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A spirit that is not afraid

Auburn Gets a Much Needed Bye Week

In the first leg of Amen Corner, Auburn was on the 11th green poised to beat Georgia, but four putted and ended up losing the game.

The first putt that went awry was the play calling.

On the first two drives, Auburn's offense had its way with the Bulldog defense.

Chris Todd completed his first eight passes and had two touchdown passes during those drives.

All the passes were short, no more than 15 yards, and over the middle during the first two drives and were extremely effective.

Why did the play calling change?

If something is working, run it until the other team can stop it, then move onto something new.

If anything, it wasn't a lack of coaching that lost the game, it was too much coaching.

The second missed putt was the offensive line.

Injuries and fatigue along the front five led to three Georgia sacks and nine tackles for loss.

The line couldn't provide the rushing attack the lanes and push to make a difference in the game.

When coaches switch the game plan from short passes to long passes, the offensive line needs to establish a running game to allow the deep throws to open up.

Ben Tate needs to be gaining more than 67 yards in a big rivalry game, especially when he is wearing No. 4.

It didn't happen Saturday and will kill Auburn against Alabama.

Rolando McClain and the Crimson Tide defense will have a field day if Auburn isn't able to run the ball.

The third missed putt was the defensive line.

The defensive line couldn't stop Georgia's rushing attack and paid for it in the fourth quarter when Caleb King was able to score two touchdowns on the ground.

The defense's pursuit was excellent, but there was no penetration from the men in the trenches to keep the Bulldog backs behind the line of scrimmage.

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Alabama should be salivating when they watch the film of Saturday's game.

Mark Ingram could have a career game if the defense that played against Georgia shows up for the Iron Bowl.

One good thing to take from the Deep South's Oldest Rivalry is Auburn finally started playing on all special teams.

Auburn gets a much needed rest after playing 11 straight games.

The rest should allow the team to recover from all its injuries and get the players' minds off football for a few days in hopes of correcting mistakes and being able to play the best game they can against Alabama.

On an unrelated matter, I was impressed by the class the University of Georgia had in handling the loss the Auburn family suffered last week.

The red coat band had a moment of silence for Sarah Anderson and the entire stadium joined them in honoring her.

It was a great show of the mutual respect the two universities have for each other.


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