Slammer1

On 7/25/2018 at 4:07 PM, kevon67 said:

Nothing wrong with that truck.......other than the diver, paint job and that ridiculous tailgate............tailgate reminds me of those terrible window screens from the 70's that sported a howling wolf and cactus?

I would bet my house that whomever owns that pickup truck never spent one day in  the classroom  at UA. Typical  bama fan. SMH!! WDE!!! 

On 9/27/2020 at 3:34 PM, JMR said:

With this being the first of these this season (and with the way 2020 has gone so far, maybe the last), a quick reminder: I watch the game, and make a few mental notes that I try to summarize when it's over. I refuse to watch a game over and over, so I may see some things wrong, or maybe miss some things altogether. I make no claim to being "right" about what I saw, hence the name....Things I Think I Saw.

I may very well be overly generous in my overall assessment, given the circumstances of this particular football season. Lots of losses to the draft and graduation, no spring practice, an erratic off-season, and a protracted pre-season with lots of disruptions and interruptions.

I was relatively pleased with Auburn's play in the game. UK came in with lots of experience on both the offensive and defensive lines. Four of five UK offensive linemen were named to various pre-season All-SEC teams. The Cats returned 9 starters on defense. With all those caveats listed, here are some things I think I saw in the game:

• Auburn's defensive line was handled pretty easily by Kentucky's very good offensive line. UK did not miss many assignments, and appeared to be exceptionally well-versed in their blocking schemes. As the game moved along, I thought Auburn's DL got better at using their hands and keeping the UK OL from getting into their bodies. That trend continued throughout the game, and the AU defense got better from beginning to end.
   
• With a relatively experienced group of linebackers, I saw more bad fits than I expected on UK running plays between the tackles. That tendency did not improve drastically during the game, and will likely be a point of emphasis in practice this week.
   
• Auburn's offensive line play was not great, but given the fact that there were four new starters in that group, I thought they played surprisingly well. Pass protection was good for the most part, with only a couple of breakdowns. That phase I thought was an improvement over last season. Left tackle Alec Jackson had a couple of false starts, and I don't recall any others by linemen. There were some "mental lapses" by offensive linemen, like putting the head on the wrong side of the defender, not moving the knees on backside cutoffs, etc. Those things become automatic with time and experience.
   
• Auburn pulled more backside linemen (sometimes both the guard and tackle, sometimes only the guard) than I remember seeing in a while, and those pulling linemen usually found a block.
   
• The "Chad Morris Offense" was an improvement in my mind. Not as predictable, and more of the field was utilized. Keep in mind, nothing was "fine-tuned", as this was Game One for almost the entire offensive front. Auburn will have to continue to improve its run game going forward.
   
• I liked the two-point conversion call after Auburn's first TD. Don't particularly like the play itself, but love the idea of going for two when it's certainly unexpected.
   
• I think when considering the AU offense in this game, one needs to be mindful of the fact that Kentucky returned a majority of defensive starters this season, and Stoops' teams are very sound fundamentally.
   
• Some newcomers to the AU defense showed promise. Truesdell and Newkirk played hard and with lots of effort. Colby Wooden made some plays, and looks like he will be a good one.
   
• There were some breakdowns in the secondary, but those will be corrected. Overall, I thought the secondary played very well. McCreary, Simpson, and Sherwood all made big plays.
   
• The AU defense was without Big Kat Bryant, and then without Derek Hall. With having won the game, that becomes a good thing from an adjustment and experience standpoint. I didn't quite agree with the targeting call on Hall, but I am admittedly biased. For what it's worth, it was a great effort by Hall, who tackled the UK QB as he threw the ball, then hustled to catch up and make a block for McCreary after his pick.
   
• I thought Bo Nix showed progress from last year. He wasn't perfect, and lost focus on his footwork a few times, throwing off his back foot, or pedaling backwards. But the strength and accuracy of his arm looked much improved to me. He did appear to bail on plays too early a few times, and his escape from the pocket is entirely too repetitive/predictable. I don't know if there are checkdowns on some of those plays, but a handful of times, it looked like he had one defender to read, and if the prime receiver was covered, he took off. One of the things I was hoping for from Chad Morris was checkdowns to the running backs. Didn't see that this week.

As is almost always true after a game, especially the first game, there is lots of stuff to work on. While it's well-recognized that Kentucky is much better than they have traditionally been over the last several years, I feel pretty comfortable saying that Georgia will be as good or better.

All in all, my take on Game One is that we have a ways to go, but we are on track to get there. I thought the game was well-coached and mostly well-played. There were not a lot of stupid, emotional penalties, and that's often not the case in early games. We played a quality opponent, overcame occasional adversity, and won. I'll take it. Dawgs up next! War Eagle!

 

Good to see you back Coach 👍. Semper Fi and WDE!!!

22 hours ago, JMR said:

First a little reminder:  This thing is so-named because of the fact that it's virtually impossible to see everything on a play or series of plays without watching over and over and over.  Being unwilling to invest that much time, I just watch the game, make little mental notes, and then jot down what I THINK I saw. So, if you saw it differently, that's fine; you may well have seen it correctly and I did not.

Auburn just beat Alabama for the second time in the past three games. Not many programs can say that. Yes, Alabama was without their outstanding quarterback.  That's truly unfortunate, but we'll never know how the game may have gone had he been available.  I thought backup QB Mac Jones played very well, save two pick sixes, one of which was not his fault.

Lots of things impressed me about Auburn in this game. I don't recall ever seeing the kids play harder from start to finish.  It was an incredible effort, against a very talented opponent, and every bit of that effort was required to win the game.  I thought the coaches did a great job of preparation. As is the case in most any game against a quality opponent, I'm sure there are some things they would choose to do differently, like kickoffs. But altogether, I thought it was a very well-planned and well-schemed game. Enough of my thoughts on the game overall; here are some Things I Think I Saw......

• I recall during Tommy Tuberville's time as coach, the scout team was instructed to hold on every play during the week leading up to the game. The intent was to prepare the defensive players for the holding Alabama has been known for in the past. I don't know if that took place in practice this week, but I saw holding on pretty much every Alabama offensive snap.  I didn't keep track, but I believe it was called ONCE.
   
• Yet another awesome game from Derrick Brown.  I believe the big guy had 7 tackles, including 3.5 tackles for loss. He has been a joy to watch, and he has set the bar extremely high for the defensive linemen that come to Auburn after him.
   
• I can't say enough about Marlon Davidson.  He plays all-out on every down, regardless of the score or the circumstance. Little wonder that he was named SEC Defensive Lineman of the Week four times this season.
   
• Losing Anthony Schwartz on the very first play of the game was a huge setback to the AU offense.  I have to think the staff had plans to utilize his outstanding speed, and having that possibility disappear right out of the gate had to be disappointing.
   
• With Schwartz injured, Eli Stove got more snaps than he has in a while, and he did not disappoint.  It was good to see Stove on the field and making plays.
   
• No look-back at this game would be complete without recognizing the contribution of the Auburn crowd.  Watching Bama get five false start penalties reminded me of our struggles with the noise at Florida Field earlier this season.  Great to be on the other side of that factor.
   
• I might be being a little generous here, but I thought the Auburn secondary played pretty well, given the quality of the Alabama wide receivers. Our guys were aggressive and tackled well in space.  They got beaten a few times, but I haven't seen any secondary not struggle to stay with those guys.
   
• I was a little surprised at the somewhat successful AU running game.  It was a long way from great, but it was enough to keep our offense from being one-dimensional.  The counter with the backside guard and tackle leading was executed a couple of times really well, and good yardage came from those.
   
• Bo Nix had a fairly typical game for him this season.  He missed a few, and bailed early on the pocket a few times.  But he seemed to make good decisions and good throws when we most needed them.  He was also very good in the run game, adding critical yards when most needed.
   
• Bo got some great help from his wide receivers in this one. There was one series, with AU down 24-17 the last few minutes of the first half, where THREE wide receivers make outstanding plays to keep that scoring drive alive.  Seth Williams pulled in a one-handed catch with the Bama DB hanging on his other arm (not called), Will Hastings snatched a throwaway ball out of the air at the sideline, and Sal Cannella made an awesome tightrope catch for the score.  Gus and Kodi Burns were having some kind of argument on the sideline during that drive, and I have no idea who was "right," but I'm gonna side with Kodi as long as his guys are making those kind of plays.
   
• Shedrick Jackson got a lot of snaps in this one, as he is considered our best-blocking wide receiver. Because he was hustling to make a block on the first snap of the game, Shed was in position to recover Anthony Schwartz' fumble.  He also ran a nice route and made a tough catch on the two-point conversion following Auburn's last TD.
   
• Kudos to everyone involved...players and coaches....on executing the successful field goal on the last play of the first half.  To get the kick off with only one second on the clock required discipline and prior rehearsal.  Very well done!
   
• Speaking of field goals, hats off to Anders Carlson.  He got his mojo back just in time, going five-for-five on field goal attempts, all over 40 yards. Only four of the five counted, as Gus chose to accept an offsides penalty on Carlson's 55-yarder.  Pretty unusual decision there, as the old coaching axiom goes, "Never take points off the board." 
   
• Was great to see Big Kat Bryant get instant pressure on the Bama QB on Zacoby McClain's 100-yard interception return.  I have been looking for that kind of edge rush from Big Kat all season, and it finally arrived, at a critical time.
   
• Exceptional job this week by offensive tackle Jack Driscoll. He had some key blocks in the run game. Driscoll's transfer from UMass was a good get for us.
   
• How about Shaun Shivers' TD on the jet sweep!  At 175 lbs, Shivers ran OVER one of Alabama's best tacklers, knocking his helmet off in the process.  Reminded me for all the world of the time Ronnie Brown trucked the Tennessee safety.
   
• Now that the regular season is over, I hope Coach Cadillac will spend time working with Boobee Whitlow on ball security.  I don't remember Caddy having problems with ball security, but Boobee is as sloppy with the ball as I've seen in a while. I've been surprised this season when he's back in the game after a fumble.  We can all recall a time when a fumble put a running back in Gus' doghouse for weeks at a time.
   
• Lastly, I need to tip my hat to Gus.  He had a solid plan, had his team well-prepared, and kept his composure throughout the game. And he's beaten Saban two out of the last three.

Big win, and I'm happy for the coaches and players, especially the seniors.  I'm also happy for the thousands of Auburn fans and alumni who now have a full year ahead without having their neighbors looking down their nose at them.  I am more looking forward to this year's college football playoff than any since the playoff began.  WAR EAGLE!!

First a little reminder:  This thing is so-named because of the fact that it's virtually impossible to see everything on a play or series of plays without watching over and over and over. Being unwilling to invest that much time, I just watch the game, make little mental notes, and then jot down what I THINK I saw. So, if you saw it differently, that's fine; you may well have seen it correctly and I did not.

Auburn just beat Alabama for the second time in the past three games. Not many programs can say that. Yes, Alabama was without their outstanding quarterback. That's truly unfortunate, but we'll never know how the game may have gone had he been available. I thought backup QB Mac Jones played very well, save two pick sixes, one of which was not his fault.

Lots of things impressed me about Auburn in this game. I don't recall ever seeing the kids play harder from start to finish. It was an incredible effort, against a very talented opponent, and every bit of that effort was required to win the game. I thought the coaches did a great job of preparation. As is the case in most any game against a quality opponent, I'm sure there are some things they would choose to do differently, like kickoffs. But altogether, I thought it was a very well-planned and well-schemed game. Enough of my thoughts on the game overall; here are some things I think I saw......

• I recall during Tommy Tuberville's time as coach, the scout team was instructed to hold on every play during the week leading up to the game. The intent was to prepare the defensive players for the holding Alabama has been known for in the past. I don't know if that took place in practice this week, but I saw holding on pretty much every Alabama offensive snap. I didn't keep track, but I believe it was called ONCE.
• Yet another awesome game from Derrick Brown. I believe the big guy had 7 tackles, including 3.5 tackles for loss. He has been a joy to watch, and he has set the bar extremely high for the defensive linemen that come to Auburn after him.
• I can't say enough about Marlon Davidson. He plays all-out on every down, regardless of the score or the circumstance. Little wonder that he was named SEC Defensive Lineman of the Week four times this season.
• Losing Anthony Schwartz on the very first play of the game was a huge setback to the AU offense. I have to think the staff had plans to utilize his outstanding speed, and having that possibility disappear right out of the gate had to be disappointing.
• With Schwartz injured, Eli Stove got more snaps than he has in a while, and he did not disappoint. It was good to see Stove on the field and making plays.
• No look-back at this game would be complete without recognizing the contribution of the Auburn crowd.  Watching Bama get five false start penalties reminded me of our struggles with the noise at Florida Field earlier this season. Great to be on the other side of that factor.
• I might be being a little generous here, but I thought the Auburn secondary played pretty well, given the quality of the Alabama wide receivers. Our guys were aggressive and tackled well in space. They got beaten a few times, but I haven't seen any secondary not struggle to stay with those guys.
• I was a little surprised at the somewhat successful AU running game. It was a long way from great, but it was enough to keep our offense from being one-dimensional. The counter with the backside guard and tackle leading was executed a couple of times really well, and good yardage came from those.
• Bo Nix had a fairly typical game for him this season. He missed a few, and bailed early on the pocket a few times. But he seemed to make good decisions and good throws when we most needed them. He was also very good in the run game, adding critical yards when most needed.
• Bo got some great help from his wide receivers in this one. There was one series, with AU down 24-17 the last few minutes of the first half, where THREE wide receivers make outstanding plays to keep that scoring drive alive. Seth Williams pulled in a one-handed catch with the Bama DB hanging on his other arm (not called), Will Hastings snatched a throwaway ball out of the air at the sideline, and Sal Cannella made an awesome tightrope catch for the score. Gus and Kodi Burns were having some kind of argument on the sideline during that drive, and I have no idea who was "right", but I'm gonna side with Kodi as long as his guys are making those kind of plays.
• Shedrick Jackson got a lot of snaps in this one, as he is considered our best-blocking wide receiver. Because he was hustling to make a block on the first snap of the game, Shed was in position to recover Anthony Schwartz' fumble.  He also ran a nice route and made a tough catch on the two-point conversion following Auburn's last TD.
• Kudos to everyone involved...players and coaches....on executing the successful field goal on the last play of the first half. To get the kick off with only one second on the clock required discipline and prior rehearsal. Very well done!
• Speaking of field goals, hats off to Anders Carlson. He got his mojo back just in time, going five-for-five on field goal attempts, all over 40 yards. Only four of the five counted, as Gus chose to accept an offsides penalty on Carlson's 55-yarder. Pretty unusual decision there, as the old coaching axiom goes, "Never take points off the board". 
• Was great to see Big Kat Bryant get instant pressure on the Bama QB on Zacoby McClain's 100-yard interception return. I have been looking for that kind of edge rush from Big Kat all season, and it finally arrived, at a critical time.
• Exceptional job this week by offensive tackle Jack Driscoll. He had some key blocks in the run game. Driscoll's transfer from UMass was a good get for us.
• How about Shaun Shivers' TD on the jet sweep!  At 175 lbs, Shivers ran OVER one of Alabama's best tacklers, knocking his helmet off in the process. Reminded me for all the world of the time Ronnie Brown trucked the Tennessee safety.
• Now that the regular season is over, I hope Coach Cadillac will spend time working with Boobee Whitlow on ball security. I don't remember Caddy having problems with ball security, but Boobee is as sloppy with the ball as I've seen in a while. I've been surprised this season when he's back in the game after a fumble. We can all recall a time when a fumble put a running back in Gus' doghouse for weeks at a time.
• Lastly, I need to tip my hat to Gus. He had a solid plan, had his team well-prepared, and kept his composure throughout the game. And he's beaten Saban two out of the last three.

Big win, and I'm happy for the coaches and players, especially the seniors. I'm also happy for the thousands of Auburn fans and alumni who now have a full year ahead without having their neighbors looking down their nose at them. I am more looking forward to this year's college football playoff than any since the playoff began.  WAR EAGLE!!

First a little reminder:  This thing is so-named because of the fact that it's virtually impossible to see everything on a play or series of plays without watching over and over and over. Being unwilling to invest that much time, I just watch the game, make little mental notes, and then jot down what I THINK I saw. So, if you saw it differently, that's fine; you may well have seen it correctly and I did not.

Auburn just beat Alabama for the second time in the past three games. Not many programs can say that. Yes, Alabama was without their outstanding quarterback. That's truly unfortunate, but we'll never know how the game may have gone had he been available. I thought backup QB Mac Jones played very well, save two pick sixes, one of which was not his fault.

Lots of things impressed me about Auburn in this game. I don't recall ever seeing the kids play harder from start to finish. It was an incredible effort, against a very talented opponent, and every bit of that effort was required to win the game. I thought the coaches did a great job of preparation. As is the case in most any game against a quality opponent, I'm sure there are some things they would choose to do differently, like kickoffs. But altogether, I thought it was a very well-planned and well-schemed game. Enough of my thoughts on the game overall; here are some things I think I saw......

• I recall during Tommy Tuberville's time as coach, the scout team was instructed to hold on every play during the week leading up to the game. The intent was to prepare the defensive players for the holding Alabama has been known for in the past. I don't know if that took place in practice this week, but I saw holding on pretty much every Alabama offensive snap. I didn't keep track, but I believe it was called ONCE.
• Yet another awesome game from Derrick Brown. I believe the big guy had 7 tackles, including 3.5 tackles for loss. He has been a joy to watch, and he has set the bar extremely high for the defensive linemen that come to Auburn after him.
• I can't say enough about Marlon Davidson. He plays all-out on every down, regardless of the score or the circumstance. Little wonder that he was named SEC Defensive Lineman of the Week four times this season.
• Losing Anthony Schwartz on the very first play of the game was a huge setback to the AU offense. I have to think the staff had plans to utilize his outstanding speed, and having that possibility disappear right out of the gate had to be disappointing.
• With Schwartz injured, Eli Stove got more snaps than he has in a while, and he did not disappoint. It was good to see Stove on the field and making plays.
• No look-back at this game would be complete without recognizing the contribution of the Auburn crowd.  Watching Bama get five false start penalties reminded me of our struggles with the noise at Florida Field earlier this season. Great to be on the other side of that factor.
• I might be being a little generous here, but I thought the Auburn secondary played pretty well, given the quality of the Alabama wide receivers. Our guys were aggressive and tackled well in space. They got beaten a few times, but I haven't seen any secondary not struggle to stay with those guys.
• I was a little surprised at the somewhat successful AU running game. It was a long way from great, but it was enough to keep our offense from being one-dimensional. The counter with the backside guard and tackle leading was executed a couple of times really well, and good yardage came from those.
• Bo Nix had a fairly typical game for him this season. He missed a few, and bailed early on the pocket a few times. But he seemed to make good decisions and good throws when we most needed them. He was also very good in the run game, adding critical yards when most needed.
• Bo got some great help from his wide receivers in this one. There was one series, with AU down 24-17 the last few minutes of the first half, where THREE wide receivers make outstanding plays to keep that scoring drive alive. Seth Williams pulled in a one-handed catch with the Bama DB hanging on his other arm (not called), Will Hastings snatched a throwaway ball out of the air at the sideline, and Sal Cannella made an awesome tightrope catch for the score. Gus and Kodi Burns were having some kind of argument on the sideline during that drive, and I have no idea who was "right", but I'm gonna side with Kodi as long as his guys are making those kind of plays.
• Shedrick Jackson got a lot of snaps in this one, as he is considered our best-blocking wide receiver. Because he was hustling to make a block on the first snap of the game, Shed was in position to recover Anthony Schwartz' fumble.  He also ran a nice route and made a tough catch on the two-point conversion following Auburn's last TD.
• Kudos to everyone involved...players and coaches....on executing the successful field goal on the last play of the first half. To get the kick off with only one second on the clock required discipline and prior rehearsal. Very well done!
• Speaking of field goals, hats off to Anders Carlson. He got his mojo back just in time, going five-for-five on field goal attempts, all over 40 yards. Only four of the five counted, as Gus chose to accept an offsides penalty on Carlson's 55-yarder. Pretty unusual decision there, as the old coaching axiom goes, "Never take points off the board". 
• Was great to see Big Kat Bryant get instant pressure on the Bama QB on Zacoby McClain's 100-yard interception return. I have been looking for that kind of edge rush from Big Kat all season, and it finally arrived, at a critical time.
• Exceptional job this week by offensive tackle Jack Driscoll. He had some key blocks in the run game. Driscoll's transfer from UMass was a good get for us.
• How about Shaun Shivers' TD on the jet sweep!  At 175 lbs, Shivers ran OVER one of Alabama's best tacklers, knocking his helmet off in the process. Reminded me for all the world of the time Ronnie Brown trucked the Tennessee safety.
• Now that the regular season is over, I hope Coach Cadillac will spend time working with Boobee Whitlow on ball security. I don't remember Caddy having problems with ball security, but Boobee is as sloppy with the ball as I've seen in a while. I've been surprised this season when he's back in the game after a fumble. We can all recall a time when a fumble put a running back in Gus' doghouse for weeks at a time.
• Lastly, I need to tip my hat to Gus. He had a solid plan, had his team well-prepared, and kept his composure throughout the game. And he's beaten Saban two out of the last three.

Big win, and I'm happy for the coaches and players, especially the seniors. I'm also happy for the thousands of Auburn fans and alumni who now have a full year ahead without having their neighbors looking down their nose at them. I am more looking forward to this year's college football playoff than any since the playoff began.  WAR EAGLE!!

First a little reminder:  This thing is so-named because of the fact that it's virtually impossible to see everything on a play or series of plays without watching over and over and over. Being unwilling to invest that much time, I just watch the game, make little mental notes, and then jot down what I THINK I saw. So, if you saw it differently, that's fine; you may well have seen it correctly and I did not.

Auburn just beat Alabama for the second time in the past three games. Not many programs can say that. Yes, Alabama was without their outstanding quarterback. That's truly unfortunate, but we'll never know how the game may have gone had he been available. I thought backup QB Mac Jones played very well, save two pick sixes, one of which was not his fault.

Lots of things impressed me about Auburn in this game. I don't recall ever seeing the kids play harder from start to finish. It was an incredible effort, against a very talented opponent, and every bit of that effort was required to win the game. I thought the coaches did a great job of preparation. As is the case in most any game against a quality opponent, I'm sure there are some things they would choose to do differently, like kickoffs. But altogether, I thought it was a very well-planned and well-schemed game. Enough of my thoughts on the game overall; here are some things I think I saw......

• I recall during Tommy Tuberville's time as coach, the scout team was instructed to hold on every play during the week leading up to the game. The intent was to prepare the defensive players for the holding Alabama has been known for in the past. I don't know if that took place in practice this week, but I saw holding on pretty much every Alabama offensive snap. I didn't keep track, but I believe it was called ONCE.
• Yet another awesome game from Derrick Brown. I believe the big guy had 7 tackles, including 3.5 tackles for loss. He has been a joy to watch, and he has set the bar extremely high for the defensive linemen that come to Auburn after him.
• I can't say enough about Marlon Davidson. He plays all-out on every down, regardless of the score or the circumstance. Little wonder that he was named SEC Defensive Lineman of the Week four times this season.
• Losing Anthony Schwartz on the very first play of the game was a huge setback to the AU offense. I have to think the staff had plans to utilize his outstanding speed, and having that possibility disappear right out of the gate had to be disappointing.
• With Schwartz injured, Eli Stove got more snaps than he has in a while, and he did not disappoint. It was good to see Stove on the field and making plays.
• No look-back at this game would be complete without recognizing the contribution of the Auburn crowd.  Watching Bama get five false start penalties reminded me of our struggles with the noise at Florida Field earlier this season. Great to be on the other side of that factor.
• I might be being a little generous here, but I thought the Auburn secondary played pretty well, given the quality of the Alabama wide receivers. Our guys were aggressive and tackled well in space. They got beaten a few times, but I haven't seen any secondary not struggle to stay with those guys.
• I was a little surprised at the somewhat successful AU running game. It was a long way from great, but it was enough to keep our offense from being one-dimensional. The counter with the backside guard and tackle leading was executed a couple of times really well, and good yardage came from those.
• Bo Nix had a fairly typical game for him this season. He missed a few, and bailed early on the pocket a few times. But he seemed to make good decisions and good throws when we most needed them. He was also very good in the run game, adding critical yards when most needed.
• Bo got some great help from his wide receivers in this one. There was one series, with AU down 24-17 the last few minutes of the first half, where THREE wide receivers make outstanding plays to keep that scoring drive alive. Seth Williams pulled in a one-handed catch with the Bama DB hanging on his other arm (not called), Will Hastings snatched a throwaway ball out of the air at the sideline, and Sal Cannella made an awesome tightrope catch for the score. Gus and Kodi Burns were having some kind of argument on the sideline during that drive, and I have no idea who was "right", but I'm gonna side with Kodi as long as his guys are making those kind of plays.
• Shedrick Jackson got a lot of snaps in this one, as he is considered our best-blocking wide receiver. Because he was hustling to make a block on the first snap of the game, Shed was in position to recover Anthony Schwartz' fumble.  He also ran a nice route and made a tough catch on the two-point conversion following Auburn's last TD.
• Kudos to everyone involved...players and coaches....on executing the successful field goal on the last play of the first half. To get the kick off with only one second on the clock required discipline and prior rehearsal. Very well done!
• Speaking of field goals, hats off to Anders Carlson. He got his mojo back just in time, going five-for-five on field goal attempts, all over 40 yards. Only four of the five counted, as Gus chose to accept an offsides penalty on Carlson's 55-yarder. Pretty unusual decision there, as the old coaching axiom goes, "Never take points off the board". 
• Was great to see Big Kat Bryant get instant pressure on the Bama QB on Zacoby McClain's 100-yard interception return. I have been looking for that kind of edge rush from Big Kat all season, and it finally arrived, at a critical time.
• Exceptional job this week by offensive tackle Jack Driscoll. He had some key blocks in the run game. Driscoll's transfer from UMass was a good get for us.
• How about Shaun Shivers' TD on the jet sweep!  At 175 lbs, Shivers ran OVER one of Alabama's best tacklers, knocking his helmet off in the process. Reminded me for all the world of the time Ronnie Brown trucked the Tennessee safety.
• Now that the regular season is over, I hope Coach Cadillac will spend time working with Boobee Whitlow on ball security. I don't remember Caddy having problems with ball security, but Boobee is as sloppy with the ball as I've seen in a while. I've been surprised this season when he's back in the game after a fumble. We can all recall a time when a fumble put a running back in Gus' doghouse for weeks at a time.
• Lastly, I need to tip my hat to Gus. He had a solid plan, had his team well-prepared, and kept his composure throughout the game. And he's beaten Saban two out of the last three.

Big win, and I'm happy for the coaches and players, especially the seniors. I'm also happy for the thousands of Auburn fans and alumni who now have a full year ahead without having their neighbors looking down their nose at them. I am more looking forward to this year's college football playoff than any since the playoff began.  WAR EAGLE!!

First a little reminder:  This thing is so-named because of the fact that it's virtually impossible to see everything on a play or series of plays without watching over and over and over. Being unwilling to invest that much time, I just watch the game, make little mental notes, and then jot down what I THINK I saw. So, if you saw it differently, that's fine; you may well have seen it correctly and I did not.

Auburn just beat Alabama for the second time in the past three games. Not many programs can say that. Yes, Alabama was without their outstanding quarterback. That's truly unfortunate, but we'll never know how the game may have gone had he been available. I thought backup QB Mac Jones played very well, save two pick sixes, one of which was not his fault.

Lots of things impressed me about Auburn in this game. I don't recall ever seeing the kids play harder from start to finish. It was an incredible effort, against a very talented opponent, and every bit of that effort was required to win the game. I thought the coaches did a great job of preparation. As is the case in most any game against a quality opponent, I'm sure there are some things they would choose to do differently, like kickoffs. But altogether, I thought it was a very well-planned and well-schemed game. Enough of my thoughts on the game overall; here are some things I think I saw......

• I recall during Tommy Tuberville's time as coach, the scout team was instructed to hold on every play during the week leading up to the game. The intent was to prepare the defensive players for the holding Alabama has been known for in the past. I don't know if that took place in practice this week, but I saw holding on pretty much every Alabama offensive snap. I didn't keep track, but I believe it was called ONCE.
• Yet another awesome game from Derrick Brown. I believe the big guy had 7 tackles, including 3.5 tackles for loss. He has been a joy to watch, and he has set the bar extremely high for the defensive linemen that come to Auburn after him.
• I can't say enough about Marlon Davidson. He plays all-out on every down, regardless of the score or the circumstance. Little wonder that he was named SEC Defensive Lineman of the Week four times this season.
• Losing Anthony Schwartz on the very first play of the game was a huge setback to the AU offense. I have to think the staff had plans to utilize his outstanding speed, and having that possibility disappear right out of the gate had to be disappointing.
• With Schwartz injured, Eli Stove got more snaps than he has in a while, and he did not disappoint. It was good to see Stove on the field and making plays.
• No look-back at this game would be complete without recognizing the contribution of the Auburn crowd.  Watching Bama get five false start penalties reminded me of our struggles with the noise at Florida Field earlier this season. Great to be on the other side of that factor.
• I might be being a little generous here, but I thought the Auburn secondary played pretty well, given the quality of the Alabama wide receivers. Our guys were aggressive and tackled well in space. They got beaten a few times, but I haven't seen any secondary not struggle to stay with those guys.
• I was a little surprised at the somewhat successful AU running game. It was a long way from great, but it was enough to keep our offense from being one-dimensional. The counter with the backside guard and tackle leading was executed a couple of times really well, and good yardage came from those.
• Bo Nix had a fairly typical game for him this season. He missed a few, and bailed early on the pocket a few times. But he seemed to make good decisions and good throws when we most needed them. He was also very good in the run game, adding critical yards when most needed.
• Bo got some great help from his wide receivers in this one. There was one series, with AU down 24-17 the last few minutes of the first half, where THREE wide receivers make outstanding plays to keep that scoring drive alive. Seth Williams pulled in a one-handed catch with the Bama DB hanging on his other arm (not called), Will Hastings snatched a throwaway ball out of the air at the sideline, and Sal Cannella made an awesome tightrope catch for the score. Gus and Kodi Burns were having some kind of argument on the sideline during that drive, and I have no idea who was "right", but I'm gonna side with Kodi as long as his guys are making those kind of plays.
• Shedrick Jackson got a lot of snaps in this one, as he is considered our best-blocking wide receiver. Because he was hustling to make a block on the first snap of the game, Shed was in position to recover Anthony Schwartz' fumble.  He also ran a nice route and made a tough catch on the two-point conversion following Auburn's last TD.
• Kudos to everyone involved...players and coaches....on executing the successful field goal on the last play of the first half. To get the kick off with only one second on the clock required discipline and prior rehearsal. Very well done!
• Speaking of field goals, hats off to Anders Carlson. He got his mojo back just in time, going five-for-five on field goal attempts, all over 40 yards. Only four of the five counted, as Gus chose to accept an offsides penalty on Carlson's 55-yarder. Pretty unusual decision there, as the old coaching axiom goes, "Never take points off the board". 
• Was great to see Big Kat Bryant get instant pressure on the Bama QB on Zacoby McClain's 100-yard interception return. I have been looking for that kind of edge rush from Big Kat all season, and it finally arrived, at a critical time.
• Exceptional job this week by offensive tackle Jack Driscoll. He had some key blocks in the run game. Driscoll's transfer from UMass was a good get for us.
• How about Shaun Shivers' TD on the jet sweep!  At 175 lbs, Shivers ran OVER one of Alabama's best tacklers, knocking his helmet off in the process. Reminded me for all the world of the time Ronnie Brown trucked the Tennessee safety.
• Now that the regular season is over, I hope Coach Cadillac will spend time working with Boobee Whitlow on ball security. I don't remember Caddy having problems with ball security, but Boobee is as sloppy with the ball as I've seen in a while. I've been surprised this season when he's back in the game after a fumble. We can all recall a time when a fumble put a running back in Gus' doghouse for weeks at a time.
• Lastly, I need to tip my hat to Gus. He had a solid plan, had his team well-prepared, and kept his composure throughout the game. And he's beaten Saban two out of the last three.

Big win, and I'm happy for the coaches and players, especially the seniors. I'm also happy for the thousands of Auburn fans and alumni who now have a full year ahead without having their neighbors looking down their nose at them. I am more looking forward to this year's college football playoff than any since the playoff began.  WAR EAGLE!!

Glad you're back Coach but I know why you left. Great analysis of the Iron Bowl! I pretty much saw the same things in the  game , especially the same old holding  by bama. You and your family have a great Christmas and last but not least Semper Fi Marine!!

Slammer

On 10/13/2019 at 9:44 PM, akillshot said:

JMR,

I've been out of town so I was just catching up on your post and the comments because your thread and StatTiger's analysis threads are all I generally read in the football section because of the many people with agendas that aren't worth a person's time.When I first read your reply, I thought you had put the guy on ignore as someone had suggested. It wasn't until I saw all the other comments asking you to continue, that I realized I had misread your post.  As many before have posted, I hope you reconsider and continue your analysis because it is beneficial and educational for many of us on here. Thank you for the time you have spent in the past and hope to see your analysis in the future. War Eagle!

Semper Fi coach!!!

17 hours ago, JMR said:

I went to Recon School at Pendleton (and Coronado).  Loved it out there!

I bet you did. It sure beats Swamp LeJuene 👍

15 hours ago, JMR said:

Semper Fi! 1st Bn, 7th Marines, and 1st Recon Bn, 1968-69. 

Semper Fi back atcha Coach. Marine medevac pilot in Nam 1967-1968. Got A-4s after returning to stateside as you can see by my avi. I love your input like most people on here so please stay with us. 

WDE!!!

On 10/6/2019 at 6:49 PM, augolf1716 said:

Here you go

 

Good catch Golf!! I am looking forward to seeing  how FL makes out in Baton Rouge. I think they will get a big dose of their own medicine or at least I hope they do. The incident with Worm just shows what kind of coach mullen is to allow that to happen. He is a total dirt bag and I hope LSU beats the crap out of them.

WDE!!

6 hours ago, StatTiger said:

How great the opportunity to see the son of Patrick Nix, playing the very same position his father made history. Nearly 25 years ago we witnessed Bo's father playing his senior year at Auburn, finishing his two-year reign as the starting quarterback. Patrick Nix carried the torch of successful quarterback play, revived by Jeff Burger in 1986. Auburn was fortunate to have an extended period of multiple quarterbacks, who led Auburn to success on the football field. This string of success included the performance of Patrick Nix during the 1994 and 1995 seasons.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8xZT2nDj3Z8

Thanks Stat for all you do.Loved watching the Pat Nix video. I think his son will do great things for our team.also.

WDE!!!

From what I've seen of Bo Nix's high school videos he is his dad reincarnated and he can run too. Really looking forward to him taking the field for AU. I know a lot of folks on here are Joey Gatewood fans but his passing does not compare to Bo's IMO. May the best man win. I think it would be neat if Gus can incorporate a scheme that both are on the field at the same time. That should give opposing defenses something to think about! Can't wait for the season to start.!!

WDE

3 hours ago, auburn4ever said:

Gus is having to rebuild the offense. The question is, can he.

 

3 hours ago, auburn4ever said:

Gus is having to rebuild the offense. The question is, can he.

Well his offenses have taken us to two national championship games, winning one and coming within 13 seconds of winning the second one, so yes, I think he can.

SMH..

 

12 hours ago, AUsince72 said:

So, from what I'm reading, after players make major mistakes they simply practice "to correct it".  There's no Bull in the Ring or Up & Downs or Stadium Steps.

...in other words there's no Fear.  No wonder Stids smiles like a Cheshire Cat all the time.

Consequences help ensure future improvement.

I saw the same thing 72, Stidham was yucking it up like WE were ahead 27-10. That told me he did not have his head in the game. I saw absolutely nothing to smile about. It was like he didn't care about being behind 17 points. His attitude sort of shocked me to be honest. I think all NFL and Heisman talk  along with the praise he got from his first year went to his head. He is definitely not the same QB now that he was his first year at AU. I recall my watching our 1957 team practice. We had coaches that would not put up with anything less than total effort. Coaches Shot Senn and  Gene Lorendo come to mind. If  they caught him laughing and cutting up with what the situation was,  Stidham would still be running the stadium steps. with maybe a bull in the ring session for good measure. Times have changed. JMO

WDE

15 hours ago, AUsince72 said:

It's certainly a stretch to call a few of us "level headed" ? but I think most agree Gus does a LOT of really good things and with a few adjustments he can certainly be a great coach for all of us AU folks to be proud of.

Game 1 showed some really good signs of growth and improvement, especially in going against some of the negative tendencies, so I'm stoked for the coming games!

I agree and at the risk of repeating myself Gus has had  no where near the head coaching  experience that lil nicky has nor has had his "assets"  available to him and has  a lot more to show for his short career as a head coach. than saban does.. Gus is still learning how to be a head coach. Yes, he has his flaws but experience is the best teacher. Kirby Smart is the exception but I am sure he " learned" a lot from his former boss on how to make things go his way. Everyone here knows  what I am talking about. 

WDE!!

On 1/2/2018 at 8:08 PM, Apraser99 said:

It would be nice if a MOD would start a poll to see what everyone's age is and maybe year of graduation(from Auburn). It might help some of us understand the thought process of some posters, including myself. Is that something you guys are willing to do? Maybe at least post demographics of the participant pool maybe. Just a thought.

Great idea. I am probably close to the oldest on here at 79 ( I have golf beat but probably not by much, but you younger guys throw a lot of acronyms around which I try to figure out. Sometimes I do but I don't get a lot of them. Just age difference I guess .

WDE!!!

We had a great win over the Dawgs but I don't want us to fall into the same attitude I think GA had. I think they fell in love with their press clippings and would run all over us. Well, as everyone knows, that didn't happen. I am sure saban will have bama more than prepared  for us, however I do think we  have the talent to beat him.  I just don't want us to get over confident with  the GA win. It's been my experience that when you play with a little fear of your opponent you tend  to perform  at a higher level. It will be interesting to see how all this plays out. JMO

WDE

11 hours ago, Aucater said:

I knew they would run him like a rented mule in this game even though Kam Matin was hitting on all cylinders.

I could not understand why in the world they kept running KJ so many times ,especially late it the game when we pretty much had command of the situation, especially when we have our two biggest games coming up. Kam Martin was doing a great job. Senseless to me, I am afraid KJ will be out of gas completely by the bama game. SMH!!!

WDE

I have noticed a  difference in tackling technique between the Pros and College. It seems like in college they want to make the "big" hit as opposed to getting the runner on the ground and in a lot of cases it winds up being a "targeting" penalty which is really counter productive. The object is to get runner on the ground period! Not to ruin his life. Below is a video of Pete Carroll's , Seattle Seahawk's  tackling techniques which makes a lot of sense to me. Take out the legs and the runner goes down. FWIW

 

On 4/25/2017 at 8:40 AM, bigbird said:

Very clever bird lol.My wife and I used to play that game for hours.

On 1/21/2017 at 1:07 PM, 3rdgeneration said:

Good Lord, what a bunch of over-dramatization from a bunch of "fans" who think their opinions matter a hill of beans. Do any of us know how CCL will do? No. Not until it happens. But yet so many of us want to cry and moan like the world is falling apart. Reminds me of some of the images that I have seen this week.  Opinions based on FACT are fine to have, but bashing the participants (and each other) and predicting gloom and doom is ridiculous. I say, let's be patient and wait and pledge to support the University that we all profess to love. That's MY opinion. 

Signed,

An admitted sunshine pumper.

Totally agree 3rd, great post. CCL hasn't even called a game yet, makes me wonder about some of our so called "fans".WDE!!!

After watching the Atlanta Falcons/Green Bay playoff game I think that CCL should take a long look at the Falcons offensive schemes. Instead of going to a designated receiver on every play, Ryan went to whomever was open. Ryan set a NFL record throwing to different receivers.  I know Julio is a great receiver but you can't rely on him every time and I think throwing to whomever was open was the key to the Falcon's success this year. Can't wait to see the Super Bowl, it should be a battle royale between two very competent QBs. JMO

Boy, what disappointment....thought the list would be up to well over 100 good reasons by now.

People !....you are not giving enough thought to this issue...let's get with it now.

AU64, I have never "hated" bama, I would just like to beat the crap out of them every year. I think you and I are old enough to remember when this was a great rivalry. The internet has changed things because it has given the 85%ers a platform to spew their hate of anything Auburn by being anonymous. Most of them are a waste of good oxygen but that will never change. Before the internet you would never even know who they are. Most of the people on here are younger than we are and were not even here when this rivalry was fairly civil. To me this is sad but it is what it is. I think a start will be when their god, saban leaves and maybe Gus can make that happen. Let's hope so.

Well Slam...me neither if the truth be told. They are not worth burning up brain cells to even think about much less to "hate" though I guess it's likely that I do despise the dozen or so bammers that have pretty much destroyed al.com as a reasonable site for AU news and commentary. I used to enjoy the AU beat writers and the comments...and the Auburn Forum but the bad management of that site has pretty much ceded the commentary section to the rabble I guess.

And I expect you are also correct that most of those people are relatively young they can't even remember when Tub's team won "one for the thumb" and still think that any AU win is just a fluke. And of course its pretty easy to sit behind a keyboard with half dozen "names" and spew garbage without having any accountability like they do every day. And as my dad said, don't encourage idiots by arguing with them 'cause you can't win.

Years ago l liked to read the beat writers on al.com but these days any Auburn article quickly turns into a bammer chat room. I always enjoyed when AuburnTiger34 and this guy Jethro would really go at it. Jethro was a grad of uat and made sense most of the time but I guarantee you none of the crew you mention has a degree from bama or even spent one hour in the classromm there. No wonder the rest of the country thinks we are all a bunch of red necks. The sad part is that that view will never change. One thing I have never done is post on al.com. It's just a 3rd grade playgound urinating contest and for that reason I agree with your father.

Boy, what disappointment....thought the list would be up to well over 100 good reasons by now.

People !....you are not giving enough thought to this issue...let's get with it now.

AU64, I have never "hated" bama, I would just like to beat the crap out of them every year. I think you and I are old enough to remember when this was a great rivalry. The internet has changed things because it has given the 85%ers a platform to spew their hate of anything Auburn by being anonymous. Most of them are a waste of good oxygen but that will never change. Before the internet you would never even know who they are. Most of the people on here are younger than we are and were not even here when this rivalry was fairly civil. To me this is sad but it is what it is. I think a start will be when their god, saban leaves and maybe Gus can make that happen. Let's hope so.

Y'all are too young...surely you remember Ed Dyas ('57-60) ....one of the first really good FG kickers back in the day when 10 or 14 points was usually enough to win a game. He was a great AU man and passed away a couple years ago. .

http://www.montgomer...great-Dyas-dies

Not so fast AU64, how about Billy " Ace" Atkins of our '57 NC team .He also played fullback and linebacker. Back when men were men and played both ways. WDE!!!

Golf, Pops, Slammer, A4e, Aubie, Warbird, thanks for helping our friend out, very nice of you I had faith in you guys.

Thanks Tiger, this is what being an Auburn Man is all about. 

Aubiefifty, the place where everybody danced is what is known as the War Eagle Supper Club today. Back then we just called it the "War Eagle". I was amazed that it is still there. They have a different agenda now than what is was like in the late 50s, live bands etc. We just had a juke box. They served the best pizza ever and it cost $ 1.00. That won't even get you a topping today. Used to go every Wednesday, what memories!! Also, Archie's was out the Opelika highway on the right hand side of the road before you got to Stoker's, if you remember that restaurant. Stokers was probably the best place to eat back then for a full meal. Stoker's is long gone now as is Archie's Oyster Bar.

Now Archie's was a different deal. Archie tipped the scales at about 500 lbs give or take a few. His "restaurant" was a old wooden shack that really should have been condemned. Although Arch sold BBQs,  his specialty was raw oysters from the gulf and he did a land office business with that. Unfortunately for me on my first experience with oysters was an absolute disaster! I found out that I was allergic to shellfish. I got violently ill and broke out in hives all over my body. Dying would have been a pleasure.

Even though things were more Spartan in the old days, the one thing that remains the same is the Auburn Spirit!!!

That will never change!!

Sounds like his Dad played on the freshmen team before 1957 Slammer

Golf, I googled him and all I came up with is some attorney out in Los Angeles. I think you are right about him playing prior to 1957.