AU FOOTBALL: Grading the Tigers at the midway point

Earlier this week, Antonio Coleman said to go to Auburn’s Haley Center if you wanted grades.

He forgot to mention the Opelika-Auburn News.

As the Tigers kick off the second half of the season against Kentucky tonight, what better time than now to grade a number of areas that have worked and not worked for Auburn through the first half of this 5-1 start to the 2009 season?

Think of it as an unprompted midterm without consequences. With a meaty SEC schedule still to complete, how Auburn finishes will be much more important than how it started.

OFFENSE
What’s gone right: Pretty much everything. Gus Malzahn had a reputation of putting up big numbers at every stop on his coaching career, but few expected Auburn to be right on Florida’s heels when it came to offensive production. Even after back-to-back season lows against Tennessee and Arkansas, the Tigers are averaging 38.3 points per game and an SEC-best 489.8 yards per game. The balance has been pretty much right down the middle with a slight advantage toward the thunder-and-lightning running of Ben Tate and Onterio McCalebb. Chris Todd has held his own, though, serving as the conductor of Malzahn’s magnificent offense.

What’s gone wrong: Not much to report here. The one problem of Malzahn’s fast-paced offense, though, is when it does occasionally have a three-and-out, it happens super fast and the defense is forced back onto the field too quickly. A look back at the first half against Arkansas also raises concerns. The Tigers were at a standstill trying to move the ball, as the Razorbacks seemed to be in the right place at the right time, every time. That begs the question whether or not the book is out on Malzahn just six games into his time with the Tigers. He’ll have the rest of the season to prove that right or wrong.

Grade: A

DEFENSE
What’s gone right: Despite two games in which they’ve forced just one turnover and picked up one sack, the Tigers are still near the top in the SEC when it comes to total takeaways and turnover margin. This is the result of a defense, under the supervision of Ted Roof, that has the ability and gall to take risks. The Tigers are pretty deep on the defensive line, as Tracy Rocker has become comfortable enough to make wholesale line changes at crucial junctures in the game. While injuries have affected pretty much every area, freshmen such as safety Daren Bates and defensive end Dee Ford have filled in admirably.

What’s gone wrong: The numbers have gotten worse by the week — both in statistics and bodies. Injuries dot a number of positions and the situation at linebacker, where the Tigers have just four scholarship players for today’s game — only appears to be getting worse. One injury could have the effect of five on this battered group. Saturday’s loss at Arkansas exposed a number of areas, but none more so than the rush defense, which hasn’t really stopped anybody this season. The pass rush has been lacking as well, and Antonio Coleman’s injuries have rendered him ineffective over the past two games.

Grade: D+

SPECIAL TEAMS
What’s gone right: Wes Byrum has seemingly forgotten about all the struggles he had in 2008 and is kicking even better than he did during his stalwart freshman campaign. The junior has nailed 11 of his 12 attempts and has been big from deep, hitting 5-of-6 from 40 yards or more. With a consistent Byrum in the fold, Auburn’s offense becomes that much more dangerous not having to go for fourth downs in between the 30-and 40-yard line. Punter Clinton Durst has been consistent thus far, having yet to completely shank a punt and ruin field position.

What’s gone wrong: Everything else. The Tigers spent the first four weeks rotating punt returners in and out to no avail. The starting punt returner, Anthony Gulley, is currently hurt and Philip Pierre-Louis has been an average fill-in at best. The situation on kickoff return hasn’t been much better, as Mario Fannin lost a fumble against Arkansas and gains haven’t been made past the 35 very often. Kickoff coverage was exposed against the Razorbacks as well, when the Tigers allowed Dennis Johnson to rack up 145 yards on just three returns.

Grade: C

COACHING:
What’s gone right: Five-and-19 has been long forgotten by this better-than-expected start from Gene Chizik and Co. The chemistry appears to be flowing on Chizik’s staff, as his hands-off approach and ability to share the spotlight has been a major theme throughout the season. Assistants and coordinators talk to the media every week and Chizik has had no trouble letting his more outgoing personalities like Trooper Taylor spend time in front of the camera. Players seemingly repeat the messages Chizik preaches in practice and have truly bought into the “Do What We Do” mantra that he set in place during the spring.

What’s gone wrong: There aren’t many coaching decisions that have gone awry, with the exception of a botched fake punt against Ball State that nearly landed Onterio McCalebb on the trainer’s table. Perhaps the Tigers should have run the ball more early against Arkansas this past week, but who are we to question someone like Gus Malzahn, who dreams in X’s and O’s?

Grade: A

OFFENSIVE MVP
QB Chris Todd — One bad outing isn’t enough to discredit what the senior has done in his redemption season. Todd’s thrown just one interception to his 12 touchdowns while racking up 227.2 passing yards per game. More importantly, Todd has played as if he’s been running Malzahn’s offense his entire life, looking calm at the line when an audible comes in from the sidelines and showing the ability to check down to his second and third options.

DEFENSIVE MVP
LB Craig Stevens — The junior was mentioned almost every day by Ted Roof as a standout throughout the spring and August. He’s lived up to that billing. Playing nearly every snap because of the depth issues at linebacker, Stevens has become a force, racking up a team-high 55 tackles and 5.0 tackles for loss. Those totals rank third and 12th, respectively, in the SEC. He’s looked most impressive in the open field, where he’s been able to use his speed and long arms to wrap up ballcarriers at the point of impact.

Most valuable freshman
TB Onterio McCalebb — The Hargrave transfer plays with the swagger of a seasoned veteran and has remained humble throughout his early successes. His role has seemingly changed by the week, but McCalebb has thrived at every opportunity. The lightning to Ben Tate’s thunder, McCalebb has provided the Tigers with a change-of-pace back that has the ability to catch the ball out of the backfield. He’s also proved dangerous on kickoff returns.

Most improved
WR Darvin Adams — The sophomore has gone from non-existent to the Tigers’ No. 1 option in the passing game. Adams flew under the radar with his team-first attitude throughout the spring and preseason, as Auburn’s highly touted freshmen got all the attention. Adams and Todd have developed legitimate chemistry with each other, as Todd has not been afraid to throw it to him in tight coverage. He’s had no trouble going across the middle and has a bum shoulder to prove that.

The Results
AUBURN 37, Louisiana Tech 13
What went right: The much anticipated debut of Gus Malzahn’s offense went about as well as expected, racking up 556 total yards with a well-balanced attack.

What went wrong: The Tigers’ defense looked suspect on three long scoring drives by the Bulldogs, all of which included multiple third-down conversions.

AUBURN 49, Mississippi State 24
What went right: Dealt with its first real moment of adversity, the Tigers offense somehow one-upped its first performance of the season, relying almost exclusively on a dominant running game that racked up 390 yards on the ground.

What went wrong: Auburn got up on the Bulldogs, 14-0, early but fell asleep and allowed them to rattle off 17 unanswered thanks to sloppy defense and a blocked punt.

AUBURN 41, West Virginia 30
What went right: Trailing throughout the majority of the game, the Tigers’ offense battled through some early issues while the defense forced four consecutive turnovers in the fourth quarter to steal the victory.

What went wrong: The Tigers defense couldn’t wrap up Noel Devine on its way to allowing a season-worst 509 yards of total offense.

AUBURN 54, Ball State 30
What went right: Never has the fast-paced offense looked faster than it did on this night, as the Tigers used four consecutive drives of less than 2 minutes to romp to a big halftime lead.

What went wrong: Lackadaisical play kept the Cardinals in the game far longer than they should have been and the second-team defense didn’t do much to stop them late.

AUBURN 26, Tennessee 22
What went right: Facing their toughest defense to date, the Tigers still were able to pick up their now customary 200-plus yards on the ground while keeping the Vols off balance through the passing game.

What went wrong: After three of its best quarters of the season, the defense allowed Jonathan Crompton to throw all over the field during the fourth quarter.

Arkansas 44, AUBURN 23
What went right: The Tigers used 248 yards of offense in the third quarter to rack up 20 points and put a brief scare into the Razorbacks.

What went wrong: The other three quarters were a complete mess on both offense and defense, as the Tigers came out admittedly flat in an environment that certainly wasn’t conducive for a half-hearted effort.

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