We were trying to find an identity early on last season and State played us as well as any other team. I thought some of you might like to see this and imagine how Trotter might feel going into this one without the veteran line. Cam ran it a great deal, some of it by design but mostly out of need as State was determined to take away the inside and did so effectively in the first half. Fannin struggled to make positive yards when State was fresh and Dyer entered the game in the second quarter to give the team a boost. O'Mac showed his toughness too on several inside runs. It was also a preview of the talent of Blake and Lutz. And it's pretty evident that Darvin Adams was a real presence on the field. Anyway, it would be foolhardy to think that we will gouge State inside with an inexperienced offensive line but it's a safe bet we will try some things to loosen them up. Fletcher Cox will be back at DT after serving his one game suspension just so you know one half of their core is rested.
I tend to think their second line of defense is what Malzahn will choose to attack because that is the least experienced of their defensive units. That being said...the way I would attack an aggressive SEC team like State is to employ much the same short passing game to that of Utah State with a few shots deep mixed in. Even so, this team has got to find a way to grind out first downs on the ground in this league to survive. There's just no way around it. However, in order to advance the ball down the field, first down is the key to Auburn's success because third and long is putting undue pressure on the entire team, yes including our defense. So I expect Trotter to throw it thirty-five or forty times because State will dictate that he do so and they will come after him. We should also expect some Wildcat packages to give State something to consider. I just hope Dyer is not the focal point when we do run it.
How about that devastating plant from Mike Berry on the fourth quarter pass back to Cam?
He ain't just standing around. Our entire o-line got after them in the second half and the scoreboard is a testament to State's toughness. This one is going to be a serious scrap folks and there will be blood.
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