Auburn head coach Gus Malzahn must have been sure his offense was heading in the right direction after a 706-yard outburst against Arkansas State. The explosive performance helped ease the memories of the offense's incoherent performance against Clemson the previous week.
In the SEC opener against Texas A&M, however, all of those memories came flooding back. The offense sputtered again while the defense did its best to keep the Tigers competitive again.
Coaching: D
- The best you can say about the offensive gameplan for this game was that it wasn't as deliriously baffling as the Clemson gameplan was. However, after a balanced, nearly perfect touchdown drive in the first quarter, Auburn's offense failed to establish a true identity.
- Not only did the gameplan fail for the second time in three weeks, but the quarterback situation was knocked entirely off of its axis for the second time in that span as well. While replacing Sean White with John Franklin III did provide something of a spark for Auburn's offense, it once again proved that there's no established leader at quarterback. Four weeks into the season, that's not a good look for Malzahn or Rhett Lashlee.
- The only reason the coaching grade isn't lower is because Kevin Steele's defense once again rose to the occasion. Texas A&M's offense was frustrated for most of the night, going 2-for-15 on third down and settling for five field goals. Trevor Knight threw 40 passes and only completed half of them. There were some missed tackles for Auburn, but it was mostly a disciplined performance once again.
Quarterbacks: C
- Sean White started the game strongly, but as the offense lost its identity, he lost his rhythm. He didn't have any turnovers, but he didn't score, either. He went 18-for-27 for 126 yards.
- When John Franklin III came in, the running game received a huge boost. Franklin ran for 59 yards on nine carries. However, running out of bounds five yards short of the first down on 4th-and-18 late in the game? Yikes.
Running Backs: B+
- Kamryn Pettway was Auburn's star on offense, rushing 20 times for 123 yards and a touchdown. He surprisingly received more carries than Kerryon Johnson, but given Pettway's pure size and athleticism, it's hard not to give him the ball a fair amount. Expect him to get even more looks moving forward.
- Kerryon Johnson was somewhat quiet on the night, rushing 15 times for 64 yards and a late score. Pettway got more carries because he had the hot hand, but no one should be concerned for Johnson's playing time in the future.
Wide Receivers: C
- Tony Stevens had a career night, hauling in 8 catches for 86 yards. Outside of Pettway, he was Auburn's most explosive and consistent playmaker.
- Outside of Stevens? Not a great night for Auburn's receivers. All of the Tigers other receivers caught 14 passes for 77 yards.
- Ryan Davis' fumble in the second quarter set Texas A&M up for one of their five field goals.
Offensive Line: C-
- A week after demolishing the Red Wolves, Auburn received a reality check against the Aggies loaded front seven. The Tigers allowed four sacks (two to All-Universe defensive end Myles Garrett) and failed to establish a consistent run game. To be fair, blocking Garrett is difficult. Statistically, he's one of the best defensive linemen in SEC history. But Auburn's offensive line just couldn't get the push it needed.
Defensive Line: B
- Montravious Adams' sack in the first quarter was the Tigers lone sack on the night, but the defensive line consistently put pressure on Knight and, until Trayveon Williams' 89-yard burst late in the game, held the Aggies ground game in check.
- The bad news for the Tigers defensive line is that they couldn't finish the job in the backfield several times, allowing the elusive Knight to escape the pocket and run or find someone downfield.
- Marlon Davidson continues to have a huge freshman season, registering four tackles, good for seventh on the team.
- Sophomore Byron Cowart earned his first career forced fumble.
- On the other end of the spectrum, senior Carl Lawson had one of his lesser career performances for Auburn. He had just one assisted tackle and couldn't get pressure on Knight.
Linebackers: B+
- The Tigers linebacker corps continues to establish itself as a strong unit. Deshaun Davis, Tre Williams and Darrell Williams combined for 15 tackles and anchored Auburn's defense against a high-powered, talented attack.
Secondary: B+
- This might seem like a high grade considering that Knight threw for 247 yards and the Aggies receivers made some big plays. However, Texas A&M's wide receiver corps is arguably the best in America. The Aggies have four different receivers who would be stand-out stars on other SEC teams. Aside from some big plays allowed, Auburn's secondary was disciplined and played pretty well.
- Bonus points for Javaris Davis' huge hit on Christian Kirk in the third quarter. What would have been a first down for the Aggies was instead a dropped pass the sent the crowd into a frenzy. This secondary is as good at tackling as any Auburn secondary in recent memory.
Special Teams: A-
- Daniel Carlson, as usual, was automatic. He only tried one field goal, a 37-yarder right before halftime, but it ended the same way as his other five attempts this year: good.
- Auburn punted nine times, with Kevin Phillips punting seven times (40-yard average) and Ian Shannon punting twice (27.5-yard average). The punting game was inconsistent, and at one point cost Auburn field position. After a punt to the 9-yard line, Auburn was called for illegal formation and had to punt again. The next attempt went out of bounds at the 40, costing the Tigers 31 yards.
- Kerryon Johnson had a decent 34-yard kick return in the fourth quarter.
Overall: D+
- Is the sky falling for Auburn after a 1-2 start? Not exactly. Both of the teams that beat Auburn had high-powered offenses that struggled against the Tigers defense. However, the ineptitude of the offense means the sky could fall soon for Malzahn if the losing continues. It was yet another poor offensive showing for a coach known as an "offensive guru." The Tigers are 3-12 in their last 15 games against power five teams. Failing to capitalize on yet another strong defensive effort was a huge missed opportunity for a program looking for any sign of momentum.
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