🏈 Auburn vs Miss State

[bama29fan]

and the headlines read.....

Scarbinsky: "Auburn's defense looks like an Auburn defense at last"

 

[Oiler99]

Kevin ScAUrbinksy is sounding like his usual barn @ss kissing self. It's week 2 of the season, and as usual, where are the barners? Parading up and down the street beating their little chests over a win over Mississippi State. Just like every year about this time. They open with a victory over some unheard of Northern New Jersey Turnpike School of tire changing, then go on to survive against Mississippi State, and you would think they won the super bowl with the way they're bragging. Good night, life as a barner must suck to the nth degree. Honestly, that "6 year stretch" was as good as it gets down in Lee County, and now that it's in the past, they are a different fan base. Sad bunch of people.

 

[Oiler99]

From what I hear, barn fans at the game last night were chanting "bring on Bama" after the win! OMG!! Are they honestly that focused on a game that is over TWO MONTHS away!! I swear, we are the basis for their very existence!! What losers.

 

[RollTideinGA]

A co-worker Aubuie fan told me this morning they are gonna run through the SEC West. I said oh yeah.

 

[JoshB]

A co-worker Aubuie fan told me this morning they are gonna run through the SEC West. I said oh yeah.

ppl like that make u think i mean r they actually delusional or did they not even pay attention or watch the game at all?

 

[joeman546]

I liked the MSU play calling in that the calls often times created plays that couldve been made. I don t see the problem calling a pass when a guys getting open. The play not getting made is on the players, not the staff IMO. If the staff calls a pass and they just keep dropping everyone into coverage, or keep running balls int o blitzes, then you have a problem with the staff.

I think if Dan Mullen were calling that game with a team capable of throwing and catching, his team would have rocked Auburn. They are a team to watch in a few years IMO, if they can get ssome quality WR's and a passing qb going . they can run fine already

 

[UAgrad93]

The problem I had with MSUs play calling was they ditched the run that had just cut the lead to 3 points. Reminds me of my OC in High School. We would run or throw the ball all the way down the field and he would suddenly ditch it for the other. The old saying goes......"If it ain't broke, don't fix it!!"

 

[psychojoe]

Call me old school, but if you don't have a qb that throws well, and you don't have receivers who catch the ball well, and you do have backs who run quite well, but even I would run it a whole bunch more than I threw it. I'd give State a D- on offensive game planning.

 

[joeman546]

I think in that case you better find new inventive ways to run it, because nowadays teams catch on quick no matter how good you are at one thing.

kinda like virginia tech before mcelroy started throwing deep balls, and auburn in the entire game last year.

but i do like the oldschool approach, just saying that just that wont do it anyyymore

 

[UAgrad93]

They kept talking about the Russell kid being a highly touted QB but he looked a little slow moving back there in the pocket and Relf didn't step into throws or get out of the pocket as well as a qb should when his head coach has "coached more 1st round qbs than Coach Saban." I'm with you Joe, if don't throw it well or catch it, do what you do best. They were hurting the BARN with the option game.

 

[Duder]

My impressions of the game....

Relf didn't play as well as I expected. Russell looked poised and calm in the pocket. Many throws were rushed, due in large part to a reasonable pass rush, but some were just bad throws. When their QBs did make throws, their wideouts just dropped the ball.

As for the offense, call me a homer if you must, I think part of it was we saw MSU's QBs couldn't beat us and their wideouts weren't making plays. We were able to chew some clock with the running game that worked reasonably well and Cam Newton seemed off a bit. The play calling was MUCH slower than we are accustomed to out of Malzahn and Cam was a little antsy back there. Let's not forget, even though he is a junior this was his first game as a starter in the SEC. Our execution was off last night. Dyer looked like the best back in our stable, McCalebb trips too easily. If he could keep his feet he'd still be running this morning. Fannin looked average at best. His position is the H-back, I'm waiting on the coaches to realize that instead of giving him the nod because he's a senior. We went to the well (almost) one time too often on the bubble screen. T-Zac threw a great block on the first one. Our receivers were getting open, Cam missed several throws due in part to mechanics and partly to his energy level. Either way, we made mistakes that can and should be corrected.

As for the defense, I liked our front seven and I think we get better when Stevens comes back off of suspension, hopefully before Clemson comes to town. Our LBs fly around and the d-line gets consistent pressure. Whether you dislike or truly hate Auburn, you can't watch that game last night and tell me Nick Fairley is not a beast.

Our secondary still concerns me. In some cases we manned up and actually played solid coverage. There were times however where we got beat and either did, or almost, give up a big play. Since Chizik left after 2004 Auburn DBs (Muschamp, Rhoades and Roof as DC) have stopped looking back for the ball while in coverage. We don't play the ball at all, that was the sole reason we got the PI call on State's last drive. Neik was in position to make a play but made contact while not making a play on the ball. To be frank, our secondary absolutely scares the hell out of me. It seems to be feast or famine instead of just consistently playing well.

Special teams almost cost us the game. Muffing the punt inside the red zone and not recovering it and the blocked field goal--one of them did bite us, the other damn near did. I realize if State had played better offensively they would've won, let's also take into consideration they had one sustained drive and one of their TDs was gift-wrapped. If we can't avoid turnovers on the special teams side of the ball this will be a long season.

My thoughts overall, the defense looked better last night than they did against many SEC opponents last year. That is in no way saying we've arrived or that we "look like an Auburn defense" but I think it was a step. Going into a hostile, albeit small, stadium and coming away with a win when we didn't bring our A-game will help this team more than blowing them out. I think we saw a slight maturation of Gus' offense last night. We played conservative when we had to, I still question play calling on a few drives (i.e. McCalebb between the tackles three consecutive runs) but as a whole I think he called a different game. I felt in some games last year he called plays repeatedly hoping it eventually worked. We are still seeing a very scaled down version of the offense as Cameron Newton grows into his role as QB and as we have yet to get into the meat of our schedule. We haven't really run any of the plays that won Auburn the "fame" on the offensive side of the ball last year.

LOADS of room for improvement but a win is a win. Saying "if X than AU would've lost" seems silly. Had UT had a better coach last year the Vols would've de-reailed the championship hopes, it doesn't diminish the win and you still showed up for film Sunday undefeated. The game plays out how it plays out. It wasn't pretty, it scared the hell out of me at times but at the end of the day we are 2-0 with reason for optimism and room for improvement. I'm not saying we will win the West, in the pick'em game over at AUFamily I actually picked Bama to lock up the West again, but we have taken a step forward from last year. As long as we continue to improve I'm satisfied.

 

[bama29fan]

well said duder

 

[planomateo]

I'm glad we get a seasoned Auburn at the end of the season personally.