News

About the Troy game

It’s hard to say exactly what we saw on Saturday. Troy is a good team and they certainly did some things very well but we seemed content to try a few different things and seemed set on working on a few aspects of the team rather than doing what was necessary to blow them out. There were several times in the game, for instance, where it made perfect sense to run the ball to pick up a first down or put ourselves in a manageable situation and we elected to pass or if we ran, we did so with Chapas at FB or into the teeth of their D. It was like we were either challenging ourselves or trying very hard to avoid establishing trends in our playcalling. It’s hard to argue with our results, scoring 44 points, but you got the feeling that had we chosen to, our offense could’ve been even more productive.

With that being said, I don’t know what to say about the defense. They gave up lots of yardage and a fair amount of points although to their credit, they were put in a considerable hole early and managed to dig themselves out of it with minimal damage. They did force a few turnovers, something they’ve struggled with this season. In the end, the first unit gave up 27 points, not too bad considering some of the numbers that Troy has hung on people all year.

AU Offense

The AU offense will remind you some of ours, right down to the ridiculously young OL. They’ve struggled to establish a consistent passing game this year but have managed to run the ball decently. They’re averaging just over 25 ppg, 9th in the conference. In conference games though, their scoring output drops under 20. They’ve managed to piece together a solid 7-3 record after losing 2 of their first 3 with their only other loss coming to #2 LSU on the road in a nailbiter.

At QB, AU has the enigma that is 5th year senior Brandon Cox. Cox took over the reigns to the offense from Jason Campbell after the 2004 season and has fought through ups and downs over the last 3 years. Despite the fact his completion percentage is up slightly over his career numbers, his TDs are down and his INTs are up. He suffered through the worst game of his career against UGA last year, throwing 4 INTs, so he’ll be looking for some more of the magic he tapped into in his other visit to Sanford Stadium in AU’s 2005 win (although I was surprised to see he didn’t throw a TD in that game). He’s not mobile and (as shown in last year’s UGA-AU game) is prone to mistakes when pressured consistently. On the year he’s only topped 200 yards passing twice. On the year he only has 8 TDs to 7 INTs. Backup Kodi Burns is a freshman that serves as the change of pace at QB. He’s mostly a running threat at this stage in his career.

Like any successful Tiger team, the 2007 group features a strong ground game. They have 3 RBs with 70 or more carries on the year. Jr. Brad Lester has only played in 4 games this season after academic issues sidelined him early in the season but he’s managed to already garner 73 carries and nearly 350 yards (over 82 ypg) in his short exposure. He’s a quick, hard running back that reminds me of Thomas Brown only more elusive. He missed the Tigers’ last game with a groin injury but is expected to be ready to go. So. Ben Tate leads the team in yardage and attempts and is a strong, physical back. He and Lester both average right at 4.5 ypc. Mario Fannin is the wildcard. The converted HS QB has the size, speed and moves to be a gamebreakers down the road and he’s averaging 5.3 ypc. Tate, Lester and Fannin each average about 1 reception per game played. None are as dynamic as the Kenny Irons, Cadillac, Brown group they’ve been running out in recent years though.

The AU WR corps is anchored by Rodgeriques Smith. Smith leads the team in catches (43), yards (593) and receiving TDs (5). He’s not big, he just gets open consistently and makes plays. He’s got more than double the catches of the next receiver. Montez Billings is 2nd on the team in catches and yards. AU FB Carl Stewart is actually 3rd on the team in receiving yardage. Starting TE Cole Bennett has managed only 4 catches on the year but backup Gabe McKenzie has reeled in 13 including 2 TDs.

The AU OL, as mentioned before, is as young as ours. They have 3 freshmen starting on the OL including both OTs. The group is among the lightest we’ve faced all year, with only one starter listed at over 300 pounds. The starting group averages under 295. As expected, this young OL has given up their share of sacks, especially considering the immobility of Cox. Cox has been sacked 18 times on the year, including 4 sacks against UF. They did manage to hold LSU’s potent DL to a mere 2 sacks though. Like ours, this young group has really gelled as the season has moved along.

Bottom Line: AU has struggled some this year on offense. In SEC games they’ve managed the following point totals…14, 20, 35, 9, 24 and 17, an average of under 20 ppg. Drop out the Vandy game and they’re only averaging 16.8 ppg. The AU offense has struggled with consistency this season. Against MSU the problem was turnovers, as they managed 5. Against Arkansas, they were a horrid 1-13 on 3rd downs. In their loss to LSU they averaged under 3.0 yards per rush (although LSU does that to lots of teams). The point being they’ve been plagued by different things each week that has managed to set them back overall. Some would say they’re due for everything to click. Others would say they still have yet to show they can score consistently on anyone. The answer, as always is in the middle somewhere.