Inside the Numbers - MSU Postgame

[StatTiger 3,188]

Other than some early “stubborn” offensive play calling, I thought the trip to Starkville was very good. As advertised, Mississippi State had a solid front seven but their secondary was known to slack up at times. As a team, Auburn did manage to improve on a few areas they struggled with against Washington State. Here are a few observations…

01) It was evident Mississippi State did not want Auburn to beat them with their running game and sold out to stop the run. Of course, their corners played off Courtney Taylor and CT made them pay for it. In the first half, Auburn called 10 running plays on first down to only five pass plays. If Auburn had mixed it up a little more, the Tigers probably would have been more productive on offense. The Tigers gained 11 yards rushing on 10 first down carries and gained 97 yards passing on 5 pass plays, which included a seven-yard loss from a sack.

02) I realize it was only Mississippi State but Brandon Cox is truly showing improvement when it counts. In the past, Cox has struggled when Auburn’s running game was taken away. Yesterday, Cox went 12 of 18 for 180 yards in the first half, leading the Tigers to 17 points. Last week, Cox was only 1 of 4 passing on third down, which he improved to 5 of 8 for 67-yards and four first down pass plays. His timing was much better in week two, which could not come at a better time with LSU around the corner.

03) The Bulldogs needed a short field to play on if they had any chance of staying with Auburn and it just didn’t happen. Auburn’s average field position was their own 49 and MSU average starting field position was their own 19. This is the second week in a row; the Tigers have clearly won the field position battle. How important is this? After two games, Auburn has started seven possessions on the opponent’s side of the field. The Tigers have scored six times, five of them TD’s. On defense, Will Muschamp’s defense has allowed an average of 17.2 yards per possession.

04) Vaughn, Clark and Bliss continue to kick the ball very well and will probably win a ball game somewhere down the road. Keep watching Tristan Davis because he’s destined to take one all the way back.

05) Rod Smith’s fumble on the long pass play was a lesson learned but this was to be expected with so much youth at wide receiver. Not just on the fumble itself but the downfield blocking. The MSU defender who ran down Smith to force the fumble, managed to shed off a weak block by Robert Dunn or Smith would have scored. Auburn doesn’t miss Mix, Obomanu and Aromashodu just for their receiving skills. All three were good downfield blockers as well.

06) Auburn needs Brad Lester to touch the ball more often. Kenny Irons should be the starter but Lester is losing touches to Tre Smith with the game has not been settled. Including last season, Lester averages 6.6 yard per carry and 19.6 yards per reception. He already has 10 offensive TD’s on just 68 touches of the ball. He clearly is a “playmaker” and should be treated accordingly.

07) The Tigers improved on third down situations thanks to Brandon Cox and were far more productive in the red zone against MSU compared to the season opener.

08 ) How about Gabe McKenzie? He certainly played well against Mississippi State, giving Auburn another offensive weapon for Coach Borges to play with.

09) Of the 58 offensive snaps made by MSU, Auburn’s defense held 28 to no gain or a loss. Muschamp’s defense added 4 more sacks and forced three turnovers this week. Auburn is averaging 4.25 points per forced-turnover. Over the last 15 years, Auburn has averaged 3.3 points per forced-turnover.

[DKW 86 7,438]

In short, almost all the trends are very positive.

[Aubie16 1]

05) Rod Smith’s fumble on the long pass play was a lesson learned but this was to be expected with so much youth at wide receiver. Not just on the fumble itself but the downfield blocking. The MSU defender who ran down Smith to force the fumble, managed to shed off a weak block by Robert Dunn or Smith would have scored. Auburn doesn’t miss Mix, Obomanu and Aromashodu just for their receiving skills. All three were good downfield blockers as well.

06) Auburn needs Brad Lester to touch the ball more often. Kenny Irons should be the starter but Lester is losing touches to Tre Smith with the game has not been settled. Including last season, Lester averages 6.6 yard per carry and 19.6 yards per reception. He already has 10 offensive TD’s on just 68 touches of the ball. He clearly is a “playmaker” and should be treated accordingly.

I think those are the two biggest points.