The "little things"...

[JR4AU]

I've slept on yesterday's beatdown...I feel a bit different now.

"That's coaching!"  "That's on the coaches!"  Well lets be honest, it's all on the coaches, regardless.  But, they're not out there with their controllers hitting the X and O buttons, with players that do exactly as they're programmed every time.  They coach them.  They call the plays or the defense, the players play.  They do their best to put them in a position to win, but they can't play the game for them. 

You can play the "I don't care what the issues, or shortcomings are, it's the coaches responsibility to get them ready to play!"  If you were a NASCAR fan would you say "he can't drive" if Jimmy Johnson came in last, and 100 laps down driving a '72 Pinto at 'dega?   If (name whatever coach you want) took your local HS team in to The Swamp, and got 100 hung on him, would you put it on poor coaching still? 

When you have a load of Fr. and Soph. players, you have to spend your time polishing individual techniques, and learning the schemes.  When you have a team of upperclassmen, you can spend your time polishing the overall product, and getting the little details down.  With only 20 hours of practice time each week, the coaches must choose what to focus on, and something else has to be left getting less attention. 

Here's some "little things" that got in the way in a big way yesterday:

First LSU drive...we have them 3rd and 4, and we have a 12 men on the field call giving them a 1st down.

Second LSU possession, LSU punts, they commit a Facemask penalty, we negate it with a block in the back.   Replay the punt.  No real harm, but probably cost us a few yards. 

On that change of possession, we start off with a Delay of Game. 

In the second quarter, we are 2nd and 9, and have an illegal formation call.  Now 2nd and 14.

3rd LSU poss. of 2nd Q, 2nd and 10, we commit a 15 yard facemask penalty. 

2 plays later, bomb for a TD with our 3rd string CB vs their best WR. 

Towards end of 2nd Q, LSU 3rd and 5, Pass Int. call.

2 plays later, beat badly again on essentially the same play as the first pass TD.

Auburn first drive of 2nd half Lutz drops a sure first down

2 plays later a 24 yard punt by Clark giving LSU the ball on their own 26. 

With about 10 min left in 3rd, KOR to Tre Mason, fumble, LSU ball on our own 22.

Midway through the 3rd, Mosely throws a pick 6.

Coaching?  Ok, our staff has gone from NC staff, to a bunch of bumbling idiots in half a season?  What would YOU have them do?  What would YOU emphasize at practice?  What would YOU do differently? 

If it were me, I'd have a bunch of Jr.s and Sr.s with some talent to to work with, and a decent QB.  That would be what I would do different. 

If you're one of those that just parrots what the likes of Finebaum callers like to say: "I don't want to hear excuses, that's the coach's responsibility", then have a ball.  That's real easy to say. 

[Kaos]

I've slept on yesterday's beatdown...I feel a bit different now.

"That's coaching!"  "That's on the coaches!"  Well lets be honest, it's all on the coaches, regardless.  But, they're not out there with their controllers hitting the X and O buttons, with players that do exactly as they're programmed every time.  They coach them.  They call the plays or the defense, the players play.  They do their best to put them in a position to win, but they can't play the game for them. 

You can play the "I don't care what the issues, or shortcomings are, it's the coaches responsibility to get them ready to play!"  If you were a NASCAR fan would you say "he can't drive" if Jimmy Johnson came in last, and 100 laps down driving a '72 Pinto at 'dega?   If (name whatever coach you want) took your local HS team in to The Swamp, and got 100 hung on him, would you put it on poor coaching still? 

When you have a load of Fr. and Soph. players, you have to spend your time polishing individual techniques, and learning the schemes.  When you have a team of upperclassmen, you can spend your time polishing the overall product, and getting the little details down.  With only 20 hours of practice time each week, the coaches must choose what to focus on, and something else has to be left getting less attention. 

Here's some "little things" that got in the way in a big way yesterday:

First LSU drive...we have them 3rd and 4, and we have a 12 men on the field call giving them a 1st down.

Second LSU possession, LSU punts, they commit a Facemask penalty, we negate it with a block in the back.   Replay the punt.  No real harm, but probably cost us a few yards. 

On that change of possession, we start off with a Delay of Game. 

In the second quarter, we are 2nd and 9, and have an illegal formation call.  Now 2nd and 14.

3rd LSU poss. of 2nd Q, 2nd and 10, we commit a 15 yard facemask penalty. 

2 plays later, bomb for a TD with our 3rd string CB vs their best WR. 

Towards end of 2nd Q, LSU 3rd and 5, Pass Int. call.

2 plays later, beat badly again on essentially the same play as the first pass TD.

Auburn first drive of 2nd half Lutz drops a sure first down

2 plays later a 24 yard punt by Clark giving LSU the ball on their own 26. 

With about 10 min left in 3rd, KOR to Tre Mason, fumble, LSU ball on our own 22.

Midway through the 3rd, Mosely throws a pick 6.

Coaching?  Ok, our staff has gone from NC staff, to a bunch of bumbling idiots in half a season?  What would YOU have them do?  What would YOU emphasize at practice?  What would YOU do differently? 

If it were me, I'd have a bunch of Jr.s and Sr.s with some talent to to work with, and a decent QB.  That would be what I would do different. 

If you're one of those that just parrots what the likes of Finebaum callers like to say: "I don't want to hear excuses, that's the coach's responsibility", then have a ball.  That's real easy to say.

Thus, snowball. 

LSU is a good team. 

Think about this for a minute.  Reverse the roles. 

We're down 7-3.  Get a penalty.  Moseley hits a bomb to Blake for a TD.   
LSU fumbles the next kickoff.  Moseley drops one in to Benton for a TD.
On the next series now trailing 17-7, Lee starts pressing.  Throws one into coverage.  Bell rips it off and goes the distance.  It's 24-7. 
We force a punt when Randle drops a sure first down on a crossing route.  The Australian punter, still distracted by memories of Meaux Isom, shanks it.  We get the ball on their 36.  Dyer to McCalebb on a reverse for 21 yards. Play action to Lutz to the five.  Dyer, Dyer, Dyer.  31-7. 

Snowball. 

Shit happens.  We made mistakes. Can't make mistakes against a good team.  If they'd made the mistakes?  Well, it doesn't matter because they didn't. 

Edited to add:

I've already seen others having head-exploding rants about Ted Roof and his defense giving up 45 points. 

There are times it's on him.  This just isn't one of them.  It's just not.  Given what they had to work with, the defense did a pretty decent job.  I don't know why Randle kept getting isolated on some guy who was selling concessions last week, but that's about the only real complaint I have. 

The score isn't always indicative of the game or the teams.  Bad loss?  Yeah.  But to compare it to the soul-crushing, Doug Barfield-defining bitch slap at the hands of Tennessee in Barfield's last year?  Night and day.  I like how somebody else compared it to the demolition we suffered at the hands of Nebraska a couple of years later.  Yeah, we got our ass handed to us but only because we were getting better and not quite there yet.

[JR4AU]

Thus, snowball. 

LSU is a good team. 

Think about this for a minute.  Reverse the roles. 

We're down 7-3.  Get a penalty.  Moseley hits a bomb to Blake for a TD.   
LSU fumbles the next kickoff.  Moseley drops one in to Benton for a TD.
On the next series now trailing 17-7, Lee starts pressing.  Throws one into coverage.  Bell rips it off and goes the distance.  It's 24-7. 
We force a punt when Randle drops a sure first down on a crossing route.  The Australian punter, still distracted by memories of Meaux Isom, shanks it.  We get the ball on their 36.  Dyer to McCalebb on a reverse for 21 yards. Play action to Lutz to the five.  Dyer, Dyer, Dyer.  31-7. 

Snowball. 

Shit happens.  We made mistakes. Can't make mistakes against a good team.  If they'd made the mistakes?  Well, it doesn't matter because they didn't. 

Edited to add:

I've already seen others having head-exploding rants about Ted Roof and his defense giving up 45 points. 

There are times it's on him.  This just isn't one of them.  It's just not.  Given what they had to work with, the defense did a pretty decent job.  I don't know why Randle kept getting isolated on some guy who was selling concessions last week, but that's about the only real complaint I have. 

The score isn't always indicative of the game or the teams.  Bad loss?  Yeah.  But to compare it to the soul-crushing, Doug Barfield-defining bitch slap at the hands of Tennessee in Barfield's last year?  Night and day.  I like how somebody else compared it to the demolition we suffered at the hands of Nebraska a couple of years later.  Yeah, we got our ass handed to us but only because we were getting better and not quite there yet.

Agree.