Caldwell's Monday morning quarterback column

[aubiefifty 18,230]

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Jason Caldwell's Monday morning quarterback column

ByJason Caldwell

4-5 minutes

All business

I don’t know how Auburn will play on Wednesday against Minnesota, but there is no question in my mind that the Tigers have their minds in the right place going into the New Year’s Day football game. That starts at the top and Gus Malzahn sure seems focused wanting nothing more to win this game and get to the 10-win mark for the second time in three seasons.

You can see that in the approach for the Tigers, who followed the same schedule that worked so well last season heading into the Music City Bowl beatdown of Purdue in Nashville. I’m anxious to see what unfolds at Raymond James Stadium for this Auburn team and I’ll be surprised if it’s not a team playing at a high level.

A group of seniors to remember

I have written about them before, but I felt I needed to do it again about a group of seniors who have been nothing short of phenomenal since they arrived on campus. One of the guys who has been on the roster the longest redshirt senior safety Jeremiah Dinson and there are very few players who have gone through what Dinson has and yet he still manages to keep a smile on his face.

That’s the kind of makeup that serves a team well when a guy like that is also one of your leaders. There is little doubt that Dinson is a player who teammaes on both sides of the ball look up to and to see him have a big finish to his career would be a fitting way to go out.

Impressive 2019 class

The first year is almost done for last year’s signing class, but so far the group looks like it’s going to be a very good one for Malzahn and the Tigers. We have already seen several guys make an immediate impact like Bo Nix and DJ Williams on offense along with Derick Hall and Owen Pappoe on defense. 

Several others have at least gotten their feet wet this year with a guy like Jaren Handy flashing some good things in his limited time on the defensive line and Luke Deal getting a few reps at tight end.

Most of the guys have had to impress while working on the scout team, which isn’t an easy thing to do. This week we have heard very good things about Keiondre Jones on the offensive line, a player who will have every opportunity to work his way into the starting lineup at guard next year.

Another player who has really impressed is cornerback Jaylin Simpson. He has played in four games already so we may not see him on Wednesday, but he’s someone the coaches predict is going to be a help in the secondary next season as he continues to get bigger and stronger.

Conference time for unbeaten Tigers

As Coach Bruce Pearl’s team gets ready for the Jan. SEC opener at Mississippi State, Auburn is currently one of just two unbeaten basketball teams in the country along with San Diego State. This team is going to lose multiple games, which is just going to happen in basketball where an off night can cost you a chance to win. The thing that is different about this current crop of Tigers is that they have something not many Auburn teams have had lately and that’s a chance to beat anyone because of the way they play defense. 

Sunday’s game against Lipscomb was the perfect example of why this Auburn team is different than any of Pearl’s past teams. Running into a red hot team the first three minutes of the game the Tigers fell behind 10-2 just 2:34 into the game, but then the defense took over.

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We have seen Auburn teams force turnovers in bunches and create offense, but we haven’t seen a team on the Plains in quite a while that can just shut teams down in the halfcourt. It took Lipscomb 15 minutes to score the next 10 points. By that time Auburn had pushed its lead to 36-18 and effectively taken the game over.

That’s what this team can do. Will it lead to another Final Four? Considering Duke has made just two in the last 15 years and it’s the most random game of chance of any sports tournament, it’s not likely, but with Auburn has the pieces in place to make another run and that’s a good thing for Auburn basketball fans.

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[GoAU 1,694]

Good to see the focus of the team is on taking care of business.  With the senior leadership and the culture the team has, I’m not surprised.  

Thanks for sharing!

[aucanucktiger 1,889]

Bateman & their other receivers can quickly change game momentum.