How bad of shape are we really in?

[Raven_tiger 5]

If the OL and DL play doesn't start picking up, we are in for a bad end of the season stretch

[aubaseball 2,673]

With this team, i am only looking at next saturday. Win and who knows. Lose and i think its going to be a long year.

[Texan4Auburn 1,626]

IMO, we are in trouble. I don't think we will win too many conference games moving forward but my biggest concern is the lack of player development. We have plenty of talent to be in this situation. even more, I'm questioning player evaluation. Westry was in but we decided we didn't want him. Now he is a major play for UK. While I believe our DB recruiting was a bright spot last year, WM said when he got here our target recruit board on D was terrible. This year the elite recruits are choosing UAT, UGA, and UT over AU. With UF's turnaround, we are going to have trouble pulling in Florida recruits. So far our recruiting is weak compared to our SEC competitors. I'm very concerned after a poor year the last 2 yrs on DL and LB that we are in for continued issues on D. Personally I wasn't a fan of GM when he got hired because I preferred a proven div 1 coach. Now there are questions about his offense and his leadership of a major program. It's been an embarrassing year and I for one am tired of the yo-yo that has been AU football.

I agree we should shut the program down. Tear down the stadium, maybe sell that scoreboard to someone for half price and get some of that back. Funnel the money into the women's soccer and softball programs for example where the student athletes earn degrees at a significantly higher rate. Then use the rest of the money as well as that space to build a new academic learning center to replace the Haley Center. This will also help the actual student body as we won't have to worry about pressure from the Athletic Department to raise the "cost of attendance" to compete with the UA, UGA, UT, and UF's and the impact that will have on loans and financial aid for those that need it. Then maybe some will start taking pride in what Auburn really is versus just being embarrassed by Auburn cause it's 18-20 somethings in pads didn't beat your neighbor's 18-20 something in pads, didn't meet some sportswriters predictions, or give a damn what Finbaum has to say.

So while you were sitting around Sunday on a message board and talking about being embarrassed, apparently those individuals that embarrassed you have decided they are not ready to quit and spent their Sunday afternoon working to improve.

I don't care if we win another game this season as long as they give 100% in each game. I'm embarrassed by many Auburn fans when arrogance comes out about our football program. Years like this do many of us a favor and send quite a few of those elsewhere. My biggest dilemma this football season is now that I will be doing graduate work there do I Geaux Tigers as well as Go Tigers???

[war28weagle 0]

Well said everyone. Except all of the negativity. Most this team is young and inexperienced. I am slightly disappointed in a few aspects of our game but overall we are improving and its obvious. Our offense is starting click and pick up the HUNH. I think we have secured a starting RB and QB. I noticed that with duke gone, our receivers played well and felt more confident. Tony stevens is beast out there blocking. Defensively we are sound. We just need to cut the big plays and we should be fine. Muschamp has these boys tackling well and I love the blitz packages. However, I am still worried about our pass rush. I think once we get carl back we will be great. Look for Byron to explode in one of these upcoming games. Remember thats how carl was in 2013 against ole miss. I predict a 9-3 regular season at this point if we can improve. If we look dominant against arkansas we may go 10-2 because the rest of these teams are beatable. War eagle

[BJ17 0]

I was impressed by how a&m's dB's attacked Henry myself. It was the first time I saw db's knock him back and tackle him alone. Now their linebacker play was non existent and their db's making all the tackles isn't good. It actually sound like our defense but their D line play was actually ok

Yep; Evan's took Henry on 1:1 and knocked him backwards....two plays in a row...one of those was just a thing of beauty...you could hear the hit in the stands. What's initially played like Rudy and Williams and looked like he was trying to jump in a coaches arms for protection. Things you see at the game and not on TV; when Watts got to the sideline; he got absolutely ripped. After that attitude adjustment, he was a different player and finished the game with 10 tackles and actually looked like an SEC DB. The Aggie backers are an improvement over last year; and their 2nd half play was decent yesterday...but that is still their defensive weak link.

A&M lost because their offense couldn't score...well, actually they could; just for the Bammers. Their D played well enough for them to win.

Agree on the last paragraph. A&Ms offense scored 23. Bamas scored 20. If their qb doesn't throw any pick 6s they win the game. Really not too much to ask from a qb in his 12th start.

Actually no. A&M's offense scored 1 offensive TD. Their other TD was on a punt return. The rest was 3 FG's. Turdville was the best D the Aggies had faced so far and it showed.

[aujeff11 6,243]

if Gus starts calling these plays, run to the gates.

http://vine.co/v/e9gIULgbAle

Oh man, what was that nonsense? What was supposed to happen!?

Im not sure lol. I've never seen anything like that.

[VAtiger12 112]

The reason that bammer has such a successful rushing attack is that no one has the stones to tackle Henry. Ole Miss proved that he is stoppable if you are willing to man up. Stop Henry, you stop bammer. That is the key.

While I agree that Ole Miss really got after the kid, Alabama also turned the ball over 5 times in that game and OM got 30 points off of that and still won by 6. It takes more than tackling Henry to beat them.

[keesler 5,932]

the 3 pick 6 plays did the Aggies in. We won't get any of those. They're brought on by great pressure and dbs playing tight coverage. We don't do either. I would feel good about our chances in the rest of the season (except for Bama) if our defense could improve to mediocre. Our guys just look confused leadership is lacking on defense. Need a Sean White on defense. Without Lawson it's just not there.

That Bama defense are some nasty boys. You can watch them as the game progresses, they literally "feed" off of each other. If the line gets to the QB, the CB's/LB's are all jacked up and ready to kill someone on the next snap.

[aujeff11 6,243]

the 3 pick 6 plays did the Aggies in. We won't get any of those. They're brought on by great pressure and dbs playing tight coverage. We don't do either. I would feel good about our chances in the rest of the season (except for Bama) if our defense could improve to mediocre. Our guys just look confused leadership is lacking on defense. Need a Sean White on defense. Without Lawson it's just not there.

That Bama defense are some nasty boys. You can watch them as the game progresses, they literally "feed" off of each other. If the line gets to the QB, the CB's/LB's are all jacked up and ready to kill someone on the next snap.

Not only that, their DL is junior/senior laden with ashawn, DJ pettway, reed, and Allen all will more more than likely be playing in the NFL next year. Their defense is stacked.

[FoundationEagle 637]

I was impressed by how a&m's dB's attacked Henry myself. It was the first time I saw db's knock him back and tackle him alone. Now their linebacker play was non existent and their db's making all the tackles isn't good. It actually sound like our defense but their D line play was actually ok

Yep; Evan's took Henry on 1:1 and knocked him backwards....two plays in a row...one of those was just a thing of beauty...you could hear the hit in the stands. What's initially played like Rudy and Williams and looked like he was trying to jump in a coaches arms for protection. Things you see at the game and not on TV; when Watts got to the sideline; he got absolutely ripped. After that attitude adjustment, he was a different player and finished the game with 10 tackles and actually looked like an SEC DB. The Aggie backers are an improvement over last year; and their 2nd half play was decent yesterday...but that is still their defensive weak link.

A&M lost because their offense couldn't score...well, actually they could; just for the Bammers. Their D played well enough for them to win.

Agree on the last paragraph. A&Ms offense scored 23. Bamas scored 20. If their qb doesn't throw any pick 6s they win the game. Really not too much to ask from a qb in his 12th start.

Actually no. A&M's offense scored 1 offensive TD. Their other TD was on a punt return. The rest was 3 FG's. Turdville was the best D the Aggies had faced so far and it showed.

Ok. Point being that A&M scored 23 points that were not on bama mistakes. If you take away the 3 pick 6s, which should have never been thrown, then bama doesn't win. Our starting qb this year was benched for much less than the sh.. show Allen put on Saturday. INTs are one thing, but the first and last ones he threw should have never even been thrown, let alone to the spot the were thrown to. If SW had done that there would be protesting at the AD office today. The main point being that A&M gave the game in a gift wrapper to bama and their offense scored more for bama than themselves.

[FoundationEagle 637]

if Gus starts calling these plays, run to the gates.

http://vine.co/v/e9gIULgbAle

Not a working link on phone or computer

[AUld fAUx@ 2,584]

I know we were preseason favorites to win the SEC and push for the NC, but we all know how reliable preseason rankings are. All things considered, we have 2 SEC losses (one to a team that is still undefeated, and the other to a pretty good MSU team that we statistically beat, except where it counts). that said, Tennessee, Alabama, Ole Miss, Georgia, and Arkansas have failed to live up to preseason hype as well. Will the beat down TAMU took yesterday, does anyone else feel that our overall outlook going forward isn't as bleak as we thought? I am not contending that there is hope for a NC, but I still believe this season can be salvaged, and a lot can be built on for years down the road. What say you?

WDE

Trout -

Either Coach Lashlee read your post, or you've got a promising future scripting press conferences.

“By no means are where we need to be, but we got better,” Lashlee said after Sunday’s practice…

…[and re: Mr. White’s growing confidence] “It’s something we can build on.”

http://auburn.247sports.com/Article/Lashlee-By-no-means-are-we-where-we-need-to-be-40384189

[keesler 5,932]

Oline looked improved to me, gave SW time to make good things happen. WR's played better, blocking was better.

It's been 4 days and I still can't bring myself to think about the defense.

[lionheartkc 6,150]

I know we were preseason favorites to win the SEC and push for the NC, but we all know how reliable preseason rankings are. All things considered, we have 2 SEC losses (one to a team that is still undefeated, and the other to a pretty good MSU team that we statistically beat, except where it counts). that said, Tennessee, Alabama, Ole Miss, Georgia, and Arkansas have failed to live up to preseason hype as well. Will the beat down TAMU took yesterday, does anyone else feel that our overall outlook going forward isn't as bleak as we thought? I am not contending that there is hope for a NC, but I still believe this season can be salvaged, and a lot can be built on for years down the road. What say you?

WDE

Trout -

Either Coach Lashlee read your post, or you've got a promising future scripting press conferences.

“By no means are where we need to be, but we got better,” Lashlee said after Sunday’s practice…

…[and re: Mr. White’s growing confidence] “It’s something we can build on.”

http://auburn.247spo...-to-be-40384189

Or Trout IS Lashlee

[AuburnNTexas 7,198]

KY played Florida down to the wire and Florida played LSU down to the wire. Beating KY was a solid win. We needed some breaks dropped passes by their receivers but we dropped a few also. Biggest issue right now is defense especially the Front 7. Davis, Ford Countess, and Matthews give us a pretty solid defensive backfield, Cass is starting to get the hang of DE, Adams can be a stud a DT and Garrett is showing signs of becoming an SEC LB. IF can improve this week we beat Arky and get some Momentum. With momentum we could go on a role

[autigeremt 6,776]

People picking Auburn to win the SEC before the season were fools. Way too many changes/youth on D and at the skill positions on O (RB, TE, and changes on OL). It shows how little these talking heads really know about football at this level. Basically you had a couple of high profile people touting Auburn as the next coming and everyone else jumped on board because they were too lazy to do a little research.

We are 4-2....as bad as we played in games 2-4 we could have won the MSU game and lost the Jax State game so we are where we are. Improvement was finally seen at UK and now we have a chance to build on that on Saturday....yawn...morning at 11am CST against the piggies. If we win again, I see this team making a bit of a march. If we lose to the bumbling hogwarts.....we set ourselves up for 5-7.

We'll see......

[AU64 10,122]

KY played Florida down to the wire and Florida played LSU down to the wire. Beating KY was a solid win. We needed some breaks dropped passes by their receivers but we dropped a few also. Biggest issue right now is defense especially the Front 7. Davis, Ford Countess, and Matthews give us a pretty solid defensive backfield, Cass is starting to get the hang of DE, Adams can be a stud a DT and Garrett is showing signs of becoming an SEC LB. IF can improve this week we beat Arky and get some Momentum. With momentum we could go on a role

I like this....hope it works out that way. I do hate playing them at 11AM and on the road....two very big drawbacks...and the hawgs are a 5-1/2point favorite I see.

A big hill for the Tigers to climb.....

[aucanucktiger 1,805]

Sobering (fyi, AL.com numbers report)....

Auburn's saw some improvements to its offensive statistics following Thursday's 30-27 win at Kentucky, but the defense is headed in the opposite direction.

The Tigers gained a season-high 407 yards, with 255 coming via Sean White's arm. The running game was held to season-low 152 yards, in part because of the passing game's effectiveness, but the overall output was the best Auburn had all year.

RELATED: Auburn finds rhythm on offense in win over Kentucky

Auburn's defense came up with a few key plays, including Justin Garrett's sack to seal the win, but also allowed a season-high 497 yards, which was also the most for Kentucky this season.

The Tigers now rank last in the SEC in total defense.

RUSHING OFFENSE

Last week: 190 (4th, 48th)

This week: 183.7 (5th, 49th)

Why: Auburn ran for a season-low 152 yards, fewest since last year's Georgia game (150)

PASSING OFFENSE

Last week: 153.8 (13th, 113th)

This week: 170.7 (13th, 110th)

Why: Sean White threw for 255 yards, a season-high for the Tigers

PASS EFFICIENCY OFFENSE

Last week: 123.72 (11th, 84th)

This week: 126.46 (11th, 82nd)

Why: White was 17 for 27 with no interceptions

TOTAL OFFENSE

Last week: 343.8 (13th, 109th)

This week: 354.3 (12th, 97th)

Why: Auburn gained a season-best 407 yards

SCORING OFFENSE

Last week: 24.6 (10th, 95th)

This week: 25.5 (10th, 89th)

Why: Auburn scored 30 points

SACKS ALLOWED

Last week: 9 sacks, 1.8 per game (9th, 60th)

This week: 10 sacks, 1.67 per game (7th, 49th)

Why: Kentucky recorded one sack

THIRD-DOWN CONVERSIONS

Last week: 42.1 percent (5th, 45th)

This week: 46.7 percent (1st, 18th)

Why: Auburn was 11 for 18 on third down

RED ZONE OFFENSE

Last week: 76.5 percent (12th, 105th)

This week: 81.8 percent (10th, 85th)

Why: Auburn scored on all five of its trips to the red zone, with three touchdowns

RUSHING DEFENSE

Last week: 209.6 (14th, 107th)

This week: 197.7 (13th, 101st)

Why: Auburn allowed 139 rushing yards, second-fewest this season

PASSING DEFENSE

Last week: 202.4 (9th, 50th)

This week: 228.5 (11th, 69th)

Why: Kentucky threw for 359 yards, most against Auburn this season

PASS EFFICIENCY DEFENSE

Last week: 118.87 (11th, 53rd)

This week: 120.46 (14th, 93nd)

Why: Patrick Towles was 27 for 44 with an interception

TOTAL DEFENSE

Last week: 412 (12th, 86th)

This week: 426.2 (14th, 86th)

Why: Auburn allowed a season-high 497 yards

SCORING DEFENSE

Last week: 25.4 (12th, 65th)

This week: 25.7 (12th, 61st)

Why: Kentucky scored 27 points

SACKS

Last week: 7 sacks, 1.4 per game (13th, 107th)

This week: 10 sacks, 1.67 per game (11th, 86th)

Why: Auburn recorded three sacks, including Justin Garrett's on UK's final play

THIRD-DOWN DEFENSE

Last week: 47.1 percent (14th, 113th)

This week: 45.7 percent (14th, 111th)

Why: UK was 5 for 13 on third down

RED ZONE DEFENSE

Last week: 80 percent (8th, 46th)

This week: 80.8 percent (9th, 47th)

Why: The Wildcats scored on five of six trips to the red zone

NET PUNTING

Last week: 40.56 (4th, 18th)

This week: 39.74 (7th, 27th)

Why: Kevin Phillips averaged 40.8 yards on five punts

KICK RETURNS

Last week: 31.08 (2nd, 4th)

This week: 29.42 (2nd, 4th)

Why: Auburn had six returns for 155 yards

PUNT RETURNS

Last week: 9.67 yards per return (9th, 48th)

This week: 7.50 yards per return (11th, 72nd)

Why: Marcus Davis had a one-yard return

TURNOVER MARGIN

Last week: minus-1, minus-.20 per game (12th, 83rd)

This week: zero, zero per game (9th, 71st)

Why: Auburn had an interception and did not turn the ball over

PENALTY YARDS PER GAME

Last week: 40.2 (5th, 18th)

This week: 41.67 (6th, 21st)

Why: Auburn committed five penalties for 49 yards

Other stats of note:

- Rudy Ford leads the SEC and is tied for 7th nationally with 6.7 solo tackles per game

- Peyton Barber's eight rushing touchdowns are tied for third in the SEC and 18th nationally

[IronMan70 3,277]

Sobering (fyi, AL.com numbers report)....

NET PUNTING

Last week: 40.56 (4th, 18th)

This week: 39.74 (7th, 27th)

Why: Kevin Phillips averaged 40.8 yards on five punts

Good info thanks. After perusing the stats I have a question about the one above, if you know. How can the YTD/average go down from 40.56 to 39.74 week to week ? Phillips 5 punt UK/average of 40.8 was greater than the previous YTD/average of 40.56.

[lionheartkc 6,150]

Sobering (fyi, AL.com numbers report)....

Statistics never tell a good story when you are digging out of a hole.

[lost 452]

We are in bad shape as far as being physical. We are being manhandled on both sides of the ball. This has to improve. I think some of it has to do with the size, but most of t has to do with mindset. Our players are playing timid and have been unsure. This has a lot to do with youth, new schemes and coordinators, and I am sure with lack of team unity and motivation. Maybe we see a difference from here on out, maybe we don't. I think if you have the heart, the effort and the willingness most of the rest will take care of itself. Time will tell.

[thaitopher 807]

We are in bad shape as far as being physical. We are being manhandled on both sides of the ball. This has to improve. I think some of it has to do with the size, but most of t has to do with mindset. Our players are playing timid and have been unsure. This has a lot to do with youth, new schemes and coordinators, and I am sure with lack of team unity and motivation. Maybe we see a difference from here on out, maybe we don't. I think if you have the heart, the effort and the willingness most of the rest will take care of itself. Time will tell.

Is our team really that lost?

[AUld fAUx@ 2,584]

We are in bad shape as far as being physical. We are being manhandled on both sides of the ball. This has to improve. I think some of it has to do with the size, but most of t has to do with mindset. Our players are playing timid and have been unsure. This has a lot to do with youth, new schemes and coordinators, and I am sure with lack of team unity and motivation. Maybe we see a difference from here on out, maybe we don't. I think if you have the heart, the effort and the willingness most of the rest will take care of itself. Time will tell.

Is our team really that lost?

Almost sounds like a restatement of the OP

[thaitopher 807]

We are in bad shape as far as being physical. We are being manhandled on both sides of the ball. This has to improve. I think some of it has to do with the size, but most of t has to do with mindset. Our players are playing timid and have been unsure. This has a lot to do with youth, new schemes and coordinators, and I am sure with lack of team unity and motivation. Maybe we see a difference from here on out, maybe we don't. I think if you have the heart, the effort and the willingness most of the rest will take care of itself. Time will tell.

Is our team really that lost?

Almost sounds like a restatement of the OP

wasn't meant to be taken as an actual question.

[AUld fAUx@ 2,584]

We are in bad shape as far as being physical. We are being manhandled on both sides of the ball. This has to improve. I think some of it has to do with the size, but most of t has to do with mindset. Our players are playing timid and have been unsure. This has a lot to do with youth, new schemes and coordinators, and I am sure with lack of team unity and motivation. Maybe we see a difference from here on out, maybe we don't. I think if you have the heart, the effort and the willingness most of the rest will take care of itself. Time will tell.

Is our team really that lost?

Almost sounds like a restatement of the OP

wasn't meant to be taken as an actual question.

Ooops

Apologies

WDE