Auburn emerged victorious its in season-opening game last weekend, but the team's performance gave different supporters completely different sets of feelings.
The Just Win Baby bloc? Happy as can be. A true freshman quarterback came alive during the Tigers' final drive, made several outstanding plays and led his team from the front. The idea of at least three full seasons of Bo Nix behind center has some fans positively thrilled.
Still, the But Analytics Matter bloc are concerned. They fret over the offensive line struggling to create space in the run game, the defense needing most of the first half to get its bearings and wonder why conspicuous failures in the special-team coverage have been introduced.
It was an uneven — if ultimately satisfying — outing.
Let's take a look at some of statistical markers and strategic trends of note:
PRO FOOTBALL FOCUS GRADES: OFFENSE (at least 15 snaps played)
1. RB Boobee Whitlow, 74.5
2. LT Prince Tega Wanogho, 71.1
3. LG Marquel Harrell, 69.7
4. WR Will Hastings, 69.3
5. RT Jack Driscoll, 63.9
6. WR Eli Stove, 63.4
7. HB Spencer Nigh, 62.9
8. WR Seth Williams, 62.5
9. WR Sal Cannella, 61.1
10. RG Mike Horton, 59.0
• No real surprises here. Whitlow was the best thing about Auburn's offense for most of the second half while Eli Stove made the most of limited opportunities. Hastings was a real problem for Oregon until going down with what appeared to be a concussion during the first half.
PRO FOOTBALL FOCUS GRADES: DEFENSE (at least 15 snaps played)
1. LB K.J. Britt, 86.0
2. SS Jeremiah Dinson, 76.0
3. DT Tyron Truesdell, 70.7
4. LB Zakoby McClain, 70.0
5. LB Owen Pappoe, 68.9
6. DT Derrick Brown, 68.3
7. DE Big Kat Bryant, 66.0
8. FS Smoke Monday, 64.5
9. CB Noah Igbinoghene, 64.1
10. CB Roger McCreary, 62.5
• Britt was remarkably strong from start to finish — fitting runs decisively and tackling aggressively and with good technique. Dinson also overwhelmed Oregon with his ability (and willingness) to fit runs with bad intentions. He was like a slingshot all night.
K.J. BRITT LOOKS LIKE A GOOD ONE
So we mentioned above that Britt was the best thing about Auburn's defense against Oregon. I don't need to annotate these plays because, well, they don't need much commentary. Just watch this guy diagnose the play, wait for an angle and then attack swiftly.
NO BREAKS NEEDED
CB Noah Igbinoghene was the Tigers' IRON MAN of the weekend; the junior played all 71 of the Tigers' defensive snaps. He earned a 64.1 grade from PFF, but that mediocre number reflects the fact that Oregon showed a clear preference to avoid Igbinoghene in coverage.
He was targeted four times Saturday and conceded three receptions. CB Javaris Davis and STAR Christian Tutt, by comparison, were targeted eight times each. With Oregon featuring a top-tier quarterback in Justin Herbert, the Ducks are more able than most when it comes to exploiting particular one-on-one matchups.
Other defenders with high snap counts: Dinson (65), FS Daniel Thomas (63) and DE Marlon Davidson (60).
GETTING TIGHT ON OFFENSE
The biggest difference between Auburn's offense from last season and Auburn's offense from Saturday night involved the frequent addition of an extra blocking surface.
That most often meant using a tight end to create an extra gap to one side of the line. Spencer Nigh split time between his usual spot at H-back and as an attached tight end. He logged 59 (of a possible 77) snaps against Oregon.
John Samuel Shenker worked mostly an an attached tight end, logging 32 snaps as well. Nigh and Shenker collaborated a number of times as well — with one guy down as tight end and the other stacked behind him as an H. That's a lot of heft. That's also an extra gap for the defense to cover when it comes to run support.
The best unbalanced call of the night was a jet sweep to Eli Stove. Here's how it looked on paper:
What sticks out here, aside from a formation Auburn only used for Wildcat snaps last season, is that TWO Oregon linemen are left unblocked. I have shaded them in red. The play fake to Boobee Whitlow (4) will flummox the tackle, but the end has at least a theoretical chance to make the play. The problem is that Eli Stove (2) is moving so fast and he's out of that end's reach very quickly.
Here's how it played out in real time:
Auburn's perimeter blocking is on point (h/t to Sal Cannella and Nigh) and the deception of the Whitlow fake (h/t Whitlow and Bo Nix) allows Stove to clear the line untouched. This is cool play design out of an emerging formation for Auburn — plus excellent execution. Expect to see a lot more of this, along with some tweaks, in the Texas A&M game and beyond.
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