Five takeaways from Auburn’s victory over Western Kentucky
It’s another week and another win for the Auburn Tigers.
The Tigers closed out their season on home turf on Saturday against Western Kentucky in a 41-17 win, but the team will still head away from home for one last game against the Alabama Crimson Tide next week. While improbable, a win against the Tide would have Auburn bowl eligible when the prospect looked meek for Auburn just weeks prior. The team rode a strong rushing attack and more excellent coaching from Cadillac Williams to a victory on the Plains before the rivalry showdown.
Here are five takeaways from Auburn’s second consecutive victory:
Cadillac Williams should be considered for the vacancy at head coach
(Photo by Michael Chang/Getty Images)
Now, “considered” doesn’t mean “should be hired.” But based on what has happened the last two weeks, not giving [autotag]Cadillac Williams[/autotag] the time of day would be silly.
The culture change in Auburn since the firing of Bryan Harsin has been swift and absolute. Williams is making the right decisions in the game plan and his team believes in him and the culture he brings to the locker room far more than they ever believed in Harsin. A more established candidate would probably be the better hire for the Tigers, but I implore thee, Plains — give Williams a shot at it.
Auburn shouldn't pass the ball as much
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Auburn quarterback [autotag]Robby Ashford[/autotag] completed just eight of his 19 passes on Saturday. So far on the year, Ashford has completed exactly 50 percent of his passes for six touchdowns and seven interceptions.
Simply put, it’s beginning to look like Ashford throwing the football even 19 times is too much. Coach Williams has done a great job of pivoting Auburn’s offense to the run, but it could be time to fully commit to that style of offense. Ashford seems more viable as a running weapon, so it may be time to dial back the passes even more and channel the entirety of Auburn’s offense through the run game to negate the lack of production from incomplete passes.
Auburn officially has a two-headed monster
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[autotag]Jarquez Hunter[/autotag] had a great game against Texas A&M last week, and the trend continued this week.
Both Hunter and Auburn mainstay [autotag]Tank Bigsby[/autotag] both rushed for 100 yards against Western Kentucky, just as they both did against the Aggies the week prior. The two running backs both appear to be firing as of late, and a game plan that continues to course through the both of them in a shared workload could genuinely give fits to the Alabama Crimson Tide. With the right attack, Bigsby and Hunter look like they can tear through just about any line that comes their way at the moment.
Auburn's secondary can get the job done
Todd Van Emst/Auburn Tigers
Western Kentucky runs a variant of the air raid offense. Saturday seemed to be a no-fly zone.
Quarterback Austin Reed had two touchdowns on the day, but he was limited to just 28 completions on 55 attempts for only 5.3 yards per attempt. That’s paltry numbers for an offense that relies so heavily on the pass, and a large part of that was in part due to Auburn’s staunch defense.
It’s clear to see that Auburn’s secondary can hang with a high-flying passing offense, but whether it can do so with better talent remains to be seen.
The seniors got the send off they deserved
Austin Perryman/Auburn Tigers
It was an emotional night for the seniors on Auburn’s squad Saturday, but the end result was a worthy final note for the group.
The final game in Jordan-Hare for players like Derick Hall, among others, turned out to be a great performance after the second half for a now-beloved interim coach. The team will travel to Tuscaloosa to play the Crimson Tide next week, but Auburn’s old guard certainly put in a performance to be proud of on the way out.
