Four games into the 2014 season what does Auburn look like...

[Kaos]

Here we go again:

2013, four games, total offense: 1758 yards.  6.06 yards per play.
2014, four games, total offense: 1920 yards.  6.64 yards per play. 

The takeaway from this is that we need to cool off on the QB controversy, the questioning of this team's ability to win the SEC, and the state of woe that most Auburn sites seem to be going through.  If we really think Malzahn is the genius that he seems to be, then he will most likely improve this team going forward.  His offense has been a top 5, awe-inspiring, dominating force of destruction at every stop he's been at outside of 2011 when many would say that he was hindered by a poor head coach.

There is no controversy so far as I'm concerned.  That doesn't mean I have to wave a shaker and yell "Hey!" when there are things that seem concerning to me. 

Much was made of Marshall's improvement as a passer in the offseason and how amazing it was going to be to have a quarterback working his second year under the same system.  Those expectations set us up to see something that I don't think many of us feel like we're seeing.  Marshall doesn't seem to be greatly improved as a passer and he's not breaking people's dicks in half running the ball like he seemed to do the second half of last season. 

Spoiled?  Maybe so.  But it's more a matter of what we were led to expect than it is anything else me think. 

[WiregrassTiger]

There is no controversy so far as I'm concerned.  That doesn't mean I have to wave a shaker and yell "Hey!" when there are things that seem concerning to me. 

Much was made of Marshall's improvement as a passer in the offseason and how amazing it was going to be to have a quarterback working his second year under the same system.  Those expectations set us up to see something that I don't think many of us feel like we're seeing.  Marshall doesn't seem to be greatly improved as a passer and he's not breaking people's richards in half running the ball like he seemed to do the second half of last season. 

Spoiled?  Maybe so.  But it's more a matter of what we were led to expect than it is anything else me think.

I think there were a lot of unrealistic expectations, for sure. And Nick isn't passing like I thought he would, based on what I perceived a very much improved passer at A day. But, I still think that he's better. I don't think he's as far off (like out of the zip code) this season. He has more touch.

What has concerned me more is our 1st down performance with the zone read. I don't know why but it isn't working like last year. Yet, when winning convincingly, it's hard to complain. I feel like adjustments will be made when they need to be made. Which is likely this Sat.

Maybe more passes on 1st and second down. When is the last time that happened?

[Buzz Killington]

I think Nick just needs to get back to the basics of smoking opposing defenses.  He seemed blazing fast last season, while he was lighting up the rest of the SEC. 

[WiregrassTiger]

I think Nick just needs to get back to the basics of smoking opposing defenses.  He seemed blazing fast last season, while he was lighting up the rest of the SEC.

Maybe your expectations are too high, to be blunt.

[Kaos]

Maybe your expectations are too high, to be blunt.

Here we go again with this puffery. 

[Saniflush]

Here we go again with this puffery.

Well you knew it would be in the bag.

[Snaggletiger]

Well you knew it would be in the bag.

Speaking of, he's not reading the dime and nickel packages like he did before he had that trouble with the law.

But, to cut through all the smoke......I haven't read everyone's comments fully so sorry (Not really) if this has been covered.  I think we have every right to be concerned about this offense.  For a variety of reasons, it wasn't in synch or back street boys in either of the last two games.  Yeah, we won 45-17 but two of those scores were off a punt return and the interception run back inside the 5.  Two of the TD passes should have never been thrown.  Both into double coverage and one of them essentially a hell merry.

The concern for me is not that we're not really blowing people away as is kind of the expectation after the way we finished the season last year.  It's that the offense is far from the well oiled machine we've been looking for and from this point on it's:  LSU...MSU...A&M...Sakerlina...Ole Miss...Jawja...Turds.

Don't know if that's the order but you get the picture.  The huge positive so far is our D is playing at a level that if our offense gets its collective shift together, we can run the table.  If they play anything close to the last two games, this thing could get ugly quick.  Every SEC team we face from here on out has more overall talent than anyone we've faced so far. 

[Godfather]

Then Johnson comes in and it's like where the fuck have all these receivers been, because he's flinging it all over the damn place...there's receivers everywhere. Hell I thought Uzomah was injured or something and he was just a decoy, until Johnson hit him in the corner of the endzone while a DE was dangling off him.

Which BTW was friggin AUMAZING, La. Tech or not!!!

[Godfather]

Couple of my .03 cents. 

I think we have a tendency to forget that regardless of how many folks we returned we still lost some crucial players that contributed to our huge success from last season.  Prosch & Robinson obviously, but lets not forget that we also lost Kozan for the year. This is a new offensive line and sometimes it takes time to gel together. 

I'm certainly not making excuses, because from my perspective we seem to have regressed on offense from the Arkansas game. Which I don't like to see.  I do however have faith in our coaching staff, probably more so than any coaching staff this side of Dye, to get things worked out.  LSU will be going down this Saturday book it!

[AUChizad]

Good stuff.  I am cutting and pasting it all together to then steal and post all over Al Gore's interwebs.

Ditto.

[AUChizad]

Here...

Make sure you bitches give me credit for what I have stolen fair and square.

You forgot:

2013 (28.5 ppg/allowing 22 ppg):
Washington State  W 31-24
Arkansas State      W 38-9
Mississippi State   W 24-20
@ Louisiana State  L 35-21

2014 (42.25 ppg/allowing 16.25 ppg):
Arkansas              W 45-21
San Jose State     W 59-13
@ Kansas State   W 20-14
Louisiana Tech    W 45-17

[GH2001]

NM was terrible reading the option until the last part of first half.

He still is not running like he did last season. He is a bit reserved and looks like Onterrio headed to the sideline.

NM needs to keep in mind his relief valve. Several times wit was wide open and NM forced it deep.

Like I said, NM is the key. If he makes good decisions, we roll. If not, well...

THESE POINTS ^^^ all of em.

And yes the stats look good and better than last year but we also haven't played one team that is our equal. Our talent is winning us those games. The eye test just isn't right in the last 3 games.

[AUChizad]

And yes the stats look good and better than last year but we also haven't played one team that is our equal. Our talent is winning us those games. The eye test just isn't right in the last 3 games.

Kansas State > Washington State
San Jose State = Arkansas State
Louisiana Tech < Mississippi State
Arkansas = LSU

Yeah, we had played two SEC teams, but I actually think the first four games of each schedule were not that far apart.

[GH2001]

Kansas State > Washington State
San Jose State = Arkansas State
Louisiana Tech < Mississippi State
Arkansas = LSU

Yeah, we had played two SEC teams, but I actually think the first four games of each schedule were not that far apart.

2014 (42.25 ppg/allowing 16.25 ppg):
Arkansas              W 45-21

Louisiana Tech    W 45-17

Not doubting that at all.

But this year a lot of our points seem to be coming from opportunities and the other side's mistakes, not just pure dominance and execution. Plus the D is playing better this year creating a lot of those opportunities. I just have to think this is going to catch up with us at some point against a high quality team if NM doesn't get the thing rolling with precision.

Like I said, its just an eye test thing.

[CCTAU]

Like I said, re-watch the first half. When NM starts making the correct read and running the ball, we look unbeatable. The drive that ended with the most beautiful pass NM has ever thrown, had NM running the ball three times. And all three were correct reads.

Teams will be selling out to make NM beat them. Either with his feet or his arm. Last season they were scared of him. this season they see a chink in the armor.

And we have three, count them, three of the best WRs in the country and we cannot seem to get them the ball!

Duke in the 10-15 yd dig is money. If we can get him the ball. It may be that NM just cannot see over the line? I don't know.

But you can take your comparisons from this time last season and dispose of them. We were winning in a totally different fashion last year. The eye test does not usually lie. You have to rely on what you are normally capable of. Any kind of special teams score is a bonus and cannot be part of your expectations each week. Same with interceptions and turnovers. Take those away and what does the score look like so far? Yes, those are part of the game, but they cannot be a measuring stick as to where you are developmentally.
 

[WiregrassTiger]

When nick hands the ball off and runs unopposed around the end while the RB gets stuffed at the line--does this mean that he made an incorrect read? I don't think that it necessarily does, every time.

I don't know if he's reading the DE or LB and I assume it changes but whatever the deal is, it's hard for me to believe that he is worse at running it this year.

I'm deferring to Gus but as some others have mentioned, I'm thinking that we miss Prosch and Robinson a lot.

[CCTAU]

When nick hands the ball off and runs unopposed around the end while the RB gets stuffed at the line--does this mean that he made an incorrect read? I don't think that it necessarily does, every time.

I don't know if he's reading the DE or LB and I assume it changes but whatever the deal is, it's hard for me to believe that he is worse at running it this year.

I'm deferring to Gus but as some others have mentioned, I'm thinking that we miss Prosch and Robinson a lot.

If the read man steps in toward the play, you pull and run because there a good chance he will not get you. For every step he takes toward the handoff, he takes himself out of the play almost 2 steps. If he sits back, you have the option to pull and run. You have to determine can you outrun the guy. K-State had a big slow white boy just sit there and that was enough to make NM hand the ball off. Last season, he would have pulled and outrun the guy.

By making the wrong read, I was watching the the read side of the defense and whether or not they crashed. If they crash, NM should run the ball.

Sometimes if they crash, that means they are filling in for the guy inside who is slanting to stop the inside run.

Either way, when the read side of the defense gives you the outside, you take it. If you don't. odds are the RB will get stuffed.

I was also very upset with the offensive coaches not seeing that the slot CB was also spying the QB. that could have been exploited very easily with a pull and quick hit to the slot as soon as the CB broke.

The option offense is a game of chess and right now, there are a lot fo DCs out there learning how to counteract our offense. I'm hoping Malzahn kicks it in high right about now.

I'm sure DCs have watched the last two games and are going to use some of the same tactics that have been used to slow us down so far.

[War Eagle!!!]

If the read man steps in toward the play, you pull and run because there a good chance he will not get you. For every step he takes toward the handoff, he takes himself out of the play almost 2 steps. If he sits back, you have the option to pull and run. You have to determine can you outrun the guy. K-State had a big slow white boy just sit there and that was enough to make NM hand the ball off. Last season, he would have pulled and outrun the guy.

By making the wrong read, I was watching the the read side of the defense and whether or not they crashed. If they crash, NM should run the ball.

Sometimes if they crash, that means they are filling in for the guy inside who is slanting to stop the inside run.

Either way, when the read side of the defense gives you the outside, you take it. If you don't. odds are the RB will get stuffed.

I was also very upset with the offensive coaches not seeing that the slot CB was also spying the QB. that could have been exploited very easily with a pull and quick hit to the slot as soon as the CB broke.

The option offense is a game of chess and right now, there are a lot fo DCs out there learning how to counteract our offense. I'm hoping Malzahn kicks it in high right about now.

I'm sure DCs have watched the last two games and are going to use some of the same tactics that have been used to slow us down so far.

I am hoping that the calls that were made were actual run calls. I am hoping that Gus told Nick to just hand the ball off. I am hoping that we are not showing anything because Gus knew that we could beat the first 4 teams on talent alone.

It seems like, especially during the K-State game, that NM made so many errors reading the defense. Either that is a scheme thing or a player thing. I would have to eliminate the "player" thing because I don't think Nick just forgot how to make the reads. It has to be a "scheme" thing.

With that said, is it a scheme that Gus is using or that the defense is using. I have a hard time believing that after torching UGA, ALabama, and also FSU all at the end of the year last year, that K-State came up with something that Gus hasn't thought about. So that leads me to believe that this is an Auburn scheme change...and that Auburn is running more straight hand offs and less read options right now.

LSU will be the big test. If Auburn gets less than 150 yards rushing against LSU, it is going to be tough to win the SEC this year.

[Godfather]

The glaring difference I see is the fast pace.  Our pace doesn't seem to be anything close to what we were running last year.

Also I would like to ask where 2012's stats are?

[Saniflush]

Also I would like to ask where 2012's stats are?

Only the number of loses number was large enough to not need an electron microscope to see.