Post-game Thoughts

[Zeek 16,957]

Don't think this is meltdown worthy at all. Most fans predicted this loss before getting jazzed up from our first two games. Heck, most said they'd be okay with it if we were competitive. We're two play calls from winning this game in my opinion. 

 

QB - Bo completed 57% with a decent amount of drops and a few throw aways. If I told you he threw for 185 and no turnovers you'd think it's a win. He ran for an additional 19 and one critical conversion. Had one pass that should have been intercepted and one way off after tweaking his shoulder that stood out to me. Otherwise I feel like he did enough on his end to put us in a spot to win.

RB - the biggest crime here is that the RBs didn't get more carries. Jarquez averaged 7 YPC and only had 9 touches. We were running at will and moved away from it trying to get chunk plays or getting cute. Props to Tank and Hunter who played their asses off.

WR - nightmare performance here. Almost no separation on deep balls. Drops, near fumble, tripping on air, losing the ball mid-air, and a few whiffs on blocking. Awful showing. Kobe's fumble, Shed's would be conversion tripping, and Demetris losing the ball on an open TD are mistakes you can't afford when evenly matched.

TE - 5 Receptions 62 yards for Shenker. That's phenomenal by Auburn standards. Might needed to have hit him more.

OL - I thought they did enough to win. Had a few completely missed blitzes but the run lanes were decent enough and Bo had enough time to work through reads. There was one crucial 3rd and short they let Tank get blown up on and that led to a FG when we badly needed a TD.

DL - absolutely horrendous. Clifford even said in his post game interview he had all day to throw. The lack of a pass rush absolutely killed us. How there wasn't one holding call blows my mind but still we had almost no pressure here all game. 

LB - great in the run game absolutely awful in coverage. If we spied their YE (86) they don't move the ball near as much. We look lost in Zone Coverage right now and often had two guys following one WR while the other ran free.

DB - awful. Contested almost no passes. Clifford was 10/10 at one point. Let 5 run free all game. Just a terrible job in what was supposed to be a strength. Again, miscommunication in zone.

K - Carlson was great in a loud environment. 

P - very impressed. Averaged 48.5 almost half a football field. Phenomenal compared to the production we had been getting.

Playcalling was bad. Outside screens were too slow against a Penn State D that was FLYING around the field. Very impressed with their defense.

The reverses and cute stuff absolutely killed us. That fumble at the start of the second half was brain dead. We could have ran on them all game and Bo should have been an intentional factor in the run game to keep them off Tank/Hunter.

The 4th down call was assanine. Based on how it was thrown I 1,000,000٪ believe it was done with the intention of drawing a PI. Power-I to Tank might have been predictable but I'll be damned if I don't trust him to get 2 yards. Hell do a 5 WR set and let Bo scramble. Heck a rollout with Shenker in front of him even.

Hunter needed more touches. The sweeps and reverses are for the birds. Sugar huddle doesn't work for us even with a new staff just stop.

Defense was flat out embarrassing compared to expectations. Made Clifford look like ******* Joe Burrow. McCreary spy #5 and LB spy #86 that's there whole offense right there. 

Winnable game. It's frustrating but we definitely looked better overall than we would have with Gus. Clock management is still rough. Wasted penalties in the second half killed us. Imagine if we're on the 26 yard line with more time.

[AUlurker 178]

Playing zone with no pass rush is a recipe for disaster. Our DB's played off the ball too much and lots of blown coverages.

[Zeek 16,957]

 

 

[AUlurker 178]

Also egregious. How do you take the ball out of your best players hands for a low percentage fade?

[PUB78 1,414]

4 minutes ago, Zeek said:

Don't think this is meltdown worthy at all. Most fans predicted this loss before getting jazzed up from our first two games. Heck, most said they'd be okay with it if we were competitive. We're two play calls from winning this game in my opinion. 

 

QB - Bo completed 57% with a decent amount of drops and a few throw aways. If I told you he threw for 185 and no turnovers you'd think it's a win. He ran for an additional 19 and one critical conversion. Had one pass that should have been intercepted and one way off after tweaking his shoulder that stood out to me. Otherwise I feel like he did enough on his end to put us in a spot to win.

RB - the biggest crime here is that the RBs didn't get more carries. Jarquez averaged 7 YPC and only had 9 touches. We were running at will and moved away from it trying to get chunk plays or getting cute. Props to Tank and Hunter who played their asses off.

WR - nightmare performance here. Almost no separation on deep balls. Drops, near fumble, tripping on air, losing the ball mid-air, and a few whiffs on blocking. Awful showing. Kobe's fumble, Shed's would be conversion tripping, and Demetris losing the ball on an open TD are mistakes you can't afford when evenly matched.

TE - 5 Receptions 62 yards for Shenker. That's phenomenal by Auburn standards. Might needed to have hit him more.

OL - I thought they did enough to win. Had a few completely missed blitzes but the run lanes were decent enough and Bo had enough time to work through reads. There was one crucial 3rd and short they let Tank get blown up on and that led to a FG when we badly needed a TD.

DL - absolutely horrendous. Clifford even said in his post game interview he had all day to throw. The lack of a pass rush absolutely killed us. How there wasn't one holding call blows my mind but still we had almost no pressure here all game. 

LB - great in the run game absolutely awful in coverage. If we spied their YE (86) they don't move the ball near as much. We look lost in Zone Coverage right now and often had two guys following one WR while the other ran free.

DB - awful. Contested almost no passes. Clifford was 10/10 at one point. Let 5 run free all game. Just a terrible job in what was supposed to be a strength. Again, miscommunication in zone.

K - Carlson was great in a loud environment. 

P - very impressed. Averaged 48.5 almost half a football field. Phenomenal compared to the production we had been getting.

Playcalling was bad. Outside screens were too slow against a Penn State D that was FLYING around the field. Very impressed with their defense.

The reverses and cute stuff absolutely killed us. That fumble at the start of the second half was brain dead. We could have ran on them all game and Bo should have been an intentional factor in the run game to keep them off Tank/Hunter.

The 4th down call was assanine. Based on how it was thrown I 1,000,000٪ believe it was done with the intention of drawing a PI. Power-I to Tank might have been predictable but I'll be damned if I don't trust him to get 2 yards. Hell do a 5 WR set and let Bo scramble. Heck a rollout with Shenker in front of him even.

Hunter needed more touches. The sweeps and reverses are for the birds. Sugar huddle doesn't work for us even with a new staff just stop.

Defense was flat out embarrassing compared to expectations. Made Clifford look like ******* Joe Burrow. McCreary spy #5 and LB spy #86 that's there whole offense right there. 

Winnable game. It's frustrating but we definitely looked better overall than we would have with Gus. Clock management is still rough. Wasted penalties in the second half killed us. Imagine if we're on the 26 yard line with more time.

Their QB abused and embarrassed our secondary.

[DAG 35,152]

1 minute ago, Zeek said:

 

 

He should be mad. He is the only true offensive playmaker on the team.

[AUatHeart 641]

That’s how you lose the trust of your team.

[bootskii 264]

4 minutes ago, DAG said:

He should be mad. He is the only true offensive playmaker on the team.

Well him and Hunter....

[Zeek 16,957]

3 minutes ago, AUatHeart said:

That’s how you lose the trust of your team.

Ehhh I agree that can be upsetting but I don't want to start that narrative 3 games in to the season on the road against a top 10 opponent. 

[1auburn1 1,131]

It’s troubling that Bobo called that fade and Harsin agreed to it

[AUwent 3,845]

14 minutes ago, Zeek said:

Don't think this is meltdown worthy at all. Most fans predicted this loss before getting jazzed up from our first two games. Heck, most said they'd be okay with it if we were competitive. We're two play calls from winning this game in my opinion. 

 

QB - Bo completed 57% with a decent amount of drops and a few throw aways. If I told you he threw for 185 and no turnovers you'd think it's a win. He ran for an additional 19 and one critical conversion. Had one pass that should have been intercepted and one way off after tweaking his shoulder that stood out to me. Otherwise I feel like he did enough on his end to put us in a spot to win.

RB - the biggest crime here is that the RBs didn't get more carries. Jarquez averaged 7 YPC and only had 9 touches. We were running at will and moved away from it trying to get chunk plays or getting cute. Props to Tank and Hunter who played their asses off.

WR - nightmare performance here. Almost no separation on deep balls. Drops, near fumble, tripping on air, losing the ball mid-air, and a few whiffs on blocking. Awful showing. Kobe's fumble, Shed's would be conversion tripping, and Demetris losing the ball on an open TD are mistakes you can't afford when evenly matched.

TE - 5 Receptions 62 yards for Shenker. That's phenomenal by Auburn standards. Might needed to have hit him more.

OL - I thought they did enough to win. Had a few completely missed blitzes but the run lanes were decent enough and Bo had enough time to work through reads. There was one crucial 3rd and short they let Tank get blown up on and that led to a FG when we badly needed a TD.

DL - absolutely horrendous. Clifford even said in his post game interview he had all day to throw. The lack of a pass rush absolutely killed us. How there wasn't one holding call blows my mind but still we had almost no pressure here all game. 

LB - great in the run game absolutely awful in coverage. If we spied their YE (86) they don't move the ball near as much. We look lost in Zone Coverage right now and often had two guys following one WR while the other ran free.

DB - awful. Contested almost no passes. Clifford was 10/10 at one point. Let 5 run free all game. Just a terrible job in what was supposed to be a strength. Again, miscommunication in zone.

K - Carlson was great in a loud environment. 

P - very impressed. Averaged 48.5 almost half a football field. Phenomenal compared to the production we had been getting.

Playcalling was bad. Outside screens were too slow against a Penn State D that was FLYING around the field. Very impressed with their defense.

The reverses and cute stuff absolutely killed us. That fumble at the start of the second half was brain dead. We could have ran on them all game and Bo should have been an intentional factor in the run game to keep them off Tank/Hunter.

The 4th down call was assanine. Based on how it was thrown I 1,000,000٪ believe it was done with the intention of drawing a PI. Power-I to Tank might have been predictable but I'll be damned if I don't trust him to get 2 yards. Hell do a 5 WR set and let Bo scramble. Heck a rollout with Shenker in front of him even.

Hunter needed more touches. The sweeps and reverses are for the birds. Sugar huddle doesn't work for us even with a new staff just stop.

Defense was flat out embarrassing compared to expectations. Made Clifford look like ******* Joe Burrow. McCreary spy #5 and LB spy #86 that's there whole offense right there. 

Winnable game. It's frustrating but we definitely looked better overall than we would have with Gus. Clock management is still rough. Wasted penalties in the second half killed us. Imagine if we're on the 26 yard line with more time.

Pretty good insight.

[TigerHorn 1,448]

The worst part about the drops is that they all came at absolutely critical times. Then the fumble and losing the ball on a possible TD, there's your game right there. D for all its faults might have held them to 21 without the fumble. We knew we had very inexperienced WR coming in, and it came home to bite us. 

Overall though this was a solid performance in as hostile an environment as you can get against a top 10 team and legitimate conference champ contender. 

9-3 is not impossible, and 10-2 with a big run or two against UGA could happen too. Their O looks suspect. 

[ToomersRevenge 284]

We’re at best 8-4 this year the way we played tonight. 

[AUx 3,238]

21 minutes ago, AUatHeart said:

That’s how you lose the trust of your team.

Unfortunately, yes - without some significant, man-to-man explanation to the team. Fans are secondary. But team must understand "why."

[Zeek 16,957]

2 minutes ago, ToomersRevenge said:

We’re at best 8-4 this year the way we played tonight. 

I think that's fair. Bama, UGA, and Texas A&M match up well against us. The Gumps and Aggies would roast this secondary with how they played and UGA would stifle our run game leaving us SOL.

The staff told us all spring they weren't happy with the wide receiver group.

[AUwent 3,845]

4 minutes ago, Zeek said:

I think that's fair. Bama, UGA, and Texas A&M match up well against us. The Gumps and Aggies would roast this secondary with how they played and UGA would stifle our run game leaving us SOL.

The staff told us all spring they weren't happy with the wide receiver group.

We're not going to get any better if our recruiting doesn't pick up. I could maybe stomach even 5-7 if we were set to sign a top 10 recruiting class.

[Zeek 16,957]

18 minutes ago, AUwent said:

We're not going to get any better if our recruiting doesn't pick up. I could maybe stomach even 5-7 if we were set to sign a top 10 recruiting class.

Top 20 will happen. Top 15 is a huge stretch. Top 10 isn't happening this year.

 

Unrelated but I don't want to double post:

Thought this was 100% a safety 

[AUwent 3,845]

2 minutes ago, Zeek said:

Top 20 will happen. Top 15 is a huge stretch. Top 10 isn't happening this year.

 

Unrelated but I don't want to double post:

Thought this was 100% a safety 

I don't expect a top 10 class at all! My goal this year is top 20. But I definitely will not be as forgiving of a losing season as I would've if we were in line for top 10.

[Zeek 16,957]

1 minute ago, AUwent said:

I don't expect a top 10 class at all! My goal this year is top 20. But I definitely will not be as forgiving of a losing season as I would've if we were in line for top 10.

I think 8-4 is legitimate this year. Win at LSU lose to the other big 3. Win the rest. Ole Miss is scary if our secondary doesn't fix its coverage issues.

Top 15ish class this year.

2023 we're getting some good in roads already. I think we finish top 10 so long as we keep looking competitive.

[AUwent 3,845]

9 minutes ago, Zeek said:

I think 8-4 is legitimate this year. Win at LSU lose to the other big 3. Win the rest. Ole Miss is scary if our secondary doesn't fix its coverage issues.

Top 15ish class this year.

2023 we're getting some good in roads already. I think we finish top 10 so long as we keep looking competitive.

What about ArkMart? Don't forget we have to play them right after LSU and Georgia. I might actually like our chances against Ole Mrs. better just because of the bye week beforehand. My confidence about LSU is a bit shakier, especially because they'll likely have some mo coming off MSU (who we absolutely should beat along with USCe). But if we lose to them I just don't see a third SEC win.

So, I would be extremely pleased if what's bolded comes to pass.

[Auhud08 596]

The fade was an option that Bo read. 

[AU-24 3,130]

1 hour ago, Zeek said:

Top 20 will happen. Top 15 is a huge stretch. Top 10 isn't happening this year.

 

Unrelated but I don't want to double post:

Thought this was 100% a safety 

You thought that because it was 100% a safety. 

[AUpreacherman22 3,945]

Our pass D is total garbage right now.   I am worried about any team we play that can pass the ball (yes, I’m concerned about MS St).  Clifford was right.  He had all day!   I saw one play where he ordered a pizza and had it delivered on the field and never even had to move.   Another play I saw him roasting marshmallows back there and singing campfire songs.   It was absolutely pitiful!!!   DBs didn’t impress me either.   Lots of busted coverages and just flat out getting beat.   We’re in trouble on that side of the ball!!!!   PSU isn’t very good.   We’re going to face at least 5 teams better than them.  
 

Bottom line:   We’re just not ready yet.  I like CBH.  I think we’re headed in the right direction.  But some of those things we were concerned about didn’t just magically go away.   We need a few years to get to where we need to be.   A rebuild requires patience, something we as fans rarely possess.   

[bigbird 60,963]

8 hours ago, Zeek said:

Top 20 will happen. Top 15 is a huge stretch. Top 10 isn't happening this year.

 

Unrelated but I don't want to double post:

Thought this was 100% a safety 

And never reviewed. The ball has to come completely out of the end zone. It was a safety.

[AUBwins 10,295]

9 minutes ago, bigbird said:

And never reviewed. The ball has to come completely out of the end zone. It was a safety.

I thought so.  I remember the Oregon game the tip was out but the rest of the ball on the line and called a safety.