Auburn's first SEC test under new coach Gene Chizik proved to be...wait for it...mediocre. I guess I'm not quite sold on the new style of play. Granted I think under Tuberville's "noffense" of the 08-09 season we would have lost by several points, I think the new defense has much to live up to (I tried to make the word "nodefense", but it doesn't roll off the tongue). 24 points to SEC offensive powerhouse MSU is a wee bit much. Not that I'm knocking MSU, but...OK, I'm knocking them a little bit. Auburn seems to have, overnight, turned into a Tulsa or a Houston...teams that score a lot of points but also give up a lot of points. I say can Roof and bring in defensive mastermind...Tommy Tuberville. At least then maybe we'll win 49-10 next time.
I'm not complaining too much. After all, a win is a win. However, in today's college football climate, with the polling and the politicking and the finagling of poll results (see the Stoops brothers' shady deals circa 2004), style plays a large part of a team's future. I think Auburn better nip this in the bud and quick.
Now, about the game: I felt like I watched 25 games of Auburn-MSU Saturday (I guess total-points-wise, it was like 25 of last year's game). The ground game looked solid. Between Tate and McCalebb, and to a lesser degree Fannin, the team looks stout. Chris Re-Todd had what for him was a stellar game and for others would not be so good, unless you go to Navy or Air Force: 10/23 for 186. But old Noodle-Arm showed a glimpse of last year's QB at the helm. I don't think Auburn can use the run to set up the run, can they?
I think Auburn's first true test will come this week vs. WVU. Granted they had trouble with Liberty (featuring Hoover's own Robby Cramer long snapping), they did beat E. Carolina, who has played troublemaker the past couple of years. Without White at the helm, and no Slaton, you'd think they'd be pushovers. Not so, with Jarrett Brown looking pretty good thus far and super-fast ex-criminal Noel Devine running up some yards. Let's see what they can do against Auburn's defense...oh wait, nevermind. Prediction: 38-35 Auburn (I hope).
Auburn has won the last 50 games where they scored more than 30, a streak going back to a 1996 OT loss to UGA. Due to the problems on defense you mention, I think that streak goes out the window at some point this year.
ReplyDeleteWhen dealing with 'opponent scores more than [_]' statistics, OT's shouldn't count. Haven't you learned anything from Les Miles over the last 3 years?
ReplyDeleteNo. Has anyone ever learned anything from Les Miles? Just because he's managed to Forrest Gump himself to a NC . . .
ReplyDeleteWant to know what Al "Rhymes with Gorgeous" Borges thinks about AU's new offense? Me neither, but somebody did, see here:
ReplyDeletehttp://blog.al.com/kevin-scarbinsky/2009/09/scarbinsky_al_borges_back_on_t.html
Apparently, he's the OC at San Diego State, where he's turning a former spread team on to the West Coast offense. Next he'll get the team to turn in their ipods for cd players.