College and Magnolia - Auburn Football 2015: Idaho VandalsAt the corner of Auburn and the Internethttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/48507/collegeandmagnolia_Fav.png2015-11-25T13:03:02-06:00http://www.collegeandmagnolia.com/rss/stream/95387892015-11-25T13:03:02-06:002015-11-25T13:03:02-06:00Jeremy Johnson does a Nick Marshall impression
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<p>The quarterback play against Idaho was a throwback all the way to 2014.</p> <p><a href="https://twitter.com/AUBlog/status/668543126882119680">"I don't think he made one bad decision all game."</a> That's what Rhett Lashlee had to say about Jeremy Johnson's performance against Idaho last Saturday. Pretty good, huh? Of course, when I rewatched it, he did have a few inaccurate passes, but it's true that a lot of his incompletions were drops. Even more interesting was his decision making in the run game. Almost like he has found a bit of Nick Marshall in him. That would be nice.</p>
<p>Johnson ran the read option and kept it at least four times throughout the game. The first run went for about 20 yards because the Idaho defenders didn't respect it all. The third time it went for no gain as the safety correctly took the quarterback and got Johnson going immediately toward the sideline.</p>
<p>But the second and fourth times were at the goal line and were perfect times for Johnson to keep it. As we've discussed this year, Auburn has had a bit of trouble in the red zone, largely because the safeties can play the run game more aggressively and neither Johnson nor Sean White have been able to make them pay through the air. So what you get is a corner matched up on each receiver and every other defender in the box. When that happens, just as it did against Idaho, the defense has a numbers advantage in the run game, especially if the quarterback isn't a threat. But if he is...</p>
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<p>One thing a defense can do to combat a spread running game is to blitz a corner. This works particularly well against the Wildcat since there is very little chance of a pass being thrown, but it can be effective against more typical formations. Unless the quarterback has an eye out for it and throws to the wide open receiver, that is.</p>
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<p>Johnson caught Idaho doing this three times and he connected with Tony Stevens each time, once for a touchdown. No offensive lineman ever reached three yards downfield and no other receiver committed pass interference, so they were all perfectly legal plays. Of course, we knew <a href="http://cdn0.vox-cdn.com/assets/4964258/PackagedPlay.gif">Johnson could do this since last year's Arkansas game</a>, but it's nice to see it being used again.</p>
<p>Something else that was nice to see again was the deep bomb. Auburn has struggled to find a deep threat at wide receiver this year, though Ricardo Louis has had his moments. And even when the receivers do go deep, <a href="https://vine.co/v/e2X2BTlJg9t">Gus has had to actually yell at Sean to throw the ball</a>, or the quarterback has refused to actually throw it, like in the Georgia game. But throwing deep on occasion helps the rest of the offense even if it's not always caught.</p>
<p>Johnson threw deep to Louis at least twice in this game, one of which was a catch that was overturned by review, but the other was a great throw and catch. Auburn called for double posts to the field, meaning both Louis on the outside and Melvin Ray on the inside ran deep post routes. The safety was responsible for the inside receiver once he went deep, which meant the corner was matched up on Louis one on one. Louis beat his man by a step or more, making the throw an easy one for Johnson.</p>
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<p>So, what's all this mean for the Iron Bowl? Probably not much. After all, <a href="https://twitter.com/KevinScarbinsky/status/668255997467762689">Idaho is a long way from Alabama</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/KevinScarbinsky/status/668257638321405952">there are no more small potatoes. Instead, there is an elephant in the room</a>. (all hat tips to the one and only Kevin Scarbinsky). But it's nice to see that Jeremy Johnson can run more of the offense than what he had shown through much of the season. And we all know that Malzahn will have a few tricks up of his sleeve.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.collegeandmagnolia.com/2014/11/28/7281937/iron-bowl-2014-auburn-alabama-xs-and-os-the-last-card-to-be-played">He's always saved a few for the Iron Bowl</a>. Whether it was true trick plays like the double passes, reverses, and onside kicks like in 2009. Or the constraint plays for constraint plays like the fake bubble screens or Onterrio McCallebb running up the middle in 2010. Or the heavy use of packaged plays in 2013.</p>
<p>Dameyune Craig recently said that <a href="http://www.al.com/auburnfootball/index.ssf/2015/11/auburn_offense_may_debut_a_little_package_iron_bowl.html">Auburn had a little package they planned on using against Idaho</a> but didn't get to. He then said he hoped to get to it next week. Sounds fun. It better be good, though. The Tide is good this year. And, no, generally you can't throw out the record books in this game. <a href="https://twitter.com/bc4_bc/status/640909579870695424">And Nick Saban was studying Auburn's A-Day game all summer.</a> They will be ready. But I believe our Tigers will be ready, too. War Eagle.</p>
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https://www.collegeandmagnolia.com/2015/11/25/9797812/jeremy-johnson-does-his-best-nick-marshall-impressionWarRoom Eagle2015-11-23T20:18:18-06:002015-11-23T20:18:18-06:00Hindsight is 20/20-The Idaho game
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<p>Auburn's offense looks great...vs Idaho</p> <p>Auburn's offense was crisp, grinding, and effective against Idaho. Auburn's running backs looked amazing. Jeremy Johnson was effective, and Auburn became bowl eligible in a laugher that was all but over in the 3rd quarter.</p>
<p>Let's keep in mind our opponent. Paul Petrino is no Bobby Petrino. I mean there is really no comparison. Have you ever seen the guy riding a Harley with a girl half his age?</p>
<p>Still, we should be encouraged by the way Auburn lined up and took care of business against a lesser opponent. I wonder if Idaho was the game 2 opponent would the season have turned out a different way. Think of the possibilities.</p>
<p>Auburn likely would still have lost to LSU, but I bet you good money a confident AU takes down State, Ole Miss, and Arkansas. Maybe even Georgia. Who knows?</p>
<p>Defensively, there is till work to be done. Auburn gave up 17 points with their #1's. I guess I can live with that. They didn't exactly come out and set the record straight on the first drive, but I can't complain really. 17 more points by the #2's and 3's show that depth is truly an issue and Auburn needs a couple good recruiting classes to solidify things.</p>
<p>Rudy Ford's pick six was a thing of beauty, and I love watching that guy with the ball. It's too bad we had so many home run threats on offense that he got switched to defense (sarcasm meter off the charts).</p>
<p>Now as we are smack in the middle of Iron Bowl week, I have a very hard time getting excited about the Crimson Sith coming to town. Auburn opens as a 13 point underdog at home vs Bama. Honestly, it sounds about right to me.</p>
<p>I said after the Georgia game I believe Auburn will hang around for a while in this game just long enough for Gus to do something that will make me break into the Woodford Reserve somewhere long abouts the third quarter.</p>
<p>I actually have no idea whom we should start at quarterback given if Sean White is healthy. If he's not, then it's Johnson's team for the Iron Bowl. And I just don't believe he can get it done against multiple coverages that Bama will roll out there. And he has not seen the sort of pressure he'll see from Bama's front four.</p>
<p>Enough about that. Let's savor win #6 because for a time there I didn't see Auburn making a bowl game. This year has been a throw-away. It's been the most terribly perplexing college football season I have ever witnessed as far as Auburn is concerned.</p>
<p>Happy and Safe Thanksgiving to all. Enjoy your turkey. To all my Bama Friends, be careful fighting in Wal-mart early Black Friday morning!</p>
https://www.collegeandmagnolia.com/2015/11/23/9789024/hindsight-is-20-20-the-idaho-gameDr Z2015-11-23T14:20:03-06:002015-11-23T14:20:03-06:00Plays and Players of the Game: Idaho at Auburn
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<p>Win or lose, players made some plays</p> <p>I'm happy to say that I got to watch this win in person. Our little family had a great time in Auburn, as always, and our boys had so much fun cheering on their Tigers. It was a stress free win--minus that first couple of plays from Idaho--and those are rare. Jeremy looked liked we always hoped he would, and maybe this helps to build his confidence. The long throws to Ricardo were beautiful. I joked earlier in the week that I wanted to see the Tucker Tuberville show, and that was mainly because I wasn't confident in our other options. But, when Tucker did run out there, I was thrilled.</p>
<p>Play of the game has to be the Rudy Ford interception, zig-zagging across the field. That was fantastic.</p>
<h3>AU_Jonesy</h3>
<p dir="ltr">Player of the game: Jovon Robinson. Jeremy played well. I'm also proud of Tony Stevens, but Jovon ran ANGRY.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Play of the game: Rudy Ford's pick 6. That really put things out of reach.</p>
<h3>Peggy</h3>
<p dir="ltr">We're bowl eligible! We beat Bama in the Iron Bowl of feeding people! We abandoned the plan to get Peyton to 1000 yards two yards at a time! Tucker Tuberville's daddy saw him play! This game was better than the splinter in my toe!</p>
<h3>Stephen</h3>
<p dir="ltr">Are we real sure we can't get Ford some carries? He's exciting with the ball in his hands. Glad to see the bench get cleared at least once this season.</p>
<h3>Dr. Z</h3>
<p dir="ltr">And Auburn is Petrino state champions?</p>
<h3>WarRoomEagle</h3>
<p dir="ltr"><span>My favorite part of the game was Jeremy Johnson doing his best Nick Marshall impression. Keeping the ball on the zone read, two rushing touchdowns, at least two pop passes, just chuckin' it deep to a wide receiver to see if he can beat his man, and most importantly, taking care of the football. Before Nick got to Auburn, a big concern was the number of interceptions he threw in junior college, but under Gus Malzahn, he was able to limit his turnovers considerably. Yeah, it was Idaho, but has Jeremy turned a corner?</span></p>
<h3>Walt</h3>
<p dir="ltr"><b>Player of the game?</b> That's actually pretty tough. I'm going to take the easy way out and say Jeremy Johnson. He looked poised, he made good decisions on the zone reads, he made some pretty good passes. It was against Idaho, but he was what we hoped he would be.</p>
<p dir="ltr"><b>Play of the game, Actual Game Time Division:</b> The Rudy Ford interception. That was pretty much the end of any hopes Idaho had of being one of the many G5 (or lower) teams to scare or upset an SEC team.</p>
<p dir="ltr"><b>Play of the game, Feel Good Time Division:</b> Tucker Tuberville handing the ball off to Lawyer Tillman.</p>
https://www.collegeandmagnolia.com/2015/11/23/9782850/auburn-vs-idaho-plays-and-players-of-the-gameEmilyRios2015-11-23T11:23:31-06:002015-11-23T11:23:31-06:00TAKES. FOURTH EDITION. VOLUME ELEVEN.
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<p>The least that Alabama could do is take me to dinner first, but no one has ever mistaken Alabama for a gentleman.</p> <p>Auburn just won a football game in expected fashion, and its' about to lose a football game in expected fashion. I spent the weekend in Savannah, Georgia, and I'm going to begin this week by offering some anecdotes about that trip, because these tales are less predictable than the outcomes of Auburn's final two games. I'll write some things about Auburn and football and predictability later in this post, so if you're not willing to indulge me something more interesting for a moment, feel free to scroll down.</p>
<p><b>Running on Empty. </b>Eastern Georgia is sprawling. It's like West Texas with hills. It's like Oklahoma with barbecue pork. It's like South Alabama with...well, it's exactly like South Alabama.</p>
<p>So having left Birmingham for Savannah at 7 p.m. on Friday, we hit a stretch beyond Macon and well before Savannah in a Hybrid with what I imagined was plenty of gas. It's a hybrid; these things are fueled by unicorn farts and hopes and dreams, right?</p>
<p>Suddenly, that second bar of available gas dropped to one, and I knew that the situation was dire. It was beyond midnight Eastern now. I stopped at what I assumed would be an open gas station; surely the only Exxon off the interstate in a 100 mile radius would be open, right? Wrong. So I got back on the interstate, eastbound, and hoped for the best. Meanwhile, my girlfriend began searching for a 24-hour gas station on the World Wide Web - the information box that we carry in our pockets or purses, her phone.</p>
<p>"There's a 24-hour Exxon 13 miles away in the other direction," she eventually interjected.</p>
<p>Neat. So I can gamble on what might be ahead here in the correct direction (I have had no reason to believe that there will be a gas station within 13 miles in the correct direction) or I can go to what I am assured will be a 24-hour gas station the way from which I came. The latter decision sets me back a solid 45 minutes; we're 90 minutes from Savannah and it's already after midnight.</p>
<p>"Okay, we'll turn around," I say aloud, and as soon as I make the decision, the hybrid rests on one bar of gas. I'm gripping that steering wheel like I'm rounding the tri-oval at Talladega - we're going to be on the side of this interstate, waving frantically, I'm sure of it.</p>
<p>As we begin to close in on what is going to be the exit for this 24-hour Exxon, it begins to feel familiar. "This is going to be the same damn gas station we just went to that was closed," I say. "I know it. I know it. I know it." And with each of those final three miles, I got angrier and angrier. But how could I be sure? Eastern Georgia is just miles upon miles upon miles of hilly darkness. I think this was somewhere near Georgia Southern? They had a Georgia Southern neon beer sign in their window, so I assume Georgia Southern was near. Auburn had just beaten them, badly, in basketball. I listened to the entire thing, uninterrupted. The Internet is really cool.</p>
<p>Yep. Same gas station. And as I exited, the final bar of gas vanished. I coasted into the parking lot, but we had no gas, we were a thousand miles from nowhere and AAA couldn't even pinpoint our locale. As such, she asked me to go to the door and see if it had an address on it that she could provide the kind AAA folks on the phone. It did not. I walked away from it and had the idea that it may be on the gas pump. It was not.</p>
<p>But the light was on. The light on the gas pump was on. With like $39.97 displayed on it.</p>
<p>"Hey, umm...this rural Georgia gas station that is closed may have left its' pump on," I said. "Let's try this."</p>
<p>I scanned my card to pay at the pump. Success. Sweet, sweet success. We had avoided being stranded in Deliverance Georgia and after a reservation snafu, we'd end up in our first hotel of the weekend by 3 a.m. Eastern. <i>Exactly</i> as everything had been planned.</p>
<p><b>Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. </b>Savannah is something, man. It's New Orleans without industry. It's Athens without a college. It's Charleston without as much food. It's got a really cool touristy riverwalk and it has really nice parks and greenspaces. But what do people do? How do people there live and work?</p>
<p>I went to Savannah a decade or so ago and I drank and drank and drank and drank. So I recalled it being...<i>awesome. </i>But that's all there is to do in Savannah. It's really gorgeous - the architecture, the weeping willows. It has, like, eight really, really great places to eat, but five of those are closed more hours of the day than they are open. And it has Savannah College of Art and Design, which has a museum, which was also closed, despite saying that it was open.</p>
<p>Basically, that's Savannah, unless you just want to drink and drink and drink and drink; 80% of it is closed and will open when it damn well pleases. This place drinks so much the hotel tells you when you arrive, "Checkout is at 11 but it's no big deal. You can checkout at 1 p.m."</p>
<p>And we really didn't drink that much. So, yeah, Hugh Acheson's place was delicious, and the Foxy Loxy was good and b. matthew's was just fine and the Isbell show at the Lucas was great and the park was pretty and Flannery O'Connor's childhood home was really, really cool, but if you're not drinking...a lot...meh.</p>
<p><b>The Tuckering. </b>Tucker Tuberville played on Saturday. I don't have anything to add to that. But I've often mentioned how that kid would come into Hastings with Tommy for Pokemon card tournaments and such, and as such, however little that may be, I've always felt a little invested in Tucker. I love the Tubervilles and I was happy...NAY...tickled to see it happen.</p>
<p><b>Stay calm and prepare for pain. </b>This week, Auburn will be Alabama's biggest rival. They've beaten Tennessee again and they've beaten LSU again and Ole Miss doesn't count as a rival because they can't beat Ole Miss. When they soundly defeat Auburn this weekend, Alabama fans will again concede Auburn as its biggest rival. Until Alabama plays Florida. Then you'll hear about how great the days were when Alabama played Florida in the SEC Championship Game every year and how that game is really nostalgic and how Alabama fans have always looked at that classic showdown as their biggest rival.</p>
<p>Auburn isn't going to win this game. You can keep the record books inside - there's no need to toss them out. Pull one off the shelf. Open it up. Sit in your oversized leather library chair and get comfortable. Reflect on it. Absorb it. If a team is expected to lose this game soundly, it usually does. Auburn pulled off a bit of an upset in 2002 to begin the six-game streak. But otherwise, I'm not sure I can remember one in my life. And before my life, Alabama was amid a nine-game streak, thoroughly displaying to Doug Barfield who was boss.</p>
<p>Auburn isn't going to win this game. But I can still be satisfied with my degree and my education. Alabama fans are going to have car flags out this week - one per window. Alabama fans are going to wear their fanciest, ironed Alabama polo-style shirt to church on Sunday, tucked into jeans. And those things are going to make your dad mad as hell. He's going to call you and talk about how the preacher just wouldn't shut up about it in his sermon and he "dang near had to walk out he got so fed up with it."</p>
<p>But Alabama is going to win this game. By a lot. It won't be close, and if it is, it's just fine to count that as a moral victory.</p>
<p><b>Nick Saban is ruining college football: </b>Guys, LSU is talking about firing Les Miles. Some among you are suggesting that Gus Malzahn should be on the hot seat. And it validates something I have said often, something that Cole Cubelic said loudly on a larger platform this week and that is becoming gospel: Nick Saban is ruining college football.</p>
<p>The weird thing about this is how damn defensive Alabama fans get about it. "What you trying to say, Barbara? We aren't sposed to win?! That's bout the dumbest damn thing I ever heard. I want my team to WIN, Barner! ROLL DAMN TIDE."</p>
<p>Right. You do. And you should. And that's awesome. And congrats that your team is superior in every way. No one is knocking you because you root for a superior football team. You root for a robotic, joyless football kill factory and that's just awesome because your joy is derived from everyone else hating you and being "MAD." You're winning at the game you want to win at. No one can take that away from you.</p>
<p>But guys, LSU is talking about firing Les Miles. Georgia is talking about firing Mark Richt (and I agree with this one, but still) and there are Auburn fans that want to fire Gus Malzahn. Expectations are out of control in a conference where everyone has a $5 million coach and not everyone can win all the time.</p>
<p>Someone has to lose. Someone has to finish last.</p>
<p>But Nick Saban changed all of that. Being okay isn't okay anymore. "Next year" isn't good enough anymore. Music City Bowl is a failure. And as such, it's not fun for the rest of us.</p>
<p>I'll say again - Auburn managed to make it to TWO....TWO....TWO BCS National Championship Games in the middle of this Alabama dynasty. How unbelievable is that? It's absolutely stunning.</p>
<p><b>I don't know where I'll be watching, but I'll be watching. </b>I have a lot of options and most don't involve me being inside Jordan-Hare Stadium. I'll be watching because when I was a kid, this was <i>the </i>most important thing. It was legit 365 days a year. For some, it still is. I find mustering that much anger over football difficult now, but I still love it, and I'll be watching. I'll be watching because my dad loves it and he taught me to love it. I'll be watching because it was a huge part of my career for a long time. I'll be watching because I love Auburn. Here's hoping that your passion for it is positive and you enjoy the ass-kicking that awaits you with friends and family and wings and dips and spirits. It's a special day in this state, even when the outcome <i>is </i>this predictable. War Damn Eagle.</p>
https://www.collegeandmagnolia.com/2015/11/23/9782680/takes-fourth-edition-volume-eleventheplaymaker2015-11-22T20:03:20-06:002015-11-22T20:03:20-06:00Auburn vs Idaho Review: The Tigers Clear the Bench
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<p>It happened. It finally happened. Tucker Tuberville took snaps for Auburn. </p> <p>At first glance, a score of 56-34 for Auburn vs Idaho seems pretty bad. Auburn's defense allowed 34 points to Idaho? What happened to the defensive resurgence from the last three games?!?</p>
<p>Well, it was still there. A large portion of Idaho's yards and half their points came in garbage time. Sure, Auburn struggled at times with Idaho in the first half - the first drive in particular - but for the most part the defense did a good job of limiting Idaho's offense and came up with some turnovers at key times, as well.</p>
<p>It wasn't the completely dominating performance that we wanted, but the Tigers were able to work on some things that they really needed to work on, including throwing the football. Jeremy Johnson threw one great deep pass that was ruled incomplete on replay. He still had some bad throws, but he also had a number of really good throws, too. I don't know if he just didn't need to make any reads or if he did a much better job with his progressions, but I never really saw him challenged by the Idaho defense.</p>
<p>The main result for Auburn was that the Tigers are now bowl eligible. That means they'll get 15 extra practices before the season is over to allow them to work on some things for the spring and next season. This will be even bigger if the Tigers can get some early signees on campus during the bowl practice sessions.</p>
<p>So what are some things of note from this game?</p>
<p><b>1) Jeremy Johnson's performance</b>. His passing numbers weren't spectacular, but they weren't bad, either. He made the throws he needed to make for the most part, and his numbers could have been even higher if Louis had been able to cleanly hall in the deep ball that was overturned and stalled a drive late in the second half. The strike over the middle to Louis for the fourth touchdown was beautiful. It might be the best pass Johnson has thrown since the deep ball to Jason Smith that was brought back against Louisville.</p>
<p><b>2) Rushing offense.</b> Auburn fell just shy of 300 yards rushing, and a good bit of that was early in this game. As frustrating as some parts of this game were, the number of players with carries in this game leads me to believe Auburn really was working on a number of things aside from just doing what it took to win the game. Had they wanted to do that, the play-by-play stat line on ESPN shows how easily the Tigers were able to move it on the ground early in this game. They could have kept doing that, but instead they went other routes than taking what Idaho was giving them. Peyton Barber could easily have picked up enough yards to get him over the 1000 mark for the season, but the Tigers kept their focus on whatever game plan they had.</p>
<p><b>3) The turnover margin flipped, again</b>. Auburn has been excellent in the turnover department since the LSU game with the exception of last weekend against Georgia. Against Idaho's offense, the Tigers got things back on track. Two interceptions with great returns (one for a touchdown) and a fumble recovery were a big part of how Auburn was able to ensure that Idaho was never able to gain a lot of confidence even as they moved the ball.</p>
<p><b>4) The Fake Punt.</b> So that's a thing that happened. Against Idaho. Phillips didn't look too bad carrying the ball, either. I hate that we had to show this was in the arsenal against Idaho, but it's nice to know it's there with him going forward.</p>
<p><b>5) Garbage Time Defense</b>. Soooo... this was bad. Really bad. Allowing Idaho's backup quarterback to get the Vandals 17 points is quite annoying. The targeting by Deshaun Davis was pretty bad, too.</p>
<p><b>6) Tucker Tuberville handed the ball off to Lawyer Tillman.</b> Did you need anything else to make this night a good one? Especially with Tommy in the stands to watch. I was hoping he would get a chance to take a few snaps in Jordan-Hare Stadium this season. I really thought it would have happened more than just last night, but the season just didn't work out that way. He did get in the action in the end, though, and it was great.</p>
<h3>Iron Bowl Week</h3>
<p>So, here we are. This game doesn't mean what we were hoping it would mean back when the season started. Instead, Auburn is hoping to spoil the Tide's playoff hopes and pull off one of the bigger upsets in series history. If you're not planning on going, please don't sell your tickets to a Bama fan. Let's make sure our seniors have a great home crowd for their last game in Jordan-Hare. They've been through the horrors of 2012, experienced the joys of 2013, and now have suffered through the disappointments of 2014 and 2015. Send them off the right way.</p>
<p>War Eagle. Always.</p>
https://www.collegeandmagnolia.com/2015/11/22/9780480/auburn-vs-idaho-review-the-tigers-clear-the-benchWalt Austin2015-11-21T18:44:46-06:002015-11-21T18:44:46-06:00Auburn Defeats Idaho. Gains Bowl Eligibility.
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<p>War Eagle. </p> <p>Ok, sure, Idaho scored points early. It wasn't that impressive, though. Their early performance was mostly a result of a few big plays. I told you in the previews that Linehan was good at throwing the deep ball. That's what led to their first 10 points.</p>
<p>Auburn did what was expected with feeding the ball to the running backs and running wide receiver screen plays early on. It probably would have been a lot better for Auburn without some dumb penalties. Jeremy Johnson even looked decent throwing the football down field, although in the first half he wasn't asked to throw it much beyond five yards downfield.</p>
<p>Some people *Scarbinsky*cough*cough* wanted to act like this was close. It wasn't. Auburn was in control after their first stop of the Vandals. Linehan is a decent QB, but without Dezmon Epps, the Vandals just don't have a big deep threat.</p>
<p>Auburn was able to drive the field. The defense was able to come up big. Rudy Ford had a great interception return for a touchdown late in the 1st half, and while Idaho put up a decent fight, the game was long over.</p>
<p>The proof of that was in the first part of the second half. Idaho decided to go for a 4th and 3, but failed to convert. Auburn turned it into a touchdown on a Jeremy Johnson POP pass to Tony Stevens. 42-17 Auburn with 12:02 to play in the 3rd quarter.</p>
<p>Idaho kept going for it on 4th and short and it almost worked out for them. However, after driving down field on a series of quarterback options, they threw an interception in the end zone that Jay Jones ran out. On the first play, Jeremy Johnson threw a beautiful deep ball to Louis that set up the rest of Auburn's drive that ended in a short run for JJ's second touchdown run and a 49-17 Auburn lead with 6:30 to play in the 3rd quarter.</p>
<p>The game was long since over, but Roc Thomas made it even better covering 77 yards on two plays in the 4th quarter to make the score 56-20 with 12:46 to play.</p>
<p>Idaho didn't quit, as they put a back up in and threw a good deep ball. It was too little too late by three quarters, though. Even with the touchdown they were able to score with Auburn's 3rd team in the game.</p>
<p>For Auburn fans, one of the highlights had to be getting Tucker Tuberville into the game. With just over 10 minutes to play, and with his father in attendance, the Tigers got the son of our former head coach into the game for the first time in regular season play.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, he wasn't allowed to do anything but hand the ball off. Still, it was great to see Tucker - whom many Auburn fans remember from when he was a small child attending practices with his father - taking snaps on the field at Jordan-Hare Stadium.</p>
<p>Idaho didn't quit, still, driving deep into Auburn territory yet again with the help of some penalties. Those were... questionable... At best. At least from the stands. They allowed Idaho to get yet another touchdown to make the score look a whole lot more interesting than the game actually was.</p>
<p>On the ensuing drive, the crowd gave a good cheer as Tucker ran for 9 yards on 1st down to at least register a stat for the game. Auburn was emptying the bench as Lawyer Tillman even got in on the action for a number of yards to run the clock down. Unfortunately, a bad snap which Tuberville fell on probably erased his stats from the other runs. That snap put Auburn into a punting situation for their last drive.</p>
<p>It wasn't pretty, and the final score was definitely not indicative of the game, but it was a win. The Tigers are bowl eligible going into the Iron Bowl.</p>
<p>War Eagle. Always.</p>
https://www.collegeandmagnolia.com/2015/11/21/9776146/articleWalt Austin2015-11-21T14:45:02-06:002015-11-21T14:45:02-06:00Auburn vs Idaho Game Open Thread
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<figcaption>Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>The Tigers are fighting for bowl eligibiity</p> <p>I don't have much to say in this open thread main body. War Damn Auburn Basketball, again! That was nice to see the Tigers dominate an opponent. At least in the second half.</p>
<p>Auburn should handle Idaho. Even as bad as we've been struggling. You can point to Jacksonville State if you want, but JSU would likely beat Idaho fairly handily.</p>
<p>So enjoy the game. We should get bowl eligible after this one. It's a shame it's come to that, but it has. We'll do the season post-mortem before long and try to figure out everything that went wrong.</p>
<p>War Eagle.</p>
https://www.collegeandmagnolia.com/2015/11/21/9774754/auburn-vs-idaho-game-open-threadWalt Austin2015-11-19T12:51:10-06:002015-11-19T12:51:10-06:00The AUperations Order: FRAGORD 11, Idaho Vandals
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<figcaption>Shanna Lockwood-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>It's Military Appreciation Day for Saturday's game, which makes this preview appropriate once again. </p> <p class="pgh-paragraph">The base OPORD for the 2015 football season <a data-ref-index="6" target="_blank" href="http://www.collegeandmagnolia.com/2015/9/2/9239739/the-operations-order-auburn-2015-football-season">can be found here</a>.</p>
<p class="pgh-paragraph" id="paragraph1">FRAGORD 1:<a data-ref-index="7" href="http://www.collegeandmagnolia.com/2015/9/4/9256269/the-auburn-football-operations-order-fragord-1-louisville-cardinals/in/9026518"> Louisville</a></p>
<p class="pgh-paragraph" id="paragraph2">FRAGORD 2: <a data-ref-index="8" href="http://www.collegeandmagnolia.com/2015/9/11/9310613/Auburn-football-operations-order-fragord-2-jacksonville-state-gamecocks/in/9065452">Jacksonville State</a></p>
<p class="pgh-paragraph" id="paragraph3">FRAGORD 3: <a data-ref-index="9" href="http://www.collegeandmagnolia.com/2015/9/18/9351817/auburn-football-operations-order-fragord-3-lsu-tigers?_ga=1.33927457.1016699380.1442326667">LSU</a></p>
<p class="pgh-paragraph" id="paragraph4">FRAGORD 4: <a data-ref-index="10" href="http://www.collegeandmagnolia.com/2015/9/25/9394123/Auburn-football-auperations-order-fragord-4-mississippi-state-bulldogs?_ga=1.268761329.1016699380.1442326667">Mississippi State</a></p>
<p class="pgh-paragraph" id="paragraph5">FRAGORD 5: <a data-ref-index="11" href="http://www.collegeandmagnolia.com/2015/10/2/9438969/Auburn-football-auperations-order-fragord-5-san-jose-state">San Jose State</a></p>
<p class="pgh-paragraph" id="paragraph6">FRAGORD 6: <a data-ref-index="12" href="http://www.collegeandmagnolia.com/2015/10/14/9532627/auburn-football-auperations-order-fragord-6-kentucky-wildcats?_ga=1.103709184.1052317425.1445542497">Kentucky Wildcats</a></p>
<p class="pgh-paragraph" id="paragraph7">FRAGORD 7: <a data-ref-index="13" href="http://www.collegeandmagnolia.com/2015/10/23/9600364/the-auperations-order-fragord-7-arkansas-razorbacks?_ga=1.68514065.1052317425.1445542497">Arkansas Razorbacks</a></p>
<p class="pgh-paragraph">FRAGORD 8: <a href="http://www.collegeandmagnolia.com/2015/10/30/9643610/the-auperations-order-fragord-8-ole-miss?_ga=1.181230503.1836972706.1446666666">Ole Miss Rebels</a></p>
<p class="pgh-paragraph">FRAGORD 9: <a href="http://www.collegeandmagnolia.com/2015/11/6/9678102/the-auperations-order-fragord-9-texas-a-m-aggies?_ga=1.120002568.1432518773.1425842344">Texas A&M Aggies</a></p>
<p class="pgh-paragraph">FRAGORD 10: <a href="http://www.collegeandmagnolia.com/2015/11/11/9714138/auburn-football-auperations-order-fragord-10-georgia-bulldogs/in/9469833">Georgia Bulldogs</a></p>
<h3>FRAGORD 11: Idaho Vandals</h3>
<p class="pgh-paragraph" id="paragraph8"><b>Time Zone Used Throughout:</b> Central Standard Time.</p>
<p class="pgh-paragraph" id="paragraph9"><b>Light and Weather Data: </b>While the game will begin in daylight, electric illumination will be necessary during the game as it will be played in late afternoon twilight and will become dark during game time. Currently there is a 20% chance of precipitation at the scheduled game time. The high for the day is 62 degrees, with a low of 41.</p>
<p class="pgh-paragraph" id="paragraph10"><b>Terrain:</b> The immaculate natural grass surface of Pat Dye Field.</p>
<h3>1) SITUATION</h3>
<h4>a) Enemy -</h4>
<p class="pgh-paragraph" id="paragraph11">Intelligence reports indicate the enemy is a Sun Belt team coached by a Petrino. Do you really need to know anymore? They have an effective quarterback capable of making deep throws, but their star wide receiver was dismissed from the team earlier On the defensive side of the ball they have struggled with the run against their own conference opponents. The Most Likely Course of Action is that they will put a marginal fight and gain some yards, but will ultimately succumb to the Tigers' ground assault. The Most Dangerous Course of Action is that they are able to get a passing game going and Auburn struggles with an injured offensive line and the game stays close.</p>
<h4>b) Friendly -</h4>
<p class="pgh-paragraph" id="paragraph12"><b>(1) Higher Unit Mission Two Levels Up:</b> No Change</p>
<p class="pgh-paragraph" id="paragraph13"><b>(2) Higher Unit Mission One Level Up:</b> No Change</p>
<h4>c) Civil Considerations:</h4>
<h4></h4>
<p class="pgh-paragraph" id="paragraph14">The local population will be friendly to the Auburn Tigers.</p>
<h4>d) Attachments & Detachments:</h4>
<h3></h3>
<p class="pgh-paragraph" id="paragraph15"><b>Attachments:</b> Auburn Cheerleaders, Aubie the Tiger. Unknown whether the Auburn University Marching Band will be with the team.</p>
<p class="pgh-paragraph" id="paragraph16"><b>Detachments:</b> None.</p>
<h3>2) MISSION</h3>
<p class="pgh-paragraph" id="paragraph17">The Auburn Tigers Football Team competes against the Idaho Vandals on 21 November 2015 at 3pm CST at Jordan-Hare Stadium, Auburn, AL, in order to better the national perception of Auburn Football and to become post-season eligible.</p>
<h3>3) EXECUTION</h3>
<h4>a) Concept of the Operation.</h4>
<p class="pgh-paragraph" id="paragraph18">The football team will play four quarters of fast, physical football against the Idaho Vandals with each portion of the team performing special duties assigned to them.</p>
<p class="pgh-paragraph" id="paragraph19"><b>Scheme of Maneuver.</b></p>
<p class="pgh-paragraph" id="paragraph20">The operation will consist of multiple phases. Phase 1- the planning and preparation phase - began with practice following the Georgia game and will end with the Reverse Tiger Walk on Friday afternoon when the team departs for the Remain Over Night (RON) site. Phase 2 - the travel phase - begins upon departure for the RON site and ends with Tiger Walk. Phase 3 - the execution phase - begins upon arrival at Jordan-Hare Stadium and consists of pre-game warm-ups and game activity. It will end upon completion of the contest. Phase 4 - the recovery phase - begins with post-game locker-room activities, and ends Sunday when the Tigers return to the practice field.</p>
<p class="pgh-paragraph" id="paragraph21">Offense, the main effort, will attack the Idaho defense using power-runs. Utilizing <a href="http://www.collegeandmagnolia.com/2015/11/11/9710756/auburn-football-texas-a-m-offensive-tweeks-complete-game">runs away from motion and stacking receivers</a> as in the Texas A&M game should help. The running game should be there for the taking, so the Tigers should also take advantage of any opportunities to get Jeremy Johnson confident in throwing the football. Explosive plays via deep passes to Ricardo Louis, Tony Stevens, Jason Smith, or other Auburn wide receivers should be attempted at least once per quarter. Peyton Barber should be given enough carries that he tops the 1000 yard mark for the 2015 season. Keep Jovon on the sidelines to rest for the Iron Bowl, if possible. In addition, the offense should attempt to stay ahead of the chains, not beat itself with penalties, and take advantage of pace in order to confuse the defense.</p>
<p class="pgh-paragraph" id="paragraph22">Defense, a supporting effort, will employ fast/physical assaults on the opponent's offense. Idaho's strength is in its passing game. Their quarterback does have 74 carries on the season, but he is averaging 2.6 yards per carry. The defensive line of Auburn should focus on getting to the quarterback on passing plays and not over-pursuing in the backfield and allowing the running backs to break through to the second level. Communication between defensive efforts is also key, and care should be taken with new or younger personnel who are still relatively inexperienced.</p>
<p class="pgh-paragraph" id="paragraph23">Special Teams, a supporting effort, will conduct all kicking and returning duties. The return team should provide holes for the return man. The return team should exercise caution, but definitely take advantages to use Auburn's speed on returns to set the offense up in good field position. All advantages should be taken if it is observed that the opposing team has "only fat guys" on the field.</p>
<h4>b) Task to Subordinate Units</h4>
<p class="pgh-paragraph" id="paragraph24"><b>(1) Offense.</b> Task: Conduct fast/physical hurry-up, no-huddle offensive maneuvers via ground and air attacks. Please. Fast. Go fast. Let's see more of what we saw against A&M. Peyton Barber should be used to gain chunks of yardage on the ground to facilitate the hurry-up aspect. Purpose: Move the ball into scoring position in order to score more points than the opponent.</p>
<p class="pgh-paragraph" id="paragraph25"><b>(2) Defense.</b> Task: Generate a pass rush to attack an inexperience quarterback while not allowing him to break containment. Purpose: Keep Idaho from scoring points. Duh.</p>
<p class="pgh-paragraph" id="paragraph26"><b>(3) Special Teams.</b> No change</p>
<h4>c) Coordinating Instructions</h4>
<p class="pgh-paragraph" id="paragraph27"><b>(1) Priority Intelligence Requirements (PIR):</b> No change</p>
<p class="pgh-paragraph" id="paragraph28"><b>(2) Commander's Critical Information Requirements (CCIR): </b>No change</p>
<p class="pgh-paragraph" id="paragraph29"><b>(3) Friendly Force Intelligence Requirements (FFIR):</b> No change</p>
<p class="pgh-paragraph" id="paragraph30"><b>(4) Essential Elements of Friendly Information (EEFI):</b> No change</p>
<p class="pgh-paragraph" id="paragraph31"><b>(2) Timeline</b></p>
<p class="pgh-paragraph" id="paragraph32">Friday, 4:45pm: Reverse Tiger Walk</p>
<p class="pgh-paragraph">Saturday, 11:00am: Tiger Transit Service Begins</p>
<p class="pgh-paragraph">Saturday, 1:00pm: Tiger Walk, All Gates Open</p>
<p class="pgh-paragraph">Saturday, 1:40pm: Spirit March (east and west ends of Heisman and north and south ends of Donahue)</p>
<p class="pgh-paragraph">Saturday, 1:45pm: Pep Rally (Heisman and Donahue)</p>
<p class="pgh-paragraph">Saturday, 2:44pm: Eagle Flight</p>
<p class="pgh-paragraph">Saturday, 2:48pm: Band takes the field</p>
<p class="pgh-paragraph">Saturday, 3:00pm: Kickoff</p>
<h3>4) SUSTAINMENT</h3>
<h4>a) Logistics</h4>
<p class="pgh-paragraph" id="paragraph39"><b>(1) Supply:</b> No change</p>
<p class="pgh-paragraph" id="paragraph40"><b>(2) Transportation:</b> Charter buses will take the team from Auburn to the RON site and return the team to Auburn for the game</p>
<h4>b) Personnel</h4>
<p class="pgh-paragraph" id="paragraph41">No change</p>
<h4>c) Medical</h4>
<p class="pgh-paragraph" id="paragraph42">SEC Medical Observers will monitor each game for possible concussion issues. MEDEVAC is available upon request</p>
<h3>5) COMMAND & SIGNAL</h3>
<h4>
<b>a) Command </b>- No Change</h4>
<h4>b) Signal</h4>
<p class="pgh-paragraph" id="paragraph43"><b>1) Call Signs</b> - No Change</p>
<p class="pgh-paragraph" id="paragraph44"><b>2) Challenge / Password</b> - No Change</p>
<p class="pgh-paragraph" id="paragraph45"><b>3) Running Password</b> - No Change</p>
<p class="pgh-paragraph" id="paragraph46"><b>4) Frequencies</b></p>
<blockquote>
<p class="pgh-paragraph" id="paragraph47"><b>TV:</b> SEC Network</p>
<p class="pgh-paragraph" id="paragraph48"><b>Stream: </b><a href="http://espn.go.com/watchespn/index/_/id/2100485/auburn-vs-alabama-football">W</a><a href="http://espn.go.com/watchespn/index/_/id/2100485/auburn-vs-alabama-football">atch ESPN</a></p>
<p class="pgh-paragraph" id="paragraph49"><b>Internet Audio:</b> <a href="http://www.auburntigers.com/multimedia/live_audio.html">Auburn IMG Network</a></p>
<p class="pgh-paragraph"><b>Satellite Radio:</b> <a href="https://go.redirectingat.com?id=66960X1516590&xs=1&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.siriusxm.com%2Fcollegefootballschedule&referrer=sbnation.com&sref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.collegeandmagnolia.com%2F2015%2F11%2F19%2F9760808%2Fauburn-football-auperations-order-fragord-11-idaho-vandals" rel="sponsored nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Sirius, XM 1</a><a href="https://go.redirectingat.com?id=66960X1516590&xs=1&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.siriusxm.com%2Fcollegefootballschedule&referrer=sbnation.com&sref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.collegeandmagnolia.com%2F2015%2F11%2F19%2F9760808%2Fauburn-football-auperations-order-fragord-11-idaho-vandals" rel="sponsored nofollow noopener" target="_blank">91</a></p>
</blockquote>
<p class="pgh-paragraph" id="paragraph51">The time is now FOOTBALL. What are your questions?</p>
https://www.collegeandmagnolia.com/2015/11/19/9760808/auburn-football-auperations-order-fragord-11-idaho-vandalsWalt Austin