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Hobbes
(184.32.216.121) on 10/10/2010 - 12:08 p.m. says: ( 8 views
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"One Reason The Defense Looked Bad"
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Edited by Author at 10/10/2010 - 12:29 p.m.
CONTEXT ADDED BY ADMIN:
END OF CONTEXT
and granted it wasn't the only reason---but a significant one--is an int. and then three straight three and outs by the offense.
The stats that really matter he doesn't even mention:
Third down efficiency--Auburn won
YPP-Auburn won
Rushing attempts--Auburn won
Turnovers-tie.
If I had more time on my hands and the ability to write better I would turn into the SEC football version of FireJoeMorgan.com and spend it all (1) bitching about Bob Davie and Bob Griese and (2) preach about how those four stats (Third Down Efficiency, ypp, rushing attempts, Turnovers) mean more to a games' outcome and measure value more than all other stats.
Another stat left out is times Gus got kicked in the nuts.
Roof is partially to blame on those three and outs for not going and kicking Mahlzahn squarely in his nuts after the second three and out. I think one swift kick by Ted (Or perhaps Rocker is the one who should do this--or maybe Tracy ought to use his super sized hands and laid down the pimp upside someone's head) and we would have at least picked up a first down.
Also a mention of the punts without pointing out "no return yards" mean nothing.
Anyway reading Stats' posts reminds me of reading some old baseball hack telling me that so and so is a better baseball player because he scored a lot of runs or if a pitcher has a nice winning %, and ignoring WHIP, OBS, VORP etc.
The No. 8 Auburn Tigers came out on fire on offense but the defense allowed Kentucky to stay in the game long enough to take this game deep into the final period. If Cameron Newton isn’t one of the best college football players this season, I don’t know who is. He accounted for 408 of Auburn’s 521-yards and 9 of Auburn’s 11 impact plays. Every player on special teams and defense should be told to wash his feet and cook him breakfast Sunday morning. During the final drive of the game, you knew Cameron Newton was going to haul the mail but the Wildcat defense could not stop him. The defense played their worst game of the season (pass defense) and the Kentucky OL dominated the Auburn front four for the majority of the game but special teams were not too far behind. Kick coverage was horrendous and Auburn’s punting game was just as bad. The average starting field position for Kentucky was their own 37-yard line and Auburn started off at their own 23-yard line. If not for the tremendous success by the Auburn offense in the first half, field position would have won this game for the Wildcats. Auburn did hold Kentucky to 3.7 yards per rush, which wasn’t bad but pass-defense continues to be the Achilles heel for the Tigers.
In terms of their quest for a national title, the focus should now be on finding some form of solution on pass-defense. Auburn simply isn’t playing championship defense and the offense cannot be expected to win every game. Darvin Adams stepped up tonight with several clutch receptions, including 2 big plays. The running backs played well during the first half but were basically non-existent during the second half. I still don’t know how a defensive player can be called on a late hit out of bounds when the contact was initiated on the field of play.
Inside the Numbers…
* Kentucky came into the game with a pass rating of nearly 190 on 3rd down and did not let up against the Tiger defense. The Wildcats finished the game, completing 5 of their 6 3rd down passes for a rating of 201.3.
* The Wildcats were just as deadly passing on 1st down, completing 10 of their 12 passes for a rating of 182.3.
* Through 6 games, Auburn’s opponent has completed 69 percent of their 1st down passes.
* Speaking of 1st down, Auburn finished the night with 5.7 yards per play on first down, compared to Kentucky’s 4.9 yards. Auburn averaged 7.6 yards per first down play in the first half but only 3.5 yards during the second half.
* In a game that allowed on 10 offensive possessions for each team, Gus Malzahn’s offense scored on 7 possessions, while gaining over 500-yards. Some might focus on the three poor possessions to start the third period but anytime an offense had over 500-yard and over 30-points on the road against a SEC defense, they’ve done their job.
* Auburn’s offense had 11 impact plays on the night, while the defense allowed 5. Auburn held a 9 to 1 edge during the first half and Kentucky held a 4-2 edge during the second half.
* Cameron Newton finished the game with a pass rating of 136.4, his lowest rating of the season. He was 135.8 on first down, 148.2 on 2nd down and 118.6 on third down.
* Zac Etheridge led the Tiger defense with 9.5 stops, including 8 solo tackles.
* Auburn’s defense recorded only 6 tackles for loss, a season low.
* Mario Fannin and Michael Dyer accounted for 106-yards rushing on 17 carries but the majority of their success came during the first half.
* Kodi Burns recorded his first “big” play under Gus Malzahn with a 33-yard reception that set up a touchdown.
* Through 6 games, the Auburn offense now has 62 impact plays on the season compared to the 60 gained by the 2009 Auburn offense. This includes 17 big plays in 2010 compared to the 21 gained by the 2009 offense through the first 6 games.
* Through 6 games, the 2010 Auburn offense is averaging 483-yards and 37 points per game compared to the 489-yards and 38 points gained by the 2009 Auburn offense through 6 games.
* Through 6 games, the Auburn defense has allowed 278-yards and 21 points per game compared to the 369-yards and 27 points averaged in 2009 through the first 6 games.
Inside the Red Zone:
It certainly was the way the Auburn coaches would have liked to finish the game, after leading by 14 at halftime but it is another conference victory, something they failed to accomplish in week #6 of last season. Though it’s good to know this team was good enough to overcome poor defensive play and poor special teams play on the road, the Tigers took a step backwards in it’s quest to find it’s identity. Once again, they failed to seize the moment to distinguish themselves as one of the better top ten teams and they cannot continue to live on the edge and expect to win. As I reported earlier this week, the offense and run defense is in position to take this team to Atlanta but pass-defense and special teams is still a major question mark for this team.
If not for having to kneel to set up the game-winning field goal, Cameron Newton came very close to securing one of those rare 200-200 performances by a quarterback. He clearly was the best player on the field tonight and he delivered when Auburn needed him the most. He was nearly perfect in the first half, guiding the Tiger offense to over 340-yards and 31 points on just 5 possessions. During the final two possessions of the game, he directed Auburn’s offense to over 160-yards on 27 plays, basically carrying the offense on his back for the game-winning drive. In my opinion, he is the best offensive player Auburn has fielded since Bo Jackson and Auburn is blessed to have him on the field.
Because Auburn remains undefeated and ranked in the top ten, they also remain in the national championship picture as well as the conference race to Atlanta. Of course a closer look at how the Tigers have arrived at 6-0, is also a reminder that this team cannot look past anyone on their schedule except for Tennessee-Chattanooga. Auburn is good enough to beat everyone on their remaining schedule but if they continue to play poorly enough to drop all of their remaining conference games. With Alabama going down against South Carolina, the race is wide open to win the SEC and there is no team in the conference executing on all eight cylinders. Despite Auburn’s issues on pass-defense, every contender in the SEC has their own issues and no team has been dominating. Auburn came close to blowing it tonight but in a season, where no SEC team has separated themselves from the pack, Auburn is in it just as much as any other team.
War Eagle!
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