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Tequilla Thoughts: 24 Hours Later and Game Grades
Tequilla
Member Posts: 19,815
Lots of noise about what did this game mean? Moral victories or not? Is the season over?
The game was another measuring stick game for us against the SEC in the same location as our last opportunity 2 years ago against Bama. And for those that want to say that Auburn is the 3rd or 4th best team in the SEC, keep in mind that it's the same team that beat BOTH teams that played in the National Title game last year. At worst, it's a Top 10 team in terms of talent and there was nothing that I saw in person that suggested to me that they weren't deserving of being called that. Offensively, we gained almost 400 yards … against Alabama we gained just under 200 yards. No, I'm not saying that Auburn's defense was as good as that Alabama defense (it isn't), but this offense is better than it was 2 years ago and able to create enough to put us in a position to win in the 4th quarter. That's not debatable but a fact. Defensively, we continued to show that we can play toe to toe with a SEC team and keep the point total low. The above doesn't make it a moral victory. The game was winnable and we didn't close the deal. For as much as we want to talk about Browning and it all going on him, let's not forget that the defense had the lead and gave it up in the worst possible way by giving up a TD on a play where Auburn was conceding playing for the FG to take the lead. The season is most definitely not over as winning the conference should be further enforced after that game that the gap between UW and the rest of the PAC12 is only growing. Winning the conference and at minimum getting to the Rose Bowl is still a lot to play for. And if the cards break right, the way this game went puts us right in the discussion of being able to get back into the CFP if we run the table the rest of the way.
Now, onto the grades …
QB = B
In many respects, as has been stated by others, this is about as good of a performance as one could reasonably expect out of Browning on this kind of stage given some of his physical limitations. In the season preview pod, I called out him making more 50/50 throws to give his receivers opportunities to make plays and he did so. I asked him to check the ball down more and manage the down/distance situation and I thought he did a reasonable job here. More often than not he moved in the pocket well to extend plays with both his feet and arm. There were some times where he really hit the back foot and decisively made throws. But there were also the bad plays as well. The INT just can't be made by a player of his experience level. The option pitch wasn't the best of calls and the execution sucked. I guarantee that the Auburn defender was way faster than anything we practiced against. I get what we were trying to do there but it was just a try hard play. For those criticizing Browning for the 3rd down sack on the last drive, not sure what was shown on TV after the play, but there was nobody open on the play. I get Browning trying to make a play there and see if someone comes open but worst case he needed to throw the ball away.
RB = B-
Collectively, Gaskin/Ahmed ran 24x for 111 yards ... more than acceptable against Auburn. In the games last year where Auburn played a P5 team (+ UCF) gave up an average of 4.0 yards per carry with only Alabama, Georgia, and UCF being much over the 4.0 yards per carry barrier (and UCF was almost entirely driven off of its QB). The reason I give a B- here is because we really needed something from the RBs in the passing game and they didn't provide anything there.
WR = A-
Really encouraging game from this position. Very clear why Fuller has passed Chico on the depth chart as Fuller is a tremendous route runner who has a knack for getting himself open. You can tell that Ty Jones is still a bit raw as a WR but his raw ability is obvious and it's only going to get better during the year. The catch Pounds made for a TD was outstanding and he's a guy that I really think is going to continue to give us a play or two a game where he probably shouldn't make that play. Even the Opera Singer contributed. What keeps the grade from being higher are 4 things. First, the pass interference on the TD just wasn't good ... yes, it was a pick play call ... but you can't be THAT obvious in the route. Easy call. Second, we had a couple of minor mistakes whether it was illegal blocks, etc. that really hurt. Third, with the exception of Ty Jones and fades (which Browning needs to do a better job of throwing them in spots where Jones can stop, gather himself, and then go high point it) I'm not sure that we have the size/speed/quickness combo at WR to excel in the red zone against an elite defense (at least with Browning's arm strength). And finally, I'm really struggling to see what Chico's role is going forward. He doesn't run good enough routes to separate against good teams as Fuller does that better. With the jet sweeps, etc., I'd rather have Ahmed running those. To me, it wasn't a good day for the future of that position/role in our offense.
TE = C
A very non-descript day for this group. Sample had a couple of nice catches but otherwise nobody was really a factor. They were ok in the running game but nothing great. Everything here could be described as ok but nothing great. If anything, what this game exposed is what a loss Hunter Bryant is in a game like that. Big difference having him as an option in the red zone as he's able to win those balls over the middle of the field that the rest of our roster isn't able to win yet.
OL = B
Let's be honest, the Auburn DL is a Top 5 unit in the country and we won't see one that approaches them the rest of the way in the PAC with only Utah likely approaching them. They were able to generate enough in the running game to force Auburn to stay a bit honest. The pass protection by and large was good enough. Could definitely see instances though where we weren't able to get out to the 2nd level or get to the right spots in time in the run game. But I view that more as what Auburn did versus what we couldn't do. Hilbers exceeded my expectations. Kirkland didn't look out of place. Lots of positives here for me.
DL = B+
The DL largely contained the running game but the tempo hurt us on occassion. We should be fine going 4 deep but once we have to go past that that's a major concern to me. Go look at who was on the field for the TD run to put Auburn ahead. What this DL doesn't do a great job of is rushing the passer as their core skills are in run stuffing so that's not surprising. But the number of times where they weren't able to keep Stidham contained hurt. That's going to be a major thing to watch for when we go play Utah and Huntley.
OLB/BUCK = C-
Just not much to see here. Can see Benning's improved, but not enough to make a huge difference at this level outside of being a JAG here. He might be able to show it during the P12 schedule. Bowman had a couple of flashes but nothing sustained. Ngata definitely looks like someone that has the ability to make a breakout this year as the it progresses. It wasn't an easy play for Amandre on the 4th down play in space, but that's a play you'd love to see made.
ILB = C-
Sensing a bit of a theme here? Let's break the group out in that I thought Beavers played fairly well and was constantly in on a lot of stops. Tevis made a handful of nice plays. And it was noticeable (and not in a good way) when BBK wasn't out there. All in all, the run game for Auburn was relatively pedestrian through most of the game. However, in selling out a bit to stop the run it opened up room for Stidham to throw some nice quick slants in behind them. But most disappointingly, the number of snaps that Kyler Manu and Jake Wambaugh played was mind blowing. That's an absolute indictment of Bob Gregory and his general lack of recruiting over the years. When Wambuagh was in the game, Auburn usually didn't have a problem getting steady gains. It's just not good enough at this level and that's on Gregory.
DB = C+
This wasn't about what the DBs did wrong as much as the fact that it just didn't feel like they did anything unique or special. In a game where we desperately needed an extra change of possession that either directly led to us getting points or taking points off the board they did neither. The bar is high for this group and I think collectively they'd say that they didn't play that well.
P = D-
There's a massive difference between Whitford and Race Porter. The coverage was terrible. And if Porter gets the job for any amount of time with Whitford possibly having an injury, Porter lacks both the distance and hang time to not have one broken against us.
K = B
Henry's makes weren't all that difficult and you could definitely argue that banging one in of the uprights isn't a confidence builder. But in Game #1, to make 3 of 4 on that stage with a rush coming HARD after him on the one he missed.
The game was another measuring stick game for us against the SEC in the same location as our last opportunity 2 years ago against Bama. And for those that want to say that Auburn is the 3rd or 4th best team in the SEC, keep in mind that it's the same team that beat BOTH teams that played in the National Title game last year. At worst, it's a Top 10 team in terms of talent and there was nothing that I saw in person that suggested to me that they weren't deserving of being called that. Offensively, we gained almost 400 yards … against Alabama we gained just under 200 yards. No, I'm not saying that Auburn's defense was as good as that Alabama defense (it isn't), but this offense is better than it was 2 years ago and able to create enough to put us in a position to win in the 4th quarter. That's not debatable but a fact. Defensively, we continued to show that we can play toe to toe with a SEC team and keep the point total low. The above doesn't make it a moral victory. The game was winnable and we didn't close the deal. For as much as we want to talk about Browning and it all going on him, let's not forget that the defense had the lead and gave it up in the worst possible way by giving up a TD on a play where Auburn was conceding playing for the FG to take the lead. The season is most definitely not over as winning the conference should be further enforced after that game that the gap between UW and the rest of the PAC12 is only growing. Winning the conference and at minimum getting to the Rose Bowl is still a lot to play for. And if the cards break right, the way this game went puts us right in the discussion of being able to get back into the CFP if we run the table the rest of the way.
Now, onto the grades …
QB = B
In many respects, as has been stated by others, this is about as good of a performance as one could reasonably expect out of Browning on this kind of stage given some of his physical limitations. In the season preview pod, I called out him making more 50/50 throws to give his receivers opportunities to make plays and he did so. I asked him to check the ball down more and manage the down/distance situation and I thought he did a reasonable job here. More often than not he moved in the pocket well to extend plays with both his feet and arm. There were some times where he really hit the back foot and decisively made throws. But there were also the bad plays as well. The INT just can't be made by a player of his experience level. The option pitch wasn't the best of calls and the execution sucked. I guarantee that the Auburn defender was way faster than anything we practiced against. I get what we were trying to do there but it was just a try hard play. For those criticizing Browning for the 3rd down sack on the last drive, not sure what was shown on TV after the play, but there was nobody open on the play. I get Browning trying to make a play there and see if someone comes open but worst case he needed to throw the ball away.
RB = B-
Collectively, Gaskin/Ahmed ran 24x for 111 yards ... more than acceptable against Auburn. In the games last year where Auburn played a P5 team (+ UCF) gave up an average of 4.0 yards per carry with only Alabama, Georgia, and UCF being much over the 4.0 yards per carry barrier (and UCF was almost entirely driven off of its QB). The reason I give a B- here is because we really needed something from the RBs in the passing game and they didn't provide anything there.
WR = A-
Really encouraging game from this position. Very clear why Fuller has passed Chico on the depth chart as Fuller is a tremendous route runner who has a knack for getting himself open. You can tell that Ty Jones is still a bit raw as a WR but his raw ability is obvious and it's only going to get better during the year. The catch Pounds made for a TD was outstanding and he's a guy that I really think is going to continue to give us a play or two a game where he probably shouldn't make that play. Even the Opera Singer contributed. What keeps the grade from being higher are 4 things. First, the pass interference on the TD just wasn't good ... yes, it was a pick play call ... but you can't be THAT obvious in the route. Easy call. Second, we had a couple of minor mistakes whether it was illegal blocks, etc. that really hurt. Third, with the exception of Ty Jones and fades (which Browning needs to do a better job of throwing them in spots where Jones can stop, gather himself, and then go high point it) I'm not sure that we have the size/speed/quickness combo at WR to excel in the red zone against an elite defense (at least with Browning's arm strength). And finally, I'm really struggling to see what Chico's role is going forward. He doesn't run good enough routes to separate against good teams as Fuller does that better. With the jet sweeps, etc., I'd rather have Ahmed running those. To me, it wasn't a good day for the future of that position/role in our offense.
TE = C
A very non-descript day for this group. Sample had a couple of nice catches but otherwise nobody was really a factor. They were ok in the running game but nothing great. Everything here could be described as ok but nothing great. If anything, what this game exposed is what a loss Hunter Bryant is in a game like that. Big difference having him as an option in the red zone as he's able to win those balls over the middle of the field that the rest of our roster isn't able to win yet.
OL = B
Let's be honest, the Auburn DL is a Top 5 unit in the country and we won't see one that approaches them the rest of the way in the PAC with only Utah likely approaching them. They were able to generate enough in the running game to force Auburn to stay a bit honest. The pass protection by and large was good enough. Could definitely see instances though where we weren't able to get out to the 2nd level or get to the right spots in time in the run game. But I view that more as what Auburn did versus what we couldn't do. Hilbers exceeded my expectations. Kirkland didn't look out of place. Lots of positives here for me.
DL = B+
The DL largely contained the running game but the tempo hurt us on occassion. We should be fine going 4 deep but once we have to go past that that's a major concern to me. Go look at who was on the field for the TD run to put Auburn ahead. What this DL doesn't do a great job of is rushing the passer as their core skills are in run stuffing so that's not surprising. But the number of times where they weren't able to keep Stidham contained hurt. That's going to be a major thing to watch for when we go play Utah and Huntley.
OLB/BUCK = C-
Just not much to see here. Can see Benning's improved, but not enough to make a huge difference at this level outside of being a JAG here. He might be able to show it during the P12 schedule. Bowman had a couple of flashes but nothing sustained. Ngata definitely looks like someone that has the ability to make a breakout this year as the it progresses. It wasn't an easy play for Amandre on the 4th down play in space, but that's a play you'd love to see made.
ILB = C-
Sensing a bit of a theme here? Let's break the group out in that I thought Beavers played fairly well and was constantly in on a lot of stops. Tevis made a handful of nice plays. And it was noticeable (and not in a good way) when BBK wasn't out there. All in all, the run game for Auburn was relatively pedestrian through most of the game. However, in selling out a bit to stop the run it opened up room for Stidham to throw some nice quick slants in behind them. But most disappointingly, the number of snaps that Kyler Manu and Jake Wambaugh played was mind blowing. That's an absolute indictment of Bob Gregory and his general lack of recruiting over the years. When Wambuagh was in the game, Auburn usually didn't have a problem getting steady gains. It's just not good enough at this level and that's on Gregory.
DB = C+
This wasn't about what the DBs did wrong as much as the fact that it just didn't feel like they did anything unique or special. In a game where we desperately needed an extra change of possession that either directly led to us getting points or taking points off the board they did neither. The bar is high for this group and I think collectively they'd say that they didn't play that well.
P = D-
There's a massive difference between Whitford and Race Porter. The coverage was terrible. And if Porter gets the job for any amount of time with Whitford possibly having an injury, Porter lacks both the distance and hang time to not have one broken against us.
K = B
Henry's makes weren't all that difficult and you could definitely argue that banging one in of the uprights isn't a confidence builder. But in Game #1, to make 3 of 4 on that stage with a rush coming HARD after him on the one he missed.
Comments
I asked him to check the ball down...
I also could not believe how many snaps Manu and Jake W got. If Pete doesn't see that as the ultimate indictment of Gregory and his recruiting nothing will.
If Porter is our punter at Utah we will get one blocked, or taken back on us for a td. At a minimum every exchange of punts will be worth 25 yards in field position for Utah which coupled with what is becoming the norm of slow starts on both O and D (Offense every year but 2016, defense for some reason since the start of 2017) could make for a bad night.
The amount of 3rd and medium/long Auburn converted was frustrating and a continuation of ASU/Stanford/Penn State. Our blitz packages stink as they are usually delayed and telegraphed coming from the middle of the field and don't get home. In fact on Auburn's final td drive we had them 3rd and 9, initially rushed two, Stedham stood there, we brought 2 from the middle which Auburn OL picked up easily and the back leaked out right in their space for the first down.
Here's what will be the wicked pisser for me. There is no one on the regular season schedule the rest of the year that we don't have equal or more talent then 1-22, along with having the better coaching staff. Can the leaders on this team (Tre/Caleb/Myles/Tevis/Jo-Jo/Taylor/Gaines/Johnson) convey that message to the rest of the team and run the table. We kicked the can Saturday. Will UW do it again against the Pac-12, most of which are 1-2 grades below Auburn
As for the comment about Browning checking it down ... it was tied to plays like 2nd and 10 or thereabouts and instead of forcing an incompletion down the field setting up 3rd and long he took a minimal gain on 2nd down to set up 3rd and manageable
The entire organization gets a
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