Week 4

Hey there sports fans! Week 4 was a great one for football! Let's take a look, shall we.

Auburn

• Last week's loss to Clemson doesn't look so bad as Dabo and company knocked off Florida State in impressive fashion (excluding Tajh Boyd's ugly INT).
• That being said, this week's win is absolutely nothing to get excited about. I wouldn't have put much stock into a blowout win, but the struggles we saw this week were real.
• Florida Atlantic does not yet have 500 yards on offense for the season. Auburn gave them over 300. Do the math- that's not a good percentage.
• The offense couldn't do anything well, except kick field goals. (Aside- Cody Parkey has been phenomenal to go along with Steven Clark's solid punting work). Barrett Trotter looks as though he is getting worse as the season goes on, and the offensive line isn't helping him out. Gus Malzahn has got to find a way to get the ball in his playmakers hands (read Dyer, McCalebb, Reed,  Blake, Stallworth) in space. In order to do so, the offensive line and perimeter blocking are going to have to improve. The run game opens up the passing game, but when you can't seal running lanes or hold back a pass rush, there's trouble a-brewin.
• Corey Lemonier was much improved this week, but the defensive line still isn't getting much push in the pass rush. Ted Roof is going to have to get creative to get some pressure on the quarterback.
• Tackling is still an issue, and it has little to nothing to do with the youth.
• If Auburn wins one game out of the next four, I will be thrilled. This stretch is brutal, featuring four top 20 teams. If the Tigers lose 2 or 3 pretty handily, don't be surprised to see much more Kiehl Frazier and much less Barrett Trotter. Same might go for the young offensive linemen (Westerman, Robinson, Slade).

SEC

• Houston Nutt's seat is hotter than Lucifer's bedroom. If he has a job in the SEC next year, I will be mind blown.
• Mark Richt has a chance to save his job with the Bulldogs' upcoming stretch. Wins over Mississippi State, Tennessee, Vandy, and Florida in the next month would likely buy him at least one more year. 
• LSU is legit. When Jordan Jefferson and Russell Shepherd were suspended, I didn't dream the Bayou Tigers would be anywhere near this good. After a blowout win against West Virginia in Morgantown on Saturday, I'm a believer. The offense still doesn't really scare me, but it is sufficient to complement the phenomenal Tiger defense.
• Alabama's defense is amazing. I still have no idea what the story is with their offense, but like LSU, it might not matter. The Tide dismantled Arkansas with touchdowns on a fake field goal, punt return, and interception, and Trent Richardson did his normal thing. The Tide take on Florida this week in the Swamp before a fairly easy stretch leading into LSU.
• It was nice while it lasted for Vandy. South Carolina ended the dream with a 21-3 stifling of the Dores. Vandy had more penalty yards (79) than offensive yards (77). Stephen Garcia threw his usual 4 picks and South Carolina still won. That won't happen when they play legit teams. Luckily for Spurrier and the Cocks, Bama and LSU are both absent from the schedule this season, so Arkansas and Florida are as close at they'll get.
• Really Mississippi State? OT to beat La Tech? Maybe the talk of getting over the proverbial hump was a bit premature.

National

• As mentioned above, another impressive victory for Clemson. Dabo's got the boys doing things, and an ACC Championship berth may be in the Tigers' future.
• Georgia Tech might have something to say about that.
• Temple is doing some things. Maryland is not. Forcing Ralph Friedgen out is looking like a bit of a mistake.
• Boston College finally won a game. Unfortunately for the Eagles, it was against UMass and may be one of the few they get all season.
• Robert Griffin III is playing out of his mind. His Baylor Bears tore up Rice, and Griffin currently has more touchdown passes than incompletions on the season.
• After a phenomenal comeback against Texas A&M, Oklahoma State is poised to make their matchup against the Sooners in December one that could have huge national implications. The Cowboys have all the pieces necessary to make a pretty clean run through the Big __.
• Wisconsin looks legit, but many of you have thought that every year for the last 6 or so. Each year, I have cautioned you. This season, I will refrain from bashing, as I believe this is the best Badger team in a long time. A title contender, however, they are not.
• South Florida is undefeated again, but whenever I get my hopes up for the bulls, they always seem to blow it. I'll reserve judgment until after the Pitt, UConn, and Cincinnati games in the next 3 weeks.

Feel free to post your thoughts in the comments.

Week 3

My apologies for the delay this week folks. Its been quite the doozy. We'll get right to the info. Not a super-interesting week, but we'll see what we can glean.

Auburn

• Wow, that was ugly. Probably the second worst performance of the Chizik era behind the ugly blowout in LSU's version of Death Valley a couple years ago.
• The defense was atrocious, and no one is making excuses. Everyone knows it was terrible, and therefore it will be a focus of practice this week. Tackling is a nice way to start. Auburn continues to get little to no push from the defensive line, very poor play from the linebackers, and poor scheming in the secondary. I'm not going to harp on this, because if you watched the game or knew anyone who did, you have likely heard tale of the absolutely revolting performance. 
• The Tigers will get better, but it may take a while. Auburn will have to get back to basics and essentially start from scratch. 
• On the offensive side of the ball, the Tigers struggled to find consistency. Barrett Trotter had probably his worst game thus far, but it wasn't all his fault. Dropped passes, poor protection, and missed assignments plagued the Tigers. The only bright side...
• Mike Dyer was phenomenal. He hit holes, showed great speed, and reminded us all of the phenomenal ability he has to keep his legs churning after initial contact. Expect his role to be greatly expanded in the coming weeks.
• I can't say enough about the improvement punter Steven Clark has made. Clark was great again, pinning Clemson inside the 20 consistently and giving Auburn a frequent chance to swing the field position battle. Most importantly for Clark, he has yet to shank one. 
• Clemson is much better than I anticipated. Tajh Boyd was great and the defense was sufficient.
• Sammy Watkins and Dwayne Allen are phenomenal playmakers. Allen may be the most dynamic tight end in the country, and Watkins is only a freshman. Dabo Swinney has done a great job recruiting since taking over at Clemson, and it is starting to pay serious dividends for the Tigers. They will only get better in the coming weeks and even the coming years.
• I really loved Urban Meyer in the booth. He brought a ton to the table, and half the time he called the offensive play before the snap. Auburn could have used him on the sideline.

SEC

• LSU's defense is probably the nation's best, and it might not be close. The Bayou Tiger D was stout against Chris Relf and company on Thursday night, and continue to carry the team as they search for an offensive identity. If they find it, this may be the best team in the country. I'm not ready to go there yet, however.
• How 'bout James Franklin and the 'Dores! Vandy dominated Ole Miss to improve to 3-0. We'll see how legit they are when they take on South Carolina this week in a battle of SEC unbeatens.
• Will Muschamp has done a pretty decent coach. What a turnaround for the Gators from last year's disappointing squad. Jeff Brantley looks much more comfortable, Chris Rainey is touching the ball as much as possible, and the defense is improving. 
• Tennessee would be a really good team with a running game. Without it, they won't be a serious contender, no matter how good Tyler Bray and Da'Rick Rodgers are. Losing Justin Hunter for the season definitely doesn't help.
• Kentucky is terrible.
• South Carolina continues to manage to squeak by with narrow, unimpressive victories. I'm not near as sold on the Gamecocks as many in the national media seem to be. If they win the East this year, I will be quite surprised, and I imagine it would be quickly followed by another dismantling in the SEC Championship game.
• We might finally find out how good Arkansas and Alabama are when the face each other this week. Thus far, we really have no idea.
• Georgia won by many, many points in a game that means absolutely nothing.

Nation

• Oklahoma definitely solidified its spot atop the rankings by knocking off what I consider to be a very good Florida State team. Jimbo Fisher has the Noles getting close to a return to glory after several rough years in Tallahassee. If Oklahoma can handle Oke State and a sneaky good Baylor team, the Sooners should have a pretty good chance to be in the National Championship game. 
• Paul Rhoads has Iowa State doing nice things. They'll get a couple tough tests against Texas and Baylor in the coming weeks. 
• I probably spoke too soon on Central Florida. Expect them to bounce back from a disappointing loss to FIU.
• Ohio State is definitely feeling the losses of Terrelle Pryor and Jim Tressell. In a battle of teams with innumerable distractions, Miami looked much more prepared than the Buckeyes.
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Week 2 Run Through

Not a lot of marquee games in week 2, but that didn't stop it from being a good week of football and offering lots of information that we can glean. Let's dive in. As always the blog is divided into three sections: Auburn, SEC, and national news.

Auburn

• Wow, those boys never make it easy do they? But wow, what a resilient squad the Chiz and company have built. Last year, I thought it was the senior leadership or the raw talents of Cam Newton, Nick Fairley, and company, but this really may be something that can be taught or bred.
• Phenomenal play by Ryan Smith to end the game. As much trouble as Auburn had had keeping Chris Relf from falling forward the entire game, it was fitting that a triumph in that respect preserved the win.
• Speaking of Relf, he looked a little familiar. The running ability and size definitely brought back visions of Cam from last year, but for all the hype leading into the season, Dan Mullen sure didn't give him much opportunity to use his arm as a weapon. If Mississippi State hopes to get over the hump and beat an SEC West team other than Ole Miss, Relf's arm will have to be a threat. That being said... 
• This is a very good Mississippi State team. They made a ton of mistakes in key situations yesterday and still almost came away with an SEC road victory. They will beat a couple teams they shouldn't this season.
• Auburn's defense was much improved. They have a long way to go, however. Chris Davis, Eltoro Freeman, and Dee Ford played big time football for the Tigers yesterday and were a big part of the reason Auburn ultimately won the game. Jake Holland, Jeff Whitaker, and Ryan White were much improved, but overall the defense still needs to do a better job of communicating, and Ted Roof and company need to do a better job of making mid-game adjustments. Those were a key to Auburn's success last year, and will be quite necessary if the Tigers hope to be in the mix in the weeks to come.
• Barrett Trotter played quite well again yesterday. With the exception of one bad play (and it was a really bad, never played college football before looking play) on the no-look pick 6, Trotter made few mistakes, executed and managed the offense effectively, and came up big when the Tigers needed a big throw.
• The offensive line was much improved. It wasn't great, however. Mike Dyer had a few big runs, and the right side, especially was much improved. I didn't see Reese Dismukes and Jared Cooper standing around as if they didn't know that the game continued after the first block this week, so that is a step in the right direction. This line still has to be better though. Dyer had big holes occasionally, and Cooper and Sullen did a nice job on some of the pull plays, but the holes weren't consistent enough. Auburn needs a thriving run game in order to make the passing game more effective, and there is still room for progress in that area.

• The Auburn special teams are far and away the teams strongest unit. Steven Clark has made enormous strides from the big legged, shank punter we saw last season. In the first two games, he has been a key to Auburn's field position battle and shown why we've heard all along that he could be a threat with consistency. Cody Parkey knocked through a couple solid field goals, and Tre Mason was phenomenal again in the return game. I've yet to see Trovon Reed botch a punt return, and if I can say that all year, then I don't care if he returns a single one for more than 5 yards. Jay Boulware would probably disagree, but I'll take the small victories for now. 

 SEC

• I honestly have absolutely no idea how South Carolina beat Georgia. Steven Garcia played poorly again, Georgia finally found the passing game in the 2nd half after forgetting Aaron Murray had an arm in the first half, and Isaiah Crowell was solid in the run game. Georgia has to find a way to consistently hang on to the football, however. South Carolina scored on an interception, a fumble recovery, and a fake field goal. Give the Ole Ball Coach credit for using what he's got and riding Marcus Lattimore till he breaks down. South Carolina will not be a championship contender however, until they can figure out how to get the ball in Alshon Jeffery's hands without the requisite turnovers that seem to ensue.
• Tyler Bray and Tennessee looked AMAZING against Cincinnati. I honestly expected the Vols to struggle with the Bearcats and Zach Collaros, but Bray went 34/41 with 4 TD's and added one on the ground as Rocky Top trounced Cinci. Watch out for this young, feisty Tennessee team, especially with the struggles we've seen from Georgia and South Carolina in the first two weeks. The SEC East just got a little bit more interesting.
• Staying in state, nice win for Vanderbilt yesterday. It wasn't pretty for Larry Smith and the Dores, but a win over UConn is a solid start for James Franklin and company in building a program that can get bowl eligible on a consistent basis. Big game in that sense coming this week when Ole Miss comes to Nashville. Maybe someday Vandy won't be the eternal bottom dweller in the SEC.
• And that day may come sooner than you think. Wow has Kentucky looked terrible in the first two weeks. The Wildcats have struggled significantly to knock off Western Kentucky and Central Michigan. I guess we know now how big an impact Randall Cobb has had on this squad the last few years.
• Ho-hum solid victory for Alabama in Happy Valley. The Tide handled Penn State pretty easily, to the tone of a 27-11 win on the road. AJ McCarron was solid, if unspectacular, and Trent Richardson of course did his thing. The Bama defense is as advertised and I can't wait to see them in action against Arkansas and Florida in two and three weeks respectively.
• Arkansas, Florida, Ole Miss, and LSU all got easy victories as they should have.

Around the Country

• Well, Notre Dame is 0-2. Who could have possibly seen this coming? Oh yea, just anyone who has watched a football game in the last 10 years. History doesn't always repeat itself, but we should at least learn from it. The Fighting Irish should never be ranked in a pre-season poll again. 
• Watch out for Oklahoma State. The Cowboys have put up good numbers in the first two weeks, and Justin Blackmon is the best receiver in the country.
• The other OSU was less impressive. The Buckeyes almost lost to Toledo. Anyone who thought that all the off-season distractions and changes wouldn't catch up to The Ohio State University will likely be proven wrong in the upcoming weeks. It could be a tough season for the Bucks.
• The Gabbertless Mizzou Tigers fell to Arizona State. I'm honestly not sure what to make of the Tigers this season, but expectations based on the last few years are probably unfair. I'd imagine Missouri will be middle of the road in the Big Mess this season.
• East Carolina is probably the best 0-2 team in the country. The Pirates gave Virginia Tech all they could handle a week after giving South Carolina an early scare. ECU will likely be a serious contender in what is looking like a much improved C-USA. Houston and Central Florida have both looked impressive thus far, and both will likely be top 25 teams by season's end. Watch out for the Knights. You heard it here first.
• In other C-USA news, thrilling victory for Rice this week, blocking Purdue's game winning field goal in the final seconds to hold on.  The Owls' next game is a tough one at Baylor in two weeks.
• Texas may have a tough year.
• Nice win for Paul Rhodes and the Iowa State Cyclones, knocking off rival Iowa in triple overtime. Rhodes has the program going in the right direction, but it will take time.

Wow, that was a long blog for a weekend that looked bland at first glance.  Oklahoma-Florida State highlights next weeks action, in what may be the biggest non-conference game of the season. Stay tuned.

Week One Wrap-Up

From the guy that brought you 4th and Goal, Cover 2, and the Water Cooler, comes Drewbie Snacks Football. This will the new domain for all my college football ramblings. Thanks to AuburnTyler for the suggestion of a new outlet. Each week, the blog will be broken into 3 sections: Auburn, the SEC, and National. For those of you who know my blog style, it is generally in bullet format for brevity and emphasis. Enjoy.

Auburn

• This is a young team. Everyone who has heard me talk about expectations for this team knows this, and it was painfully evident yesterday. Gone are almost 30 players from last year's national champions, and there are very few impact juniors and seniors on this year's squad. 
• If you hadn't headed the warnings of pretty much every media outlet that your expectations should be tempered, the Utah State miracle win should be enough to do the job. Again, I emphasize- this is an incredibly inexperienced team in all facets of the game.
• Barrett Trotter will never be Cam Newton. To expect him to be is unfair. Trotter managed the game well, made several great passes, and a few really poor throws. When it came time to step up, however, Trotter flourished. One of the things that coaches and teammates pointed out when Trotter was named the starter just weeks ago was his proficiency in the two minute drill. It showed Saturday and saved an Auburn defense that was absolutely atrocious.
• I repeat, Auburn is young on D. That being said, the Tigers will need vast improvement from their youngsters if they hope to win more than 6 games this season. Veteran linebacker Daren Bates played with the technique of a true freshman and no one else was much better. The defensive line failed to get a push or to stand up against the run game of the Aggies. Auburn must hope that the Game 1 jitters don't carry over into next week's opener, or Mississippi State will take home an easy victory. 
• The Auburn receivers looked phenomenal. Coming into the year, this was a definite area of concern, especially depth-wise, but Travante Stallworth stepped up to answer the call, and seems ready to fill the role Kodi Burns played last season. Trovon Reed and Emory Blake will also be big-time play makers.
• Auburn will need to make huge strides on both the offensive and defensive lines in order to contend with the SEC elite. 

SEC

• LSU is going to be GOOD! An LSU team playing without its starting quarterback and best play maker beat a very good Oregon team quite handily and was even able to must a bit of offense. There's no guarantee on if or when Jordan Jefferson will be back, but add Russell Shepherd to that mix and you have the makings of a legitimate top 5 team and an SEC Champion contender. Impressive victory for the Bayou Tigers. Oregon's all black uniforms were intimidating, but not as great as.....
• Georgia's new uniforms. Sick new digs for the Bulldogs. And I love the "Georgia" on the backs of the jerseys instead of individual names. Georgia will need everyone to work as a unit to save Mark Richt's job, and this is a nice step in the right direction. Back to football- Aaron Murray and Isaiah Crowell looked great at times, but inconsistent. The defense was picked apart by Kellen Moore, an early Heisman frontrunner, and failed to keep the team in the game. Georgia will be a contender in the SEC East by virtue of its parity, but this team needs significant improvement if they want to be a part of the SEC's elite.
• Alabama might have quarterback issues. 48-7 is a solid victory over a poor Kent State team, but 4 interceptions is a big problem. AJ McCarron had his moments, but turnovers will kill you in the SEC. Keep a watchful eye when Bama heads to Penn State next week.
• Mississippi State looked good. They also played Memphis.
• Kentucky only beat Western Kentucky by 11 points, scoring only 14. Not an impressive start for the Wildcats.
• Stephen Garcia enjoys turning the ball over, but you all knew that already. South Carolina will live and die by Garcia in each game. Unfortunately for the Gamecocks, the only thing they can count on with Garcia is inconsistency, and Spurrier and crew will never take it to the next level with him at the helm.
• Ole Miss is terrible again. Houston Nutt's seat is getting a bit warm in Oxford. 
• Vanderbilt and Tennessee won relatively uninteresting matchups.

Around the Nation

• Notre Dame still isn't very good. Interesting matchup coming with Michigan next week.
• Baylor will be a team to be reckoned with in the Big 12 err 11, err 10? 9? 0? Anyway, Robert Griffin is a stud, which those of you who followed the radio program will remember me telling you years ago. The Bears put up 50 on the vaunted TCU defense and took down the probably overrated Horned Frogs (sans Andy Dalton). This won't be Baylor's only upset this season.
• Oregon State lost to Sacramento State? Wow.
• Why couldn't we have this realignment talk during the offseason when everyone needed something to talk about? I don't want it cluttering up the actual season.
• Outside of the two marquee SEC games, not much in the way of riveting stuff this week. Stay tuned.