I officially proclaim this...

[AUsweetheart]

I'm sure I'm in the minority here...but this was the first game where I really thought our lack of depth was a real factor. I know it's been an issue, but in all of our previous losses....well, there was a bunch of other shit wrong. Last night we started out strong and we just couldn't sustain it.
Were there some stupid calls...some mistakes? Yeah.(motherfucking Chris Todd) But they weren't game breakers, imho. Our kids didn't play a bad game. Kentucky was a bad game.... LSU was a bad game....Arky, with the exception of the 3rd was a bad game....

That being said, it doesn't make me feel one fucking bit better. Fuck ga.

[ibelonginprison]

I'm sure I'm in the minority here...

Funny you should say that. LOL  Technically, you are only half minority.





(please don't hit me.)

Fuck ga.

Amen.

[The Prowler]

Yes, lets not mention that these kids have played 11 STRAIGHT.  I was watching a game Sat. evening and the commentators were saying how one of the teams was playing their 10th straight game, they commented on how tired that team looked now.  When I heard that I wondered how tired will my team look, tonight against UGA.

[RWS]

Yes, lets not mention that these kids have played 11 STRAIGHT.  I was watching a game Sat. evening and the commentators were saying how one of the teams was playing their 10th straight game, they commented on how tired that team looked now.  When I heard that I wondered how tired will my team look, tonight against UGA.

Thats AU's fault for wanting 2 weeks to prep for Alabama. Auburn makes, what, the 5th team on our schedule to take a bye before they play us?

The only thing that worries me about AU having a bye week is Malzahn having two weeks to scheme against our defense. Utah outschemed us, and it certainly can be done again. However, I think we're a little more prepared for that sort of thing this season. We handled MSU quite well, and while they clearly don't have the athletes UF has, they run the exact same offense. We did very well against the misdirection, especially.

[AUsweetheart]

Thats AU's fault for wanting 2 weeks to prep for Alabama.

HOLD the motherfucking phone for one minute. Not even you could be implying that AU based its whole schedule on the uat game?  That we played 11 games straight...tired as fuck....just said fuck it to our other conference opponents...the only game that matters, the only one we need to rest for, is bama?

Come on.

[War Eagle!!!]

HOLD the motherfucking phone for one minute. Not even you could be implying that AU based its whole schedule on the uat game?  That we played 11 games straight...tired as fuck....just said fuck it to our other conference opponents...the only game that matters, the only one we need to rest for, is bama?

Come on.

It's the way he thinks. He will write you a 500 word diatribe on why he is right too...

[AUChizad]

It's the way he thinks. He will write you a 500 word diatribe on why he is right too...

Then he'll arbitrarily call me out for being a sunshine pumper.

[Buzz Killington]

HOLD the motherfucking phone for one minute. Not even you could be implying that AU based its whole schedule on the uat game?  That we played 11 games straight...tired as fuck....just said fuck it to our other conference opponents...the only game that matters, the only one we need to rest for, is bama?

Come on.

I guess that's why Auburn wanted the game moved back a week too...ooh, wait.

[Kaos]

Then he'll arbitrarily call me out for being a sunshine pumper.

I thought that was my job, you unicorn riding teddy bear warrior.

[Godfather]

Keep his ass in the same formation, and maybe he won't have as many false starts.

I question what the fuck he was doing way out in the flat to begin with....especially while Todd was about to get sacked.

[Godfather]

BTW...Birdman you were straight on with your rant.  Gus was a clusterfuck with this game....big time.  It almost seemed to me like the first two drives were scripted, and then we had to make shit up after that.   It is not all Gus's fault of course as our players were shitty again on execution.

Couple of things I noticed...

- We do much better when we keep the pace up...when they get up to the line and hike it, with 20 secs left.  When we get up there and do our imitation of the meerkat and end up hiking it with 5 secs left, not so good.

- What happened to the bubble screen to Fannin, how about letting our playmakers get into open space and do their thing.  The play calling after the first two drives was atrocious, but the final 2 downs were ridiculous, when you have 3 down and a mile why do you try and go for it all?  We all know that we will be going for it on fourth, why not connect on a high percentage completion and get some yards (ie screen)

- Why do we always find it necessary to drive up the middle on a 3 and 1?  Do we not know what a toss sweep is...or how about a little option with Kodi Burns. 

[Mr. Sensible]

- We do much better when we keep the pace up...when they get up to the line and hike it, with 20 secs left.  When we get up there and do our imitation of the meerkat and end up hiking it with 5 secs left, not so good.

I agree. I believe the reasons we "gear it down" are 1) our defensive depth and coaching is pitiful and they need time to reset on the sidelines; 2) Gus outthinks himself a lot. It's a common problem for high school coaches.

- What happened to the bubble screen to Fannin...

Fannin fumbles a lot or, more likely, we weren't doing jack with speed runs to the outside against them.

- Why do we always find it necessary to drive up the middle on a 3 and 1?  Do we not know what a toss sweep is...or how about a little option with Kodi Burns. 

Any plays involving Kodi Burns automatically carry a 55% chance of complete failure. I, for one, don't understand why on that 3rd and inches late in the game we have to do all that smoke and mirrors to run a dive play. Again, Gus outthinks the stadium and it fails.

[/quote]

[jadennis]

The thing is, with ole Todd back there, who knows what really is going on.  We went deep on third, but maybe that's Todd waiting his usual .0005 seconds to go through progressions before deciding what he's going to do and sticking to it no matter what else happens.  

Maybe Gus had the deep guy to stretch the field and create more space in intermediate routes...who knows.

I will say this, no matter how things looked, we did get down the field, and Todd did make a great throw to Fannin at the goal line.  He holds on to the ball, all of the sudden Gus, Todd, etc don't all look quite as stupid and incompetent.  

Fannin, however, in my opinion, is best when he gets the ball handed to him in the back field.  He is capable of catching it, and he's capable of doing things in space.  But too often he doesn't do as well as he is capable of doing.  I feel like he's more consistent coming from the backfield as a true running back.

I definitely agree with the pace thing.  Rhythm seems to be a huge key to these guys....players and play caller.

[jadennis]

Any plays involving Kodi Burns automatically carry a 55% chance of complete failure. I, for one, don't understand why on that 3rd and inches late in the game we have to do all that smoke and mirrors to run a dive play. Again, Gus outthinks the stadium and it fails.

Kodi from the wild cat definitely isn't doing much these days (or this year since the Miss State game).

What was most irritating involving Kodi in that game though was the penalty that killed his pass play.  We keep him in there, going in motion, etc play after play so that we can set up using him on a pass play.  It works perfectly for what, 30+ yard gain down to the 20...only to have it called back for having two men in motion.

There is nothing more irritating than setting up a play that you can only run effectively once every 3 games, only to piss it away on a freaking penalty. 

Okay, I can feel my blood pressure going up again.   

[Snaggletiger]

Eric Smith must have been tired from the Furman game.

May be a crazy analogy here but I liken Gus' playcalling to that of Steve Superior in his heyday at UF.  He was just as likely to call a triple reverse on 3rd and 1 as anything.  Spurrier rarely worried about strategy because he knew that 90% plus of the time he was going in with way more talent than the opponent.  It would occasionally bite him in the butt, as it did against Auburn twice when he kept chunking the ball around with the game in hand.

The most distrubing call of the night to me was one seemingly docile play where Tate goes up the middle for 6-7 on first.  Our D is tired and in need of a break.  Instead of pounding it...or running a sweep or a swing pass..whatever..something to get a first down, he has Todd drop back and heave it 30 yards downfield up for grabs.  It's literally like he's brought his bag of tricks and just calls whatever the next play is that comes out of that bag.  He was constantly calling the Mildcats over the last 5-6 games in situations that all you can do is ask "Why?"  1st down from our own 25?  Why? 

And when it's apparent that as the game went longer and longer, their D-line was pinning their ears back and coming after Todd.  Still...he calls slow developing pass play after slow developing pass play.  Just no rhyme or reason to what's being called.   

[jadennis]

I know he likes to be on the field, but I wonder if he would benefit from moving up to the box?

[Snaggletiger]

It's probably old school thinking on my part but in most scenarios where you get a nice gain on 1st down, leaving yourself with 2-5 yards to go, my first objective is to do what it takes to move the chains.  I understand taking a shot more downfield if you have a yard or less and feel confident about pounding it out on 3rd.  But especially when the D is in the situation ours is in, you need to get the first and take a few minutes off the clock.

[CCTAU]

It's probably old school thinking on my part but in most scenarios where you get a nice gain on 1st down, leaving yourself with 2-5 yards to go, my first objective is to do what it takes to move the chains.  I understand taking a shot more downfield if you have a yard or less and feel confident about pounding it out on 3rd.  But especially when the D is in the situation ours is in, you need to get the first and take a few minutes off the clock.

I only remember one time I lost it on this subject. We had a 9 yd gain on first and that left us with 2nd and 1. And we run it up the gut for the first down. Why? NOW is the time to take a shot sown field. Like someone else said, Malzahn seemed to be reaching into a bag and calling whatever he pulled out.

[Godfather]

Question....Slant pass to Darvin Adams or T Zach...how good would that be to see?  Not sayin...I'm just sayin.

[Snaggletiger]

Question....Slant pass to Darvin Adams or T Zach...how good would that be to see?  Not sayin...I'm just sayin.

That one got shuffled to the bottom of the bag.