Tigers Collapse at Clemson.
by Acid Reign on Sep 17, 2011 4:05 PM CDT
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Clemson slips tackles all day long.
Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images
War Eagle, everybody. It's time now for the Acid Reign report on Auburn's 38-24 loss to the Clemson Tigers. The seventeen game win streak is at an end. The final three quarters were ugly. Auburn blew a 21-7 lead, lost by 14, and gave up 624 total yards. In just three games, the Tigers have given up 107 points, more than the 1988 team gave up all season. This is Auburn's first loss to Clemson in 60 years, dating back to a 34-0 loss in 1951 by Shug Jordan's first team.
Once again, the defense could not get off the field. Clemson ran 92 offensive plays, to just 63 for Auburn. Tackling was atrocious. There's just really not a nice way to put it. It's one thing to miss assignments, and we did have plenty of those, too. But this team must tackle a whole lot better to win another game.
Special teams were solid in this one, but the return game took a few steps backward. A couple of balls were run out of the end zone when they should have been downed. Coverage was good, and Parkey and Clark continue to hammer the ball.
We've been expecting a new quarterback to struggle some, and that game surfaced this week. Barrett Trotter made a number of bad throws under pressure this week. He'll learn from that, but we had no chance to win this time. The drops returned, as several receivers failed to bring balls in. The running game with Michael Dyer was superb. I can't understand why they keep yanking him out of the game. That Dyer only touched the ball 16 times is criminal. On those 16 carries, he ran for 151 yards and accounted for half of Auburn's scoring. We've got to use him more!
Unit Grades, after the jump!
Defensive Line: F. There was occasionally a defensive lineman in the backfield, but we only wrapped up one time on those, on a tackle by Nosa Eguae. Starting tackle Jeffery Whitaker had no tackles, no assists, no nothing. Ends didn't get pressure and repeatedly lost contain. Clemson made it look very easy, rushing for 246 yards.
Linebackers: D-. Darren Bates made 10 tackles, but probably missed that many, too. Jake Holland was OK in the middle, some of the time. Eltoro Freeman was the invisible man, with only 2 assists on the day. The Auburn front seven basically looked helpless after the first quarter, en route to giving up 634 total yards. We don't have any linebackers with coverage skills. Dumps to the tight ends and backs were wide open all day.
Secondary: C-. On the wide receivers, Auburn actually covered pretty well. Picking up secondary guys and tight ends wasn't so good. Neiko Thorpe came to play, and led the team with 16 tackles. You don't want your free safety to be the leading tackler, though. With the speed we have at safety, there's no excuse for giving up a 15 yard cushion on the corners when we play zone. I just can't believe Chizik, Roof and Lolley drew it up like that.
Punting: A. This was easily the bright point of the day. Steven Clark killed 4 of his 6 punts inside the 20, and still managed a 41.3 yard average. Coverage was good, allowing no returns.
Punt Returns: D+. Credit Trovon Reed for fielding all three punts. No telling what Dawson Zimmerman's average would have been had we let one of those howitzers go! On the other hand, Reed fielded one in the end zone, and got tackled at the 4 yard line. That's a big goof. We're not going for the blocked punt, and not blocking well setting up the returns. One or the other, please?
Kick Returns: D+. Blocking vanished in this game, and Tre Mason only averaged 15.8 yards on his 4 returns. On one return, Mason hesitated, then brought it out of the end zone and got tackled at the ten yard line. There was a big step backward here.
Place-kicking: A. Cody Parkey has yet to miss on a scoring opportunity, and continues to kickoff for touchbacks. Clemson managed one measly 16 yard return on 5 kickoffs. Bravo.
Offensive Line: C-. Blocking was good in spurts, and not so good at other times. Both tackles had drive-killing penalties. We also got eaten up at right guard, trying to deal with the tackle/end twist in the second half. We can't have defensive ends taking free inside runs at the QB.
Running Backs: B-. Outside of number 5, we were not very effective. We dropped several well set up screens on the ground. Michael Dyer ran like a man possessed. We've got to give him more carries.
Receivers: C+. Travante Stallworth had some nice catches, and Trovon Reed was elusive on the quick screens. We had a couple of ugly drops this game, though. Guys really struggled with being jammed at the line, too.
Quarterback: C-. Aside from an early touchdown toss, Barrett Trotter looked harried and uncertain. He forced a few into coverage, but upon further review he did a better job than I initially thought scrambling and avoiding sacks. If we're going to keep the zone read in the arsenal, we've got to do a better job on that read. Trotter only completed 12 of 25, and that won't win in the SEC. Trotter was hampered by about a half dozen drops, though.
I'm sure Ted Roof is going to get hammered on the boards for his defensive play-calling, but that's not what doomed Auburn. It doesn't matter what you call, if you can't tackle. I think the Auburn defense got themselves in trouble allowing a few first-half third down conversions, and got really winded as the second half rolled on. I think Holland and Bates played every snap on defense. On the field for 90+ plays, this unit struggles.
It's hard to argue with the success Gus Malzhan has had over the years, but I think we've got to second-guess a few things thus far. I think we've got to get Michael Dyer AT LEAST 20 carries a game, if not 25. He's killing defenses. It makes no sense to sit him on the bench for large stretches.
Well folks, it's been a great streak, but we're back to reality now. These young Tigers will go to work this week, and try to get better. We've got a suspect Florida Atlantic team coming in next weekend with a later kickoff. I don't think this Auburn squad can take anyone lightly, at this time. Two weeks from now, it's back to the Palmetto State for a show-down with South Carolina. I'm sure they are licking their chops, and are out for some payback. I think we'd love nothing more than to derail their season. War Eagle! It's great to be an Auburn Tiger!
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GOOD GOD
That was a HORRENDOUS GAME !
Unfortunately Auburn earned every bit of that loss and literally beat themselves.
On the plus side though. That was a perfect game to learn that you ( the players) cant depend on those last second comebacks to win every game. You have to fight for an ENTIRE game. The fact that it didnt come to an SEC west team is a good thing in that at least the season is still very salvageable. All in all I expect to see them back next week much stronger and much more physical .
RTR and I’m sorry my friends.
Auburn is closer to 0-3 than it is to 3-0 in my mind. Not a good team at all, though the Tigers do have some very good players.
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Your mind is a shallow place......
I don't troll so I reserve the right to berate trolls as I see fit.
Just so you know I won't forget.....LSU Jonno predicted we would finish 5th in the west in '11.
Tackling
It’s a basic fundamental of defense. If you can’t tackle, you might as well not block, cover, or even get on the field. I know we have several new freshmen on that line, but tackling is something that should have been drilled into them even before highscool football.
Acid is right about terrible D calling, but lack of tackling is what doomed us. I remember several plays where we missed not just one, but two, or even three that ended in a first down for Clemson instead of a loss.
I’m already seeing comments elsewhere saying, “You didn’t complain about Ted Roof last year, so you can’t complain now.” I’m sorry but I complained every first half of almost every game. But last year during halftime, either the D buckled down or Roof knew what changes to make and made them, but they came back and locked down the other team while our offense scored the points to come back and win. The previous two games, I didn’t see that halftime comeback for our defense, I only saw them buckle down for the key plays we needed for a close win. And in this game, they started strong by forcing Clemson to punt, but that quickly ended. Stops felt nonexistent.
HOPEFULLY, we can learn from our mistakes and comeback from this.
And yes. Give Dyer the ball. But why do I see RB’s stop and do a stutter step when they come against a defensive player? They lose all their forward momentum, so instead of pushing on and being able to push an extra yard or two against a standstill defensive player, they stop and let the defensive player (*players by this point) push them back. I saw Dyer do this, he only needed about 2 more yards for a first down but he just stopped and stuttered a foot to the left, foot to the right, and back until 2+ Clemson guys got there to take him down. Dyer’s a powerhouse, with that momentum he had against a standing still player, easy first down push there.
Acid as always pretty much on the mark
I am surprised you gave the db’s a C. I thought they did not cover well on the flat routes and allowed the clemson wr’s to set the corners on the sweep way too often.
Tackling by everyone was non existant.
Veni vidi vici 22-19
I Didn't Watch The Game
though not by choice – I had to go to a seminar and some woman ran her mouth way too long and I didn’t have the nerve to be the only one to leave. I was tempted. Somehow, I’m not all that unhappy with the loss (hardly happy either, but not devastated at all). Perhaps it takes some pressure off a young team and they learned some things. And there is always next week. I think it is versus some team which I didn’t know existed, and then the following week versus South Carolina. Fun times ahead and an even better, more experienced team next year.
by Gorgeous Devil on Sep 17, 2011 4:48 PM CDT reply actions 1 recs
I think we all knew this team would have some struggles, but, seriously, that is some
record setting horrible defense. 6.78 ypp. That’s on par (if not slightly more) than Clemson gained against Troy & Wofford! You can’t tell me even an entire defense of true freshmen at AU is somehow worse than whatever 2* players Wofford is fielding. I’m not one to jump on the “fire the coach” bandwagon, but something is fundamentally broken on AU’s defense. Inexperience alone can’t explain it. I trust in Chizik & the other coaches to identify what’s wrong and fix it though and hopefully improve as the season goes on. War Eagle!
Acid On The Mark
Again…Great Read…The zone read is ineffective if the qb isnt a threat to run…Scrap it…DYER MUST GET 25 CARRIES A GAME, its crazy to me to see lattimore for USCe carry the ball 30+ times a game and doesnt complain, and its obvious to me that Dyer wants to have more carries, Dyer is your every down back, McCalebb and Mason are your change-up. Also, i know that tackling is still an issue, but at this point I havent seen our defense improve since Roof has gotten here and honestly idk if he has the right scheme for the players…they play well in spurts and then fall off….14-18 3rd downs is inexcusable…If we dont get better soon, we might go 2-4 in the west…All faith in my boys though although the future looks bleak when you give up 600+ yards…I would love to see us in man coverage more…and force those guys to grow a pair if not find someone who will
Kudos to Cuzin Clem, they played an excellent game and Boyd killed us and the freshman is deadly fast…once again Auburn allows someone to break records…their offense will probably never perform like that all season…
Dabo is classless, he couldve came off differently but he had to relish in the moment…i guess i cant blame him…but show more class to your opponent, you never wouldve saw Gene react the way Dabo did
Whats with the clemson fans storming the field, were we that highly ranked…I thought you only storm the field when you beat the #1 team in the nation…glad you got it out the way this week, FSU wont be as forgiving
My two cents guys, once again great read Acid
War Eagle…Beat FA…WHO???
Dabbo Classless
Agreed- and i quote “All the Glory goes to God. He has a funny sense of humor. Its only fitting that that and Alabama grad would be in charge of the team that ended the streak.”
What we have here is proof that;
a) He doesn’t believe in free will
b) Alabama fans (yes gross generalization- forgive me nice Bama fans) believe that Auburn is evil and Gods chosen people will strike back with furious anger and we must learn that they are God(s). I think that is in the letter written by Paul to the Cor-bama-thins
c) when Saban leaves Dabo will be begging for the job.
d) puke
That John Denver is full of sh@t.-
fans on field
i was at game today. clemson still allows fans on the field for up to 30 min after the game. they announced this over PA while au was still leading. most teams have discontinued this practice though it used to be common. I know it was still allowed at au around the time bo was playing.
"I have come here to chew bubblegum and kick ass...and I'm all out of bubblegum."
by tigertracker on Sep 17, 2011 8:24 PM CDT up reply actions
It definitely ended
after the Georgia game in 1986.
It looks amateurish amd it’s not safe for the players or the staff—especially the visitors.
Now accepting applications for SEC membership.
by War Eagle Atlanta on Sep 17, 2011 9:06 PM CDT up reply actions
yes!
hose the best and beat the rest…
"I have come here to chew bubblegum and kick ass...and I'm all out of bubblegum."
by tigertracker on Sep 17, 2011 9:45 PM CDT up reply actions
That reminds me of the sign I saw...
…at the ensuing 1986 Iron Bowl (the only one I went to):
“The good we hose / The weak we BEAT”
Turned out to be the case that year for sure!
Michael Val
(who was told that the hoses went into the stands by a Georgia fan who was there—is this true?)
In the words of Kevin Scarbinsky, "If it’s Auburn against the world…good luck, world."
by Michael Val Hietter on Sep 17, 2011 9:52 PM CDT up reply actions
It had ended in 84 I think....
definitely before 86….which is why the hoses were turned on…..I was there and despite losing the game I went away happy after seeing so many wet Dawgs.
I don't troll so I reserve the right to berate trolls as I see fit.
Just so you know I won't forget.....LSU Jonno predicted we would finish 5th in the west in '11.
624 yards
The horror…..
Now accepting applications for SEC membership.
by War Eagle Atlanta on Sep 17, 2011 5:21 PM CDT reply actions
On the mark Acid
One thing I will say is it is better to suffer this loss now against a reputable non-conference opponent than down the road in one that would affect our conference record. Maybe some changes will come of this. I think we were the better team, they just played better football. Tackling and getting off blocks is fundamental and our defense did neither today.
Great Report
It was an ugly loss, but I think Auburn will come back stronger. And I agree, use Michael Dyer more!
WAR EAGLE ALWAYS.
Defense
Playing defense is a good thing to do
Thank you for joining and sharing such original insight.....
I don't troll so I reserve the right to berate trolls as I see fit.
Just so you know I won't forget.....LSU Jonno predicted we would finish 5th in the west in '11.
Wish I Hadn't...
Last week I was yelling at the radio in the car. Today, I refused to listen to the game at all while my son was actually playing defense. I rush home to catch the 4th qtr, and I wish I hadn’t. It was awful.
Tackling is taught in the FIRST year of football. I watched a group of nine-ten year old kids play today who could have taught our Tigers a few things on WRAPPING UP!
I know this is a young team, but are you kidding me? That is best they can do?
I wouldn’t want to be in that film room tomorrow.
War Eagle!
"The spirit of the Auburn family is a magical, mystical thing. It defies explanation. It transcends wins and losses on a football field. It imprints itself on your character and can never be extinguished. Being an Auburn fan defines part of who and what you are..."
-Unknown Author
today...
It was an utter a$$ whoopin’. This is the first road game I’ve gone to that AU hasn’t won since bama in ‘08. Great execution by clemson all day. They just made play after play. Sure our defense helped them, but even when they were hit they still held onto the ball. #2 Sammy Watkins I believe will be special. Kid had 6th gear, confidence, and good hands. Rubber match in the dome next september! In spite of the worst defense in college football we had chances in this game. We started on fire, but when Reed caught the punt in the endzone and got tackled at the 4 momentum shifted. We gave clemson a short field, they scored, and got confidence back. Even at the end down 14 we had a second or third and short when moseley jumped offsides. Then trotter throws pick. If moseley doesn’t get us backed up maybe we’re in a different play and INT never occurs. Hindsight is 20/20, but playing what I hope was our absolute worst was almost good enough to beat a Clemson team playing lights out football. Aside from the D, the O and special teams didn’t pull us thru today. Clemson did a great job covering kickoffs and made mason a non-factor. Receivers dropped balls, Trotter was under pressure alot, Dyer and Lutz were underutilized…….we all knew it would end sometime, but I just really thought it would be USCe, arky, or lsu that got us first. We gotta start playing downhill and that starts with both lines blowing people off the ball. The O has the ability to do it and if we feed dyer they will feed off his yardage and block harder. I have to keep reminding myself that the D line is very young. They need encouragement, not bashing so I’ll say this: Dammit I love you guys, but you gotta be more aggressive!!! I’m speechless about the terrible tackling and worse pursuit angles. I’m sure after today we have THE WORST #119 of 119 defense in every category. We were second to last in time of possession heading into today though I think that was one inconsequential battle we actually won today. Blocking and tackling this week. It’s back to basics on the plains. Also sounds like Chiz is about to get a little more hands on with the D.
"I have come here to chew bubblegum and kick ass...and I'm all out of bubblegum."
Just got back
Great review. I was there and it seemed Clemson team/fans were in shock till in 1st qtr. when Trovon Reed made the fielding mistake that gave Clemson a short field to score their first TD. After that that you could tell that their was a difference with Clemson. We made too many mistakes to lay it on Reed but that was where the momentum shifted in the game. Got to improve on tackling and get Dyer more touches.
I agree Acid, it’s still great to be an Auburn Tiger!
Agreed.
Sitting in the stadium, you could feel the shift in momentum from that point on.
AubTigerman
"The reason you come to Auburn is because of Auburn people.This is a special place, from the coaches all the way to the fans" - Andrew McCain OT
Actually got to watch today
as it was my grandmother’s 100th birthday and I was off from work. Before the pick, I was like “ok, here we go again.” Ugh. Want to buy defense.
They gonna be a lot of days when you lay your guts on the line and you come up empty-handed. They ain't a damn thing you can do about it but go back and lay 'em on the line again, and again, and again....You'll keep fightin' like you did today, you'll keep playin' like that, we can build a foundation we can live a looong, long time on at Auburn." -Pat Dye, 1981
by SandMountainTiger on Sep 18, 2011 12:18 AM CDT reply actions
At one point they converted 10 consecutive 3rd downs....
That is a problem.
Blackson and Wright need to be seeing a bigger share of the snaps @ DT imo.
They seem to get the best push on the D line to this point.
CB’s need to turn around and make plays on the ball. I really don’t understand the philosophy of teaching/coaching our DB’s to this point. I just don’t gte it.
WE!!!!
Oh and we need a guy or 2 or three to step up the leadership on D
It just seems like no one wants to take the responsibility of that role during the games right now. We need it bad.
Let's look at a bright side....
Kansas got hammered alot worse than us by GT – can’t remember the yardage they gave up, but it was alot more than 634. Turner Gill was almost our coach.
We knew it had to end – maybe this will allow some needed changes, and it wasn’t as SEC game.
I need a cold shower and a copy of the Auburn Creed
My sentiments exactly Joe.
AubTigerman
"The reason you come to Auburn is because of Auburn people.This is a special place, from the coaches all the way to the fans" - Andrew McCain OT
I couldnt stomach to watch the replay
I fell asleep on the OU vs FSU game, but we all knew who would win that…Now if our offense ran at the pace that OU does, we’d be lethal but on the other hand we dont have Landry Jones either…but i did get to watch the 1st half and our defense played pretty well some great throws by boyd helped out by some missed tackles ie (Bates, T’Bell, Freeman) to name a few and also when the mo really switched IMO was when we had the ball with about 2-3 mins left, it was 3 and 2, lets call it a long 1…instead of having dyer in the game or even handing off we run a play action pass into a delayed blitz…maybe it was a good call but to me DYER NEEDED THE BALL THEN…and when Trotter threw it away, it was 4th down, we were forced to punt and the rest his history ladies and gentlemen…maybe we wouldnt have stopped clemson anyway…but my point is…give yourself an opportunity to win by putting the ball in the best players hands…I felt like that was the last mo shift and the biggest one in the game
That was exactly...
…where I thought the game turned as well.
Michael Val
(who points out that little things can all of a sudden get really big in the scheme of things)
In the words of Kevin Scarbinsky, "If it’s Auburn against the world…good luck, world."
by Michael Val Hietter on Sep 18, 2011 1:36 PM CDT up reply actions
As bad as our DL played....
our weakest spot was LB….and out of the LB’s Holland was the worst IMO…..it seemed that most of the time he could’nt recognize whether it was a run or a pass play and was out of position for both most of the day. I know he is young but it’s frustrating to watch pass after pass get completed underneath the corners and safeties in the area that Bynes would have made the play.
I don't troll so I reserve the right to berate trolls as I see fit.
Just so you know I won't forget.....LSU Jonno predicted we would finish 5th in the west in '11.
I just watched the game for the first time....
It was horrendous from the mid 2nd qtr. on….
Auburn actually looked like it was going to take control with that long drive, and then, couldn’t even produce two consecutive first downs until a drive in the fourth quarter, that ended in a turnover.
Neiko Thorpe may have played the only good game in the secondary, or for the entire defense for that matter.
I am at a loss for this one folks. I honestly don’t know what to think, except that it has to get better.
WAR EAGLE!
Come and join me at http://trackemtigers.com
Just wondering
Just why aren’t we playing Dyer at least most downs?
So Acid...
You don’t think Roof should have our guys ready to tackle? Not saying YOU are, but I can’t believe anybody is willing to defend Roof anymore. We are absolutely terrible on defense. This is pathetic. We have given up nearly 2,000 yards in three games. We DO NOT TACKLE. That should have been fixed a while ago during 2 a days. It’s down right painful for me to watch missed tackle after missed tackle. I watched the TV screen until the end and those bubble screens are still ripping us apart and now we can’t stop the run either. I’m sick of people making excuses for Roof. These last three games are unacceptable for Auburn’s defense. It is simply pitiful.
It's Auburn against the world. Good luck world.
I agree entirely about Roof...
Our D has only stayed constant and not digressed with Roof. I would under stand if we changed to a different base D such as a 3-4 or 3-3-5. And the players needed time to adjust/needed the correct “type” of players, but when you have 3 classes of your hand chosen players in the system there should be major marked improvement! I am fully on the remove Roof of his duties then fire bandwagon, but lord I hope he proves me wrong.
by tab0017 on Sep 18, 2011 11:24 PM CDT via mobile up reply actions
I didn't realize that
coordinators should have that magical power to turn underclassman into seniors with years of experience. Now I know.
by Tiger on the mountain on Sep 19, 2011 12:52 PM CDT up reply actions
No they don't...
They should have the magical power though to teach HOW TO TACKLE. Oh, and I would be happy with Roof and the defense if they were in the 60s or even 70s. We’re number 117 in D-1 football. That is not youth and inexperience only. Being basically dead last in the nation is not acceptable. I don’t care if it’s all freshmen we should never be dead last. If we were just a tiny better, I wouldn’t be this way. But 117 is just too bad for me to accept it’s just youth and inexperience.
It's Auburn against the world. Good luck world.
that Sammy Watkins
pretty much killed us all day. It got to where I was screaming at the TV about them not being able to take him down. Very disconcerting loss. But we move on. None of us expected to be undefeated this season, really, right? It’s really been 60 years since we got beaten by Clemson? No wonder they stormed the field regardless of our so-called ranking. I predict though that Clemson will fade into mediocrity and that this was already the high point of their season. We have our best football ahead of us, I don’t doubt it. The biggest question to me is where is the next defensive leader for us. Last year we had Josh Bynes and Nick Fairley showing how its done and nobody has showed up to fill their shoes. I have hope that someone will emerge to fill that role or we are in a heap of trouble.
Eguae is getting there,
Problem is the guys are all so young that even a guy that wants to step up might be nervous to because everyone else might not be on board. More likely that if one of these guys gets onto another in the huddle you’ll hear “Who made you the boss/captain/etc” because I’m sure emotions are running high on that side of the ball about now. It’s one of those situations where the most successful player will be deferred to as the leader and right now NO ONE IS SUCCESSFUL!
"I have come here to chew bubblegum and kick ass...and I'm all out of bubblegum."
by tigertracker on Sep 18, 2011 8:25 PM CDT up reply actions
If you want a leader
IMO the leaders on D need to be…Thorpe, who plays safety…Bates, who plays OLB…Holland, who plays MLB and naturally because he has to call the plays and get EVERYONE lined up, and Eguae on the end…surprisingly neiko is having a good year, missing on a couple of balls that couldve been picks…bates and holland are momentum players…if theyre fired up their unstoppable, but right now their playing inconsistent and taking bad angles (both are fixable and coachable)…Eguae has been a bright spot on a young d-line…so i think thats where the leadership and plays will come from in these guys…of course we need the middle but if they’re up and down, we could see a DB/S as our leading tackler which…isnt…good???
National Championship Trombone Player
I've experienced the lowest of the lows (0-36) and the highest of highs of Auburn Football (28-27)
WDE, TBN, DTESS!
I still miss Rocker
I can not imagine how much we have loss with Rocker. Not only could he coach fundamentals, he was an Auburn man and lived our traditon as a hard hiting take no prisoners defense as a player . I feel that he instilled that in our defensive line as a coach.
I truly believe that Pelton is that way too...
Same lineage, same Tiger pride, same school spirit, and he will turn that D-line around.
Come and join me at http://trackemtigers.com
Ok....
after watching the game again…(didn’t want to but didn’t want to make knee jerk comments about who screwed up)….the best of the LB’s was easily Darren Bates he didn’t have as many missed tackles as I earlier thought and he was in position more than not. Jake Holland when he was in position did a decent job….problem is that wasn’t often, he was caught flat footed in no mans land on pass plays constantly and when he wasn’t flat footed he bit on the run fake and charged the line only to give up center field to an easy completion. Not picking on Jake it’s just a fact….he’s a deer in the headlights right now. Chris Davis did a decent job at corner but was chewed up on running plays on short yardage. T Bell missed tackle after tackle and was beaten several times on pass routes (really expect more out of him). Neiko Thorpe had a couple really good pass breakups and was easily the best DB and between him and Bates were the only guys to not have major blunders. The DL was atrocious Jeffrey Whittaker was manhandled all day, Gabe Wright was as well…..the DE’s, while all of them made some plays, they were all guilty of overpursuit and missed tackles in the backfield in wholesale numbers. Several times when the Clem recievers went into motion and changed their set to the other side our D made small inadequate adjustment and allowed the reciever to have two to three steps on them to the outside and Clem was constantly setting up a pick to spring a screen or short post. All in all while the missed tackles are the most obvious atrocity….the defense was constantly out of position ALL DAY LONG! And Sparkey we are still making the same youthful mistakes….we are going to have to be patient while these kids grow into what we need them to be mentally and physically……especially our DL.
I don't troll so I reserve the right to berate trolls as I see fit.
Just so you know I won't forget.....LSU Jonno predicted we would finish 5th in the west in '11.
Something I noticed about the tackling
(or lack thereof), was that it was more of an positioning flaw than anything. These guys know how to tackle, but they were consistently taking bad angles to the ball carriers, resulting in a lot of missed arm tackles. This was most prevalent in the secondary, and I think it boils down to the huge cushion that our CBs have been playing. Tighten up coverage, and it makes it more difficult to simply dump the ball off and let the receivers scamper for extra yards. Make them beat you deep. It takes a MUCH better throw from the QB to complete a deep pass as opposed to the short slants and comebacks. In my opinion, our DBs do a pretty decent job in man-to-man coverage, but the linebackers (and safeties occasionally) have to be able to lock down the middle of the field and the flats. On a side note, major props to the coaches for moving Nieko to safety. He’s the best player on defense right now and is absolutely flying to the ball
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