College and Magnolia - Auburn Football 2016, Game 8: Ole Miss RebelsAt the corner of Auburn and the Internethttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/48507/collegeandmagnolia_Fav.png2016-11-01T23:49:25-05:00http://www.collegeandmagnolia.com/rss/stream/132142192016-11-01T23:49:25-05:002016-11-01T23:49:25-05:00TAKES. FIFTH EDITION. VOLUME EIGHT.
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<figcaption>John Reed-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>No matter how this thing finishes now, here's an important TAKE.</p> <div>I spent a lot of time this week thinking about TAKES. What can I tell you? What TAKE can I impart that hasn't been took?</div>
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<div>Auburn is good now! But we totally didn't think they would be! Isn't that wild? [Welllllllllll...I'm pretty sure I told you they'd be okay. Even when they were 1-2. But I digress.]</div>
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<div>Bubba Pettway is a good running back! And maybe that's a surprise. I don't think we knew that he was capable of this, anyway. Like, he's not an unreasonable candidate for SEC Player of the Year right now. That's sort of wild. I can accept that that's wild.</div>
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<div>Rhett Lashlee is calling plays now! Whaddya know? Like this is wild as hell. But really is it? Gus Malzahn's disciple who wants his own job was given a chance to call plays like becoming a millionaire depended on it and he did it like Gus Malzahn did it when becoming a millionaire depended on it. And it's probably too late to get the big job that he wants, so maybe Auburn can benefit from it for one more year before he does.</div>
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<div>So, no. I'm not sure I can offer you much that you don't know if you have been reading my TAKES for a while and I have been validating your own opinion. Except...</div>
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<div><b>1. Remember when media had fired Gus Malzahn and were searching for his replacement before September was over?</b></div>
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<div>Remember how Jay Jacobs reacted? The same Jay Jacobs that you hate? The same one that hired Bruce Pearl? The same one that's only real mistake was running off David Marsh?</div>
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<div>Remember when the same story that was playing out at Auburn in September was playing out at LSU and how Joe Alleva reacted? Now, LSU legitimately may be coached by Ed Orgeron in 2017. Ed Orgeron can, sincerely and without hyperbole, barely speak English. And he may fall into one of the best college football coaching jobs in the country because Joe Alleva listened to sports radio and reacted.</div>
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<div>To an extent, the same thing happened at Georgia last year that happened at Auburn in 2008.</div>
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<div>Don't decide you want to fire people because sports radio tells you that you do. Don't decide you want to fire people because Nick Saban is still at Alabama. If you decide you want to fire someone, you better be damn sure of it. You better not do it on a knee jerk reaction mid-season because you think that'll "help you get ahead of everyone else." If you're gonna fire a head coach, you better have an airtight plan or you're gonna end up with Ed Orgeron auditioning for a permanent job against Alabama.</div>
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<div>Rewind: if Auburn loses to LSU and sports radio gets what it wants, what then? Kevin Steele is interim head coach? Who are the permanent replacement candidates? Bobby Petrino (who you had already said you were above hiring), Art Briles (who Kevin Scarbinsky shoehorned into the conversation because he had well-sourced rumors that he felt necessitated actual news) and...idk...Lane Kiffin? Who rock DJ Tony Kurre hypothesized Auburn fans should take? I don't know now. You're not the expert, Quick Draw McGraw. Maybe this is the year college becomes too much for Jon Gruden to resist.</div>
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<div>There was no clear plan. To replace a coach that had won a national championship as a coordinator and been to another national championship game as a head coach.</div>
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<div>Auburn has been to three national championship games (or whatever the equivalent in 1957 was) and its current head coach was a part of TWO of those trips.</div>
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<div>"Turn the Radio Off." - Reel Big Fish.</div>
https://www.collegeandmagnolia.com/2016/11/1/13495686/takes-fifth-edition-volume-eighttheplaymaker2016-11-01T14:30:54-05:002016-11-01T14:30:54-05:00Gus Malzahn Press Conference Tweet-cap
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<p>Recapping Gus Malzahn's weekly meeting with the press. All credit to the beat writers who were there. </p> <p>This is a bit late, today, because I'm in El Paso for training. I had most of the morning off, but used it to meet up with an Army buddy I deployed with in 06-07, so I'm recapping this now that I'm back in the hotel and before my final bit of training.</p>
<p>I like to see Gus Malzahn joking. That usually means he's relaxed and things are going well. So, his line about getting Pettway some media training for telling the truth about wanting to run over tacklers is funny and a good sign, to me.</p>
<p>He spoke about Pettway and Sean White and the way they've elevated their game over the last few weeks. It really has been something to behold. It's hard to believe Pettway is almost at 1000 yards and he's really only recorded carried in 5.5 games. As for White, I can't believe I'm saying this (and I hope I don't jinx it), but is it crazy to think that he could end up All-SEC at the end of the season? He's not going to have the attempts or total yards that some quarterbacks will have, but his accuracy numbers and ability to make plays when he needs to rivals any other QB in the conference.</p>
<p>It's good to know that everyone is going to practice today. It still wouldn't shock me if Tre Williams, Javaris Davis, and Tony Stevens are held out of the Vanderbilt game. I really don't think Auburn will need Williams or Davis against the Vanderbilt offense, and the other receivers can step up in Tony Stevens' absence. As for Malik Miller, it's great to hear he's moving around, but with Stanton Truitt's performance at WR, I don't think we need to try to bring Miller back too quickly. Redshirt him and keep him around. With the way Pettway is playing, he may go pro after this year (he's a redshirt sophomore, after all), so we'll need that bruising back that Miller can be.</p>
<p>On Vanderbilt, they definitely have one of the tougher defenses in the conference. They're impressive and should be a good test for Auburn. Now, having said that, they've also only played other SEC East teams, so far, and not ones with the greatest offensive prowess. They did beat Western Kentucky and Middle Tennessee State - which is impressive - but they gave up well above their average in points/game in those. So, I do think Gus is confident his offense will be able to put points on the board. Still, he has to be diplomatic.</p>
<p>Finally, how about the subtle shade thrown at Muschamp? I'm guessing that while maybe there's not real animosity there, there's no love lost, either. When asked about South Carolina's win, Gus specifically mentioned he's happy for his good friend Bobby Bentley on staff, there. Maybe I'm reading too much into things, but it sure seems like a shot to me.</p>
<p>And now, to the Tweets!</p>
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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Gus Malzahn is here for his presser. "Real happy with the way our team responded, coaches responded" against Ole Miss.</p>
— Nathan Deal (@NattyD13) <a href="https://twitter.com/NattyD13/status/793487199497031681">November 1, 2016</a>
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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Malzahn is here, calls Vanderbilt a very disciplined team, says the Commodores don't beat themselves.</p>
— Joe Whelan (@WhelanABC3340) <a href="https://twitter.com/WhelanABC3340/status/793487380543971329">November 1, 2016</a>
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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Malzahn call Vanderbilt RB Ralph Webb "one of the better offensive players in our league." <a href="https://t.co/RElxUcXnpj">https://t.co/RElxUcXnpj</a></p>
— Josh Vitale (@AUBlog) <a href="https://twitter.com/AUBlog/status/793487427251867648">November 1, 2016</a>
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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Malzahn on Vandy game: It's an early kick. We're going to have to be awake and ready to go. (Fans and sportswriters, too)</p>
— John Zenor (@jzenor) <a href="https://twitter.com/jzenor/status/793487602900873216">November 1, 2016</a>
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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Malzahn on Kam Pettway "he's a real weapon right now"</p>
— Jason Caldwell (@ITATJason) <a href="https://twitter.com/ITATJason/status/793487792932356098">November 1, 2016</a>
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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Malzahn on when the offense clicked: "Probably LSU was the first time where, hey, we have a chance if we can get the ball in the red zone."</p>
— Nathan Deal (@NattyD13) <a href="https://twitter.com/NattyD13/status/793487901195694080">November 1, 2016</a>
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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Malzahn says Kamryn Pettway was moved to TB in spring & "picked up right where he was in high school" - <a href="https://t.co/QsxEBkCh1g">https://t.co/QsxEBkCh1g</a></p>
— Matthew Stevens (@matthewcstevens) <a href="https://twitter.com/matthewcstevens/status/793488175670947840">November 1, 2016</a>
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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Sean White "played an outstanding game" at Ole Miss, Malzahn said. Called his 3rd-and-13 run "unbelievable." <a href="https://t.co/RElxUcXnpj">https://t.co/RElxUcXnpj</a></p>
— Josh Vitale (@AUBlog) <a href="https://twitter.com/AUBlog/status/793488332613357568">November 1, 2016</a>
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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">"He's really starting to establish himself in this league and starting to be a very good QB in this league." - Malzahn on Sean White</p>
— Maria Martin (@Ria_Martin) <a href="https://twitter.com/Ria_Martin/status/793488443728879617">November 1, 2016</a>
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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Malzahn on Kam Pettway running style: ''He really likes looking them up and running them over'' <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WarEagle?src=hash">#WarEagle</a></p>
— Chris Renkel (@Chris_Renkel) <a href="https://twitter.com/Chris_Renkel/status/793488912287199232">November 1, 2016</a>
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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Kamryn Pettway said that he loves inviting contact and running people over. Malzahn jokes "We need to get him some media training"</p>
— Nathan Deal (@NattyD13) <a href="https://twitter.com/NattyD13/status/793488957053034497">November 1, 2016</a>
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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Malzahn with praise for Pinson Valley grad Zach Cunningham, "He's one of the best defensive players in our league."</p>
— Joe Whelan (@WhelanABC3340) <a href="https://twitter.com/WhelanABC3340/status/793489040263647232">November 1, 2016</a>
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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Gus Malzahn: "Only thing we talked about is Vanderbilt, you look ahead in this league you get burned" not one word on rest of schedule</p>
— WarEagleExtra (@wareagleextra) <a href="https://twitter.com/wareagleextra/status/793489153400930309">November 1, 2016</a>
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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Vandy only allows 15 points per game in SEC play. Malzahn: "They've got a real defense."</p>
— Nathan Deal (@NattyD13) <a href="https://twitter.com/NattyD13/status/793489493231828996">November 1, 2016</a>
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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">RT Robert Leff is "playing his best football" as a senior, Malzahn said <a href="https://t.co/RElxUcXnpj">https://t.co/RElxUcXnpj</a></p>
— Josh Vitale (@AUBlog) <a href="https://twitter.com/AUBlog/status/793489591340789760">November 1, 2016</a>
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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Malzahn on Malik Miller: "He's jogging now. He's trying to get healthy." He had surgery a month ago. Says he's doing "very well."</p>
— Nathan Deal (@NattyD13) <a href="https://twitter.com/NattyD13/status/793489729983483904">November 1, 2016</a>
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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Gus Malzahn: Everybody is going to practice today that's usually a good sign, answering questions about Tre Williams, Tony Stevens injuries</p>
— WarEagleExtra (@wareagleextra) <a href="https://twitter.com/wareagleextra/status/793490069973762048">November 1, 2016</a>
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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Malzahn on Muschamp's win over Tennessee: "He's got Bobby Bentley on staff, one of my good friends.... I'm definitely happy for them."</p>
— Nathan Deal (@NattyD13) <a href="https://twitter.com/NattyD13/status/793490249829715968">November 1, 2016</a>
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https://www.collegeandmagnolia.com/2016/11/1/13490712/gus-malzahn-1-november-2016-press-conference-recapWalt Austin2016-10-31T16:03:03-05:002016-10-31T16:03:03-05:00Auburn vs Ole Miss: Plays and Players of the Game
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<p>What does the staff think about the outcome of Saturday night's game? </p> <h4>Oscar Whiskey</h4>
<p><span>Play of the game: Evan Engram's untouched drop in the 4th quarter</span></p>
<h4>Son of Crow</h4>
<p><span>Monty Adams is the player of the game for me on defense. Holsey is 1A. Adams' blocked extra point was a huge play mentally for this team and kept Auburn with a numbers advantage in a back and forth contest. Holsey's pick covered up how bad the secondary was all night. Yeah he made a few good plays, but Ole Miss had something for Auburn on every play it seemed.</span></p>
<p><span>Offensively, Pettway is my player of the game. If Sean White hits one of the two deep passes he straight up missed, I would vote him here. White is so good short and intermediate, but just doesn't connect on enough deep passes to make me anything but nervous against good defenses.</span></p>
<p><span>I love this team. The play of the game for me was the touchdown to the tight end. I LOVED how it started in the spinning fullback formation before shifting. Makes you think Gus knows a thing or two about putting things on film for other teams.</span></p>
<p><span>Loved the game, love this squad, War Eagle.</span></p>
<h4>Tuco</h4>
<p><span>First, can we talk about the fact that the defense gave up 7 points in the second half? Great adjustments.</span></p>
<div>Offensive player of the game is Pettway. He's turning into something special. The best recent comparison is probably Rudi Johnson. I hope Gus doesn't lose sight of Kerryon Johnson (like he has a tendency to do).<br><br>
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<div>Defensive player of the game is probably Adams. Holsey fought his butt off all night and came up with that huge interception but Adams had two plays that changed the game. First, he blocked that field goal. Then, on fourth and 1 from inside the five he scared the center into making a bad snap, whipped the center, penetrated into the backfield, grabbed Ole Miss's huge battering ram of a backup QB, and dragged him backwards short of the first down. <br><br>
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<div>Play of the game was the single wing variation with the quick shift before the pass to Jalen Harris. I thought throwing to tight ends had been outlawed or something. Good to see I was wrong.</div>
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<h4>Dusty</h4>
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<span>Going in a slightly different direction here. Offensive player of the game for me was Alex Kozan. On one of Kerryon's TD's Kozan blocked 3 guys on his own. He was a monster in the interior of the line giving Sean time to throw and Pettway room to run. </span>
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<div>Holsey, for me, was DPOTG. That was his best game in what is turning into a very solid season for him. It's good to see him playing at a high level after battling injuries his entire career.</div>
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<div>My play if the game was Gus' timeout on the goal line. Without it, OM scores on that speed sweep. After the timeout, our D got a 4th down stop and got the ball back.</div>
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<h4>Ryan Sterritt</h4>
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<div>Play of the game: gotta be the interception (ad return) by Holsey. Already up and late in the game, that basically iced it.</div>
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<div>Players of the game:</div>
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<div>Offensively, has to be Bubba. He broke those poor defenders souls by the end of the night. Pettway, on which weaknesses he was exploiting in the defense: "Nobody really wants to tackle me."</div>
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<div>Defensively, Mon. After the blocked XP, he was in the center and guards' heads the rest of the night. His 4th down stop of Kelly near the endzone was HUGE.</div>
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<div>Tons of credit again to the whole coaching staff. They offensive staff called a great game, and the defensive staff made fantastic adjustments as the game went on. Nobody expected it, but Kevin Steele is looking like the best coordinator hire in the country this year.</div>
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<br>Bobby Barkley</h4>
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<span>OPOTG: Pettway</span>
<div>DPOTG: Adams</div>
<div>STPOTG: Stovall</div>
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<div>Also loved how Carl Lawson sacked Chad Kelly and quietly walked back to the defense like it wasn't even a big deal.</div>
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<h4>Dr Z.</h4>
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<div>Offense: Gotta be Bubba Pettway. He's a big ball of hate running through the line. He leads the conference in rushing and didn't carry the ball in two games.</div>
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<div id="m_-154255688624377195AppleMailSignature">Defense: I have to give it to Monty Adams, who is the biggest disrupted of opposing offenses since Nick Fairley. Honorable mention to Holsey for the game changing pick.</div>
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<div id="m_-154255688624377195AppleMailSignature">Legatron is automatic under about 55 yards. He may be the MVP so far this season.</div>
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<br>AU_Jonesy</h4>
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<span>Real play of the game: Holsey's interception</span>
<div>Hipster play of the game: White's 16-yard scramble on 3rd and 13. Extended a drive that would end in a go-ahead TD. Give an honorable mention to the staff finally calling "Fight Song"<br>
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<div>Real offensive player of the game: Pettway. He was a monster.</div>
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<div>Hipster offensive player of the game: Braden Smith. No one graded out higher for Pro Football Focus. He and Kozan manhandled the interior of the landshark defense.</div>
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<div>Real defensive player of the game: Holsey. Auburn had 9 passes defended. Holsey had 5 of them. Kelly threw at Holsey 10 times. He was 2 for 10 for 34 yards and a pick.</div>
<div>Hipster defensive player of the game: Still Holsey. Read those PD stats again.</div>
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<h4>Jonny Dent</h4>
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<div>Offense: Pettway. He continues to get better and better as the season goes on.<br>
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<div>Defense: Holsey. The pick was the nail in the coffin. I surprised it took as long as it did for one to happen. Had we played a little more zone earlier in the game, I think we could have gotten another and made this less of a contest.</div>
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<h4>Walt</h4>
<div>Offensive Player of the Game is Pettway. He just keeps running for more and more yards every week and no one really wants to touch him. Honorable mention goes to Sean White, who continued to be as accurate as he's been all year, scrambled for some key gains, and is proving that he can run this offense as well as anyone.</div>
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<div>Defensive Player of the Game is Holsey. I point to the stats that AU_Jonesy mentioned above. On a night when Chad Kelly was on fire and looked like he'd never miss, Holsey didn't let much of anything happen against him. Honorably mention to Monty Adams for destroying people on the interior.</div>
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<div>Play of the Game is the interception. Auburn needed a turnover in a big way, and Holsey delivered. No one can throw as much as Kelly did Saturday night and not make at least one mistake. Auburn had to make sure they took advantage of the mistakes he made, and Holsey did just that.</div>
https://www.collegeandmagnolia.com/2016/10/31/13475168/auburn-vs-ole-miss-plays-and-players-of-the-gameWalt Austin2016-10-31T13:16:40-05:002016-10-31T13:16:40-05:00Evalutaing the Auburn Offense - Ole Miss 2016
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<p>A continuing look at Auburn's playbook</p> <p> </p>
<p style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;"><font face="Calibri" size="3">It’s a good thing my pieces are always about the offense, because I’d hate to have to detail the success the Rebels had throwing the ball last Saturday. Thankfully, Auburn was able to give as good as they got and racked up 40 points on the road. So let’s see what wrinkles Lashlee added this week:</font></p>
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<p style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><font face="Calibri" size="3">Plays</font></u></b></p>
<p><span>Here we see a typical 2 back 3 receiver formation from Auburn, but one of those receivers is the hybrid Stanton Truitt. Sure enough, he motions into the backfield pre-snap and becomes a running back. Pettway becomes a blocker, a skill we all know he has and something I suggested Auburn use in my bye week piece. And we would see Pettway block several more times this game.</span></p>
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<p style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;"><font face="Calibri" size="3">I like this play because it conceals the offense’s intentions until just before the snap and it allows Auburn to overload the play-side with blockers quickly. In true Malzahn fashion, it also makes full use of the skillsets of both Truitt and Pettway. Cox is being asked to cover a lot of ground which makes his block challenging which I think shows that the coaching stuff trusts him a whole lot more now than they did several weeks ago. The Ole Miss defenders actually got a pretty good push on this play, but despite that Truitt was still able to pick up the first down.</font></p>
<p> </p>
<p style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;"><font face="Calibri" size="3">Next is Jalen Harris’ first play in at TE. With Harris, Johnson, & Cox all on the field, you can forgive the Ole Miss defense for thinking run. Instead, White uses play action with Johnson and then hits Slayton on a deep slant/post.</font></p>
<p style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;"> <figure class="e-image">
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<p> </p>
<p style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;"><font face="Calibri" size="3">That outside linebacker is about as flat footed as you’ll ever see. He gives no thought to ever dropping into coverage so it’s easy for Slayton to get behind him. The other two routes spread the secondary across the field and Slayton is able to use his big body to shield the ball from his lone defender on an in-breaking route. It’s a very simple example of how the ground game and play action make White’s life so easy.</font></p>
<p> </p>
<p style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;"><font face="Calibri" size="3">Next, Auburn’s at the goal line looking at third down. They have tried two inside zones up the middle to no avail so they bring in the jumbo package with Johnson in the wildcat for 3</font><sup><font face="Calibri" size="2">rd</font></sup><font face="Calibri" size="3"> down.</font></p>
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<p> </p>
<p style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;"><font face="Calibri" size="3">Ryan Davis shows the jet sweep and White goes ahead of him presumably as lead blocker. Having failed twice up the middle, the defense may be expecting something wide and sure enough, a couple defenders widen with the jet sweep. The overhead shot shows you just how much they widened. </font></p>
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<p> </p>
<p style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;"><font face="Calibri" size="3">This is more than enough room for Auburn to run power right to the point where the defenders widened. Pick your poison, inside or outside? I do wonder if Johnson has the ability to hand it off for the jet sweep if no defenders widen, but I doubt it with White as lead blocker.</font></p>
<p> </p>
<p style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;"><font face="Calibri" size="3">Next, can we talk about the old Carl Stewart wheel routes? 3 different Auburn head coaches having been making hay with that route for over 15 years. How does it continue to work so well? </font></p>
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<p><font face="Calibri" size="3">On 3</font><sup><font face="Calibri" size="2">rd</font></sup><font face="Calibri" size="3"> down Auburn shows the end around play action that usually always means the ball is going deep. As you can see from the shot above, the defense has already forgotten about Johnson. Linebacker #3 figures it out quickly enough, but he’s in no position to track Johnson down and Johnson is crazy wide open. Whatever the defensive answer to this is, I really would have expected opposing teams to implement it by now. But I won’t look a gift horse in the mouth. </font></p>
<p><span>Next, we haven’t seen Auburn backed up against its own goal line much this season but they found themselves there after a fourth down stop. Conventional wisdom says run it, get positive yards, don’t risk the safety or getting behind schedule this close to the goal line. Which is why I love this call:</span></p>
<p> <figure class="e-image">
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<p> </p>
<p style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;"><font face="Calibri" size="3">Auburn comes in with an extra O-lineman which makes the defense expect run even more. You can see the safety at the top of the screen start to walk into the box pre-snap. This leaves Slayton in a one-on-one matchup with his corner and White throws a good jump-ball to the big man. I love that the staff is willing to take to take bold calculated risks like these. The players have to love it and it has to give them a shot of confidence. It’s even bolder considering the passing game had failed to connect several times to end the previous drive.</font></p>
<p> </p>
<p style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;"><font face="Calibri" size="3">Next there’s more play action goodness. Auburn uses it’s pulling guard pass pro and a toss sweep play action to really sell the run:</font></p>
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<p> </p>
<p style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;"><font face="Calibri" size="3">Marcus Davis is also selling a block for the sweep as well so the second level of the defense writes him off. But when the toss is a fake, it’s too late and Davis is well behind his defenders. Good pass protection by Braden Smith in space against the DE. White has another easy throw to a wide-open receiver.</font></p>
<p> </p>
<p style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;"><font face="Calibri" size="3">Now admit it, you died a little inside when you saw the single wing formation:</font></p>
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<p> </p>
<p style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;"><font face="Calibri" size="3">Instead they change formation and pull the old hopping ineligible receiver play and we get the moment we’ve all been waiting for: a throw to a TE. I thought it would take a bit longer, but I knew we’d do it eventually.</font></p>
<p> <figure class="e-image">
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<p> </p>
<p style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;"><font face="Calibri" size="3">I joke about how ridiculous it is for a defense to be fooled by the hopping lineman, but at the same time, maybe the ridiculousness of it all is what occupies the deep safety’s eyes long enough to leave Harris open. I’m glad Lashlee is able to troll defenses like this, I just wish the fan base didn’t have to get trolled with the single wing.</font></p>
<p> </p>
<p style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><font face="Calibri" size="3">Takeaways</font></u></b></p>
<p> </p>
<p style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;"><font face="Calibri" size="3">Lashlee is doing exactly what he needs to do: keep it fresh. I discussed more plays here than I normally do and I could have done more. Granted, there were a few creative plays where Ole Miss stayed disciplined and made stops, but mostly, Lashlee was able to put defenders out of position all night. And the good part about it is all this misdirection is a compliment to the primary production of the run game, not the engine itself. Of all the plays that went for big gains, a little less than half of them were from our base running plays. The Auburn defense continues to evolve and execute. We should be able to keep things fairly conservative for the next couple games and then pull out all the stops offensively in Tuscaloosa.</font></p>
<p> </p>
<p style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><font face="Calibri" size="3">Other Thoughts</font></u></b></p>
<p> </p>
<ul>
<li>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 48px; text-indent: -0.25in;"><font face="Calibri" size="3">Pettway is certainly a monster and he therefore deserves a proper nickname, and not just Bubba. (That’s a family thing where I come from; we call my brother-in-law Bubba.) I therefore humbly suggest "the Juggernaut" because once he gets his momentum going there’s no stopping him.</font></div>
</li>
</ul>
<p style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 48px; text-indent: -0.25in;"> </p>
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<p> </p>
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<font face="Calibri" size="3">Inside zone has been Auburn’s bread and butter since Lashlee took over, but that may be starting to change. Guards were pulling all night and I counted more power/counter plays than inside zone plays this game for the first time. </font><br>
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</ul>
<ul>
<li>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 48px; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<font face="Calibri" size="3">I know the missed deep balls drive people crazy, but I don’t think it’s anything to worry about. We’re going to hit on a few of those going forward. </font><br>
</div>
</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 48px; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<font face="Calibri" size="3">Auburn continues to use more tempo and leave the same personnel on the field. Substitutions were fairly rare and mostly came after unsuccessful plays when they did happen. What makes this possible is how we’re now able to do whatever we want out of each formation. Auburn has been able to throw out of jumbo sets and run out of 4 WR sets.</font><br>
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<div style="margin: 0px 0px 11px 48px; text-indent: -0.25in;"><font face="Calibri" size="3">I for one am happy to welcome the TE pass back to Auburn. Now let’s see more crunch-time TE touchdowns a la the late great Lutzie.</font></div>
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</ul>
<p> </p>
<p style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;"><font face="Calibri" size="3">WDE.</font></p>
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https://www.collegeandmagnolia.com/2016/10/31/13479940/evalutaing-the-auburn-offense-ole-miss-2016Jonny Dent2016-10-31T12:43:57-05:002016-10-31T12:43:57-05:00Hindsight is 20/20: Feeling Grove-y
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<img alt="You want me on that wall. You need me on that wall." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/vzqtfZG-C41nKaEBJX157qAtUH0=/0x0:6000x4000/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/51610549/usa-today-9641735.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>You want me on that wall. You need me on that wall. | Matt Bush-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p><em>Kam Pettway and Auburn Bulldoze their way through Ole Miss</em></p> <p>Chad Kelly is a fantastic quarterback. We all knew that going into this one.</p>
<p>Kelly did all he could to keep the Rebels in the ballgame against Auburn, amassing over 500 yards of offense by himself. But the one man show would not be enough to defeat Auburn on this night, as Pettway and company ran over and though a porous Ole Miss defense to earn the 40-29 defense.</p>
<p>Reading the open thread comments during the game, many of us were dismayed at the way Auburn's secondary played, but I felt like it was more Kelly making ridiculous throws than anything else. Sure Auburn missed some tackles here and there, and got lit up, but it was a far cry from Auburn defenses we've seen over the last 5 years. They made adjustments and held Kelly and Ole Miss to 7 points in the second half.</p>
<p>Offensively, I become more and more impressed with Sean White with each game. He really makes good decisions and his ability to run the football is so underrated. He made a couple of huge escapes in this game when the pocket broke down, and picked up key yardage to keep drives going. I honestly wish he'd keep it a little more often on zone reads, but...</p>
<p>When you have a tank to hand the ball to, it makes a big difference in decision making. Pettway is the best running back in the conference right now not named Fournette. Oh to think how the Clemson game might have been different had he gotten 20 carries.</p>
<p>In that vein, all the credit to Rhett Lashlee who has turned this offense and this team around. The routes are better designed, the nice mix of running inside and out, throwing to the H back, using the talent we have one offense, I could go on for days.</p>
<p>The bottom line here is that a team that was left for dead in September by many (including yours truly) is in the hunt for the SEC title. Auburn will be favored in the next 3 games and should head to Tuscaloosa in the top ten at 9-2. As I said last week, Vandy is Vandy. Georgia hung around for a half in their biggest rivalry game against Florida, but their offense is pathetic. How can Nick Chubb be held to 20 yards rushing? Kirby Smart appears to need Nick Saban more than Nick Saban needs him at this point.</p>
<p>So savor the flavor Auburn fans. The Tigers are trending up!</p>
https://www.collegeandmagnolia.com/2016/10/31/13477196/auburn-ole-miss-2016-hindsight-is-20-20-feeling-grove-yDr Z2016-10-30T07:02:02-05:002016-10-30T07:02:02-05:00Auburn vs Ole Miss Review: The View From the Couch
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<figcaption>Matt Bush-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>The Tigers held on in a stressful game against the Rebels for a big momentum-continuing victory. </p> <p>While recent trends, stats, etc said that Auburn was capable of blowing the Rebels away, I think plenty of us still suspected we were going to be in for a shootout in Oxford. For one, Ole Miss has just been a completely different team at home. For another, Auburn just tends to suffer big letdowns in games like this. I hate the Just Auburn Being Auburn thing as much as anyone, but we all know Auburn tends to suffer games like that at the worst possible moments.</p>
<p>I've seen plenty of Auburn teams that would have folded under the Rebels' onslaught of passing. This one wasn't one of them.</p>
<p>Chad Kelly threw for 212 yards in the first quarter alone. He had close to 300 by the half. He finished with 426, an Ole Miss single-game record. What you have to look at in that stat, though, is that after shredding Auburn's defense early, the Tigers did manage to hold on tightly in the 2nd half.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, Auburn did a good bit of what we expected them to do. There were heavy doses of Kamryn Pettway. There were Sean White throws at opportune moments. And, of course, what we all expected, a touchdown pass thrown to a tight end.</p>
<p>Wait, what?</p>
<p>Ok, so let's talk about this one.</p>
<p><b>1) Bend, Don't Break.</b> After getting destroyed in the early going, the Tigers were able to hold a good bit when they needed to. If Ole Miss scores touchdowns on their field goal drives, we're talking about a different game. Auburn held Ole Miss twice on 4th down, including once inside the Tigers' 5 yard line. They were beat up, knocked down, but still did what they needed to get out of town with the victory.</p>
<p><b>2) Kamryn Pettway, Destroyer of Defensive Souls</b>. 236 yards rushing for the night. He's over 900 yards rushing in just 6 games where he's tallied carries. It's funny when you stop and think about how if things had gone just a bit differently at the running back position, he'd still just be a blocking fullback. When Auburn needed big plays, Pettway came through. He's not the fastest player on the field, but he's fast enough to bust big runs, and you definitely don't want to be in front of him when he's built up a head of steam.</p>
<p>Imagine how impressive his stats would be if he hadn't been injured and held out of the ULM game or had gotten a few carries against Clemson. Would we be talking about #PettwayForHeisman?</p>
<p><b>3) Sean White Continues To Impress.</b> For all of the praise I have for the running game, Sean White was a huge part of the win, as well. He had a 68.2% completion percentage and 11.23 yards per attempt. If he could just get that deep ball down - he had Kyle Davis wide open and running free again - he would be absolutely deadly. He's now the SEC leader in completion percentage by a staggering 5%, and is the leader in yards per attempt and QB Rating. He's also tied for fewest INTs by a starting QB.</p>
<p>He also proved again - against another SEC defense - that you can't forget his legs. He gained two very key first downs to extend drives. He's still just a red shirt sophomore who barely has a complete season's worth of games under his belt, but he holds up under pressure and in the face of pass rushers like a poised senior.</p>
<p><b>4) #Legatron is so $$$$$.</b> How nice is it to have a kicker line up for a 47 yard field goal and not even be worried about him missing? If Carlson doesn't win the Lou Groza Award this season, then they ought to just shutter the award. His only miss was a partially blocked kick from 56 yards.</p>
<p><b>5) So Happy For Josh Holsey.</b> On a night when so many of Auburn's DBs were getting burned, Holsey had by far the best night. He had two very big pass breakups. He almost had a great pick early in the game. Then, with Ole Miss driving down the field and hoping to regain the lead, he finally did snag one and ran it back 47 yards to set up the game-sealing touchdown. Holsey has suffered two big injuries in his career and could easily have hung it up after his last one. Instead, he's still out there making great plays.</p>
<p><b>6) Monty Adams, Destroyer of Offensive Linemen's Souls.</b> He blocks kicks. He destroys centers to get penetration. He mauled the Ole Miss backup center to get into the backfield on a 3rd Down inside Auburn's 5 that set up the 4th down stop. He's not getting the sack numbers that Nick Fairley did at Auburn, but he's the same type of game-changing dominant force in the middle that Fairley was.</p>
<p><b>7) Things Are Not All Rosie. </b>The secondary did look bad. This was Carlton Davis' worst game by a long shot. The Tigers also let Chad Kelly run away and break tackles for big gains. The good news is that the Tigers won't face another QB like Kelly in terms of passing ability. Jalen Hurts is an excellent QB with great wheels of his own, but he's not to the level that Kelly is with hitting the back-shoulder throws. Auburn should be concerned at how Ole Miss used Evan Engram against them, though. It's a blue print for what Georgia could do with Isaac Nauta and Alabama could do with O.J. Howard.</p>
<p><b>8) The Youth Movement At WR.</b> Marcus Davis had a key grab. Jason Smith had a key grab. Tony Stevens was held out with an injury. The rest of the passes were caught by freshmen or sophomores. Eli Stove keeps showing his speed. Darius Slayton has great hands. Kyle Davis is clutch on the over-the-middle passes. If they could all get the timing down on the deep balls, this is a deadly team.</p>
<p><b>9) A Tight End Caught A Touchdown!!!</b> After a drought going back to CJ Uzomah in the Outback Bowl following the 2014 regular season, a tight end finally caught a touchdown pass. It was a tackle-eligible "trick" play that Auburn says they've been practicing for weeks. You have to love it for Jalen Harris, too. He's been getting better every week, and it was only a matter of time before he caught one. Lutzie was smiling down as his protege hauled that one in and crossed the goal line for the very important Auburn touchdown.</p>
<p><b>10) Injuries Are Worrisome.</b> Tre Williams left the field and went to the locker room. Javaris Davis planted a foot wrong on a big tackle and had to be helped off. Those are two key players the Tigers can ill afford to lose, right now. Thankfully, the Tigers shouldn't have to worry about not having them next week against Vanderbilt. The Commodores have a salty defense, but not much in the way of an offense.</p>
<p><b>11) Craziest Stat Of All Time?</b> Auburn is now 8-0 when an opposed QB throws for 400+ yards against the Tigers. I stress that this is one QB. Ole Miss threw for 400+ on the Tigers last year, too, but Kelly himself did not throw for all of them. Here's a list of the performances from Cole Cubelic:</p>
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<script charset="utf-8" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">List of QBs to throw for 400 yards against Auburn. All eight lost. <a href="https://t.co/cZLXfv1Cra">pic.twitter.com/cZLXfv1Cra</a></p>
— Cole Cubelic (@colecubelic) <a href="https://twitter.com/colecubelic/status/792580876932620288">October 30, 2016</a>
</blockquote>
<p><b>12) What A Crazy Finish We Are In For.</b> A few weeks ago, we talked about how Auburn was likely going to finish the regular season at 8-4 with losses to Ole Miss and Alabama. Well, now Auburn has knocked off the Rebels and will be heavy favorites in the three games remaining between here and the Iron Bowl. After the horrible 1-2 start, we're a Texas A&M SEC loss from the Iron Bowl being for the SEC West title. How crazy is that?</p>
<p><b>13) Savor These.</b> I've been saying this for the last few games. Road wins in the SEC are hard to come by. Double-digit SEC road wins are even harder. While we were stressing, the the Tigers still came out with a big win and are playing with confidence, momentum, and they're having a lot of fun doing it. If that continues, then this will go down as one of the great Auburn teams regardless of the final outcome.</p>
<p><b>Highlights:</b></p>
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<script charset="utf-8" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>
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<blockquote class="twitter-video">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">⚠️WARNING⚠️ | Highlights may contain plays that make you fist pump, jump out of your seat and yell "War Eagle!"<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/EarnIt?src=hash">#EarnIt</a> <a href="https://t.co/aaE2Hf1GpK">pic.twitter.com/aaE2Hf1GpK</a></p>
— Auburn Football (@FootballAU) <a href="https://twitter.com/FootballAU/status/792598778645655553">October 30, 2016</a>
</blockquote>
https://www.collegeandmagnolia.com/2016/10/30/13469642/auburn-vs-ole-miss-review-the-view-from-the-couchWalt Austin2016-10-29T22:03:43-05:002016-10-29T22:03:43-05:00Auburn Survives Against Ole Miss 40-29
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<img alt="DO NOT GET IN THIS MAN'S WAY. " src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/fo0H_g7LIB5vYfUJuG9seOb_7k0=/8x0:3551x2362/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/51594423/usa-today-9640773.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>DO NOT GET IN THIS MAN'S WAY. | Matt Bush-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>It was a record breaking night by offensive players on both sides. Auburn's defense came away with the bigger stops when they needed to. </p> <p>The Tigers went into Oxford, MS tonight on a roll and hoping to keep that momentum going into the home stretch. For most of the night, that looked like it would be in question as Chad Kelly and the Ole Miss passing attack carved up the Tigers' defense for one of the worst passing defense performances the Tigers have ever had.</p>
<p>Here's the thing, though. With all of that, the Tigers defense held when it needed to, and it kept Ole Miss under their average for points per game and did enough for the Tigers to leave Oxford with the big SEC West win and heading into next week's Vanderbilt game with tons of momentum.</p>
<p>Going in, we knew Auburn was facing one of the best passing offenses in the country. Ole Miss was going to be able to move the ball well if they could get quick passes in to negate Auburn's pass rush, and they did just that. The Tigers only tallied 2 sacks against Kelly all night; one by Carl Lawson and one shared by Jeff Holland and Marlon Davidson.</p>
<p>Of course, the other story going into this game was Ole Miss' rush defense. They've been blistered by good rushing offenses over the last few weeks, and that did not change, tonight. Kamryn Pettway put up 236 yards on 30 carries all by himself as a part of the Tigers' 307 yards total. That puts Pettway at 933 yards for the season, and he didn't even record a carry in two of the Tigers' games.</p>
<p>As for the game, itself. It was a back-and-forth affair until the 4th quarter. Ole Miss struck first, but Montravius Adams blocked his second kick of the season when he got his hands on the extra point. Auburn drove down the field and pounded the ball into the end zone with a 41 yard Pettway touchdown.</p>
<p>The two teams traded field goals for much of the 2nd quarter, and the game went into the half with Ole Miss leading 22-20.</p>
<p>Both teams have struggled with the 3rd quarter lately, and this game was no exception. They did both add passing touchdowns, though. Auburn's was a very emotional one for many, as tight end Jalen Harris - a protege of former Tiger Philip Lutzenkirchen - caught the first touchdown pass by an Auburn tight end since CJ Uzomah in the 2014/15 Outback Bowl.</p>
<p>Ole Miss recaptured the lead just before the end of the 3rd quarter, but the Tigers' defense would stand strong in the 4th. They held Ole Miss from scoring while adding two field goals of their own before the play of the game happened with Josh Holsey intercepting Chad Kelly and returning it 47 yards. Kerryon Johnson would put the game away with a touchdown a few plays later.</p>
<p>It was a heart-pounding game for the Tigers in just their second road game of the year. Sean White quietly had another great game throwing 15/22 for 247 yards. He almost had Kyle Davis for a bomb of a touchdown, but threw just a half step ahead of the freshman wide receiver.</p>
<p>Auburn is now 6-2 heading into the Vanderbilt game next weekend. The Tigers should be favored - and should win - every game from here to the Iron Bowl, which sets things up for a crazy game in Tuscaloosa.</p>
<p>War Eagle, everyone!</p>
https://www.collegeandmagnolia.com/2016/10/29/13468990/auburn-survives-against-ole-miss-40-29Walt Austin2016-10-29T18:15:03-05:002016-10-29T18:15:03-05:00Auburn vs Ole Miss Game Open Thread
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<figcaption>Shanna Lockwood-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>Tigers. Rebels. SEC Football.</p> <p>The Tigers are on the road for only the second time all season. Here's your place to talk about tonight's game. War Eagle!</p>
<p>Oh, and since Red Cup Rebellion never published my answers to their questions, here they are:</p>
<p><strong>1. But.... you were supposed to be bad. Why can't you just be bad? What do you think the biggest difference in playcalling is this season?</strong></p>
<p><br>Well, we weren't supposed to be BAD. We just didn't have a clue what we'd be. Most Auburn fans knew that if the red zone play calling improved (this is before Gus went nuts with the 5 QB Single Wing game) and if they figured out the QB situation, then we could be good. We all knew the defense was going to be much improved. I don't think any of us expected it would be to THIS level, though. </p>
<p><br><strong>2. Is Sean White actually an effective quarterback? What are his strengths and limitations?</strong></p>
<p><br>Sean White is a very effective QB. His completion percentage over the last few games isn't that high due to screens. Lashlee has mostly eliminated those from his play calls. They're all 10-20 yard over-the-middle, deep balls, or wheel routes. Auburn is guaranteed one wheel route a game.</p>
<p><br>His strength is his poise and accuracy. He's deadly accurate when he has time to throw. I'd say his weakness is not stepping all the way into his deep balls, which causes some misses. If he could nail that down, he'd be a terror. He also tends to stay in the pocket too long and take sacks and not protect the ball as well when he does. Thankfully, the OL has improved and cut down on that happening, though.</p>
<p><br><strong>3. Carl Lawson is fantastic. Which other pass rushers are making a difference this season, and what do they do best?</strong></p>
<p><br>Monty Adams is playing like the 5* he was rated as, finally. He is a beast on the interior and commands double teams almost every play. That opens things up for Lawson, of course, but also for true freshman Marlon Davidson. Davidson has been playing right now to the level that Lawson was playing last year when he came back from his injury. If he continues to improve, he will end up even better than Lawson. </p>
<p><br><strong>4. If you were attacking the Auburn defense, what would you do?</strong></p>
<p><br>Get the ball out on quick throws. Don't let the defensive line get momentum. I'd also go for throws that take advantage of linebackers in coverage. I think that's one thing Ole Miss is particularly set up to do, too. </p>
<p><br><strong>5. What's your prediction? Give a score and how it gets there.</strong></p>
<p><br>I almost always hedge my bets on questions like this and say I think it could go a number of ways. I honestly think it will be a very close game because Ole Miss has something to prove, the Rebels are better than their record shows (Bill C's numbers prove that), and they're at home. I think Auburn pulls it out, though, on the strength of the defense, the running game against the Ole Miss rush D, and I think Rhett may open up the passing game some with Sean White. White really does seem to play his best games on the road (UK and Arky last year, MSU this year), and he thrives in that environment and Lashlee may try to use that if Ole Miss sells out against the run game.</p>
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https://www.collegeandmagnolia.com/2016/10/29/13450484/auburn-vs-ole-miss-game-open-threadWalt Austin