guerra aguila 0 Posted March 20, 2012 Share Posted March 20, 2012 In most of our discussions about the 2012 season, we have talked about the new offensive and defensive coordinators, and we have certainly talked about the play makers and all of the talented players returning on Auburn's roster. I believe each of those factors mentioned will be a huge part of any success that Auburn experiences in 2012, but one of the most important categories in the game of football are the "Little Things" or "Intangibles" if you will. I enjoy statistics and I think they can be a big part of college football, especially in determining which team might have an edge in a particular game. 1. Penalties: If Auburn is going to compete for the Western Division this year, they are going to have to cut down considerably on the penalty yards per game. In 8 conference games, Auburn was 11th in the SEC with 56.1 penalty yards per game. 2. Turnovers: If you consider the fact that Auburns offense was not on the field very long in 2011... due to either punting the ball or scoring fast... they only lost 17 turnovers in 2011. If Auburn can keep the turnovers down, and create more on the defensive side of the ball... it could do wonders in their success for 2011. 3. Red Zone Defense: With BVG the new defensive coordinator for Auburn... I believe this is the one area that Auburn can improve in the most. Auburn once again finished 11th in the conference in Red Zone Defense, Allowing the opponents to score 87% of the time. With the aggression and mixed packages that BVG will release on defense, hopefully Auburn can snag a turnover or a sack to keep the opposing offense from having easy chip shots on field goals, and keep them out of the endzone on certain occasions. Hopefully the Auburn defense can limit the amount of touchdowns surrendered and try and hold the opposition to field goal attempts... Auburn allowed 19 touchdowns in the redzone while giving up 8 field goals. What do you guys think about the little things? What can Auburn freshen up on in 2012 to increase the chances of winning the West? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wareagle13 88 Posted March 20, 2012 Share Posted March 20, 2012 I agree whole heartedly on penalties. Another are I'd like to see us return to is high offensive 3rd down conversions and low defensive third down conversion rates. And more press on third and short situations no lining ten yards off the ball on 3 and 3 and watch an easy five yard catch with the missed tackles. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cvfoster 0 Posted March 20, 2012 Share Posted March 20, 2012 3rd down defense MUST improve. Watching last season, the further the distance on 3rd down, the more I felt like we were going to allow them to convert. I do believe we will see a drastic improvement in this area from last season. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DyeEraTiger 0 Posted March 20, 2012 Share Posted March 20, 2012 All things mentioned above are very important. I really don't have much vibe for this season. I still see us having pt experience issues. My biggest concern is QB play. I am pulling hard for KF because I feel like he gives us the best chance and I just like his attitude. But he will need to make big strides in spring. Maybe CSL's system is a better fit. My concern with CM is mobility. OLine experience in SEC is still scarce, so we need to be able to move pretty fast at QB. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tigers93 0 Posted March 20, 2012 Share Posted March 20, 2012 Not sure anyone can dig up stats on this stat, but I would like to see us improve on % of opponents possiesion that end in some type of points. It seemed like we got scoreed on more that 50% of opponents possesions last year. My thuoghts are if you are a quality team that needs to be closer to maybe 25% of the time. My thoughts are LSU and Bama had close to 15% or less but I do nto have the resources to track this down. I would be curious how we are versus SEC and in the Naiton of anyone has rsources to com eup with this number and what the really good teams average as a bar to set. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SuperNova 0 Posted March 20, 2012 Share Posted March 20, 2012 nice post guerra aguila, I agree, I think that we will have a totally new look and feel for the team this season all for the positive and also a better team chemistry. Excited to hear reports from spring practice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AUWALT 10 Posted March 20, 2012 Share Posted March 20, 2012 Continue to play well on special teams, it was a big part of our season last year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
guerra aguila 0 Posted March 20, 2012 Author Share Posted March 20, 2012 Not sure anyone can dig up stats on this stat, but I would like to see us improve on % of opponents possiesion that end in some type of points. It seemed like we got scoreed on more that 50% of opponents possesions last year. My thuoghts are if you are a quality team that needs to be closer to maybe 25% of the time. My thoughts are LSU and Bama had close to 15% or less but I do nto have the resources to track this down. I would be curious how we are versus SEC and in the Naiton of anyone has rsources to com eup with this number and what the really good teams average as a bar to set. I can tell you that Auburn did allow the opponents to convert on 3rd down 45.5% of the time which was 50 out of 110 attempts. I did not find anything on the opponents scoring, but I would imagine the number was pretty darn high... With BVG running the defense, I expect all stats to improve. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3rdgen 2 Posted March 20, 2012 Share Posted March 20, 2012 Just one more little thing hopefully the injury bug doesn't bite us as bad as it did last year. I think at the end of the year Chizik said we had lost 10-12 guys to season ending surgery. That doesn't count guys like blake, reed, and holland who lost multiple games to injury. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AUcivE09 582 Posted March 20, 2012 Share Posted March 20, 2012 I think they should switch to Old Spice deoderant. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orange and Blue 17211345162833 0 Posted March 20, 2012 Share Posted March 20, 2012 The youth on the OL bothers me. We'll probably start two RS freshmen, a true sophomore, and a RS sophomore along our offensive line. I feel like we are a year of experience away from being where we need to be there. Actually, we are younger on the OL than we were a year ago, but on paper, more talented. Not having an established starter at QB is also a bit of a concern. Although we return two kids who gained valuable playing experience last year, we are no closer to being stronger at the position than we were at this time last Spring. We need one of those kids to separate himself. On defense, there are no excuses. I see no reason why we shouldn't be one of the best defenses in the SEC this coming season. With the talent and experience that has been accumulated in the last three recruiting classes, BVG steps into an excellent situation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IronMan70 3,322 Posted March 21, 2012 Share Posted March 21, 2012 The youth on the OL bothers me. We'll probably start two RS freshmen, a true sophomore, and a RS sophomore along our offensive line. I feel like we are a year of experience away from being where we need to be there. Actually, we are younger on the OL than we were a year ago, but on paper, more talented. Not having an established starter at QB is also a bit of a concern. Although we return two kids who gained valuable playing experience last year, we are no closer to being stronger at the position than we were at this time last Spring. We need one of those kids to separate himself. On defense, there are no excuses. I see no reason why we shouldn't be one of the best defenses in the SEC this coming season. With the talent and experience that has been accumulated in the last three recruiting classes, BVG steps into an excellent situation. Agree, no excuses on defense. But you know what ? I feel the same way about the offense, including the OL. Even though the left side of the OL will probably be 2 RFr, Westerman and Robinson, they have been in the system a year, playing against the 1st team D and going thru the strength program. They have also played together as a combination which is important. The guys on the right side played together too and have been in the strength program 2 years or more themselves. They are all ready and they all have experience so there is no excuse. It's time for them to step up and I think they will too. I feel pretty good about our OL this year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IronMan70 3,322 Posted March 21, 2012 Share Posted March 21, 2012 Little things: Our QB moving the opposing Safety with his eyes. Our Safety, not cheating up trying to anticipate a run. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HardcoreAU79 0 Posted March 21, 2012 Share Posted March 21, 2012 Do not underestimate eliminating penalties and especially ones related to lack of discipline, late or cheap shot hits, holds away from the ball, etc. Besides the obvious positives in down and distance and team chemistry, refs know if a team is prone to such and they do not get the benefit of the doubt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rednilla 5,449 Posted March 21, 2012 Share Posted March 21, 2012 Little things: receivers being consistent before the snap (hands dangling free or fists clenched, either way, not a mix of both) to not give anything away to the DB. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weegle777 78 Posted March 21, 2012 Share Posted March 21, 2012 I hope Lefty puts the audibles and decision making back into the QB's hands. I believe that the QB needs to be the guy changing plays and checking off. It gets the QB thinking again, instead of relying on the coach in the booth to check off for him. Guess I'm just old school. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rednilla 5,449 Posted March 21, 2012 Share Posted March 21, 2012 I hope Lefty puts the audibles and decision making back into the QB's hands. I believe that the QB needs to be the guy changing plays and checking off. It gets the QB thinking again, instead of relying on the coach in the booth to check off for him. Guess I'm just old school. The only reason Malzahn didn't do that was the speed at which the offense ran. I feel confident that if we aren't running the HUNH, we'll be fine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weegle777 78 Posted March 21, 2012 Share Posted March 21, 2012 I hope Lefty puts the audibles and decision making back into the QB's hands. I believe that the QB needs to be the guy changing plays and checking off. It gets the QB thinking again, instead of relying on the coach in the booth to check off for him. Guess I'm just old school. The only reason Malzahn didn't do that was the speed at which the offense ran. I feel confident that if we aren't running the HUNH, we'll be fine. Yep, that I do know. It's one of the things I didn't really care for with Gus's scheme. It was great while it was allowed to be run the way Gus intended, but when it was slowed down, it wasn't that great. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rednilla 5,449 Posted March 21, 2012 Share Posted March 21, 2012 I hope Lefty puts the audibles and decision making back into the QB's hands. I believe that the QB needs to be the guy changing plays and checking off. It gets the QB thinking again, instead of relying on the coach in the booth to check off for him. Guess I'm just old school. The only reason Malzahn didn't do that was the speed at which the offense ran. I feel confident that if we aren't running the HUNH, we'll be fine. Yep, that I do know. It's one of the things I didn't really care for with Gus's scheme. It was great while it was allowed to be run the way Gus intended, but when it was slowed down, it wasn't that great. That's not really fair. The blocking was the main problem last year, and the mere fact that it slowed down was indicative that things weren't clicking to begin with. I mean, honestly, it's not as if they were really running all that different of plays than everyone else does. When it comes down to it, there are a finite number of things you can do that are within the rules; the difference is in how you present it. Besides, saying that it wasn't really that good when it slowed down is almost like saying Malzahn's offense was the same as Tony Franklin's. Franklin's offense was designed specifically to wear the defense down, nothing else. Malzahn's offense was designed to get the defense on its heels and exploit holes that open up. Wearing them down as the game goes on is part of it, sure, but aside from a curious lack of slant routes, the play calling was fairly sound. The blocking just wasn't there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aurules16 0 Posted March 21, 2012 Share Posted March 21, 2012 3rd down defense MUST improve. Watching last season, the further the distance on 3rd down, the more I felt like we were going to allow them to convert. I do believe we will see a drastic improvement in this area from last season. THIS - Watching the team give up 3rd and 25's was frustrating as hell Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keesler 5,990 Posted March 21, 2012 Share Posted March 21, 2012 I hope Lefty puts the audibles and decision making back into the QB's hands. I believe that the QB needs to be the guy changing plays and checking off. It gets the QB thinking again, instead of relying on the coach in the booth to check off for him. Guess I'm just old school. I hope we stop switching QB's every other snap. Leave a QB in long enough to get something going, instead of flip flopping them in and out and not allowing them to play a full series. IMO, that becomes a distraction to the OLine and the entire offense. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weegle777 78 Posted March 21, 2012 Share Posted March 21, 2012 I hope Lefty puts the audibles and decision making back into the QB's hands. I believe that the QB needs to be the guy changing plays and checking off. It gets the QB thinking again, instead of relying on the coach in the booth to check off for him. Guess I'm just old school. The only reason Malzahn didn't do that was the speed at which the offense ran. I feel confident that if we aren't running the HUNH, we'll be fine. Yep, that I do know. It's one of the things I didn't really care for with Gus's scheme. It was great while it was allowed to be run the way Gus intended, but when it was slowed down, it wasn't that great. That's not really fair. The blocking was the main problem last year, and the mere fact that it slowed down was indicative that things weren't clicking to begin with. I mean, honestly, it's not as if they were really running all that different of plays than everyone else does. When it comes down to it, there are a finite number of things you can do that are within the rules; the difference is in how you present it. Besides, saying that it wasn't really that good when it slowed down is almost like saying Malzahn's offense was the same as Tony Franklin's. Franklin's offense was designed specifically to wear the defense down, nothing else. Malzahn's offense was designed to get the defense on its heels and exploit holes that open up. Wearing them down as the game goes on is part of it, sure, but aside from a curious lack of slant routes, the play calling was fairly sound. The blocking just wasn't there. I agree with your blocking statement, but the one in yellow above, I definitely do not agree with. Gus's offense was best when it went at a very fast pace. And I believe along with many, many others that the offense was slowed down to make it easier on the defense, not because of bad line play. JMHO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orange and Blue 17211345162833 0 Posted March 21, 2012 Share Posted March 21, 2012 I hope Lefty puts the audibles and decision making back into the QB's hands. I believe that the QB needs to be the guy changing plays and checking off. It gets the QB thinking again, instead of relying on the coach in the booth to check off for him. Guess I'm just old school. The only reason Malzahn didn't do that was the speed at which the offense ran. I feel confident that if we aren't running the HUNH, we'll be fine. Yep, that I do know. It's one of the things I didn't really care for with Gus's scheme. It was great while it was allowed to be run the way Gus intended, but when it was slowed down, it wasn't that great. That's not really fair. The blocking was the main problem last year, and the mere fact that it slowed down was indicative that things weren't clicking to begin with. I mean, honestly, it's not as if they were really running all that different of plays than everyone else does. When it comes down to it, there are a finite number of things you can do that are within the rules; the difference is in how you present it. Besides, saying that it wasn't really that good when it slowed down is almost like saying Malzahn's offense was the same as Tony Franklin's. Franklin's offense was designed specifically to wear the defense down, nothing else. Malzahn's offense was designed to get the defense on its heels and exploit holes that open up. Wearing them down as the game goes on is part of it, sure, but aside from a curious lack of slant routes, the play calling was fairly sound. The blocking just wasn't there. I agree with your blocking statement, but the one in yellow above, I definitely do not agree with. Gus's offense was best when it went at a very fast pace. And I believe along with many, many others that the offense was slowed down to make it easier on the defense, not because of bad line play. JMHO. Malzahn's offenses worked better when he had experienced QBs. Not so much when he coached Mustain, Trotter, and Moseley but that can be said about any QB coach/OC. During both times that he didn't, he had strong running games at Arky with McFadden and Jones, and this past season with Dyer at Auburn. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rednilla 5,449 Posted March 21, 2012 Share Posted March 21, 2012 I hope Lefty puts the audibles and decision making back into the QB's hands. I believe that the QB needs to be the guy changing plays and checking off. It gets the QB thinking again, instead of relying on the coach in the booth to check off for him. Guess I'm just old school. The only reason Malzahn didn't do that was the speed at which the offense ran. I feel confident that if we aren't running the HUNH, we'll be fine. Yep, that I do know. It's one of the things I didn't really care for with Gus's scheme. It was great while it was allowed to be run the way Gus intended, but when it was slowed down, it wasn't that great. That's not really fair. The blocking was the main problem last year, and the mere fact that it slowed down was indicative that things weren't clicking to begin with. I mean, honestly, it's not as if they were really running all that different of plays than everyone else does. When it comes down to it, there are a finite number of things you can do that are within the rules; the difference is in how you present it. Besides, saying that it wasn't really that good when it slowed down is almost like saying Malzahn's offense was the same as Tony Franklin's. Franklin's offense was designed specifically to wear the defense down, nothing else. Malzahn's offense was designed to get the defense on its heels and exploit holes that open up. Wearing them down as the game goes on is part of it, sure, but aside from a curious lack of slant routes, the play calling was fairly sound. The blocking just wasn't there. I agree with your blocking statement, but the one in yellow above, I definitely do not agree with. Gus's offense was best when it went at a very fast pace. And I believe along with many, many others that the offense was slowed down to make it easier on the defense, not because of bad line play. JMHO. Gus's offense was at its best when dictating the tempo, regardless of how fast it was going. Leaving the opposing players out there in their stances for 35 seconds before snapping the ball wore them out pretty well too. But yes, the offense was slowed down to help the defense. Absolutely! However, if the line had been blocking better, allowing the offense to start clicking, then how much do you think we would have slowed down? I mean, come on, we went slow until getting that first first down even when Cam was at the reins. That was the same offense in 2010. We slowed things down to make them easier on the defense then, too, so that if we went three and out, then it wasn't a thirty second turnaround. Problem was that we just weren't able to get that first first down often enough. If the line blocks better, we move the ball better, the offense speeds up after the initial first down, etc. People are getting way too caught up in schemes these days. I mean, I'm an X's and O's offensive guy, so I get scheme, and it's important, but at the end of the day it's still about blocking and tackling. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keesler 5,990 Posted March 21, 2012 Share Posted March 21, 2012 It will be very interesting and exciting to see what these new coaches bring to the table. Personally, I can't wait to see what we do in the Dome against Clemson. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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