The Auburn Football team is 2-0 on the season, ranked #18 and heading into SEC play. However, in the history of football fandom, you may never find a more pessimistic fan base of a top 25 team after two weeks of play. Some Auburn fans are already chalking this season up as a lost cause based on the teams lackluster performance the first two weeks. I am here to put a stop to all this pessimism and give you some reasons to not storm the football building with torch and pitchfork quite yet.
1. It is EARLY.
Auburn has played a grand total of two football games this year. You never expect a team to be in full stride at this time of the season. Auburn is running new schemes on both sides of the ball, and it takes running those schemes in game situations to really drill it into the players. While, yes, the Tigers have looked lackluster to say the least, there are at least 11 more football games to be played this year. We are FAR from panic time here on the plains.
2. The team isn’t fully healthy.
Auburn has been missing many key starters for much of the first two games this year. DE Carl Lawson didn’t play much against Louisville and didn’t even suit up against Jacksonville State. S Tray Matthews sat out against Jacksonville State. OL Avery Young sat out against Jacksonville State. DB Joshua Holsey sat out against Louisville and wasn’t 100 percent against Jacksonville State. RB Roc Thomas is banged up. RB Jovon Robinson is banged up. Cassanova McKinzy is banged up, but is toughing it out to make huge plays in both pass defense and rushing the passer. Every single one of these guys are major contributors to their side of the ball. Once they come back 100 percent healthy and can contribute, this team will be better.
3. This team is YOUNG.
We will take the defense as the prime example of this. On Saturday against Jacksonville State, nine freshman or redshirt freshman saw action. On offense, three freshman saw time, with Chandler Cox earning the start at H-Back. In the SEC, experience is key, and the only way to gain that experience is to put these young players in key situations and allow them to sink or swim. They will be better football players down the road because of it.
4. This team has veteran leadership.
While this team is very young, there is also veteran leadership at key positions. Blake Countess, Jonathon Jones and Rudy Ford all have a wealth of game-time experience in the defensive backfield. Cassanova McKinzy, Kris Frost and Justin Garrett are all seniors in the linebacker position. Montravious Adams, Carl Lawson and DaVonte Lambert are very experienced pass rushers. Duke Willams, Ricardo Louis, Melvin Ray and Marcus Davis lead the wide receivers with lots of game experience. Jeremy Johnson has experience, and is learning invaluable lessons from some of his lackluster decision-making early this season. Payton Barber is running like a man possessed from the backfield. All of this experience and talent is a great thing, and Auburn will rely on these players to lead this football team.
5. Auburn has the two best coordinators in football.
Gus Malzahn and Will Muschamp are the best at what they do. Period. Their track records speak for themselves, and I don’t even really feel like I need to explain myself here.
Those are just five reasons why Auburn Football fans shouldn’t throw in the towel yet. There is A LOT of football left to be played this season, and Auburn has enough talent to compete with whoever is lined up opposite of them. This team is not done, not by a long shot. So let’s pump the breaks, Auburn fans. Let’s get ready to play some football.
War Eagle, y’all.
