Week 2 of the College Football season is upon us, and with that came a feeling of optimism after Auburn’s 73-3 drubbing of Alabama A&M in Week 1. Any optimism was quickly extinguished, as our Tigers came out with a lifeless performance at home, and eventually fell to Cal 21-14.
Credit goes out to the Golden Bears, who travelled across the country to the Plains and looked like the better, more hungry football team that ultimately left JHS with a W.
So, lets look at 3 good things, and 3 bad things from Saturday’s loss.
Here are the good…
This feels like the opposite of last week, when there were so many candidates for this category. This week, we have to really grab at some straws.
1. Halftime adjustments on defense:
Offensively, Cal really controlled the first half against Auburn. Whether it was on the ground or through the air, the Golden Bears were able to handle the line of scrimmage up front which allowed them to dictate the pace of the game offensively.
After halftime however, the adjustments the Tigers made on the defensive side of the ball seemingly worked, as they were able to keep Cal at bay through the air and on the ground. Cal did finish the game with 233 yards through the air, and added 126 not he ground in their 21-14 victory, but Auburn’s second half defensive performance gave them a chance to win the ballgame.
Keldric Faulk finished the game with 2 sacks as he looks to continue on his early success to start his sophomore campaign.
Overall the effort and communication were much improved on the defensive side of the ball.
2. Recruiting Visits:
Unfortunately we have to look off the field for another good as the play on the field left much to be desired.
Auburn played host to a plethora of recruits that they hope to see donning the orange and blue in short order. After the product the Tigers put on the field Saturday, Lord knows the Tigers need these blue chip projects to join the team and hopefully make an immediate impact.
Southpaw Quarterback from Mississippi, Deuce Knight hedlined the list of visitors as Auburn hopes to flip his commitment away from Marcus Freeman and Notre Dame. Although he’s been committed to the Irish since last September, he’s made a couple of recent visits to the Plains and rumours have it he’d like to stay closer to home and play football in the SEC next Fall.
Although the play on the field may have been underwhelming on Saturday, Auburn hopes to boast their young receivers, raucous environment and the possibility of early playing time as sales pitches to these prospects.
6’2” running back from the state of Georgia Ousmane Kromah also joined Deuce Knight for a gameday visit on the Plains. Auburn hopes he joins fellow already committed running back Alvin Henderson to form a dynamic young duo in their backfield for the future.
3. Changed Expectations:
Again, grasping at straws here. It seemed when listening to talk shows and online talking heads that folks had forgotten about last year and were drinking the Auburn Kool-Aid while buying into a changed Payton Thorne and Auburn team on the field in 2024.
Words like “easy win” and “lock” were used when speaking about this game against Cal, even though Auburn escaped Berkley last year with a narrow victory. Admittedly, things did look different this offseason, with Hugh Freeze leading the team into their second season and the inclusion of the “Freeze 4” who were supposed to hit the ground running and lead an explosive Auburn passing attack.
Unfortunately, things looked much the same as last year on the field on Saturday. We as fans need to realize this is Auburn, and there are no “easy” wins. I’m not accusing the coaches, the players, or even the fans of overlooking any opponent. But again this Auburn. We have to adjust our expectations for this season and beyond. Keep our heads up, Rome wasn’t build in a day. The Tigers are still a young team and they do certainly have talent. Let things flourish.
Now for the bad…
Admittedly, before the game started I didn’t expect there to be so many candidates for this category, but alas, here we are.
1. Quarterback Play:
Frankly, it just isn’t working. Optimists pointed to the facts of benefitting from a full offseason under Hugh Freeze and the influx of incoming talented freshmen receivers as reasons this season would be different offensively. This game unfortunately proved those optimists wrong. Thorne finished the day with 4 interceptions. As fans we can argue all day until we’re blue in the face on where the blame falls for each pick, but at the end of the day your starting quarterback cannot commit 4 turnovers and still expect their team to win the game.
Sure, one pass might have bounced off an Auburn receiver’s hands, he might have been hit or felt pressure on another, but 4 interceptions (5 total turnovers) is unacceptable against a Cal team that was supposed to have far less talent than this Auburn team, while also considering the Tiger were playing ay home.
The frustrating part is that Thorne shows promise on some throws, then follows those up with more throws that are wildly innacurate and not on time. He was never able to lead Auburn’s offence into any rhythm, and looked out of synch with his receivers, something we thought would be solved with the aforementioned full offseason to gel with his fellow teammates.
2. Turnovers:
This ties in with quarterback play as 4 of the turnovers came through the air, however Auburn running back Jarquez Hunter also lost the handle on a carry and put the ball on the ground, which was ultimately recovered by Cal.
This was also in the bad category last week and it did admittedly feel like nitpicking then, but Auburn goes a second week in a row without forcing a turnover on defence. Not an interception, not a fumble, nothing. Thats concerning. They lost the turnover battle in this game 5 to 0 and I know it sounds cliche but that just isn’t a winning formula by any means. It goes without saying that turnovers put a swift end to drives and set the opposing offence up with great field position.
I’m not a mathematician, but losing the turnover battle usually equates to a loss, and it did so for Auburn on Saturday afternoon.
3. Coaching:
Coaching can sometimes be hard to quantify and evaluate as a fan. Ultimately we aren’t in the meeting rooms, at practice, or are listening in on the headsets to hear the play calls. What you can evaluate is effort, cohesiveness, and ultimate intensity.
Unfortunately for Auburn, they were lacking in all these facets to start the game, and these troubling signs continued throughout the game. The offence was out of tune throughout, and never found their footing. Quarterbacks , receivers, and O-line were all out of sync.
Auburn never established an identity on the ground or through the air. Conversely, Cal was able to march up and down the field with little resistance on offence (especially in the first half). Some of that falls on coaching.
With many high-profile recruits on campus to experience all Auburn has to offer from an on and off the field point of view, it was disappointing to see the Tigers come out with such a hapless effort, being unable to showcase a well-oiled product on the field. The Tigers were unable to impress the potential newcomers with a win. They still hope that they see these visitors wearing the orange and blue after signing their letters of intent in December.
After Auburn travelled to Berkeley last year and escaped with a narrow road win, Cal returned the favour and handed the Tigers a loss on their home field on the Plains. Nobody wanted or expected to be talking about a loss this early in the season., however here we are. This team and program have a lot of soul searching to do in order to turn things around for not only us fans, but themselves.
Next Saturday Auburn remains at home when they host New Mexico (not to be confused with New Mexico State!). That means no Diego Pavia and no Jerry Kill. They’ll both have to wait to terrorize the Tigers again when Vanderbilt rolls onto the Plains in November. For now, Auburn turns their sights to the Lobos of New Mexico.
See you next Saturday, and as always… War Eagle.
