Tennessee Game Report Card

[StatTiger 3,188]

Game #7 Statistical Evaluation (Tennessee Game)

All three phases of the game had a passing grade, though it did not feel that way on defense. Auburn’s inability to defend the run during the second half limited the Tigers to just three offensive possessions. The early loss of Tank Bigsby hindered the explosiveness of the running game. D.J. Williams and Shaun Shivers did combine for 131 yards on 25 carries. The running game was enough to keep the offense balanced, but Auburn was held to just eight possessions during the game. Both teams struggled inside the red zone, with Auburn scoring 13 points from four trips inside the Volunteers twenty and Tennessee scoring 14 points from their four attempts. Auburn’s pick-six and 54-yard touchdown pass play was the primary difference in the game. Auburn looked rusty from their three-week layoff, but the offense recovered with five scoring drives during their final six possessions of the game. Tennessee’s inability to cash in on their 108 yards rushing gained during the first two possessions of the second half would come back to haunt the Volunteers.

Bo Nix recovered from his early interception, completing 15 of 19 the game's remainder for 189 yards and one touchdown. Though Auburn was held to 385 yards of total offense, it is important to remember it came from only eight possessions. Had Auburn had their normal 12-13 possessions, they would have produced well over 500 yards of offense. The Tigers' struggles inside the red zone were the only glaring issue on offense against Tennessee. Auburn’s run defense and the 11 impact plays surrendered by the Tiger defense was extremely disappointing, considering they had three weeks of rest. Third-down defense continued to be a major issue for the Auburn Tigers, especially against one of the country's worst third-down offenses. Auburn will have to play much better on defense to have a chance of winning their next two games, and the offense is efficient but not explosive. Auburn outscored Tennessee 30-7 after falling behind 10-0, which is another step forward.

Gus Malzahn is now 37-2 against teams with a win percentage below 60 percent, but the competition level peaks the next two weeks. Alabama and Texas A&M are a combined 12-1 on the season, and Auburn will have to raise their level of play to an entirely different level. Auburn’s lack of explosiveness on offense and deficiency on third-down defense is a recipe for disaster in the next two weeks. Auburn’s coaching staff will have to find a way of being more aggressive on both sides of the football. Auburn is 4-9 in conference play under Gus Malzahn when the Tigers have no more than two plays of 30 yards on offense and allow the opposition to convert 45 percent of their third downs. Auburn is 19-3 with at least three plays of 30 yards while holding the opponent to 40 percent or less on third down. Overall, the team has improved since the season opener against Kentucky, primarily on the offensive side of the football. Tank Bigsby needs to bounce back from his hip injury as all hands on deck will be required to finish the season on a high note.

Offensive Report Card:
01) Avg 6-yards per play on 1st down: [7.03] pass
02) Convert at least 40% of 3rd downs: [60.0%] pass
03) Avg at least 4.5 yards per rush: [4.34] fail
04) Score on at least 1/3 of possessions: [62.5%] pass
05) Keep 3 and out series under 33%: [12.5%] pass
06) Average 8.0 yards per pass attempt: [8.46 yds] pass
07) Score at least 75% inside red zone: [75.0%] pass
08) TD red zone above 60%: [25.0%] fail
09) Avg at least 30-yards per possession: [48.1 yds] pass
10) 40% of offensive snaps part of scoring drives: [71.9%] pass
11) TD / Turnover ratio above 1.6: [2 / 1] pass
12) TD ratio of at least 1 every 17 snaps: [32.5] fail
13) At least 8 impact plays: (6) fail
14) At least 2 big plays: (1) fail
15) Pass rating of at least 126.3: [141.5] pass
16) Yards to Point Ratio of 17.0 or under: [12.8] pass

Score: 11 of 16 (68.7%) PASS

Defensive Report Card:
01) Avg under 6-yards per play on 1st down: [7.00] fail
02) Convert below 35% of 3rd downs: [60.0%] fail
03) Avg at least 4.0 yards per rush or less: [5.41] fail
04) Score 1/3 of possessions or below: [30.0%] pass
05) Keep 3 and out series above 33%: [10.0%] fail
06) Average below 7.5 yards per pass attempt: [7.33 yds] pass
07) Score below 75% inside red zone: [50.0%] pass
08) TD red zone below 60%: [50.0] pass
09) Avg under 30-yards per possession: [46.4 yds] fail
10) 40% or less of offensive snaps part of scoring drives: [33.8%] pass
11) TD / Turnover ratio below 1.6: [2 / 1] fail
12) TD ratio of at least 1 every 30 snaps: [37.0] pass
13) Less than 8 impact plays: (11) fail
14) No more than 2 big plays allowed: (1) pass
15) Pass rating below 125.0: [122.4] pass
16) Yards to point ratio of 17.0 or higher: [27.3] pass

Score: 9 of 16 (56.2%) PASS

Special Teams Report Card:
1) Punt Average (Above 41.3): [36.5] fail
2) Punt Return Defense (Below 7.8 YPR): [0.0] pass
3) Punt Return Offense (Above 9.8 YPR): [0.0] fail
4) Kick-Return Defense (Below 21.2 YPR): [20.0] pass
5) Kick-Return Offense (Above 22.3 YPR): [0.0] N/A
6) PAT’s (100%): [2 / 2] pass
7) FG Pct (75% or above): [3/3] pass

Score: 4 of 6 (66.7%) PASS

* 50% is a passing score.

War Eagle!

[shabby 1,956]

1 hour ago, StatTiger said:

Though Auburn was held to 385 yards of total offense, it is important to remember it came from only eight possessions. Had Auburn had their normal 12-13 possessions, they would have produced well over 500 yards of offense.

This is what kills me about the bend, don' t break philosophy. It severely limits the number of opportunities the offense gets to score. (our 3rd down defense seemed terrible this game. we couldn't get 3 and outs from this defense

[homersapien 11,357]

Best quote I've seen about the game:

"The win over Tennessee was not pretty, but in case you had forgotten since October, neither is Auburn football."

https://www.saturdaydownsouth.com/auburn-football/auburn-football-ugly-win-over-tennessee-in-first-game-in-21-days/

 

[NoALtiger 3,849]

A really average team playing a below average team. 

[AUApostle 7,651]

Seems like a decent offense could beat AU by limiting their passing offense to 10 throws or less.