Things I Think I Saw (AU vs GSU).....

[JMR 2,118]

A quick "caveat" on this deal: I watch the game once, and try to make note of things I saw. I've never watched a play two or three times without changing my mind on what I saw. So, going only on first impression, I may have seen it wrong, and maybe didn't see it the same way you did. With that in mind, here are some things, in no particular order, I thought I saw in the game....

• Noticed that the TV announcers quoted GSU Head Coach Tyson Summers as saying, "We prepared for a Gus Malzahn offense, NOT a Chip Lindsey offense."  To be honest, I thought Auburn ran a blend of the two, with lots of "Malzahn stuff," and a fair amount of "Lindsey stuff."  There was much more balance between run plays and pass plays than we've seen from Gus Malzahn in the past, but there were plenty of plays easily recognizable from years gone by.  Keeping in mind that Auburn was not going to unveil every play in the offense in this game, with Clemson coming up next week, I'm not sure we can really take much from this game.
• In the vein of taking something from this game: The AU offense was anything but smooth; execution was often lacking, as evidenced by the three turnovers in the first half. I frankly expected Jarrett Stidham to be much sharper, although it was his first game action in nearly two years. There were some problems on the offensive line, including even some missed assignments, and that's nearly always a major disruption to any offense. I watched part of Clemson's game yesterday, and while Kent State was pretty awful, Clemson did look relatively sharp offensively.  No question we have a long way to go before next week, but IMO it can be done.  Coaches like to say "The biggest improvement a team makes is from Game One to Game Two."  I hope that's true.
• I probably don't have the vocabulary of superlatives to do justice to the play of the Auburn defense. They were well-prepared, played with tremendous intensity, and were nearly flawless.
• I'm waiting to see something "different" out of the Sugar Huddle.  It's pretty predictable that we will come out of that with an unbalanced line, and quick-snap the ball. I like the idea, but opponents are pretty familiar with that scenario by now.
• Marlon Davidson played far more snaps that I expected, given his injury status and the way he has been protected by the coaches since spring.  Regardless, he played extremely well.  He did have a face mask penalty, and let that affect him on the next play, when he got sucked inside on an option read and the GSU QB ran outside for 21 yards. Still, he had yet another exceptional game.
• Love the new-found quickness of Jeff Holland.  He is supposedly still 250 lbs., but he seems much quicker, and hustles his tail off on every play.  Exciting to watch.
• I noticed some changes to the OL in the first quarter, with Braden Smith moving out to right tackle, Darius James flipping to left tackle, and Wilson Bell at right guard. Bell pulled a couple of times, and I thought he moved really well for a man his size.
• One of the things I looked forward to seeing in this game was how Prince Tega would do at left tackle. He wasn't perfect, but I don't recall seeing an offensive lineman play that well overall in his first college football game.  Tega made very few mistakes, and he is already a proficient pass blocker.  Great things ahead for that kid.  Barring injury, he will be our left tackle for a long, long time.
• Braden Smith was as dominant as an offensive lineman can be.  He obviously has all the physical tools, and it was good to see him at the top of his game to begin the season.
• Was good to see Paul James III back healthy.  He played well, and is going to be a factor for us.
• Andrew Williams is another guy who has dealt with an injury this fall.  Watched him carefully early, and he looked great.  He has made remarkable improvement since he first got to Auburn.
• Derrick Brown!  My goodness, he's a player. A great first step, and the speed and strength to follow that up.  He is extremely gifted, and appears to be intent on playing up to his potential.
• Darius James does not appear to have made great improvement over the off-season. I like him as a run-blocker, but due to sub-standard footwork, he's a liability in pass protection. It's not time to put DJ on the bench, but it is time for Coach Herb Hand to spend extra time with him on his footwork.
• I'm no QB guru, but I thought Jarrett Stidham did a poor job of looking off defenders.  In fairness, breakdowns in protection, along with some drops by receivers, made Stidham look worse than he was. The sack-fumble was (IMO) on Stidham. Tega blocked the correct man, and seeing that there were three defenders vs two blockers on that side, I thought Stidham should have changed the protection, possibly moving KJ to that side of the formation.
• Saw Tucker Brown (TE) and Spencer Nigh (H-back) in the game a good bit, and both did pretty well. Brown in particular, looks like a strong run-blocker. It's always good to see some backups not only get playing time, but play well at that.
• Nick Coe was another guy in his first college game, and he also played well. Big kid, with good speed, he is going to help us all season.
• Was probably good for all of us to see that Daniel Carlson is not infallible, but I'm sure he'll get to work this week on correcting whatever went wrong.
• Stephen Roberts was extremely active vs the GSU running game once it became clear they were not much of a passing threat. Loved seeing that aggressive play from one of our safeties.
   

Bottom line this week: If we'd played a perfect football game, we'd rightfully have said, "It's only Georgia Southern". The same applies to the somewhat ragged offensive performance we had. It doesn't mean a whole lot. It's not easy to get excited and emotional for a game when you're a 35-point favorite. That's not the way it should be, but it is the way it is.

I was hoping to see a much more crisp offensive machine, but I'm not discouraged at all. We will find out next week just where we really are. I've said that all summer, and I still believe it. War Eagle!!

[johnnyAU 3,668]

The different thing I look for in the Sugar Huddle is NOT using it anymore.

[bigbird 60,580]

6 minutes ago, JMR said:

• Stephen Roberts was extremely active vs the GSU running game once it became clear they were not much of a passing threat. Loved seeing that aggressive play from one of our safeties.

While I, like you, loved his aggressive play in the run game, I couldn't help but think about how many times previously he has been beaten in pass coverage because he is trying to be too aggressive.  I hope he has found the balance to be an effective safety playing the pass as well as he does the run. If not, Clemson will certainly expose it.

[McLoofus 35,182]

Thanks for your thoughts as always, Coach.

Re: Holland- My hope going into this season was that a guy who was already an athletic freak was going to stop thinking and start reacting. Last night won't be the final word on his season, but if it is a predictor of what we can expect going forward, then I think maybe my hopes were justified.

TL;DR: I don't think Holland is faster physically. I think he's just making decisions faster.

[TitanTiger 20,559]

7 minutes ago, johnnyAU said:

The different thing I look for in the Sugar Huddle is NOT using it anymore.

I like it, but use the fact that we've snapped it so many times to either get a team to jump offsides, or hike it and throw a pass out of it.

[AuburnTiger4Life 2,225]

What?? A positive post? I thought we barely won last nights game based on some of the posts in here today. ?

[doc4aday 1,887]

I think we will need to go a lot more up tempo early on with Clemson and let Bubba get on a roll. It will be interesting to see Clemson face a team that is as every bit as good on defense as they are and goes for any defense they will face all season and maybe into the play offs. I hate the idea of not having SW for game 2. I hope JS will turn it on and will make believers out of Clemson and anyone else who doubts him. If there is trouble and we have to go to another QB, do we bite the bullet and play Willis? Who knows, that young man might be the hidden gem just waiting to be unveiled. A lot of things to think about. What we need to do is to go to Clemson and make old Dabbo cry come Saturday and make the bammers cry as well with a nice win.

[RunInRed 16,586]

Coach, this is when you're at your best.  Good stuff as always --- you catch so much I don't even notice.  Thanks!

[Coastal Tiger 84]

47 minutes ago, JMR said:

The sack-fumble was (IMO) on Stidham. Tega blocked the correct man, and seeing that there were three defenders vs two blockers on that side, I thought Stidham should have changed the protection, possibly moving KJ to that side of the formation.

Exactly my thoughts coach.  All on JS to check out of that scenario.  Surprised he didn't catch the WILL LB foaming at the mouth pre-snap lol.

[JGLEATON 1,244]

12 minutes ago, Coastal Tiger said:

Exactly my thoughts coach.  All on JS to check out of that scenario.  Surprised he didn't catch the WILL LB foaming at the mouth pre-snap lol.

But seems like I saw the next time this happened they made the adjustment and the RB was on the right side to pick it up...

NICE to see mid game and half time adjustments!!


 

52 minutes ago, bigbird said:

While I, like you, loved his aggressive play in the run game, I couldn't help but think about how many times previously he has been beaten in pass coverage because he is trying to be too aggressive.  I hope he has found the balance to be an effective safety playing the pass as well as he does the run. If not, Clemson will certainly expose it.

My thoughts exactly.... we're so worried about giving anything away offensively to Clemson, there is a LOT to take away from our Defensive performance... we are a VERY aggressive D (and I LIKED that) but if we are not very careful and play our assignments Clemson WILL burn us passing / use our over aggressiveness against us...

Away game at a VERY good Clemson team is gonna be tough...  

[lionheartkc 6,150]

Love that you brought up Marlon beefing his next assignment after being called for a face mask (looked like a shoulder pad on my tv). That's something that stood out to me. Georgia Southern got most of their yards after we got called for something. That tells me that we need to learn to play with the same fire but not let our emotions work against us too, especially  if we think the call is wrong.

[1913-14 263]

1 hour ago, bigbird said:

While I, like you, loved his aggressive play in the run game, I couldn't help but think about how many times previously he has been beaten in pass coverage because he is trying to be too aggressive.  I hope he has found the balance to be an effective safety playing the pass as well as he does the run. If not, Clemson will certainly expose it.

PARTY POOPER...but right on target

 

[lost 452]

I thought you could see the nervousness of Stidham in his unwillingness to let go of the football.  I was displeased with the amount of pressure G Southern was able to get and the lack of progress in the middle of the line again.  It was the same problem with little push up front on many of the runs. The offense looked out of sync the whole game, regardless for the reason.  I thought the Stidham to Hastings pass in the corner of the endzone was what shows his special ability as a passer and this is what HE WILL DO if he gets time and gets comfortable.

 

My biggest worry was not the game but the way we started the season with the suspensions of people who should know better AGAIN.  I was hoping we could not see the drama and a committed club this year.  Maybe the problems happened earlier and were just now enforced?  and we will come together and make a run.  This has been the problem i believe of this team.  Too many undisciplined players and not enough commitment.

[aubearcat 2,138]

One thing that was frustrating to me, and I was hoping would change with Lindsey, the run up the middle in the "NASCAR" drill. I understand it may have been by design to hide stuff from Clempson but gosh is it frustrating as a fan to see them rush up to the line only to run a dive. 

[AUTigergrad08 617]

1 minute ago, aubearcat said:

One thing that was frustrating to me, and I was hoping would change with Lindsey, the run up the middle in the "NASCAR" drill. I understand it may have been by design to hide stuff from Clempson but gosh is it frustrating as a fan to see them rush up to the line only to run a dive. 

It's predictable, stubborn Malzahn offense for you.  

[SIR ISAAC 46]

Also focused in on Coe for a few plays given his first game status to see if he would have the eye discipline needed to successfully play against that offense.  I was impressed.  Great awareness, response time and strength in taking down the ball carrier.  He's going to be another good one!

[Auctoritas 2,828]

2 hours ago, TitanTiger said:

I like it, but use the fact that we've snapped it so many times to either get a team to jump offsides, or hike it and throw a pass out of it.

Yeah, a 1 step drop slant to Hastings and he will still be running two weeks later. 

[PowerOfDixieland 3,226]

Tre' Williams is obviously a stud.  Defensive front was just outstanding.  Can't remember hearing Tray Matthews name called much if at all...DL and LB's kept him out of the action.  This defense will keep us in every game, will certainly get their oil checked next week.  

Edited September 3, 2017 by PowerOfDixieland

[WDavE 332]

What impresses me the most with young Mr. Brown at DT is even when engaged by the O-lineman. He still has his head and knows where the ball is.

 

 

Edited September 3, 2017 by WDavE

[corchjay 5,311]

Coach Ray I'm in agreement with you in what you saw as well.  Limited play book.  A few missed assignments.  However last night most of the passing issues seemed to be on Stidham.  I know at least 3 times he had a perfect pocket and stepped up into pressure.  

 

Also so as I mentioned last night the view on TV I could not tell if the WRs were open or getting open.  

[meh130 1,056]

Regarding the AU RPO which became a scoop and score for GSU, I think there was a dumb/bad luck component to that. GSU was aligned in a 4-3, and all 3 LBs blitzed. I assume this was a run blitz (I don't know enough about run blitzing, but I don't think GSU was expecting a pass).

The OL blocking was standard zone-run, with Tega blocking the backside DE. On a zone-read, the back-side OT would either block the DT or release to block an LB.

The GSU blitzing LBs was a perfect defensive call for this play. Two LBs coming into the zone blocking scrum were guaranteed to minimize the RB run option. If it was a zone read, one of the two crashing defenders (the right OLB and the right DE) would be free to take the QB. That it was a zone run/RPO meant the only possible person to block the blitzing LB was the RB (Johnson), and he did not have the angle.

Stidham made the correct read. The backside OLB was crashing the run. The slot WR was wide open. But there is/was no quick option to react to that defensive approach.

CGM said KJ missed the block. He was trying to make the block but he did not have the angle.

I am not sure there is an offensive response to this. But if a defense is expecting something other than a run, they probably will not send 7 defenders crashing in.

The one thing that would work against that defense would be a  max protect pass blocking (RB and HB pass block) sending 3 WRs on pass routes. But that is hindsight.

It sucked, but this was a mulligan.

[boisnumber1 2,830]

On 9/3/2017 at 3:09 PM, JGLEATON said:

My thoughts exactly.... we're so worried about giving anything away offensively to Clemson, there is a LOT to take away from our Defensive performance... we are a VERY aggressive D (and I LIKED that) but if we are not very careful and play our assignments Clemson WILL burn us passing / use our over aggressiveness against us...

 Dont even know what to say to this other than smh. Talk about bending over backwards to try to make something negative out of a positive with really no basis at all other than conjecture. Do you think Coach Steele doesnt know this? Do you think how we approached Ga Southern defensively has anything to do with how we'll approach Clemson? Never mind your remark about not playing assignments, when we played great assignment D all night long.

[johnnyAU 3,668]

I am less concerned with Stidham than I am with the OL play. Jarrett will be fine. I'm a little worried about our elite WR's not getting separation on the GSU secondary, from what I could see from the TV camera perspective, which of course doesn't show everything.  

[mustache eagle 2,416]

I'm more concerned about some of the auburn fans going loco, reading things into this game and then extrapolating it farther than that.  I hate the coaches went so vanilla, but there is no position group that can be evaluated to its fullest without knowing what position the coaches put them in.  ZERO offensive position groups.

edit: johnny not directed at you

Edited September 5, 2017 by mustache eagle