Auburn needs to bench their QB. He is terrible. They are letting a good OL, great backs, and a stout D this year get ruined by shitty QB play.
I disagree with everything but the stout D comment.
Stidham has a tendency to hold the ball too long but one can't argue with his arm strength and accuracy. Last weeks lackluster win against Mercer can't be blamed on him. Quite the opposite, he was 32 of 37 for 363 yards - 2nd most efficient passing performance in SEC history. Three of his incompletions were drops and a fourth occurred when a receiver reached for a ball on a crossing pattern (ended up being intercepted) instead of finishing his route.
As for benching him - who would they put in? Their backup (Sean White) was suspended the first two games and kicked off the team Sunday after being arrested for public intoxication. The third team QB is a true freshmen who has never taken a snap. Plans were to redshirt the kid but that went out the window with White's dismissal. There are no more scholarship QB's on the roster.
As for the good OL comment, Auburn gave up a ncaa worse 14 sacks the first two games (11 in 35 attempts against Clemson). Their run blocking has been equally as bad. An undersized, out talented Mercer team dominated the line of scrimmage last Saturday.
Other than the left tackle (a redshirt freshman with one year of high school experience - and that was on the D-line), Auburn doesn't have a true tackle ready to contribute on their roster. Their whole O-line is comprised of guards - mostly mediocre ones at that. When James (a converted guard playing right tackle) went down with an injury against Mercer they had to move their center (who is a converted guard playing center) to right tackle. That's how bad it is.
As for great backs, AU appeared to be in good shape before the season with Pettway and Kerryon Johnson returning. But it hasn't transpired that way. Pettway has been fighting a bad foot all season and is not playing near the level he played last season. Johnson, who has not been 100 percent healthy since he was 12, went out early in the opener against Ga Southern and not returned. He could return against Mo but will probably injure himself again running out the tunnel.
While Stidham may not be near as good as billed (quite frankly, I've been extremely disappointed with his pocket awareness and lack of athleticism) he is only a small problem on that side of the ball. Poor coaching, terrible schemes, horrible play calling, an under-achieving OL and injuries at running back all are bigger issues.
I completely agree with you on AU's D. It's damn good. If it had a true pass rusher and a little more depth across the front it would be elite. Cowart leaving the program this week will hurt. He has been a major bust but was giving some solid minutes in relief on the inside this year.
AU's D will give them a chance in every game. AU's O will make every game a challenge. If they avoid turn-overs against Mo, they should win big. But then again, the same thing could have been said about Mercer last week and we know how that worked out.
