Auburn Football: Grading the Tigers by Position After Week 3

The Auburn Tigers football team had the longest current winning streak in college football with 17 straight wins until they traveled to Clemson. Clemson, who had struggled against Troy and Wofford, took Auburn to the woodshed in the second half outplaying the Tigers up and down the field.

Auburn started the game strong with 14 quick points and what seemed to be a much improved defense in the first quarter, fell apart in the last three as the Clemson Tigers tuned up and gained 624 yards throughout the game.

Auburn looked equally bleak at times on offense and Trotter had his first off day in the first road trip of his career as a starter. Trotter finished with a 48 percent completion rate and tossed a crucial interception in the red zone in the fourth quarter. One positive offensively was the running backs as they earned 237 yards on the ground and averaged 6.2 a carry as a group.

Moving forward will be a major chore in the coming weeks as the Tigers host Florida Atlantic this coming week but then travel to South Carolina and Arkansas back to back. Auburn has to improve in every area if they want to be successful at any level this season. The way the Tigers played Saturday, they are lucky to be 2-1. 

Quarterback: D

Trotter did some good things in the game against Clemson but he also made some major gaffes. The most glaring of those mistakes was an interception late in the game when Auburn had driven to the red zone and had a chance to bring the game within one score.

Trotter was hit numerous times in the game and what had appeared to be great pass protection in the previous two outings fell apart against Clemson. Trotter rolled out on some plays and showed his lack of arm strength as there were receivers open but the ball simply didn’t make it to their hands.

Trotter continually took shots downfield as well which was a nice change for the Tigers to attempt to stretch the field, but he neglected receivers that were open in the short field. Making reads and progressions is a must and at times not only did Trotter telegraph his throw but he simply ignored open receivers.

No matter what the excuses are for Trotter, he played the worst game of his short starting career. If the questionable play continues, look for Kiehl Frazier to work his way in for more than fakes and draws in the near future. 

Running Backs : C

The running backs played lights out against Clemson. Michael Dyer had another explosive day with 16 carries and 151 yards. Dyer added two touchdowns to his stat line as well. Averaging 9.4 a carry is huge no matter who you are playing.

Why Auburn didn’t feed the ball to Dyer more than 16 times when they earned 38 carries total in the game is a great question to ask if you’re an Auburn fan, but those questions come for a later section.

Onterio McCalebb had a less than productive day on the ground and through the air but his speed and ability to change the pace was an important part of the game plan. He attempted to take some runs around the corner; unfortunately the outside was clogged with defenders time and again.

Tre Mason also earned a few carries in the game but was moderately successful. Clemson did a good job keeping Auburn contained for the majority of the game unless the runner was wearing the No. 5.

There were some missed blocks in the backfield as well but the majority of the play was average. Auburn has to get the ball moving in the right direction on the ground soon or it will be a long season.

Receivers: B

The receivers made some big plays for Auburn on Saturday. Travante Stallworth led the charge with a team-high five catches and 71 yards through the air. Trotter did a good job of spreading the ball to six different receivers but at times the receivers simply couldn’t carry all the weight and get to the ball.

DeAngelo Benton made his first catch of the season as he hauled down a 41-yard pass. Emory Blake had a very limited day with only one catch and 36 yards. He also converted that pass into a touchdown.

The perimeter blocking was decent and the Tigers held the lanes for the majority of the game but the receivers were not finding themselves in position to make many plays this past Saturday. Auburn has a ton of talent on the outside and in the slot but without the ball getting to them there isn’t much they can do to make a difference.

Offensive Line: C

At times the offensive line looked amazing. They got a great push on certain run plays and allowed Trotter time early in the game. As the game progressed however it was as if they had forgotten how to pass protect properly.

They continued to open holes for the running game and ran the Tiger Sweep pulling guards about as good as anyone could have asked. There is still a ton of improvement that has to be made. As the game reached the later quarters they began to protect better but still had some blitzes break through.

One of the biggest concerns after the first game was the physicality of the offensive line but after Week 3 it doesn’t seem to be an issue. This line must continue to get better if the Tigers want to have a chance at making it to .500 or better.

Defensive Line: F

There aren’t enough terrible adjectives to describe the performance of the Auburn defensive line. With the first two drives it appeared that the defensive line had found their niche and were about to have a coming out party on Clemson. Too bad Clemson had other plans.

Watching the Auburn defensive line attempt to stop the run was painful but watching the defensive ends attempt a pass rush was even more ridiculous. The defensive ends were expected to be a highlight of the D-line but there is apparently a drop-off that most didn’t expect.

The Tigers were gashed for 238 yards on the ground and Tajh Boyd looked every bit of Heisman worthy as he tossed for 386 yards. He was not sacked one time against the Tigers while in the previous two weeks he went down seven times. Nothing against Wofford and Troy, but Auburn should be absolutely embarrassed by that one stat.

The Tigers have a lot of room to grow in the next week or Florida Atlantic may rush for another 200 yards on the No. 117 ranked defense in the country.

Linebackers: F

Another terrible performance was put in by the Tigers linebackers. For the third week in a row the Tigers missed tackles and looked like they were running in mud trying to hit the hole. The measurables are there to prove that these linebackers have the speed to make the plays, but the lack of trust in their own decisions showed through.

There were a number of missed tackles that occurred on two true freshmen running backs. The linebackers are another group that has some serious rebuilding and regrouping. At this point the Tigers should start trying defensive ends at linebacker, at least those guys will make hits and wrap up.

The play was so bad that at one point senior Eltoro Freeman blasted through to the backfield and hit freshman Mike Bellamy square in the chest. Freeman, who outweighs Bellamy by at least thirty pounds, rolled off the tackle and lost his drive. Bellamy took the ball for another 11 yards before being hit and dropped.

At no point should Auburn be missing as many tackles as they are. They appear that even when they do make the hit they are playing thud in the backyard. Auburn has to improve the second level of the defense or SEC play will destroy this defense.

Defensive Secondary: F

386 yards of passing is the only statistic that matters when talking about the defensive backs. Tajh Boyd was not only able to avoid sacks in the backfield but he was also able to shred the once assumed strength of the Auburn defense.

The defensive secondary is a talented group and had played well against Mississippi State and Utah State but they looked absolutely laughable against Clemson.

The cushion that is given at the point of contact is ridiculous and this alignment is not allowing the young Tigers to recover fast enough to make plays. T’Sharvan Bell, typically a very physical corner, played soft and missed his fair share of tackles as well.

If Tajh Boyd can throw for nearly 400 yards against this group of Tigers, it will be sad to see how bad the Tigers look against future opponents like Tyler Wilson and Aaron Murray. There has to be changes in the defensive backfield whether it's new personnel or coverage calls. It looks as if the defensive backs aren’t comfortable and can’t play free. This drawback will kill the season if not changed soon.

Special Teams: D

What was once a very special focus point for the Auburn football team lost some steam this past Saturday. The Tigers made some bad decisions in the return game, one of which shifted the momentum of the game and the Tigers never recovered.

To Clemson’s credit, they were able to hold the Tigers under wraps in the kickoff return game. Nothing major came from Auburn’s performance on kick coverages.

One major mistake was made by Trovon Reed as he caught a punt in the end zone and then attempted a return. Special teams needs to make it back into the highlight reel if the Tigers expect success during the tough stretch ahead.

Coaching: F

Gene Chizik and his staff are national title winning coaches. They also have managed one of the best stretches in Auburn history in the past three seasons. Against Clemson the Tigers looked to be playing lost time and again, and that is a result of the coaching.

This isn’t some magic dust that has worn off, these coaches are still good at what they do but they have to put these young Tigers in better positions to win.

The defense has played out of position for much of the short season but they have also played some horrible schemes. Why would the Tigers' coaching staff put some very talented cover corners 10 yards off of their receiver? Why aren’t the defensive linemen cutting off of their blocks? Why didn't Michael Dyer get more carries?

There are numerous questions about the coaching decisions that were made in this game and I could list them in about another 16 paragraphs, but at the end of the day there are changes that have to come and surely will.

Chizik and his staff didn’t forget how to win and they didn’t forget how to coach. They simply have to find a way to make this team successful. The sooner, the better.