- Can we do it? I don't know. I'm nervous.
- I watched Jake Holland slip off a ball carrier as if the ball carrier were covered in KY jelly. The craziest part about it was that there were two Auburn tacklers already on him. Jake just somehow was trucked. He was trucked in a gang tackle.
It reminded me of that Herschel Walker highlight. The one where he dives over the pile and gets stuffed and instead of going down, he somehow, some amazing way, he lands on his feet, spins around and jogs into the endzone.
It was like that but the exact opposite.
- I'm nervous because Arkansas is god-awful but they have a insanely talented running back that can shred defenses for chunks of yards.
- I'm nervous because Tennessee's FCS-caliber quarterback was banged up and a true freshman kid without eyebrows looked like he'll one day be a star. He gets a few weeks to get better. Tennessee has a good running back and a great receiver.
- I'm nervous because our defense has struggled in away games. They force opposing teams into mistakes. I think they feed off the home crowd.
- But I'm really excited about being nervous. I haven't really been nervous like this since 2010. Maybe a bit at the beginning of 2011. Maybe a half-second leading into the 2012 Clemson game. But this kind of nervous? I haven't felt this in a while.
- We are a top ten team. Let that soak in for a few seconds. We have two winnable SEC games and could be pushing the top five come Amen Corner.
- I don't feel I should be nervous. This season is a freebie. It's Gus's first year. We're coming off the worst season in Auburn history. This was supposed to be a year where a lot of losses occurred but a lot of potential was shown. That's not what this year is though. This is a prime moment in Auburn history. We're in contention for the SECCG.
- Nick Marshall really needs to get and stay healthy. I like Jeremy Johnson's potential like everyone else does. He looks good out there. Better than I thought he could be. Strong arm. Nice touch. Good moves. Lots of speed. But it seemed like he made a few mistakes. He threw into double coverage a few times. A few aberrant throws. He made a few decisions that against Georgia and definitely against Alabama would hurt our chances to win. Not that Nick Marshall is all that better passing but...
...Marshall has become an impressive runner. He's shit your pants fast and has some great moves. It seems each week he improves as he's becoming more and more comfortable with the offense. He's our best chance to win out.
- I don't know what it is about Oregon. I just don't like them. I don't like their style of play. They're just so...fast...no that's not it...they're just so reliant on pace. They click. Boom boom boom we've got you on your heels and touchdown. Then another touchdown. And now the game's out of reach.
But if there's something that a good defense can and will do, it's affect your pace. It's why in-game adjustments are so crucial to winning football games.
I don't really have anything objective to say about Oregon. It just seems apparent to me, empirically, that Oregon's offense will be stifled against a good defense like Alabama or Florida State. Everytime they do something WOW AMAZING, I think, "a team that can tackle would have stuffed that play."
- Missouri blew it, and I think they lose two more. Maybe three. 17-0 in the 4th quarter and you LOSE? That's unacceptable. I think this loss is really going to put a kink in their confidence. I think Spurrier knocked them back to Earth. I think Ole Miss is getting it cranked up and A&M will shred them.
- There's going to be five undefeated teams at the end of the year. Maybe more. This year will already make people question the playoff system.