Bulldogs Best the Auburn Tigers

When the highlight reel starts with a 1 yard loss, and ends with a pass completion, there just isn't much to say. 

Mississippi State had their way with this Auburn team beating them 38-23 in Starkville, MS. Auburn giving the Bulldogs plenty of help via turnovers and penalties adds a sting to the wound. Knowing that the offense, which had looked so promising the week before, played with an ineptness that we had not seen previously, makes the matter worse.

Auburn's coaches have their hands full figuring out and implementing the corrections needed to get back to winning football. 

There are several areas for concern. Nick Marshall has had a lot of balls tipped at the line of scrimmage this season. Partly due to play of our offensive line, and partly due to Nick looking down his receivers on short timing routes. 

I had thoughts that Jeremy Johnson may have been a better fit at QB in that particular game, because of the Miss St defensive front. I am not saying he should replace Marshall as the Auburn QB, just that Miss St has a glaring weakness in their pass defense, and Johnson is a more polished passer than Marshall. After falling behind, was not the time to switch QB's. Plus, Marshall gave us the best chance to come from behind.

Our defense is much improved over last season, yet still lacks that killer instinct at the pass rush edge. We are seeing good penetration in the middle of the line, yet lack a threat from the outside.

Linebacker play is spotty. Sometimes it looks as though Frost and McKinzy are world beaters, then a lapse in judgement, and the results are big gains by the opponent. 

Overall, there is room for improvement, and our best days are ahead of us. Coach Malzahn and his staff have work to do, and the road is only getting tougher. I believe in our coaches, now is the time to show what they are made of.

WAR EAGLE!