2011 Chick-Fil-a Bowl: Grading Auburn's Win Against Virginia

The (8-5, 4-4 SEC) No.25 Auburn Tigers finished their 2011 season with a huge bowl victory over the (8-5, 5-3 ACC) Virginia Cavaliers in the Georgia Dome. Auburn looked sluggish to start, with Virginia looking as if they were poised to take over the game early. As the first quarter drew to a close, the Tigers blocked a Cavaliers punt and scored shortly after. The Tigers found their momentum.

Virginia answered with a second score of their own early in the second quarter, but that would be the Cavaliers' last real threat to the Tigers. Auburn played their best football in this game despite key losses to the starting lineup.

Michael Dyer was announced ineligible shortly before bowl practice began, and starting quarterback Clint Moseley fell to an ankle injury at the end of the Tigers' second offensive series of the game. Auburn looked past the hiccups and took over the game in short order. Special teams was Auburn’s biggest playmaking unit, while the rushing attack found a new life in the final game of 2011.

As Auburn’s season is now closed for 2011, here are the grades for the Tigers' team units for the 2011 Chick-fil-A Bowl.

Offense

The Auburn offense started the game looking extremely ineffective and typical of the 2011 season. Clint Moseley was attempting to avoid pressure and went down with an ankle injury during the Tigers' second offensive series. It looked like it was going to be a long night for the Tigers.

Then came a game-changing special teams play that changed the face of the game. The Tigers blocked a Virginia punt late in the first quarter, and after an Onterio McCalebb 12-yard rush to the 3-yard line, Kiehl Frazier muscled his way into the end zone for the Tigers' first touchdown to tie the game at seven.

Barrett Trotter came into the game as the “passing” quarterback for the Tigers and split time with Kiehl Frazier taking snaps. The Tigers transformed into a form of an effective offensive unit and rallied around their rushing game.

Auburn finished the game with 273 rushing yards with three rushers with over 50 yards. Onterio McCalebb led the charge for the Tigers with 109 total rushing yards, one touchdown and a long of 60, which was the longest rush of the season for Auburn.

Tre Mason added time from the running back position, carrying the ball nine times for 64 yards and one touchdown. Mason, a true freshman, showed he has the skills to be very special in the future for the Tigers while averaging 7.1 yards a carry.

Off the bench, Barrett Trotter was able to finish the game with a 61.1 CMP%, going 11-for-18, 175 passing yards and one touchdown. Trotter also scrambled in the pocket, making more than a few plays with his feet, showing that despite losing the starting spot after Week 7, his preparation has been unwavering.

Emory Blake was back to regular form from his midseason high ankle sprain, as he caught six passes for 108 yards. He showed his ability to find holes in the defense and catch the ball in traffic. Blake has been a big player for the Tigers this season, but this may have been his most complete game as a Tiger.

With Malzahn coaching his final game with the Tigers, many did not expect the Tigers to look this sharp. The Tigers played as precise as they have all year in an almost-perfect assignment game. For the Tigers faithful, this has to be a breath of hope for things to come in 2012.

The Tigers offense finished with 454 yards and zero turnovers. The Tigers also converted 22 first downs. Auburn used a form of the fast attack hurry-up offense that made Malzahn famous, but they were still able to own the time of possession in the game, 31:20 to 28:40.

Grade: A

Defense

The Tigers defense walked into Saturday’s contest with Gene Chizik as the coordinator for the first time since January of 2005. The Tigers have had some serious struggles defensively this season, and the head coach taking the reins for the bowl game was a move that was questionable at best.

Chizik took the role by storm and had rave reviews coming from bowl practice from the players regarding his involvement and passion for the game. It rubbed off to his players this Saturday.

The Tigers struggled against the pass consistently in this game, allowing Michael Rocco to pass for 312 yards. They were able to pull one interception from the air, but for the majority of the game, Rocco played pass and catch with his receivers.

The one positive that was shown by the defensive backfield was their tackling ability. It looked like the defensive backs were finally playing with their eyes up and were looking for contact instead of counting ants. The Tigers are young in the backfield, but there has to be some major improvement before the 2012 season if the Tigers want to be an effective defensive unit.

The Tigers rushing defense looked in its best shape since the South Carolina game earlier this season. The Tigers were able to hold the Cavaliers to 123 total rushing yards and did not allow a single rusher to get over 50 yards.

The Tigers filled gaps well from the linebacker position and appeared to keep their pads level and make good contact at the point of attack. That is an obvious change that has occurred in just the past few weeks.

Auburn had trouble getting a decent pass rush on Michael Rocco, but to Virginia’s credit, their offensive line is a very talented group. For Auburn to be more effective against the pass, the pass rush must improve in the next year.

Given the circumstances that surrounded the bowl game with the loss of a coordinator and Coach Chizik taking over the defense, Auburn played well defensively and showed some signs of growth from the season. Chizik will likely find a coordinator that will fill the role similar to him in style and passion.

Overall, the Tigers showed improvement, and barely make a passing grade.

Grade: C

Special Teams

The Auburn special teams unit was the most effective of any unit for the Tigers in this game. The Tigers got their first big break of the game toward the end of the first quarter with a blocked punt. The Tigers finished the game with two blocked punts, one that led to a scoring drive and another that was blocked out of the back of the end zone for a safety.

Auburn did manage a huge play in the return game, as the free kick that followed the safety was almost returned the distance for a touchdown. The Tigers were explosive and methodical on special teams, finding holes and attacking gaps consistently on punt block and on kick coverage.

Cody Parkey was very effective for the Tigers as well, as he hit two field goals with a long of 45 and ensured that there was not an opportunity for the Cavaliers to make returns on kickoffs by booming the kicks deep into the end zone.

Steven Clark was in his Ray Guy finalist form, as he had three punts that averaged 49 yards a kick. The ability of the Tigers to trade field position with Virginia was a huge benefit for the Tigers throughout the contest.

Auburn’s special teams unit had their most complete game of the season, but it comes as no surprise, as this special teams unit has been the most consistent performer for the Tigers all season.

Grade: A

Coaching

The Tigers staff took a seismic shift after the regular season finished, as Ted Roof announced his departure for Central Florida and Gus Malzahn announced that he would be leaving for the head coaching position at Arkansas State.

Coach Gene Chizik snapped into damage control mode, announcing that he would head the defense, a role that he had filled previously at Auburn, while Malzahn would stick around to coach the Tigers through the bowl game.

There was a lot of speculation that surrounded both decisions, assuming that Malzahn would be checked out and worried about his new position, and that there was no way Chizik could turn around the abysmal performances that the Tigers consistently had shown defensively this season.

Malzahn finished his Auburn career with one of his most eloquently executed and well-coached offensive games. The Tigers looked unstoppable after they got cranked up, as they found the right gaps and made plays in space consistently. Malzahn prepared the Tigers to run the offense with precision and speed, and it paid off, as the Tigers had their best showing of 2011.

Chizik taking over the defense was a questionable decision simply because it laid the success of the Tigers defense at the feet of the head coach. If the Tigers looked ill prepared and sporadic, then the fans and media could look to the head man to lay the blame. Chizik knew full well the consequences and took the Auburn defense to a new level this Saturday.

The Tigers had their fair share of mistakes and missed assignments, but at the end of the day, the Tigers defense had their best showing of the season. They flew to the football and struck the Cavaliers with a fierce, focused intensity. The Tigers were ready to play in every facet of the game. The Tigers' coaching efforts and game planning were the best they have had all season.

Grade: A

Overall

The Auburn Tigers wore a chip on their shoulder into this past Saturday’s Chick-fil-A Bowl. The Tigers had heard from the beginning of the bowl season how they would struggle, and losing both coordinators would lead to an unfocused disaster once game time rolled around.

The Tigers had struggled to find consistency this season, so the assumption was that the loss of both coordinators at season's end would really throw the Tigers into a tail spin. There has been a wealth of criticism hurled at the program, with all signs pointing to problems on the Plains.

This past Saturday, the Tigers put those “problems” rumors to bed, as they looked more focused and prepared than they have all season. The Tigers started slow trying to find their groove, but once they did, it didn’t even appear as if the contest was close.

Gene Chizik took his Tigers to a new level this past Saturday, showing that the Tigers are greatest when they face adversity. When it looks most bleak, the Tigers find a way to fight, scratch and claw their way back to the top.

Heading into 2012, the Tigers built a great foundation for future success as they look to repeat this performance in just nine months, when they return for the Chick-fil-A kickoff classic in the Georgia Dome.

Grade: A