Things I Think I Saw (AU vs Ole Miss)....

[JMR 2,118]

For those who haven’t read this before, I titled it because over the thousands of hours of actual games I’ve watched live or on film, I’ve always been surprised at how many times I’ve been absolutely convinced I saw something happen a certain way, only to find “upon further review” that it didn’t happen quite the way I thought. So if you saw it differently, I make no claim to being right. I just call it the way I saw it.

HUGE win for Auburn and the Bryan Harsin program. Lane Kiffin is one of the better offensive coaches in college football, and Ole Miss is very much on the rise as a program. Not quite deserving of the status they are afforded by the media, but very good. It obviously helped that the game was at Auburn, but I suspect the result would have been the same in Oxford. This Auburn football team continues on its stated path to “get better every day.”
 

• Bo Nix, the focal point of this team, had an outstanding game. Going into the game, I had tremendous respect for Ole Miss QB Matt Corral. I honestly think Corral is as good as any QB in college football. Bo Nix stood tall in this game, and played every bit as well as Corral. That is extremely impressive to me. Bo missed some throws in the second half that would have made the point spread bigger than the eventual outcome. He lost track of his footwork a couple of times and made poor throws. So did Corral. All in all, I would have a hard time picking “the better QB” in this game, and that’s a heck of a compliment to Bo. Nix is playing winning football at this point in the season, and like the team, he is improving every week.
   
• I’m impressed with the job OL coach Will Friend is doing. For the most part, Nix enjoyed a comfortable pocket. Ole Miss played a lot of games in the box, bringing multiple stunts and blitz schemes, and the Auburn OL handled those surprisingly well. Brodarius Hamm got beat multiple times by a speed rush, and that portends to be a problem going forward, but overall, the protection was very good. Compare that to where we spent most of last season, and one can’t help but be pleased.
   
• I can’t say enough about the job being done by OC Mike Bobo as well. I was less than excited about the hire, but have to admit, I was wrong. I don’t recall an Offensive Coordinator at Auburn (maybe Al Borges?) doing a better job of manipulating opposing defenses via formations, misdirection, and play calls. As an old coach, I’d hate the prospect of preparing a defense for all that Bobo offers. The use of multiple tight ends….and I mean USE, not just deployment…is just a pleasure to watch.
   
• Was fun to watch J.J. Pegues play. Moved from tight end to defensive tackle, the kid still has little idea what he’s doing. But he is such a gifted athlete, he’s a force wherever he lines up. Saw him at rush end on one Ole Miss offensive series, and he wasn’t bad. Lots of good things to come for that youngster.
   
• Colby Wooden just keeps getting better and better. When I see a guy constantly improve from not only year to year, but week to week, I know he has to have been working his tail off. Wooden has done/is doing that, and I love watching it.
   
• Was great to see Owen Pappoe back. He is one of the keys to this AU defense mentally. I’ve thought since Auburn signed him that his lateral speed is exceptional, and that was clearly evidenced in this game. Zacoby McClain played like his hair was on fire, and Chandler Wooten had the best game I’ve seen from him. The Ole Miss passing game is so good, their play-action stuff is very tough on linebackers, and ours did a great job in a difficult situation.
   
• As an old punter myself, I was beyond pleased to see Oscar Chapman average 56 yards. I always suspected that Gus Malzahn limited what Arryn Sippos was allowed to do, and I’m glad to see that Chapmen’s ability is being put to full use. To be fair, I don’t “know” that about Gus, but making sure we didn’t outkick our coverage sounds like him.
   
• Kobe Hudson’s fumble hit a sore spot with me. My first coaching job was working for an old Head Coach from Ohio, a Woody Hayes disciple. In games or scrimmages, whenever our ball carrier was about to be tackled, he’d always yell “Two hands on the ball!”  He was right, of course, but he said it so much, to this day I find myself saying it out loud at that moment in an Auburn game when contact is imminent. I wish he was around to explain that deal to Kobe.
   
• I am a very careful watcher of the offensive line. As I mentioned earlier, I’ve been pleased with the work Coach Will Friend has done. They’re a ways from “great,” but one would have to be pretty numb to not recognize that they are improved. Brandon Council was a positive factor in this game, as was Austin Troxell. Both are guys I had been disappointed in to this point. I mentioned earlier Brod Hamm’s problems with the speed rush, and that will either be fixed, or will cost us dearly later.
   
• Smoke Monday was called for lining up offsides for at least the third time this season. On third down and less than five, Monday has come up on the line of scrimmage, and has not once looked inside at the ball to make sure he was not in the neutral zone. For that situation not to have been corrected by now is ridiculous. Coach Harsin likes to talk about “the details”. Come on, Coach.
   
• Speaking of “details”, how does a team get hit with a delay-of-game penalty on a field goal or extra point? Not sure I’ve ever seen that before, and we had TWO in this game.
   
• I’ve been pleased with the progress of rush end Eku Leota. He plays hard, and is more than adequately athletic. But the transfer from Northwestern is having problems with his pursuit angles, and is allowing the ball carrier to get outside him. I don’t know, but I suspect there is more speed in this league than in the Big Ten?
   
• I somewhat admire the coaches who are using “analytics” in their decision-making these days, but after being denied on three fourth-down attempts in the second half of this game, I’m wondering if Lane Kiffin might be tempted to go back to the old “coaching handbook” methods.
   
• Speaking of Kiffin: I kind of like the guy. I certainly admire his acumen as an offensive play-caller. But this business of faking injuries to stall the speed of play is out of hand. No way Ole Miss players had so many “cramps” this late in the season. No way.
   
• Auburn Defensive Coordinator Derek Mason is an interesting subject. I personally don’t like the “bend but don’t break” philosophy of defense, but a LOT of highly successful DC’s ascribe to it. That style was probably a good choice for this particular game, given the opponent’s high powered offense. On the other hand, Ole Miss rather enjoyed it in the first half, with their proclivity for throwing the slant pass, and manipulating the safety with their play action. Got to give Mason credit, though, his halftime adjustments, including more press, were right on, as his adjustments have been in pretty much every game this season. I sometimes wonder if his approach is too “cerebral” for our guys, but it does seem to be gradually taking hold, and if it does, it will pay huge dividends. For sure, the kids love playing for the guy and learning from him.
  
  BIG win for the Tigers this week. BIG. So far, Bryan Harsin has been everything we hoped for. Challenges ahead, of course, but I’m gradually coming to the point where I look forward to ‘em. Credit to Harsin, his staff, and our players for that.
  
  WAR DAMN!!

 

[Barnacle 9,064]

Thanks for sharing, @JMR. Always enjoy reading these. 

 

[ValleyTiger 2,894]

54 minutes ago, JMR said:

Colby Wooden just keeps getting better and better. When I see a guy constantly improve from not only year to year, but week to week, I know he has to have been working his tail off. Wooden has done/is doing that, and I love watching it.

[toddc 13,194]

Awesome job as always. This thread nails every point I would have made if I  had written it  myself. Thanks 😊 

[IronMan70 3,277]

Coach @JMR, a good analysis as usual. There is a confidence when a Harsin team takes the field that it will be well prepared and the coaches will have a well thought out game plan. The Ole Miss game was just such an example. On offense, Bobo has some excellent game plans and is dialing up some very good plays 90% of the time. The usage of our TEs has been great to watch develop. It adds another dimension to our offense and is long overdue at Auburn. 

On defense, I don't like a bend but don't break defense either, but I get it. Don't give up big home run plays between the 20s, tighten up inside the 20. Frustrating for sure but you look up after the game and Ole Miss only has 20 points. Impressed by the coaching and the fight of our AU players. It's starting to get back to where it use to be. When a team plays Auburn they know they've been in a hard fought, tough football game.

Edited November 2, 2021 by IronMan70

[RunInRed 16,407]

The OL's progress hasn't been talked about enough.  This unit was a big time weak spot going into the season and Friend and Co. have made the best of the talent we have.

Also, the Bobo comment is spot on ... not only QB development of Nix but also the scheme.  The 2-minute drive before half was the perfect example.

[JMR 2,118]

Something I meant to mention in TITIS this week....Ole Miss came into the game third in the nation in rushing yards per game, averaging 263.  Interesting (to me, anyway) how they had done that.  OC/QB Coach Jeff Lebby, whom Auburn tried to hire shortly after Harsin taking the head job, has been really good at creating easy blocking angles for his offense. He successfully did the same thing at UCF when Josh Heupel was head coach there.  Going into the game, I was curious to see how Derek Mason would attempt to neutralize that.  As it turns out, (I should have realized this going in), Mason has historically played his linebackers deeper than most coordinators do. The philosophy there is that he may give up a yard more on inside runs, but he'll not give up bigger plays outside the offensive tackles, which is where most "explosive plays" in the run game happen.  Anyway, that theory held up very well in the Ole Miss game, somewhat evidenced by Zakoby McClain's 14 tackles and the AU defense holding the Rebel Black Bears to over 100 yards below their season rushing average.  Just thought that was an interesting point about the game. 

 

 

 

[aubiefifty 16,775]

11 minutes ago, JMR said:

Something I meant to mention in TITIS this week....Ole Miss came into the game third in the nation in rushing yards per game, averaging 263.  Interesting (to me, anyway) how they had done that.  OC/QB Coach Jeff Lebby, whom Auburn tried to hire shortly after Harsin taking the head job, has been really good at creating easy blocking angles for his offense. He successfully did the same thing at UCF when Josh Heupel was head coach there.  Going into the game, I was curious to see how Derek Mason would attempt to neutralize that.  As it turns out, (I should have realized this going in), Mason has historically played his linebackers deeper than most coordinators do. The philosophy there is that he may give up a yard more on inside runs, but he'll not give up bigger plays outside the offensive tackles, which is where most "explosive plays" in the run game happen.  Anyway, that theory held up very well in the Ole Miss game, somewhat evidenced by Zakoby McClain's 14 tackles and the AU defense holding the Rebel Black Bears to over 100 yards below their season rushing average.  Just thought that was an interesting point about the game. 

 

 

 

coach how did you get so sexy? grins  i kid but thanx for the insights as they are probably my favorite thing about the board.

[aubiefifty 16,775]

1 hour ago, RunInRed said:

The OL's progress hasn't been talked about enough.  This unit was a big time weak spot going into the season and Friend and Co. have made the best of the talent we have.

Also, the Bobp comment is spot on ... not only QB development of Nix but also the scheme.  The 2-minute drive before half was the perfect example.

can i take this moment to brown nose in case my mouth gets me in trouble down the road? you know us old folks get senile and stuff............

[LKEEL75 2,566]

14 hours ago, JMR said:

• As an old punter myself, I was beyond pleased to see Oscar Chapman average 56 yards. I always suspected that Gus Malzahn limited what Arryn Sippos was allowed to do, and I’m glad to see that Chapmen’s ability is being put to full use. To be fair, I don’t “know” that about Gus, but making sure we didn’t outkick our coverage sounds like him.

Thanks as always coach!!  I have often thought this same thing about Sippos.  His recruiting videos showed him easily kicking around 50-60 yards and yet he never had one over 40 at AU.  I always thought Malzahn was telling him to not out kick the coverage.

[TigerHorn 1,351]

1 hour ago, JMR said:

Something I meant to mention in TITIS this week....Ole Miss came into the game third in the nation in rushing yards per game, averaging 263.  Interesting (to me, anyway) how they had done that.  OC/QB Coach Jeff Lebby, whom Auburn tried to hire shortly after Harsin taking the head job, has been really good at creating easy blocking angles for his offense. He successfully did the same thing at UCF when Josh Heupel was head coach there.  Going into the game, I was curious to see how Derek Mason would attempt to neutralize that.  As it turns out, (I should have realized this going in), Mason has historically played his linebackers deeper than most coordinators do. The philosophy there is that he may give up a yard more on inside runs, but he'll not give up bigger plays outside the offensive tackles, which is where most "explosive plays" in the run game happen.  Anyway, that theory held up very well in the Ole Miss game, somewhat evidenced by Zakoby McClain's 14 tackles and the AU defense holding the Rebel Black Bears to over 100 yards below their season rushing average.  Just thought that was an interesting point about the game. 

 

 

 

That's a great insight Coach! 

[milehighfan 1,240]

As usual, a great read and very informative.

[oracle79 3,569]

16 hours ago, JMR said:

Brandon Council was a positive factor in this game

Good to know. I typically only noticed him when he was standing around and not blocking anyone. Glad he is improving.

 

16 hours ago, JMR said:

Brodarius Hamm got beat multiple times by a speed rush

Any ideas how the staff will compensate for this?

[JMR 2,118]

14 minutes ago, oracle79 said:

Good to know. I typically only noticed him when he was standing around and not blocking anyone. Glad he is improving.

 

Any ideas how the staff will compensate for this?

Don’t know, of course, but one thing some teams do is widen the splits a little to put that rush end further from his target and change his path a little. Hamm can also line up a hair more off the LOS, which gives him a little more time to intercept the DE. He may need to adjust his pass set, meaning put his outside foot further back to speed up his weight transfer. He could, of course, just get quicker, but that ain’t likely. 

[EastAl_Tiger 225]

2 hours ago, oracle79 said:

Good to know. I typically only noticed him when he was standing around and not blocking anyone. Glad he is improving.

 

Any ideas how the staff will compensate for this?

Just watching Hamm move in open space is painful. Are his legs o.k.?  Is it the braces? He just can not move.  Not a lot of athleticism on display.

[Paladin 3,305]

5 hours ago, LKEEL75 said:

Thanks as always coach!!  I have often thought this same thing about Sippos.  His recruiting videos showed him easily kicking around 50-60 yards and yet he never had one over 40 at AU.  I always thought Malzahn was telling him to not out kick the coverage.

Sippos averaged 44 yards per punt during its Auburn career.

[LKEEL75 2,566]

3 hours ago, Paladin said:

Sippos averaged 44 yards per punt during its Auburn career.

So CGM took 10...20....30 yards off his kick by choice

First day of Practice...

His recruiting thread....

 

[Hopsing 577]

22 hours ago, toddc said:

Awesome job as always. This thread nails every point I would have made if I  had written it  myself. Thanks 😊 

Better than I could do! Felt like I went! Thank you!

[jptiger 481]

Thanks Coach. Appreciate you taking the time. I’m beginning to look forward to the games again myself. War Eagle! 

[au302 2,669]

4 hours ago, EastAl_Tiger said:

Just watching Hamm move in open space is painful. Are his legs o.k.?  Is it the braces? He just can not move.  Not a lot of athleticism on display.

The fact that we are having to play him at RT shows the mess left behind on the line. Coffey is probably a better pass blocker but he's apparently too light. A common thought I have read, and one that I agree with, would be to slide Hamm to LG, Trox to RT, and keep Zierer at LT. Council would be the odd man out in that scenario

[MaxCohen216 514]

Feels good to be optimistic again about Auburn football, and our coaching staff.  Hope Bobo stays around for a long time.

[api1957 1,783]

I’m more impressed by the use of “proclivity” in the op! 
 I particularly enjoyed the toss sweep out of the I.

[RunInRed 16,407]

 

[RunInRed 16,407]

On 10/31/2021 at 9:54 PM, JMR said:

As an old punter myself, I was beyond pleased to see Oscar Chapman average 56 yards. I always suspected that Gus Malzahn limited what Arryn Sippos was allowed to do, and I’m glad to see that Chapmen’s ability is being put to full use. To be fair, I don’t “know” that about Gus, but making sure we didn’t outkick our coverage sounds like him.

 

[DAG 33,981]

On 10/31/2021 at 8:54 PM, JMR said:

I’m impressed with the job OL coach Will Friend is doing

Glad you said this . Like Bobo, are fan base seems to be hypercritical on him.