Auburn / West Virginia

[TheD.I.G.]

Just info to factor in for handicapping the game:

Paul Rhodes (DC) - Coached Pittsburgh last year and shut down West Virginia in the last game.

Auburn's coming off a bye week

Auburn has sucked at offense. Maybe 2 weeks into the "new" offense they can get things going. They have some talent on that side of the ball. WR Dunn will play this week.

Several players on the defense were injured during the Tennessee, Vandy, and Arkansas games. Blackmon (MLB) is out for the year, but his replacement may be better Bynes, CB Powers should be back, DT SenDerrick Marks & Antonio Coleman should play

I like AU +3 or more, but until the offense shows some life I can't put money on the Tigers. Maybe most importantly I don't like betting against home teams on Thursday and I believe West Virginia has a good history for Thursday night home games (Going off Vague memory)

Just a little info from the AU side of it. Any thoughts?

 

[georgiasluke]

This game is strange to me and a real tough call.....Coming into the year I had this game marked thinking WVA would be much better than they have thus far and that they'd steal this game (just a hunch); however, you make some good points with respect to the defensive scheme, bye-week, etc.

Both teams have obviously underachieved.....

One one hand, Pat White will be back this game first and foremost.

But, will Auburn really lose 3 straight? Then again, they not only lost to Vanderbuilt for the first time in 13 years, but also fecking Arkansas--maybe the worst team in the SEC. In addition, Kody Burns is now the starting QB for AU and he hasn't proven he can move the ball whatsoever, PARTICULARLY in the passing game (maybe the bye-week will help, but he looked pretty rough, and after all, how much can one week really help?).

As for Bynes, he's been starting for a couple of weeks now, but I agree with you in that he's rock solid and certainly no downgrade.

Moreover, the only thing I can possibly compare here is that GA Tech runs the same offense as WVA, and GTech ran ALL OVER Miss St, which Auburn struggled to do against even Miss St (we all remember the 3-2 baseball score in that game).

Finally, WVA has had excellent success in recent years against the SEC (ala UGA a few years ago and Miss St last year--WVA took them to the woodshed as I recall).

This game is too iffy IMO and anyone who bets it is really just throwing money to throw money. Too many variables no one can predict. Looks like a good game for a 2ndH bet to me.

georgiasluke

 

[CoachCB]

Staying off of this as well. Too tough to call. Who knows what in the hell is going on w/ Auburn's offense? And who knows which WV team will show up? Hard to call here... no play....


(Here I go again!)....

---

 

[PhillyMan]

I believe we will see a much improved Auburn team this week and getting points against this West Virg. team is an absolute gift to me. They will score points off this bye and we all know what to expect from their defense. Take Auburn +3 and feel pretty confident going into this game with that wager. Gl.:toast:

 

[919]

Moreover, the only thing I can possibly compare here is that GA Tech runs the same offense as WVA, and GTech ran ALL OVER Miss St, which Auburn struggled to do against even Miss St (we all remember the 3-2 baseball score in that game).

ga tech runs trip option...wvu spread option mostly out of the gun, and are using more I formation as of late...

 

[theerodfather]

Wv

guys i will be at this game thursday night in morgantown.i will be driving up there late tomorrow from charlotte,nc and meeting four close friends.i will let you know of any info i can find out to help out.leaving lake norman and heading into the cold wv weather.talk soon.

THEERODFATHER

 

[nd2000]

Stay 5000 miles away from this game. Nearly impossible to pick. Hard to tell who will win the battle at the line of scrimmage IMO. That is typically where your winner comes from.

 

[Fischer]

Stay 5000 miles away from this game. Nearly impossible to pick. Hard to tell who will win the battle at the line of scrimmage IMO. That is typically where your winner comes from.

Auburn's o line will be running a lot more out of the 3pt stance vs 2pt with the spread.

Look for auburn to take more snaps under center, run the ball more, pass vertically and run out of the huddle. These are auburn's strengths and will win the game for auburn, if they are able to implement them successfully on a bye week.

Tubs works best as an underdog, but still a very tricky game to pick

 

[billbeater]

guys i will be at this game thursday night in morgantown.i will be driving up there late tomorrow from charlotte,nc and meeting four close friends.i will let you know of any info i can find out to help out.leaving lake norman and heading into the cold wv weather.talk soon.

THEERODFATHER

cold, wv weather would be cushy as hell coming from new york, but damn they are dumb down there!
Rod, could you please not post Auburn as a play? so that i can CASH....

 

[WVUCarter]

I'm heading to the game also. WVU's OC has been a total waste this year and not opened up the offense for Pat White like he promised. Auburn coming off a buy and firing their OC will get back to the basics and try to pound the ball and open up the play action pass against a questionable WVU secondary. I'll be at the game so no need for me to put money on it, and would probably recommend everyone lay off this one as well.

Gooooooo WVU!!!!

 

[newmeat]

Auburn's o line will be running a lot more out of the 3pt stance vs 2pt with the spread.

Look for auburn to take more snaps under center, run the ball more, pass vertically and run out of the huddle. These are auburn's strengths and will win the game for auburn, if they are able to implement them successfully on a bye week.

Hey Fisch - what makes you think this is the case?

Tubs works best as an underdog, but still a very tricky game to pick

Agreed on both counts here.

 

[jimmytiger]

more info

from birmingham, AL.

i too heard this morning on local talk radio that AU would be running their more "traditional" offense this week and that the lineman would go back to their 3-point technique.

also it was interesting to hear that AU planned to cut more plays from their playbook with the attitude that they'd only run plays that had success in prior games/practice.

i don't have an opinion if this helps or hurts.

 

[Fischer]

Hey Fisch - what makes you think this is the case?



Agreed on both counts here.

This is what i hear from people who regularly attend the practices

 

[howar054]

Auburn is not putting in a new offense, they are sticking to the spread. However, they will run the ball more so than they have

 

[howar054]

i teased Auburn to +9.5 and Under 44.5. WV only scored 3 pts on East Carolina and Auburn cant score to save there lives. I also too Auburn (+135) $$ line

 

[jimmytiger]

Auburn players pleased with slimmer offensive playbook
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
CHARLES GOLDBERG
News staff writer

AUBURN - Lightweight, toned down and as familiar as an old friend.

Wide receiver Rod Smith likes the feel of Auburn's new playbook.

Auburn's New Book of Offense has been chopped down to a more manageable size since the departure of offensive coordinator Tony Franklin two weeks ago today. Also, practicing the same play again and again and correcting mistakes in practice have become paramount, not an afterthought.

Thursday's game at West Virginia will be the second without Franklin, but the first the remaining coaching staff had time to impose its will at practice. Players say the offensive linemen should be happier, now that they're being allowed to line up in a three-point stance for running plays; running backs should be happier, now that they may get a bigger role; and quarterbacks should be delighted, now that the passing game isn't as complex.

Auburn is hoping its addition by subtraction, because most of the math this season hasn't added up for the Tigers, who are 107th in the nation in total offense. It's unclear what the new plan will bring, but the players have apparently rallied around the new approach.

"We have to be for each other," Smith said. "If we're not for each other, who's going to be with us?"

With that in mind, the old offensive approach, which received high praise in August, receives little support today.

"I think before I kind of just felt like we were out there running plays. We didn't really know what our strategy going into the game would be," said offensive lineman Jason Bosley.

Tailback Tristan Davis said earlier in the week that "sometimes, how things were, we were guessing. We really weren't 100 percent sure."

Quarterback Kodi Burns added, "We're executing things we're really good at."

Smith said the smaller playbook isn't filled with deadwood.

"If we're not running a play right, we're going to cut it out. I think we ran a screen yesterday and we didn't complete it, and that play is kicked out. If it's not going to work out, it's gone."

What's going on? Smith takes you to practice.

"It's a lot different from what it was when Coach Franklin was here. If we didn't run a play right, sometimes we'd just run the next play. We just had to keep moving on.

"With the few plays that we're going to be running, it's going to be a lot better. Everybody out there knows what we're going to be doing."

The new game plan is simple now.

"Whatever works, we're going to play it," Smith said.

 

[Fischer]

"It's a lot different from what it was when Coach Franklin was here. If we didn't run a play right, sometimes we'd just run the next play. We just had to keep moving on.

Ive heard this quote a lot this week and it all seems to make sense now why things didn't work with Franklin. The players now seem surprised to have to run a play over and over until they get it right.

 

[Fischer]

Just info to factor in for handicapping the game:

Paul Rhodes (DC) - Coached Pittsburgh last year and shut down West Virginia in the last game.

Auburn's coming off a bye week

Auburn has sucked at offense. Maybe 2 weeks into the "new" offense they can get things going. They have some talent on that side of the ball. WR Dunn will play this week.

Several players on the defense were injured during the Tennessee, Vandy, and Arkansas games. Blackmon (MLB) is out for the year, but his replacement may be better Bynes, CB Powers should be back, DT SenDerrick Marks & Antonio Coleman should play

I like AU +3 or more, but until the offense shows some life I can't put money on the Tigers. Maybe most importantly I don't like betting against home teams on Thursday and I believe West Virginia has a good history for Thursday night home games (Going off Vague memory)

Just a little info from the AU side of it. Any thoughts?

WV is coming off a bye week as well

 

[wvgolfeer]

Auburn does have one thing going for them...



Bill Stewart is on the opposing sideline. This experiment can't end soon enough.

 

[Timyg]

guys i will be at this game thursday night in morgantown.i will be driving up there late tomorrow from charlotte,nc and meeting four close friends.i will let you know of any info i can find out to help out.leaving lake norman and heading into the cold wv weather.talk soon.

THEERODFATHER

i live in lake norman also... the hell if i would leave to go to cold ass wv