Auburn lost at home for the first time in nearly 2 years. The Texas A & M Aggies dashed any hope of a repeat SEC Champion by defeating the Tigers by the score of 41-38
Gone too it would seem, although not mathematically, are any chance of making the inaugural playoff in college football.
| Quick Stats |
AU
|
A&M
|
| Total Plays |
80
|
64
|
| 1st Downs |
31
|
22
|
| 3rd down efficiency |
7-11
|
4-10
|
| 4th down efficiency |
0-0
|
0-0
|
| Total Yards |
582
|
453
|
| Passing Yards |
219
|
277
|
| Comp-Att |
15-21
|
19-29
|
| Yards per pass |
10.4
|
9.6
|
| Rushing Yards |
363
|
176
|
| Rushing attempts |
59
|
35
|
| Yards per rush |
6.2
|
5.0
|
| Penalties-Yards |
8-65
|
5-47
|
| Turnovers |
3
|
1
|
| Fumbles lost |
3
|
0
|
| Interceptions thrown |
0
|
1
|
| Time of Possession |
32:40
|
27:20
|
Give Texas A & M credit, their QB came in and had a great game, and their team gained some confidence early. Auburn's defense was helpless to take that confidence away.
Watching these highlights you can tell, this was not a great game for our Tigers. Listening to the voice of Rod Bramblett, the play by play man for Auburn sports, tells you everything you need.
Positives:
Auburn's offense kept alive hopes of victory right up until the end. Once again it seemed they were going to find a way to win a close game.
Cameron Artis-Payne had a stellar night rushing the ball for 221 yards and 2 TD's. For the season, Artis-Payne busted through the 1,000 yard barrier. In an interview with Charles Goldberg and the official Auburn Athletics website Cam had this to say:
"We felt like we were the better team and if we had
come out and executed we would have come out with
the win," Artis-Payne said. "Our execution was poor at
the beginning of the game. That was partially my fault
with the fumble. We just had to play better to win the
game and we didn't get that done."
Negatives:
Duke Williams' injury. The violent game claimed another star to injury this week. Prayers are going up that this is not the type injury to end his football career. Duke has NFL destiny written all over his game.
Tackling was atrocious in the first half. There were far too many to start naming them, and it's not my policy to call out any player. The problem is, it's not getting better as the season goes, it's getting worse because the talent level of the competition is getting better.
Our defense made another QB look as though he is ready for the draft. This time it was a true Freshman, and he looked like a seasoned veteran.
Communication problems can be seen all over our defensive backfield. At this point in the season, this should not be a glaring issue. I don't know the answers, but something needs to change, and fast!
Kickoff coverage was lacking in the first half, although it improved dramatically in the second.
For the first time all season, we looked apathetic at times on offense. This wasn't bullheaded play calling, this was some plays that appeared as though everyone wasn't aware of the play call itself.
In other words our offense looked rattled a couple times. Auburn's last offensive play is an example of that.
Let make it perfectly clear, that play did not cost us the game. We had to play poorly for the 59 minutes leading up to that, for this to even be a factor.
I believe this team will play better next week. I think this loss, more so than the one to Miss St. will bring this team together. We may not be in the hunt for the playoff, but we can sure make a difference in who gets in.
WAR EAGLE!
No comments:
Post a Comment