Sorry, I am late with this week's post. I had a series of circumstances that y'all care nothing about hearing, but anyway, I digress. Ole Miss continued the trend under CLK of literally obliterating the WAOM narrative as they went to Auburn Saturday night to play the Tigers in a game that had WAOM written all over it, and, while not playing their cleanest, sharpest game of the year, showed some mental toughness and resiliency and eked out a 28-21 win in a game that wasn't as close as the final score. I will talk about plays for the most part in this post, and mention some guys along the way that I think deserve a shout-out, then talk about coaching and officiating (I mean, it was Auburn, so the officials had a role, right?).
Play 1 - Auburn had a 4th and 1 at their own 49 on the game's first drive. I thought CHF made the right call to go for it. Our guys came up big. We got a good push on the DL and Khari Coleman came off the edge and tackled Ashford behind the LOS on the QB run. Big momentum shift right off the bat—tone setter.
Play 2 - Is actually 3 plays. Next drive, Ole Miss has a 3rd and 22 after getting a procedure penalty, then a holding call on Pettus after Dart had scrambled for a 1st down. Judkins goes for 21 yards on 3rd and 22, following a great block by Prieskorn and Warren, setting up a 4th and 1 from the Auburn 31. With the crowd roaring, Judkins takes the handoff and follows another great block by Prieskorn for 16 yards and 1st down. A couple of plays later, we have a 3rd and 7 from the Auburn 12. Dart throws a dart (pun intended) to Franklin for the score. Franklin ran a great route, feinting sitting down in the hook zone, then turning upfield towards the end zone. Scoring after holding them on 4th down set the tone for the game and quieted the crowd.
Play 3 - 7-7 game, Ole Miss has 4th and 1 at the Auburn 29. Pegues comes into the game for the heavy set. Dart takes the snap, fakes the pitch to Judkins, and follows a 4 lane sized hole off the left side for the TD. Curne crashed the double-team man down by himself, allowing JJ, who was lined up at TE, to combo up to the 2nd level, where he put the AU linebacker on skates with a great block. Prieskorn and James pulled from the right side, where James made a great kick-out block on the outside guy and Prieskorn made another great block on the turn-up guy. It was a beautifully executed play. It was something that coaches love to see on film, in case you couldn't tell that by the way I described it.
Play 4 - 14-14, Ole Miss has a 4th and goal from the Auburn 8 with 4:25 left in the half. Penalties (does anyone else besides Ole Miss hold in the SEC? Asking for a friend, actually, a bunch of friends.) had put us behind schedule after a nice drive where we were imposing our will on AU a little bit. We decide to kick a chip shot FG. Our holder, Pollock, muffs the snap then throws it up for grabs, where they pick it off. 2 things here:
A. As a holder myself when I played ball many moons ago, I felt for the guy. The snap and catch are always taken for granted when you kick. Nobody thinks about you until you drop one.
B. When this happens, the holder has to know not to exacerbate the situation and just throw it up for grabs.
That could have been a game-changer if the wrong AU player had caught that ball. Anyway, getting points there would have been big for us. It would have possibly carried over and provided a spark for us to what became a lethargic 3rd quarter. Luckily, it did not become a big play for them, as it did not give Auburn the push over the hump to take their game to the next level.
Play 5 - 14-14 Late 3rd. Auburn has the ball 2nd and 10 from the Ole Miss 40. Auburn tries to pull one out of the playground and tries to throw the double pass. Anthony flies across and makes the tackle on the 3rd team AU QB who had snuck into the game. The play was made, however, by Jean-Baptiste, who "blocked" the intended receiver of the ball from being able to get out on his route, thus enabling the sack to be made. If that play succeeds, we might all be feeling a little different today.
Play 6 - This is actually 2 plays. Still 14-14, late 3rd. Ole Miss has 3rd and 3 at own 17. Dart throws a dart (pun intended) to Harris across the middle on the dig route for 19 yards and 1st down. The very next play, 1st and 10 from the 46, Same play, same result, this time for 24 yards to the AU 30. Dart did a great job of looking off the safety and coming back to Harris and delivering a strong, catchable throw. Both were beautiful ball plays. We score on the last play of the 3rd to go back in front, for good.
Play 7 - Actually 2 plays again. 21-14 Ole Miss, 4th quarter. Ole Miss has a 2nd and 15 from their own 37. Dart eludes a sack and scrambles 20 yards for a 1st down. If he gets sacked there, we have to punt and AU is still down just 7. Instead, the next play, Dart throws another dime to Harris on the fade route for 25 yards. We score on the next play to go up 28-14.
Play 8 - 28-14 with 5 minutes left. Auburn has a 2nd and 6 from the Ole Miss 27. Auburn throws the fade route to Walton's side. He goes up and makes a great play to get the INT. (I didn't think it was a catch. I guess if the LSU receiver's was a catch against us, then Walton's was a catch too) That play was huge. If they score there with 5 minutes left, the game becomes a 7 point game again and the crowd gets back into it.
Bonus play - 28-14 with 1:48 left. AU has a 4th and 15 at their own 28. Ole Miss rushes 3. AU QB is pressured, rolls left, and gets the ball to Hunter for 42 yards and a 1st down. I put this in here because I want to know why Ashanti Sistrunk, who is almost as slow as me, is playing Hunter on that play? We have to be able to stop a team on 4th and 15 and end the game, right there! Instead, we all have to sweat out an Auburn score and an onside kick. WHY? SMH.
Coaching - Bottom line, I thought CLK and Ole Miss played the role of Alabama and CNS, and CHF and AU played the role of CLK and Ole Miss. If you follow the analogy, CLK always coaches the Alabama game with a little extra sauce and always has a junior high trick play for them. Well, the roles reversed Saturday night. CHF was the one trying to win the game as the playcaller, and it worked out for him the same way it has consistently worked out for CLK and Ole Miss. Players, not plays. I thought CHF made several coaching decisions that were at best questionable. I also thought CPG and the defense played well, with the disclaimer that AU is absolutely woeful on offense. Our DL got pressure all night and limited AU to very little consistency outside of a couple of big plays by Hunter. Cedric Johnson, whom I have referred to as "Almost" after the character in the movie Apocalypto due to his seeming to always ALMOST make the play, had a good game, as did Ivey and Ukwu. I really like Josh Harris in the middle. CPG and staff had a good plan, and the players did a good job of executing it. The offense did not look sharp but made enough plays to win. I thought the OL played well. That AU front is not bad. The big DT from Kentucky gave us fits with UK in our game last year and did the same again for AU Saturday night.
Officiating - Early on, when we had several penalties, I admit I had "Here we go again at Auburn" thoughts about the officiating. We did have some very badly timed holding calls (again, does anyone else in the SEC get called for holding in crucial situations as often as we do) and had 10 penalties overall for 66 yards compared to AU's 7 for 57 yards. That said, I breathed a huge sigh of relief Saturday afternoon when I was watching the Alabama-Tennessee game and I saw good ole Ken Williamson and his crew calling that game to make sure Alabama stayed in the CFP hunt. The officiating was not great, by any means, but I thought they were not as big of a factor as they could have been. I was shocked when the INT by Walton was not overturned. I thought it hit the ground before being secured, but what do I know?
Next up is Vandy. We always get their best shot. This is a proverbial trap game. Lots of possibilities are still on the table for this team. We are still not a great team, as a great team beats that AU team by 3 scores or more, but we still have a possibility to become a great team. Need to get Watkins back healthy ASAP and TCB this week against Vandy. LFG! That is all.
Play 1 - Auburn had a 4th and 1 at their own 49 on the game's first drive. I thought CHF made the right call to go for it. Our guys came up big. We got a good push on the DL and Khari Coleman came off the edge and tackled Ashford behind the LOS on the QB run. Big momentum shift right off the bat—tone setter.
Play 2 - Is actually 3 plays. Next drive, Ole Miss has a 3rd and 22 after getting a procedure penalty, then a holding call on Pettus after Dart had scrambled for a 1st down. Judkins goes for 21 yards on 3rd and 22, following a great block by Prieskorn and Warren, setting up a 4th and 1 from the Auburn 31. With the crowd roaring, Judkins takes the handoff and follows another great block by Prieskorn for 16 yards and 1st down. A couple of plays later, we have a 3rd and 7 from the Auburn 12. Dart throws a dart (pun intended) to Franklin for the score. Franklin ran a great route, feinting sitting down in the hook zone, then turning upfield towards the end zone. Scoring after holding them on 4th down set the tone for the game and quieted the crowd.
Play 3 - 7-7 game, Ole Miss has 4th and 1 at the Auburn 29. Pegues comes into the game for the heavy set. Dart takes the snap, fakes the pitch to Judkins, and follows a 4 lane sized hole off the left side for the TD. Curne crashed the double-team man down by himself, allowing JJ, who was lined up at TE, to combo up to the 2nd level, where he put the AU linebacker on skates with a great block. Prieskorn and James pulled from the right side, where James made a great kick-out block on the outside guy and Prieskorn made another great block on the turn-up guy. It was a beautifully executed play. It was something that coaches love to see on film, in case you couldn't tell that by the way I described it.
Play 4 - 14-14, Ole Miss has a 4th and goal from the Auburn 8 with 4:25 left in the half. Penalties (does anyone else besides Ole Miss hold in the SEC? Asking for a friend, actually, a bunch of friends.) had put us behind schedule after a nice drive where we were imposing our will on AU a little bit. We decide to kick a chip shot FG. Our holder, Pollock, muffs the snap then throws it up for grabs, where they pick it off. 2 things here:
A. As a holder myself when I played ball many moons ago, I felt for the guy. The snap and catch are always taken for granted when you kick. Nobody thinks about you until you drop one.
B. When this happens, the holder has to know not to exacerbate the situation and just throw it up for grabs.
That could have been a game-changer if the wrong AU player had caught that ball. Anyway, getting points there would have been big for us. It would have possibly carried over and provided a spark for us to what became a lethargic 3rd quarter. Luckily, it did not become a big play for them, as it did not give Auburn the push over the hump to take their game to the next level.
Play 5 - 14-14 Late 3rd. Auburn has the ball 2nd and 10 from the Ole Miss 40. Auburn tries to pull one out of the playground and tries to throw the double pass. Anthony flies across and makes the tackle on the 3rd team AU QB who had snuck into the game. The play was made, however, by Jean-Baptiste, who "blocked" the intended receiver of the ball from being able to get out on his route, thus enabling the sack to be made. If that play succeeds, we might all be feeling a little different today.
Play 6 - This is actually 2 plays. Still 14-14, late 3rd. Ole Miss has 3rd and 3 at own 17. Dart throws a dart (pun intended) to Harris across the middle on the dig route for 19 yards and 1st down. The very next play, 1st and 10 from the 46, Same play, same result, this time for 24 yards to the AU 30. Dart did a great job of looking off the safety and coming back to Harris and delivering a strong, catchable throw. Both were beautiful ball plays. We score on the last play of the 3rd to go back in front, for good.
Play 7 - Actually 2 plays again. 21-14 Ole Miss, 4th quarter. Ole Miss has a 2nd and 15 from their own 37. Dart eludes a sack and scrambles 20 yards for a 1st down. If he gets sacked there, we have to punt and AU is still down just 7. Instead, the next play, Dart throws another dime to Harris on the fade route for 25 yards. We score on the next play to go up 28-14.
Play 8 - 28-14 with 5 minutes left. Auburn has a 2nd and 6 from the Ole Miss 27. Auburn throws the fade route to Walton's side. He goes up and makes a great play to get the INT. (I didn't think it was a catch. I guess if the LSU receiver's was a catch against us, then Walton's was a catch too) That play was huge. If they score there with 5 minutes left, the game becomes a 7 point game again and the crowd gets back into it.
Bonus play - 28-14 with 1:48 left. AU has a 4th and 15 at their own 28. Ole Miss rushes 3. AU QB is pressured, rolls left, and gets the ball to Hunter for 42 yards and a 1st down. I put this in here because I want to know why Ashanti Sistrunk, who is almost as slow as me, is playing Hunter on that play? We have to be able to stop a team on 4th and 15 and end the game, right there! Instead, we all have to sweat out an Auburn score and an onside kick. WHY? SMH.
Coaching - Bottom line, I thought CLK and Ole Miss played the role of Alabama and CNS, and CHF and AU played the role of CLK and Ole Miss. If you follow the analogy, CLK always coaches the Alabama game with a little extra sauce and always has a junior high trick play for them. Well, the roles reversed Saturday night. CHF was the one trying to win the game as the playcaller, and it worked out for him the same way it has consistently worked out for CLK and Ole Miss. Players, not plays. I thought CHF made several coaching decisions that were at best questionable. I also thought CPG and the defense played well, with the disclaimer that AU is absolutely woeful on offense. Our DL got pressure all night and limited AU to very little consistency outside of a couple of big plays by Hunter. Cedric Johnson, whom I have referred to as "Almost" after the character in the movie Apocalypto due to his seeming to always ALMOST make the play, had a good game, as did Ivey and Ukwu. I really like Josh Harris in the middle. CPG and staff had a good plan, and the players did a good job of executing it. The offense did not look sharp but made enough plays to win. I thought the OL played well. That AU front is not bad. The big DT from Kentucky gave us fits with UK in our game last year and did the same again for AU Saturday night.
Officiating - Early on, when we had several penalties, I admit I had "Here we go again at Auburn" thoughts about the officiating. We did have some very badly timed holding calls (again, does anyone else in the SEC get called for holding in crucial situations as often as we do) and had 10 penalties overall for 66 yards compared to AU's 7 for 57 yards. That said, I breathed a huge sigh of relief Saturday afternoon when I was watching the Alabama-Tennessee game and I saw good ole Ken Williamson and his crew calling that game to make sure Alabama stayed in the CFP hunt. The officiating was not great, by any means, but I thought they were not as big of a factor as they could have been. I was shocked when the INT by Walton was not overturned. I thought it hit the ground before being secured, but what do I know?
Next up is Vandy. We always get their best shot. This is a proverbial trap game. Lots of possibilities are still on the table for this team. We are still not a great team, as a great team beats that AU team by 3 scores or more, but we still have a possibility to become a great team. Need to get Watkins back healthy ASAP and TCB this week against Vandy. LFG! That is all.
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