#blah blah idea vs execution we ball

[rugwurm]

comic about whales

[kentremendousblog]

There are many reasons to root against the Patriots in the Super Bowl. There are also many reasons to root for them. Which team you root for really depends on which team you prefer. I am describing sports fandom! This is fun.

Bill Plaschke of the Los Angeles Times has written an article about the Super Bowl teams, in which he has listed twenty (!) reasons to root against the Patriots. 

Old habits die hard:

It’s a coach wearing a hoodie against one who dresses in Navy SEAL mottos. The Super Bowl pitting the New England Patriots against the Atlanta Falcons features competing auras as clear as the rumple in Bill Belichick’s sweatshirt or the curl of Tom Brady’s upper lip.

1. You made two references to Belichick’s hoodie (which, FWIW, he doesn’t really wear anymore) in the first two sentences.

2. “Competing auras?”

3. “The curl of Tom Brady’s upper lip” is not a thing that I think of as “clear,” in terms of like “famous” or “legendary” or “anything.”

4. “One who dresses in Navy SEAL mottos?” Like...sewn into his clothes, or something?

5. What?

According to Public Policy Polling, the Patriots are the most disliked team in pro football for a second consecutive season. By comparison, the relatively blah Falcons are beloved. 

The “relatively blah” Falcons are “beloved.” You wrote that sentence, saw nothing wrong with it, agreed with its internal logic, and never looked back.

Even with this week’s revelations about the Falcons’ past concerns over their players’ use of pain medication, 

First, you made the sentence wonderfully passive (”...their players’ use of...”) instead of what it should’ve been, which is active, because they were concerned that their team doctors were actively giving the players too much pain medication. Second: you can’t just drop that in and hope we don’t notice that it utterly undermines the premise of your article. Or can you?!?! (No, you can’t.)

this truly feels like a Super Bowl of not just David vs. Goliath, but that old favorite, Good vs. Evil, and here are 20 reasons why:

Gonna go out on a limb and say “20″ is an overreach. But let’s see what you got.

1) The Patriots are convicted scoundrels, from Spygate to Deflategate, the most untrustworthy sports franchise in America since the 1919 Black Sox. Remember, Brady was suspended for the first four games this season for his alleged involvement in the deflation of footballs. The Falcons are too trusting. They panicked during Monday’s media night when offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan briefly lost a backpack that contained the team’s game plan. Seriously, who still carries their game plan in a backpack?

I’m not going to re-litigate SpyGate or DeflateGate here. But I do take issue with the idea that the Falcons are “better” than the Patriots because their coach lost his backpack during Super Bowl week. That doesn’t seem like the opposite of a scandal. It seems utterly irrelevant.

You also conveniently ignored that recent time the Falcons pumped noise into their stadium, illegally, and were fined $350,000 and a draft pick. As well as the aforementioned (by you) revelation that they were doping their players like racehorses. But a coach lost a backpack, so they’re...nice?

2) The Patriots are led by the Trump Trinity: owner Bob Kraft, Coach Bill Belichick and quarterback Brady are all confirmed devotees of President Trump.

No argument here. Sucks. Hate it.

The Falcons use an official hashtag of #RiseUp, which coincidentally was also the hashtag for the worldwide protests to Trump’s recent controversial executive order on immigration. This is why thousands of tweets filled with scathing Trump criticisms contained a Falcons logo.

Not sure they chose “Rise Up” to fight Trump, but I’m giving you this one. This should be the entire article. Stop here. Don’t go for twenty...I beg you...

3) Upon arriving at the glitzy media night, Brady said, “For us, now, it’s just trying to ignore all this.” Upon his arrival at the same event, Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan said, “To get here and see this deal tonight, it’s pretty cool.” 

4) Asked about Trump’s immigration edict, Brady said, “What’s going on in the world? I haven’t paid much attention.” Asked a similar question, the Falcons’ Mohamed Sanu said, “I hope we can pray as a country for the world to be united.”

...Kind of feels like (3) is neutral and (4) is a subset of (2), but I’m feeling generous, so I’ll let you have these as well.

5) Asked to sign a soccer ball, Belichick refused “because it’s not a football.” Asked to speak into a giant turkey leg, Falcons center Alex Mack agreed but only if he could later have a bite.

Yeah, see, you’re reaching, a bit. “Bill Belichick doesn’t like soccer balls” and “Alex Mack likes meat” doesn’t seem like “evil” vs. “good,” to me.

6) During a joint interview with the teams’ owners, the Patriots’ Kraft was asked to name the most famous person in his cellphone. The Falcons’ Arthur Blank interrupted and said, “Trump.”

Again, we’re kind of back at (2), here, man. 

7) The Patriots’ success began with “The Tuck Rule.” The Falcons’ success began with “The Dirty Bird.”

A team of scientists from the Institute for the Discovery of Something has examined this statement, and determined that it is exactly nothing. 

8) Brady announced that his 9-year-old son Jack has a certain cool NFL running back on his fantasy team. That running back is the Falcons’ Devonta Freeman.

The team of scientists from the Institute for the Discovery of Something just read this and committed suicide, because it is so thoroughly nothing that they realized their entire careers have been meaningless.

9) Off the field, the Patriots often wear ski caps with fuzzy balls on top that make them look like 12-year-olds. The Falcons wear dark caps with “The Hood” imprinted in red, which is short for the “Brotherhood” theme preached by Coach Dan Quinn. 

You’re only at the ninth reason (out of 20) that the Patriots are evil and the Falcons are good and you are Mr. Incredible-style reaching for “preferred head wear.” Sure you don’t want to rethink the premise?

10) LeGarrette Blount, New England’s star running back, has quit his way to the Super Bowl. When he was unhappy in Pittsburgh in 2014, he walked off the field before the end of a game and was kicked off the team, only to be signed by the Patriots three days later. The Falcons’ two running backs, Freeman and Tevin Coleman, selflessly share carries and catches and even touchdown celebrations, with Quinn using video of one of their end-zone hugs for inspiration.

Blount has had his ups and downs, temperament-wise. But why do Freeman and Coleman get points here for sharing carries? They don’t call the plays. And Blount shares carries with Lewis and White. What are we even doing here? (Answer, for me: procrastinating from real work.)

11) Asked if he knew any Lady Gaga songs, Belichick responded “Next.”Asked the same question, Freeman said excitedly, “Lady Gaga? Of course, that’s Lady Gaga!”

Not caring about Lady Gaga = evil. Knowing about Lady Gaga = good.

12) Less than 24 hours before kickoff in the 2012 Super Bowl against the New York Giants, the Patriots infamously cut Tiquan Underwood, a wide receiver so devoted he had the team logo cut into his hair. The Falcons aren’t cutting people, they’re adding them, with owner Blank flying about 150 employees to the Super Bowl game with rooms and tickets at a cost of more than $1 million.

The Patriots aren’t bringing anyone. The Patriots are luring orphans to the game with fake tickets just to laugh in their faces when they are turned away. The Patriots cut a guy five years ago. The Falcons have never cut anyone. The Falcons have a roster of 4,000 players on the payroll because they care. No one from the Falcons has ever made an illegal three-point turn. The Patriots yell at dogs for no reason. The Falcons founded Doctors Without Borders.

13) The Patriots’ most famous cheerleaders are the dudes who dress up in Revolutionary War attire and shoot muskets in the end zones. They once fired off a round during a kickoff that so startled the opposing team that a complaint was filed to the league office and the guns were silenced except for after scores. The offended team was the Falcons. The Falcons’ most famous cheerleader is Samuel L. Jackson, who performs in a pregame “Rise Up” video in which he sounds like he just discovered snakes on a plane.

Yes, you correctly remembered that Samuel L. Jackson was in “Snakes on a Plane.” Well done. Then you used it as a way to suggest that the Falcons are “good” instead of “evil” (represented here by having Revolutionary War cosplayers standing in the endzone). Not well done. Badly done.

14) The Patriots are known for the giant touchdown spike of Rob Gronkowski, who will miss this Super Bowl because of a back injury. The Falcons generally allow their offensive linemen to deliver the touchdown spikes in honor of their shared effort. The linemen actually brag about who can bounce the ball highest. Ryan Schraeder, a tackle, even posted photos of one of his spikes on the walls of the team practice facility.

The implication here is that the Patriots are evil because their tight end is injured. That is reason 14 that the Patriots are evil. Gronkowski, who spikes footballs after touchdowns, is hurt. Reason 14.

15) The Patriots brag about following “The Patriot Way.”The Falcons brag that their 74-year-old owner boogies with the team after games, with Blank admitting, “I love to dance, I look like a chicken.”

I think, now that we are at #15, here, that this might have been better if you had just listed “reasons to love the Falcons” or something. The point-counterpoint thing is where you got into trouble. Thank God we’re done, though, because oh wait we’re not close to being done.

16) One of Brady’s nicknames, “Tom Terrific,” was lifted from former New York Mets pitcher Tom Seaver. Ryan’s nickname, “Matty Ice,” is the completely original idea of some of his high school buddies from Penn Charter School in Philadelphia.

I want you to go back to the beginning of this piece, that you have written, and remind yourself of your own premise. The premise is: The Patriots are Evil and the Falcons are Good. Right? Okay. Now come back and look at reason #16 that you cite as evidence of that premise. Tom Brady’s nickname was also used for Tom Seaver. Matt Ryan’s nickname was given to him from some of his friends. Does that fit your premise?

And by the way, “Matty Ice” is pretty clearly a ripoff of “Natty Ice,” a slang name for Natural Light Beer, and a catch-all term for any awful, high-alcohol, poor-tasting beverage. I’ll just go ahead and show you what the Urban Dictionary has to say about it:

So, piece of good evidence #16 that you cite, to make your claim that the Patriots are evil and the Falcons are good, is that the Falcons’ QB’s nickname is a reference to something that is cheap, dangerous, of low quality, and vomit-inducing.

17) Two of the last big postseason defeats suffered by Brady came at the arms of quarterbacks Peyton and Eli Manning. Ryan said this week that two of his closest mentors, through texting and phone calls, are Peyton and Eli Manning.

“And therefore, your honor, and members of the jury, I have proven beyond the shadow of a doubt that the Patriots are evil and the Falcons are good. The prosecution rests.”

“Sir, it’s four in the morning and you are very drunk. Please leave this Cheesecake Factory.”

18) The Patriots’ locker room is a stark, somber testament to one of their mantras, “Do Your Job.” When the Falcons redesigned their locker room last summer, they brought in a ping-pong table. It became so popular, there are now three.

It’s been a while since I did one of these, and I forget: what’s dumber: the journalist for writing a piece like this or me for spending the time to comment on it? I honestly don’t remember. It’s me, right? I’m dumber?

19) The Patriots defeated the Rams by 16 points. The Falcons defeated the Rams by 28 points and, if this seems like a completely irrelevant comparison, it’s been 22 years since I could make fun of our football team in a Super Bowl story, so bear with me.

Literally don’t even know what this means. Completely lost. It’s definitely not a “reason” why the Pats are evil and the Falcons are good. I mean, if you are a Rams fan, wouldn’t you prefer the team that only beat them by 16? It’s almost like the “20 Reasons Why” gambit was a bad idea!

20) If the Patriots win Sunday, they made it clear they will not be comfortable accepting the Lombardi Trophy from Commissioner Roger Goodell, whom they blame for the Deflategate debacle. Tom Brady Sr., the quarterback’s father, recently reflected this sentiment when he called Goodell a liar and said, “Somebody that has Roger Goodell’s ethics doesn’t belong on any stage that Tom Brady is on.” The Falcons will gladly accept the trophy from anybody. It would, after all, be their first.

Reasons!

[auburnfamilynews]

Julie Bennett-USA TODAY Sports

Road underdogs, time to kick this season off.

So, we’re 3-0. Cool. Couple of wins over Kent State and Tulane followed the big victory over Oregon, but now it’s time for SEC play.

Candidly, the College and Mag group chat has been nervous this week. There were times when we didn’t have a ton of confidence in the Tigers as they head out to College Station. However, if you think we’re not collectively Barning Hard, you’re sadly, sadly mistaken.

#8 Auburn @ #16 Texas A&M (-4) (O/U 48)

Here we go, folks. Auburn’s first real test. Yes, the opening week battle in Arlington mattered, and Oregon is certainly a great team that tested Auburn to its limits. However, nothing matters more than SEC wins, and nothing prepares a true freshman quarterback for his first game in a hostile environment. Bo Nix will be behind an offensive line that may not have great chemistry. He’ll have to overcome communication issues. I would expect a few false starts and delay of game penalties.

Auburn has one of the best defenses in the country, including (probably) the best defensive line. Kellen Mond had a QBR of 73 and 87.3 against Lamar and Texas State, respectively. However, against Clemson, that number dropped all the way to 59.8. I don’t think he’ll ever get comfortable enough to throw with ease against our line. However, this take depends on the health of Derrick Brown. Auburn’s superstar, future first rounder needs to have an impact tomorrow night. Auburn will need him at 100%. Auburn 30, Texas A&M 28.

-Josh Dub

It’s a huge weekend for both Auburn and Texas A&M. Auburn looks to silence the many critics from the fanbase while A&M looks to avoid it’s 2nd loss after 4 weeks. This is the first road environment that Bo Nix will face as a collegiate. We saw signs of the running back being more efficient last week but can they do that against an SEC defense? Will the Offensive Line be able to block for Boobee Whitlow, Bo Nix and others? On defense, I would expect Derrick Brown to play but if not, Tyrone Truesdell has stepped up big time along with Marlon Davidson and others on the D-Line. There’s no Trayveon Williams at Running Back but there is Kendrick Rogers at Wide Receiver. How will Iggy and Roger McCreary matchup on him and the other Aggie receivers? Clemson held them to 10 points and I think Auburn can do just enough to come out of College Station with a huge win! Auburn 27 Texas A&M 21.

-Will McLaughlin

In my pretend expert opinion, there are 3 swing games that will determine whether this is a good, average or bad year for the Tigers

@ A&M

@ UF

vs UGA

As of today, it’s hard to feel great about Auburn’s chances winning on the road in Baton Rouge or beating Bama. That’s not to say they can’t or won’t do either. It’s just recognizing that AU hasn’t won in Death Valley in 20 years and Alabama’s offense having the pieces to exploit some vulnerabilities in Auburn’s defense. The rest of the games SHOULD be wins even if they end up closer than we like. That leaves those 3 contests as vitally important.

Go 3-0 and all of a sudden those other two look very winnable or at least you got a 10 win regular season. 2-1 is what I am expecting which would likely lead to a 9+ win regular season giving AU chance at a 10th win in a bowl. 1-2 is danger zone and puts Auburn in the worst place. A coach sitting on possibly another 8-4/7-5 season with a buyout that isn’t necessarily reasonable to make a move on. 0-3 and it’s time to fire up the coaching hot boards.

As for A&M, this game holds similar importance. Only the Aggies and Gamecocks can challenge Auburn’s claim for toughest schedule in America. A&M has already gone on the road and lost to Clemson. They still have to host Alabama and finish the season with road games in Athens and Baton Rouge. Lose this game and Jimbo is staring down the barrel of a 7-5 year at best. They didn’t pay him that ungodly contract for more Sumlin success.

All that to say, I expect both teams to empty every round they have in their chamber to ensure they come away with a victory. Gus has undoubtedly put some things on film to setup big plays down the road. Pull em out now if you got em. Starting the SEC gauntlet with this type of a win can be the energy shot you need to go onto have a special season. Lose and you have to wonder if you got what it takes to compete against the best this season.

Matchup wise, I expect this game to be dominated by defense. A&M and Auburn both have outstanding front 7s who excel at smothering the opposing rushing attack. The Aggies are down their starting RB, have an inconsistent QB, some questions still on the offensive line and a case of the dropsies at wideout. Auburn has an inconsistent OL, a true freshman QB starting on road for the first time, questions at running back and could be down their best wide receiver. If either team reaches 30 points I will be shocked.

Before the season I had this penciled in as a loss. First road game for Bo vs a defense that dominated most of last year’s matchup before Jarrett Stidham caught fire. Add in Gus’s general struggles to be ranked teams on the road and it’s easy to see why the Aggies would be the favorite.

BUT WE BARN HARD HERE DAMNIT

Until this team falls on their face I am going to keep believing. I actually trust Bo more than Mond in the big moments and I think Auburn’s defense will prove more elite than the Aggies’. Nix leads another remarkable 4th quarter drive to put AU up late and the defense stands tall to seal the victory. AU escapes College Station with a very important first SEC win. Auburn 23 A&M 20.

-AU Nerd

At first blush, I really don’t like this game. Yeah, yeah, true freshman, first road start, salty d-line vs French Army-esque Offensive line trying to protect said freshman, blah blah blah. The main thing I will be watching for is to see if Seth Williams and Derrick Brown are both in the game and can give meaningful minutes to both sides of the ball. I am going to go against my better judgement because I want to believe and get hurt again. Auburn straight up and take the under. Tigers 24-16.

-Drew Mac

There are so many unknowns for Auburn in this game. Do Derrick Brown, Seth Williams, and Tega play? Do none of them play? You could argue those three guys are the most irreplaceable players on the roster, and Auburn will need all three of them to win. Is Bo Nix ready to stand up to an SEC pass rush? Oregon gave him trouble a few weeks ago in his first career start, but A&M will probably do a better job of shutting down the run game than the Ducks, putting the offense in Bo’s hands. Ultimately, this is an early season elimination game for these two teams. The winner will cement themselves as a contender in the West with LSU and Alabama, and the loser will more than likely become the #4 team in the division. And trust me, either team that loses this game will have a restless fan base.

I’m a firm believer in Auburn’s defense right now. The few busts they’ve made in the last two games have been when the secondary is over-aggressive in chasing interceptions, something I think will begin to pay off soon. Mond has thrown a pick in every game so far this season, and if the defense can pull one in with good field position, that will be the difference in the game. Otherwise, Arryn Siposs will have his hands (legs?) full trying to win a punting battle with A&M punter Braden Mann, a battle I’m not sure we can win. Auburn’s not losing to Aggy, though. 24-14 Tigers.

-Ryan Sterritt

This feels like an impossible pick. My head is telling me one thing and my heart is pulling hard for another. I look at this game as a continuation of what I’ve said for the first three games of the year…what Auburn does will dictate victory or defeat.

Texas A&M is a quality opponent with a QB in his second year of a complex, successful system that is known for one thing above all others…getting that QB paid in the NFL, deserving or not. Kellen Mond is a far cry from some of Jimbo’s better QB’s at FSU, but he is absolutely capable of making enough throws to beat some of the better teams in the SEC. A&M’s rushing attack has taken a hit with the loss of Vernon Jackson, who is likely to never play football again. I expect A&M to still attempt to establish the run early, and build in the play-action game and 3-5 Mond runs to attempt to keep the Auburn defense honest. I have no idea what to expect from A&M’s defense aside from a strong inside presence at the line of scrimmage. GOOD THING RUNNING INSIDE HASN’T BEEN A PROBLEM FOR US OR ANYTHING!

Here’s where I’m at with my head…Auburn’s rushing attack is mindlessly frustrating to watch. The play-calling has been fine in my opinion, it’s simply that the execution has been lacking due to proper personnel to run even the Inside Zone, a staple of Gus’ offense. Bo Nix has been coached to not read the entire field by this point as we’re trying to bring him along at a pace that limits his ability to go full Favre and force throws that can cost us a game. And Auburn’s defense has struggled mightily early on in games against a scripted offense. This game is on the road in an environment that is far less daunting than people like to recognize because it’s not as loud as you’d think. Playing at A&M is like playing at Arkansas or Alabama. They get loud but they don’t stay loud. I’m never going to be accused of being totally objective, but if I was going with my head I would take A&M 24 Auburn 16, as I expect our offensive line to struggle and Bo Nix to have to put the team on his back yet again. He’s capable, but it’s starting to ask a lot of a true freshman if he doesn’t have any help on the ground.

Fortunately for you, dear reader, and for my sanity’s sake, I’m not picking with my head. Reason being is that there are so many keys to this game that can very easily push us over the top that my heart believes we will check off just enough of these boxes to get the W. That being said, here are Auburn’s keys to victory:

Rush for 150 yards or more – Just give us something of a push in the middle, OL, and we dictate this game.

The presence of a true alternate every down back in DJ Williams. Whitlow needs some help, and DJ is the best shot we have to add a spark in the ground game. I’d like to see him get 5-8 carries to spell Boobie and give us more than a change of pace back there.

Defense needs to impose their will up front early, play smarter on the screens, and get off the field on 3rd down…especially early in each half so that we force the Aggie sideline to get off the script and actually work to sustain drives. If we win battles with our defense early, it’s going to be a good day.

Give Roger McCreary some snaps in place of Javaris Davis on the outside. He’s earned it and has been the more consistent of the two these past 3 weeks.

GIVE US SOME HANG TIME…punt coverage is poor. Don’t give them a chance.

Involve Joey Gatewood in the game with the 1’s and LET HIM THROW 2-3 PASSES. Bo is our starter. That’s not going to change and I don’t think it should. But Joey provides us a spark and gives us something on the ground that can extend plays/drives. He needs to be more involved on Saturday.

Anthony Schwartz needs to be targeted in multiple routes this week to free up some double coverage on Seth and/or Eli. Also, if there was ever a time for a crossing pattern to rejoin the Auburn offense, this weekend would be a good time to start.

Don’t put out kicker into a position where he’s kicking outside of 45 yards. With this defense, a punt to pin Mond and Co. deep is not the worst option.

HANG ON TO THE DADGUM FOOTBALL FOR THE LOVE OF GOD PLEASE BOOBIE I CAN’T TAKE SEEING YOU PUT ANOTHER ONE ON THE GROUND OR ELSE I MAY LOSE MY MIND.

Honestly, if Auburn checks off boxes 1 & 3 from above they win this game. It’ll be close, but that’s what has to happen for us to get out of Aggieland with a W and set this season up for some real, legitimate hope. I’m not ready to give validity to tweets from a literal crazy person out in California about a member of the Board of Trustees. I’m not going to get into a mindset of thinking Auburn needs to make a change. I believe this program is doing the best it can on the field, and I’m going to believe that our personnel issues are fixable, both in this season and beyond. This football season is too dang young for all of that negative nonsense. Furthermore, the grass on this side of things is greener than some want to admit. We’ve never lose in College Station, and that enabling, lying, snake of a head coach over there may be getting rich off of A&M’s stupidity, but it sure doesn’t mean he should have another day of happiness at our expense. We’re going to win this game and it is going to give us some serious momentum to survive the next few weeks. Auburn 24 Texas A&M 20.

-Josh Black

This is the first(or second if you count Oregon) in a long line of real tests Auburn will face this season. If they come out of this one unscathed, it will say a lot about the TIgers’ prospects for the rest of the season. I say this not because I think Texas A&M is particularly good, but because they have a strength (defensive line) that is matched up against our biggest weakness (offensive line). This is also a huge test for Bo Nix. Kyle Field is loud. Not nearly as loud and wild as advertised (I was there in 2013, in field level, in their student section, so I feel pretty comfortable with my sample size) but still loud. This could be pretty daunting for a true freshman. However, Bo is not your average true freshman and I think he goes on the road and continues to show the unflappability he’s shown all year and the good guys get the win. Tigers 28 - Fake Military Bros 17.

-AU Chief

Gus’ record in “big games” is something his fiercest detractors (read:idiots) usually bring up. The problem is, the goalpost of “big game” is often moved after Gus wins the game. This is a big game. It’s a big game just like Oregon was a big game. Win this game and the probability that Auburn wins 9 or more games this season goes way up. I’m not josh dub, but I’m pretty sure that’s true. If Auburn loses this game, it will need to beat some teams a sight better than the aggies to get to 9 wins. Guys, 9-10 wins is the goal. An unbiased observer would look at this Auburn schedule and think a 9-10 win season would earn a parade through Toomer’s corner. If Gus goes 2-0 through the first two tests of this young season then buddy we have a chance for this to be a special year.

I think Aggy will score on us. Not like 40 points or anything, but I don’t see us shutting them down to two scoring drives or anything like that. Mond is real good. He’s gonna get his. Often times, you have to take away the weaker aspect of a team in order to limit the damage the stronger aspect can do to you. This is one of those times. If Auburn can’t completely shut down Aggy’s ability to run the ball at all, making them one-dimensional, then I think Auburn can score enough on offense to keep up.

On offense, I think this is the game Bo Nix is let loose. Or at least I hope it is. Auburn can’t afford to get one dimensional itself, and Bo Nix finding five or six different receivers this game might be what Auburn needs. I hope he can do it. I hope he’s allowed to do it.

I’m picking Auburn because I genuinely think the defense is great and because I hate the aggies. Auburn 30 Aggy 23.

-Son of Crow

I think Auburn has more talent and has the best “group” in the matchup (their defensive line). The reason’s for concern is whether or not Auburn’s running game is really coming around, and Auburn starting a true freshman quarterback. I think Gus keeps things close to the vest, leans on the running game and a (LORD I HOPE) improved punt game than the first two weeks. If this goes over, it’s because Auburn had to cut the offense loose and the defense didn’t get enough stops. Auburn 23, Texas A&M 17. (Auburn wins and covers, UNDER)

-James Jones

In much the same way that Oregon was kind of our first test of the year, it’s so hard to put a ton of stock into first games. Last year, we beat Washington and lost a couple weeks later to LSU. This A&M team isn’t as good as that LSU team, but we’re on the road this weekend. There are still a ton of questions about Auburn, and I don’t know if we’ve seen ample answers through the previous two games, wherein I’m positive that Gus Malzahn sharpie-d out like 95% of his playbook because he knew he wouldn’t need it.

We need to just flip to the back half of it for tomorrow, and let Bo run the dipsy-doodle and the kitchen sink and the razzmatazz zoomberry express. If he makes a mistake, it means he learns now instead of later. It’ll likely happen anyway, so let’s get it out of the way, and who knows... it could end up great. I’m hoping that we’ve been getting him used to the college game and now we’re going to let him show what he can really do with the full capability of this offense. Of course, the offensive line and skill position injuries could be a problem. Ugh.

Defensively, I don’t think Clemson’s defense is much better (if at all) than ours, so I’m confident that we can hold A&M to two touchdowns or less. I think the offense gets two or more touchdowns, and as much as Ryan Sterritt loves Aggie punter Braden Mann (weird idol, Ryan), I like Christian Tutt more. We get a special teams touchdown and a couple field goals, and it’s a more comfortable win than we expect. Auburn to 4-0 with a 27-14 win.

-Jack Condon

from College and Magnolia - All Posts https://www.collegeandmagnolia.com/2019/9/20/20875098/staff-picks-8-auburn-16-texas-a-m