Auburn/Cal Reaction: Some things don't go as planned

[Music] it is Sunday afternoon in Auburn Alabama you are listening to live from the plains I am Daniel lock this is Logan Fowler not a great day for Auburn fans yesterday as the Tigers fall 21- 14 at the hands of the California Golden Bears we're going to break all that down and more but yeah let's just get into it Logan how are you today doing good man it's a pretty day outside um feeling good man can't complain nope um beautiful day looking forward going and hitting some golf balls after we uh finish up here in a little bit um full disclaimer this is our second take of recording this show today right as soon as we finished up the first time I um accidentally deleted the whole thing because that's just the kind of weekend that's been in Auburn Alabama so what a fitting week that this would be the time where that happens even though I've never done that before and there's no chance in hell I ever make this mistake again MH but albon Cal didn't go as plan for the home team did it Logan no no it did not um you know I don't think very many people were expecting that um you know obviously Auburn was trying to show a little bit of a different product against Cal than they did a year ago in Berkeley um and they did not do that real quick an Alburn related storyline I'd like to point out year Auburn Legend Richard Fitz made his major league debut for the Boston Red Sox today and 6.1 Innings on the mound he gave up one earned run against the Chicago White Socks anyone who knows me love knows how much I love all Boston sports teams particularly the Boston Red Sox so really happy to see him performing well for my favorite team and yeah that was the good news of the day now we've got to uh get into something that a lot of our people listening who are probably all Auburn fans two notable exceptions would be my parents who are both alums of the University of Alabama this will probably be their favorite show we do all year unless we're having a similar conversation after the iron balll but for the majority of our viewers SL listeners who love the Tigers this won't be a very fun show yeah um hate to have to make you relive relive this but uh you know got some thoughts on it got to unpack it so give me your takeaways hit me with it um you know obviously very poor offensive play um that's just that's that's what it amounts to um I'll go I'll talk about the defense first because you know the defense they Mendoza and you got to give credit to him I mean the guy was 19 for 21 205 yards in the first half I mean him and him and his receivers were on the same page and Auburn had no answer you know they scored those two early touchdowns um I mean they were getting Auburn Auburn's defense was getting lit up in that first half um you know they were they were bottling Jaden a up and uh that running game so I mean they they they they were stopping the running game it was just you know nothing was um there was what was it what do they two I know the first incompletion that he threw was a was a a throwaway yep um and then it was like that for a while until he uh you know misom completed another one but any you know you gotta give DJ Durkin credit on how he handled those in-game adjustments and got his guys out there um ready to play that second half of that game cuz Mendoza after lighting them up in the first half had 28 yards passing um in in that second half of that game so I mean you know you got to give those guys credit give that defensive staff credit and and those players for buying into it um you know they they got the stops when it mattered they um they gave the the offense ample opportunity to score the ball especially late in that game I mean they came up time and time again um and I kind of feel like this is a recurring conversation that alurn um fans beat Riders you know people associated with Auburn football have um you know every year but um you know it's just I think the thing the thing for me is especially in today's age you know like with with with all spread the RPO um Dynamic passing games you know for your defense to hold a power four opponent to 21 points on the football game and in in the contest and you don't win it there's no excuse for that not not not today um if you can't score more than 21 points you don't deserve to win the football game in the first place especially when you're in your home stadium um and you've got 83 I mean 88,000 people you know backing you up um there's no excuse to to have not shown up and won that football game in the end um when it mattered so agreed and they had ample opportunity to do so yeah um you know obviously that first drive that Alburn offense comes out and they um they line it up they get the 41 yard bomb down the sideline to cam Coleman um VTO far weather had a nice catch over the middle to get it get it all going and then they C that drive off with the uh was like 15 yard or to kls over there um just an outstanding remarkable catch um on that play and um you know after watching that drive you're probably thinking man I mean here they go again they're going to light it up again today picking picking right up where they left off in week one um then that was not the case I mean I tweeted out Thorn threw for 106 yards on the first two drives um and I tweeted out that he threw that's that that6 yards that he threw for on those first two drives were more than he threw for in six games last year as Auburn starter and I tweeted out right below that I was like man this this Auburn offense is night and day different than a season ago um that obviously did not hold to be true I had to uh I went back and retweeted that after the game you know so this this did not age very well but um yeah man I mean it was a combination of a whole lot of things uh obviously the main storyline is pyton Thorne um he you know he ends the day with four interceptions um now I mean one of those is kind of you know not necessarily all on him um but a couple of those were they were bad they were they were they were bad balls um you know obviously like I said combination of things between thorn in that offensive line and um no no you didn't really establish a running game I mean it it it showed up in spurts um but you you would run you know you'd have two runs in a row for you know a decent amount of yards and then you take another shot down the field it's just there was no really there was no rhythm in that offense at all yesterday um I kind of go back to I think it was the second or third Drive where you know Auburn's on on plus side of the field it's Fourth and two um you know I I like the decision from freeze to go for that I mean I think that that was that was fun but you take a 45 yard shot down the field um on Fourth and two and and it was not even close to being completed so I mean it was just little things like that where you know if you're if you're if you're a freeze that's where you put your foot down and you step up and and there's really no excuse for it especially in today's uh with with the helmet communication that there should ever be a play like that made on Fourth and two now I get it this is an RPO offense and and that could have been a pass tagged on to a run you know the box was probably loaded with Cal Defenders I get that but your one tag play uh or one one one option out of that run should not be a go Route 45 yards down the field I mean that's on that's on Coach freeze because I mean I don't I don't I would have to go back and rewatch that play but it was obvious that Thorne was going to going down the field to Coleman there um so so there's got to be different options there in those situations um but I mean yeah it's um combination of things I think that the quarterback issues obviously highlight today though I would agree my biggest takeaway that hasn't already been said is how similar this game feels to the to the New Mexico State game last year obviously it's not the same at least it was a for Auburn at least it was a power for opponent um and instead of you know getting demolished by mid major at home but still this not many people if anyone had predicted alurn lose this game I I jokingly did like three weeks ago you were there um but I didn't actually I didn't actually think it was going to happen that way and it's just very surprising and very unexpected and this is not the conversation I thought we would be having today yeah I mean no I didn't expect that I didn't expect the result um either I uh you know obviously it was new me uh it was Alabama A&M a week ago so I understand you know much much I mean Auburn just was so much more talented than that that program but um it's just so so crazy to see that offense go from hitting on all cylinders um scoring 73 points sorry um you're good I feel like a lot of people feel that way today yeah um seeing that offense hit on all cylinders going for 73 points and then just completely looking at on on on offense um I don't think many people saw that coming I didn't see it coming I mean I thought that that that uh I I just I just thought there was really no way with with how much more Talent there is out wide um you know we've heard all off season about how how comfortable Thorne is in this offense how comfortable Hugh FES is with Derek Nicks and Ken Austin right by his side um you know last year after a performance like this uh it kind of just seem to to get pinned on you know the talent Gap and the um the fact that Philip Montgomery and freeze you know their schemes they were meshing it together it just wasn't really working out very well well Philip Montgomery is not here anymore and uh you know freeze and nicks like I just said we've been talking all offseason about how comfortable they are and how they're on the same terminology um so it's going to be I mean where does where does it go now who who takes the blame now um you know I I think that I think that one thing that a lot of Auburn fans and one thing I noticed um in the media last year was just kind of how freeze you know after a game where he was supposed to take responsibility for for the product that was on the field um he just kind of passed it off on on other you know made it made made it seem oh you know he was a little bit too busy for you know recruiting um you know he's not really involved on in the offense it's just been so um just weird for him given up and not being involved with that offense well you know he's he's involved now so it's just I don't know it's going to be interesting to see where I mean where where the blame goes now that now that all of this talk has been um you know said throughout the offseason yeah and kind of moving on here I really wonder what this means in the quarterback room because as we were talking about the first time that we recorded this episode today something there's call for Change and let's just assume that pton Thorne goes out next week plays fine for what a Col for what a veteran quarterback should be able to do against a team like New Mexico let's assume it everything looks fine but then in the first havkins Arkansas the following week he struggles it I don't think it's fair to ask Hank Brown to go in there hasn't played a meaningful snap in his career and expect him to just extinguish the Flames yeah I mean you can't expect that he's a he's a red shirt freshman who's played um you know a handful of snaps none very meaningful in college um so I mean it's that's that's going to be interesting to see what what freeze does um you know this week what he says in his pressure what he does um in practice and it's uh I mean I think you you have to expect Hank Hank Brown to get some meaningful snaps in this New Mexico game yeah and one thing I think in instead of it more being looked at as Payton Thor and I know he free doesn't do depth charts so he says but instead of it being number one Payton Thorne number two Hank Brown I feel like now it's more like a one a1b type deal yeah I mean I mean that that leash is is short for Thor yeah after what he throws an interception against New Mexico you will see Hank Brown on the next Drive yeah I mean it's just at some point you know I think I think that it's it's also important man to you got to keep this fan base engaged yeah you've got to keep your fans coming and filling up the stadium um and supporting because you know seeing it all over over EG and social media yesterday um obviously it's going to come with a loss especially one that you shouldn't have lost but uh I mean those there there's a lot of unhappy Auburn fans um with what was put on the field yesterday especially at the quarterback position and and I'll say this um it's very disappointing that those Auburn fans have to you know continually see this product be put on the field um year in and year out they show up and they support um and and I mean if you're H free man you got to do something to keep those keep them coming back you gota you got to do something to ignite confidence into this fan base and and let them see that Auburn Auburn football can can compete um in this league because what you've seen from freees so far and and and going back you know three or four years um this Auburn football team has not competed in this in the SEC I mean they just they just haven't no this isn't the Auburn football that you or I grew up around and you got to wonder what it what's it gonna take to get it back if you're Auburn because like you said you can't really point to a talent Gap anymore obviously you can against teams like Alabama or Georgia if you really want to but I feel like compared to a lot of teams in the league Al's got a roster that can go toe-to-toe with anyone I mean it's young Talent so um but it's talent I mean so you know what what is Auburn Auburn recruiting is at an all-time high right now I mean there's no denying that Hugh fze gets after it on the recruiting tra there's no denying that um you know but at some point during this next you know this season and next you've got to show on the field that you can win with this young talent and and that um you know you should you deserve to continue to get these five stars and four stars rolling into your program I mean um because if you don't show a product on the field with those guys then they're I mean they're not gonna they're not gonna come here to um so I mean and I think I I think I said this yesterday um to you in the Box um say like man if if Auburn drops this game um your season takes a hit uh I mean you you're not you were not supposed to lose that game obviously um but but with that loss to cow I mean obviously you're never gonna Overlook uh like in New Mexico next week after especially after what happened last year with New Mexico State sure but just looking forward to this schedule Point me out based on what you saw yesterday on the field Point me out to where Auburn gets to six wins okay so before I do that as I've I've said this all off season I feel I feel like it's just Auburn football to drop a game that you're not supposed to um outside of 2010 2013 and 2019 I feel like there's been one every single year that you or I have been following it so I just want to say that first I honestly thought it was going to be Vanderbilt this year that was the game that I was like I just see it chilly day 11:00 a.m. kickoff the students are going to be half asleep the fans are going to be half asleep the player is going to be half asleep Vanderbilt's somehow gonna show up ready to play um but yeah so obviously you have one win against Alabama and& M let's just assume that they are able to handle New Mexico and ULM then you're at three so your remaining Chan is to get a or wins are Arkansas Oklahoma at home Georgia on the road Missouri on the road Kentucky on the road Texas A&M at home vanderbild at home and Alabama on the road yeah I don't think it happens Alabama or Georgia I just don't I do think they pick up one of those Road games probably Kentucky so then you're at four and I just I don't see them beating Oklahoma at this point so then it comes down to Arkansas and Vanderbilt which goes back to my point that yesterday was the game that freeze could drop freeze and Auburn could drop and it not really be a big deal I guess you could say but now you've got to get on your horse and you can't let that happen again I don't necessarily think the problem is so much that they lost the game it's just that it's kind of more so how they lost the game um and the like I said the product that was on that was put on the field so so based on what I saw yesterday on the field um I mean like you said I think you can maybe chalk up next week as a as a dub um maybe obviously you've got the ULM game at the end count count Vandy as a dub BR I mean how do you do that right now truth that's they don't look like a pushover like they have in the past no um I mean so let's just take it week by week New Mexico you've got an Arkansas Team coming in you were supposed to to roll into that Arkansas game three and 0 um riding on your high horse um and and Arkansas you know in in previous weeks was marked up as a dub already for Auburn people yeah so obviously they have shown that they are not a pushover they're not how um they're not quite as bad as as the experts predicted them to be so and they're significantly better than they were a year ago right so Arkansas Is Not Gonna Roll in the Jordan hair and be a pushover um but didn't you get Oklahoma coming in um you know you were set up to have that that was that was set up to be a really historic game um first time that they even roll in the Jordan hair ever um first road SEC game right it'll be their first road SEC game this season yes and then that was um I don't think Oklahoma's ever played in Jordan hair stadium so that was set up to be um a really really historic game um I I get they struggled yesterday with Houston um but like I said again based on the product that I saw on the field yesterday neither one of those are looking as a sure win uh anymore then you go on the road to Athens um you know obviously that's the number one team in the country so um you know you can you can kind of guess what will happen there number nine Missouri you travel uh travel there the week after um then you go to Lexington who struggled yesterday understand that but I wouldn't I wouldn't expect that to be a trend that continues um you're not I mean all of these games are the confidence level in those games going in thinking that they could be a win has lowered um tremendously after what you saw yesterday sure I would completely agree and I feel like these are convers ations that are if you're alurn hopefully being had in the football facility as we speak I know those coaches are there on Sundays so they should be having these conversations these difficult ones and you know hu freeze likes to make references to the truth meetings that they have I would be interested to be a fly on the wall of those this week because there are no way that those are any sort of yeah I mean uh I don't know man it's going to be interesting to see how how they respond um it'll be interesting to see kind of you know what freeze says this week in his and his pressor um be interesting to see you know how they how they look in practice this week how the leadership uh you know like jiren Thompson spoke out yesterday after the game this is D1 football he said um this I mean you're going to have adversity and and now it's time to respond um so those young guys it'll be um you know it'll be interesting to see how they respond and um I mean it's it's it's too early to ride them off you know it's it's it's too early to do that same way as last week when when everyone was overreacting to a 73 to3 win against an inferior opponent saying that you know um this offense was incredible uh you know blah blah blah all those things uh it's just too early to ride him off I mean so like I said it's just going to be interesting to see what they do against um a team that they should beat next week and what the week of preparation looks like leading up to it this is kind of off off topic but one thing I was really kind of hoping to see would would be uh Sam Jackson to fifth score a touchdown just because I really want to know if he actually would have signed the ball and then went and handed it to Justin Wilcox because that would have admittedly been the funniest thing I've ever seen in my life yeah um I'm not sure he would have probably taken another snap in the game uh if that had happened um it would have been fun but that would have been yeah freeze probably would would have crawled all over him for that would it be worth it though because then you've got a viral moment that you know you will be known for the rest of your life I mean that's a uh that's a that's a gamble right there that would have been everywhere yeah that would have been funny and I really regret that will never get to know no I don't think Sam Jackson was is the type of guy who would do that anyway I don't think so like you said the first time that we tried to record this episode today I think he has enough sense to not do that yeah because that that would have probably been the worst talking to he's ever gotten by a coach I would imagine I mean obviously I don't know the guy I don't know what you know kind of Mischief he got into growing up but that would have been just not as funny as it would have been not a great look especially if Auburn still lost the game yeah but you have anything else to say here I mean uh just not really all I mean there's not a whole lot to say offense looked bad um defense looked okay after they figured it out um hey I do have uh you got to give some credit to the cow punter yes because because whatever don't know what that guy had in his leg but he was pinning that Auburn offense back deep in their own territory um two back-to-back punts where they were on the two yard line so that guy um I mean that made a difference in the game um so yeah gotta give a shout out to that to C punter but I mean I mean ultimately man there's uh there's not much not much else to say it'll be interesting to see the quarterback um rotation going on into this week I'm sure freeze is gonna be I'm I'm ready for the pressure um tomorrow to kind of hear what frieza's got to say and how he handles the questions that are going to come his way um but I mean yeah just go to just got to push this one back it's got to gota get over it get over the hump and move on I would agree um I'm looking forward to seeing where he says the team will go from here because like we were saying after next week it's not getting any easier um this is the toughest league in college football and you got worked by a middle of theack ACC team yeah okay look this is ridiculous one day I'll get used to Oregon and Washington and the Big 10 like I'll just accept that as reality cow and Stanford in the ACC is the stupidest thing ever and I'm GNA die on that Hill I'm willing to and I feel like a lot of people agree with me it is dumb yeah it makes no sense what part of Atlantic Coast Conference implies that two schools in California should be included in that yeah yeah that doesn't make any sense but um yeah I just I couldn't get through all my cow coverage this week without saying that and I realized in this moment that this was my last opportunity I agree 100% I feel like that's a good place to leave it off today I am Daniel lock you can find my written work for Auburn Tigers on SI you can follow me on Twitter at danielj loock or you can follow me on Instagram at the Daniel and see what kind of Adventures I get into yeah um you find my written work at 1819 news um also find a little bit with the Auburn Plainsman and you can follow me on X at Logan Fowler um yep on Wednesday morning we will have an exclusive conversation with auburn Rivals very own Caleb Jones one of my great friends really looking forward to getting some insight on the goings on of Auburn's recruiting from him and that should be a good conversation that you do not want to miss so be sure to check that out please like subscribe tell a friend if you like it or tell a friend even if you don't let them find out for themselves so they have to suffer like you did but no matter how you share the show or engage with it it means the world to Logan and I we've gotten some great feedback so far there's anything you would like to see just reach out let us know we're both very responsive in our DMs so yeah talk to us and we will talk to you soon