Georgia 39, Auburn 30: 1st half analysis and random thoughts

First half analysis and random thoughts as Auburn trails Georgia at the break at Auburn Arena.

Georgia has come to play against Auburn on Tuesday night in Auburn Arena as the Bulldogs jumped out to an early lead and made it difficult for the Tigers on both sides of the floor.

The slow start didn’t stop Bruce Pearl’s team from climbing back into the game despite a less-than-solid first half from Sharife Cooper as the Tigers trail 39-30.

Here are some random thoughts and analysis from the first 20 minutes.

Georgia going to a zone defense made the Tigers suffer offensively. When Cooper can’t drive and dish, this offense just doesn’t hum like it should.
Tonight’s theme on my Twitter while I give updates on the game is the great Chris Farley. I don’t think many people have made me laugh harder than Farley except that time Cinmeon Bowers decided that he was a point guard for five or six games.
There are people who are afraid to take too many shots and then there is Jamal Johnson. That guy is ready to shoot as soon as the ball crosses half court.
I bet fax machines throughout the country are just anxious for their one day to shine tomorrow for National Signing Day.
Surely he will go for 30 points soon after I type this but I just don’t think Devan Cambridge is ever going to get there offensively like we want. That missed dunk was quite brutal yet his effort is not to be questioned, especially on the defensive end.
How long do you think it takes Tom Crean to eat an entire meal? Two minutes? Two and a half? He seems like someone who would eat a steak while running on a treadmill and FaceTiming all at the same time.
Dylan Cardwell’s hands need work. I mean a lot of work. They are eerily like Austin Wiley’s.
The amount of lay-ups Allen Flanigan misses are quite astonishing. He’s also good for at least one charging foul per game.
Georgia has two lefties who shoot the three pointer well and it drives me crazy as a fellow lefty.
If Auburn wants to win this game, the Tigers will have to stop getting out hustled for the ball. Some second chance points by the Bulldogs have killed momentum.

Georgia 39, Auburn 30: 1st half analysis and random thoughts

First half analysis and random thoughts as Auburn trails Georgia at the break at Auburn Arena.

Georgia has come to play against Auburn on Tuesday night in Auburn Arena as the Bulldogs jumped out to an early lead and made it difficult for the Tigers on both sides of the floor.

The slow start didn’t stop Bruce Pearl’s team from climbing back into the game despite a less-than-solid first half from Sharife Cooper as the Tigers trail 39-30.

Here are some random thoughts and analysis from the first 20 minutes.

Georgia going to a zone defense made the Tigers suffer offensively. When Cooper can’t drive and dish, this offense just doesn’t hum like it should.
Tonight’s theme on my Twitter while I give updates on the game is the great Chris Farley. I don’t think many people have made me laugh harder than Farley except that time Cinmeon Bowers decided that he was a point guard for five or six games.
There are people who are afraid to take too many shots and then there is Jamal Johnson. That guy is ready to shoot as soon as the ball crosses half court.
I bet fax machines throughout the country are just anxious for their one day to shine tomorrow for National Signing Day.
Surely he will go for 30 points soon after I type this but I just don’t think Devan Cambridge is ever going to get there offensively like we want. That missed dunk was quite brutal yet his effort is not to be questioned, especially on the defensive end.
How long do you think it takes Tom Crean to eat an entire meal? Two minutes? Two and a half? He seems like someone who would eat a steak while running on a treadmill and FaceTiming all at the same time.
Dylan Cardwell’s hands need work. I mean a lot of work. They are eerily like Austin Wiley’s.
The amount of lay-ups Allen Flanigan misses are quite astonishing. He’s also good for at least one charging foul per game.
Georgia has two lefties who shoot the three pointer well and it drives me crazy as a fellow lefty.
If Auburn wants to win this game, the Tigers will have to stop getting out hustled for the ball. Some second chance points by the Bulldogs have killed momentum.

Airing my Auburn grievances after an embarrassing loss to Georgia

I go down the list of my grievances after Auburn’s embarrassing defeat to Georgia on Saturday night.

I have seen some embarrassing performances from Auburn before. 2003 USC comes to mind, though that team went on to share the national title with LSU. The 1998 opener against Virginia in which, like with the Trojans, the Tigers were shut out.

Oh, and that classic Tommy Tuberville loss to Arkansas in 2006.

But, in my opinion, nothing was as bad as Saturday night in Athens.

Much like my colleague Shea Brennaman asked for on Twitter, I am going to run down my list of grievances. They aren’t kind.

Chad Morris

Oh, so this is what Arkansas fans had warned us about for the longest time. His play-calling was absolutely horrendous and he handcuffed Bo Nix so much that you would have though the quarterback committed a crime.

The biggest pile of manure was when he called two straight quarterback runs in the red zone as if he thought it was ten years ago and Cam Newton was behind center for the Tigers. Oh, and he finished that with sprinkles called a screen pass to Schwartz that the Bulldogs read faster than a Berenstain Bears book.

The final result was 216 total yards of offense and six points. Figure it out, Chad.

The guys in the trenches

Hardly do you ever see an Auburn team get pushed around up front as bad as they did by the Bulldogs. It was embarrassing. On defense, the Georgia running backs were five yards down the field before getting touched. The Bulldogs offensive line made children out of what is supposed to be a talented defensive front and linebackers corps.

Offensively, what can I say? It was more of what we saw last year. Nix dropping back, having no time, having to scramble to his right and, in the running game, no holes whatsoever.

Gus Malzahn against Georgia

It has taken a miracle tip-and-pass and one of the best games of the last 20 years for Auburn to get Malzahn to even 2-7 against the rival Bulldogs. Granted, Georgia has controlled the rivalry for most of the last 15 or so years but the Dawgs are turning out to be Malzahn’s kryptonite and there is no change of that in sight.

Chad Morris … again

Before the season all the talk was about how open the offense would be, use of the tight ends would be a priority again and his mentorship had made Nix into a better quarterback.

I’m not putting this game on Nix, although he had a bad game. When you have 3rd-and-3 and on the opposing 48, does it make sense to try and pick up the touchdown or have your quarterback throw into double coverage? I will let you figure out which one Morris chose.

The Tigers punted the very next play.

Me, Brian Stultz, for being an idiot

I really thought fortunes would change for the Tigers in Athens on Saturday night. Maybe I was talking myself into it (I was) and maybe I was blinded by a good win over what was supposed to be a SEC East contender in Kentucky (I was).

I’m taking blame for the loss as well. I should have never expected this Auburn team to go into Sanford Stadium and defeat Georgia right now. It was a stupid notion. If you want to blame me, let me have it. I’m an adult. But yeah, the offensive game plan was awful. That’s not on me.