Scouting Cal

[CCTAU 3,594]

2 hours ago, aubiefifty said:

how in the world did he get the name coocoo? sounds kinda sissy for a football player.

Because Mister was taken?

[AU120289 542]

10 hours ago, CCTAU said:

They are horrible and one dimensional. We should beat them by 30. 
Therefore we’ll win the game on a last second FG. CooCoo Mcgough for the win baby!

So we won’t cover? 🤣

[AURex 2,262]

14 hours ago, RunInRed said:

Thoughts?

Cal is ranked below Auburn in the polls, so even if we beat them by 50, Auburn will not move up much in the polls.

PS - I've spent time on the Berkeley campus and (of course) on Auburn campus. As an academic, Cal is way beyond Auburn academically. As a campus and fanbase and Auburn alum, Auburn rules! WDE!

 

 

[AUDub 11,974]

15 hours ago, RunInRed said:

Thoughts?

I still think we hang 50. 

[DAG 34,939]

I just hope people don’t freak out if we don’t score 4 straight TDs in one quarter. I reckon cal will battle us but think we pull away in the third. 

[Tiger 8,855]

Looking forward to our team getting a test and seeing how we look and respond against P4 caliber athletes.

The last game was a joke I truly hope we never play another opponent that bad ever again lol

[fishepa 2,044]

13 hours ago, SaltyTiger said:

We said the same about USC. 2003 I think. Didn’t phase them a bit. With that said still think we cruise Saturday. 

 

 

 

I know, I guess I should have used the yellow font.

[66stang408 34]

On 9/3/2024 at 8:47 AM, RunInRed said:

 

Cal fan here. Looking forward to visiting Auburn this weekend.  Thoughts on each point...

1. Ott is certainly the star.  He's listed as 'probable' for this weekend... a pretty rare level of injury transparency from Wilcox (i'm not sure he's ever actively volunteered such info).  So I expect him to play and be fine.  Most casual fans don't know we have a fairly loaded RB room behind him (though as you note, one of said highly touted backups' first carry was a fumble for a scoop/score on the goal line... so... that could have gone better).  Cardwell, Calloway and Thomas are all capable RBs behind Ott

In theory the offense is loaded at the skill positions.  We have ohio state, notre dame and utah transfers who all have shown quite a lot in camp at WR, and brought in the #4 big 10 receiving tight end from maryland.  How capable Mendoza and/or Rogers are getting them the ball is a bit of an open question.  Mendoza looked ok in a disjointed UC Davis game, Rogers looked a bit rougher.

2. Run defense against Davis was - somewhat surprisingly to my eyes, if I'm honest - one of the best performances of the Cal era under Wilcox.  Won't claim that will hold up all year and against power 5 teams, but thats what PFF says, not me. Cal vs. UC Davis Football: The Good and the Bad (writeforcalifornia.com)

3/4. No argument.  Our team was great at generating turnovers last year, but also great at giving them up.  Any road game in a hostile environment gets a lot easier if you can generate some turnovers.  And the same game will get a lot harder if you give up turnovers.  

5. Not really, see line 1

6. Maybe.  While Wilcox's defenses have gotten worse over his tenure, DBs have consistently been a strong point and we have a bunch of transfers (a few SEC guys along with one of the best FCS CBs and others) coming in this year.  

Our main issues are on the lines.  Cal hasn't recruited an NFL o-lineman in what seems like a decade.  We also missed on a few very high profile DT targets in the NIL/Portal space.  Auburn will certainly have an advantage there.  Not an insurmountable one, but a significant one.

"Auburn beat Cal in Cali last year when Auburn had a much worse team than the current team. Cal had the #17 transfer class coming in, but only one of the wide receivers they added had an impact in the first game."

2 counterpoints - 1, admit it, you expected to boatrace us last year too.  Every Auburn podcast was predicting something along the lines of.. well, many points to not very many.  As you may recall, the SEC refs gave you a gift out of the gate and took a Cal defensive touchdown off the board for reasons still unknown to science.  You may also recall we missed 4 field goals (on a related note, potentially our biggest portal add was one of the best kickers in the country... its an amazing feeling when you actually get annoyed at a college kicker missing a 55+ yarder, but here we are).

No doubt, Auburns final drive to win the game was impressive and we were unable to stop it.  But to pretend the teams weren't very much equal and that Auburn may not have even had the chance to win had not all the breaks gone their way is a bit naive.

In any case, can't wait for the game. Let me know what I need to see / do before kick off... i've had a great time at SEC venues before (even when we have gotten dumpstered). Go Bears!

[RunInRed 18,479]

10 minutes ago, 66stang408 said:

Cal fan here. Looking forward to visiting Auburn this weekend.  Thoughts on each point...

1. Ott is certainly the star.  He's listed as 'probable' for this weekend... a pretty rare level of injury transparency from Wilcox (i'm not sure he's ever actively volunteered such info).  So I expect him to play and be fine.  Most casual fans don't know we have a fairly loaded RB room behind him (though as you note, one of said highly touted backups' first carry was a fumble for a scoop/score on the goal line... so... that could have gone better).  Cardwell, Calloway and Thomas are all capable RBs behind Ott

In theory the offense is loaded at the skill positions.  We have ohio state, notre dame and utah transfers who all have shown quite a lot in camp at WR, and brought in the #4 big 10 receiving tight end from maryland.  How capable Mendoza and/or Rogers are getting them the ball is a bit of an open question.  Mendoza looked ok in a disjointed UC Davis game, Rogers looked a bit rougher.

2. Run defense against Davis was - somewhat surprisingly to my eyes, if I'm honest - one of the best performances of the Cal era under Wilcox.  Won't claim that will hold up all year and against power 5 teams, but thats what PFF says, not me. Cal vs. UC Davis Football: The Good and the Bad (writeforcalifornia.com)

3/4. No argument.  Our team was great at generating turnovers last year, but also great at giving them up.  Any road game in a hostile environment gets a lot easier if you can generate some turnovers.  And the same game will get a lot harder if you give up turnovers.  

5. Not really, see line 1

6. Maybe.  While Wilcox's defenses have gotten worse over his tenure, DBs have consistently been a strong point and we have a bunch of transfers (a few SEC guys along with one of the best FCS CBs and others) coming in this year.  

Our main issues are on the lines.  Cal hasn't recruited an NFL o-lineman in what seems like a decade.  We also missed on a few very high profile DT targets in the NIL/Portal space.  Auburn will certainly have an advantage there.  Not an insurmountable one, but a significant one.

"Auburn beat Cal in Cali last year when Auburn had a much worse team than the current team. Cal had the #17 transfer class coming in, but only one of the wide receivers they added had an impact in the first game."

2 counterpoints - 1, admit it, you expected to boatrace us last year too.  Every Auburn podcast was predicting something along the lines of.. well, many points to not very many.  As you may recall, the SEC refs gave you a gift out of the gate and took a Cal defensive touchdown off the board for reasons still unknown to science.  You may also recall we missed 4 field goals (on a related note, potentially our biggest portal add was one of the best kickers in the country... its an amazing feeling when you actually get annoyed at a college kicker missing a 55+ yarder, but here we are).

No doubt, Auburns final drive to win the game was impressive and we were unable to stop it.  But to pretend the teams weren't very much equal and that Auburn may not have even had the chance to win had not all the breaks gone their way is a bit naive.

In any case, can't wait for the game. Let me know what I need to see / do before kick off... i've had a great time at SEC venues before (even when we have gotten dumpstered). Go Bears!

Welcome and looking forward to welcoming you in Auburn!

[RunInRed 18,479]

@66stang408 here's some "to-dos" suggestions ...

FRIDAY BEFORE GAME DAY

• Raptor Center. Every Friday (~4pm) before a home game, The Raptor Center hosts a ticketed, public event called “Football, Fans and Feathers”. It is an opportunity for fans to learn more about the raptor flight traditions and see the birds up close and personal. 
   
• Come Home to the Corner. Every Friday before a home game, Downtown Auburn becomes an entertainment district from 6-9pm. Pop in and out of shops, restaurants and bars, enjoy an ice-cold beer and listen to live music.
   
• Friday Night Stadium Tours. This used to be a free locker room tour but now includes the entire stadium for $25 (press box, recruiting areas, premium areas, etc.). From 4-6pm the Friday before a home football game, fans can get a “behind the scenes” experience of Auburn Football.
   

GAME DAY

• Lemonade at Toomer's. Toomer’s Drugstore is an Auburn original (“an Auburn tradition since 1896”) and located just caddy-corner to campus in Downtown. Be sure to stop in for a refreshing lemonade on a game day before walking around campus!
   
• Tiger Walk. Tiger Walk is a classic Auburn game day tradition, where fans line Donahue Drive and cheer on the Auburn Tigers as they walk from the Athletics Complex to Jordan-Hare Stadium. Kiddos sit atop their father’s shoulders to sneak peeks and wave hello to Aubie, the football coaches, players, cheerleaders, marching band and Tiger Paws.
   
• White Tent Tailgates. Tailgating in the SEC is a sport in itself. Walk around the white tent tailgates surrounding Jordan-Hare stadium, admire the setups and enjoy some traditional southern tailgate snacks
   
• Eagle Flight. Be sure to arrive at your seat in the stadium 30-45 minutes early, so you can watch the Eagle take flight! The Eagle is released from one of the four corners of the stadium, he circles the stadium as the crowd yells “WAR EAGLE” and lands at center field. I get shivers every time I witness the hype in the stadium during the Eagle’s flight.
   
• Rolling Toomer's. After a victory, fans flood Toomer’s corner and roll the Oak trees with toilet paper. Downtown turns into a snowy-looking wonderland after an Auburn win.

[66stang408 34]

2 minutes ago, RunInRed said:

@66stang408 here's some "to-dos" suggestions ...

• Eagle Flight. Be sure to arrive at your seat in the stadium 30-45 minutes early, so you can watch the Eagle take flight! The Eagle is released from one of the four corners of the stadium, he circles the stadium as the crowd yells “WAR EAGLE” and lands at center field. I get shivers every time I witness the hype in the stadium during the Eagle’s flight.

that sounds awesome.  we'll see i can convince my party to skip 45 minutes of drinking though (i don't think the odds are good, but i'll try)

[66stang408 34]

9 minutes ago, RunInRed said:

@66stang408 here's some "to-dos" suggestions ...

F
 

• Rolling Toomer's. After a victory, fans flood Toomer’s corner and roll the Oak trees with toilet paper. Downtown turns into a snowy-looking wonderland after an Auburn win.

Well that's awfully presumptuous of you

[RunInRed 18,479]

4 minutes ago, 66stang408 said:

Well that's awfully presumptuous of you

We expect to win. Sorry not sorry.  

[Viper 3,537]

59 minutes ago, 66stang408 said:

admit it, you expected to boatrace us last year too.  Every Auburn podcast was predicting something along the lines of.. well, many points to not very many.  As you may recall, the SEC refs gave you a gift out of the gate and took a Cal defensive touchdown off the board for reasons still unknown to science.  You may also recall we missed 4 field goals (on a related note, potentially our biggest portal add was one of the best kickers in the country... its an amazing feeling when you actually get annoyed at a college kicker missing a 55+ yarder, but here we are).

No doubt, Auburns final drive to win the game was impressive and we were unable to stop it.  But to pretend the teams weren't very much equal and that Auburn may not have even had the chance to win had not all the breaks gone their way is a bit naive.

Just because you read one poster’s opinion of last year’s game doesn’t equal the consensus. I have absolutely, over the past year, pointed out we needed a botched ref call and 4 missed FGs to win. Extremely grateful to get out with a W. I did not predict a boatrace for either team. Where I was wrong is I predicted the Over. Both offenses ended up sucking. 2023 was a very average Auburn team.

But, that was last year’s two teams. And it’s a different venue.

This year’s Cal team looks worse on the OL. Ott had very little room to work with against UC Davis. Mendoza isn’t elusive like Sam Jackson was for Cal last year. We tend to suck against elusive QBs and tend to munch pocket passers at home, esp with a weak OL. I am much more concerned about playing Vandy due having to corral Pavia again than Cal.

This year’s Auburn team is much better on the OL and light year’s better at WR. 

I have it: Auburn 34 Cal 13

Edited September 4 by Viper

[66stang408 34]

7 minutes ago, Viper said:

Just because you read one poster’s opinion of last year’s game doesn’t equal the consensus. I have absolutely, over the past year, pointed out we needed a botched ref call and 4 missed FGs to win. Extremely grateful to get out with a W. I did not predict a boatrace for either team. Where I was wrong is I predicted the Over. Both offenses ended up sucking. 2023 was a very average Auburn team.

But, that was last year’s two teams. And it’s a different venue.

This year’s Cal team looks worse on the OL. Ott had very little room to work with against UC Davis. Mendoza isn’t elusive like Sam Jackson was for Cal last year. We tend to suck against elusive QBs and tend to munch pocket passers at home, esp with a weak OL.

This year’s Auburn team is much better on the OL and light year’s better at WR. 

I have it: Auburn 34 Cal 13

no need to explain any of that. this is an auburn fan forum, and this is a auburn home game against a Cal team that hasn't done anything. you have every right to be confident.

wilcox is far from a perfect coach, but one thing he has done well are these cross country road trips against good teams.  wins against ole miss and north carolina, and near miss vs notre dame.  and if the game is going well, under a wilcox team, it will be ugly.  all of his best wins are.

[Viper 3,537]

25 minutes ago, 66stang408 said:

no need to explain any of that. this is an auburn fan forum, and this is a auburn home game against a Cal team that hasn't done anything. you have every right to be confident.

wilcox is far from a perfect coach, but one thing he has done well are these cross country road trips against good teams.  wins against ole miss and north carolina, and near miss vs notre dame.  and if the game is going well, under a wilcox team, it will be ugly.  all of his best wins are.

Obviously there was a need to explain as you stated “Admit it, you (insinuated all Auburn fans) expected to boatrace us last year too. To pretend the teams weren't very much equal and that Auburn may not have even had the chance to win had not all the breaks gone their way is a bit naive.”

That’s simply not accurate. The two teams were very much equal.

Sure, there will always be fans that predict their team will win every game. I’m not one of them. Don’t lump every fan in with every pro-Auburn comment you heard a year ago or this week.

Sure, I predicted AU to win a year ago, but not even remotely close to a “boatrace.”

I’m much more confident this year than last year for reasons mentioned above, but I will never guarantee victory. See New Mexico St.

[RunInRed 18,479]

[Mike4AU 1,755]

@66stang408, welcome to Auburn.  I hope you enjoy your visit, except for the game.  
 

BTW, post some photos of your Stang.  Would like to see it!

[AUGoo 2,703]

After Tiger Walk, the Four Corners pep rally is pretty cool.  Worth sticking around for before you go into the stadium.

Surprised at how few people know about it.  I didn't know about until about 10 years ago.

[66stang408 34]

2 hours ago, Mike4AU said:

@66stang408, welcome to Auburn.  I hope you enjoy your visit, except for the game.  
 

BTW, post some photos of your Stang.  Would like to see it!

This is a few years ago, appropriately at a gas station (because where else would she be?). 408 stroker with a t5.  The red pre-dates my Cal fandom so i had to apply for an exception among the Cal fanbase

[Mike4AU 1,755]

Nice!  Are you current USAF?

[Shadow Tiger 1,549]

1 hour ago, 66stang408 said:

This is a few years ago, appropriately at a gas station (because where else would she be?). 408 stroker with a t5.  The red pre-dates my Cal fandom so i had to apply for an exception among the Cal fanbase

Nice! I had a 66 Carolina blue mustang with a 289 engine in high school until I totaled it in a wreck.

[Mike4AU 1,755]

@66stang408, your Stang wanted to show off a bit more.  Hope you like. 
 

 

[Zeek 16,957]

On 9/3/2024 at 7:47 AM, RunInRed said:

Thoughts?

Ott will be good to go. That’s Auburn’s luck after all and he’s already listed as probable. I expect him to be 100% which will be a pain unless we can contain well. One thing of note is we didn’t always contain the edge against Alabama A&M; had they not botched a speed sweep pitch they would have walked into the end zone. There were a few blown assignments they just couldn’t capitalize on and we burned one timeout because we didn’t know how to line up against an empty set.

Not being negative but I think we shouldn’t expect domination this weekend.

The big trip and time difference was definitely a pain last year. Yes our offense was bad last year but that game it was weirdly awful and it wasn’t Cal doing anything phenomenal.

This game is a massive inflection point for Auburn. If we win big then our next few opponents should look out; we could head into our last home game for a while against Oklahoma as an undefeated team.

If it’s close I’m a little concerned that Arkansas will be a 50/50 game and Oklahoma should be the favorite in that scenario.

If we lose things could get bad quick.

I do like our defense under Durkin. He’s aggressive but smart. Still want more pass rush from the front 4. Offense looked way more competent. Regardless of the opponent the playcalling and execution was noticeably better.

[66stang408 34]

35 minutes ago, Mike4AU said:

@66stang408, your Stang wanted to show off a bit more.  Hope you like. 
 

 

Thats some great work! Thank you! *right click save as*

46 minutes ago, Shadow Tiger said:

Nice! I had a 66 Carolina blue mustang with a 289 engine in high school until I totaled it in a wreck.

Ah thats a shame. I've been a bit lucky... had some near misses (including a little oopsy this weekend), but i've managed to keep it more or less in one piece for ~25 years.  They're great for a first classic car... simple, lots of parts, and certainly get their share of attention. Whats the classic car / hotrod scene like in Alabama?

get another! (of course at this point you might have to consider things like a wife, garage space, etc....)

1 hour ago, Mike4AU said:

Nice!  Are you current USAF?

Nah. The sticker dates back to my college days when i was in rotc.  Developed a health condition so I never commissioned.  But the sticker looks good and I still have USAF friends to support, so never took it off.