SB Nation User Blog: Acid Reign

Auburn Runs Over the Paladins.

Acid Reign — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 03:02:32 -0000

Darvin Adams scores three times, in a 63-31 victory over Furman!

War Eagle, everybody! It's time now for the Acid Reign report, on the Auburn Homecoming Game against Furman. The Tigers took advantage of a suspect FCS defense, and rolled up an easy 63-31 win. Physically, Furman was overmatched against Auburn's playmakers, and it was evident from the opening kickoff. Mario Fannin ran over, through, and around hapless Paladin coverage folk for 35 yards. The Paladins had little luck trying to slow down the Tiger offense, which scored nine touchdowns on the day. After taking a 42-3 halftime lead, Auburn emptied the bench in the second half, playing several players out of position, and fielding a host of walk-ons and reserves. While the Tigers gave up 4 touchdowns in the second half to the Paladins, it was against a hodge podge of defenders. Freshman wide receiver Anthony Gulley played at cornerback, wide receiver, AND at running back, for the first time in his life.

The starting Auburn defense allowed a field goal drive on Furman's first possession, then slammed the door emphatically for the rest of the first half. In that first drive, Auburn jumped offsides twice, and allowed underneath receivers to make catches and run for first downs. The drive finally fizzled when Adam Mims dropped an out route pass at the two, and Furman settled for a field goal. After that, the Auburn pass rush derailed any chance for Furman to score again in the first half. In the second half, a host of freshmen, walk-ons, and guys playing unfamiliar positions allowed 28 points. UCLA transfer quarterback Chris Forcier is a speedy QB specimen, and he gave Auburn's reserves fits. I figure Forcier will start next season, and set Paladin records.

Special teams continue to hurt the Tigers, as has been the case in every game this season. The most glaring error was by punt returner Phillip Pierre-Louis, who attempted to field a fluttering punt inside the ten yard line. Louis attempted an over the shoulder catch at the five yard line, muffed it, and ran himself out of bounds. Furman recovered at the six, and cashed in with an easy touchdown. Louis also signaled "get away," on another punt, then grabbed the ball on the bounce. That cost Auburn 5 yards on a delay of game. We had the best kick coverage of the year, allowing only 21.7 yards per return. 21.7 is not a good stat, but it's a LOT better than Auburn has been doing. The kick distance by Morgan Hull remains mediocre, at best. Auburn averaged kicking it to the 7 yard line. Clinton Durst did well on two punts, averaging 45.5 yards with no returns.

The Auburn offense was stopped only twice, all day. Despite playing nothing but backups in the entire second half, Auburn continued to roll up the yards and points. The 655 yard output is the 4^th best total in Auburn history! There was a disappointing fumble by Eric Smith to start the first possession of the second half, but Auburn got it rolling again. Auburn passers Chris Todd and Neil Caudle set Auburn records for completion percentage, hitting on 27 of 30 passes, without a pick, or a sack. The 90% completion percentage goes down in history. I've been tracking net yards per pass all season. Auburn's numbers in this game include 14.2 for Chris Todd, and 9.8 for Neil Caudle. By comparison, Jordan Sorrells managed just 1.4 net yards per pass for Furman. Chris Forcier had a ridiculous 24.0 score, working on a depleted backup Auburn secondary. Auburn runners had a good day, averaging 7.2 yards per carry. If there's anything negative to take away from Auburn's offensive performance, it would be Chris Todd seeming to be locked in on Darvin Adams. Todd fired several in there, against good coverage. Furman pass defenders were pretty hapless, and could do little with the Auburn receivers. Still, one has to wonder how it will work, if Todd attempts those throws against Georgia and Alabama secondary members.

Unit grades, after the jump!

Defensive Line: B+. Most of the points off here are on the starters, for not getting a push on Furman's first drive. On that drive, both ends jumped offsides, too. We were dominant up front, even into the second unit, but mistakes early hold this grade down.

Linebackers: B-. The starters on this unit cut down on mistakes, and showed great discipline in dealing with Furman's option looks. The starters were not nearly as good dealing with middle screens to ace receiver Adam Mims, but Mims is a guy who'd be dangerous on SEC offenses. The backups gave up play after play, in the second half. Considering that it was freshman Jonathan Evans, and a host of walk-ons, that's not so bad.

Secondary: B+. Didn't expect to give a grade this high, but the starters did well. Demond Washington may yet be a liability against the links of A. J. Green and Julio Jones, but he acquitted himself well in his first start against Furman. From the safety position, we had trememdous closing speed from both sides, for the first time all season. It gave veteran QB Jordan Sorrells fits, and held Furman to mostly underneath throws. We gave up some deep passes late in the game, but it was with either walk-on Dbs, or Anthony Gulley playing corner for the first time. I think we really held up well, considering that we have three projected starters out in the secondary. That lineup last spring was supposed to be McFadden and Savage at corner, Etheridge and McNeil at safety.

Punting: B+. A 45.5 yard average with no returns is nice. Clinton Durst hit a great 49 yarder that was downed deep, but rolled a 42-yard pooch effort into the end zone.

Punt Returns: D. Honestly, I should probably give an F due to the horrible fumble inside the five, but I didn't because we showed overall improvement. The fumble was a complete freshman mistake. Aside from that, Phillip Pierre-Louis did a much better job of not dancing, and running that ball straight ahead, this game. While we Tigers are currently satisfied with JUST CATCHING THE DANGED THING!!!!!! you really expect your returner to essentially get you a first down on the return. We didn't do that consistently, but we are heading in the right direction. Kudos to the staff for sticking with Pierre-Louis. Most Auburn return men in recent memory have dropped balls inside the ten in their first season. This includes Robert Baker, Clifton Robinson, Roderick Hood, Tre Smith, and Robert Dunn. We have to get this kid's feet wet, coach him, and stick with him.

Kickoff Returns: B+. We racked up a 24.5 yard average, powered by Mario Fannin's tackle-breaking 35 yarder on the opening kickoff. I would have liked a touchdown against an FCS opponent, but at least we didn't show this unit to be a weakness, against the Paladins.

Kickoffs: C. This is the best grade in weeks for this unit, but one must remember that Furman is a lower division opponent. Morgan Hull's kickoff distance was pedestrian, at 63.5 yards. Furman averaged 21.7 yards per return, a mediocre number. Auburn's net kickoff average was 42.0, which starts the opponent out at the 28. This is much better than previous weeks, unfortunately.

Placekicking: A+. No drama, here. Wes Byrum is 13 of 14 on field goal attempts this season, and perfect on 43 extra points. I don't know if a kicker can make All-SEC on only 14 field goal attempts, but Wes is quietly having one of the best years in Auburn history.

Offensive Line: A. Points off on a Lee Ziemba false start. Lee had a good streak going, but messed up once on Homecoming. I suppose it is the nature of offensive line play, that folks only notice when a mistake is made. Lee Ziemba was just BRUTAL in this game. His monstrous blocks inspired the whole offense, and Auburn absolutely dominated at the point of attack. False starts aside, Ziemba has a chance to go down in history as one of Auburn's best linemen. Most surprising was the play of the backups, who handled the entire second half. Late in the game, Auburn was still protecting pretty well, opening up gaping holes, and providing lots of room for the Auburn backfield.

Receivers: A. Aside from a drop or two on difficult passes, this unit made strides. Early on, it was the Darvin Adams show. Adams has been breaking away from SEC defenders all season. Against a suspect FCS secondary, it was ugly. Even when the Paladins had Adams pretty well covered, he still got the ball, got away, and scored. Tommy Trott made a nice grab in traffic on a ball that shouldn't have been thrown, and it was really great to see the young guys like DeAngelo Benton getting loose and making catches. Downfield blocking was generally solid, too.

Running Backs: A. I'm tempted to count a letter grade off for the Eric Smith fumble, but I won't. These guys ran and blocked HARD. The first man never got an Auburn back down, in this one. Even when we lined receiver Anthony Gulley up in the backfield, with no practice time at the position, Gulley broke a 50 yard touchdown. It's nice to have at least one spot on the team with some depth!

Quarterback: A. Honestly, this grade should be an A+, with no sacks, no picks, 373 yards, 4 touchdowns, and a ridiculous completion percentage! I'm counting off on a few Todd throws into traffic that were caught, anyway. Points off on Caudle dumping short on third and long, on his first possession. I'm basically picking nits on those points. Both Auburn quarterbacks did a great job!

Obviously, no Tiger is happy with giving up 31 points to an FCS opponent with a losing record. Auburn is on pace to set a record for most points given up in a season. The worst unit in Auburn history was Terry Bowden's 1995 unit, which gave up 283 points in 12 games. Through ten games in 2009, Auburn has given up 266. If Auburn gives up 18 more against Georgia, Alabama, and a bowl opponent, Auburn will set a record neither Ted Roof nor Gene Chizik wants!

Meanwhile, the Gus Malzhan offense is on pace to be the best ever at Auburn, from a yardage standpoint. The record for total yards was set in 2004, with 5469. Auburn currently has 4503 yards, this year. Auburn needs 967 yards in their remaining three games to break that record. That's a target average of 323 yards per game. Auburn would have to average 30 points per game against Georgia, Alabama, and a bowl opponent to break the 1995 points record, at 438.

It's now Amen Corner time at Auburn. A road game in Athens, and a Black Friday Iron Bowl await the Tigers. If Auburn can continue the solid play of the past two weeks over in Athens, the Tigers have a great chance to knock of Georgia. Against Alabama, it will take an even greater effort. The Tigers will have an off week to prepare for Iron Bowl madness. Will the time off help, or hurt? Auburn can certainly use the rest, but many teams look discombobulated after a week off. Georgia is on pace to become the worst team in the Mark Richt era, and Alabama has already clinched the SEC Western Division title. Can Auburn win against both? I think it's certainly possible!

Jousting with the Paladins!

Acid Reign — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 15:30:40 -0000

How cool a mascot is that?

Auburn vs. Furman, homecoming open thread!

War Eagle, everybody! It's homecoming gameday in the Lovliest Village on the Plains! Today, Auburn hosts the Furman Paladins, of the Southern Conference. The game kicks off at 12:30 CDT, and is televised on pay per view. This game is also listed on the schedule on ESPN360.com, but I have a feeling it will be blacked out, in Alabama and South Carolina at the very least. Time will tell!

Today, the Tigers hope to put the game away early, and take a look at a lot of younger players. Making his first start at safety today is sophomore Demond Washington. Washington has been Auburn's nickel back of choice this season, but has never played so much as a single snap at safety. It will be an interesting day for that young man, and we'll all be cheering him on! This is not the first time Gene Chizik has moved a corner to safety. Junior Rosegreen was a starting corner when Chizik first took over the Auburn defense in 2002, and was immediately moved. It worked out well! Having the extra set of great hands in the secondary paid dividends, and Auburn's points per game given up went steadily downward with Chizik's plan.

As always, feel free to chime in, and get fired up for the Tigers vs. the Paladins!

Homecoming Week Around the SEC

Acid Reign — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 17:38:48 -0000

(Green Auburn safeties will have to keep an eye on Mims!)

War Eagle, everybody! It's a lot more fun to talk football after a big win, isn't it? We've reached the home stretch of the 2009 SEC season, and much of the league is hosting FCS and mid-major conference cupcakes, this weekend. Auburn hosts Furman, Kentucky hosts Eastern Kentucky, Georgia hosts Tennessee Tech, Tennessee hosts Memphis, and Ole Miss hosts Northern Arizona. None of those games should even be close, although we'll keep a sharp eye on the Georgia game, scouting the Bulldogs. Will the much maligned Bulldogs struggle against Tech?

There is an important matchup in the early SEC network game, this week. Arkansas hosts South Carolina, and it's a critical game for both schools. Whichever team loses that one will be saddled with the "bust" label, big-time. I'm looking out my window, and yes, I do see red and yellow leaves! That means it's time for South Carolina to start losing games in earnest. For much of the past decade, South Carolina has had fast starts, then major losses in late October and November, to finish as a third-tier bowl team or worse. Arkansas was expected to be a dark horse division contender, and much improved, this season. Alas, entering November, Arkansas is 1-4 in the league. With South Carolina, Troy, Mississippi State, and LSU left on the schedule, the Razorbacks will have to split those games to finish ahead of last season's record.

The headlining matchup this week is LSU at Alabama. Alabama can clinch the Western Division with a win. Only LSU could catch them in that event, and Alabama would own the tie breaker. LSU can take command in the division race with a win, but would likely have to win out the remainder of their schedule to actually win the division. With Ole Miss and Arkansas closing out the end of LSU's schedule, it's do-able, but it won't be easy. Ole Miss or Mississippi State COULD conceivably finish the SEC season at 5-3 and get a share of the division title, but it's unlikely, at best. Auburn could also finish at 5-3, but to catch Alabama, the Tide would have to drop all three of their remaining league games. And if the Tide does that, LSU would get a 5^th win, and LSU owns the tie-breaker against Auburn. So essentially, the SEC West is a two horse race at this point, and everyone else is jockeying for bowl position.

Incredibly, every team in the West might go to a bowl, this season! The two Mississippi teams have the hardest road. Mississippi State would have to win two of their last three, against Alabama, Arkansas, and Ole Miss. Ole Miss needs a win over either Tennessee, LSU, or Mississippi State to become bowl-eligible. The Egg Bowl may well determine who sits home for bowl season, this year. Arkansas needs a split in their remaining schedule to make it to a bowl. I think the Razorbacks can do it. Alabama, LSU and Auburn are already bowl eligible.

Net Yards Per Pass revisited, after the jump! (Plus a small Furman preview!)

Into the last stretch of the season, let's revisit SEC net yards per pass, see how the teams are doing, and how it correlates to winning. Vanderbilt's Larry Smith has joined Kentucky's Mike Hartline on the sideline for the rest of the year, so I've included some backups on those two teams.

SEC Eastern Division	Record	Record	Starting	Net
Team	SEC	Overall	Quarterback	Yards per Pass
Florida	6-0	8-0	Tim Tebow	7.3
Georgia	3-3	4-4	Joe Cox	5.0
South Carolina	3-3	6-3	Stephen Garcia	6.0
Tennessee	2-3	4-4	Jonathan Crompton	4.7
Kentucky	1-4	4-4	Mike Hartline Morgan Newton Will Fiddler	3.9 2.0 3.2
Vanderbilt	0-5	2-7	Larry Smith Mackenzi Adams (in limited action.)	3.4 6.5

SEC Western Division	Record	Record	Starting	Net
Team	SEC	Overall	Quarterback	Yards per Pass
Alabama	6-0	8-0	Greg McElroy	6.4
LSU	4-1	7-1	Jordan Jefferson	6.3
Auburn	3-3	6-3	Chris Todd	6.9
Ole Miss	2-3	5-3	Jevan Snead	4.2
Mississippi State	2-3	4-5	Tyson Lee Chris Relf	3.8 4.3
Arkansas	1-4	4-4	Ryan Mallett	8.4

Ryan Mallett continues to defy gravity, and tops the league. Despite that, Arkansas has not been able to win SEC games against teams not named "Auburn." Tebow is second, and Auburn's Chris Todd is third. At this point in the season, the critical thing in the above stat is taking care of the ball. Every one of the quarterbacks at 6.0 or better has not thrown many interceptions. Mallett has 3 picks, Tebow has 4, Todd has 3, McElroy has 3, Jefferson has 4, and Garcia has 5. By comparison, Jevan Snead has 13 picks, Joe Cox has 12, Tyson Lee has 11, and Jonathan Crompton has 10.

Shifting gears a bit, Auburn hosts Furman at 12:30 PM CST, on pay per view only. The Paladins will enter Jordan Hare Stadium with a 4-4 record. In their only previous game against an FBS opponent, the Paladins were pounded 52-12 by Missouri in Columbia. Furman has a respectable FCS offense that averages 27.6 points per game. In most Furman losses, the defense has been the real issue. Furman is giving up 30 points per game, and over 429 yards. The defense is playing bend but don't break, and has only generated 11 turnovers in 8 games. Teams are screening and drawing the Paladins to death.

Players to watch on the Furman offense include All-Southern Conference flanker Adam Mims, who has 55 catches on the season and a couple of TDs. The Paladins also like to run the reverse to Mims, and he's averaging 8.4 yards per carry. Furman likes get the ball into the hands of this 5'9" receiver. Senior Jordan Sorrells is the quarterback, a 6'2" specimen with a solid arm. Sorrells has 14 TD passes this season, against 6 interceptions. His net yards per pass is 5.7. Keep an eye out for change-of-pace quarterback Chris Forcier, a UCLA transfer. He has yet to complete a pass this season, but he averages 6.5 yards per carry on designed runs.

We'll have an open thread up Saturday, as always. Feel free to drop in and get fired up! There won't be the usual play by play, as I'm going to have to watch the game on the road, due to not having digital cable/satellite! I have to say, this new TV package has been inconvenient. I'm going to have to switch providers, or upgrade, before next season. It drives me crazy for Auburn games to be on TV, and not on channels I get! War Eagle, and let's pound the Paladins!

Zac Etheridge Out for the Season

Acid Reign — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 23:42:25 -0000

Various media outlets have broken the news that Auburn safety Zac Etheridge suffered a neck injury in the game against Ole Miss, and will miss the remainder of the season. Gene Chizik said that the doctors expect a full recovery.

The most amazing display of compassion on the play was by an Ole Miss player, Rodney Scott, who was tackled on the play and pinned under Zac Etheridge. Somehow, Scott knew that there was a neck injury involved, and stayed motionless for the entire time. His actions may well have prevented a worse injury to Etheridge. Kudos to Scott for his actions. We'll be cheering him and his Rebel teammates on, from here on out!

Mike Slade filled in admirably for Etheridge, Saturday, and will likely hold onto the job for the remainder of the season. Former starter Mike McNeil is not a likely option, said Chizik.

See Charles Goldberg's article in my hometown paper here.

Tigers Hold On Against the Rebels!

Acid Reign — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 03:15:52 -0000

(Head Coach Gene Chizik never shows emotion!)

War Eagle, everybody! It's the first happy football weekend for the Tigers, out of the last four! It's time now for the Acid Reign Report, on Auburn's miraculous 33-20 win over the University of Mississippi Rebels. Auburn faced a mismatch on paper in nearly every phase of this game coming in, but managed to emerge victorious by double digits! Both teams made plenty of mistakes, but Ole Miss made more. Auburn got a few fortuitous bounces, and took good advantage. Both teams had penalties, and for the first time in weeks, it was fairly even on both teams.

The Auburn defense was facing a tall order against the talented Rebel offense, and were gashed to the tune of 394 total yards. Dexter McCluster, who Auburn absolutely HAD to stop, finished with 207 total yards. McCluster paid for it in blood, though. Auburn defenders lowered the boom when they could, pounding the diminutive Rebel speedster. McCluster had to leave briefly in the second half, but came back valiantly late. Auburn made a serious effort with stunts and a few blitzes, and delivered enough hits to shake Rebel quarterback Jevan Snead off his game. Some of it was schemed but mostly, the Auburn defensive line and linebackers rose up, and beat on a young Ole Miss offensive line. Snead was limited to 16 completions on 35 attempts, with two picks by Walter McFadden, 175 yards, and one touchdown. That's a 2.1 net yards per pass average. Coverage by the secondary improved enormously, but the guys dropped nearly a half dozen possible interceptions. On the most difficult interception attempt, Walter McFadden made the play. On a ball that nearly hit the turf, and bounced off the straining hands of the Rebel receiver, McFadden snagged the carom one-handed, heels just over the boundary, and sprinted to a pick-six-touchdown! (How's that for a comma-splice?) Auburn gave up yards in chunks, including a 79 yard McCluster run. In the end, Auburn was able to turn the Rebels back every time in the 4^th quarter, holding Ole Miss scoreless to preserve the victory.

Special teams continued to run hot and cold. Clinton Durst hit great punt after great punt, till a shaky 33 yarder late. Chris Todd nailed the pooch punt of the year, coffin-cornering it out of bounds at the Rebel 1 yard line. Phillip Pierre-Louis didn't fumble a punt, but he let one go that was downed at the one, and danced like a man possessed on two others, netting only one yard with plenty of room. I fully expect that he will treat us to a Michael Jackson moonwalk, against Furman. Seriously, PPL, break it forward, please? Kick returns were decent, but kickoff net CONTINUES to be horrible. With the first return given up for a touchdown on the season, the kickoff team managed only a 33.8 yard net, even with Morgan Hull averaging kicking it to the 8 yard line. Wes Byrum continued his excellent ways, hitting on 4 extra points and a field goal. Byrum outkicked Ole Miss kicker Joshua Shene, who came into the game perfect on the year. Shene pushed a 44 yard field goal wide, and kicked an extra point into the line, which Auburn's Demond Washington scooped up and raced in for two points.

Auburn needed to stretch the field on offense. Everyone in the stadium held their breath on repeated tosses downfield, often into double coverage. Todd let it go downfield a bunch, and ended up with a great net yards per pass average, 9.6. Darvin Adams got open and made 4 clutch catches, and Terrell Zachary made a couple of GREAT ones! Tommy Trott had a terrible drop, and a magnificent TD on a ball slung up for the corner by Kodi Burns, off his back foot, being pressured. The Rebels were looking for Mario Fannin and Terrell Zachary on the reverse, but were hurt twice by freshman Travante Stallworth on that play. Ben Tate continued his outstanding play running the ball, powering for 148 rushing yards and a 53-yard back-breaking touchdown. The Tiger offense out-gained Ole Miss, 400 yards to 394. The Ole Miss defense's previous high given up for the season was 354, against Alabama.

Unit Grades, after the jump!

Defensive Line: B+. It was hardly a perfect game up front, especially given that the team gave up 394 yards. Still, there was some good pressure at times on Ole Miss, and eight tackles for loss. Auburn has been able to rotate six or seven up front all year, and it's going to help us going into Amen Corner.

Linebackers: B-. It was feast or famine in the linebacker corps. Sometimes we filled holes and blasted the runner, and sometimes we got pinned inside and burned. The swing pass to backs was KILLING the linebackers early, but adjustments were made well. A number of McCluster runs bounced off linebackers and gained a ton more yardage. Eltoro Freeman was again a force up front. He's very young , and when he gets out of position, it's ugly. It's the second week in a row that the young star has given up a 60+ yard TD run. Still, Freeman led the team in tackles, and was an inspiration. When he actually knows the defense well, he'll be really scary! The stat guys totally missed it, but Adam Herring got a few snaps, and made a huge tip on a pass when Ole Miss was in the red zone.

Secondary: B. This was a night and day improvement by this unit. Coverage was too soft early on, but as Snead started feeling pressure, the corners were able to crash the outs and hitches aggressively. When Zach Etheridge went out early, I was REALLY worried about the safeties. We lost a bit in tackling ability without Zach, but I think Mike Slade brought more speed to the equation. Ole Miss wasn't able to get it done downfield, even with that situation. T'Sharvan Bell and Demond Washington acquitted themselves well, and Neiko Thorpe made some plays. If this group continues to improve, they'll do well against Georgia and Bama.

Punting: B+. Durst hit some monster shots, but might have out-kicked his coverage some. The last kick, when we need to play for field position, was pretty poor. Durst averaged 42 yards on his six punts, but Marshay Green returned 3 of them, for 43 yards. The 29 yard Green return in the third quarter (the longest given up on the season) could have been costly, but Ole Miss fumbled it back on the Auburn 24. A net of 34.7 is a bit down, for us. I can't say enough about Chris Todd's pooch punt that went out of bounds at the one. That was a thing of beauty!

Punt Returns: D. No turnovers is an improvement. The dance moves, with room and blocking, were not. Phillip Pierre-Louis is a rookie at this gig, and I'm not suggesting we replace him. He just needs more coaching. When he learns to step fearlessly into the catch, and heads a few straight up field at a 45 degree angle or less, it will scare coverage teams to death. He's got some great (dreaded buzzword!) potential!

Kick Returns: B. This was a surprisingly solid effort. Ole Miss popped 'em up to about the 12 yard line, and Auburn returners Demond Washington and Phillip Pierre-Louis made 'em pay on field position, averaging 27 yards per return. That set us up on 3 returns outside the 35 yard line. That's pretty sweet, if we can keep that up!

Kickoffs: D-. Well, we tried kicking them deep this week, but Morgan Hull was not consistent. He managed two into the end zone, but 4 others were short. Auburn had a TREMENDOUS hit on the first return, causing a fumble that Auburn could not corral. Despite the negative on that play, Ole Miss averaged 30 yards per return, with one broken for a touchdown to pull Ole Miss within 11. Auburn did improve from a 26.0 yard net a week ago, to 33.8. I'll give a pass, this week.

Placekicking A+. Maybe I should count off on the 36-yard Byrum field goal that SHAVED juuuuusst inside the upright, but it counts 3 points, just the same. Byrum was perfect again. Foot Lauderdale has hit all 34 of his extra points, and is 13 of 14 on field goals. The only miss was from outside 40 yards. Magnificent, Sir Byrum, absolutely magnificent!

Offensive Line: B- This was a so-so performance, at best,but a winner nonetheless! Ole Miss has a great line, and depth. Auburn helped out on the scheme, giving the line help with several max-protect packages on the deep balls. Our tackles had maybe the worst day of the year trying to handle Greg Hardy and Kentrell Lockett off the edge. In this game, on 3^rd and +7, it was probably better to just run a draw. It would have saved Chris Todd some hits! Still, the Ole Miss ends had only 8 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, and 2 sacks. We lost the guard/center gap a couple of times, letting Jerrell Powe roar inside for tackles in the backfield. On a D-line that had Jerrell Powe, Lawson Scott, Kentrell Lockett, and Greg Hardy, Ole Miss only produced 9 tackles. No holding penalties for the line, and only one false start on Mike Berry. And of course, one delay of game on an early snap, courtesy of indecision by Roger's Redding's Buffoons.

Receivers: B. After the catch drought the past three weeks, one HAS to love 7 catches for 117 yards and 2 touchdowns from the starters. Travante Stallworth ran two key reverses for first downs, and Kodi Burns was actually used as a receiver on a nice motion in, reverse out catch for 8 tough yards. There were some bruising blocks downfield, too. Some of the best plays downfield weren't catches, but rather swat-downs by Terrell Zachary on deep balls he wasn't going to be able to catch. Todd chunked it deep for Zachary multiple times, and Zachary did a good job of protecting his QB on those. Tommy Trott had a BAD drop on one pass, but made up for it with a NICE over the shoulder catch on a Burns loft in the end zone.

Running Backs: B. There was some hit and miss on blitz pickup, but enough success to allow Todd to set up to go deep multiple times. There was some good screen offense early, from Mario Fannin and Eric Smith. Ben Tate does some awesome running in traffic. His 148 yards on the day gave him 1067 yards in nine games. He's on pace to finish the regular season with 1422 yards, which would be the third best rushing season in Auburn history, behind only Bo Jackson and Rudi Johnson. Ben's rapidly approaching some rarefied air, around these parts!

Quarterback: C+. Super improvement from the past couple of weeks, but there was some shaky play as well. First off, the Wildcat was pretty much totally useless, except for Kodi's beautiful heave for a TD. Neither Burns throw was proper form AT ALL, but the one we needed got there for six. Rushing out of the Wildcat was snuffed, as nine or ten Ole Miss defenders attacked the line when they recognized Burns in the shotgun. Todd made some big throws, but it was scary. There were two deep throws where Terrell Zachary really made him look good, and a coverage bust that allowed Darvin Adams free for a TD. Todd made an absolutely awful decision late, giving up a 20 yard sack-fumble when we were trying to run the clock down. Luckily, two negative plays, a hold and a sack forced Ole Miss to punt for a touchback. Is Todd's arm OK? At times, he overthrows, at times he bounces it. Against a scary front and linebacking corps, Todd did OK, except for the fumble.

Auburn came up with a great win today! I didn't hold out much hope after the LSU effort, but these Tigers don't quit! We needed to go downfield on offense, play hard against Dexter McCluster, and rattle Jevan Snead. Auburn accomplished all three things, and came up with a win a little bigger than I predicted back in July. No, Ole Miss fans, we didn't score 34 like I thought we would, but we'll take 33!

The win over Ole Miss makes Auburn bowl-eligible at 6-3, and gives the team a great lift going into Homecoming against Furman. If Auburn can continue the improving play in Athens, an 8 win season is still within reach, and if we win that one, we'll host Alabama with a rising swell of confidence! Black Friday might be the end of the Tide's unbeaten run, if we continue to play well and the breaks fall like they did today!

War Eagle, everybody! WAR EAGLE! Ain't it grand? Nothing like winning!

All Eyes on the Quarterback.

Acid Reign — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 14:32:56 -0000

(Ole Miss at Auburn, Open Thread!)

War Eagle, everybody! It's another rainy college football morning, but I'm fired up! Auburn hosts the Ole Miss Rebels today, kicking off at 11:21 AM on the SEC Network. Check your local listings. Auburn has been a very good team in the rain, this season, and here's hoping the Tiger offense can get back on track!

It's time to roll up the yards, and make Houston Nutt's 5th trip to the Plains an unhappy one! Nutt is 2-2 at Auburn, in his head coaching career. Auburn defeated Nutt's Razorbacks in 2000, 21-19. In 2002, Nutt's offense took advantage in a 38-17 Arkansas win. Auburn turned the tables in 2004, roaring out to a 30-0 second quarter lead, and coasting to a 38-20 win. In 2006, Auburn forgot to set their alarm clocks, and lost to the Razorbacks 27-10.

We'll be here all morning, sipping hot coffee and half 'n' half. Feel free to sound off in the comments, and let's have a great Auburn day! Track 'em Tigers, just like beagles! Give 'em HELL, you War Damn Eagles!

A Halloween Brunch with the Rebels

Acid Reign — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 16:52:29 -0000

Get open and grab it, guys!

War Eagle, everybody! It's time to carve up those pumpkins, and get ready for a tough early (11:21 AM CDT) contest with the Ole Miss Rebels. Due to leap year calendar gymnastics, Auburn has not played a game on Halloween since 1998: an ill-fated visit by the Arkansas Razorbacks which Auburn lost, 24-21. The sixth starting Auburn center of the year, and a true freshman quarterback fumbled a 4^th down and inches snap on a potential game-winning drive. Auburn has six wins, six losses, and a tie on Halloween, all-time. This year, Auburn faces an Ole Miss team that was greatly hyped in preseason. The Rebels disappointed early, but came on strong last week with a big 30-17 win over Arkansas.

It's taken over a half a season, but the Ole Miss offensive brain trust seems to finally have figured out that they need to put the ball in the hands of their most explosive player, Dexter McCluster. The speedy 168 pound wide receiver/tailback hung 260 offensive yards on the Razorbacks last weekend, and earned the SEC Offensive Player of the Week award from the league office. Besides McCluster, the Rebel offense has strong-armed quarterback Jevan Snead, and a host of capable wide receivers. At times, Snead looks like Joe Namath. At times, he can't throw the ball in the ocean. Last week, Snead got hot, and lit the Arkansas secondary up for 332 yards. While Snead can be streaky, McCluster is not. The senior has a career yards per carry average of 5.86, and a 13.9 yards per reception average. In conference losses to South Carolina (15 carries, no catches) and Alabama (6 carries, 3 catches), McCluster wasn't much of a factor. Even in the win over Vanderbilt (7 carries, 2 catches), McCluster was not frequently used, and the result was a lackluster win. Against those three SEC opponents, the Ole Miss offense scored an average of 12.0 points. Against Arkansas, McCluster had 7 catches and 22 caries, and Ole Miss scored 30 points. Auburn HAS to keep an eye on McCluster! It would also help if if Snead is back to his earlier accuracy levels.

Defensive numbers, Rebel hate week, ref-gate, and more, after the jump!

If there was a bright spot to take away from the Auburn beating in Baton Rouge, it was the play of defensive end Antoine Carter, and linebacker Eltoro Freeman. For the first time all season, Auburn had pass rushing threats from both sides of the line, and some great run support. Yes, there was a 69 yard TD run given up in the 3^rd quarter, and Freeman was pancaked by a guard on the play, but the secondary let that run go the distance. For Auburn to return to the defensive production of the mid-Tuberville era, we've GOT to rush the passer, and attack enemy runners. The LSU game was the first sign of a pulse in those areas we've seen, all year.

Auburn Defensive Production (yards and points given up.)

Year	Yards per rush	Yards per Pass	Points per Game
2002	3.9	5.7	17.8
2003	2.7	6.8	16.3
2004	3.3	6.1	11.3
2005	3.5	6.6	15.5
2006	3.7	6.4	13.9
2007	3.6	5.6	16.9
2008	4.1	5.8	18.0
2009	4.4	5.9	26.9

As the table above clarifies, allowing more than 4 yards per rush leads to huge problems. It's no coincidence that as Auburn passed the 4.0 barrier, our record has plunged to 10 wins, 10 losses. Our record before 2008? 59 wins, 18 losses.

The Rebel defense may not be as deep as LSU's, but the starting front seven are arguably more talented. Ole Miss gave up 22 points to Alabama, but held Arkansas to 17, South Carolina to 16, and Vanderbilt to seven points. I'll be shocked if the Auburn offense suddenly "gets well" and puts up early-season numbers. For Auburn to have a chance on offense, the wide receivers MUST be involved!

I was somewhat amused this week to discover a "Hate Week" thread up on SB Nation Ole Miss blog, Red Cup Rebellion. Evidently, a cadre of Ole Miss fans are STILL stewed at Auburn for hiring Tommy Tuberville away from their school 11 years ago. I wasn't a big fan of grabbing another SEC school's head coach, at the time. Now, Tuberville is gone, but the taint is still there. That worked out about as well as we knew it would.

I'll continue this morning's discombobulated ramblings with my take on "referee-gate." Do I think that SEC refs are involved in some sinister, carefully crafted plan to set Alabama and Florida up in the title game? In a word, no. I have posted the catch-phrase "Rogers Redding's Buffoons" many times before, and I fully believe that this season's mistakes in officiating are just the latest episode in a comedy that takes place every year. I'm a proponent of accountability in all things. We rarely see ANY consequences from the SEC office for bad calls. Coaches are reprimanded and put on double-secret probation for complaining about calls, but the league's policy remains "keep quiet," as far as officiating blunders. There's supposedly an evaluation of each game official's performance, but who sees the report? Not the press. Not the players. Not the coaches. The same guys are back, year after year. It's rare for the league to even admit to a wrong call, despite overwhelming video evidence. This year has been unusual in that a crew has finally been suspended. Not just the official who made a game changing phantom call, but the entire crew. That punishment is ridiculous. It's making the whole class stay after school for one kid talking in class. It's a spotty whitewashing of a deck full of rotten wood. "See, we DID do something about it, right?" I think the league office should publish the scorecards. Set standards, and consequences for not meeting those standards. The process should be transparent, not shrouded in secrecy and denial.

/soapbox rant off.

It will be an early game Saturday, against the Rebels. As always, we'll have an open thread up at TrackEmTigers.com, and welcome everyone's insights! War Eagle, and beat the Rebs!

Auburn Takes a Beating in Baton Rouge.

Acid Reign — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 02:31:45 -0000

(LSU cruises past Auburn, 31-10.)

War Eagle, everybody. It's time now for the much belated Acid Reign report, on Auburn's 31-10 loss to LSU, in Death Valley. The game was a chance to take advantage of a struggling LSU offense, and get back into the SEC Western Division race. Instead, Auburn regressed for the third week in a row. All was not gloom and doom, in this one, though. Auburn fared decently on both lines of scrimmage. Where Auburn and LSU diverged was in the play of skill folks, on both sides of the ball. There is no quick fix for this Auburn football team, either. Auburn will lose a number of key players over the next two graduating classes, and will have to look for replacements among incoming freshmen to fill many of those spots. Such is the fate of an SEC school with only 74 scholarship players. We'll continue to cheer on our beleaguered Tigers, regardless.

When you take a 31-10 beating in the SEC, there is usually plenty of team-wide blame to go around. This week, the most glaring culprit would be the lack of offensive production. When Auburn rolled up 469 yards against the Monte Kiffin/Tennessee defense, I opined that one could get a lot done on offense, if the two outside receivers could occupy four defenders downfield. Auburn's wideouts have not occupied even two defenders downfield, in the past three weeks. Arkansas, Kentucky, and LSU have felt free to blitz corners and cover with safeties, or to cover man to man, and blitz safeties. As a result, Auburn is now attempting to run the ball against more defenders than blockers on most plays. Production has plunged. The question becomes: whom to blame? Have the receivers stopped getting open? Has the quarterback lost the ability to throw to them? Or are the wrong plays being called? Gene Chizik and Co. aren't saying.

Through three quarters against the LSU defense, the tape showed the LSU defense often giving the Auburn outside receivers a LARGE cushion, sometimes as much as ten yards. We did not attempt a simple hitch, or wide receiver screen, THE WHOLE GAME. Maybe it was called, but we never saw it run. We ran lots of screens to backs, and suffered a HORRIBLE day blocking on the perimeter, but that's a different issue. Auburn didn't ATTEMPT a pass towards a wide receiver till a one-yard check-down dump off to Zachary, with 3:30 left in the first quarter. Auburn MIGHT have called a downfield pass play on the next drive, on 3^rd and 7. Against a 7 man rush, with 6 blockers, Chris Todd held the ball, fumbled, and LSU had it at the Auburn 16. What was called, we have no clue. The short pass was there, as both corners bailed backwards. You have to fast forward to the early second quarter for the next involvement of the wide receivers. On first down, Todd had ALL DAY to throw on a play fake, then tried to force one into to double coverage to Jay Wisner, on the short side, AFTER Wisner had run out of real estate. Interception. Todd's next two wide receiver attempts came on 3^rd and 17 (out of bounds towards Emory Blake), and 3^rd and 20 (again to Blake, basically thrown away.) Todd had another sack-fumble during this stretch.

In the third quarter, we didn't pass towards a wide receiver till third and goal at the 7. It was to Darvin Adams, of course, on an out run short of the goal line, into double coverage. Incomplete. Next drive, trailing 24-3, we faced a crucial 3^rd and 4. Corners bailed at the snap. Todd tried the out and up to Zachary, couldn't get by the defender. Out and UP?!? We haven't completed a hitch pass in three weeks, and we expected LSU to bite on an out and up? Before we get it back again, it's 31-3. Next possession, 2^nd and 17 we tried to pass. Seven man rush, Todd got sacked again. PLENTY of cushion on Zachary to the wide side, but we don't even ATTEMPT to zip it out there and get some of the yardage back. Next drive, Todd's last, we don't attempt to go downfield again till 3^rd and 8. A sack off the corner blitz, leaving Zachary and a TON of room over on the wide side with a safety 15 yards back. I have to wonder, at this point. Is it the play calls? Is it Todd not pulling the trigger? We've GOT to get the wideouts involved again, or we'll get blown out on Halloween, against Ole Miss. Cornerback is the weakest point of the Ole Miss defense, and we MUST exploit that! Whether it's Todd, or Caudle, we MUST gun that ball in there, and make plays on the perimeter! Of all of the things to be angry about in the 2009 Auburn/LSU game, the lack of passing to the wide receivers stands out the most, to me.

Auburn's defense was hardly stellar, in this game, either. Except for one play against LSU running backs, Auburn played well. Containing the Quarterback on the scramble was a different story. It's been a sore point all year, and Auburn's woes in that department are not even new to this year. What is alarming from this game is the 7.5 yards per pass given up. Neiko Thorpe and Walter McFadden got worked over, in this one. McFadden managed one great pass breakup in the 3^rd quarter, but he was beaten by Brandon LaFell, spun around, for a second quarter score. LSU quarterback Jordan Jefferson was able to loft the ball up to covered receivers, confident that his man would come down with the ball. Auburn is running with receivers, but is not making the play when the ball gets there. That's something to work on. Tackling and pass rush continue to be problematic, but the defense enjoyed a healthy infusion of Eltoro Freeman and Antoine Carter. Those guys have missed most of the year, and appeared to be much fresher and aggressive than the rest of the defense. Next week, it's incumbent upon Ted Roof to utilize these guys to get into the Ole Miss backfield, and work on Jevan Snead. Secondary tackling remains poor. There was one LSU touchdown where Antonio Coleman and Zach Etheridge had Jefferson bracketed. Coleman left his feet, leaping at the pump fake, and Etheridge took a short angle. Jefferson sprinted into the end zone, on what should have been a sack. The icing 69 yard run in the third quarter was on Neiko Thorpe and Darren Bates. Neither guy was blocked. They got split up the back side on that run, and were left standing slack-jawed. The defensive mistakes in this game are correctable. The real enemy is fatigue. Most of these guys have played nearly every defensive snap of the season. Relief isn't in sight till mid-November, unfortunately.

Special teams continue to earn the "special" label, and not in a good way. We had another fumbled punt. We can't manage 40 yards per punt, anymore. Return blocking remains non-existent. Net kickoffs continue to get worse. We averaged only 26.0 net yards, in this game. LSU averaged starting at their own 44 yard line. We'd have done better kicking every kick out of bounds.

Unit Grades, after the jump.

Defensive Line: B. We had decent gap control, and a good spark on the pass rush from Antoine Carter. Auburn didn't get enough heat on first-down play action, but that's understandable facing a deadly backfield like LSU has. Where Auburn loses points is on the scheme: We continue to drop defensive ends into pass coverage, and it's pretty much been useless against SEC opponents. Asking an end, even a guy like Antonio Coleman, to cover Trindan Holiday or Keiland Williams, is ridiculous. We'd be better served rushing the passer.

Linebackers: B-. We continue to miss tackles, but with the addition of Eltoro Freeman to the mix, we were pretty solid against the run, for the first time all year. The linebackers forced LSU to throw it to move the ball consistently. Unfortunately, LSU did quite well through the air. Points off on repeated loss of contain on quarterback Jordan Jefferson.

Secondary: F. Take away one rip-out on a long pass by Walter McFadden, and this unit was pretty helpless in coverage. We couldn't chase down Jordan Jefferson on scrambles, couldn't contain Sheppard beyond the tackle box, and couldn't knock the ball away from LSU receivers. The secondary did make 23 tackles, but well over half were assists. Considering that LSU completed 22 passes, that stat isn't very good.

Punting: C. Clinton Durst killed 3 of his seven punts inside the LSU 20, and did manage one spectacular 58 yard rain-maker. ON the other hand, we were treated to a shank and a slice, at critical times during the ball game. LSU did not manage a single return. We'll grudgingly take a 39.7 yard net, against LSU.

Punt Returns: F. Poor decisions all around in this one, and again, no blocking. We let one easily returnable punt hit and roll, fair caught another with room, then fumbled one in traffic. The fumble was particularly ugly, because Phillip Pierre-Louis did not use proper form. He tried to short-arm the ball with a defender right there. Had he stepped up and caught it into his body, he'd likely have drawn an interference flag.

Kick Returns: C. We actually blocked a wee bit better, this week. Mario Fannin had one of his trademark "run into the first guy down, and fall" returns, but Ben Tate, Phillip Pierre-Louis, and Demond Washington all had decent distance returns, getting yards after contact.

Kickoffs: F. Again, I suppose I should be thankful that we didn't give one up for a score. Still, a 26.0 yard net HAS to be one of the worst figures of the year, in the NCAA! I am NOT a fan of our current sky-kick and prayer style!

Placekicking A+. Wes Byrum was perfect on two kicks. We're not giving him NEARLY enough opportunities. He's performing at an All-SEC level, but won't get noticed with only a couple of kicks a game.

Offensive Line: B+. Points off on an Andrew McCain false start. He's officially taken the false-start poster-boy status away from Lee Ziemba, in 2009. The play was a bad call, due to a defender being in the neutral zone, but still. You can't move before the snap! Period! Auburn's line actually held their own quite well against a good LSU front, in this game. LSU had to outnumber our blockers, to stop the running game, and didn't get much pressure on Todd unless they blitzed.

Receivers: D. This is an awfully harsh grade for a unit without even a single drop. A lot of it likely had to do with the scheme, but these guys never got involved. Tommy Trott made one good 15 yard catch, but otherwise seemed to whiff on every screen block he attempted. We ran one end around to Zachary, into the boundary, for a big loss. Nice plays at the end of the game by Blake and Lutzencirchen to get us a TD, but that's trash-time stuff. We've GOT to get more out of these guys, whether it's blocking on screens, or simply executing a 5-yard hitch route. We've got NOTHING going on the outside right now, and defenses know it.

Running Backs: B. There is only so much a back can do, outnumbered in traffic. Eric Smith continues to function well as a lead blocker, and as a screen receiver. Kudos to Tate, Fannin, and Smith for hanging onto the ball and not fumbling. Points off on a couple of pass protection gaffes. Hideous job on 3^rd and 1 on the first drive, on Tate and Smith. It was a wingback, under center formation, with a quick snap. Both guys were leaning to the right, telegraphing the play. And Smith fell down on his block. Tate was stacked up with no chance, on that one. We didn't pick up the corner blitz terribly well, in protection, either. Note to Gus: sit Onterrio McCalebb down, till his ankle heals. A slow, 160-pound back won't do, in the SEC.

Quarterback: D-. Again, I have to wonder if it's the scheme. Chris Todd doesn't seem willing to try anything towards a wide receiver, till it's third and long. Holding the ball on all-out blitzes is a big no-no. A senior should at LEAST toss it up, down the sideline, and give his receiver a chance. Heck, the way we're punting, we might be better off with an interception! Kodi Burns had the chance to make opponents respect his arm in the Wildcat, and missed a wide-open Fannin. Neil Caudle looked good, late. He's got an arm. Made some tough throws in traffic. Maybe not the wisest throws, but he was at least trying to get something done downfield. Caudle did make a wrong read on the read-option, when he was in there. Ended up being a blocker. Should Gus and Gene yank Todd? Debate will rage, all week. I'm not sold. It sure seemed to me that the play caller was afraid to test LSU's corners, this week. If we're going to keep Todd back there, we need to let him chuck it. He's not a runner. If we want to just take sacks, heck, let Ben Tate run the wildcat. If we want to take Chris Todd's starting job, we need to at least give him a chance to fail. As much as I hate to say it, we're calling plays scared, right now.

Auburn's divisional championship chances are officially gone, as of this week. I think the most important thing, from this point forward, is to develop our schemes, and our young players. I'm not in favor of burning redshirts at this point, but I think snaps for guys that are going to lose a year anyway, such as Neil Caudle, should be a priority. We've already burned a year on DeAngelo Benton, Emory Blake, and Travante Stallworth. Put 'em out there, and throw the ball to them. Run Jonathan Evans in at linebacker every other series. Let Eltoro Freeman run wild. Get T'Sharvan Bell, D'Antoine Hood, and Mike Slade some snaps. We may well lose to Ole Miss, Georgia, and Alabama. We're going to have to get some young guys ready, for the future. Most importantly, it's up to us supporters to NOT jump off the bandwagon, in these difficult times. None of our coaches deserve to be fired, at this time. They are doing the best they can, with a limited stock of players.

Honestly, I'm looking forward to Halloween hosting Ole Miss. I've watched a decade of Houston Nutt. I KNOW what he'll do. He's going to load the box, and GET AFTER the QB. We have a GREAT chance to open it up, and make some plays. We can use our newfound players Eltoro Freeman and Antoine Carter, and heat Jevan Snead up. I think Auburn has a great chance at pulling the upset, next week in Jordan Hare! War Eagle, everybody! Don't get down on your Tigers! Beat Ole Miss!

Tigers on a Mission, in Baton Rouge!

Acid Reign — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 16:49:12 -0000

(Track this man, Charles Scott, down and stop him!)

(Auburn at LSU, Open Thread!)

War Eagle, everybody! Tonight, the Auburn Tigers take on LSU, in Baton Rouge, at 6:30 PM, CDT. The game will be televised on ESPN-2. It's another important SEC matchup for both teams. The loser of this game can pretty much kiss any division championship dreams goodbye, after this one.

Auburn's record in Baton Rouge has been anything but stellar. Auburn is 5-13-1, all time, in the Louisiana state capital. The last Auburn win in the series came in the infamous 1999 "Cigar Game," when Auburn defeated LSU 41-7. Since 2003, the Auburn/LSU game has been decided by less than seven points, each year. The 2004 game was decided on a re-kicked extra point, which gave Auburn a 10-9 victory. The 2005 game was decided in overtime, on a missed John Vaughn field goal attempt. Auburn stopped LSU at the 4 yard line in a 7-3 win, in 2006. Matt Flynn hit a TD bomb with several seconds to go in 2007, to lift LSU to a 30-24 win. In 2008, Jarrett Lee connected with Brandon LaFell on a catch and run, for a late score to put LSU ahead, 26-21. Will history continue?

As always, feel free to chime in, and cheer on the Auburn Tigers! War Eagle, and beat LSU!

An already thin roster takes another hit.

Acid Reign — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 15:59:21 -0000

AuburnUndercover.com is reporting that cornerback Harry Adams has been kicked off the Auburn football team for an unspecified violation of team rules. That leaves Auburn with Walter McFadden, Neiko Thorpe, and Demond Washington for experienced cornerbacks, and McFadden has been limited by a sore knee for the past two weeks.

My best guess as to who would be the 4th corner is T'Sharvan Bell, who worked that position during the spring. D'Antoine Hood also played corner last year, but has been limited by injury this season.