Auburn vs San Jose State. After defeating the San Jose State Spartans to end week two, the Tigers improved to 2-0.
The Breakdown
Three top ten losses were among the many shocking results from week two. Due to Auburn’s underwhelming performance on Saturday, the Tigers came dangerously close to being involved in an upset loss. To put it mildly, the Auburn supporter base was very unhappy with the Tigers’ performance on Saturday night. An 8-point victory over a team that required a last-second touchdown to defeat Portland State isn’t the best victory for Auburn. The Spartans were favored by 24 points when Auburn entered the game, but by the halfway point, they were trailing the Mountain West team. The Tigers had a terrible first half, scoring just once on their first six drives. After the offensive struggles, the defense didn’t play particularly great, but they did play well enough.
Auburn’s Offensive Struggle
Auburn’s offense started rough, following a disastrous offensive opening to the game that featured three punts and two interceptions. Each quarterback, Robby Ashford, and TJ Finley threw one interception to start the competition. I’m not sure what was going on with Auburn’s play-calling, but it was extremely bland. It appeared as though the Auburn coaching staff didn’t want the Nittany Lions coaching staff to have anything on film. You could argue that Auburn’s poor performance was caused by their attention being drawn to the top-25-ranked Nittany Lions and away from a less formidable foe like San Jose State. But even if it were true, it would be utterly unprofessional. Auburn’s offense appeared shaken up. Auburn lost three points and their offensive rhythm early in the game as a result of the quarterback’s inconsistent play.
Following Auburn’s poor first-half offensive performance. Once the adjustments were made, the second half got off to a much better start. On three of their final four drives in the second half, Auburn managed to score. After halftime, the Tigers outscored the Spartans 17-6. Following TJ Finley’s interception, which was a terrific play by San Jose State’s defensive back. He played much better after settling in and appeared more at ease and accurate. Going into the Penn State game, there is a concern about the Tigers’ offense. Despite this game, it shouldn’t be ruled out. Auburn had nearly 100 yards in penalties, two turnovers, and they lost the time of possession.
Unfortunately, because of the penalties, Auburn was early on behind the chains and nearly had to throw the ball even though it is still an offensive unit that prioritizes the run. Auburn improved its running game in the second half and cleaned up its penalties. In spite of this, the Tigers’ offense still gained nearly 6 yards per carry. It would significantly increase the Tigers’ chances of pulling off an upset if they could carry the offensive momentum they had at the end of the previous game into Penn State.
Auburn’s Defensive Performance
The Tigers played adequate but not excellent defense. Obviously, the best aspect of the defensive play for Auburn is its run defense. The Tigers must be worried about the secondary. San Jose State gained 275 yards through the air against Auburn. They must act quickly to improve the pass coverage. Auburn’s secondary was hammered by the Nittany Lions for over 300 yards the previous season. The Auburn secondary had a lot more penalties than expected and far too many jump balls allowed against the Spartans. In the San Jose State game, we saw corners give up too much space in one-on-one situations far too frequently. The corners need to find and locate the football before acting.
The pass rush put the Spartans under pressure, but they didn’t rack up the stats against a weaker opponent as you might expect. The best pass rush Auburn has seen comes from Derick Hall and Eku Leota along the defensive line’s edge. You gotta anticipate that Penn State will visit Auburn the following week with the intention of throwing the majority of the game. I’m not sure how long Auburn’s secondary will take to reach its peak, but I doubt it will be in a week. Auburn’s pass rush will be extremely important in helping them harass Sean Clifford.
In order to even compete with the 22nd-ranked Penn State Nittany Lions, Auburn must play better than they did against the Spartans.
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1 Comment
Auburn has to get their act together!!!!