Florida Reax and Jury Duty

Sorry about the late post this week but I have been doing my civic duty and have been stuck at jury duty all week. Sitting, reading, sitting some more, playing on the phone, sitting. Yeah, loads of fun. It has been nice being able to sleep past 0500 in the morning and being able to take my daughter to school in the mornings; however, it is pretty boring just sitting all day. I was called to be chosen for questioning for a jury three times only to be unchosen at the last minute. Oh well, it was my first experience at jury duty and I'm sure not my last.

Now, on to the Florida game. I also say a win is a win and I would take it no matter what (sort of like the 3-2 MSU game a few years back), but I'm not real sure what to make of it. Auburn looked great at times and awful at times. Trotter started the game slow, as usual, and really never got it going. Auburn would move the ball some, but a holding or a false start or a terribly thrown ball would cause AU to have to punt. Auburn got some huge breaks in this game, mainly that Demps could not go and Brantley was hurt and out. Two of Florida's best players kept out of the lineup definitely helped Auburn's chances, but not to the point of making it completely one-sided. Auburn was without their two best receivers, Blake and Reed, and had Cooper leave with a hurt leg.

Auburn scored first on a free play, UF jumped offsides, with Trotter hitting Benton in the endzone on a great throw and catch. This happened after Rainey muffed a punt at his own 30 yard line. Over the next quarter, Auburn gave UF 30-45 yards of additional yards by two facemasks and a late hit that led to two UF field goals. Auburn led 7-6 at half, but neither team really had anything going for it. Auburn looked really bad for most of the first half and needed a boost of some sort. Chizik decided to start Moseley in the 2nd half to provide just that spark.

Auburn, despite the multiple 15 yard penalties, played really really well on defense. Limiting UF to only 6 points and holding them with only 1 third down conversion was awesome, especially compared to how they played earlier in the year. Tackling was much better and T. Bell intercepted an underthrown ball on the 2nd play.

Moseley came out in the 2nd half and started off with two runs and then a badly overthrown ball to a wide open receiver. He did complete a safe pass to Lutz on a thrid and long but the team seemed to respond to the new QB and the spark was there. Auburn defense held strong and McCalebb scored a TD on the first play of the 4th quarter. Auburn was up 14-6 and after trading several punts, Auburn had the ball on inside their own 20 with about 5 minutes left. Of course, they couldn't get a first down to run out the clock, so they had to punt. And for the fourth time, Rainey dropped another punt and Auburn recovered and was able to kick a field goal with 38 seconds left to go up 17-6. That is how the game finished. Auburn is now 5-2 and 3-1 in the SEC. Who would've thought AU would be 2-1 so far in October? I didn't think is was very probable.

This young team is getting better, but they have experienced the injury bug pretty harshly. Blake and Reed are still questionable for LSU and Jared Cooper and Ladarious Owens are out for the year. Auburn has 3 upperclassmen (juniors or seniors) on defense! That's all. The whole defensive line is sophomores and freshmen. Unreal that AU has had any success at all! Remember, Dyer, 3 now 4/5 OL and the new starting QB are only sophomores along with Blake, Reed and Stallworth. Lutz, McCalleb, Benton and Trotter are the only juniors getting any playing time. There is only one senior on the entire offense and two on the entire defense. This team will get better and better and will be great sooner rather than later. However, this year, they need to grow and get better and learn how to play. I expect this team to play well and play hard, but probably won't beat the more elite teams (mainly LSU and UA).

LSU preview coming soon

Florida preview and a little redemtion

Let me first start off by stating again what I have gone on and on about since this first came to light almost a year ago. Auburn is innocent of any wrong doing. Hear that media, bloggers and fans world-wide? INNOCENT!! Not only of the Newton recruitment, but also of anything else the NCAA could find including the HBO 4 and any other recruitment. When the NCAA investigates, it usually finds something. Auburn was clean throughout. That is a huge testament to the compliance department at Auburn and of how Chizik runs this program. So, as a parting shot, put that in your pipe and smoke it! Anyone who cannot accept this is either delusional or so filled with hatred toward AU that he/she will not ever accept it, no matter how many letters the NCAA sends. Some may say, if you were innocent all along, why all the happiness and "told you so's?" The answer is, because all of you naysayers and prophets of doom have made it where we AU fans feel the need to rub it in your face. There, I said it.

Ok, got that off my chest, on to UF. UF is fast, very fast. They have two huge playmakers in Rainey and Demps and will use them with dump screens and crossing routes over and over and over until AU stops them. Then, they will run them some more. Bad news is, AU has been terrible at stopping them. The good news mixed with bad is that UF has been forced into using a true freshman at QB due to injury. However, AU is notorious for making these guys look like a Heisman contender (see Tyler Wilson last year and Chuckie Keaton this).

AU needs to get back to the game plan that worked so well with USCe. Pressure the crap out of the QB and tackle immediately after the receiver catches the ball. UF will rely on big plays to score and move the ball so containing the two playmakers will be key. UF's offense has struggled in the last two games (granted, they were against the two best defenses in the country) and are looking to open things up. If AU can put some pressure on the QB, hopefully it will cause Brissett to force some things and maybe cause some turnovers. AU must win the turnover battle.

On offense, Trotter needs to be more of a manager and not a playmaker. Stop trying to throw the ball a hundred miles an hour and for goodness sake, throw the ball away if you need to. UF's defense has been really good this year, except against the run. That bodes well for AU because that is what they want to do. Trotter needs to make some completions early on to open up the running game because UF will implement the same plan that Arky did; stack the line and force AU to throw. Trotter has to make those throws and make smart decisions in order for AU to move the ball and succeed. Also, the receivers have to catch the ball! I know, sounds elementary doesn't it? They are SEC receivers on scholarship so that is what is required of them.

UF will move the ball early and score early (Weis has the first two drives scripted. see bama game), so if AU can weather that storm and either get a turnover or stop them or score with them, I believe AU has a great shot of winning. Trotter will continue to struggle but will make enough plays and the defense will come up big when it counts. Playing Saturday night in JHS is a big advantage and I am so jealous of those that are going. Scream loud and let them know you support them no matter what!

Prediction: AU 24 UF 20

Arkansas reax

AU took some lumps Saturday night in Fayetteville as the Tigers dropped their first SEC game in over two years to the Razorbacks. Despite the score, AU was in this game until around the end of the third quarter. AU was driving to tie the game and, I believe, had a penalty that forced them to punt. AU downed the punt at the 8 yard line and still were in pretty good shape until Lemonier lost containment on the edge and Adams ran for a 92 yard touchdown. By the way, that was the longest touchdown play given up by AU, ever. After that, AU was never able to get any kind of offensive threat going and Arky kicked a field goal to make it a three score game and out of reach for any kind of comeback.

Likes:
Special teams stepped it up once again. Jay Boulwere deserves every bit of money/raise he got this year. This unit has been amazing and has kept us in games more than any other. Despite the 11 yard shank early in the game, Clark had a 40 yard average on his punts and the majority were downed inside the 20 and Arkansas returned exactly zero! Parkey continued his booming on kickoffs and had two of three for touchbacks. Mason almost had a huge error when he muffed one kickoff and let it lie there as the ref looked at him (live ball my man!). Also, D. Benton kicked a punt and although it was ruled he was blocked into the ball, it could have just as easily been ruled a live ball. Bray did well fielding the ball on punts and Mason hit the line hard on kick returns.

AU did really well running the ball and the O-line did a pretty good job blocking for the most part. Dyer was his usual tough self and often dragged a couple of defenders for extra yards.

I thought the defense played pretty dang good considering the opponent and given the fact the offense left the defense with a short field multiple times. AU held Arky to 33 yards less than their average for the season and kept UA from hitting big plays, sans the Adams run. Also, this was the first time AU held Arky under 300 yards passing since Houston Nutt was roaming the sidelines for the Hawgs.

Dislikes:
Penalties! I haven't had to mention that this year, but Saturday AU had 11 for 105 yards. WTC? Multiple drive killing holding calls and another (ANOTHER!!!!!!!) unsportsmanlike penalty. Coach, please get these guys under control with that. I understand emotions run high and these are kids, but still. Those penalties kill and AU isn't good enough to overcome those.

Dropped balls/WR play - Trotter was 6 of 19 and 7 of those were dropped balls and his only interception went through D. Benton's hands. Usually sure handed Lutzenkirchen dropped two! This was supposed to be Benton's time to shine in the wake of Blake's injury, but he did not have a very good game at all. He dropped at least two (that I can remember) and kicked the ball on a punt after it hit the ground. Blocking on the edge was not great and really has to improve if AU is going to be successful running the ball.

Linebacker play against the pass - AU is just slow at LB. Run stopping was fantastic (again, sans Adams run), but against the pass, AU LB's cannot keep up with TE's and RB's. They just can't. It is frustrating b/c all a team has to do is run screens and drags across the middle and they get 6-9 yards every time.

QB play - ok, we all know Trotter has not played really well the last 3 games. Saturday, it came to a head for me. Granted, he had many dropped balls but the general hesitancy and lack of scrambling ability is killing me. I know Frazier threw two picks, but he is a freshman and I expect him to make mistakes like throwing into double coverage. I don't expect that with a fourth year junior that's been in the system 3 years. Yes, this is his first year to start but he should be better and getting better with each game and Trotter is not. Frazier does add an ability to run that Trotter does not so teams will have to account for that. I am almost to the point of letting Frazier get more involved and implementing more of the playbook for him. Let's face it; Trotter is not a top tier QB. I knew that from the start, but I didn't think that the whole offensive scheme would change. AU was running the ball, down by 3 scores with 10 min left probably because of the lack of the passing game.

The question now is, is it time to start Frazier and work on next year? I wouldn't mind that, but knowing Chizik and Malzahn, that's not going to happen right now. They didn't do it with Todd in 2009 and putting Frazier in for his first start against UF and then @ LSU would not be wise. Those decisions are why they make the mega bucks.

If Trotter continues to digress, I do expect to see at least a change to Moseley, however, he is comprable to Trotter, i.e. not a threat to run. Time will only tell.

Last minute Arkansas preview

AU takes on the Razorbacks today in a game that I really don't know what to expect. Like last week, this game could go either way, but I think one of two things will happen. Either AU wins a close game that comes down to the wire or Arky will blow it out.

AU needs to have a similar game plan against the Hawgs that they did against USCe; stop the run and pressure the QB. If given enough time, UA QB Wilson will pick AU apart and rack up major yards. It is, as usual, up to the D line to step it up and play lights out to give AU a chance. Jake Holland is going to have to play the game of his life in calling defenses and recognizing UA's formations, defending tight ends and running backs and tackling well. Arky has big tall receivers that can run and catch and will be a huge task for anyone to cover. Alabama actually had the right approach to defending them: give up the underneath stuff and tackle as soon as the receivers catch the ball and put major pressure on the QB. Need the defense to create some turnovers and get off the field on third downs to give us a chance to win.

On offense, Barrett Trotter HAS to be productive and throw the ball down the field. If you thought it was tough in the previous games, AU is without (probably) leading WR Emory Blake and playmaker Trovon Reed. Someone will have to step up and make some plays for the receiving corp. The gameplan will be give the ball to Dyer and let him run til his legs fall off. Arky has not been good against the run this year giving up over 300 yards rushing to TAM last week. AU has to be able to move the chains and have long sustaining drives that end in touchdowns, not field goals. This not only keeps UA's offense on the sidelines, but scoring TD's will help keep pace with Arky's ability to score.

If the offense that played against MSU and the defense that played against USCe shows up together, AU will win. If not, who knows? I feel that AU will play well, but stopping Garcia is one thing, Wilson a complete something else. He showed last year how dangerous he was against a suspect pass defense. Being on the road in a place where AU tradionally doesn't play very well will be tough for this young team. However, I do believe AU will get back on track on offense and keep it close for a while, but in the end Arky makes a few more big plays.

Prediction: AU - 30 Arky - 45
like I said, it will be a close AU win or an Arky blow out. Here's hoping I'm wrong for the 2nd week in a row.

USCe reax

Well, well, the team we all hoped would show up, in fact, did. I was very very pleased overall with how the team played Saturday considering it was AU's first SEC road game and against a top 10 team with three (possibly more) first round picks. The defense came to play and play they did. AU was able to get pressure on the QB most of the day and not allow Lattimore to run freely. And the offense did just enough to win the game. I really didn't think our D-line would be able to stop Lattimore, but once again, I am so glad my prognostication skills are terrible.

Likes:
D-line played really well. Getting constant pressure on Garcia forcing him to make ill-advised throws and rush into making decisions he obviously wasn't comfortable making. Also, getting some sacks was huge! Many of them set up long 2nd and 3rd downs where AU could rush the ends and play the pass. Getting turnovers really helped keep USCe's defense on the field and allowed the O to run as many plays as they did. Tackling was soooooo much better. AU wrapped up and made the plays when needed. There were only a couple of instances where I can remember not tackling well (a huge improvement).

Mike Dyer - what can I say. The man is a beast and one of the best backs in the SEC if not the nation. He is underrated and overlooked when compared to his counterpart in Tuscaloosa but he is a very important component to the offense. He rushed 41 times Saturday and most times, the play calls were exactly the same. He really stepped it up.

And on that same note, the O-line rush blocked awesome!

Special teams were awesome yet again. Clark had 5 of his 7 punts downed at the 11 yard line or back. That is incredible and making USCe start that deep was huge for the defense. Of course Parkey kicking the crap out of the ball for touchbacks and nailing the field goal was big.

The never say die attitude of this team is amazing. After an interception, Lutz chased the guy down and stripped him of the ball and recovered. Also, being down, late in the game, on the road and Trotter leading the team down the field for the game winning score was a sight to see. This after he threw an interception in the endzone on the previous possession.

Dislikes:
The O-line must pass block better. As good as they were rush blocking, it was almost that bad pass blocking. Trotter was running for his life many times.

On that note, Trotter must stay in the pocket and deliver the ball sooner/better. There were many times one guy would get semi-free and Trotter would bail and start running out of the pocket. And for some reason, he cannot throw well on the run. He took way too many sacks that put AU in a huge hole, especially when they were in position to score. It seems like he is hesitant to throw the ball either because he is scared he will throw an interception or the receivers aren't open. I believe it's the former. Hopefully, he will gain more confidence and be able to deliver the ball and take some pressure off Dyer and the running game.

Parkey missing an extra point is completely unacceptable (he knows it too) and almost came back to hurt them.

Turnovers, especially in the redzone killed them. Two interceptions in the endzone and one right after AU recovered a fumble cannot happen if AU wants to win consistently.

Like I said, I am so proud and pleased with the overall effort and result of Saturday. I think the young team is starting to understand what it takes to play in the SEC and how to be successful.

This week, AU travels to Fayetteville to play the Razorbacks in what promises to be a possibly high-scoring definitly crazy game. It always is. Preview to come soon.

South Carolina preview

Hopefully, we will be seeing this alot on Saturday.

AU begins its October murderer's row with a trip to Gamecock country in Columbia, South Carolina. Auburn has been struggling all year stopping the run and they face a huge test in future all everything Marcus Lattimore. Auburn had really good success last year defending him, but this year, AU's D-line has not shown it can slow down FAU's rushing attack, much less Lattimore. AU comes in a 10 point dog and it could possibly be alot more.

Keys to the game:
AU has to show some life on defense, aka, getting off the field on the third downs, slowing down the run and pressuring the QB. If AU cannot do these things at least the majority of the time, you can forget about a chance to win; I just hope it wont be a 60-point beatdown. Losing Dee Ford for the season hurts, but it was at a deep position so it's not as devastating a loss. Ford was playing pretty well, though, and is one of the more experienced defensemen AU has.

My armchair QB is coming out again, but oh well, here it goes. I think for AU to have a chance, based on the previous four games, they will have to put 9 guys in the box. AU has to make Garcia beat them through the air. Garcia has a tendency to make mistakes and force throws which lead to turnovers. The key is to get pressure on him. If he has all day to throw, he will pick AU apart, especially having an All-American in Alshon Jeffrey. Au has to disguise what they are doing on defense and send man blitzes from everywhere. The zone or "gap" blitzes have not worked at all this year and have been picked up even by FAU. It might not be a bad idea to employ a Joe Lee Dunn blitz scheme this week; just send a bunch of people from a bunch of different places all the time. It is a high risk high reward defense, but I don't know if we have a choice at this point.

On offense, AU just has to get in a rhythm and keep it going. Give Dyer the ball a bunch and block for him. Don't make Trotter win the game for you but allow him to make some plays down the field. And for goodness' sake, let him run some on the read-option. He has to in order for this offense to be consistently successful.

I believe AU will be able to move the ball on USCe and score some points. The question lies, as usual, with the defense. Will AU's defense show up and play lights out? Or will Lattimore and Jeffrey have a field day? This game is hard to read because it could be a USCe blowout or AU could win going away. I think AU plays well, but based on what I've seen so far this year, AU cannot consistently stop anybody. I think AU plays hard and keeps it close for a while, but in the end, with it being on the road, USCe will be too strong and pull out the victory.

Prediction: AU - 31 USCe - 41

FAU reax

So FAU rolled into JHS with the worst offense in the nation and one of the worst defenses in the nation and AU only won by 16. All week, Chizik talked about working on us and working on defense and tackling. You would think that AU wouldn't really have to study too much film on FAU in order to stop them, right? I mean, they only had one first down last week against Michigan ST. ONE!!!! Oh, by the way, they had 19 against AU. They were 3-23 on third down all year and they were 5-14 last night (which isn't too terrible on defense).

It all started badly when on the first play, Trotter threw a pick and FAU, with a short field, kicked a field goal to go up 3-0. The offense did respond scoring a TD but were only up 10-6 at half. The second half was a bit better, intercepting FAU three times returing one of those for a TD.

The defense played sloppy most of the time: running past the play, giving up too much yardage on pass plays, not getting ANY pressure on the QB except for a few times and more missed tackles (though not as many as last week).

The offense looked completely out of rhythm with a lack of tenacity. It really looked like the players didn't want to be out there and were just going through the motions. The O-line got no push and Dyer only had around 60 yards rushing. Did I mention this was against one of the worst defenses in the nation.

The only bright spot was the play of a few freshmen, Therezie and Frazier. Therezie tackled really well and was in position to make plays while he was in the game. Frazier played well and ran the ball really hard and made nice cuts to avoid tacklers.

Now for the couch QB's 2 cents. It looked as if Malzahn is either running vanilla plays or is running only half the offense. Everytime AU runs the read-option we hand the ball off to Dyer or McCalebb (except a couple times). And everytime, the DE crashes down and takes the RB and leaves the QB wide open. Why, oh why is Trotter not running more? Is it because he can't, he's not fast enough or the coaches have no faith in him to run? I don't know, but he HAS to be a threat to run in order for this offense to work. Otherwise, you get the offense that was on display during the Clemson game and last night. That ain't gonna cut it the next 4 weeks. I think that if the coaches don't think Trotter can run, then put in Frazier and let him run the offense. Don't get me wrong, I think Barrett is a fine QB and does alot of things well, but if AU is only running half the offense because of him, then he can't run it! I would rather Frazier get in, get some reps and experience and you might get more production. Trotter may know the offense but executing it is something completely different. All I'm saying is I think AU has reached a ceiling with Trotter and may not get much more than they already have.

This will probably not happen because it reeks of desperation. But, I think this may be where AU is in terms of having a productive offense. Have you seen Trotter throw it between 7 and 15 yards much? Me either. Why? Why does he hold the ball and take sacks after the O-line gives him a good 5 seconds to throw? Is it because the receivers aren't open or because Trotter is unsure? I think the latter.

AU is about to go head first into the brutal part of their schedule playing four ranked SEC teams with three on the road and all looking for revenge. AU better figure this out and get it together, otherwise, Samford may be the next and only victory AU gets to enjoy this year.