Hey everyone. This may be the shortest blog of the year. It may be the one you remember most.Most points allowed by an Auburn defense prior to 2009: 267 in 1976. The team, Doug Barfield's first, went 4-7.
Points conceded by Auburn's defense this season: 297.
Highest average points conceded by an Auburn defense prior to 2009: 26.2 in 1948. The team, Earl Brown's first, went 1-8-1.
Average points conceded by this Auburn defense: 27.0
Substance
ReplyDeleteOne HABOTN.
ReplyDeleteDarn it.
ReplyDeletea record setting year.
ReplyDeleteExactly, DL!
ReplyDeleteThe mere fact that, statistically, this is the worst AU defense in history. . .and yet we still have a shot at a New Years' Day bowl.
ReplyDeleteOur depth issues on that side of the ball are almost entirely to blame, IMHO.
How does Auburn rank offensively this year from a historical perspective...or have you looked at that yet?
ReplyDeleteIt's amazing that the record is as good as it is considering the amount of points allowed.
if you average 30 points a game, you win them all by a field goal.
ReplyDeleteSo the numbers say our defense allows the other team to score a lot.
ReplyDeleteMany in the AuburnNation will hate on these facts and blame depth, new coaches, old coaches, the offense, or Saban.
the 09 D has been noticeably better when playing from ahead when the other teams offense is more predictable. i would think most Ds play better from ahead. as the offense has waxed and waned, so has the D. now the injuries are just piling on after 11 in a row.
ReplyDeleteOFFENSE:
ReplyDeleteThe best Auburn offense ever, in terms of scoring, was the 1995 iteration. It averaged 38.6 points per game. That's 424 points over a 12-game season.
This Auburn offense has scored 374 points ... which is an average of 34 points per game.
This is one of the five best Auburn offenses ever.
Outstanding stuff Jay.
ReplyDeleteSensi, what's the deal?
ReplyDeleteI think it's noteworthy that this Auburn defense is the worst (statistically) in the school's long history.
i think gus is on his way to averaging 30+ in the sec with some of the players AU should get over the next 2-3 years. once the offense is not disappearing for 2-3 games at a time, we'll be fine even if we give up a few points. chiz knows D and AU will have it while he is coach.
ReplyDeleteso we should have won them all by a touchdown.
ReplyDeleteI consider depth to be the main problem.
ReplyDeleteAuburn's injury rate seems normal. Auburn has less DL talent than usual, in my opinion, but that's not the main reason why the defense isn't very good.
Posted this at the end of the previous thread. Thought it might be worth re-posting on this one.
ReplyDeleteLots of good Iron Bowl highlights here:
IB link
Really, if you're honest with yourself, you know that Auburn's DTs are not play-makers.
ReplyDeleteThe second-team DL played against Georgia for at least 20 snaps ... and only one member of that group even registered a tackle. Nick Fairley had two stops.
TWO TACKLES from that entire group against a team that ran it all night?
Sportswriter Tate - Thanks for the compilation even if I may not necessarily like what it reveals. But...I never expected them to be world-beaters this year anyway.
ReplyDeleteI have a really good feeling that the O will put up even bigger numebrs next year.
ReplyDeleteI hope that CGC and CTR will build a d more to Auburns history.
If we get a D anywhere near what we were 4 years ago... watch out!!!
But this is what makes College football great - every 4-5 years a complete turnover of talent..
Just so you know my feeling: I think Ted Roof is a good coach who will make huge progress during the next two years.
ReplyDeleteHis second-tier defenders are not SEC material right now.
You can't play with one group and hope to win big in the SEC. It won't happen.
no prob with roof here.
ReplyDeleteyippee, we've witnessed history.
ReplyDeletenot so much.
I'm still hatin' UA-T on the old thread
ReplyDeletei saw a 93 yard pass play too. you've never seen that at AU before 2009 either.
ReplyDeleteIn no particular order, I blame the following for the current AU D woes:
ReplyDeleteTubs
Saban
Jet
Roof gets a pass from me this year.
Don't forget the REC Norm..
ReplyDelete:-p
The scoring average will go down after will kill stinkabama.
ReplyDeleteWell, I figured the REC was a given. I blame them for almost everything, up to and including my thinking it to be a good idea to marry "beta wife".
ReplyDeletemy eulogist will proclaim "First in war, first in UA-T Hate, first in Love for AU, and last to post on the new thread."
ReplyDeleteFSJ seems like more of a bammer lately.
ReplyDelete...but what will your urologist say, THT?
ReplyDelete"biggest &*&*^ prostate I've ever seen"
ReplyDeleteyou can't hide bammer.
ReplyDeleteshameless repost from end of the prior thread:
ReplyDeleteFSJ - thanks for your reply.
PF - I look forward to the day you get to lighten up ;-)
Well...I am indeed a bammer.
ReplyDeleteFaker - how's the little one these days?
ReplyDeleteWell, sometimes your just that loveable misguided Alabama fan...you're full on Bammer, lately.
ReplyDeleteI would like to take this time to thank all of you for not calling out my very bad typing skills
ReplyDeleteJay,
ReplyDeleteAll I'm saying is the numbers back up my notion that this is the worst AU defense of all time.
That's all.
Thanks for providing this.
Norm,
ReplyDeleteThanks for asking. Abbie is doing well. She just entered an experimental drug trial last week that hopefully will improve lung function....assuming she got the actual drug instead of the placebo. It is a blind study.
She has a sinus surgery coming up in a few weeks that will remove some polyps she has in her nasal cavity.
Otherwise she is doing great. Again, thanks for asking.
I am in full hate mode.
ReplyDelete2 HABOTNs.
Maybe a third one for Eddie.
DL, you forgot to include a period at the end of your last post.
ReplyDeletemichael, the 'M' in your name is not capitalized.
ReplyDeleteWhat gives?
Sensi, imma let you finish... but the 1976 Auburn D was one of the worst defenses of ALL TIME! They played with a ball control offense and still gave up those numbers!
ReplyDeleteE-Bro - the non capitalization of my "m" is a sly commentary on the small influence of a single individual on today's globalized society.
ReplyDeleteAlso, when I first started posting, the lowercase just automatically happened, even though my google account had an uppercase. I think a couple of months later it tried to convert me to uppercase, but I changed it back, because you dance with the girl who brung ya.
Bro - I think it's because michael is such an admirer of e.e. cummings.
ReplyDeleteWord.
ReplyDeleteIn fact, if you look at the archives, you will see that mond and kristina and others had lowercase names that were mysteriously switched to uppercase sometime last fall. Strange days, last fall.
ReplyDeleteIf this is the worst Auburn defense of all time, I guess the team deserves some credit for going to a bowl game. Right?
ReplyDeleteThe funny thing is I don't feel like the defense by itself has cost us any games this year. It's certainly played its part in the UGA and Arkansas losses, but the offense didn't help it a whole lot either.
Kentucky and LSU were a couple of terrible offensive performances that our defense couldn't overcome.
i'm a lower-case kind of guy but my HATE is always upper-case.
ReplyDeleteHATE!!!!!!!
3 HABOTN's....that's good stuff.
Jay,
ReplyDeleteIs the term 'lack of depth' a nice way of saying lack of talent?
Lack of depth is on thing, lack of talent is another.
Lack of depth can be fixed by experience, and/or injuries healing, etc. Lack of talent can't be fixed until better players get on campus.
Thoughts????
When you're short schollarship players, it can be lack of depth. Sure, there's lack of talent in what little depth is there, but there's really not that much depth in which to evaluate talent.
ReplyDeleteBurger King has $1 double cheeseburgers.
I said lack of depth because that's what I meant.
ReplyDeleteTotal points scored in CFB are a lot higher now than in 1948, so 26.2 points in 1948 is probably worse than 27 points in 2009.
ReplyDeleteNevertheless, this is a thin defense with weaknesses abounding.
In order for us to keep the IB score close, our O will need to outscheme one of the best defenses in CFB and our D will need to manufacture turnovers.
DOUBLE CHEESEBURGERS FOR $1!!!!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteKING ME!
but Jay G, what did you really mean?
ReplyDeleteMcDonald's use to do 29 cent Hamburgers back in the day like every Wednesday or something.
ReplyDeleteHonestly, can't really stand McDonald's, but talk about a value meal.
Thanks, I'll be here all week.
E-Bro, normally i'd be laughing my butt off to that sly humor you just posted. however, i've got $3 worth of cheeseburgers in my mouth at the moment. thanks King.
ReplyDeleteMcDonald's did $.49 cheeseburgers this summer. At best, they're like 1/8th of a pound. If you give them the benefit of a doubt on that weight (I think it's like 1/16th, personally),and discount the fact that bread and condiments are filling, Burger King's double cheeseburger (1/4 pound) is just $.02 more. It's worth it to me to pay that. Plus, Burger King will do it your way. Mickey D's charged full price if you customized it at all.
ReplyDeleteplus, Burger King's is every day...in some cases 24/7 (until the promo ends).
ReplyDeleteThat's right, I killed a thread with an argument in support of $1 double cheeseburgers.
ReplyDeleteAt least there were still 7 wins in a year where the D was awful.
ReplyDeleteIf the D had given up 27 points per game with some of the offenses we've had in the past we'd be sitting at 1-10 or 2-9 right now.
You'll get no argument from me as to who has the better hamburger.
ReplyDeleteNot even close.
I maybe eat McDonald's once a year. Two tops. And only because nothing else is around if I'm on the go.
This 24/7 NCAA basketball event on ESPN is clearly wearing out Andy Katz.
ReplyDeleteGuy's a pro.
Comparing BK and McDonald's is like comparing the '76 and the '09 defense. Neither one is very good.
ReplyDeleteI prefer the Gump's Hamburger King.
ReplyDeleteAt any price.
Jet, you're right. On this issue, there canna be NO debate!
ReplyDeleteNot a big fan of fastfood hamburgers, but there are a couple of places locally that make some good burgers.
ReplyDeleteI wasn't trying to get you all riled up, but I kind of disagree with the term 'lack of depth' that is being thrown around.
ReplyDeleteThe defense is obviously suffering from a lack of depth. Injuries and atrition have hurt the back 7 badly, but everyone knew the LBs were a mess coming into the year.
There is a lack of talent at Auburn right now. Who on Auburn's D would start any upper SEC school right now??, I got 3 or 4, McFadden, Stephens, and Coleman, (maybe Bynes) That my good sir is lack of talent.
It will get better, I hope.
What are your favorite local haunts, RK?
ReplyDeleteI think Bates is talented. A couple of weeks ago, I thought Neiko was really talented, but just young.
ReplyDeleteNo so sure after Saturday.
I think there are several guys who look a lot better (maybe stupup would even start them if he were a upper SEC coach) if there were any depth behind them. I'm not daying the talent argument isn't there, but it's impossible to say with the depth issues that are present.
ReplyDeleteHot Carter's got some talent sometimes.
ReplyDeleteHalftime score of G'town-Temple was 19-13.
ReplyDeleteThat's basketball, not football.
Wow.
i'm out, and i plan to leave a trail of HATE all the way from the office to the homestead.
ReplyDeleteLater Scottie.
ReplyDeleteStay away from BP's with pellet pistol wielding UT players.
Finebaum has some attorney on related to the Smith case.
ReplyDeleteFSJ - I'm having a very hard time believing this woman.
ReplyDeleteIs this Finebaum's BIG SCOOP that he's been holding back?
ReplyDeleteThe SWAG team? Wth?
ReplyDeleteWhat is a SWAG team?
ReplyDeleteAs much as I try to be objective, I would fall into the "Full of Bammer category for the next few weeks as well.
ReplyDeleteI am beginning to be as impressed with the secondary as I was with the 1992 team. Maybe more so.
That said, I expect to get a great game from Auburn in 2 weeks.
Auburn has consistently had a very good offense all year.
I think Malzahn has a bright future.
Chris Todd, not so much. Not hating, but, I think he has reached the pinnacle of his career.
E-Bro,
ReplyDeleteArmando's, Mervs & Tubby's are the final three, and I would say Mervs barely over Tubby's for the best burger in Chattanooga.
New thread UPZ.
ReplyDeleteJGT - That was your shortest blog post - ever- but its lack words is ripe with Substance!!!
ReplyDeleteIt is shocking we are on pace for Worst of All time in Auburn lore. I was there Barfield's first year - it was mine too. I guess this Offense being able to keep pace has hidden the fact that we are giving up a TON of points.
Now on the depth issue JGT - I agree and disagree. We definatly don't have much behind out starting linebackers and secondary - What did we have for the UGA game, 3 healthy LB's? We would have to put someone out of position to fill a LB spot if injuries happened. That's lack of depth. But we can run in second string of down linemen... Problem is, they ain't SEC talent - they are Depth, but don't have the level of talent we need.
It is going to take a few years to get where we need to be depth wise. We will need to get some talented JUCO's to fill the gaps in the near term while we redshirt some of our more athletic freshman to be "couched up" to provide needed depth for the future.
It ain't a quick fix. I just hope the AU nation has the patience to ride this out. Just because UA-T did in 3- years doesn't mean we can. It may take 5 years to get where we need to be talent and especially depth wise. the better teams always have 5th year seniors dominating their rosters.
Just my opinion.
LT
No way we're leaving this thread without...
ReplyDeleteshutup bammer
ReplyDeleteThe attorney is a Samford graduate.
ReplyDeleteI do not think that all this falls on Ted Roof. One of our problems is depth as we all know. I think what would be interesting to see would be how many defensive recruits in the last three years of Tubs's era actually made it into Auburn, came but are now no longer at Auburn and lastly one MUST ASK THIS QUESTION. Was it really Chizik, and Muschamp that we should thank for the good defenses in their years here or was it all thanks to Tubs? He always told the fans not to worry when we lost a Def Co. because he ran the D anyway. So, was Chizik the true mastermind behind Auburn's 2004 D? And how did Texas' D rank in 2005? Did Texas just out score everyone by enough points? I would love to see all those stats ... just a couple of things that should make all Auburn fans go HMMMMMMM ....
ReplyDelete