Mistakes were made, but I'm not even mad.
First, Carnell is one of the nicest Auburn guys I've ever met. If you cut him his blood would be orange and blue. Nobody will try harder. But he's not (yet) a head coach. If he reins in his first quarter exuberance and early PlayStation level decisions, Auburn maybe wins that game last night.
1. Down only 10, after the first two drives netted a total of 2 yards, there was absolutely no reason to go for it on fourth and one at our own 26. I understand the initial desire to make a statement, but wrong time, wrong place.
2. After a turnover, down 17, first and goal.... got to be more creative than loss of two on a run up the gut, shitty Ashford scramble and an awful pass attempt. Needed more than three there. Take a shot at the endzone. No, wait, Ashford can't throw a ball.
3. Momentum swinging in the second half, down 24-12, after an interception. A horrible series that goes nowhere, TAKE THE POINTS. 24-15 is better than a botched pass and the 24-12 score sticking.
4. After taking the last lead with about a minute left, kick away. Make them drive the field. Carlson has become a liability. If he was told to punch that shitty kickoff, that was a bad decision. If he did it because he can't get it to the end zone? Need to make a change at that position too.
I don't understand how Ashford regressed so badly. He was worse than any start this season. If he completed a pass, I don't remember it.
I don't understand how the OL could possibly have gotten worse since the demise of the potato posse. But it did. That was the worst effort by an AU offensive line I've ever seen. There was one instance where MSU rushed one. Yes, one single rusher. Ashford took a sack. They're still not recognizing what's in front. I kept seeing linemen step inside when they had a lineman shaded outside. Like they didn't even see him. They step INSIDE to block air and the outside rusher just bypasses them. A junior high lineman knows better. It's hard to watch.
I don't understand why coaches - after beating the shit out of an offense all night long, let their assholes pucker after getting a late lead. The MSU quarterback was a literal statue in the pocket. He stood still so long at times I thought it was some kind of visual trick. He was frozen while the people around him moved. So after we claw all the fucking way back from the initial hole, and take the lead? Let's back off and keep people in front of us. FUCK that. If I ever get the chance to coach a defense I will live or die on the hill that got me there.
Still, the team played with grit and determination. They didn't give up. Fought to the last play. I wasn't unhappy. Felt bad for them, felt bad for Carnell, but I wasn't devoid of emotion like I've been for years. It's still an abysmally bad team, something that coaching isn't going to instantly change unfortunately. Going to need a couple of recruiting cycles . The HC hire is important (and I'm now convinced it CANNOT be Deion), but the most important hire of all will be the OL coach.