Feeling the "sting" from last night...

[StatTiger 3,188]

First of all, I did expect us to win last night but I thought it would be a close game. This was the very reason why I picked a 17-13 score, expecting both defenses to control the game. Anyone who expected not to see a drop off in offensive production this season was only fooling himself or herself. Expecting the 2005 starters to replace the combination of Jason Campbell, Carnell Williams and Ronnie Brown’s talent and experience is just too much to ask right now. It was obvious, the turnovers and penalties was the #1 reason why we lost last night. We did more to hurt ourselves on offense last night in comparison to the lack of any offense in the 2003 game against Tech. We moved the ball inside the Tech 30 yard line on five occasions but came away with only 7 pts.

The Good:

It was reported during practice, if Cox is given time he will pick you apart. I believe we saw this last night but he was simply asked to do too much in his first start. Let’s not forget he had one TD pass called back on a penalty and there were several dropped balls last night. He did make a few bad passes but two of his interceptions were not his fault completely. IMO, we saw enough last night to feel confident about his future.

The receivers really looked good last night. They all appear to be very confident in their ability to make plays and this is clearly our offensive strength. Though I wanted to see more of a running game, I can also see why Borges elected to put the offense into the hands of our receivers last night. He stated all last year, it was about putting the ball into the hands of your playmakers. He attempted to do this last night but missed out on a few of the runningbacks.

I thought the tackles on the OL did a good job and most of the pressure came up the middle and over the center. I am concerned about rotating the centers.

After giving up 127 yards on Tech’s first 19 plays, our defense gave up 186 yards on the next 56 snaps. This is a drop from 6.68 yards per play to 3.32. The turnovers really kept our defense on their heels but they improved as the game progressed. I believe it’s way too early to start judging Coach Gibbs.

The Bad:

After hearing Borges comment on Kenny Irons ability to make the big play, I could not understand why he only touched the ball 1 time last night. I can only assume Kenny must have struggled in his pass protection assignments but we need a tough inside runner.

The 11 penalties were not good and the wasted timeouts in the first half were clearly an indication of a youthful offense.

Random Thoughts:

I thought Chan Gailey’s plan for 3-step drops by Ball was smart because it took away from our speed at defensive end and I believe our guys became frustrated. We actually did the same to Tech but they had a better pass rush up the middle. I know some on this board are already harping our defensive line was overrated but I’m not ready to throw in the towel just yet. Give credit to Tech’s OL and good scheming by their coaches to take the pressure off of Ball.

I still believe Al Borges was a good hire but he’s not earned the right to be labeled one of the best in the country right now. Last year, against the 4 top defenses we faced, our offense only averaged 325 yards and 18 pts per game. Only time will tell if the 2005 Tech defense is a top-ten caliber defense. I believe they were #12 last year. Take away the Georgia game and our offense averaged only 299 yards per game and 16 pts. Don’t forget we also struggled in the red zone last season but we scored so often from outside the 20, it never really hurt us last year.

Let’s not panic about the running game just yet but I see why many are concerned. Last year, we featured Carnell Williams and Ronnie Brown because they were too good to keep off the field. This year, we are playing multiple backs because no one has really stepped up to become that “star” player. I still believe Irons will give us more punch in the running game but we will see. In 2003, Brown, Williams and Smith combined for 81 yards on 25 carries against Tech. Last night, Smith, Stewart and Irons combined for 81 yards on 19 carries. Our backs averaged 4.26 yards per rush last night and Williams & Brown averaged 4.25 yards against the four top-ten defenses we faced last year. For now, I believe our rushing problems last night had more to do with quantity rather than quality. I imagine we will see a heavy dose of the running game against Mississippi State.

While at UF, Spurrier was 12-19-1 when his offense was held to under 100-yards rushing in a game. No matter how good Brandon Cox will become, asking him to throw the ball 44 times is asking for trouble. Even as a senior, Jason Campbell was never called upon to throw the ball over 40 times. Since 1961, Auburn is 12-14-1, when we attempt 40 or more passes in a game. We are 17-31-0 since 1990, when we are held to under 100-yards rushing.

Final Comments:

No loss is ever good but how the coaches and team respond next week will say a lot about what kind of team we have in 2005. It’s so easy to talk about teamwork and leadership when a team is winning but it’s truly measured when the team faces a challenge. Everything fell into place last year. We had good senior leadership, we had the talent, we had the schedule and we avoided the injury bug. Each year, every college team must develop its personality even if there are a high number of returning starters. This is why college football is so unique and special in my opinion. We have at least 10 more games to play and a lot can happen over the next couple of months. I know we are upset and concerned after last night but we would be wise to see how our team responds next week before we label the 2005 Auburn Tigers. I make no excuses for Tuberville and our coaches for losing. I do feel better about the chances of this team after losing to Tech last night than I did when we lost to them in 2003. In summary, the defense started off on shaky ground but settled as the game progressed. The offense did move the ball but we failed to feature the running game enough. After the 03 Tech loss, I had little confidence in our offense. Al called an average game last night but he’s still 13-1 as our OC. How he adjusts and corrects our mistakes will determine his truth worth as an offensive coach.

Hope you all have a great Labor Day weekend...

My 2 cents

[autigeremt 7,260]

Great work STAT! I tend to agree on every front. Have a safe Labor Day.

I still

[BamaGrad03 0]

Good post stat. I think you sum it up pretty well. Too early to be too high or too low on players, coaches, or teams.

[vatz22au 145]

While at UF, Spurrier was 12-19-1 when his offense was held to under 100-yards rushing in a game. No matter how good Brandon Cox will become, asking him to throw the ball 44 times is asking for trouble. Even as a senior, Jason Campbell was never called upon to throw the ball over 40 times. Since 1961, Auburn is 12-14-1, when we attempt 40 or more passes in a game. We are 17-31-0 since 1990, when we are held to under 100-yards rushing

Stat...I wish more people had some sense like you do. I agree with every aspect of your post.

I dont think we blame Cox here...he did great in my opinion for his first start. The gameplan just wasnt there IMO.

[rexbo 104]

There is no reason to read any other official article on this game (assuming you also watched the game and don't need a re-cap), StatTiger analyzed it perfectly. Tell me again, Stat, why are you not working for one of the local or regional sports pages, at least on the side?

[Ronin 2]

There is no reason to read any other official article on this game (assuming you also watched the game and don't need a re-cap), StatTiger analyzed it perfectly.  Tell me again, Stat, why are you not working for one of the local or regional sports pages, at least on the side?

178333[/snapback]

I agree. That is exactly the type of article I have been looking for all morning.

Thanks Stat Tiger!

War Eagle!