Auburn Defense + What Was That?

Jordan Hare Stadium 1 hour prior to kickoff. photo by Marsha Willis

The Sun came up on Sunday morning just like nothing had ever happened.

Auburn fielded an extremely efficient defense last night against one of the more powerful offenses in the country from a year ago. Heisman candidate DeShaun Watson, and  Clemson were held well below their averages in Scoring, and Total Offense from a year ago.

Deshaun Watson

was 19 of 34

for 248 yards

with 1 TD and

1 Int.

Better yet, the Auburn defense held Watson to just 21 rushing yards on 11 attempts.

As for Auburn's offense against Clemson last night, I keep asking myself one question: What was that!?

Honestly, I can not accurately describe what I witnessed. The only sure thing, was if a QB got a hot hand, he was sure to be replaced. 

It wasn't a matter of if a QB was going to be substituted into the game. Guessing which QB would be next, was. 

Looking at the stats from the game several things stand out to me. 

NINE PENALTIES! That's right 9 penalties for 60 yards. That's nearly one complete offensive possession for an opponent.

Zero sacks. The D-line was awesome versus the run, and Watson was contained as well as I thought he had to be. Auburn never got to Watson to bring him down in a passing situation.

87 Yards Rushing.  This was one of my keys to Auburn winning the game. There were times when Auburn ran the ball well. There just wasn't enough times to make an effective difference. 

All in all Auburn had a chance to win the game at the end. There is something positive to be said for this. The defense played outstanding, and many Auburn faithful are pleased to see it. 

Clearly, Auburn has a long way to go in terms of offense and the production of that unit. They have exactly one week to figure things out. Arkansas State is loaded with former SEC players, and they will be head hunting.

Until next time,

WAR EAGLE!