What's a Green Wave?
Auburn gets a lot of flack for its mascot situation while a certain university that shall remain unamed rarely gets questioned at all (Pot, I would like for you to meet Kettle). However, can a knowledgeable Tulane fan tell me what a Green Wave is and why it is Tulane's mascot?
That question is more important than recapping another sleep walking victory over an opponent with one good player and a bunch of others that weren’t up to the task. The game did prompt the obligatory “Tulane? Come on and schedule someone” column from a local media type. I’m just curious if Neal thinks that he is the only person upset about this? Try actually paying good money for tickets, instead of getting in free to games and getting a buffet for crying out loud, and see how upset you get when you realize that in 2007, you will really only get to see one decent game the entire year (Alabama).
Offensively, Auburn finally looks like it has gotten its act together. We are staring at back-to-back games of consistently driving the football, scoring points, and chewing up clock. Sure, Tulane’s defense was no match, but the offense was consistent. There were scores on 6 of the Tigers’ 11 possessions (and the last possession was in clock killing mode). Brandon Cox hit his first 9 passes and was 16 of 18 for 212 yards and three touchdowns. The third string tailback had 26 rushes for 156 yards. All impressive stuff when you consider Auburn was without its top two tailbacks and starters at fullback, guard, and center.
Of course, there is the defensive issue to counterbalance the offense. Well specifically, there was a Lester Ricard issue on defense. Before the game, I thought Ricard might pose problems for Auburn’s defense. Credit goes to Tulane for using the threat of Ricard running the football to get Auburn to play back on its heels, not consistently rush the passer, and give up big chunks of yardage. I’m saying this without conclusive evidence because I wasn’t in the stadium to watch it, but my guess is that the defensive gameplan was similar to the second half of South Carolina. Just like that game, Tulane was able to move the football, but just not score touchdowns. In a year full of inconsistent defense, one constant has been the play of the defense in the red zone (6 touchdowns in 20 trips to the redzone for opponents, the lowest rate in the SEC). They are to be congratulated for those efforts. Now, just figure out how to stop someone from driving the football.
After eight games, I think we have a pretty solid read on this Auburn team. There is plenty of talent to win an SEC title, but just not enough consistency. Can anyone honestly say that this team has played its best game? There hasn’t been one game this year where both sides of the ball were outstanding for the entire game. The issues on offense seem to be working themselves out. Cox has become more consistent about getting rid of the football and the young receivers are finally learning how to get open. The offensive line is the weak link, but, due to injuries, the same offensive line hasn’t been used in the last four or five games. Auburn’s defense is still trying to work the kinks out and that is truly why the team is not deserving of high rankings or praise. As funny as this will sound to a lot of Auburn fans, the low preseason ranking killed Auburn in 2004, but it is artificially supported them this year. Clearly, this team is not one of the top 5 teams in the country as the BCS standings indicated last week. They are potentially one of the top 10 and if they finish 11-1 will be deserving of a BCS bid. I just don’t see that happening right now. I think there is another loss out there somewhere. That means one thing Tiger fans, either Auburn will lose a game no one expects them to lose, i.e. Ole Miss or Georgia, or Alabama cashes in on the karma of Auburn fans, and a certain coach, using the ridiculous “One for the Thumb” mantra. Personally, I would take losing to the Rebels.
Offensively, Auburn finally looks like it has gotten its act together. We are staring at back-to-back games of consistently driving the football, scoring points, and chewing up clock. Sure, Tulane’s defense was no match, but the offense was consistent. There were scores on 6 of the Tigers’ 11 possessions (and the last possession was in clock killing mode). Brandon Cox hit his first 9 passes and was 16 of 18 for 212 yards and three touchdowns. The third string tailback had 26 rushes for 156 yards. All impressive stuff when you consider Auburn was without its top two tailbacks and starters at fullback, guard, and center.
Of course, there is the defensive issue to counterbalance the offense. Well specifically, there was a Lester Ricard issue on defense. Before the game, I thought Ricard might pose problems for Auburn’s defense. Credit goes to Tulane for using the threat of Ricard running the football to get Auburn to play back on its heels, not consistently rush the passer, and give up big chunks of yardage. I’m saying this without conclusive evidence because I wasn’t in the stadium to watch it, but my guess is that the defensive gameplan was similar to the second half of South Carolina. Just like that game, Tulane was able to move the football, but just not score touchdowns. In a year full of inconsistent defense, one constant has been the play of the defense in the red zone (6 touchdowns in 20 trips to the redzone for opponents, the lowest rate in the SEC). They are to be congratulated for those efforts. Now, just figure out how to stop someone from driving the football.
After eight games, I think we have a pretty solid read on this Auburn team. There is plenty of talent to win an SEC title, but just not enough consistency. Can anyone honestly say that this team has played its best game? There hasn’t been one game this year where both sides of the ball were outstanding for the entire game. The issues on offense seem to be working themselves out. Cox has become more consistent about getting rid of the football and the young receivers are finally learning how to get open. The offensive line is the weak link, but, due to injuries, the same offensive line hasn’t been used in the last four or five games. Auburn’s defense is still trying to work the kinks out and that is truly why the team is not deserving of high rankings or praise. As funny as this will sound to a lot of Auburn fans, the low preseason ranking killed Auburn in 2004, but it is artificially supported them this year. Clearly, this team is not one of the top 5 teams in the country as the BCS standings indicated last week. They are potentially one of the top 10 and if they finish 11-1 will be deserving of a BCS bid. I just don’t see that happening right now. I think there is another loss out there somewhere. That means one thing Tiger fans, either Auburn will lose a game no one expects them to lose, i.e. Ole Miss or Georgia, or Alabama cashes in on the karma of Auburn fans, and a certain coach, using the ridiculous “One for the Thumb” mantra. Personally, I would take losing to the Rebels.
posted by Buford T. Justice at 12:43 AM
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