StatTiger

Yup… I addressed that. A lack of quality RB’s hurts the most inside the red zone, where 63% of the plays are run plays. During seasons he had quality RB’s his red zone did not suck.

Yes he is rumored as the OC. True Air Raids are not known to be vertical but his version is. Over the last six years, his pass offense has an average national ranking of 11th in yards per pass attempt.

I'm 99% certain this was the OC Freeze referenced during his press conference. He hired him at Ole Miss but Freeze was fired before they could work together in 2017.

Phil Longo (Offensive Coordinator) 19 years experience as an offensive coordinator Six years at the FBS Level Scheme: Air Raid concept + Running Game Power 5 Numbers: · 75 games as offensive coordinator at Ole Miss and North Carolina. · 35.3 points and 487.1 yards per game over 6-year period. · 182.0 rushing and 305.1 passing per game. · 52.4 percent run. · 159.5 pass efficiency. Keep in mind that the starting quarterbacks in the SEC Championship games from 2010-2022 possessed an average rating of 161.6 and the winner 171.5. · 3.4 touchdown passes for every interception thrown. · During 26 games, his run offense was held under 140-yards rushing, but his pass offense compiled an efficiency rating of 151.9, averaging 313-yards passing per game and 26 points per contest. · 400-yards of offense during 71 percent of his games and over 500-yards 46 percent of the time. · Held under 300-yards in only 6.5 percent of his games and under 20 points during 14 percent of games. · Scored at least 30 points during 59 percent of his games. · Pass offense finished in the top-25 in efficiency during five of six seasons. · Average national ranking in pass-efficiency during six seasons was No. 18. · 6 out of 6 Top-25 finishes in explosive plays (20+ yards), four in the top-10. The average national ranking during the six years was No. 10. · 2017 Ole Miss offense ranked #18 in total offense with 462.3 yards per game and 11th in passing offense with 328.4 yards per game. · Two different quarterbacks attempted over 170 passes, and both had efficiency ratings over 150 (Shea Patterson and Jordan Ta’amu). Wide receiver AJ Brown caught 75 passes for 1252 yards and 11 TD’s. Running back Jordan Williams became the 5th running back in school history to rush for over 1000-yards. · 2018 Ole Miss offense was No. 7 nationally with 7.1 yards per play and 9th in total offense with 510.5 yards per game. · Jordan Ta’amu was the third highest-rated quarterback in the conference, and AJ Brown has 1320 yards receiving on 85 catches. · His 2019 North Carolina offense included a great running back combination with Michael Carter rushing for over 1000 yards and Javonte Williams totaling 933 yards. · Freshman quarterback Sam Howell passed for over 3600 yards and 38 touchdowns. Wide receivers Dyami Brown and Dazz Newsome both had over 1000 yards in receiving. · 2020 North Carolina offense averaged 537.2 yards and 41.7 points per game. Carolina averaged 235.8 yards rushing and 301.4 yards passing per game. · Michael Carter and Javonte Williams both rushed for over 1000 yards, supported by Sam Howell with nearly 3600 yards passing and 30 touchdowns. The Tar Heels finished No. 11 in rushing. · 2021 North Carolina offense included 1000-yard rusher Ty Chandler and Sam Howell rushing for 829 yards, finishing 17th nationally in rushing. Quarterback Sam Howell threw for 3056 yards and 24 TD’s. · Josh Downs caught 101 passes for 1335 yards and 8 touchdowns. · 2022 offense ranked 15th nationally in total offense and No. 23 in scoring offense behind a freshman quarterback. Drake Maye averaged 316.5 yards per game and was the 13th highest-rated passer with a 159.9 rating. · Josh Downs had 1029 yards receiving during 2022 and 11 touchdown receptions. Ole Miss Passing Comparison: Hugh Freeze: 288.9 yards per game / 142.7 rating Phil Longo: 337.4 yards per game / 155.4 rating Lane Kiffin: 257.6 yards per game / 148.4 rating Individual Highlights: · Six times, his starting quarterback had a passer rating of at least 150.0 in six years. · Seven 1000-yard receivers during six seasons. · Five 1000-yard rushers at the RB position during six seasons. · It has been 31 games since Auburn had a 200-yard passer, 100-yard rusher and 100-yard receiver during the same game (2020 Ole Miss). Sam Houston Offensive Coordinator (2014-2016): · 44 games as offensive coordinator and QB coach. · 505 yards and 41 points per game. · No. 1 in total offense during two of three seasons. · 227.5 rushing and 278.0 yards passing per game. · No. 9 nationally in rushing during 2014 and 2015. · 124.2 pass rating in 2014, 137.4 in 2015, and 165.7 in 2016. He went from a strong running offense to an explosive pass offense. · 2014 offense ranked 9th nationally in rushing with 241.6 yards per game. · Had 1000-yard rushers during 2014 and 2015. · 2015 offense set a Southland Conference season record of 7975 yards, third in FCS history. · 2016 offense set a school record of 4602 yards passing, with two 1000-yard receivers, leading the nation in total offense and No. 2 in scoring. Slippery Rock Offensive Coordinator (2012-2013): · 23 games as offensive coordinator and quarterback coach. · 474.7 yards and 39.2 points per game. · 184.8 rushing and 289.9 yards passing per game. · Scored an average of 5.0 touchdowns per game. · Averaged 8.3 yards per pass attempt. · 143.7 pass efficiency rating. · 2013 offense averaged 536 yards and 43 points per game. · 2013 offense ranked 4th in total offense, sixth in passing, and eighth in scoring offense. Southern Illinois Offensive Coordinator (2008-2009): · 25 games as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. · 376.2 yards and 31.8 points per game. · 196.5 rushing and 180.8 yards passing per game. · Pass efficiency rating of 126.9. · Replaced 8 of 11 offensive starters going into 2008, featuring 1000-yard rusher Larry Warner and a pass offense that was No. 2 in the conference. · 2009 offense was No. 7 among all FCS schools in scoring and 21st in total offense. · Starting quarterback was lost for the year midway through the 2009 campaign, forcing a freshman into the spotlight. · Deji Karmin, a backup running back, rushed for 1629 yards and 18 TD’s during the 2009 season and was the conference offensive player of the year. Other Career Notes as Offensive Coordinator: · 2006-2007, offensive coordinator at Division II, Minnesota-Duluth. No.2 pass offense in the nation, two years in a row. · Ted Schlafke (quarterback) set numerous Division II passing records. · 32-year coaching career. · Head Coach at LaSalle (2004-2005). His offense produced two MAAC Conference Offensive MVP’s, five All-Americans, and 13 All-Conference selections. His offense established 19 school records. · Offensive coordinator from 2000-2001 at Division III, William Paterson. His offense set 27 school records. · His quarterbacks in the past six seasons have rushed for 2408 yards and 37 touchdowns. · Has adapted and adjusted his Air Raid passing concepts, incorporating a strong running game to establish balance in a hurry-up and no-huddle format. · His RPO schemes have resulted in a high number of explosive plays (487) within a vertical passing attack. During the past six seasons, his offense averaged 81 plays of 20-plus yards per season. · Despite being a pass-oriented offense, Longo’s last six offenses averaged a national ranking of 20th when it comes to producing run plays of 10-plus yards. · His run offense over the last six seasons has been just as effective as Auburn’s but brings a much more dominant pass offense. Longo’s running game has averaged 182 yards per game on 4.9 yards per attempt, compared to Auburn’s 186 yards per game on 4.7 yards per rush. · During his Power-5 stops, his teams won 78 percent of their games with at least 160-yards rushing, gaining an average of 555 yards and 43 points per game. The win percentage would have been drastically higher had the defense not allowed over 30 points during 41 percent of those games. Red Zone touchdown percentage has been an issue for Longo’s offense during five of the last six seasons, with an average national ranking of 89th. It should be noted that his offenses combined a strong running game and ranked highly in touchdowns inside the red zone, especially during his FCS, Division II, and Division III coaching stops. The 2020 North Carolina offense ranked No. 15 in red zone touchdowns, with two 1000-yard rushers at the running back position, and the 2022 North Carolina leading rusher was their quarterback.

No... it's first down. Prime example is the recent Ole Miss game. AU averaged 6.07 yards per play on first down but 100-yards came on two plays. In reality, AU averaged 2.7 yards per play on their remaining first down snaps.

Offensive and Defensive turnover ratio...

Looking back at Auburn offenses from 1992-2022, the 2022 Auburn offense ranks 9th among the last 31, producing a play of 15+ yards every 8.14 plays. With better play by the OL and QB positions, 2022 would likely be a record-setting year on offense. The statistical goal being eight per game.

It is there or AU would not rank as high when it comes to explosive plays.

Very Good

Another area I monitor is production on first down, where 45 percent of the game takes place. Here are the current rankings of first-down offense and first-down defense in the SEC: Auburn ranks 9th on offense and 8th on defense. Overall, Auburn ranks 9th in the SEC regarding the difference gained on first down. Auburn is +.32. Georgia, Ole Miss, Tennessee, Arkansas, and Alabama are the top-5. Remaining Opponents: Arkansas 4th Alabama 5th Miss State 7th Texas A&M 11th The combination of first down production and run defense, makes the MSU and TAMU games winnable.

Auburn's current ranking reveals two things. Auburn has talented skill players, but the offense is way too reliant on explosive plays, which have accounted for over 60 percent of the total yardage gained. The lack of consistency results from inconsistent blocking, average quarterback play, schemes, and play-calling. If Bo Nix was the starter this year, I believe the Tigers would be 5-2, having defeated LSU and Ole Miss. Robby Ashford has shown glimpses of talent but needs to be much more accurate passing the football. Execution by the OL and TE's in the running game has been a hit-and-miss process. Some of that was cleaned up against Ole Miss with the Tigers rushing for 301-yards on 48 attempts. They had their most success in their 12 personnel against the Rebels. I do believe the key is still spreading the defense out with 3-4 WR sets but it was good to see success in 2-3 TE sets. The lack of consistency has resulted in 2.5 yards per play outside the explosive plays, which ranks 29th among the last 31 Auburn offenses. If Auburn were averaging 3.5 yards per play, it would make a major difference in yardage gained, and points scored. Note the 28.2 yards per play when it comes to explosive plays, 7th best from 1992-2022. Again, an indicator of the talent available at the skill positions.

Here are the current rankings within the SEC regarding the ratio of plays of 20+ yards gained and allowed. Auburn is No. 4 in the SEC on offense, with one every 19.9 plays, and No. 11 on defense, surrendering an explosive play every 14.1 plays. Texas A&M isn't explosive on offense, which matches up well with the Auburn defense but the TAMU defense doesn't allow many. MSU also lacks explosive play ability and their defense is worse than TAMU. Arkansas is worse than Auburn on defense.

For those that know me from social media, I could talk or write about Auburn football for hours. This has always been a good forum with great folks but like many boards, has become toxic. Over the years, I discovered that it is better to step away from it when it happens rather then rolling in the mud and getting dirty too. I don't post much on the ITAT boards for the same reason. The coaching changes has brought out a more toxic environment on football forums, something I elect to avoid.

I have worked for ITAT since 2006 so that has nothing to do with being active here. I am active on multiple Auburn boards, Youtube, Twitter, and radio. I also work and devote the majority of my time with my grandchildren.

Though it is way early into his career, I thought this was still interesting... Impact Play Ratio: Cam Newton (5.62) 97 of 545 Nick Marshall (6.00) 143 of 858 Robby Ashford (6.14) 22 of 135 Dameyune Craig (6.52) 181 of 1181 Bo Nix (7.90) 167 of 1320 No doubt he is not polished yet, but this is his first year playing at the collegiate level. He certainly needs the right system built around his strengths, and under the right offensive coach, could continue to improve. His current ratio of an impact play every 6.1 touches is impressive considering the circumstances he has been given.

https://youtu.be/PyirouHIEfU

Knowing where the targets were made on the field provides an actual explanation. Bo Nix completed about 44% of his passes beyond 20 yards of the LOS and Finley completed 31 percent. There is no indication that JJ had any "drop" issues. He was utilized in the deep passing game, so the completion percentage explains why he caught around 51 percent of his targeted passes. Cam Newton who was one of the top passers in the country in terms of efficiency, completed 44 percent of his pass attempts beyond 20-yards of the LOS.

His ratio for impact plays was better than Darvin Adams who was the best in school history. Should he double his targets this year, it could make a huge difference on offense. Anything under 1 out of 3 is really good.

Though he only caught 19 passes last season, Ja'Varrius Johnson produced ten plays of 15+ yards. Johnson's 2021 season was limited due to injury, but he was targeted 37 times, with 65 percent occurring during the final five games of the season. Johnson was moved around the field to isolate him on a single defender, who Johnson could exploit. He generated big plays from short passes and took the top off opposing defenses on the deep ball. https://youtu.be/bZB8LNP5x2w

I thought the same as I put the feature together.

I always felt that Jarrett Stidham never received enough credit for his performance on the field as an Auburn Tiger. I believe it is likely due to the 8-5 record in his final season. Diving into the numbers, Auburn ran for at least 140-yards only 16 times during Stidham's 27 starts at quarterback and the Tigers went 15-1 in those games and 3-8 during the remaining games. Among Auburn QB's with at least 300 career pass attempts, Jarrett Stidham was the 3rd most efficient quarterback and possessed the best TD to INT ratio. In two seasons, he amassed over 6000 yards of total offense and 42 TD's. He was directly involved in 141 impact plays or plays of 15+ yards. https://youtu.be/Zy3bimHJZAs

Still playing in the CFL