Don't Panic, Auburn Fans

It wasn't always pretty, but Auburn came away with an ultimately convincing win over a pesky Louisiana Tech squad.

And as we learned in Auburn's 45-17 win, looks can be deceiving.

On paper, the Tigers were dominant. They outgained Louisiana Tech 473 to 321, forced two turnovers while committing none of their own, held the Bulldogs to just 105 rushing yards, and produced two 100-yard rushers of its own.

Yet somehow, Auburn never really seemed in control of the game until the fourth quarter. Through the game’s first three periods, the offense was sputtering. Cameron Artis-Payne couldn’t find any room up the middle, and Nick Marshall was being pressured every time he dropped back.

Auburn’s offensive struggles were eerily similar to the performance against Kansas State. The Bulldogs did, for the most part, a good job of clogging up the middle, forcing runners to the outside, and having the cornerbacks and outside linebackers seal off the edges.

Auburn averaged roughly five yards per carry, but it didn’t feel like they did. All I can remember is the occasional big run by Nick Marshall sandwiched in between watching Artis-Payne get repeatedly stuffed at the line.

I’ll admit that I felt uneasy at times, as I sat there watching the opposing defensive players not getting caught out of position, something that became commonplace against Auburn last season.

Now don’t get me wrong, the game was never in danger for Auburn. The Tigers jumped out to a 24-0 lead before Louisiana Tech finally put a field goal on the board.

It just wasn’t a dominant performance. At least, not as dominant as I would’ve liked.

I know what you’re probably thinking. A week ago, I literally wrote the words, “All Auburn has to do is win.” And I meant it. I’m a big picture guy, and as far as I’m concerned, it doesn’t matter how Auburn wins each of its games.

Big picture in mind, Auburn is 4-0 with an average 26-point margin of victory.

But looking at the smaller picture right in front of us, the past two games for Auburn have been a cause for concern. They should not, however, be a cause for panic.

Compare Auburn’s first four gamse this season to their first four games last season. In 2013, Auburn was averaging 440 yards and 28.5 points a game offensively, and giving up 439 yards and 22 points a game on defense through four games.

This year, Auburn looks noticeably better. They’re putting up 480 yards and 42 points a game on offense, and stifling opposing offenses, holding them to 313 yards and 16 points a game.

And that’s with the stagnant performance against Kansas State. So when I say we shouldn’t panic about Auburn’s last two games, I mean it.

Last Saturday’s game reminded me of Auburn’s season opener against Washington State in 2013. Both games featured an inconsistent Auburn offense, but won because of Gus Malzahn would call “bang-bang plays.”

From there, the offense steadily improved. But it didn’t start to hit its stride until a home matchup with Ole Miss. That was game number five.

After a victory over Ole Miss and then a huge road win against Texas A&M the next week, Auburn’s offense was rolling. No one could stop them, even when they were running the same dive play six times in a row.

That same expectation has been levied on the 2014 Auburn Tigers, and while it’s not an unreasonable hope for Tigers fans, it shouldn’t be an immediate demand.

So far, the offense has produced plenty of explosive plays and generated a lot of offense, but they haven’t shown that they can just run right over people for an entire game yet, and I hear the grumblings of Auburn fans about it.

I’d be lying if I said I haven’t occasionally joined in. And I think we might be overreacting.

My point is that we shouldn’t be surprised that Auburn’s offense hasn’t hit its peak early on. Has it occurred to anyone that maybe Gus Malzahn and Rhett Lashlee are still playing around with different formations and personnel groups?

It’s certainly possible that in these first four games, the calm before the storm in October, Malzahn is experimenting with his team to make sure he has the right combination of plays and personnel groups ready.

And let’s also not forget that in every game this season, Auburn has won the fourth quarter when it has needed to.

So Auburn fans, don’t panic. Even if the Auburn offense sputters for a while to start the game, it always takes over at the end of the game. I believe that the season will run the same course.

The offense might appear sluggish at times now, but give it some time. By the end of the season, you just might see Cameron Artis-Payne gashing defenses the way Tre Mason did last year.

And Auburn will be just fine.