What the heck happened? Every Auburn fan has to be asking him or herself that right now.Last time I had a free moment to update the ol' blog, Auburn seemed firmly in control of this game, ahead 17-10 going into halftime and on the verge of getting the much-needed win that could jumpstart its season.
Well, things didn't quite work out that way. So like I said, what the heck happened?
Some thoughts:
- Pat White is good, but Noel Devine is the real deal. He had six runs of 20 yards or longer and looked like a track star against what is supposed to be a very fast Auburn defense. He accounted for 127 second-half yards. Auburn had 84. 'Nuff said.
- Great quote by Auburn defensive coordinator Paul Rhoads: "A lot of credit goes to Noel Devine and Pat White and trying to tackle guys like that. He looked like a greased pig a couple of times. We had four or five guys with arms around him and couldn't bring him down." I've never attempted to tackle a greased pig, but I can imagine it's difficult.
- In all four of its losses this year, Auburn has led by double digits. That's pretty amazing.
- What happened to the offense in the second half? I'm sure West Virginia shored up its run defense, but why can Auburn never run the ball in the second half. Tigers running backs had eight carries in the second half. Eight! I realize game situations forced them to throw the ball more, but what worked in the first half was a commitment to pound away with the run. It's what kept West Virginia's high-powered offense off the field. I'm not a football coach, so maybe I don't understand, but it doesn't make sense.
- QB Kodi Burns looked fabulous in the first half, going 8-for-9 with his only incompletion a ball he wisely threw away. But, as will happen with a sophomore quarterback, he struggled after the break. Head coach Tommy Tuberville gave him a good yelling after one incomplete third-down pass when it appeared Burns could have run for the first down. All part of the learning curve, I guess.
- That said, Burns should be the quarterback for the rest of the season. He showed that Thursday with how he played in the first half. I think Auburn has to give him his shot over the next four games.
- I've said it before, but I'll say it again: I hate deadline games. I sent my game story at 11:40 EST, about two minutes after the Auburn sports information directors sent out post-game quotes for those of us who could not venture to the locker room afterward. One interesting thing that came out of it was that CB Neiko Thorpe was injured in the first half, leaving Auburn with basically two cornerbacks (something that cost them on the crossing pattern touchdown by Dorrell Jalloh, who was covered by safety Zac Etheridge). Tuberville said Jerraud Powers (hamstring) was about three-quarters speed, so the Tigers couldn't play any man coverage up tight, further complicating things.
- I think I erred in suggesting Auburn slowed down West Virginia's offense in the first half. West Virginia slowed down West Virginia's offense. It's not like the Mountaineers were punting to give up the ball. They threw two interceptions, one after marching down the field with relative ease. Looking back, it was probably only a matter of time before WVU broke things open. Did I mention the Mountaineers only had one punt on the night?
- TE/WR Tommy Trott had this to say afterward: "There's nothing you can do but bounce back. The good thing about this team is we have a lot of pride. To be 4-4, we're ashamed of it. We're going to come back. We've got heart and we're going to battle the rest of the season."
- At 4-4 and with games and only one gimme win left on the schedule (sorry Tennessee-Martin backers), Auburn is going to be hard-pressed to even make a bowl game at this point. You have to figure the Tigers will be a slight underdog when they go to Ole Miss on Nov. 1 and that they'll be big underdogs at home against Georgia on Nov. 15 and at Alabama on Nov. 29. Hard to believe that a team that started the season ranked No. 10 is going to struggle to win six games. I wouldn't want to be in Tuberville's shoes right now.
1 comment:
A few things should be obvious right now:
1. Tuberville couldn't coach his way out of a wet paper sack.
2. Auburn doesn't have the talent to play with the teams left on the schedule, with the exception of the team they play for homecoming.
3. Kodi Burns can run, but he can't read a defense and he is very inaccurate with his throws.
4. Auburn players are DUMB. Really, they cut down the playbook cause players can't run the plays. May as well just draw them up in the dirt.
5. Auburn wins 1 more They lose to Georgia, Alabama, and Ole Miss. A losing season. And Tommy 'I am gonna be at Ole Miss for a long time' Tuberville will be fired.
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