Auburn Football: Grading the Tigers' Game vs. Florida

Auburn was coming off of a big loss at Arkansas this week looking for answers. The Tigers had glaring issues offensively, and the quarterback had quickly become the focal point. Auburn needed their quarterback to step up and make plays this week against Florida.

There was also a concern defensively as the Tigers gave up a few big plays to Arkansas that couldn’t stand to be repeated against Florida who has some extreme speed of its own at the skill positions.

The Tigers needed to continue to grow defensively in this game and there were some sure signs that growth occurred. The Tigers played extremely well at times and that earned them the win this weekend against Florida.

The Tigers will need to improve drastically before this coming weeks contest at LSU if they want to stand a remote chance of a competitive game. The LSU branded Tigers are extremely talented this year and will be well aware of the deficiencies in the Tigers defense.

Taking one last look back at this weekend’s contest, let’s grade the Tigers performance against the Florida Gators. 

Quarterback: C

There were three quarterbacks that played for Auburn on Saturday night. Barrett Trotter started the game for the Tigers and made his way to a 2-of-8 showing and one touchdown. The touchdown came on a defensive penalty play where he tossed the ball to the end zone on a free play and DeAngelo Benton made a great grab.

Other than that play, which wasn’t a great looking one to begin with, Trotter showed a severe lack of decision making and poise in the pocket for the fifth week in a row. It was a painful showing to watch, as Trotter was just downright not good. Trotter gets a D for his efforts. He did throw a touchdown.

At the turn of the half, Clint Moseley surprised the crowd when he walked onto the field to guide the Auburn offense. Moseley entered the game and looked very comfortable in the pocket. He played his progressions well and didn’t try to force too many throws.

Moseley did try and force a pass or two and threw behind a receiver on another, but the overall performance appeared to have promise. Two passes couldn’t have been better.

A fly route to Quindarius Carr was beautifully thrown and landed where only Moseley’s guy could catch it. Another toss to Philip Lutzenkirchen showed his ability to add proper touch to his throws and find his check down receivers. He finished the game 4-of-7 with 90 yards.

The third quarterback that earned time for the Tigers was Kiehl Frazier. Frazier has become a staple in the offense as the Wildcat quarterback and consistently carries for 40-plus yards a game. His ability to rush and his threat to pass keeps opposing teams guessing when he enters the game.

Frazier will continue to see his role increase as the season progresses, but it looks like Auburn may have found a fix to the inconsistencies at the starting quarterback position. Just put in the next guy and hope he can carry the torch.

Running Backs: C

The running backs had a subpar day against Florida this past Saturday. Michael Dyer carried 23 times, including a few from the Wildcat, but was only able to gain 73 yards. He was unable to reach the end zone against the Gators as well.

Dyer showed his strength and speed at times, but was unable to break through the defense completely for one of his signature breakaway runs.

Onterio McCalebb had a decent day out of the backfield, rushing 10 times for 43 yards and a score. His touchdown is what sealed the win for the Tigers, allowing them to go ahead by eight points. McCalebb was not as effective as he has been in recent games in the receiving game and was limited to only one catch against the Gators.

Both McCalebb and Dyer were able to produce enough to assist the offense to the win, but neither had great games rushing, receiving or blocking. There will be a need for improvement before the Tigers head to Death Valley this coming weekend. 

Receivers: C

Another less than stellar performance from the Auburn receivers shows what a crucial part of the offense that Emory Blake has become. The Tigers have the talent at the receiver position, but putting together a complete performance has been a struggle.

Getting a steady performance from a quarterback is a big part of the receiver’s abilities as well.

Philip Lutzenkirchen proved he still had what it takes to be a special player in the passing game when he caught a couple of crucial balls in the second half. Quindarius Carr made a great play as well on the outside finding his way underneath the football and making the catch.

The Tigers have to get more consistent, however, if they want to have big numbers through the air. If the change is permanent at quarterback, it will appear that the Tigers will have a quarterback that can make every throw. Now the job falls to the receivers to catch it.

With more consistent quarterback play, the receivers get more chances to make plays. The hope for Auburn is that both happen this coming week. 

Offensive Line: C

The offensive line gave a mediocre performance at best against Florida this past weekend. There were numerous occasions that the pass protection broke down and when lanes didn’t appear to be open for the running backs.

Losing senior Jared Cooper to injury for the week didn’t help the Tigers efforts at the line. His replacement, Chad Slade, played inconsistent and didn’t hold his blocks very well. His performance was a soft looking one.

There were times that the Tigers lost pass protection as well. They allowed the Gators to break through and pressure the quarterback, and they had some miscues with penalties.

The Tigers will have to improve their blocking this week, as LSU has one of the most effective defensive lines in the country. 

Defensive Line: A

The Auburn front four did a phenomenal job stopping the run and reading the screens of the Gators this Saturday. They were able to hold the Gators to 66 total yards rushing and played in the backfield of the Gators all night.

Corey Lemonier was a major impact player for Auburn, as he consistently got to the quarterback. He was able to seal off the outside as well, keeping the speedy Chris Rainey inside and allowing for the linebackers and interior lineman to make the stops.

Auburn was able to bring pressure from the outside consistently and kept the Florida offensive line busy. They didn’t allow for the Gators to make it to the second level blocks very often. This allowed for the linebackers to play more freely. Overall, it was a great performance for the Tigers up front defensively.

Linebackers: A

Two players that have been on the cusp of break out games found their way this past Saturday against the Gators. Eltoro Freeman earned his first start at middle linebacker in this game and played very well from the middle.

Daren Bates is another veteran that did a great job constantly finding his way to the football, but also finishing his arrival with a tackle. Both Bates and Freeman found themselves in the right spot constantly in the past two seasons, but finishing the play has been the issue.

Against Florida, both Freeman and Bates found their way to success.

Another impact Tiger from the linebacker position was Jonathan Evans. Evans has played in a ton of football games for Auburn, including an earned start against Alabama in 2009 as a freshman.

Evans played very well against the Gators and always seemed to be playing in position. He had some crucial stops throughout the game further solidifying his position with the Tigers defense. 

Secondary: A

The Tigers looked like all-stars against Florida in a number of plays that were made. Unfortunately for the Tigers, they were playing two true freshmen. The good news for Auburn however is that it gave them added confidence heading into a huge week.

The Tigers consistently made plays in the secondary breaking up passes or coming up to make tackles. Auburn looks more dangerous by the minute defensively and the secondary is a big part of the progression.

The Tigers were able to keep Florida to only 128 yards passing. Both quarterbacks they faced finished 50 percent on the day. The Tigers also added an interception to their stat line, helping the Tigers to one of three turnovers in the game. 

Special Teams: B

The overall special teams grade is similar to the quarterback play. There are so many factors that combine to make this grade that it is hard to separate which performance impacted the team the most, for better or worse.

Steven Clark had a great day for the Tigers, sending punts likely further in the air than down the field. The hangtime that he is able to get on his punts is a huge positive for the Tigers coverage teams, and it makes the punt much more difficult to field.

Clark leads the SEC in punts downed inside the 20 and continued to dominate the special teams play this past Saturday.

Cody Parkey was a dull spot in the special teams game, as he missed two field goals that could have changed the face of the game drastically early in the second half. Usually a very accurate specialist, Parkey had a rough day.

The coverage teams for Auburn also played extremely well covering kickoffs with precision and adding turnovers in punt coverage. The Tigers had a great punting and coverage play overall, but the lacked precision in the kicking game. Those missed kicks could have haunted the Tigers. They will need every point possible this week.

Coaching: C

Saturday saw some changes that needed to occur before the first snap. Unfortunately, it took the Tigers coaching staff until halftime to finally make a quarterback change that was needed immediately.

Putting Clint Moseley in the game was a big step towards growth as a team and as a coaching staff. It showed that no matter the circumstance the Tigers coaches will do what it takes to put Auburn in the best position to win. Leaving Trotter in was something that made that focus come into question.

The Tigers were coached up extremely well defensively and made numerous plays all over the field. The job that Mike Pelton has done with this young defensive line so far this season is nothing short of amazing. Even Ted Roof should get some praise for his units performance.

The most unimpressive coaching job was from the offensive side of the ball. Again, the decision to pull Trotter was way overdue, and once the change was made, there weren’t enough plays ready to be called that fit Moseley.

It was apparent that the Tigers were not well prepared for Moseley to enter the game. Offensively, the play calling was downright terrible at times. Lack of preparation and bad play calls equals a bad review. The offense isn’t carrying its load just yet; this week is the best time to start.