Winning up front = more victories

[StatTiger 3,188]

Looking back at the last 2 seasons, the most glaring stat that stands out to me is the "tackle for loss" battle, which is indicative of how Auburn matched up in the trenches.

2011-2012, Auburn won the TFL battle 16% of the time. (11-14 record)

2009-2010, Auburn won it 44.4% of the time. (21-5 record)

2007-2008, Auburn won it 28% of the time. (14-11 record)

2004-2006, Auburn won it 55.3% of the time. (33-5 record)

Gus Malzahn stating Auburn needed their "edge" back was his diplomatic way of stating, Auburn hadn't been physical enough to compete in the SEC.

[AUloggerhead 2,356]

I said more than once in watching the AU teams of the past 2 years: they can't run it, and they can't stop the run -- that's all on what's up front on both sides of the ball.

And all the blowout losses are also plenty enough proof that not having the hosses up front is catastrophic in this league.

[weagl1 1,793]

And I just don't understand how this happened other than the loss of Tracy Rocker to coach the DL. We supposedly had a very good OL coach in Grimes and Peton put some All Pro guys in the NFL. Was it just lack of recruiting late in the TT era and excessive attrition under Chizik finally catching up with us or what? It just doesn't make sense that when we lost those guys up front after the 2010 season that all of a sudden we had no upperclassmen to step up and we were forced to start over and play a bunch of Freshmen that clearly weren't ready for the SEC.

[oracle79 3,569]

2009 (RS Senior)

Terrance Coleman

Nosa Eguae

Nick Fairley

Dee Ford

Josh Jackson

Jamar Travis

2010 (Senior/RS Junior)

Joel Bonomolo

Kenneth Carter

Justin Delaine

Corey Lemonier

Craig Sanders

Jeffrey Whitaker

2011 (Junior/RS Soph)

Angelo Blackson

Keymiya Harrell

JaBrian Niles

Devaunte Sigler

Gabe Wright

2012 (Soph/RS Freshman)

Tyler Nero

Gimel President

2013 (True Freshman)

Montravius Adams

Ben Bradley

Elijah Daniel

Carl Lawson

Things look to be improving, but looking over past classes...well, you are what you are.

[keesler 5,934]

You can always go back to the same old school motto - A team that can run the football and stop the run will compete for championships. Coaches can get cute and flashy with their strategy and game planning, fake punts/going for on 4th down, etc. But in the end you better have the guys upfront to be consistantly productive. Talent on the line can only take you so far IMO, those big guys have got to be tough both mentally and physically, they have to be tenacious and refuse to let the guy in front of them get the best of 'em - they have to "want" to dominate their opposition every down. They are truely the workhorses, and a teams success or lack of success rests on their big ole shoulders.

[keesler 5,934]

2009 (RS Senior)

Terrance Coleman

Nosa Eguae

Nick Fairley

Dee Ford

Josh Jackson

Jamar Travis

2010 (Senior/RS Junior)

Joel Bonomolo

Kenneth Carter

Justin Delaine

Corey Lemonier

Craig Sanders

Jeffrey Whitaker

2011 (Junior/RS Soph)

Angelo Blackson

Keymiya Harrell

JaBrian Niles

Devaunte Sigler

Gabe Wright

2012 (Soph/RS Freshman)

Tyler Nero

Gimel President

2013 (True Freshman)

Montravius Adams

Ben Bradley

Elijah Daniel

Carl Lawson

Things look to be improving, but looking over past classes...well, you are what you are.

Thanks for posting this, it clarifies the situation. AU has brought in 2 5*'s in 5 recruiting classes and those just hit campus. This staff has got to find a way to bring in the top level talent, and more importantly RETAIN that talent so that AU can see a return on the investment.

[StatTiger 3,188]

And I just don't understand how this happened other than the loss of Tracy Rocker to coach the DL. We supposedly had a very good OL coach in Grimes and Peton put some All Pro guys in the NFL. Was it just lack of recruiting late in the TT era and excessive attrition under Chizik finally catching up with us or what? It just doesn't make sense that when we lost those guys up front after the 2010 season that all of a sudden we had no upperclassmen to step up and we were forced to start over and play a bunch of Freshmen that clearly weren't ready for the SEC.

What does it take to become a dominant team in the Southeastern Conference? Most will tell you it begins up front on the trenches. During the last two years, Auburn has truly struggled in this area and not just against the stronger teams in the conference. However, researching the past 8 years of Auburn football, tells an alarming story, when it comes to winning the tackle for loss battle.

During Auburn's last 65 conference games (2005-2012), the Tigers have won the TFL battle only 15 times and lost the TFL battle 42 times. This translates to Auburn losing the TFL battle in conference play close to 2 out of every 3 SEC games the past 8 seasons.

Breaking down the above data...

During the 15 games Auburn did win the TFL battle, it came against competition with an overall win percentage of .530.

During the 42 SEC games Auburn lost the TFL battle, it came against competition with an overall win percentage of .677.

The Tigers broke even in 7 conference games with a competition level of .577.

Auburn posted a 19-4 conference record in games they won or tied the TFL battle and were 17-25 in the 42 games they lost the TFL battle.

Breaking it down by opponent...

Alabama: During the last 8 meetings against UAT, Auburn has won or tied the TFL battle 3 times, posting a 3-0 record, when doing so and 1-5, when losing the battle. Auburn has not won the TFL battle against Nick Saban's Alabama teams but did tie for it during 2010.

Arkansas: Auburn has lost the TFL battle in all of the last 8 meetings against the Razorbacks, posting a 3-5 record.

Georgia: Auburn has lost the TFL battle in all of the last 8 meetings against the Bulldogs, compiling a 2-6 record.

LSU: Auburn has lost the TFL battle in 6 of the last 8 meetings against LSU, winning it once and tying for it on one occasion. Auburn is 2-6 against LSU during the last 8 meetings, including a 1-6 record in the 7 games they failed to win the TFL battle.

Miss State: Auburn has won the TFL battle in 2 of the last 8 meetings against MSU.

Ole Miss: Auburn has won the TFL battle in 3 of the last 8 meetings against the Rebels.

During Auburn's last 41 SEC-West games, the Tigers have won the TFL battle only 8 times.

[StatTiger 3,188]

You can always go back to the same old school motto - A team that can run the football and stop the run will compete for championships. Coaches can get cute and flashy with their strategy and game planning, fake punts/going for on 4th down, etc. But in the end you better have the guys upfront to be consistantly productive. Talent on the line can only take you so far IMO, those big guys have got to be tough both mentally and physically, they have to be tenacious and refuse to let the guy in front of them get the best of 'em - they have to "want" to dominate their opposition every down. They are truely the workhorses, and a teams success or lack of success rests on their big ole shoulders.

In terms of winning the running game, Auburn has out-rushed their SEC opponent, 37 of the last 65 conference games (2005-2012). The Tigers are 31-6 in SEC play, when out rushing their opponent the last 8 seasons but 5-23, when they don't.

This shows how important running the football and defending the run remains today.

[StatTiger 3,188]

I said more than once in watching the AU teams of the past 2 years: they can't run it, and they can't stop the run -- that's all on what's up front on both sides of the ball.

And all the blowout losses are also plenty enough proof that not having the hosses up front is catastrophic in this league.

Over the past 8 seasons (2005-2012), Auburn has an average national ranking of...

No. 87 in ratio of negative plays allowed on offense.

No. 47 in ratio of negative plays generated on defense.

No. 67 average for both groups.

In comparison...

Alabama ............ No. 43 on offense and No. 50 on defense (No. 46 average)

LSU .................. No. 58 on offense and No. 43 on defense (No. 50 average)

Georgia ............. No. 43 on offense and No. 38 on defense (No. 40 average)

Florida .............. No. 60 on offense and No. 52 on defense (No. 56 average)

The 2010 Auburn Tigers were No. 42 on offense and No. 18 on defense for an overall average ranking of No. 30.

[CJBas 4]

It wouldn't surprise me if Texas A&M doesn't experience this season a drop off due to losing so many of their linemen. All the talent and ability in the backfield you can come up with is still only as beneficial as the line they have to protect them.In Auburn's case the situation won't be corrected overnight. That's one reason I'm not very optimistic about the upcoming season.

[keesler 5,934]

I said more than once in watching the AU teams of the past 2 years: they can't run it, and they can't stop the run -- that's all on what's up front on both sides of the ball.

And all the blowout losses are also plenty enough proof that not having the hosses up front is catastrophic in this league.

Over the past 8 seasons (2005-2012), Auburn has an average national ranking of...

No. 87 in ratio of negative plays allowed on offense.

No. 47 in ratio of negative plays generated on defense.

No. 67 average for both groups.

In comparison...

Alabama ............ No. 43 on offense and No. 50 on defense (No. 46 average)

LSU .................. No. 58 on offense and No. 43 on defense (No. 50 average)

Georgia ............. No. 43 on offense and No. 38 on defense (No. 40 average)

Florida .............. No. 60 on offense and No. 52 on defense (No. 56 average)

The 2010 Auburn Tigers were No. 42 on offense and No. 18 on defense for an overall average ranking of No. 30.

You're on a roll today Stat. I would say thanks for posting, but damn near every stat you post makes me want to throw up my breakfast.

[marshallcotiger 0]

How much of this can be attributed to the bend but don't break philosophy of Tuberville and Chizik?

[keesler 5,934]

It wouldn't surprise me if Texas A&M doesn't experience this season a drop off due to losing so many of their linemen. All the talent and ability in the backfield you can come up with is still only as beneficial as the line they have to protect them.In Auburn's case the situation won't be corrected overnight. That's one reason I'm not very optimistic about the upcoming season.

It's gonna be tough this year. I want to see improvement from game to game, I want to see players that have their 'light come on' and watch them become more comfortable in their position. I want to see them play more disciplined ball, get down to the basics again and build on it every week. Gus has never "built" a team, he has some really solid bricks to build a firm foundation, we'll see if he can consturct a solid structure that stands the test of time in the strongest conference in the nation. He has a monumental job ahead of him, he will be working against the best coaches in the country, they are seasoned and proven championship material. A daunting task for sure.

[bwillaub 0]

These stats say it all. Games are won and lost in the trenches for the most part. Great job as usual, Stat. Very informative.

[war eagle6 0]

It wouldn't surprise me if Texas A&M doesn't experience this season a drop off due to losing so many of their linemen. All the talent and ability in the backfield you can come up with is still only as beneficial as the line they have to protect them.In Auburn's case the situation won't be corrected overnight. That's one reason I'm not very optimistic about the upcoming season.

This is true, but why is it different for turdsville? They lost linemen also and it's not guaranteed for them just because they r bama!!

[StatTiger 3,188]

How much of this can be attributed to the bend but don't break philosophy of Tuberville and Chizik?

I think the TFL stat is indicative of where Auburn needs to be, to truly compete with the SEC's top teams. It's not a definitive statistic because Auburn has obviously won games without winning the TFL battle. I posted this data to show there were a few nuts loose on the motor before Gene Chizik began to drive it.

Overall national average for TFL (Off & Def Combined)

2005: 49th (9-3)

2006: 53th (11-2) AU won 5 games that year by 7 pts or less (Big senior class)

2007: 67th (9-4)

2008: 78th (5-7)

2009: 63rd (8-5)

2010: 30th (14-0)

2011: 92nd (8-5) AU won 3 games by 7-pts or less.

2012: 93rd (3-9)

After the 2005 season, you can see things going downhill. After the 2010 season, many of the last Tuberville OL and DL recruits were gone and there was a huge youth movement beginning in 2011. The problem was that this youth movement meant the OL and DL would now be supplied by the recruits "developed" under Chizik's staff. IMO, this is where Chizik was the most lacking and why the team lost it's edge. As for Tuberville, I believe it was more of a question of "talent" at the OL than DL and his staff obtained more from their recruits than Chizik. The 2006 season in a prime example of Auburn not being loaded with talent but still winning 11 of 13 games.

[alexava 6,974]

And I just don't understand how this happened other than the loss of Tracy Rocker to coach the DL. We supposedly had a very good OL coach in Grimes and Peton put some All Pro guys in the NFL. Was it just lack of recruiting late in the TT era and excessive attrition under Chizik finally catching up with us or what? It just doesn't make sense that when we lost those guys up front after the 2010 season that all of a sudden we had no upperclassmen to step up and we were forced to start over and play a bunch of Freshmen that clearly weren't ready for the SEC.

What does it take to become a dominant team in the Southeastern Conference? Most will tell you it begins up front on the trenches. During the last two years, Auburn has truly struggled in this area and not just against the stronger teams in the conference. However, researching the past 8 years of Auburn football, tells an alarming story, when it comes to winning the tackle for loss battle.

During Auburn's last 65 conference games (2005-2012), the Tigers have won the TFL battle only 15 times and lost the TFL battle 42 times. This translates to Auburn losing the TFL battle in conference play close to 2 out of every 3 SEC games the past 8 seasons.

Breaking down the above data...

During the 15 games Auburn did win the TFL battle, it came against competition with an overall win percentage of .530.

During the 42 SEC games Auburn lost the TFL battle, it came against competition with an overall win percentage of .677.

The Tigers broke even in 7 conference games with a competition level of .577.

Auburn posted a 19-4 conference record in games they won or tied the TFL battle and were 17-25 in the 42 games they lost the TFL battle.

Breaking it down by opponent...

Alabama: During the last 8 meetings against UAT, Auburn has won or tied the TFL battle 3 times, posting a 3-0 record, when doing so and 1-5, when losing the battle. Auburn has not won the TFL battle against Nick Saban's Alabama teams but did tie for it during 2010.

Arkansas: Auburn has lost the TFL battle in all of the last 8 meetings against the Razorbacks, posting a 3-5 record.

Georgia: Auburn has lost the TFL battle in all of the last 8 meetings against the Bulldogs, compiling a 2-6 record.

LSU: Auburn has lost the TFL battle in 6 of the last 8 meetings against LSU, winning it once and tying for it on one occasion. Auburn is 2-6 against LSU during the last 8 meetings, including a 1-6 record in the 7 games they failed to win the TFL battle.

Miss State: Auburn has won the TFL battle in 2 of the last 8 meetings against MSU.

Ole Miss: Auburn has won the TFL battle in 3 of the last 8 meetings against the Rebels.

During Auburn's last 41 SEC-West games, the Tigers have won the TFL battle only 8 times.

wow, we are soft.

[Eagle Eye 7 2,535]

Two thoughts on this. First on offense. 2009 was the coming together and maturing of some young linemen,they had their ups and downs. 2010 that group matured and they were a major factor in our 14-0 NC run. In 2011 four of the starters from that group left and like any other team in that position we were faced with breaking in a young group. They did fairly well at 8-5. Then in 2012 the perfect storm hits. We lose the OC and hire one with a complete change in offense. It was like starting all freshman not just in mentality but also in size. We lost a lot of players due to attrition thru those two years also. Those are the reasons that I have a lot of confidence in this year. Offensive line-wise this should be a combo of the 2009 and 2010 OL.Defensive line follows the same pattern with a few exceptions. 2009 had maturing DL with good coach, by 2010 we had a senior laden DL with good size and experience and they were another big link in the NC run. In 2011 was we lost a lot of that talent to the NFL. We were pretty much starting sophmores and freshmens. Attrition hurt us in 2012 but not nearlly as bad as a total change in structure and the lack of confidence. This year we have something between a 2009 and 2010 team again. If both of these groups have worked as hard as has been told and if their confidence level is as has been quoted they very well could equal or surpass the 2010 OL/DL. Make no mistake about it, if they do that they will be a factor in the race at the end of the season.

[cooltigger21 0]

It wouldn't surprise me if Texas A&M doesn't experience this season a drop off due to losing so many of their linemen. All the talent and ability in the backfield you can come up with is still only as beneficial as the line they have to protect them.In Auburn's case the situation won't be corrected overnight. That's one reason I'm not very optimistic about the upcoming season.

Maybe, we don't know what the replacements are like. Sometimes you pick right up where you left off. I imagine that question will get answered pretty quick.