Auburn Tigers Football: Three Positive and Negative Takeaways from Week 3
This overtime victory was almost a heart attack for the Auburn fan base. Starting the game very slow the Tigers from Auburn looked primed for the roast after the first half walking into the tunnel with a true test waiting in the second half. How would this team respond? Could they answer to the onslaught that Clemson brought in the first half?
The Tigers made the comeback and finished the game in overtime with the 27-24 victory. After this win there still are some questions and there were some answers. Taking a look at 3 positives and 3 negatives from this game should give an idea of things that can get better and things that must get better.
Negative 1: Passing Attack
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Sure, Cameron Newton threw some great balls to Adams in the end zone and to Terrell Zachery on the hitch and go, but there were some major mistakes. 2 interceptions to start obviously never helps your team. 7 of 14 isn’t terrible but it’s not record breaking either.
The most glaring change that needs to occur this week is accuracy and honestly, attempts. Newton has attempted less than 20 passes in every game so far this season. He will be forced to throw the ball at some point this season. What Saturday showed was that the deep ball definitely opens up the short passes and the running game but some of those deep balls need to be caught as well.
Darvin Adams showed success in the game going up in the air and making plays but he is not always going to be in position to make the play. There were a few over throws that could have been huge mistakes and some of the simplest dump off completions were missed. Those things have to be corrected.
The answer to this glaring issue is to throw more balls in the game on the short and intermediate routes. Get Newton to complete some quick and easy passes and get 10 throws under his belt early. This will get his feel and touch for the ball early and make the deep throws open up early and the middle running game as well.
Negative 2: Offensive Line
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The O-line is one of the most experienced in the nation let alone the SEC this season. These guys have played a whole lot of snaps over the years and still are making some of the most basic mistakes. False starts are all too common. So are the holding penalties.
The false start penalties have become a running joke for most fans that despite his talent and resilience 73 continues to account for at least 5 yards a game.
The other glaring mistake this season has been the holding calls. The majority of the calls have come on the right side of the line but most have been after the play is already past them. Never make penalties behind the play. That is basic football. Once your guy is gone, simply release.
The other standing issue is the depth after the starters. Late in the fourth quarter A.J. Greene went down with an unspecified ankle injury. The conclusion from the results seems to point in the direction of a break or severe tear or sprain. Needless to say he is lost for the season.
Greene worked his tail off this off season to win the starting position over John Sullen and Brandon Moseley. The good news is that Sullen seems to be healthy now from the shoulder issues that hampered his fall and Moseley has seen real game experience since the season opener. Don’t expect any drop off necessarily from a talent stand point but Greene was 3 games in where these guys are not.
Negative 3: Secondary Woes
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The third and final negative is not as problematic as the other two but it is a negative nonetheless. Returning three guys from injury this season Auburn has a ton of depth at the safety positions. With two veteran corners as well the secondary should be a huge positive for this season. Well, should be anyway.
For some reason Pass Interference calls are written all over this secondary’s back as big as there name tapes. Some of the calls have been very suspect to say the least but the biggest issue is that the defensive backs are playing catch up.
Auburn has a ton of talent in guys like Neiko Thorpe and Demond Washington but they never seem to keep the play in front of them. They play hard and typically make it in time to get to the ball on the break but when you’re running down the receiver from behind it looks less like a good play and more like a busted play and interference. No excuse for a bad call, but it is what it is.
The other big issue has been the strong safety position biting on the play action terribly in every game so far this season. That problem has left the seam wide open for the slot receiver and the tight ends of the offense and has led to some big plays and miscues for the opposing offenses. Don’t look for those to be missed in the heart of SEC play.
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Positive 1: Running game
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The running backs have been anything but spectacular so far this season but there has been a ton of rushing yards put up by this offense. With more of a production by committee scheme so far this season whatever works and gets production is what fans can expect to see.
With the goal to get more carries into the backs hands this game the crowd saw McCalebb and Dyer combine for 26 carries. Newton on the other hand carried the ball 17 times. Sure some were scrambles and some were designed reads, but these backs need to find more consistency.
Newton with about 10 to a 15 carry game seems sufficient. Add a mix with Dyer and McCalebb and those guys should combine for about 40 carries or so a game. The less that Newton has to run the better. Not that he is not a huge body and talented, but the less wear and tear early and often helps him down the stretch and through the game as well.
Expect the running game to include more wildcat formations down the stretch and some more reverses as well. The reverse has not been utilized much so far this season and one has to assume that it is waiting to get broken out sometime soon.
Positive 2: Defensive Line
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For the second week in a row the defensive line showed up to play. The guys in the middle really showed some tenacity in this game. Stopping the middle run was a huge challenge and keeping Kyle Parker corralled.
Things didn’t look to good early for Auburn but the D-line help their own and kept the pressure on Parker and stuffed the run. Nick Fairley had another big game in the middle and Mike Blanc and Zack Clayton showed up as well.
There were some yards gained by Ellington in the second half but the defense had spent a lot of time on the field at that point. Parker took a shot in the second half early to his back and that put him on pain alert for the rest of the game. With the pressure from the front that he saw and the licks he took on almost every play rushed throws and allowed some good defensive stands in the second half.
This defensive line faces a huge test in Marcus Lattimore this week. These guys are going to have to bear down and show some grit if they want to keep up this good aura that is following them right now.
Positive 3: Special Teams
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Special teams tend to get overlooked unless huge returns happen but the consistency of this unit is a story in and of itself. The kickoff team has done extremely well covering kicks so far this season and nothing changed against Clemson. Field position was something that Auburn seemed to keep the upper hand on for the majority of the game.
Ryan Shoemaker made some great punts that held Clemson up. The return game for Auburn had some promise with Washington getting scary close to breaking a few off and taking them to the house. The final piece of the special teams puzzle is none other than Wes Byrum.
Byrum shows why the kicking game has been and always will be a crucial part to the success of the Tigers. With the game on the line in overtime Byrum drained a 39 yard field goal attempt to give Auburn the lead and the eventual win. No matter what happens in a game when your kicker is a senior with the game experience that Byrum brings to the table as a fan, coach, or player you can lean on the belief that clutch kicks can and will be made.
Conclusions
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Many more issues loom on the positive and the negative for the Auburn Tigers. Starting the season 3-0 is a huge step in the right direction for Chizik and Co. The one thing that has to occur this year is the consistency has to remain.
Last year’s team made huge strides and has been on the positive side of many situations. On Saturday, this team found itself deep in the negatives of mistakes and miscues. The win was pulled out however and a lot of team character seems to have been built.
This team has come through so far but no matter how many good things have happened or how much faith has been displayed character and grit must shine through again this week. With South Carolina around the corner and many more tests in the coming weeks Auburn has to grow. This team has to improve not only on the negatives but they must improve on the positives as well.
Whether or not this team can find its stride and fix the mistakes is whether or not success is to be had. Sure a bowl game is reachable and somewhat a given this season, but so much more seems attainable. This should be a long and interesting ride.
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