News of the day, 9/2

Hey everyone. I'm a little late starting today's blog because I didn't get home from the Kansas State game until 1:20 a.m. Part of the job. I find myself struggling to stay awake past midnight these days. I'm 35. It was easy 10 years ago.

Auburn normally practices on Sunday but won't today. The team will rest today and resume practice on Monday. Check below for fresh information gleaned from Tommy Tuberville's Sunday teleconference.

I also have analyzed some of the most interesting statistical trends from Saturday's game. I'm not big on third-down statistics in general because I see that as a pretty random statistic, but what Auburn's defense did to KSU on third down during the final three quarters was remarkable.

Thanks for accepting your daily dose of the HOTTEST Auburn blog on the 'net.

Tuberville today was somewhat critical of QB Brandon Cox's role in Auburn's 23-13 win against Kansas State. The offense was a mess for most of the night, undone by a variety of issues. Cox wasn't spared. ``Brandon struggled. He didn't play his best game. He made some mistakes in terms of throwing the ball and getting us into the right play. It was, by far, not close to how he can play," Tuberville said.

Cox's worst moment came immediately after halftime. His first pass of the second half was intercepted. ``That was a poor decision on his part and a poor throw," Tuberville said. ``That was disappointing. He knows that. He knew it when we came off the field."

Depsite talk all week about how freshmen Mike Berry and Lee Ziemba were going to struggle on the right side of the line, it was LG King Dunlap who had the worst night. He earned the lowest performance grade of the game, which is astounding considering Dunlap is a senior. ``He did not have the best night," Tuberville said. ``He lost his fundamentals and techniques in some situations. He's going to have to work on that."

Three major defenders -- LB Tray Blackmon (ankle), FS Aairon Savage (ankle) and CB Jae Wilhite (hamstring) -- missed the second half Saturday because of injury. Tuberville said he believes all three players will be ready for the South Florida game on Saturday. He said the most serious injury is K Wes Byrum's sore ankle, which he injured while trying to make a tackle on kickoff coverage. Byrum moonlighted at defensive end in high school. Auburn instructs its kickers to play only a peripheral role in coverage tackling, though it appears that Byrum needs a primer.

Here are the coaches' Players of the Game:
Offense: TE Gabe McKenzie
Defense: DE Antonio Coleman and DT Pat Sims
Special Teams: Wes Byrum
Scout Offense: Brian Anyadike
Scout Defense: Darrell Roseman

Let's look at some of the statistical trends from the Auburn-Kansas State game:

NET YARDS RUSHING: Auburn finished with 62.
That shows you how badly the Tigers struggled up front. You have two issues there. The offensive line didn't play well against a K-State line that's pretty good. The second issue, in my opinion, is TB Ben Tate. He's just not quick through the hole. He's really an "F" back who is playing because he's experienced and knows how to block. Auburn really missed Brad Lester on Saturday night. His quickness between the tackles is a critical component of the Tigers' rushing attack. Mario Fannin can run like that as well, but Tuberville said he's not very high on Fannin's blocking work right now.

AVG. YARDS PER PUNT: Auburn (Ryan Shoemaker) finished with a 42.7 average.
A really outstanding effort from Shoemaker, who is a redshirt freshman. An argument could be made that he was among the most important players on Saturday night. Field position was critical. I think field position will remain a major part of the Tigers' overall strategy this season. That offense isn't going to produce many touchdowns in this state.

THIRD DOWN CONVERSIONS: Auburn was 3 of 15. KSU was 5 of 18.
From an Auburn offensive standpoint: Just awful. I'm not one of these people who put a ton of credence into third-down statistics. Still, 20% is really bad. That's a mixture of the players' focus and play calls, neither of which were remarkable on Saturday night. I found it intriguing, though, that Auburn marched down the field and scored when the situation seemed terminal. That tells me that a lot of the team's offensive problems are mental.

From an Auburn defensive standpoint: Auburn adjusted nicely after taking in on the chin during KSU's first drive. The Wilcats earned three third-down conversions on that one possession. Then next 14 possessions yielded only two additional conversions. Isn't that something? Kansas State completed 33 passes, yet only gained 289 passing yards. Those short passes, by and large, led only to short gains.

SACKS BY: Kansas State had 5.
Again illustrates the need for better protection. Sacks weren't K-State's top priority, either. Their top initiative was to plug the running lanes, which severely affected Auburn's ground game. The sacks were gravy in a sense. I credit Cox with two of those sacks. There's a point when balls need to be thrown away. Cox, much as he did in 2005, seemed determined to make something happen when being flushed from the pocket. He seemed desperate to make plays. He can't be the guy to do that. Cox isn't that kind of quarterback.

ATTENDANCE: 86,438
That's the largest crowd ever to witness a Kansas State athletic event.