Tigers X - Number one Source to Talk Auburn Tigers Sports
Pat Dye Field => War Damn Eagle => Topic started by: Kaos on September 17, 2009, 01:14:30 PM
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I had a WVU fan predict a 28-17 Mountaineer (or 'E'eer as they stupidly refer to themselves) victory.
Wheels spun.
I looked.
Only one team has held a Gus Malzhan coached offense under 20 points. That was USC in his very first game as coordinator.
His first five games all clocked in at under 28.
Since? Only seven times in three seasons has his offense been held to under 28.
One was Arkansas when he was at Tulsa. One was Oklahoma when he was at Tulsa. One was Central Florida in a CUSA title game. One was East Carolina in a CUSA title game. One was LSU, while at Arkansas, and they scored 26 that night.
West Virginia is stupid if they think they'll keep Auburn's score under 28.
Why didn't I know all this before?
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AU should have a fairly easy time with WVU. They aren't shit without Pat White, and quite frankly, they weren't unbeatable when he was there for that matter. Their defense isn't horrible, but nothing remarkable. If they had difficulties against Liberty and ECU, then I see AU cutting through them. If they can manage to defend the edges well though, AU might have a tough time running. I certainly don't see AU winning if they have to rely on Todd, so you guys better hope they can't stop the run.
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Why didn't I know all this before?
It's easy to gloss over because of all the talking heads who have sworn his system would never work in Division 1.
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It's easy to gloss over because of all the talking heads who have sworn his system would never work in Division 1.
Honestly, I'm not sure if we know yet. It looks pretty good so far, but then again, look at the competition its up against. But still, even against that competition, it cut through them like a buzzsaw for the most part. I think AU will come across some losses if they play a team that can stop the run, or has talent above middle-of-the-road SEC caliber. Malzahn destroyed teams with talent such as La Tech and MSU at Tulsa with Tulsa level talent for that matter. This is only two games in, and they have not really faced anything resembling adversity or decent talent on the field. Like I said, it looks pretty damn good right now. Nobody can argue that. I'm just still not convinced that its going to win a ton of games in the SEC. I may be wrong, who knows.
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I don't see us being held to less than 28 either.
However, it will be interesting to see how the WVU 3-3-5 defense does against us. That defense should help them avoid being caught in so many "wrong personnel" situations like MSU was. They will typically have on the field who they want on the field, regardless of whether we're running or passing.
But, the 3-3-5 is also susceptible to the run if run against correctly. I'm sure Malzahn has seen the holes in it and has a plan. And if the second halves of the first two games have proven anything, it's that he knows how to make adjustments and exploit what the other team is trying to do defensively.
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Nobody can argue that. I'm just still not convinced that its going to win a ton of games in the SEC.
Mitch Mustain and Casey Dick do not agree.
We will be stopped there is no doubt about that. Everyone is no matter who they are or what they run. The question will be can the other areas make up for it.
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I don't see us being held to less than 28 either.
However, it will be interesting to see how the WVU 3-3-5 defense does against us. That defense should help them avoid being caught in so many "wrong personnel" situations like MSU was. They will typically have on the field who they want on the field, regardless of whether we're running or passing.
But, the 3-3-5 is also susceptible to the run if run against correctly. I'm sure Malzahn has seen the holes in it and has a plan. And if the second halves of the first two games have proven anything, it's that he knows how to make adjustments and exploit what the other team is trying to do defensively.
Another stat I noted but failed to mention in the article?
Noel Devine had 209 yards against Auburn last year. 109 came in the fourth quarter.
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I don't see us being held to less than 28 either.
However, it will be interesting to see how the WVU 3-3-5 defense does against us. That defense should help them avoid being caught in so many "wrong personnel" situations like MSU was. They will typically have on the field who they want on the field, regardless of whether we're running or passing.
But, the 3-3-5 is also susceptible to the run if run against correctly. I'm sure Malzahn has seen the holes in it and has a plan. And if the second halves of the first two games have proven anything, it's that he knows how to make adjustments and exploit what the other team is trying to do defensively.
The problem is with a 3-4 or a 3-3-5 type alignment, as far as running game goes, the defense WANTS you to run to the edges. Thats where they are built to get you, more specifically with the 3-4. The LBs are just sitting back reading the play, and that gives them a little better vision of the play and different keys. From what I've seen, you guys aren't running up the middle much except for Wildcat, goal line, and designed draw plays. More than likely, since Todd isn't that much of a passing threat, one of those DBs will be down in the box a little more making it more like a 3-4, if I had to guess. But, here's an issue though: their NT is only 300 lbs. For a 3-4, thats about what you want your DEs. Anywhere between 285-305. You would want a NT around 330 or so. I'm just not so sure they have the right folks to be in a 3-3-5 set against AU, so maybe they will go with more of a 4-3 look. I haven't seen enough of WVU, so I don't know.
If the NT is successful in occupying two blockers, I think the 3-3-5 and bringing down a SS into the box would be ideal. Another good thing about the 3-3-5 and especially a 3-4 is it gives you more multiples in terms of bringing pressure and confusing the QB from different areas and making it harder for the QB to figure out where exactly it will come from. I think if they really try to confuse Todd, it will work. Look for alot of zone coverage and not much man, and WVU will try to disrupt some of AU's blocking schemes.
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I don't make a shit what they run. Gus is already 3-4 plays ahead .
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I don't make a shit what they run. Gus is already 3-4 plays ahead .
If you would remove Malzahn's man juice from your eyes for a few seconds, you would realize that his offense can be defeated. Believe it or not, it has happened before.
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If you would remove Malzahn's man juice from your eyes for a few seconds, you would realize that his offense can be defeated. Believe it or not, it has happened before.
Yeah it can. But it's exponentially more difficult to do so apparently.
You're already getting antsy. I'm not concerned about what this offense can do against the 17th annual "As Good as 1992" Alabama defense (which it isn't and 1992 wasn't all that hot shit anyway). But it appears you may be just a little bit. Enough to glance over your shoulder and throw rocks, anyway.
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If you would remove Malzahn's man juice from your eyes for a few seconds, you would realize that his offense can be defeated. Believe it or not, it has happened before.
He's sure of it boartitz... He knows it.
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Damn it! Why is not freakin Sat yet. The proof is in the pudding as Granny alway sais, and Im talkin bout Sanis playboy collection either. WV will be tired the second half just like La Tech and MSU. Malzahn is not just an OC but also he has a mechanical mind. Kaos you know, I have said before that I wanted Malzahn at AU b4 Tony Franklin but Im glad he wasnt now because it would of spoiled our chances. Malzahn is not running much of anything new or different from what has been around since 50 yrs ago. Why I say he is like a mechanical engineer? Its like this the American car industry was top dog long time. The Japs came along and used our blueprints making a more efficient car that last longer. They did it by paying attention to detail. So does Malzahn. Not to mention he spent the beginning of his career as a coach as a DC. Thats got to account for something, right?
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I know the 3-3-5 wants us to get to the edge where they'll be waiting. And I was very worried about that in general after the La Tech game. In that game, I felt we didn't run up the middle very well at all, meaning, if we gained 5 yards, it was because the line got 4 yards of push. I was worried that wouldn't continue against SEC defenses.
However, after the MSU game, we ran the ball every-which-way possible. We didn't always run right up the middle, but we did run a lot of run plays that didn't require getting to the edge before turning up field. Quite a few times that we got to the outside were after we had already turned north-and-south and gotten into the secondary.
What does scare me is the other thing you mentioned. They will typically start off with the "5" of the 3-3-5 relatively close to the line, which allows one of them to blitz without leaving behind a gaping hole or wide open receivers. There are still 4 DBs left to cover the field. Anyway, different looks and blitzes are coming, and I just hope Todd can read it quickly enough to at least find a "dump" man instead of taking sacks or throwing up 50/50 balls.
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I'm sure Malzahn has seen the holes in it and has a plan.
If there are no holes, then he will grab his slide rule and use his brain waves to engineer some...
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Can't quote because I am on my phone, but to reply to RWS "man juice" and "malzahn has been beaten before" I would ask, who has Malzahn been stopped by or been beaten by that has had equal talent on the field? When he was at Tulsa and Ark, he got beat by USC and OK and LSU, but those teams were WAY over matched regardless.
I am not honking Malzhan's bobo or anything, I am simply asking a question...
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Can't quote because I am on my phone, but to reply to RWS "man juice" and "malzahn has been beaten before" I would ask, who has Malzahn been stopped by or been beaten by that has had equal talent on the field? When he was at Tulsa and Ark, he got beat by USC and OK and LSU, but those teams were WAY over matched regardless.
I am not honking Malzhan's bobo or anything, I am simply asking a question...
I would imagine Houston, East Carolina, certainly UTEP and UCF has talent that is pretty much on-par with Tulsa, wouldn't you think?
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What does scare me is the other thing you mentioned. They will typically start off with the "5" of the 3-3-5 relatively close to the line, which allows one of them to blitz without leaving behind a gaping hole or wide open receivers. There are still 4 DBs left to cover the field. Anyway, different looks and blitzes are coming, and I just hope Todd can read it quickly enough to at least find a "dump" man instead of taking sacks or throwing up 50/50 balls.
And the thing is, if they are going to line up in a 3-*, then more than likely they will be using a zone defense as well. I highly doubt they will line up in man coverage, unless they are just that stupid.
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No clue. I would say UCF and Houston may have more, but I don't know.did all those teams beat Tulsa or just hold them under 28?
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Question......what D did Tulsa run while Malzahn was there?
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In two years at Tulsa-
2007 losses:
Oklahoma 62-21
UTEP 48-47 (the defense lost this game....UTEP did score 40+ 5 times in 07)
UCF 44-23 (that UCF team went 10-4 and lost to TEXAS 35-32....they were pretty darn good).
UCF 44-25 (ditto)
2008 losses:
Arkansas 30-23
Houston 70-30 (again, the defense didn't help by giving up 641 yds and 70 pts. Tulsa also had 5 turnovers).
ECU 27-24 (was a very up and down ECU team that was very capable of beating anyone...beat Va Tech and WVU early).
It doesn't matter who you are, you're going to have off games and you're going to get slowed down occassionally. Look at Florida in the BCS title game last year. They had averaged 51 points in the 8 games leading up to the title game, scoring less than 40 only once. Yet they were held to 24 points by a not-so-special OU defense.
The thing to remember are the averages for the year. Sure, there were a handful of teams that slowed them down (or against they failed to execute, or against who they had 5 turnovers, etc). But when you average what Tulsa averaged, you were very successful.
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In two years at Tulsa-
2007 losses:
Oklahoma 62-21
UTEP 48-47 (the defense lost this game....UTEP did score 40+ 5 times in 07)
UCF 44-23 (that UCF team went 10-4 and lost to TEXAS 35-32....they were pretty darn good).
UCF 44-25 (ditto)
2008 losses:
Arkansas 30-23
Houston 70-30 (again, the defense didn't help by giving up 641 yds and 70 pts. Tulsa also had 5 turnovers).
ECU 27-24 (was a very up and down ECU team that was very capable of beating anyone...beat Va Tech and WVU early).
It doesn't matter who you are, you're going to have off games and you're going to get slowed down occassionally. Look at Florida in the BCS title game last year. They had averaged 51 points in the 8 games leading up to the title game, scoring less than 40 only once. Yet they were held to 24 points by a not-so-special OU defense.
The thing to remember are the averages for the year. Sure, there were a handful of teams that slowed them down (or against they failed to execute, or against who they had 5 turnovers, etc). But when you average what Tulsa averaged, you were very successful.
I just really hope our defense steps it up a little. They are good, but I do not know if they can win games for us like they have in the past if we need it.
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I would imagine Houston, East Carolina, certainly UTEP and UCF has talent that is pretty much on-par with Tulsa, wouldn't you think?
Christ, don't tell the West Virginia people. They think beating East Carolina is the equivalent of knocking off a combined squad of Florida and Texas players.
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Is there a reason why a Bammer is in this thread trying to skew Malzahn's performance history to look unimpressive?
Malzahn has turned Auburn (remember how much laughter has been had in the past year concerning our offense) into an offense that puts up 500+ yards of offense. We supposedly have no talent, remember? No depth. No QB. No real running back. No good offensive line. No receivers worth a shit. Remember all that? Remember the naysayers predicting La Tech to win? Remember the naysayers (cough Tuberville cough) saying Malzahn won't work in the SEC? Remember the people who tried to claim that Malzahn wasn't responsible for the 2006 season at Arkansas?
Remember all that shit that people spewed out that was wrong?
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BTW, MSU ran the 3-3-5 some last Saturday. So, Coach Malzahn now has a good idea how destroy it.
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BTW, MSU ran the 3-3-5 some last Saturday. So, Coach Malzahn now has a good idea how destroy it.
They probably could have ran a 5-5-7 and AU would have torched them. Unless Mullen gets a shitload of talent in, and quick like, his ass is gone in a few years.
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Nick Sabin is gonna run off all teh coarches.
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I would imagine Houston, East Carolina, certainly UTEP and UCF has talent that is pretty much on-par with Tulsa, wouldn't you think?
Houston's talent level and QB Case Keenum took out OK State last week IN Stillwater (something UGA failed to do) and UCF had RB Kevin Smith who averaged 183 ypg (best in the nation). TU faced some great players in CUSA who walked all over their defense.
In 2007, Gus had the #1 total offense, but TU ranked 108th in total defense. In 2008, Gus had the #1 total offense, but TU ranked 74th in total defense. Not even B12 offenses can count on winning a shootout every game.
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Houston's talent level and QB Case Keenum took out OK State last week IN Stillwater (something UGA failed to do) and UCF had RB Kevin Smith who averaged 183 ypg (best in the nation). TU faced some great players in CUSA who walked all over their defense.
In 2007, Gus had the #1 total offense, but TU ranked 108th in total defense. In 2008, Gus had the #1 total offense, but TU ranked 74th in total defense. Not even B12 offenses can count on winning a shootout every game.
That, folks, is how you jump in with a first post.
Nice one, Stormin' Norman.
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That, folks, is how you jump in with a first post.
Nice one, Stormin' Norman.
The General knows sports. He's hard to argue with. :thumbsup:
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Houston's talent level and QB Case Keenum took out OK State last week IN Stillwater (something UGA failed to do) and UCF had RB Kevin Smith who averaged 183 ypg (best in the nation). TU faced some great players in CUSA who walked all over their defense.
In 2007, Gus had the #1 total offense, but TU ranked 108th in total defense. In 2008, Gus had the #1 total offense, but TU ranked 74th in total defense. Not even B12 offenses can count on winning a shootout every game.
Great points. Smith is who gave Texas fits in that 38-35 UT win going for 149 yards.
Although there is no excuse for being 108th in total defense, it is one thing we at Auburn are going to have to get used to. Because of our pace and the disregard for time of possession, we are most likely going to see some higher defensive numbers than we have been used to.
We used to win games 24 to 13. I don't think we're going to start winning them 42 to 13. I think our defensive performance will need to be judged somewhat on margin. We may win 42 to 23 and that may mean our defense did reasonably well on a "yards per carry" and "yards per pass". However, if the opposing offense spends a little more time on the field, they are likely, on average throughout a year, going to score a few more points.
I don't think it will be drastic, but it will have an effect.
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Houston's talent level and QB Case Keenum took out OK State last week IN Stillwater (something UGA failed to do) and UCF had RB Kevin Smith who averaged 183 ypg (best in the nation). TU faced some great players in CUSA who walked all over their defense.
In 2007, Gus had the #1 total offense, but TU ranked 108th in total defense. In 2008, Gus had the #1 total offense, but TU ranked 74th in total defense. Not even B12 offenses can count on winning a shootout every game.
Coach Malzahn is that you!?
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Damn it! Why is not freakin Sat yet. The proof is in the pudding as Granny alway sais,
Dammit. You leave him out of this.
Lou Holth ith a penith!
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Coach Malzahn is that you!?
Nope. I'm his imaginary son. :sarcasm:
I'm just here to check up on boartitz.