Started By
Message
Frick it. Jang’s thoughts
Posted on 9/19/21 at 10:53 am
Posted on 9/19/21 at 10:53 am
We played in front of 109,,000 very well. Just one false start penalty I believe. Never looked intimidated or wide eyed. Despite the L and the coaching mistakes we represented Auburn well.
Despite our highly speculated shortcomings at WR and pass rush we still had the game if not for the coaching. Harsin’s toughness on display doesn’t really matter in the grand scheme of things if the offensive coach is scheming into our weaknesses, and the DC can’t overcome our weaknesses..
Jarquez and Tank are the lifeblood of our offense. Pound the lines over and over again and then execute hard play action passes. As a Peyton Manning fan I found hope when Harsin said he studied Peyton’s hard fake play action passes but it seems like we didn’t see any. Jason Campbell had some hard fakes and would hide the ball behind his body. We need more of that.
I said before the season that wins or losses didn’t matter so long as the little things (such as game management )showed promise, yet despite the win being in reach, it felt like our coaching was a net setback. Not encouraging.
Some gripes I’ve seen:
“Shouldn’t have kicked it when we were down by 4 on 4th and 1 in the middle of the 4th quarter.”
I disagree. We got the points then and had plenty of opportunity to take the lead afterwards.
“Bobo’s trick plays” is why we fumbled.”
Kobe fumbled because he was careless with the ball. Bobo’s trick plays were not effective but didn’t cause an turnover
“Harsin wasted a timeout when Penn State was about to get a delay of game.”
That may be Harsin’s fault or he might’ve gotten alerted by defensive coaches to abort while we were already defending in the red zone. I have no problem with aborting the play if we looked vulnerable and just assuming the other team won’t get the play off is poor coaching.
“Mason needs to get out of zone coverage.” He is protecting our DBs. Patrick Peterson, Carlos Rogers, Carlton Davis. and Dre Kirkpatrick cannot even contain receivers in man for 7+ seconds. Our pass rush is pathetic again and Mason is dealing with that the best that he can.
Despite our highly speculated shortcomings at WR and pass rush we still had the game if not for the coaching. Harsin’s toughness on display doesn’t really matter in the grand scheme of things if the offensive coach is scheming into our weaknesses, and the DC can’t overcome our weaknesses..
Jarquez and Tank are the lifeblood of our offense. Pound the lines over and over again and then execute hard play action passes. As a Peyton Manning fan I found hope when Harsin said he studied Peyton’s hard fake play action passes but it seems like we didn’t see any. Jason Campbell had some hard fakes and would hide the ball behind his body. We need more of that.
I said before the season that wins or losses didn’t matter so long as the little things (such as game management )showed promise, yet despite the win being in reach, it felt like our coaching was a net setback. Not encouraging.
Some gripes I’ve seen:
“Shouldn’t have kicked it when we were down by 4 on 4th and 1 in the middle of the 4th quarter.”
I disagree. We got the points then and had plenty of opportunity to take the lead afterwards.
“Bobo’s trick plays” is why we fumbled.”
Kobe fumbled because he was careless with the ball. Bobo’s trick plays were not effective but didn’t cause an turnover
“Harsin wasted a timeout when Penn State was about to get a delay of game.”
That may be Harsin’s fault or he might’ve gotten alerted by defensive coaches to abort while we were already defending in the red zone. I have no problem with aborting the play if we looked vulnerable and just assuming the other team won’t get the play off is poor coaching.
“Mason needs to get out of zone coverage.” He is protecting our DBs. Patrick Peterson, Carlos Rogers, Carlton Davis. and Dre Kirkpatrick cannot even contain receivers in man for 7+ seconds. Our pass rush is pathetic again and Mason is dealing with that the best that he can.
This post was edited on 9/19/21 at 10:57 am
8
Posted on 9/19/21 at 11:06 am to jangalang
I was with you until that last point. We've given up close to 75% completions through 3 games. The offensive mistakes we're play calling issues, so those are easily fixed. What we saw on defense is a scheme issue and will be way harder to fix, especially if Mason is unwilling to be flexible.
What we saw out there is how we looked before Steele got here. Thats not Auburn defense.
What we saw out there is how we looked before Steele got here. Thats not Auburn defense.
Posted on 9/19/21 at 11:06 am to jangalang
quote:One of these is not like the others. Yes, I’m referencing Dre Kirkpatrick.
Patrick Peterson, Carlos Rogers, Carlton Davis. and Dre Kirkpatrick
Our pass rush looked fine in weeks 1 and 2, yet their QBs still had a really, really good completion percentage. We’re playing too soft in the secondary, and I’m not referring to the play of the players. I’m referring to the scheme.
Posted on 9/19/21 at 11:22 am to jt33
quote:
was with you until that last point. We've given up close to 75% completions through 3 games. The offensive mistakes we're play calling issues, so those are easily fixed. What we saw on defense is a scheme issue and will be way harder to fix, especially if Mason is unwilling to be flexible. What we saw out there is how we looked before Steele got here. Thats not Auburn defense.
If you cannot rush the passer then the QB is just doing a 7 on 7 camp out there.
Posted on 9/19/21 at 11:25 am to jangalang
I wish we could have a good offense and defense at the same time. When steele was here the defense was lights out but the offense sucked. I think if we had a steele coached defense last night we win that game
Posted on 9/19/21 at 11:34 am to jangalang
quote:
“Shouldn’t have kicked it when we were down by 4 on 4th and 1 in the middle of the 4th quarter.”
I disagree. We got the points then and had plenty of opportunity to take the lead afterwards.
The percentages are pretty obvious that there is a higher chance of success getting 1 yard than making a 40+ yard FG. One day a coach is going along and bring football out of the dark ages with this terrible way of thinking.
quote:
“Harsin wasted a timeout when Penn State was about to get a delay of game.”
That may be Harsin’s fault or he might’ve gotten alerted by defensive coaches to abort while we were already defending in the red zone. I have no problem with aborting the play if we looked vulnerable and just assuming the other team won’t get the play off is poor coaching.
It seemed like we were late to understand our defensive alignments several times throughout the game. Given they were a second away from a delay of game we should have had plenty of time to be lined up properly. Blowing timeouts in those situations is bad coaching and don't even get me started on the one before the 4th down.
quote:
“Mason needs to get out of zone coverage.” He is protecting our DBs. Patrick Peterson, Carlos Rogers, Carlton Davis. and Dre Kirkpatrick cannot even contain receivers in man for 7+ seconds. Our pass rush is pathetic again and Mason is dealing with that the best that he can.
It's not working. I think we are like last in the country in opponent completion percentage. Our secondary isn't that bad. The rush 3 or 4 and play zone isn't working. It's obvious. Mix it up with some pressure every now and then. Something, anything different.
Posted on 9/19/21 at 11:35 am to jangalang
Some good takes and some I would argue with but I won’t.
My take is losing this game sucks because we could have won, but I am encouraged by a lot of things I did see. I will enjoy the rest of the season as it unfolds. First big test of the season and dammit our boys hung in there and fought in a big hostile stadium. They never quit or gave up. That is great coaching and preparation.
Plenty of flaws to fix throughout the team. Let’s see how we respond. Brutal slate of games coming up.
My take is losing this game sucks because we could have won, but I am encouraged by a lot of things I did see. I will enjoy the rest of the season as it unfolds. First big test of the season and dammit our boys hung in there and fought in a big hostile stadium. They never quit or gave up. That is great coaching and preparation.
Plenty of flaws to fix throughout the team. Let’s see how we respond. Brutal slate of games coming up.
This post was edited on 9/19/21 at 11:42 am
Posted on 9/19/21 at 11:46 am to RandySavage
quote:
alignments several times throughout the game. Given they were a second away from a delay of game we should have had plenty of time to be lined up properly. Blowing timeouts in those situations is bad coaching and don't even get me started on the one before the 4th down
Without looking back at the tape I cannot tell you if we were lined up properly or not. However, if we were lined up and then the defensive staff in the press box notices something I have no problem with calling a timeout there. There was one TD play where the quarterback threw into the flat to a wide open TE where we were confused and not lined up. That’s on Mason.
quote:
The percentages are pretty obvious that there is a higher chance of success getting 1 yard than making a 40+ yard FG. One day a coach is going along and bring football out of the dark ages with this terrible way of thinking.
You’d have a point…if we missed the FG.
quote:
It's not working. I think we are like last in the country in opponent completion percentage. Our secondary isn't that bad. The rush 3 or 4 and play zone isn't working. It's obvious. Mix it up with some pressure every now and then. Something, anything different.
Maybe there are some defensive tells that the offense is seeing. Whenever we did bring pressure from the linebacker spot their QB was hitting TEs in the vacated holes.
This post was edited on 9/19/21 at 11:51 am
Posted on 9/19/21 at 12:14 pm to jangalang
quote:
Bobo’s trick plays” is why we fumbled.”
Kobe fumbled because he was careless with the ball. Bobo’s trick plays were not effective but didn’t cause an turnover
Gonna disagree with you here man. I thought those trick plays were infuriating, unnecessary, and ill-timed. They hurt momentum and got the crowd into it big time.
My thoughts are I really believe we had the talent to beat them with a very simple game plan, and the o-coordinator let us down. That fade pass to the end game was so deflating.
I’m still happy with our team, but my eyes are on Bobo now. I’m in no mood for trickery plays after dealing with Gus so many years.
Posted on 9/19/21 at 12:15 pm to jangalang
I said it over on tRant, and I'll say it here as well: compare last night's team and the '19 game in the Swamp and the difference is clear. The moment wasn't too big for the guys last night. That game at Florida it was obvious that the moment was too big.
I'm not one into moral victories, but I honestly think there are things to take away from the loss to be optimistic about the direction Harsin is taking the program. He and the staff have to pick it up on the recruiting trail obviously, but so far, I'm impressed with the hard-nosed, business-like approach he has taken. With time and the opportunity to turn it around in recruiting and instilling a culture change, I think the program is in good hands. I know we all like to shite in the B1G10 around these parts, but that Penn St team is a very good football team with a lot of guys who will be pros who have played a lot of football.
A loss is a loss and we can all go back and forth on the reason for the loss, but one thing that can't be pointed to is that the atmosphere was too big for them. In the grand scheme of things, it's not a bad loss and doesn't impact the most important goal of trying to win the SEC west. What I want to see is the team put this one behind them and go out and get the win in Baton Rouge in a couple weeks. That will tell us a lot about the psyche of the team and about the culture Harsin is trying to build. We can and should beat this year's LSU team. (I know, I know. I'm in the I'll believe it when I see it crowd regarding playing in Cajun country) But I honestly think the program is in good hands.
I'm not one into moral victories, but I honestly think there are things to take away from the loss to be optimistic about the direction Harsin is taking the program. He and the staff have to pick it up on the recruiting trail obviously, but so far, I'm impressed with the hard-nosed, business-like approach he has taken. With time and the opportunity to turn it around in recruiting and instilling a culture change, I think the program is in good hands. I know we all like to shite in the B1G10 around these parts, but that Penn St team is a very good football team with a lot of guys who will be pros who have played a lot of football.
A loss is a loss and we can all go back and forth on the reason for the loss, but one thing that can't be pointed to is that the atmosphere was too big for them. In the grand scheme of things, it's not a bad loss and doesn't impact the most important goal of trying to win the SEC west. What I want to see is the team put this one behind them and go out and get the win in Baton Rouge in a couple weeks. That will tell us a lot about the psyche of the team and about the culture Harsin is trying to build. We can and should beat this year's LSU team. (I know, I know. I'm in the I'll believe it when I see it crowd regarding playing in Cajun country) But I honestly think the program is in good hands.
Posted on 9/19/21 at 12:43 pm to IAmNERD
It did seem like we were overall tougher all around and that’s encouraging. They weren’t phased one bit. That’s an intangible that will help Harsin for years. However the one snag that prevents me from being downright giddy is there is no correcting bad gameplans if the coaches have no willingness to do so. I accept that not all trick plays will be 100% successful. I accept there are mistakes that will be made, but the gameplan should be solid.
We were down by 11 so we run the ball right down their throat to score. Make them show they can stop that before we throw on 1st and 2nd down again. As Jt33 said, good coaches adapt.
We were down by 11 so we run the ball right down their throat to score. Make them show they can stop that before we throw on 1st and 2nd down again. As Jt33 said, good coaches adapt.
Posted on 9/19/21 at 12:44 pm to jangalang
quote:
He is protecting our DBs. Patrick Peterson, Carlos Rogers, Carlton Davis. and Dre Kirkpatrick cannot even contain receivers in man for 7+ seconds. Our pass rush is pathetic again and Mason is dealing with that the best that he can.
That’s the reason for man defense. If you can’t get a pass rush with only 3 or 4 guys, you go man and blitz the hell out of them. Then the QB doesn’t have a lot of time. The few times we blitzed, he either threw an interception or overthrew the WR.
Posted on 9/19/21 at 12:46 pm to jvilletiger25
quote:
The few times we blitzed, he either threw an interception or overthrew the WR.
Or nailed TE’s on seam routes in the vacated holes lol.
Posted on 9/19/21 at 12:52 pm to jt33
quote:Disagree on the defense. Aranda had this same issue at LSU when he took over for Pelini (or Steele?). We played man almost exclusively under Steele, and Mason plays zone almost as frequently. IIRC it took LSU's defense about 1/2-3/4 of the season to figure things out. If I were to take issue with something it would be why Mason decided to rush three 75% of the time, but once you start questioning coaching strategy decisions you (I) lose the plot.
I was with you until that last point. We've given up close to 75% completions through 3 games. The offensive mistakes we're play calling issues, so those are easily fixed. What we saw on defense is a scheme issue and will be way harder to fix, especially if Mason is unwilling to be flexible.
What we saw out there is how we looked before Steele got here. Thats not Auburn defense.
I'm not happy that we lost, but there were probably 4-5 plays that made the difference in the W or L. We are a 10+ win football team IMO.
And Jarquez HunHunter may be better than Tank. Sheesh.
Posted on 9/19/21 at 12:54 pm to jangalang
quote:Yeah, their explosive plays to the TE were our frick-ups. Those are correctable.
Or nailed TE’s on seam routes in the vacated holes lol.
Posted on 9/19/21 at 1:03 pm to jangalang
quote:
Or nailed TE’s on seam routes in the vacated holes lol.
The one while they were going left to right and Smoke had to run him down and get him inside the 5 we were actually in man on that play.
Problem is Smoke and the corner covered the same man while the TE ran right by both of em. That's 100% on the players (looked like it was supposed to be Smoke's guy) not executing. If Smoke covers his man, that play is defended perfectly.
What I'm getting at is I was just as frustrated with the scheme as everyone else, but sometimes it doesn't matter if you have the best scheme in the world when players dont execute. On the flip side, it doesn't matter if we play 100% man or 100% zone, if Mason insists on only rushing 3, we are gonna get shredded by every QB we face. The book on Sean Clifford is the same as Bo. He's good to very good with a clean pocket and able to step into his throws. But when you pressure him and move him off his spot, he's considerably worse and prone to bad decisions. So I am at a loss on why we continually sent only 3 or 4 at most. 5 or 6 blocking 3 or 4 wins every damn time. The lack of adjustment from Mason is concerning to be sure.
Posted on 9/19/21 at 1:06 pm to jvilletiger25
quote:33 rushes for 94 yards will win you 8 of 10 games against a good opponent. I think its just going to take some games for AU to learn to play zone in the seconday effectively. Its difficult and a very cerebral task to master. This is a completely divergent philosophy than what we've done since probably Wayne Hall.
That’s the reason for man defense. If you can’t get a pass rush with only 3 or 4 guys, you go man and blitz the hell out of them. Then the QB doesn’t have a lot of time. The few times we blitzed, he either threw an interception or overthrew the WR.
Posted on 9/19/21 at 1:13 pm to jangalang
quote:
You’d have a point…if we missed the FG.
Making the kick doesn't make it the right decision.
Posted on 9/19/21 at 1:20 pm to RandySavage
quote:
Making the kick doesn't make it the right decision.
Sure it does. A 4 point game turned into a 1 point game with plenty of time to spare. Anders is a weapon that should be used. You saw our 4th and 2 train wreck play call. You saw Tank barely get back fo the LOS a couple of times. There could’ve been a third time and YOU would be complaining that we didn’t get the 3 points.
Harsin’s flaw here is only a fickle fanbase.
Posted on 9/19/21 at 1:39 pm to jangalang
quote:
quote:
The few times we blitzed, he either threw an interception or overthrew the WR.
Or nailed TE’s on seam routes in the vacated holes lol.
Come on now Jang, are you saying someone of Smokes ability cant cover their slow arse TEs? Smoke lines up with McCreary and they decide to double the receiver and leave the TE running, okay ambling free on a seam route.
Corch Jay was right in another thread, as soon as their QB saw zone....he passed....over and over.
Page 1 of 3
Latest Auburn News
Popular
Back to top
Follow SECRant for SEC Football News