Time for the weekly blowhard posts from THS to kick back up....
This is the start of what will surely be another exciting and frustrating college football season. Don't roll your eyes at the "frustrating" part. It's always frustrating. At least for part of the time.
Auburn...
- I like Barrett Trotter. He made a few throws on the sideline that only a veteran could make. He took charge of the offense when it needed him the most, and he led this team to a victory. Trotter was 17 of 23 for 261 yards and 3 touchdowns. No interceptions.
Did he make some rookie mistakes? Sure. Did he have a few horrible throws? Sure. Did he try to be Cam Newton and fail? Sure.
But no one expects Trotter to be a #1 draft pick. No one expects Trotter to suddenly be a five star superstar with the ability to lead a team to championships all by himself.
- However, this offensive line has to get its act together. Trotter can't grow as a young quarterback if the running game is stifled. Dyer and McCallebb are proven. This o-line is not. If our offense is going to be successful against better defenses, the line has to open up bigger holes.
- Defensively, we're going through the same struggles we've gone through since Chizik arrived. I think we can predict the strategy. I think we know the philosophy.
Play zone. Play it safe. Let the other team get some yards and force them into a tight spot somewhere on the field. Give our offense a chance to dominate and make just enough plays to get the victory.
I don't like it. But if it continues to get wins like it has (23-5 since Chizik was hired), I'll quit whining about it.
- Forget the reputation of Utah State and the WAC. That was a hell of an ending and one exciting football game. I screamed when we got the onside kick. You know you did too.
- Some good things for the future:
Tre Mason and Quan Bray will provide great field position most of the time.
We have top notch receivers.
Dyer is consistent and can make things happen.
- I'm not dooming and glooming yet. We'll know for sure on Saturday against Miss State.
- One last thing - don't forget that Utah State made zero mistakes. No bad throws. No fumbles. Very few if any penalties. That's hard to beat when you aren't playing well yourself.
Alabama...
- So you found a quarterback. Can't say I'm surprised about McCarron winning the job. He's awfully thin to take the beatings of defensive linemen in the SEC.
- Kent State really provided nothing to analyze. They were horrible from what I've heard.
LSU...
- This defense is straight up nasty. Rough. Aggressive. Hard. Relentless. Fearless. That was a defense that made Oregon its bitch. While Oregon put up some points in garbage time, this defense let the Pac 12 know what it's like to go up against the big boys of the SEC.
- Running back by committee, LSU has it. Ford and Ware each nearly eclipsed the century mark on the ground. It doesn't matter if Lee doesn't do much in a game if the ground game churns out yards like it did tonight. The offensive line dominated the line of scrimmage.
Oregon...
- The skill players were neutralized by LSU's defensive speed. Even linebackers were able to run down speedy backs like LaMichael James from behind. When Oregon had to play straight up man to man offense, they faltered. Having offensive linemen that are quick but weigh 275 pounds doesn't get you very far against an NFL style defense.
Georgia...
- Well, thanks, Georgia. You've officially given credibility to Boise State. It's one thing for Boise State to beat Virginia Tech. It's another to beat an SEC team in their own house.
- What's worse, you let Boise State dominate the line of scrimmage. This is the SEC. We're renowned for our defensive lines. We're the gurus of run stopping. We're the source of terrors in your nightmares of pass rushing. We destroy the line of scrimmage, which is why when two top SEC teams goes against each other, it seems apocalyptic. It seems like the world has slipped into a dystopian state. Bodies are ravaged. The grass is pulverized into dust. A splurge of blood saturates the land
- But not you. No, not you, Georgia. You allowed Kirk Herbstreit and Brent Facefallingoff to talk about how "tough" Boise State is. How they may not be the biggest, strongest, or fastest team in the country, but they're the toughest.
How can you be the toughest team if you aren't bigger, stronger, or faster than the other team?
That's an easy answer. It means the other team (Georgia) is a pantywaist sissy.
So Georgia, as you ride on the bus for a few hours back to Athens, think about what you've done to the SEC. What you've allowed to happen on the radio. What you've cultivated on ESPN.
Think about how you are solely responsible for the bloviated discussion of Boise State and non-AQ's in the BCS championship game.
Ole Miss...
- Houston Nutt has to go. I didn't get to watch much, but one thing I noticed when I was watching was the lack of discipline all over the field.
- Lack of discipline prevented you from winning. You can't whine about talent or experience if your coaching staff isn't putting you in position to win.
Notre Dame...
- I was discreetly predicting Notre Dame to be in a BCS game, but after that debacle, I don't think so. If anything, the weather delays helped because USF was dominating this one for the entire 1st half.
- I thought Brian Kelly was a great coach. That's what the experts tell me. I saw a team unprepared to compete on opening day. Way too many mistakes.
- On the bright side, there's a lot of talent on this team. Oh wait...that's even worse for the coaching staff.
Final Thought...
- My allegiance to the SEC is finished. Auburn and Auburn fans led the charge in 2006 when rooting for Florida to beat Ohio State. We were 100% behind Florida when they squeezed into the BCS championship game. We understood how great the conference was, and we also had personal experience with a blatant disrespect from the rest of the nation in 2004.
We had our bereavement and wanted the rest of the SEC to never experience what we did after the media pushed the idea that USC and Oklahoma were more deserving than the SEC champion.
In 2007, we lauded the performance of LSU against Ohio State. We knew that even though they had 2 losses, they were still the worthy champion. They were the SEC champion, and no one can beat the SEC champion. We were sure of that, and we wanted the world to know. So there we were chanting "S-E-C!" along with the rest of the conference.
In 2008, we began to brag about how dominant the SEC truly was. Florida was taking home the third straight SEC BCS Trophy. The SEC was beginning to own college football.
In 2009, although it being our rival and wanting to never see them win, we still were able to speak fondly of why Alabama was able to beat Texas. Alabama was too physical. If Texas really wanted to compete with an SEC team, they would have to protect their quarterback or have a contingency plan prior to the game beginning.
In 2010, we were getting retribution.
And the support stopped.
Vitriol and ridicule spilled into the airwaves not from Big 12, Big 10, or Pac 10 pundits. From our very own brethren whom we had supported so ardently in years past.
SEC chants fell silent as the rest of the conference allowed innuendo, insinuations, and rumors to influence their opinions of how Auburn was able to win. None of which were substantiated. Ever.
So today, I found myself not rooting for the SEC. I couldn't do it. I not only enjoyed Boise State beating Georgia; I was hoping they'd run up the score.
I was hoping Oregon would come back and beat LSU.
I was happy to see BYU beat Ole Miss.
While it's difficult to separate myself from SEC pride, I find it coming on naturally.
Georgia tarnished the current reputation of the SEC by losing to Boise State. I want them to not only think about what they've done; I want them to feel it. I want them to be embarrassed to show their face at media days. I want them to weep and gnash their teeth towards Mark Richt. I want them to spiral out of control into a frenzy reminiscent of Tennessee's campus when Lane Kiffin bolted to USC.
It's what I want to see at every school except Auburn.
So my final thought ends here, and I suspect that it will carry on throughout the year. I hope the SEC is finished. You tried to shove us down and failed. And if it's six feet in the ground you want, it's six feet in the ground you'll get.
It just won't be Auburn like you all hoped.
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