Auburn welcomed in the South Alabama Jaguars to Jordan Hare Stadium for a week 3 showdown on the Plains. Coached by second year man Major Applewhite, the Jaguars have earned the mantra as a team that doesn’t quit, despite their Group of 5 standing.
The Auburn offense picked up right where they left off last week, scoring a total of 28 points the first half. Even with a sleepy second half offensively as they scored only 3 points, the Tigers sailed to a 31-15 victory over the Jaguars on Saturday.
Auburn wins, so we start with the good…
1. First half offence:
The offense was on fire in the first half. Cashing in 28 total points, scoring touchdowns in the red zone instead of settling for field goals. Good to see their red zone offense operating efficiently. Auburn’s passing stats were pedestrian on the day, however they finished with 195 yards on the ground and benefitted from a quick, efficient passing game to slice through the Jaguars defense.
Auburn started their scoring with a deep touchdown to Cam Coleman, who won his 1 on 1 matchup with a nice adjustment to a somewhat under-thrown pass. Mix in some Singleton end arounds and sweeps, and the Auburn offense was humming in the first half.
2. Evan McPherson:
We’ll keep this one short, but it was good to see McPherson back and kicking field goals. For a guy that missed most of last season with digestion struggles, he returns to duty this year and seemingly has not missed a beat.
McPherson ended the game with a perfect stat sheet, as he made all of his extra point attempts and converted on his only field goal try, a kick from 34 yards out.
Good to see McPherson healthy and back on the field. Add in the fact that his talents seem to still be in tact, Auburn fans should be ecstatic to witness competent special teams play after the sub par outfit they saw on the Plains last fall.
3. Turnovers:
Auburn won the turnover battle in this one. Good to see. Another very clean game from Jackson Arnold, who hasn’t necessarily made a ton of splash explosive plays with his arm (save for a long touchdown toss to Cam Coleman), he has taken care of the football and been extremely methodical, keeping the offence on time and on schedule.
On the other side of the ball, the Auburn defence came away with an interception thanks to Keyon Crawford, who turned a tipped South Alabama pass into a turnover, and a fumble recovery as well, due to a strip sack from freshman Jared Smith. Good to see Smith, the highly touted freshman, looking explosive.
And now for the the bad…
1. Second half offence:
Auburn went into the half up by a score of 28-9, obviously off to a wonderful start on that side of the ball. Come the second half, they only scored 3 more points.
Some untimely 3 and outs, and long South Alabama drives chewed up much of the second half clock, but the offence seemed disjointed and out of sorts in the second half. Concerning.
2. Tackling:
Not always the most accurate metric or statistic, but Pro Football Focus credited Auburn with 15 missed tackles on defence.
Missed tackles help teams extend drives and can wear a defence down, keeping them on the field for extended periods of time. Tackling can sometimes seem to boil down to a mere effort phase, and not bringing a ball carrier down in the open field can be a maddening stat when it becomes a theme.
The Auburn defence will have to work on their tackling in practice this week in preparation for their showdown in Norman this coming Saturday.
3. Defense:
170 yards through the air, 140 rushing, and 310 total yards don’t seem like overly gaudy numbers for the South Alabama offence, but it just felt like the Auburn defence couldn’t get off the field in this one.
South Alabama didn’t necessarily turn these yards into points, but the secondary and tackling for Auburn left a lot to be desired. Unfortunately they weren’t able to close the game on defence with a big sack or turnover. Maddening.
A win is a win. Auburn rode a dominant first half performance to outlast the Jaguars of South Alabama on Saturday.
Jackson Arnold rushed for another 2 touchdowns, while mixing in a touchdown with his arm , leading Auburn to the victory and a 3-0 record.
Bring on the SEC schedule. No more Big 12 or Group of 5 opponents. Play time is over. Time to pack your bags and head to Norman.
Last year, Auburn welcomed the Sooners into Jordan-Hare for their first taste of life on the road in the SEC, and Oklahoma came out on top.
This isn’t a road trip, it’s a business trip, and you know Jackson Arnold will want this one more than anyone.
See you Saturday, and as always… War Eagle!
