Hope you're livin' large!
TL/DR. Got that outa the way.
It wasn't so long ago that the Bunker uprising and e-coup, #StopSteele was a thing here and on the 'Webz, which was followed by a disastrous Harskings coaching hire chapter in Auburn football that is rapidly being deep sixed by the progress HEW is making now on all fronts, especially the lifeblood, recruiting.
Gotta take care of bi'ness as AU will versus NMSU to set up an electric Iron Bowl environment. Gene Stallings once said when a reporter referred to some bammer game against a losing directional school as not a "big game", "If you don't believe this game against Southwest Louisiana is a big game, just GO OUT AND LOSE THE GAME. Then as a coach, you'll find out how big it is." If the elite NMSU QB, Diego Pavia, is as reported slowed by injury or out, this one should have our backups in by 3rd quarter.
Steele certainly wants to first and foremost do his job, which is to deploy his elite and violent defense to get the W over Auburn to set up a possible "winner take all" SEC title game for the SEC's likely only entrant into the final 4-team playoff (with 12-team coming next season). Steele's dudes are playing at a high level, executing Code Reds on Heisman QB's, and making life easier for Milroe to play freely, having as he does an "eraser" to get 3 and out even if he makes a mistake, which in recent games he's done much less.
Somewhere inside the Athletic Complex, or among numerous "friends of the AU program" (maybe Phillip Lolley?), people know the book on Kevin Steele, both in game planning against certain styles of offense and in-game situational calls. They have a pretty good idea the plan he'll deploy to stop this now surging AU offense that is ranked 8th in the nation in rushing (207 ypg, bammer is 60th in rushing with 162 ypg, but more relevant here, 29th in rushing defense allowing 117 ypg) and is becoming very proficient with RPO's and various run game and passing innovations that caused the Hogs massive failure defensively as the Tigers piled up 517 yards.
But that was Arky, and as we all know, they suck, right? Well, that depends on the sample of Hogs work you select to answer that question. Do you want the AU game from Saturday, or the OT win over Go Gatuh? If you're a bammer fan who has seen enough J-H Iron Bowls to invoke the phrase Auburn Jesus, you feel just a wee tinge of worry when your lyin' eyes simply can't quite dismiss the reality of the very same Hogs team coming into West Vance Stadium on Homecoming and playing the Tahd to a 24-21 nailbiter.
But Arkansas sucks, which is why Auburn looked very formidable in all phases of the game, right?
So I'm sure Steele will 'recommend' a defensive game plan to Saban, that the Dwarf Lord will probably tweak, and at its core it will inevitably have to make choices at key game junctures (relative to score, field position, etc) exactly how risk averse to play it. As always, if the Tide front four can create havoc mucking up our early down rushing attack, and putting Thorne in 3rd and impossible, that's the no brainer strategy. It's not likely that will work as improved as our O-line is, and the beauty of Hew's 12 personnel with two TE's to get big bodies on defenders.
Steele's unconventional defensive plan against eventual national champion LSU in 2019 was a master class, and damn near got AU the upset AT Death Valley. Would this Hugh Freeze / Monty style of offense call for some varietal like that? I don't think so, except maybe in situational spots as a changeup to stop AU.
Is Steele's potential emotional state as regards Auburn and in his mind, coming Oh so close to being head coach, a factor in how he prepares his defensive unit? That could be a positive, or we've also seen that element result in an overheated brain by a coach that causes bad judgment in-game.
And if HEW gets some offensive shock and awe going early on November 25th, add to the above dynamics the emotional vibe of one Nick Saban, for whom back to back losses to Hugh Freeze's far less talented Ole Miss teams stands alongside some big Iron Bowl losses to Auburn as the darker side of his otherwise GOAT coaching resume. And on November 25th, we get the COMBO of both of those historic "Saban problems". You can count on CBS's Iron Bowl lead-in looking back to how Hugh was a problem for Saban back-to-back years, not to mention Jordan-Hare.
E5
HUGE thanks to our own photoshopping GOAT, @David Hasselhoff for my commissioned Auburn Jesus pic below. E5 copyrighted
TL/DR. Got that outa the way.
It wasn't so long ago that the Bunker uprising and e-coup, #StopSteele was a thing here and on the 'Webz, which was followed by a disastrous Harskings coaching hire chapter in Auburn football that is rapidly being deep sixed by the progress HEW is making now on all fronts, especially the lifeblood, recruiting.
Gotta take care of bi'ness as AU will versus NMSU to set up an electric Iron Bowl environment. Gene Stallings once said when a reporter referred to some bammer game against a losing directional school as not a "big game", "If you don't believe this game against Southwest Louisiana is a big game, just GO OUT AND LOSE THE GAME. Then as a coach, you'll find out how big it is." If the elite NMSU QB, Diego Pavia, is as reported slowed by injury or out, this one should have our backups in by 3rd quarter.
Steele certainly wants to first and foremost do his job, which is to deploy his elite and violent defense to get the W over Auburn to set up a possible "winner take all" SEC title game for the SEC's likely only entrant into the final 4-team playoff (with 12-team coming next season). Steele's dudes are playing at a high level, executing Code Reds on Heisman QB's, and making life easier for Milroe to play freely, having as he does an "eraser" to get 3 and out even if he makes a mistake, which in recent games he's done much less.
Somewhere inside the Athletic Complex, or among numerous "friends of the AU program" (maybe Phillip Lolley?), people know the book on Kevin Steele, both in game planning against certain styles of offense and in-game situational calls. They have a pretty good idea the plan he'll deploy to stop this now surging AU offense that is ranked 8th in the nation in rushing (207 ypg, bammer is 60th in rushing with 162 ypg, but more relevant here, 29th in rushing defense allowing 117 ypg) and is becoming very proficient with RPO's and various run game and passing innovations that caused the Hogs massive failure defensively as the Tigers piled up 517 yards.
But that was Arky, and as we all know, they suck, right? Well, that depends on the sample of Hogs work you select to answer that question. Do you want the AU game from Saturday, or the OT win over Go Gatuh? If you're a bammer fan who has seen enough J-H Iron Bowls to invoke the phrase Auburn Jesus, you feel just a wee tinge of worry when your lyin' eyes simply can't quite dismiss the reality of the very same Hogs team coming into West Vance Stadium on Homecoming and playing the Tahd to a 24-21 nailbiter.
But Arkansas sucks, which is why Auburn looked very formidable in all phases of the game, right?
So I'm sure Steele will 'recommend' a defensive game plan to Saban, that the Dwarf Lord will probably tweak, and at its core it will inevitably have to make choices at key game junctures (relative to score, field position, etc) exactly how risk averse to play it. As always, if the Tide front four can create havoc mucking up our early down rushing attack, and putting Thorne in 3rd and impossible, that's the no brainer strategy. It's not likely that will work as improved as our O-line is, and the beauty of Hew's 12 personnel with two TE's to get big bodies on defenders.
Steele's unconventional defensive plan against eventual national champion LSU in 2019 was a master class, and damn near got AU the upset AT Death Valley. Would this Hugh Freeze / Monty style of offense call for some varietal like that? I don't think so, except maybe in situational spots as a changeup to stop AU.
Is Steele's potential emotional state as regards Auburn and in his mind, coming Oh so close to being head coach, a factor in how he prepares his defensive unit? That could be a positive, or we've also seen that element result in an overheated brain by a coach that causes bad judgment in-game.
And if HEW gets some offensive shock and awe going early on November 25th, add to the above dynamics the emotional vibe of one Nick Saban, for whom back to back losses to Hugh Freeze's far less talented Ole Miss teams stands alongside some big Iron Bowl losses to Auburn as the darker side of his otherwise GOAT coaching resume. And on November 25th, we get the COMBO of both of those historic "Saban problems". You can count on CBS's Iron Bowl lead-in looking back to how Hugh was a problem for Saban back-to-back years, not to mention Jordan-Hare.
E5
HUGE thanks to our own photoshopping GOAT, @David Hasselhoff for my commissioned Auburn Jesus pic below. E5 copyrighted
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