Monthly Archive for October, 2007
Page 3 of 7
I’m always struggling for the right words to describe Auburn after they play. Some days it’s easy to lay on the superlatives and compliments. Other games it’s hard to do it politely but, every time to describe them you try to leave a glimmer of hope at the end of it.
Wylie on Something Awful put it in much better words than I ever could have in reference to the game against Arkansas (post)
Auburn is both the team that lost to MSU and South Florida, and the team that beat Florida. What’s more, you don’t know which they’ll be until approximately 5 minutes after the kickoff of each game. This is the nature of Auburn. There is no “new Auburn” and “old Auburn.” There is “Schroedinger’s Auburn,” which appears once each week when you turn on your TV to look at them, and then they resolve either into worldbeaters or Keystone Kops.
This week, the defense resolved into worldbeaters for 58 minutes, and then failed just in time for the offense to show up for 2 minutes and save their butts. Next week, who knows? There are laws of the universe that tell us it is impossible to know what Auburn team is going to appear at any moment.
I can live with “Schroedinger’s Auburn”. Hopefully the cat is alive when we play LSU,
Against Arkansas, Auburn DL Sen’Derrick Marks and his fellow Tiger defenders thought defensive coordinator Will Muschamp wanted to talk.
On the sidelines, the second-year coordinator called up his defenders and huddled them together. Marks thought he had something important to say.
But he didn’t. Muschamp wasn’t looking for words. He was looking for someone to hit.
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| AP: Todd J. Van Emst | |
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| Muschamp doesn’t settle for high-fives. |
“He just started hitting everybody, pushing everybody,” said Marks.
Marks, the sophomore, one of the last ones to circle up around the coach, said the players did the only thing they knew to do.
“They started pushing him around,” Marks said. “I wanted to get in and get me a shove, but my shove would have been a little bit too hard.”
That wasn’t the first time Marks has seen Muschamp in fiery form. There was the time against Ole Miss last year when the coach broke a dry-erase board on the sidelines out of frustration. Muschamp cut his fingers on the jagged-edged board.
“He told someone what was going to happen and it happened, but they didn’t do what he told them to do and he hit the board and broke it,” remembered Marks. “He was bleeding. He just started writing and bleeding, wiping blood and writing.”
Just three weeks ago, when Marks blocked a field goal against then-No. 4 Florida, Muschamp didn’t go for a high-five or even a chest bump.
“He (el)bowed me in my chest or my head,” said Marks. “He was bleeding.”
It’s that attitude, that in-your-face, smash-mouth football mentality, that Marks has come to love under the former Georgia defensive back.
“It’s real fun. I don’t think I’ve ever been around a coach like that,” said Marks. “He’s always crunk and that just gives the team more boost.”
Safety Eric Brock agreed with Marks. The fiery Muschamp is a bit different than what the senior saw from former coordinators David Gibbs and Gene Chizik.
“By far I think he’s head-over-heels over those other two (coordinators),” said Brock. “Not saying they weren’t good coordinators, but you get something different out of each coordinator and he brings that energy and that intensity week-in and week-out, even in practice.
“That’s what you want out of your coordinator on defense. You have to have somebody to fire you up, get up under you. He does a great job of that.”
Brock said the passion Muschamp shows on the sidelines carries over to the players on the field.
“It’s good to see emotion out of your coach. Anytime you see emotion out of them, you know it means a lot to them so it means a lot to us as well, and we want to play hard for him,” said Brock.
Even if it means taking a harder hit from the coach after making the play.
Auburn has won 15 consecutive games when wearing all-white uniforms, but it won’t get that chance this weekend. LSU chooses to wear white at home, so Auburn will wear blue. The Last road Loss…LSU 05′ Baton Rouge.
“Now, the home teams gets to pick whatever,” Tuberville said. “They picked white at the beginning of the year.”
I think auburn played this way against arkansas to save alot of the playbook for this week against LSU. How many times did we run it up the middle? We looked very “vanilla” as tuberville likes to say. I bet we see some crazy ass formations saturday. Look for kodi and even Fannin @ wide reciever, reverses, and one half back pass. There is nothing else left to save in the play book. If we can make good blocks and tackle well, we should do alright. Florida Brandon & recievers need to show up…our running game will be fine. Also Look for a similar game plan from the USF game using numerous half backs and tight ends to help block #72 Glenn Dorsey. Go ahead and realize now that brandon will be sacked numerous times this game. We have to convert more on 1st and 2nd down. We can keep getting into these third and long situations. Guys are gonna be beat up pretty good –its always a battle with LSU. These are my predictions. -nate
It is likely that Auburn will need to bring a better offense into LSU’s Tiger Stadium this week than it showed in Fayetteville. Although the Tigers moved the ball Saturday night, they failed to get into the end zone , settling for five field-goal attempts and turning the ball over inside the 10-yard line.
But Tuberville said that was all game-planning. The coach said he went into the game with “several game plans.” When he realized early that Auburn’s defense could stop the Hogs, Tuberville elected to play conservatively.
“If (Arkansas was) moving it up and down the field, we were going to have to spread it out and throw a little bit more,” he said.
“Once we saw we could play defense against them and they were going to struggle, you shift gears and you do some different things.”
He said, though, a modest offense will go nowhere against LSU’s defense, which is ranked second in the nation.
“We’re going to need to take a better game than we took to Arkansas,” Tuberville said. “We know that. It’s going to have to be an overall team effort because we know what we’re getting into.”
We fought hard….. Fucked up… Played tough and got a W! God Bless You Defense… Let’s Get On Top Of This Shit Special Teams.. And I Feel Strong About Our Boy’s On Offense In The Cajun Fortress!
P.S. - I was in New York This weekend and went to the Bar 515! Great time I was screaming Auburn fight song’s about half way to Black Out! Had the pleasure of verbally assaulting a bunch of Bama Fan’s (including a few middle finger’s and lot’s of “Go To Hell Alabama Go To Hell” .. With my dad class of 71 singing right next to me. *Special Moment*) . I Recommend it.
Holla
Love , Mikey
Bryan Matthews
AuburnSports.com PublisherOn a normal Sunday afternoon, Auburn’s players and coaches would be out on the practice fields going through a short workout to correct any mistakes from the Arkansas game and give the young players a little extra work.
But after a hard-fought win over the Razorbacks and not arriving back until the wee hours of Sunday morning, head coach Tommy Tuberville gave his players a well earned day off.
According to Tuberville, the idea came to him at halftime of the Arkansas game with the Tigers clinging to a 3-0 lead.
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| AP: April L Brown | |
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| Tuberville and AU have won nine of the last 10 games against Top 10 opponents. |
“I told them at halftime that if they went out there and won the game I would give them Sunday off,” said Tuberville.
Tuberville said the team practically ran over him getting out of the locker room and back onto the field. He also said after a hard-hitting game and seven straight weeks without a break, his team needed a rest.
The break will be a brief one, however. The players and coaches will have meetings and watch film on Monday and hit the practice fields for a full pad workout on Tuesday afternoon as they prepare for a showdown at No. 5 LSU.
Auburn (5-2, 3-1 SEC) is in a three-way tie with LSU and Alabama atop the SEC West standings. The winner of Saturday night’s game in Tiger Stadium will take a major step toward winning the division and playing for the SEC Championship in Atlanta.
“We’ll get a great game. They’ll be ready to play,” said Tuberville. “The winner of this game, normally, has gone on to the championship game. We’ll treat it like that, and I’m sure they will, too. We’ve had some great battles over the years.
“We’re going to need to play a better game than we took to Arkansas. We know that. It’s going to have to be an overall team effort because we know what we’re getting into.”
Auburn has now won eight consecutive road games and 15 straight games in their road white uniforms. The Tigers last road loss came two years ago at LSU, 20-17 in overtime. Because LSU prefers to wear white at home, AU will once again don blue jerseys in Baton Rouge.
“You make that decision in August,” said Tuberville. “They have to send you a letter, and the home team gets the pick now. NCAA rule says that’s not the way you do it, but our athletic directors went against that rule, so now the home team gets to pick.”
Getting better
Auburn started practice last week with five injured starters but both center Jason Bosley and linebacker Tray Blackmon started against Arkansas Saturday.
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| AuburnSports.com | |
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| Blackmon led AU with nine tackles against the Hawgs. |
Tuberville was particularly proud of Bosley who played every snap with a painful sprained knee.
“He’s the epitome of mental and physical toughness,” said Tuberville. “Ain’t many of us would have done what he did, played the entire game, 80 snaps.
“He loves playing and he’s a team player.”
Merrill Johnson also played a little on special teams and at backup linebacker against the Hawgs and Tuberville expects to have him back for more reps against LSU.
AU’s two other previously injured starters – defensive end Quentin Groves (dislocated toes) and safety Aairon Savage (knee) – will be evaluated again Tuesday. Groves dressed for the Arkansas game but stayed on the sidelines. Savage didn’t make the trip.
Auburn suffered several injuries during the game, the most serious to left tackle Ryan Pugh, who went down with a badly bruised shin/ankle in the third quarter. X-rays and an MRI were negative and Tuberville hopes to have Pugh available this week.
“He has a little bit of swelling,” said Tuberville. “Right now, we’ll just have to wait until Tuesday to see how that goes. He’s walking around.”
Quarterback Brandon Cox received stitches in his chin after a late hit by Razorback safety Matt Hewitt. Cornerback Pat Lee was a little banged up after being kicked in the neck making a tackle. Neither is expected to miss any practice time.
Tight end Gabe McKenzie missed the second half with flu-like symptoms.
Not so special teams
While the offense failed to score a touchdown against Arkansas, AU’s play on special teams was especially disappointing to Tuberville. Auburn tried two punters but Ryan Shoemaker and Patrick Tatum averaged just 38.4 yards on five punts.
“We were very fortunate we got some rolls,” said Tuberville. “We could have had a lot better field position if our punters had showed up. They didn’t get the job done. We’ve got to do a lot better than that.”
Tuberville said Shoemaker and Tatum will compete for the starting job this week.
Kicker Wes Byrum made 3-of-5 field goals including the game-winner but his misses came from 36 and 46 yards. None of Byrum’s four kickoffs went for a touchback and one sailed out of bounds.
“I was disappointed in the kicking game,” said Tuberville. “We need to be a little bit more consistent.”
Robert Dunn also made some mistakes on punt return averaging 7.3 yards on eight returns.
“Our kicking game wasn’t the best,” said Tuberville. “To beat real good teams, we’re going to have to do better.”
Quick Hitters:
***In the Polls released Sunday, Auburn is No. 18 in the AP, No. 19 in the USA Today/Coaches, No. 19 in the Harris and No. 17 in the BCS Standings.
***The Players of the Week for the Arkansas game are TE Cole Bennett on offense, LB Craig Stevens on defense, CB Jerraud Powers on special teams, and DB/WR Brian Anydike and LB Adam Herring on the scout team.
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| AP: John Bazemore | |
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| Tate leads AU and is 8th in the SEC with 597 rushing yards. |
“Cole Bennett played very good run blocking,” said Tuberville. “He made a big catch, maybe our only third down conversions.
“Craig Stevens, all the linebackers, played well.”
***Tuberville was pleased with the play of tailback Ben Tate who had a big second half finishing with a game-high 91 yards on 23 carries.
“Ben is becoming a stronger runner,” said Tuberville. “He’s running hard, getting a lot of confidence and I’m proud of the way he’s maturing.”
***Tuberville credited good tackling and solid basic defense in shutting down the Razorback running game.
“We tried to force everything out wide and try to run them down. When you do that, you’ve got to tackle them.”
***Tuberville says he plans to play backup QB Kodi Burns more this season.
***Tuberville credited holder Matthew Motley for handling a high snap on AU’s final field goal.
“He’s sure-handed. He studies the blocking each week, how they try to block, where they’re going to come from. He works good with a true freshman kicker, too, settles him down. He’s kind of an unsung hero on this team, behind the scenes.”
***Tuberville said AU adjusted to a more conservative gameplan on offense after the defense started out so well against the Hawgs.
“We go in with several gameplans,” he said. “Once we saw we could play defense against them and they were going to struggle, you shift gears and you do some different things.
“But we’ve got to get a lot better on offense. We can’t put their back to the wall like we did all night. We had probably seven or eight possessions inside their 40. Nine points, that ain’t going to beat many folks.”
***Auburn will play at LSU Saturday night with kickoff scheduled for 8 p.m. CT. The game will be carried on ESPN.
BCS Poll
http://msn.foxsports.com/cfb/poll?poll=BCS
BCS Standings
Rk Team W-L Harris Coaches CPU % BCS
1 Ohio State 7-0 1 2845 0.9982 1
2 South Florida 6-0 3 2508 0.88 3
3 Boston College 7-0 2 2650 0.9298 2
4 LSU Jun 1, 2007 5 2303 0.8081 5
5 Oklahoma Jun 1, 2007 4 2503 0.8782 4
6 South Carolina Jun 1, 2007 6 2009 0.7049 8
7 Kentucky Jun 1, 2007 11 1759 0.6172 13
8 Arizona State 7-0 12 1697 0.5954 12
9 West Virginia May 1, 2007 8 1926 0.6758 7
10 Oregon May 1, 2007 7 1974 0.6926 6
11 Virginia Tech Jun 1, 2007 13 1638 0.5747 11
12 California May 1, 2007 10 1894 0.6646 9
13 Kansas 6-0 15 1200 0.4211 15
14 USC May 1, 2007 9 1915 0.6719 9
15 Florida Apr 2, 2007 14 1458 0.5116 14
16 Missouri May 1, 2007 17 1053 0.3695 17
17 Auburn May 2, 2007 19 667 0.234 19
18 Hawaii 7-0 16 1198 0.4204 16
19 Virginia Jun 1, 2007 24 240 0.0842 24
20 Georgia May 2, 2007 20 528 0.1853 20
21 Tennessee Apr 2, 2007 22 420 0.1474 22
22 Texas May 2, 2007 18 786 0.2758 18
23 Cincinnati Jun 1, 2007 23 369 0.1295 23
24 Texas Tech Jun 1, 2007 21 459 0.1611 21
25 Michigan May 2, 2007 25 229 0.0804 26
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