Cowbells and Fearing the Peace Sign

by: AuburnChopper1

This weekend is sure to bring a strange and interesting twist to the Auburn psyche in the shape and form of SEC Western implications versus Western power…ummm, well….  Mississippi State University.   Face it, Auburn goes to Starkeville this weekend to take on one of the few teams in the SEC that can claim that they have beaten both teams from our great state.  Croom looks to throw two fingers up to his home fans this weekend and walk out of Davis Wade Stadium the holder of 4 straight versus Alabama based competition.

This will be the focus of newly appointed starting quarterback Chris Todd and the Auburn football squad.   After a spring and first game that did nothing to quiet the questions and firestorm surrounding the Auburn quarterback question, Todd separated himself from a very popular and heir apparent Kodi Burns by performing efficiently versus Southern Miss last Saturday. 

The purpose of this “point-counterpoint” is to debate one’s position, and I find myself in the unique position of not having to change much from week one to week two.   I’m also the one not working on justifying why I might still be right, even in the face of palpable improvement in last Saturday’s contest.  Todd just looked better, and as expected, a similar game plan from Franklin got the job done.

It can be argued, and I’m sure it’ll be debated on our board, that Tuberville should take a real look at how he takes his foot off the gas pedal, but by in large, the total package stifled an opponent that had dominated their previous competition only days earlier.   Execution, as it was last week, will continue to be the story.  Any disappointment from my end stems from the fact that we are still looking for a complete game of execution and focus from not only our quarterbacks and receivers, but our running backs as well. 

Last week against ULM, Auburn’s running backs ran for over 316 yards and took over for an offense that couldn’t get the ball moving through the air that day.   This day, while the running backs shored it up later, came out looking like a group that was feeling a little unfocused and a over-confident from a performance a week ago.   I look for our completely capable and talented running back corps to secure their focus and perform to their capabilities in Starkville, come Saturday.

So, let’s take a look at the major areas discussed last week, and grade my performance…

“Chop’s Take On Franklin”  A
There’s no denying that Todd came in looking much more capable and confident coming in Saturday, and it’s Franklin doing that work behind the scenes during practice week.  Todd AND Burns should continue to grow under his tutelage.

“Defense”  B
I gave a lot of props last week.  Pointed out great play by deserving players.  I’m only giving the defense a B this week, because it looked like they got comfortable, when they really should have shut out a completely frustrated and anemic offense from Southern Miss.  I think they’ll come out and want to make a statement during SEC play Saturday.  Rhodes, in my estimation has done good work.   Linebackers are directing play at the line, tackling well, and I’ll be damned if the defensive backs are even turning and looking for balls coming into their reach.  It’s still early, but looking very good.

“The Outlook”  B
Could have still been a little more consistent, but ultimately even with a very basic game plan, and better execution, we moved the ball very effectively.   I said last week that the most improvement comes from week one to week two.  It would be hard to argue that we didn’t see vast improvement.   It won’t stop there only because it’s week three.


So, looking at things realistically, as long as Todd, and supporting cast, along with a stellar defense continue to perform either as they have, or better, we’ll be watching some great football in the coming weeks.

Till next week, let’s beat them Cowbell wearin’ Bulldogs, and War Damn Eagle!

I'm still not eating Crow...yet!

by: Kaos

Don’t you feel stupid now?  See? You were worried for nothing. Do you usually take ketchup on your crow, or would you prefer some mustard?

One week after blasting Auburn’s passing offense for a dreadful performance against Louisiana Monroe, those were the type of comments to which I was treated when the Tiger passing game lurched out of a coma, sat up and said a few words against Southern Miss.

As much as I hate to borrow from the moronic buffoon Lee Corso, please allow me to interject a “not so fast my friend.” 

While I may well end up eating a heaping helping of crow in the coming weeks, my overall impression of the patented Tony Franklin offensive system remains uneasy at best. 

Yes, the Auburn passing game looked crisper against Southern Miss.  It should have. A week prior, the Golden Eagles coughed up nearly 400 yards (131 through the air) to Louisiana Lafayette. 

Here’s another tip for you.  Golden Eagle coach Larry Fedora today said his bunch is preparing to face a “more polished and productive offense” this week.  Southern Miss plays Arkansas State. What Fedora is saying is he expects a stronger offensive challenge from the Indians than he got from the Tigers. Ouch. 

Auburn’s offense may well morph into a King Kongsian juggernaut that tramples the SEC like the mythic ape flattened the New York skyline. Maybe the point-a-minute promise is nothing more than the Loch Ness monster – rumored, talked about and eagerly anticipated but never actually seen except in grainy probably-faked photographs.  Perhaps I’m just a tad too pessimistic, but at this early stage in the season I still see more Nessie than Kong.

So what’s wrong? What’s got my goat in an uproar? 

First, I’m still not sold on Chris Todd as THE quarterback. There was very little doubt that Franklin desperately wanted his guy to be THE guy, but throughout spring and fall drills, he couldn’t distance himself from Kodi Burns.  And now, all of a sudden, because Todd had, essentially, one moderately productive half the quarterback race is over. Burns is out because he came in on an injured wheel and tried to do too much with too little on one play. That’s what it basically boils down to. And to me that shows an incredible lack of decision-making ability on the part of Franklin. He refused to make a decision until he could somewhat justify the decision he wanted to make all along. Todd may turn out to be the guy, but a dink and dunk half against Southern Miss certainly isn’t any sort of real litmus test.  His footwork wasn’t much better, he missed open receivers, his throws to the right were hideously bad and he floated enough air balls out in the flat that the cornerbacks at LSU went to check the SEC archives to see how many interceptions they’d need to break the record.  Nine is the number, by the way.

Second, I’m still concerned with Franklin’s hubris.  I don’t like running plays he knows won’t work just because he’s decided to run them and figures he can just run a different play later to make up for it. He clung to Todd like a drowning man to a life preserver. Instead of making a decision based on the facts and going forward, he waited until he could justify what he wanted in the first place. 

Finally, I don’t see this offense as being the best complement to the tremendous defense Auburn puts on the field. Against a quality SEC defense, this isn’t the kind of offense that can give the Auburn defense the rest it needs. By the end of the Southern Miss game, Auburn’s defense was out of gas.  Southern Miss knew it and exploited it.  It’s easy to say the Tigers should have put 40 points on the board. It’s also easy to say the Tigers were a pair of interceptions from a Titanic-sized disaster. Those who say the game was never in doubt must have missed the fourth quarter when the Golden Eagles were storming up and down the field.  The concern is that in tight games, this offense won’t have the tenacity to grind out the clock to preserve a win.

For those of you who think that I only see the glass half empty, let me leave you with this:  I spent part of Saturday looking over Auburn’s two-deep roster.  With a few small exceptions you’re already looking at next year’s team.  If that doesn’t excite you, you’re not an Auburn fan.

What say you....Here

See Part 1... Here