Weekend Observations & QB's

 For the first time since Bowl Season last year, I watched a ton of college football this weekend. I took the opportunity to scout some of our upcoming opponents.

 First, the bad news.

 Of Auburn's next three upcoming games, two of those are against teams that are showing tremendous improvement. Texas A & M and Ole Miss both looked much better in their respective games this past Saturday. 

 I saw a ton of positive strides taken by the Rebel Bear defense against Alabama, and I also saw that Ole Miss offense buckle under the pressure of the Tide defense. One glimmer of hope for any team is to try and run up the middle against Bama, and maybe that will open up a short passing game. Going deep against the Tide, is just bad business right now.

 Auburn can beat the Rebel Bears if our offense can gain some sort of traction. Alabama continues to be a formidable opponent.

 The Texas A & M team has a lot of heart, and no quit judging by their victory over hapless Arkansas. The Aggies appear to be taking to first year coach Kevin Sumlin and his staff. That team is not playing the same as week one, and will be a very tough battle for Auburn at Jordan-Hare Stadium. 

 Arkansas can not be written off just yet, nor can any other team, if Auburn can't gain some very positive momentum offensively.

 The Good news you say? You want good news? Let's see what we can eek out of our off week in the way of positive information.

 I think that Scot Loeffler moving from the coach's box to the sidelines will pay tremendous dividends for our young QB Kiehl Frazier. While this is not quite "good news" it is a positive move to keep the emotions of a young QB under control. he is Coach Loeffler's to nurture, so it makes sense, at least to me, that Frazier's mentor is on the sidelines for him each and every time he needs him.

 While we are on the subject of Quarterbacks, can we talk?

 It appears to me and apparently others as well, that gene Chizik, and Scot Loeffler are determined to stay with Kiehl Frazier at quarterback. This is statement with several implications.

 First, Clint Moseley  is physically just not up to running this team. If he were, he would be the AU QB for the next two years. That Kiehl Frazier continues to be the starter, indicates that Auburn simply has no other option than to stick with Frazier.

 Do not read into this that I think Frazier should be shelved. I think he simply is the only choice right now for Auburn. If and when Frazier gets a grasp of his emotions, and this new offense, he will be a really good QB. The only question is, how long does it take for the process to yield mostly positive results? This varies between each individual. We the fans want it to be yesterday, if not sooner. 

 While we all wait for the day that Frazier is living up to his potential, we must remember that Kiehl grew up playing Malzahn ball, and only changed this past spring. Both Frazier and Malzahn are Arkansas high school greats, asking Kiehl to change to a more pro-style offense, is unlearning everything he did from pee-wee ball through his first year in college. That is not something I would wish to do. I compare that change to learning to throw the football left handed, after you have been throwing with your right handed all your life.

 Time is the healer in all this. We know from the coaching staff that Frazier is working very hard to get this fixed. We also know that he has the full support of the players. We the fans need to give this young man our support, along with the rest of the team, and remember that we are Auburn family. The wins will come, and their is plenty of time to salvage this season, and make a statement for a championship run next season. Which was the plan all along.

WAR EAGLE!

Ghost of Friday Ramblings

 Lets get to a few items from around the blAUgosphere, and then end the day with  some movies. Sound like fun? Great, then lets get to it.

Play calling, or execution?...
 The first thing I found was from StatTiger from the AUFamily blog. StatTiger makes his case as to why he thinks it's just an execution problem with the AU offense, and not play calling. There is some pretty sound evidence in his post.

Arkansas preview...
  Acid Reign of Track Em Tigers has an early look at next weeks opponent the Arkansas Razorbacks. Acid always brings facts and analysis to his work, so its worth your while to click the link.

My take...
 Auburn has improved week by week. The intensity we saw against LSU is what we as fans have seen from Auburn teams for decades, and was sorely missed the last two years. Maybe it was because of the LSU players and their quotes to the media, or because the second ranked team in the country was in Jordan-Hare stadium. Whatever the reason, this Auburn team needs to keep playing with that passion and energy. After all it is what we have come to expect.
 
 I would like to leave you for our weekend off, with this group of videos from the week as Auburn takes the weekend off.

 The first installment takes us back to Wednesday afternoon as Coach Chizik evaluates the post game film.

 

This video is from the Thursday afternoon post practice session, again with Coach Chizik.



 Our wish is that all of you stay safe, and as always...

WAR EAGLE!

Auburn Players Post Game Interviews

Post game interviews with Kiehl Frazier and Corey Lemonier
 




From Sunday after watching film of the loss to LSU with Angelo Blackson, and Chad Slade





Jonathan Wallace talks about his first game at the college level. 



All video is courtesy of Aaron Brenner of War Eagle Extra
 

Off Week Thoughts

 Let me start this post with the preface that I am not qualified to "coach" a football team. Much less our Auburn football team. Nevertheless, I will pass on my opinion, mostly because that's what I do here.

 Auburn should give Tre Mason the ball 25 times a game. At least 18 of those need to be inside runs. That means anything in between the tackles. This would allow for a higher percentage of short to intermediate pass plays off of the play action. 

 This style of play would increase the chances of Auburn controlling the ball offensively and allow Kiehl Frazier the opportunity to complete more passes. According to StatTiger over at AUFamily,

• Kiehl Frazier was 9 of 10 in his passes within 5-yards of the line of scrimmage but went 4 of 12 in his passes beyond 5-yards of the line of scrimmage. Frazier completed only 2 of his 8 third down passes.
• Frazier was 11 of 13 passing on 1^st and 2^nd downs but struggled passing on 3^rd down.

 Seems sort of elementary to me that if we couple the way Mason is running, with that increasingly better offensive line,  then we should have the ball longer, and therefore have more opportunities to score. 

 When the pass play is called on 1st or 2nd down, then it is more effective. How much more effective would it be if the run game was more efficient? AU has had better rushing numbers between the tackles than on those sweeps, especially those three wide between the tackle run plays. So, why not line up with Jay Prosch as the traditional fullback and dare the defense to stop the run?

 I hope that is what we see from Auburn and Coach Loeffler in the coming weeks. We have time to practice it, and perfect it with this off week. Just a thought.

WAR EAGLE!

Toe 2 Toe

  Standing face to face with a worthy opponent in battle, and trading punch for punch takes fortitude. That's just what Auburn did against the #2 ranked team in the country. In fact, I don't mind saying, that if Auburn's offense could make the improvements the defense seems to have made, they could have won this contest.

 Let's take a look at the highlights first, and the get into some analysis later on.




 Once again the AU special teams did their job. All elements weren't to perfection though, as Quan Bray let a fair catch slip through his hands, and LSU got the ball back. That turnover led to three points, and ended up being the difference in the game. Steven Clark is still in a mini-funk with his punting. He will hit one or two really good ones, and then for some reason, a not so good one.

 The offensive line continues to improve slowly, there were times that the running lanes were big as highways. Which left me a little puzzled as to why we didn't run the ball with Tre Mason more.

 Jonathan Wallace did admirably in his first action of the season. He seems to be able to run that zone read quite well. With some of the competition we have coming up in the next 5 weeks, he should get plenty of playing time.

 Overall I think Auburn looked much better than most of us had thought they would. This trend needs to continue, so that the 2012 version of the Auburn Tigers can make a Bowl Game.

 An off week is upon us, and Arkansas comes to town the week after that. Lets get well Tigers, and get ready for some SEC wins.

WAR EAGLE!

THE CORNDOGS ARE COMING!! THE CORNDOGS ARE COMING!!

By: Rick Palmedo

AUBURN

So Auburn got into the win column last week with an OT win over Sun Belt Conference member Louisiana Monroe. It seemed Auburn had taken control of the game in the third quarter taking a 28-14 lead and using a ball control offense to keep the ball away from Monroe. Then disaster struck with a fumble at the one and another interception by Kiehl Frazier. Monroe was able to capitalize and tie the game before Auburn ultimately won on a FG in over time.

THE OFFENSE

After playing a much more Auburn like first half the offense returned to the offense of the first two games in the second half. Miscues, lack of third down conversions and an overall lack of production saw the offense once again leave the defense on the field much too long. Another game like that and this week could get ugly.

THE DEFENSE

No matter what the offense does the defense must make more stops against opposing offenses. That was the case against Monroe in the first half after the first drive of the game. But, once again it all seemed to come apart in the second half. As a result a Sun Belt team was able to take Auburn in to overtime. Something that should NEVER happen.

SO WHAT HAPPENS NOW?

Hmmm, great question!! Auburn has to play the game for 60 minutes. This team is not deep enough at this point to take plays off. Every snap must be played at 100%. Tackling MUST improve (broken record). The running game has to produce to allow Kiehl the time to make throws in the passing game (broken record).
This team has enough talent to win each and every game they play. They just have to give it their all every snap from whistle to whistle.
Failure to correct these mistakes will make this an ugly game for Auburn as LSU rolls into town sporting a well deserved number 2 ranking in the nation.

LSBOOOO

So here come the second ranked and undefeated Tigers from Baton Rouge. They are big, strong, extremely talented, and just plain good. Their number one running back is out for the game so at least Auburn has that going for them. Plus this will be the Tigers starting quarterback's first road start. Another positive for Auburn. Finally the game is at night where Jordan-Hare Stadium becomes a visiting teams worst nightmare.
LSwhooo will try to establish the run. They will pound and pound the ball doing all they can to wear down an already suspect Auburn defense. The defense for the "other" Tigers is stout as is usually the case. Their front 7 will cause problems for Auburn's young offense line.
At least Aubie is a much better looking Tiger!!!
Now, all that being said there is a reason they play the game on the field. Just ask Stanford, or Louisiana Monroe. Upsets in college football are as common as Les Miles eating grass or wearing a hat that just doesn't quite fit.

THE OUTCOME

For Auburn to pull the shocker all three phases of the game must click this weekend. And yes I'm saying they will!!

AUBURN 28

LSU 27

Player Interviews: LSU Week

 Phillip Lutzenkirchen



 Jeff Holland



 All video courtesy of Aaron Brenner & War Eagle Extra.

Coach Talk: LSU Week Video of Coaches

 Head Coach Gene Chizik



 Coach Trooper Taylor



Coach Jeff Grimes




 All video courtesy of Auburn Undercover % 24/7 Sports

Auburn Volleyball First Home SEC Weekend

Grading The Auburn Quarterback

PHOTO COURTESY OF AL.COM

 A top flight QB has to have four things, each equally important, to reach his full potential. They are:1.) Accurate arm 2.) Ability to call plays in the huddle and then audible out of those plays at the line, if need be. To be able to call those audibles a QB has to be able to 3.) read defenses. Last but not least a QB has to 4.) earn the respect of his team mates.

Kiehl Frazier has tremendous potential, and has yet to realize it fully. A good estimation is that he is only a fraction away from being the top notch QB we all hope that he can be. He has the respect from his team mates. We heard it all summer long, and once the season started. When things aren't going well for the offense, you can see all the players surrounding Kiehl with their support. They respect him, and want to see him do well.

 Frazier gets the plays called, and gets out of the huddle really well. We have not seen very many instances where someone is lined up wrong, or the dreaded time out being called because the personnel on the field are confused about what they are doing. All signs of a clear and defined leader in the huddle.

 Changing plays at the line has not seemed to be an issue thus far in this early stage of the season, so I see no indication that the Sophomore QB is not handling that part of his duties. In fact, I have been pleasantly surprised by the smoothness of audibles being called. So far, so good.

 That leaves us with arm accuracy. This may be the weakest part of Frazier's game up to this point. An occasional overthrow, and several floated passes that could have had a little more zip on them are really the only complaints we have seen thus far.  Kiehl Frazier has been much better delivering passes across the middle that I thought he would be. Of the back shoulder throws we have seen, I think most of them were by design.

 Interceptions have more to do with inexperience than accuracy. One of these interceptions looked an awful lot like a wrong route run by a receiver, than a bad throw from Kiehl. 

 While turnovers are party crashers, the best way to learn from them is to study film, work on those mistakes and then move on. Frazier seems to be doing that just fine. 

 As I look at this trying to be objective, I see Kiehl has three out of the four criteria items that it takes to be a good QB. That is 75% of the things we discussed that he does well. That is a C in any grade book. A passing grade, but plenty of room for improvement.

 Time will tell of course, but if young Mr. Frazier is learning and getting better as he goes, Auburn is in real good hands.

WAR EAGLE!

Auburn vs ULM Highlights

Video courtesy of Auburn Athletics

Ruben Foster: All In

 By now most everyone that follows recruiting knows that Ruben Foster is verbally committed to play for Auburn next year. So much so, that he has it engraved. 

  Thanks to Auburn Undercover, we have this video of an interview with Foster the night before the ULM game.




WAR EAGLE!

Final thoughts on AU vs ULM

After a first half of visible improvement on both sides of the ball, Auburn struggled at times in the second half. Struggled to hold onto the ball, struggled to score and put the game away when for all intents and purposes, it could have in the 3rd quarter.

 The offense scored on three straight possessions, and then went 0 for 5, with two turnovers until kicking the winning FG.  This left the defense on the field way too much. So much that the quality of play defensively suffered, and allowed the pesky ULM squad back into the game. Give them credit, the Warhawks never quit.

 Right when things looked the most bleak however, our Tigers gathered themselves, played tremendous defense in overtime, and partially blocked the Field Goal attempt by ULM. Leaving the game in the fully capable hands, or leg in this case, of Cody Parkey.

 Auburn's lack of depth at the linebacker position is starting to show, and the results are not good. I honestly don't know if Darren Bates ever came off the field for a series. His tackling was drastically better, although he had to be gassed towards the end of the game.

 Seeing a 255 yard rushing performance does make me feel better, even if the opponent is a Sun Belt Conference team. Auburn has been in sore need for something to hang its hat on offensively, and the run game is what us the fans want to see. A rich tradition of running the ball is what defines Auburn in the modern era of college football, so yeah, lets see more of that!

 Overall it was an improvement, with lapses back into the old habits of not playing very good. In other words, it was more of the same, with a better outcome. Lets hope the improvement continues, because the next five opponents won't be anything less than very good football teams.

 Auburn did not win the time of possession in any of the four quarters, and still managed to find a way to win the game. That is a positive, and as good a place as any to move on to next week.

WAR EAGLE!

WHERE DOES AUBURN GO FROM HERE

        An 0-2 start. An offense that has scored one touchdown in two games. A defense that can't seem to stop the run. Suspect play calling. The 2012 version of The Auburn Tigers has seen it all during a very dismal start to the season.
        It begs the question; where does Auburn go from here?
        It would be easy to fold up the tents and call the season a failure. The tougher task would be to tighten up the chin strap, work harder, and play the kind of football Auburn is known for:

Tough, hard-hitting defense.
Grind it out on the ground offense.
Superb special teams.

        Can this team be resilient enough to bounce back from such a start? This week's game against ULM could go a long way towards answering that question.
        Win, and win big, against a team coming off its biggest win in school history and Auburn could get back in the thick of things. Lose and the season, for all intents and purposes, is over.
        It is up to the players, coaches, and staff to work to turn it around. That must happen this week. Remember, LSU rolls into town a week later and a team with no confidence stands no chance against the Tigers from Baton Rouge.
        Look for Auburn to try to run the ball more effectively, allowing QB Kiehl Frazier to pick his spots to throw. This should give him a desperately needed boost of confidence that, frankly, right now needs it.
        The defense must work harder at stopping the run and containing the opposing QB so that they can get off the field in as few plays as possible. The linebackers must get off their blocks cleaner and be more sure handed when tackling. When a defensive back has 18 tackles, as was the case versus Miss St, you know the front 7 is not getting the job done.
        Auburn MUST play Auburn football this week and every week after if they are to turn this season around. I for one think this can and will happen.
        The question is does the team?

One Fans Perspective: The ULM Game

AUBURN

There is no place like home...

  What more can be said about the start to the season for Auburn that hasn't already been said? I'm guessing not much. We all know about the disaster in Starkville. The inept offense, the worn out defense. No sense rehashing all of the negatives. It's time to move forward.

THE OFFENSE

  So how does Auburn beat La Monroe Saturday? It's simple, play AUBURN FOOTBALL! Run the ball to set up the pass. Give QB Kiehl Frazier time to throw. But that's not quite enough. Frazier must look for targets other than Lutz and Blake. He has to read his progressions and find the open man. Throwing into triple and quadruple coverage is just begging for something bad to happen. It is my hope that Offensive Coordinator Scott Loeffler designs some early plays that give Frazier the chance to make some plays to help build back his confidence.  I'm sure he could use that after last Saturday.

Pound the ball...

  The run game has got to produce. Trey Mason, Mike Blakely, and O Mac must be both patient and productive running the ball. Want a guarantee? If Auburn rushes for 200 yards or more this is an easy win. Now the O-Line has to go out, get nasty, and open some holes for these backs to run through.

THE DEFENSE

Hey, Can someone tackle him?!?

  That's got to be on the minds of every Auburn fan right now. Broken tackles are killing this team right now. So let's try something new. STOP the kill shots, wrap up your man, and put him on the ground! And let's do it in 3 plays. Not 10+ per drive. That is to say GET OFF THE FIELD! A fresh Defense will go a long way towards a win.

Ummm, where are our linebackers??

  These three must make more plays. When a defensive back has 18 tackles something is wrong in front of them. It is time for the LBs to take control of the game from a defensive point of view. Get off your block, wrap up, and finish.

What I expect...

  I expect a much more patient offense. The O will do everything in it's power to establish the run. I expect better play calling. I expect the defense to come out a "lay the wood" to establish early dominance. I expect Auburn to win.

UNIV of LA MONROE

SBC!! SBC!! SBC!!

  Ok ok ok!! A Sun-Belt conference team went and upset a top 10 SEC team. Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus and apparently he decided to make an early stop this year thus ULM 34 Arkansas 31. Of course losing their starting QB Tyler Wilson didn't help the cause but give the Warhawks credit. They didn't fold under the pressure and pulled off the huge upset.

  Can it happen again? Well of course it can. That's why they actually play the game on the field. Will it happen again? Maybe sometime this season but not this Saturday.

  Auburn has beaten ULM by an average score of 44-10 in the series. Honestly, maybe we don't get to 44 and maybe they get more than 10 but on the end Auburn wins and wins big. Thus gaining back a little confidence and a little of the swagger they have lost due to the rocky start. They are definitely going to need it with LSU looming next week. (wait til you see who I pick in THAT game!)

THE FINAL

AUBURN 38 ULM 13

WAR EAGLE!

A Day in the Life With Quan Bray.mp4

Here is a fun video starring Quan "War Eagle baby" Bray. He was so named in this post by The War Eagle Reader or TWER for short.

Video courtesy of Auburn Athletics. Enjoy!

James Owens an Auburn Hero

                                                                                                photo courtesy of Auburn University

 In an interview with the media this week, former Auburn football star James Owens discussed his time at Auburn.

 "When I came to Auburn, I didn't realize that it was a big deal. I was too young to realize what was going on".

 Owens was the first African-American football player to be awarded a scholarship at Auburn. 

 "I tell a lot of the young guys about the Auburn fight song. Ever to conquer, never to yield. And that's what Auburn University and Auburn University's family is all about" getting over the hurdle".

From Auburn Athletic Director Jay Jacobs:

 “It’s a blessing to be here with James Owens. As many of you know, a few weeks ago we announced the James Owens Courage Award. I don’t know of a football player in Auburn history that has faced adversity and shown courage from working for the betterment of Auburn University than James Owens.
 “As you know, he was the first African-American scholarship football player in 1969 for Auburn, and he played on the 1972 Amazin’ team. I believe in his career he was 28-5. He was a fullback that led the path for the running backs, and since his days of playing he has led the path of opportunity for many people including some of us here in this Athletics Department.
 “We intend to try annually to look for a former or current football player that has displayed courage in the face of adversity while doing the same thing that James has done in making Auburn University a better place.


 Our readers can see the complete interview by pushing this LINK. and read the entire story here.

WAR EAGLE!

Shoe Throw by AUlteredEgo

The brilliant genius of AUlteredEgo shines here once again. Follow him on twitter at @AUlteredEgo

Questions Surrounding Auburn

 We have all seen the "dismal play" of the Auburn Tiger football team last week in Davis Wade stadium while battling the Mississippi State Bulldogs. That performance leaves us with many questions. I will try and take a look at a few them here, and debunk the most emotional question that has been thrown about the inter webs since last Saturday afternoon.

 Before we start, we need to gather a little information, and there is no better post game analysis than that of Acid Reign at Track Em Tigers. Couple that with thorough statistical evidence, and we have a basis to go on.

 There are two glaring weaknesses on our beloved Tiger team, one on each side of the ball. First let us peer into the defense, and see the root cause for the troubles thus far this season.

Question: Why can't Auburn's defense stop the run? Answer: Linebacker play

 Auburn has not seen decent play from this position as of yet, and the prospects of doing so appear more bleak after the second game. Many, many missed tackles at this position are evident, as opposing team members slip through the arms of these Auburn defenders.

 Linebacker should be the last line of defense against runs up the middle, and pass coverage just behind the defensive line. When that run support is in place, teams have to get deeper into their playbook to counter. So far,neither Auburn opponent has had to.

 For Auburn to prosper on the field, this unit must improve their play. Getting the opposing team off the field will give the defense more rest, and lift the spirits of the rest of the team. Someone has to step up, regardless of whether they are a Senior, or a true Freshman.

Question: Why can't Auburn score more touchdowns on offense? Answer: QB play

 After two games the evidence is there to start making analytical judgement as to the play at this position. I don't like what I'm seeing. Too many times were receivers open and the ball thrown elsewhere into coverage. When coupled with holding onto the ball for entirely too long, this creates bad situations. That is exactly what we have seen thus far, is bad situations.

 I'll admit that late in the game this past week we were spreading the ball around some, but it was too little too late in this writers opinion. Maybe some lessons were learned by our young QB and they will be applied this weekend. One can only hope.

 Ladies and Gentlemen I am here to tell you that Kiehl Frazier is the only healthy choice for Auburn at QB. Clint Moseley could play, but by his own admission he would be of little use in the passing game. The exact place where we need better play. So, ask yourselves this. What advantage would there be to putting in Moseley? Your answer would be nothing. Thus, Coach Chizik has little option to anyone other that Kiehl Frazier.

 As to the "Red Zone" problems that is plaguing this offense? Well, if you can't pass the ball effectively, there is little need of defending that pass. Opposing defenses are "stacking the box". Simply that means they are putting extra defenders on the line to take away most of the running game, and in fact daring Auburn to pass the ball. We know the results thus far have been accurately described by Coach Chizik as "dismal".

 Which brings me to the last question.

Question: Should we fire Gene Chizik? Answer: Are you out of your mind?

 If you think for one second that Gene Chizik should be fired, you are purely acting on your own selfish emotions. Chizik doesn't like where the team is right now any more than we do. He is working to keep their heads in the right place so that the players don't give up in the face of adversity.

 Who do you think got the 2010 team through the adversity that season? Gene Chizik did. I can't think of a better man for the job! This will all pass, and Auburn will be playing sound fundamental football soon. Auburn will compete for championships in the near future, and Gene Chizik will lead them there.

Any more questions?

WAR EAGLE FOREVER!

Auburn vs. Miss State Highlights

Video courtesy of Auburn Athletics.

I Made Mistakes in 75% of Our Plays - Kiehl Frazier

You have to be impressed with the young man, especially when he owns up to his mistakes. In a world fraught with excuses, and claims that "It wasn't my fault" Kiehl Frazier is a breath of fresh air.



Video courtesy of Aaron Brenner of War Eagle Extra

Lutzie on Kiehl, & More

Video courtesy of al.com

Coach Loeffler Post Game vs Miss State

 

 There are several things of note in this post game press briefing. Coach Loeffler has indicated that he is 100% supportive of Kiehl Frazier, and that he never entertained the thought of putting in a replacement for Kiehl.

 The run game is not the problem with the offense at this point in time, and the pass plays have been dialed back to give Frazier an opportunity to build some confidence. Thus far this strategy hasn't materialized into results. Fingers are crossed.

 Lastly, when asked about the more technical side of Frazier's game right now, Coach Loeffler is doing all he can to not give his opinions to the media. This,  is actually something that I appreciate Scot doing. There would be nothing good come from an honest answer about Kiehl and his current short comings as a passer.

 We can only hope that progress will be something we see next weekend.

WAR EAGLE!

Auburn QB Kiehl Frazier after Mississippi State loss

Post Game Thoughts vs Miss State

 As I start this post, the game against Mississippi State is not quite over. Although it may as well be, there is that one little glimmer of hope that I will forever hold onto. That faint, blurry light that is my hope, still has some life. 

 The respectable start by the Auburn defense was a sight for sore eyes. Tackles were being made, and a turnover was created. All good signs that point to the inevitable resurgence that is our football program.

 The offense is just that little bit out of sync. Maybe it is way out of sync. I have found myself wondering if Auburn doesn't need a change at QB. Kiehl Frazier just looks like he is in way over his head. All of his pass attempts have been to either Phillip Lutzenkirchen, or Emory Blake. Twice now he had Quan Bray wide open ( one for an easy six points, mind you) and chose to throw into coverage.

 Four turnovers on the road, are not a recipe for winning. Not in any league.

 My only thoughts at this time is that Clint Moseley's throwing shoulder must be much worse than any of us had figured.

 Our defensive unit is tired. Tackles are once again being broken by an opponent, and the offense has not figured out how to keep a drive going all day. This, I am sad to report, is miserable to watch.

 That is the final whistle as Coach Chizik shakes the hand of Dan Mullen at mid field. MSU 28 AU 10 is the score.

 It's tough to see Auburn men struggle like this. Taking nothing away from Miss State, our guys are going to be better one day, just not today. 

War Eagle forever!

One Fans Perspective: Auburn vs Miss State

by Rick Palmedo Sept 7th, 2012

  So the season didn't start quite the way Tiger fans expected it to but the good thing about college football is that , for the most part, there is only one week to wait until another game is played. Well, the week is over and game 2 is here.

  This will be the SEC opener for both teams and I look for a much improved Auburn team. I feel certain the breakdowns of a week ago have been addressed and we will see a much more potent offense and a tougher more disciplined defense.


 Here is a video from al.com of the team departing this afternoon for Starkville, MS.





AUBURN

  A lot of things went right for Auburn against Clemson. A steady running game, exceptional special teams, and an offense that shows flashes of brilliance.

  Unfortunately there was as much bad that happened that took away the chance at a victory. Poor tackling once again reared its ugly head and soft play by the defensive backs left receivers open all night. The offense made a couple of critical mistakes and really faltered in the red zone. Going 4/4 in the red zone is fantastic. Having those 4 scores be field goals is not.

  Auburn must come out and control the line of scrimmage allowing Kiehl Frazier time to read his progression and hit his open targets. Speaking of Kiehl, he must be more accurate with his passes and play with a little more poise.
 
 The running game can really be an asset in this game. 200 plus yards rushing and Auburn wins this game going away. The big boys up front must open running lanes for OMac, Trey, and Mike. My personal opinion is that the offensive line was stellar against Clemson considering the number of combined starts they had as a group.
 
 The defense must step up their game. It is up to the front seven to keep MSU bottled up and not allow the big plays we saw repeatedly against Clemson. Not having a Tajh Boyd type QB should help Auburn in this area.
 
 The defensive backs must be in position to make plays. They must help in stopping the run and on pass plays look for the ball and be able to break on it sooner than later.
 
 This game will be won up front. The big question is can Auburn's defense stop MSU' ground game forcing them to throw when they really don't want to do so.

MSU

  Playing a smaller school like Jackson State for their opener allowed MSU to stay vanilla an not show a lot of their playbook. That will change this week as Auburn is the team they have pointed to all summer.

  MSU will pull out all the stops to beat the Tigers and secure what would be a huge victory for Coach Dan Mullen and Co. Remember, the only victories MSU has over any team in the west have come against lowly Ole Miss. A win over the Tigers would set the tone for their entire season.

  Can the Bulldogs pull this one off? If Auburn continues to make the same mistakes it made last week the answer is yes.

  Will the Bulldogs pull this one off? I think the Tigers come out and execute and play a much more dominating type defense than we did last week and hold the Bulldogs in check. It'll be a tough, hard hitting affair but in the end Auburn' superior talent wins out.

AUBURN 27
MSU 17

Women's Golf Cougar Classic Preview

Freshman Robert Leff Moves on Campus

Thanks to Auburn Athletics for this video.

Nosa Eguae at Auburn Fan Day

Thanks to Auburn Athletics for this video.

Auburn Coaches on Video

We are going to look at two different video in this installment. The first is with offensive line coach  Jeff Grimes. 

 Grimes may not get enough credit for his recruiting ability. He has helped bring in a top level offensive line class the past two signing classes, which has played a huge role in Auburn being able to finish in the Top 10 in recruiting the last three years.

 After watching the performance of the true Freshman Avery Young, and the two RS Freshmen Tunde Fariyike ( pronounced fuh-reek-eee) and Greg Robinson, it is clear to me that Coach Grimes is a master at his craft. These young men played extremely well for the conditions. Let's listen to Coach Grimes...



  The second video is with Auburn head football coach Gene Chizik. Chizik went over the Wednesday practice, and discussed the general arrangements for the funeral of Iris Prosch the Mother of starting Auburn fullback Jay Prosch.



WAR EAGLE!

Dee Ford: Man Up!

Auburn Volleyball

September 4th, 2012 Troy, AL.

 Last night AU Volleyball continues to pick up wins as they beat the Trojans 3-0 (25-19, 25-21, 25-23). This equaling the best start in school history. The Tigers  have won 7 straight to open the season 7-0 for just the 2nd time in school history (1991).

 Sarah Bullock has her 2nd double-double of the season with a season-high 13 kills and 10 digs to lead the AU  offense. She also had 35 total attacks for the night; that gives her 2,916 for her career and moves her up to 8th all-time attacks in Auburn history. Courtney McDonald matched season-best with 12 kills and career high with 5 blocks on the night. Katherine Culwell recorded 9 kills and 3 blocks. Camila Jersonsky added 8 kills.

What a way to start the season girls!!!
WAR EAGLE!!!!

Our Staff

 Hello and War Eagle everyone. I hope this finds each of you doing well, and looking forward to a wonderful season of Auburn football.

 I thought I would take the time to introduce to you our writing staff here at AUTB. A collection of Auburn fans that are willing to be ridiculed for their views, all for the glory that is Auburn, and zero pay. How is that for incentive?

 First, I would like to introduce the newest member of our staff, Kimberly Calloway. She will be helping with our coverage of Auburn sports with the unique view that we know each of you will enjoy. Kim has very little experience blogging, but we are confident you will be enjoying her work as we move forward.

 Next in line is Rick Palmedo. Rick has already brought his wonderfully talented views to our little blog since August. Crafty, yet full of color, Rick is a fine writer, with nothing but blue sky as his ceiling.

 My name is Klell Lawrence, otherwise known as Kool Bell. My niece gave me that nickname, and she is why I use it to this day. When she was very young she couldn't get a grasp on saying Uncle Klell, so she said Kool. Now you see why I use the "K" in the spelling. Once she learned that her last name was Bell, and her Mama and Daddy also shared her last name, well it only made sense to her that my last name was Bell. There you have it. Kool Bell.

 I have been an Auburn fan since I could choose which team I loved. My first trip to Auburn was an FFA affair, and I was even more enamored once I set foot on her beautiful campus. I never attended Auburn, but she has had my heart all these years.

 I have been blogging about Auburn for nearly four years now. Starting as the featured AU blogger for Phil Steele, as "Tiger Bloggin for Your Noggin". I was bothered by not being able to communicate with the readers, so I started this site. Using this space sparingly. I had the pleasure of an invitation to join Track Em Tigers as the Friday anchor, and jumped at that opportunity.  Which brings us to today.

 It is our hopes and dreams to bring you a positive, yet realistic look at Auburn sports, and to help promote Auburn University in a proper fashion.

 You are the reason we do this. You are also our only advertising. There won't be any ads sold here, nor should there be any pop ups to block. This is simply, a site for Auburn fans. Feel free to follow us on twitter at @AUTigerBloggin and on facebook.  Please comment as often as you can, and join our family.

WAR EAGLE!

Hi everyone I am Kim and a new contributer to the blog. I plan on keeping everyone up to date about everything Auburn!! I believe in Auburn & Love it!!!! War Eagle!!!!

Jeremy Johnson Future AU QB

    


Ladies and Gentlemen I give you Jeremy Johnson. Currently a 6' 6" 215lb. Quarterback that Rivals.com has listed as a 4* prospect.

 This young man is talented, as you can see by this video he posses great range, and mobility. Johnson was tabbed to be the only QB offered in recruiting this year until Zeke Pike left the program.

 Notice the different formations used, and that Johnson spends some time under center, as well as in the shotgun. Both of these elements are a staple to any Pro style offense.

WAR EAGLE!

Recap

Take heart Auburn fans, all is not lost. As bad as we all wanted to see our men in blue walk away from the Dome with a victory, there isn't any reason to think this team hasn't improved tremendously. First, let's look at the highlights provided by Auburn Athletics.




As you can clearly see, everything about this team and it's new coordinators has some fantastic potential. I'll start with the special teams and go from there.

Cody Parkey being Cody Parkey...

 In his post game interview, Parkey stated that he was instructed prior to each kickoff where Coach Chizik wanted the ball. Cody delivered! No kickoffs were sent out of bounds. The times he was asked to put the ball on the left side of the field, or the right side, it was there.

Let's not forget that Cody Parkey was 4 out of 4 on the night in field goals. That kind of accuracy will come in very handy down the road. With this young offense there will be more close games.

 Steven Clark....

 On the night, Auburn only needed three punts, all of which resulted in ZERO return yards. Clark continued where he left off from last season, where he was a finalist for the Ray Guy Award.

 Offensive line....
 
 The young and inexperienced offensive line played very well for most of the night. Only one holding penalty was called on them the entire evening, and only one false start penalty. The only terrible mistake made by this group, was the holding penalty on Robinson inside the Clemson 10 yard line. Something I am sure will be addressed this week in practice.

 These guys are going to be really good, it's just a matter of when.

Defensive Line....

 This was where Auburn was supposed to be the dominant force. That domination looked as though it would happen early on, with a couple of tackles for a loss, and then a sack. Quickly though things changed. I don't know if Clemson made adjustments in their O-Line or started calling different plays to avoid Corey Lemonier and Dee Ford. Whatever happened, the best Auburn could muster in the fourth quarter was forcing Tajh Boyd, the Clemson quarterback to run.

 Something also to note here is that Auburn spent most of the night with just four men rushing the passer. My uneducated guess is that was by design, and meant to protect the other weaknesses in our defense. Mainly the linebacker position, where there isn't any real depth developed.

The Good, The Bad and The Ugly....

  Auburn's offense did show their true potential most of the night. Yes, I know that Kiehl Frazier wasn't particularly accurate, and that he threw an interception. They did however score in each of the four quarters. Overall they ran the ball with effectiveness. I won't venture as to why Coach Loeffler wouldn't stay with the ground game more often.

 Jay Prosch is a sledge hammer! I hope someone takes his highlights this season and makes a video to this song. As good as advertised. Prosch and that offensive line gave Tre Mason all the running room he needed to gain over a hundred yards.

 The defense when it got tired late in the game, couldn't stop a runny nose. Reverting back to throwing shoulders at the feet of WR's and RB's which eventually led to two fourth quarter drives by Clemson to wrestle the lead away from Auburn and ultimately victory. I am glad that I don't have to be in a room with Brian VanGorder watching film this week.

 Far too many times Auburn had someone in place in the Clemson backfield, or at the line of scrimmage to make a play on the Clemson RB's only to whiff. Someone has to step up. Whether its a linebacker or a lineman, and make these plays. If this doesn't get fixed and quickly, we are in for a long season.

 The cushion by the corner backs on the Clemson WR's, looked just like what we all have seen since the arrival of Gene Chizik at Auburn. One of you who can explain the details of this style of defense please leave the explanation in our comments section. The positives of this style of play has yet to be seen.

My Take....

 I think what we saw overall is positive. There were plenty of missed assignments, and  some very good things as well. Frazier hitting Blake in stride deep down field is a huge plus. Missing a wide open Sammie Coates twice, is not.

 The biggest improvement for each team is usually from game one to game two. This highly talented Auburn team must reach way down inside, and pull out that "want to", and convert it into "going to". In other words improvement has to be made and fast. Now, we are into conference play.

WAR EAGLE!