Dang.... Had to take a few mins to calm down lol. Here we go
Good:
-Mac Jones. He battled... Showed some great leadership & ability to overcome adversity. He had 1 bad throw and 1 bad decision with catestrophic results... but in a game like that, he could have made a lot more. He threw some dimes & stepped up big. He's got a bright future.
-Waddle. He is amazing. Been saying it for a while but he's our best all around player (without Tua). Tough to swallow that he's been off the field a lot this year, but with that group it is what it is. They're all fantastic, he's just freakishly talented.
-N. Harris. Props to this kid. In our toughest games he's the toughest competitor. All he's done is get better all season so you can see he's coachable and dependable. Likely gone after the bowl game... Hell maybe before now a days... But he was a beast today.
-Sarks play calling.... Gotta give it up, he put a lot of points on the board and had a good Auburn D off balance all night. Aside from the 1 play call, he was doing his thing.
Bad:
-The 1 play call by Sark... lol. C'mon man. 1st and goal from the 1 and we're throwing sideways passes. Me and BamaFan had it out in the thread but there are a number of reasons that was a bad idea. That was a huge turning point and unfortunately instead of minimizing mistakes, Auburn maximized the opportunity we gave them.
-The Penalties.... I can't remember if it was 12, 13, 15. Whatever it was it was ridiculous. Yes there were some questionable calls, but that's what happens on the road. You can't continuously make it harder on yourself and expect to win. Whatever was going on with Dickerson and the OL... That was a disaster. The fact that it was everyone except him makes me think he was doing something weird... but who knows... Regardless, it looked like a shit show.
-"Bend but don't break" defensive scheme at the end of the half and in the 3rd quarter. We can all blame the new age technology and rules for the 1 second put back on the clock... But how about the defense stands up and doesn't allow that drive late in the half? Too many free yards playing not to lose on that drive, as well as in the 3rd quarter when Auburn was 3rd and 24 and we allow a freebie 15 yard screen pass that results in a 44 yard field goal. Just too easy. With their kicker, you'd think our D staff would be a bit more aggressive... Not today.
-0 sacks. Or did I miss 1? I don't remember any... That's a good way to not win.
-The DB play in general... I won't say any names tonight, but there are some players that just haven't stepped up in big moments. A couple of those plays were extra frustrating tonight... Dang.
UGLY:
-Bama kickers.... Yeah, we all know. Unfortunately it appears there are no answers. Just sadness
-Malzahn getting the best of Saban. Extremely painful to watch. The post game interview Gus even twisted the knife by saying something to the effect of "History repeats itself... If we kept it close, they would make enough mistakes to lose the game". Really a direct shot at Saban's team being way too undisciplined and mistake prone. Particularly in that building. I hope it stokes his fire and he gets back to actually ripping some asses... His teams seem to be better when he's mad.