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Auburn believes it has found 'some momentum' offensively heading into 2nd half of season

Updated 8:52 AM; Posted 8:52 AM

Auburn quarterback Jarrett Stidham looks downfield in the second half against Mississippi State. Despite the loss, Auburn feels it built some momentum offensively heading into this week's game against Tennessee. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)

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By Tom Green

tgreen@al.com

Auburn's second-half drive chart against Mississippi State last week included a lost fumble, a pair of field goals and two turnovers on downs just outside the red zone. No touchdowns were scored, though Boobee Whitlow came close before fumbling the ball into the end zone on a long run.

Despite the general outcome, however, Auburn believes its offense showed signs of turning a corner in the second half against the Bulldogs -- something the Tigers hope can carry over into Saturday's 11 a.m. home matchup against Tennessee.

"Obviously, we had some corrections, but at the same time I was really pleased with how our guys finished the second half," Auburn offensive coordinator Chip Lindsey said. "I think we had 220-something yards of offense there in the second half, which is good.... Even as frustrating as it was early, at the end, when we blocked the field goal, we had an opportunity to go and really win the game to at least tie the game, and we didn't get it done. But, at the same time, I think we made some strides.

"I think we've got some momentum, I hope, built for this week. I feel really good about the way we finished."

Indeed, Auburn's offensive production saw a considerable uptick in the second half against Mississippi State last week -- though that wasn't too high of a bar to clear after totaling 79 first-half yards. The Tigers put up 225 yards of offense after halftime, at least reaching the Bulldogs' 30-yard line on all five of their possessions, and they did it with just 8 minutes, 21 seconds of possession.

It marked Auburn's most productive half of offense against an FBS opponent since its opening-week win against Washington, when the Tigers totaled 247 yards on six drives in the first half of the season's first game. Receiver Ryan Davis said the second half in Starkville, Miss., was "definitely" the best the offense has looked since that Washington game -- despite the lack of touchdowns.

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"When you get positive plays, you get in a rhythm and guys make plays all around," Davis said. "Just getting the ball out of Jarrett (Stidham)'s hand -- a lot of teams have been trying to pressure us and stuff like that -- so it's just us getting it out and us just trying to make plays, trying to get positive yards. Definitely. When everybody was throwing and catching, it's definitely a lot easier to move the ball."

Auburn's offensive success after halftime came thanks to a different approach for the Tigers. They focused more heavily on the passing game, with Stidham attempting 28 passes and the Tigers calling 31 total pass plays (Stidham was sacked three times) versus just five run calls (eight when you factor in the three sacks).

The Tigers found success getting the ball on the perimeter, particularly with screens, and they were able to make a few chunk plays in the passing game, most notably a 42-yarder down the right sideline to Davis on the team's first play of the third quarter. The passing game helped open things up for the run game, when Auburn tried to run it, as was the case on Whitlow's 41-yard run that was this close to being a touchdown before being upheld as a fumble recovered in the end zone by Mississippi State upon replay review.

"Just like the LSU game, there was, what, three consecutive drives we went down and scored -- running the ball effectively, throwing the ball effectively, and kind of the same thing the other night," Stidham said. "We had, you know, a stretch there where we were really moving the ball, doing some really good things, and we just couldn't get the ball in the end zone. Whatever it may be, we just kind of stalled off. And that's my job as a leader of the offense to continue to push those guys whenever we get in those tough situations in big games.

"So, I've got to do a better job of really pushing our guys to be the best that they can be, and I've got to do a better job personally."

What is Auburn's offensive identity midway through the season?

Auburn's offense has not looked like it has in previous years under Gus Malzahn.

Aside from the fumble, which would have brought Auburn within a field goal in the third quarter, there were other missed opportunities for the Tigers, specifically on overthrown passes by Stidham. Still, Auburn was able to find some rhythm in the second half and get itself into pace situations.

That's when the Tigers' offense is at its best, and the team believes it has found the formula -- which largely begins with better play-calls and success on first downs -- to sustain that moving forward into the second half of the season.

"Obviously, we're a rhythm offense," Lindsey said. "We got to make sure we get into rhythm and, you know, I got to do a better job as a coach of making sure we do that. That's what I'm trying to focus on."

Head to Head: Auburn vs. Tennessee

Tom Green is an Auburn beat reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Tomas_Verde.

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How about this....  We just go do it and stop talking about we're gonna do this or that.   Go put up 450-500 yards this weekend and then tell us on Sunday we think we might have figured some things out.

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I'm hoping like crazy we'll find the answers and turn this year around and start winning before it's too late. But if we don't and Tennessee wins, we could be looking at a 5-7 record.

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This is a disappointing statement from our OC. Plenty of teams make yds between the 20’s. If you can’t finish whether it’s turnovers or not making 4th downs then you have failed. If he is trying to pull a silver lining from that fiasco last week then he is doomed for failure. 

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32 minutes ago, corchjay said:

How about this....  We just go do it and stop talking about we're gonna do this or that.   Go put up 450-500 yards this weekend and then tell us on Sunday we think we might have figured some things out.

I agree Corch.

Quit talking about it and trying to appease us.  Just do it already!

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1 hour ago, auburn4ever said:

I'm hoping like crazy we'll find the answers and turn this year around and start winning before it's too late. But if we don't and Tennessee wins, we could be looking at a 5-7 record.

Looking at it realistically a win Saturday with no significant changes just gives us the opportunity to go 6-6 and therefore 6-7 with our usual bowl prowess. I just want to see this revelation of Gus and Chip displayed on Saturday and then against a quality opponent.

 

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59 minutes ago, 80Tiger said:

This is a disappointing statement from our OC. Plenty of teams make yds between the 20’s. If you can’t finish whether it’s turnovers or not making 4th downs then you have failed. If he is trying to pull a silver lining from that fiasco last week then he is doomed for failure. 

Maybe he has a career in ARena football, shorter field and all...

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We did have a solid 2nd half against MSU, but just could not finish the job due to various mistakes. We were robbed from the TD that Boobee had the ball past the goal line. If this call had been make correctly, that could have put us in a better frame to win that game. The bottom line is that we lost and we need to make TDs instead of FGs.

I hope we come out against UT and take out our frustrations and blow them out of the stadium. A big win tomorrow could be what the doctor ordered to get this team back on a winning track.  I think we can stop Ole Miss and win that game.  TAMU is winnable. If we finish 8-4 and win the bowl game, a 9-4 season is acceptable. Who knows, we could beat UGA and really salvage the season.

Bammer will be a tough nut to crack for any SEC team. Maybe their QB will be out for the Iron Bowl and this could definitely change the playing field. I have a feeling that LSU is going to unload on UGA tomorrow and bring them back to the pack.

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