Arky and that is what Gus is likely to do.

[jAUSon 2,836]

9 minutes ago, AU64 said:

Maybe,  but if so, we need to see the new and improved Bo Nix for the passing game to be a threat.     Not saying we abandon the pass, but I have the feeling that we can run over or around Arky and that is what Gus is likely to do.

I'd rather see a new and improved passing game for Bo to be a threat. And Stidham. And White. And Johnson. And so on....

[BigWhiskey91 632]

19 hours ago, DAG said:

I still don't understand why we can't open up the the big play with short passes. Both Florida and LSU look great doing it. Also, Oregon has established this framework. Heck, even in the NFL, most teams are doing this. We don't always have to be boom or bust offense.

Nix has been pretty poor at short passing. He ironically has been the most ‘efficient’ in his intermediate (10-25yd) passing. That and his deep passing has really hampered consistency on offense. Some of that is him, some of that is OL and some of it is scheme.

[DAG 33,977]

8 minutes ago, BigWhiskey91 said:

Nix has been pretty poor at short passing. He ironically has been the most ‘efficient’ in his intermediate (10-25yd) passing. That and his deep passing has really hampered consistency on offense. Some of that is him, some of that is OL and some of it is scheme.

Accurate, but we don't do nearly enough of them to get him settled in. It is not built in our gameplay. The offense is pretty much let the run open up the pass, when you have the opportunity to pass, you better make sure it counts. It really shouldn't be that way. He needs a rhythm. 

[AU64 10,122]

1 hour ago, jAUSon said:

I'd rather see a new and improved passing game for Bo to be a threat. And Stidham. And White. And Johnson. And so on....

Sorry but most good college QBs.....like Burrow for instance....would have burned UF a new one in the game at Gainesville.   Three INTs and some missed open receivers in the end zone......hoping that was an anomaly for Bo...and that he gets his completion rate up toward 60% in games to come....otherwise we are gonna see some of JG which will make some folks happy I guess.   

I really don't care who is the QB but it's not the play calling that resulted in all those problems against UF.    We could have beaten the gators by two or three TDs if Bo had been as sharp as he was in the MSU game. 

[leglessdan 1,934]

1 hour ago, AU64 said:

Maybe,  but if so, we need to see the new and improved Bo Nix for the passing game to be a threat.     Not saying we abandon the pass, but I have the feeling that we can run over or around Arky and that is what Gus is likely to do.

Not gonna see that with double fake, play action passes on deep routes. Not saying Bo is infallible,  but some of the passing concepts just aren't going to work with a high rate of success behind this OL. Especially against better DLs like Lsu, Uga and bammer. We have the talent at WR to do exactly what LSU and bammer are doing to teams offensively. The execution of that is another discussion, but instead we'll more than likely stick to establishing the run and take deep shots. Against a team we SHOULD have no problem in doing so. Only masking the inevitable come time to play big boy football. 

[jAUSon 2,836]

15 minutes ago, AU64 said:

Sorry but most good college QBs.....like Burrow for instance....would have burned UF a new one in the game at Gainesville.   Three INTs and some missed open receivers in the end zone......hoping that was an anomaly for Bo...and that he gets his completion rate up toward 60% in games to come....otherwise we are gonna see some of JG which will make some folks happy I guess.   

I really don't care who is the QB but it's not the play calling that resulted in all those problems against UF.    We could have beaten the gators by two or three TDs if Bo had been as sharp as he was in the MSU game. 

The guy had a bad game. But how can you so easily bridle him with his own completion stats and int's when he was trying to uphold a crackhead game-plan? 

And which way is it 64? are you blaming BN for the game while simultaneously shaming the board for wanting to see JG? I swear there's one or two straight up JG fans in here who are by no means wagging the dog. Mostly everyone else was wanting to see JG come in as a sign of a coach looking for a spark. Doing anything to win. But no. Another forfeit.

[nixtosanders94 2,180]

8 minutes ago, jAUSon said:

The guy had a bad game. But how can you so easily bridle him with his own completion stats and int's when he was trying to uphold a crackhead game-plan? 

And which way is it 64? are you blaming BN for the game while simultaneously shaming the board for wanting to see JG? I swear there's one or two straight up JG fans in here who are by no means wagging the dog. Mostly everyone else was wanting to see JG come in as a sign of a coach looking for a spark. Doing anything to win. But no. Another forfeit.

I try not to respond directly to 69 so I’ll also say that for heavens sake Bo is a true freshman! True...Freshman...as such its his head coach’ job to put him in successful situations which Gus HIMSELF admitted to NOT doing well in that game! 

Man I swear Gus could come to 64’s house, punch him in the face, rob the place, piss on his floor, and slash his tires and 64 would tell us it was Bo’s fault or our fault or God’s fault but it wouldn’t be Gus’s fault! 

[Maverick.AU 13,279]

10 minutes ago, jAUSon said:

The guy had a bad game. But how can you so easily bridle him with his own completion stats and int's when he was trying to uphold a crackhead game-plan? 

And which way is it 64? are you blaming BN for the game while simultaneously shaming the board for wanting to see JG? I swear there's one or two straight up JG fans in here who are by no means wagging the dog. Mostly everyone else was wanting to see JG come in as a sign of a coach looking for a spark. Doing anything to win. But no. Another forfeit.

I said myself before the season, that JG, if Bo was the starter, could take a lot of pressure off of Bo if he was utilized, but instead of utilizing him against UF, we continued to Telegraph what we were going to do. Especially on 3rd and shorts. Idk I think JG, with Shivers and Schwartz in motion would be hard as hell to stop 

[Maverick.AU 13,279]

2 minutes ago, nixtosanders94 said:

I try not to respond directly to 69 so I’ll also say that for heavens sake Bo is a true freshman! True...Freshman...as such its his head coach’ job to put him in successful situations which Gus HIMSELF admitted to NOT doing well in that game! 

Man I swear Gus could come to 64’s house, punch him in the face, rob the place, piss on his floor, and slash his tires and 64 would tell us it was Bo’s fault or our fault or God’s fault but it wouldn’t be Gus’s fault! 

Dang gronk 😂

[nixtosanders94 2,180]

1 minute ago, Maverick.AU said:

Dang gronk 😂

Oops! 😂😂😂😂

[Eagle Eye 7 2,535]

Gus will likely beat Arky by a lot. First they are not a good team. Two, Gus is always interviewing for a job in Arky so he beats them every year so they want to hire him. It’s usually his best game each year. Three he is in the hot seat again. If he loses to LSU, uga and uat then he is probably gone when it’s added with UF and he sits at 8-4 . He will try to run up the score on beatable teams to make it look better at 8-4. Just my thought . 

[Auhud08 596]

Depending on the early success- we’ll see some middle passes and short passes early. If we get a big lead quick, he’ll revert back to inside zone, jet, and p-a deep passes. He’ll practice those middle throws but npt enough to make LSU think theyre a real big portion of the gameplan. 

I expect the middle to be where we attack LSU, and some back shoulders to Seth. Also think our run game goes back to a perimeter attack

[Maverick.AU 13,279]

Just now, Auhud08 said:

Depending on the early success- we’ll see some middle passes and short passes early. If we get a big lead quick, he’ll revert back to inside zone, jet, and p-a deep passes. He’ll practice those middle throws but npt enough to make LSU think theyre a real big portion of the gameplan. 

I expect the middle to be where we attack LSU, and some back shoulders to Seth. Also think our run game goes back to a perimeter attack

I miss the shotgun toss we saw earlier in the season