Game Review: Ole Miss

Knee-Jerk Reaction
Ok, since it's Tuesday evening this isn't much of a knee-jerk reaction but I'm keeping the title for the sake of continuity. The reason for the delay in this post is because I have entered into the world of the iPhone and have spent nearly every free moment I've had browsing apps and playing numerous addicting games. As for Saturday's game - IMPRESSIVE. So it started out a little shaky with the big run by Jeff Scott to give the Rebel Black Bears the 7-0 lead but the offense continued its domination of the SEC with another 500+ yards of total offense, 300+ yards rushing and 50+ points. Those are plateaus only Auburn's historically best offenses would reach against Sun Belt also-rans and D1-AA check collectors. The best part of Dr. Malzahn's latest creation was the number of players who got involved. We saw Mike Dyer have rush for 180 yards, McCalebb fall a yard shy of the century mark, and Darvin Adams, Terrell Zachery and Emory Blake each had at least five receptions and 50 yards. Noticeably absent from that list is our Heisman front runner Cam Newton. Ole Miss sold out to prevent Cam from getting his yards on the ground and they did a decent job. When Auburn designed running plays for Cam he still had success but where the difference was most noticeable was when plays broke down the Ole Miss defensive line did a great job of closing running lanes, keeping contain, and collapsing the pocket. Malzahn didn't call many run plays for Newton because he saw, both on film and in the game, that in selling out to stop Newton's running game Ole Miss exposed themselves to the pass and to the other play makers on our team. On the defensive side of the ball the lone big play was a huge one and that was Demond Washington's interception at the two yard line. After Auburn turned it over deep in our own territory Ole Miss had an opportunity to take the lead. Instead, Washington breaks up a pass in the end zone then follows that play up with an interception at the two yard line. 12 plays and 98 yards later Auburn scores the touchdown and extended their lead to 24-14. The next time Washington touched the ball was on a kick off return just before the half and he took it 95 yards to the house. Nick Fairley was pretty quiet due to being double teamed all night but Zach Clayton took advantage of that opportunity and had a huge game. A lot of backups got time in this game which is just what the doctor ordered and was an unexpected positive in an SEC road game. This was a survival game and Auburn did more than survive, they dominated.

Positives
Demond Washington - The interception was a game changer. Had Ole Miss scored there they would have taken a 21-17 lead. Instead the interception sparked a 98 yard drive and Ole Miss never got within 10 points again. His 95 yard kick off return for a touchdown showed excellent vision, explosion through the hole and break away speed. Now Auburn's all-time leading returner Washington deserves special recognition.

Mike Dyer - Dyer exploded for the best game of his brief career. He appears to really be hitting his stride at the right time and could be a force through Amen Corner. All the attributes that made him the number one back in the country last year were on display Saturday night. He showed great vision, an explosive burst, a great ability to break through arm tackles, break away speed and perhaps most impressive was the fight that he displayed every time he got the ball.

Zach Clayton - He didn't stuff the stat sheet like Fairly has the ability to do but the effort and tenacity that Clayton plays with in the middle of this defense is one of the main reasons Auburn has been so stout against the run. He wasn't blessed with exceptional talent but he more than makes up for it with his non-stop motor and pure strength to occupy blockers.

Wes Byrum - Wes had a big night and though this game didn't end up being very close, the main reason we were able to consistently pull away was because Byrum never let our drives end without points. He finished the night three for three with a long of 48 yards.

Negatives
Starting Defensive Ends - Antoine Carter and Nosa Eguae had very quiet nights and were unable to contain the outside runs nor were they able to get to Masoli for a sack. Carter had two tackles, one for a loss while Eguae did not record a tackle. Backups Mike Goggans and Corey Lemonier combined for five tackles and one and a half tackles for a loss. Defensive end production is one of the biggest areas in need of improvement to become a more complete team. Additional pass rush around the ends will also make the secondary look much better.

Looking Ahead: Chattanooga
Pfffffft. Get ready for a lot of backups, which is exactly what this team needs at this point.