***Auburn vs. La Tech Postgame Thread***

[hutchids 227]

what a day for that Quan Bray

Indeed! He was clutch

[hutchids 227]

This thread should probably be locked now lol. It's just a flame war now

[cooltigger21 0]

Ok back to the game. The offense, we have discussed ad nauseam. I am tickled to death with the defensive effort. This is not the same team from last year and it is not going to be a typical Gus Malzahn team. The offense may take some more time to completely gel and get in sync. The defense is much better than last year and looks capable of making up the difference. Gonna be a fun ride regardless.

[juscAUse 1]

Jeremy Johnson needs A LOT more playing time. Nick is having all kinds of problems in the past 2 games.

397 yards passing, with 5 touchdowns and 1 interception (which was the result of a deflected throw), as well as 151 yards rushing. I'd say he's doing alright...

Be honest. You *watched* the games. NM is not throwing very well. Even the catchable balls are often not placed well. The "to a spot" throws are too low, the slants are low and behind, and the long balls are over the wrong shoulder. We *should* have had 400 yards passing against KSU alone. NM is a warrior, but if an SEC calibre team stuffs our run, I see nothing that makes me belief that he can consistently move the offense against them through the air.

Okay, I'll be honest. Yes, I watched the games. Against K-State, he was 17 of 31 for 2 touchdowns and an interception. I remember there being at least three drops, one of which would have been a touchdown. Two of the other incompletions were very deep throws that he could have thrown better, but that at least he didn't leave in a spot where there was much chance of a pick. Had those drops not been made, he likely *would* have thrown for 300-350 yards. It also would have raised his completion percentage nearly ten points...and that's without throwing one bit better than he did. Yes, the receivers bailed him out a few times today, but it would have been a much bigger deal to have made the normal catches last week and not made the spectacular ones today.

But the thing is that there is more to playing quarterback than simply throwing the football. Even the mere threat of him running is a potent weapon, because it forces the defense to respect that threat, thereby opening passing lanes and allowing for more mediocre accuracy than would having a less mobile QB. JJ can run, but he's not nearly the dynamic playmaker with his feet that Marshall is.

Furthermore, listen to the quotes from the players. They believe in him. They follow him. What happens if Johnson usurps him as the starter? Would Nick still be able to have confidence as a QB, giving us two guys capable of winning in this conference? Or would it be debilitating and leave us up a creek without a paddle should anything happen to JJ?

That last point is far and away the most important, btw, because the players have to have faith that their QB can get the job done. And time after time after time, when it matters, Nick Marshall has gotten the job done. Jeremy projects very well as the future of the position at Auburn, but his only truly meaningful game experience is one half against Arkansas. Yes, of course, he played well, but then, Nick has played his game pretty well, too.

I'll preface this by saying that I believe that Nick should be our starter, and I think that he gives us the best chance to win. But he has been far from perfect. He has made some great passes thus far this season, but as a whole his accuracy only seems moderately improved from last season. Also, the drops argument is getting a little stale. Yes, there have been drops, but there will always be drops, and I don't think our WRs have dropped more than most other teams. That's just part of the game, and imagining what his stats would be like without drops doesn't do much good. Overall, think of WR play has actually been stellar thus far, and will only get better once Sammy is 100%. I believe that Marshall gives us the best chance to win, but his accuracy will need to improve for us if we want to win the SEC this year.

As far as drops, I totally disagree. UATs receivers do not drop easy passes. Hell, San Joses' guys didn't either. I think we drop more easy passes than most. On the plus side, our guys tend to make 2 great catches a week.

[WarTiger 3,901]

mod note: Thread cleaned up of the back and forth. Newsflash, we aren't going to tolerate name calling or personal attacks here. Take that childish crap to PM's and leave it off the board. Stick to the topic or don't post.

[eagle76 1]

I think it has been pretty clear that Malzahn has been saving Marshall on the zone-read most of the season. Until maybe the 2nd quarter today, it appeared that Marshall was instructed to keep it very seldom. And with K State and La Tech pinching down on the inside run, that doesn't leave a lot of room. Any version of the option only works if it truly is an option between the RB/QB, and once we started running it that way things were clicking more. I think the offense will play well against LSU because I think you'll see Marshall keeping it more and then loosening up the inside run for CAP.

I'd agree with this. There has looked to be a small percentage of actual read plays called so far this season. I just hope Marshall and CAP/Grant have the chemistry to unleash it in it's full glory when it's needed.

I totally agree. It appears that nm is is doing exactly what the play is called for and not reading the defense and making the decision himself - if not, there have been quite a few plays where he has not make the correct calls. All we can assume from this is that this is CGM's design. It also appears to me, IMO, the nm just doesn't look as comfortable this year as last. Understandable to a degree since new line and new prime back but being 2nd year in system there should be more comfort level. O-line just doesn't have same chemistry as last year. VERY PLEASED with the D this year. Happy to be 4-0 but still a lot of room to grow and improve upon. Looking forward to seeing if the real tigers can come out next week and show their stuff.

[cooltigger21 0]

Scarbinsky has a pretty good evaluation of things. http://bleacherrepor...auburn-football

[SumterAubie 3,031]

So I just go in from a trip to Mars. I stopped by this thread to see how my beloved Auburn Tigers are doing this season. And to say the least I'm sorely disappointed at our being 0-4 on the year. What a surprise? I guess Marshall is chunking alot of interceptions with few td passes? And i suppose none of our rbs have gone for more than a hundred yards in a game? Who would have thought Gus would have forgotten how to coach after last year? I guess he is another Chizik. Can Jacobs start the search for a new coach?

[cooltigger21 0]

So I just go in from a trip to Mars. I stopped by this thread to see how my beloved Auburn Tigers are doing this season. And to say the least I'm sorely disappointed at our being 0-4 on the year. What a surprise? I guess Marshall is chunking alot of interceptions with few td passes? And i suppose none of our rbs have gone for more than a hundred yards in a game? Who would have thought Gus would have forgotten how to coach after last year? I guess he is another Chizik. Can Jacobs start the search for a new coach?

I know you are being a bit sarcastic and that's cool. At the same time however it is obvious this team, while winning games, has yet to put together a full game. Now nobody is panicking but at the same time we know that this team is not championship caliber right now. Emphasis is on right now. Auburn has a tough stretch of games ahead this next month. We'll find out what they are made of by the end of this run.

[kdog0405 7]

"Be honest. You *watched* the games. NM is not throwing very well. Even the catchable balls are often not placed well. The "to a spot" throws are too low, the slants are low and behind, and the long balls are over the wrong shoulder. We *should* have had 400 yards passing against KSU alone. NM is a warrior, but if an SEC calibre team stuffs our run, I see nothing that makes me belief that he can consistently move the offense against them through the air." I can't remember who said this earlier, but it is correct.

I also don't believe people are hating on Nick. I think we all are a little disappointed because we were hopeful that the pass game would be much improved this year. Nick is fantastic at what he is good at, but as we can all see the line has some issues and the run game is not as strong as last year. Coach Malzan started calling the game yesterday like a game from last year. Nick is not the best at third and 6 plus. So I believe you either fix the run game or pass the ball more. If you choose to pass the ball more, JJ is much better equipped to do so. I also believe you give P Barber a chance and find a way to get Braden Smith on the field. Peyton ran through his holes.

[AUbritt 611]

"Be honest. You *watched* the games. NM is not throwing very well. Even the catchable balls are often not placed well. The "to a spot" throws are too low, the slants are low and behind, and the long balls are over the wrong shoulder. We *should* have had 400 yards passing against KSU alone. NM is a warrior, but if an SEC calibre team stuffs our run, I see nothing that makes me belief that he can consistently move the offense against them through the air." I can't remember who said this earlier, but it is correct.

I also don't believe people are hating on Nick. I think we all are a little disappointed because we were hopeful that the pass game would be much improved this year. Nick is fantastic at what he is good at, but as we can all see the line has some issues and the run game is not as strong as last year. Coach Malzan started calling the game yesterday like a game from last year. Nick is not the best at third and 6 plus. So I believe you either fix the run game or pass the ball more. If you choose to pass the ball more, JJ is much better equipped to do so. I also believe you give P Barber a chance and find a way to get Braden Smith on the field. Peyton ran through his holes.

Dang -- you can get the exact quote but not who said it?! That's rich.

I do think there's a fairly strong argument here. I'm curious to see what the coaches decide to do. Part of the solution has to involve Barber, I would think. I'm also curious to see whether Braden comes in and claims a spot on the OL.\

Another option (other than having JJ replace Nick or just sticking with Nick) would be something like a two-QB system. I'd actually be pretty curious to see what would happen if we started Nick for a set of scripted plays, brought JJ in for a set of scripted plays, and then gave them each two or three series in the first half, then made halftime adjustments. We could go with the hot hand in the second half and give the opposing D nightmares.

[cole256 17,083]

Well I don't see how you can say talk to Gus then voice the opinion that other players need more or less playing time, I mean wouldn't that fall under the talk to Gus notion as well? But that's my opinion you two can carry on

There are only a few players that get scrutinized for their play on the field, but our natty runner up qb gets it every freakin day! Gus knows and hear about it all the time. That's why he makes his statements about Nick being the best qb when the game is on the line. I don't see no one questioning him about that, do you?

All that is moot. Yeah he gets plenty of scrutiny just like when things go well he gets plenty praise, like Gus said he's the face of the team, then the fact his back up is better at a particular skill set (not necessarily a better player) plays a part as well. But none of that changes the fact if you say call Gus or the opinion doesn't matter cuz Gus makes the call then that should be said for every player on the field. I.e. you said Thomas needs to play more, well that's Gus call I'm sure he knows why or why not he wants CAP playing

[cooltigger21 0]

We are all fans of Auburn and being fans means we're all armchair coaches and we all have our opinions. We get over excited sometimes and we get too pessimistic sometimes. Forums like this exist because we like doing that with other Auburn fans.

[ShocksMyBrain 9,366]

We are all fans of Auburn and being fans means we're all armchair coaches and we all have our opinions. We get over excited sometimes and we get too pessimistic sometimes. Forums like this exist because we like doing that with other Auburn fans.

And when you're in a land(Northern Colorado for me)with people that have no interest in CFB other than the guy at work who likes Oregon because of their uniforms--it's especially a nice place to come and commiserate, whine, rejoice, cheer, etc.

[JFDTiger80 790]

We are all fans of Auburn and being fans means we're all armchair coaches and we all have our opinions. We get over excited sometimes and we get too pessimistic sometimes. Forums like this exist because we like doing that with other Auburn fans.

And when you're in a land(Northern Colorado for me)with people that have no interest in CFB other than the guy at work who likes Oregon because of their uniforms--it's especially a nice place to come and commiserate, whine, rejoice, cheer, etc.

No interest in Football in Colorado because everyone is toasted and in the kitchen eating Spaghetti O's with Oreo's on the side.

[ShocksMyBrain 9,366]

We are all fans of Auburn and being fans means we're all armchair coaches and we all have our opinions. We get over excited sometimes and we get too pessimistic sometimes. Forums like this exist because we like doing that with other Auburn fans.

And when you're in a land(Northern Colorado for me)with people that have no interest in CFB other than the guy at work who likes Oregon because of their uniforms--it's especially a nice place to come and commiserate, whine, rejoice, cheer, etc.

No interest in Football in Colorado because everyone is toasted and in the kitchen eating Spaghetti O's with Oreo's on the side.

Or that both of the major teams in the state have been largely irrelevant for 20 or more years.

And the Broncos>every other sport.

[doc4aday 1,887]

We have got to pass the ball more to Duke W. He is an amazing receiver with the attributes to change the game in one play. That TD catch that he make has to one of the best I have seen in a long time. He reminds me of a receiver we had in the early 2000s. I remember him from the LSU game that we won 41-7. I just cannot remember his name.

[Rednilla 5,391]

I'll preface this by saying that I believe that Nick should be our starter, and I think that he gives us the best chance to win. But he has been far from perfect. He has made some great passes thus far this season, but as a whole his accuracy only seems moderately improved from last season. Also, the drops argument is getting a little stale. Yes, there have been drops, but there will always be drops, and I don't think our WRs have dropped more than most other teams. That's just part of the game, and imagining what his stats would be like without drops doesn't do much good. Overall, think of WR play has actually been stellar thus far, and will only get better once Sammy is 100%. I believe that Marshall gives us the best chance to win, but his accuracy will need to improve for us if we want to win the SEC this year.

First off, my initial reply was a recap of Marshall's last two games, and the reply to that straight up said that because I watched the games, I just had to know that he has't been playing very well. Now, yes, drops are a part of the game (I played WR in high school, and I made a couple of boneheaded plays of my own), but it is hard to put the blame on the QB when the ball hits the receiver in stride and bounces off his hands. That isn't to say that we should shift the blame to Duke, Sammie, or anyone else, or that Marshall hasn't been somewhat inconsistent (particularly earlier on in games), only pointing out that had those easy catches been made, his completion percentage and total yards would both have been much higher.

Beyond that, do you believe he is throwing the ball worse this year than he was last year? Because if he's not, then why would it be such a long shot for us to win the SEC without him improving his accuracy? Please don't misunderstand that to mean I don't want him to get better with ball placement and the like, only pointing out that he's on pace to eclipse his passing yards from last season, when we won the SEC.

Personally, I agree with what others have said about Gus not allowing Nick to keep as much on the zone read thus far this year, and have been getting the feeling ever since the first game that Malzahn has been trying to set us up for the brutal run we're about to start...but whether he's been restricting his playbook for that reason or not, the offense appears to me as if it's ready to explode. Maybe the O-line needs to gel in order to get the running game going, maybe utilizing Nick more in the zone read will be enough to keep defenses from collapsing on CAP/Corey, or more likely it's a combination of the two, but if we get the run game cranked up, Nick isn't going to have to be any more accurate a passer than he is now because the more defenses have to commit to the run, the more Malzahn is going to make them look stupid with his playcalling.

But time will tell.

[SumterAubie 3,031]

I don't know if this has been mentioned or not.

How many of us believe Auburn was practicing for LaTech last week? I don't. Lip service may have been given but the real focus was on lsu.

[ShocksMyBrain 9,366]

I don't know if this has been mentioned or not.

How many of us believe Auburn was practicing for LaTech last week? I don't. Lip service may have been given but the real focus was on lsu.

The thought crossed my mind that we didn't really want to open up our playbook more than we needed to. Which could be why we didn't see much variation in our passing game.

At least that's what I'm telling myself to sleep easier at night.

[CadillacBrown 0]

Agree with the last two. I believe the play calling was executed in a way to setup the playbook for the LSU game. I'm hoping this is the case, anyway...

[Auburn06 76]

I went to the game; was a great atmosphere,I have only been to 2 other college games; UGA@Auburn (2007..a loss) & Alabama's homecoming game in 2011...

Auburn's tailgate is much more inviting than Alabama's. Unless you are some rich donor..etc, then at Alabama you really cannot set up just anywhere you want..etc.

I definitely need to get lower seats next time. Yes I am afraid of heights...I was probably about 20 rows up. When I go to high school games, I won't go further than 4 rows up lol.

There was a guy with an Alabama shirt at the game...smh.

At toomers I saw that people really fight for rolls...I handed a roll to a random kid who looked like he was about to cry because he couldn't find his; but as soon as I handed it to him, this other kid comes, grabs it & runs away :/

[AuburnArch13 185]

I'll preface this by saying that I believe that Nick should be our starter, and I think that he gives us the best chance to win. But he has been far from perfect. He has made some great passes thus far this season, but as a whole his accuracy only seems moderately improved from last season. Also, the drops argument is getting a little stale. Yes, there have been drops, but there will always be drops, and I don't think our WRs have dropped more than most other teams. That's just part of the game, and imagining what his stats would be like without drops doesn't do much good. Overall, think of WR play has actually been stellar thus far, and will only get better once Sammy is 100%. I believe that Marshall gives us the best chance to win, but his accuracy will need to improve for us if we want to win the SEC this year.

First off, my initial reply was a recap of Marshall's last two games, and the reply to that straight up said that because I watched the games, I just had to know that he has't been playing very well. Now, yes, drops are a part of the game (I played WR in high school, and I made a couple of boneheaded plays of my own), but it is hard to put the blame on the QB when the ball hits the receiver in stride and bounces off his hands. That isn't to say that we should shift the blame to Duke, Sammie, or anyone else, or that Marshall hasn't been somewhat inconsistent (particularly earlier on in games), only pointing out that had those easy catches been made, his completion percentage and total yards would both have been much higher.

Beyond that, do you believe he is throwing the ball worse this year than he was last year? Because if he's not, then why would it be such a long shot for us to win the SEC without him improving his accuracy? Please don't misunderstand that to mean I don't want him to get better with ball placement and the like, only pointing out that he's on pace to eclipse his passing yards from last season, when we won the SEC.

Personally, I agree with what others have said about Gus not allowing Nick to keep as much on the zone read thus far this year, and have been getting the feeling ever since the first game that Malzahn has been trying to set us up for the brutal run we're about to start...but whether he's been restricting his playbook for that reason or not, the offense appears to me as if it's ready to explode. Maybe the O-line needs to gel in order to get the running game going, maybe utilizing Nick more in the zone read will be enough to keep defenses from collapsing on CAP/Corey, or more likely it's a combination of the two, but if we get the run game cranked up, Nick isn't going to have to be any more accurate a passer than he is now because the more defenses have to commit to the run, the more Malzahn is going to make them look stupid with his playcalling.

But time will tell.

I never blamed Marshall for the drops. I was merely suggesting that drops are a part of any QB's completion percentage, as are the spectacular catches that Marshall has also benefited from thus far (Melvin Ray's leaping one-handed grab in the opener, Duke's tipped TD reception, Bray's jump ball, etc). So I think that Marshall's numbers are actually a pretty fair representation of how well he's passed this season, all things considered.

And I don't believe he is passing worse than he did last year; I believe he has improved, albeit moderately so based on what he's shown. I think he will continue to improve, and that if he and Sammy can start connecting more consistently on the deep ball, then the over-under combo of Sammy and Duke will be truly deadly.

I also believe that he will need to continue to improve for us to have a shot at repeating as SEC champs. Our running game is good, and will likely keep getting better, but I don't know that we will be dropping 300 yards on the ground at will every game this year either. If we expect to win this year, we will need to rely more on the passing game than we did last year.

[ShocksMyBrain 9,366]

There was a guy with an Alabama shirt at the game...smh.

There's some at every function in Auburn. And they're not there with an AU spouse, child, etc. They come as a family. There's nothing else going on in their pathetic lives that they go to Auburn specifically in hopes of seeing AU lose.

Seeing them at the last rolling of Toomer's really made me angry.

Sorry to derail.

[cooltigger21 0]

There was a guy with an Alabama shirt at the game...smh.

There's some at every function in Auburn. And they're not there with an AU spouse, child, etc. They come as a family. There's nothing else going on in their pathetic lives that they go to Auburn specifically in hopes of seeing AU lose.

Seeing them at the last rolling of Toomer's really made me angry.

I feel sorry for someone whose life is that sad and pathetic. To base your entire sense of self worth on a college football team is about as bad as it gets.