More Heartbreak on the Plains (Auburn Game Rewind)

High points

• Joe Morrow had 4 catches for 40 yards. Nothing spectacular but he played pretty good. I think the cries of bust maybe have been a bit premature and exaggerated.
• Good job stopping Auburn’s run game (they were averaging 298, held them to 120)
• MSU came out of halftime and quickly drove down the field. That’s something we’ve struggled with in the past, coming out flat. The big play was Prescott’s 53 yard run lead by a key block from JRob.
• Taking advantage AU secondary blown coverage allowing Robert Johnson to get wide open for a 61 yard reception. Great call on the ensuing play to run a reverse with Lewis – getting the ball into your playmaker’s hands…touchdown.
• Nice strip by Preston Smith to get the fumble in the 3rd quarter.
• Batted balls, sacks, solid tackles, forced turnovers, aggression. Really solid defense from the start of the second quarter up until the final drive.
• 4th down push – when it was 4th & short, twice, when everyone in the stadium knew what was coming, the OL came through and Prescott converted twice.
• Baker Swedenburg.

Low points

• Going for 2? No need to chase points in the 1st half, there is too much game to play, just like AU kicking a FG which should have made it 14-7 rather than 14-6; and don’t run it up the gut on the try.
• Driving, under 2 minutes to go in the 1st half Perkins is called for a hold. Instead of 3rd & 5 it’s 2nd & 15, drive stalls.
• State missed at least 6 tackles on Auburn’s 3rd drive which ended with a FG.
• With a chance to have a 4th & 1 on the Auburn 40, Dillon Day commits a hold and the drive dies.
• 1st & 10 on AU 38 in the 4th quarter. False start, time out, Prescott run for 2 yards, Prescott run for 0 yards, dropped pass. It wasn’t the greatest pass in the world but Lewis has to come up with that catch.
• Death by a thousand paper cuts on the final drive. Finally on 3rd & 10 from the 25 State had good coverage on the receivers but allowed Marshall to break contain and gain 11 yards. Heartbreaker to end it.

Missed opportunities

• 1st drive: AJ Jefferson nearly had fumble recovery, AU kicks FG (but great pass rush by him on 3rd down to get sack)
• Devon Bell missed a 35 yard FG, that should be a gimme for a SEC kicker
• We were moving the ball on the 3rd drive, terrible execution: 1st down: Dak throws over Holloway’s head, 2nd down: fumbled handoff b/w Dak & JRob, 3rd down: dropped pass by RoJo.
• TWO 2nd half turnovers at midfield and get zero points. That is unacceptable.

Kickers: AU’s kicked it out of the endzone and made FG (41, 19, 47), ours didn’t. With :10 left and they are kicking off that prevents any chance of a big return.

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• We throw the ball down the field to Jameon Lewis a lot. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. But why not have RoJo, Wilson or Morrow on those routes?
• Why the need to bring in Shump, Griffin and Milton for just one carry?
• We get a turnover at midfield and our first play is a draw to Robinson for -2 yards? Take a shot downfield!
• 4th & 1 from our own 20, there’s no reason to even try drawing them offsides or go for it. Had to burn a timeout with 13 minutes left.

Auburn luck / Nick Marshall athleticism

• 3rd & 7 from their own 23 Marshall fumbles the snap, it throws off the secondary and Quan Bray is left wide open for a touchdown. Credit to Marshall for his poise there.
• Nick Marshall throws a bullet that is batted down by Tavese Calhoun and is able to catch his own pass and turn it into a big play leading to a FG.
• On the flip side, AU missed some chances. They had wide open receivers that were missed and dropped balls.

3rd down offense

1st half:
3rd & 6 complete to RoJo for an 11 yard gain
3rd & 10 – incomplete pass
Option pitch to Perk on 3rd & 3
3rd & 16 – dropped pass by RoJo
3rd & 10 – screen to Perkins for 13 yards, GREAT play.
Hit Jameon Lewis down the middle of the field for a big gain on 3rd & 10 – nice block by Perk
3rd & goal from the 5 Dak on the keeper to score
3rd & 1 Dak keeps the ball on a draw
3rd & 12, handoff to Robinson for 1 yard

2nd half:
3rd & 4, instead of using the option or QB keeper that had worked, we go back to a drop back pass and it doesn’t work, incomplete
3rd & 14 – sack
3rd & 3 – hit Perkins in the flat but he doesn’t know where he is and steps out of bounds.
3rd & 13 – dropped pass by Tubby
3rd & 9 – burn final timeout with 5:30 left. Complete pass to Lewis for 8 yards, good play just a nice hit from the defender to stop him short.
3rd & 5 – Prescott run for 3 yards