Alshon Jeffery on Auburn: They Aren't Great...It Was Just Their Day

Talk about having sour grapes.

South Carolina's Alshon Jeffery skipped the normal, sportsmanlike, commentary and simply decided to let the world know how he really felt after his team got spanked by the Auburn Tigers this afternoon—56-17.

When asked what he thought about Auburn, Jeffery stated that "...we could have won that game. I wouldn’t say they were a complete team. It was just their day." And, if that weren't enough, he had this to add "...I wouldn’t say they’re a great team. To me, ain’t nobody a great team."

It would be nice to see what a great team looks like in Alshon's world because, in the world of the real, Auburn comes pretty darn close. They completely dismantled South Carolina's defense—simply picked it to pieces. 


The Tigers defense was on point from snap one and they made it difficult for the South Carolina offense to find it's rhythm at any point during the game.


As for their offense, Cam Newton was Cam Newton—just as he's been all season He went beast all over the Gamecocks tonight—contributing 407 yards of total offense and six touchdowns. The Gamecocks had absolutely no answer for him or his favorite target all season, Darvin Adams. 


His performance tonight all but puts a guarantee on him winning the Heisman in a matter of weeks. There is simply not a better player in the nation than him right now.


As for Jeffery, his comedy didn't end with those comments about Auburn's lack of greatness. No, he had the good grace to explain away his ineffectiveness by stating that we should "talk to Coach about that."

Wonder how the ol' ball coach will feel about that one? Last we checked, it wasn't Spurrier who was out there running routes and getting punked by Auburn's secondary. If anything, Jeffery might have thought he was in for a big game again based on the success he had in their first meeting. 

Unfortunately, Auburn had a plan for him this time and it worked to perfection. 


Don't worry, Alshon, there's always next year. 


*All quotes courtesy of Wes Rucker.

Georgia Bulldogs Football: 10 Things Not To Do Against The Auburn Tigers

This is the time of week that this site offers a "10 Things To Know..." section, discussing the upcoming opponent.

Well, by this point in the season, we have all seen, read, and heard so much about the Auburn Tigers, that it would be a near impossibility to offer anything of substance.

With that in mind, this week will be a bit different as we will touch on the things that Georgia does not need to do if they expect to have a chance at winning this Saturday.

So, let's just jump right into it: 

1. Come out flat.

Georgia should have come out firing against the Bengals last week but, as they have often done this season, the offense came out looking mediocre and out of sync. If they do that against Auburn this weekend, they will find themselves in a hole very quickly.

They cannot come out looking dazed and confused like they did last week or the week prior against the Gators. The Tigers will bury them early if they do.

2. Concentrate too much on Cam Newton.

Cam Newton might be the most recognizable and talked about weapon on the field for Auburn, but he's not the ONLY weapon for the Tigers.

Michael Dyer leads the SEC in rushing—for a freshman. He has more yards than Marcus Lattimore and he's been a perfect compliment to Newton this season. Add to that, both Darvin Adams (WR) and the emerging Terrell Zachery (WR), are every bit the playmakers they appear to be.

Georgia cannot allow No. 2 to occupy so much of their mental and physical attention that they leave the other guys on the field free to beat them.

3. Forget how to pass protect—again. 

Nick Fairley is a beast and, if left unattended, he will feast on Aaron Murray.

For all the chatter about how poised and steady Murray has been this season, he has yet to truly face a defense as athletic, tough, and fierce as this Auburn front seven, and he's going to need a competent line, giving their best effort,  if he hopes to have a shot at picking apart Auburn's secondary.

4. Turn the ball over.

This is obvious, but it had to be said.

Georgia has both lost and gained momentum on turnovers this season. They need to be stingy with the football this weekend. No bobbles, no bad snaps, no forgetting how to secure the ball on long-gainers, etc.

Hold onto the football and be purposeful with every pass. 

5. Blitz too early and/or too often. 

While the "attacking style" defense of the 3-4 has been effective at points this season, Newton isn't going to crumble under the pressure of whatever Georgia has to offer. He's got a passer efficiency rating of 258.4 and a completion percentage of better than 70 percent against the blitz.

In other words, it hasn't worked on him.

The best thing Georgia can do is neutralize the running game and concentrate on jamming the routes of the Auburn receivers. If they can do that, they will flush Newton out of the pocket.

While that may seem like a poor option—given the fact that he's tallied more than 1,100 yards on the ground this season—it's the one that offers Georgia (which is currently No. 2 in the conference against the run) the best chance at disrupting the Tigers offense.

6. Over-commit to the running game. 

If Auburn's pass defense is shaky, then their rush defense is the steadying force that evens things out.

The Tigers are third in the SEC in rush defense (114.0 ypg). More to the point, Auburn has been
deadly good against the run this year and the three-headed monster of Caleb King, Washaun Ealey, and Carlton Thomas isn't likely to leave them with nightmares.

The most important players on the field for Georgia will be Kris Durham, A.J. Green, Tavarres King, and Orson Charles.

Should they abandon the run? No, but if they see it's not effective, they shouldn't remain so committed to it, that they fail to consider other playcalling options.

7. Allow Auburn to set the tempo. 

Auburn hasn't been the kind of team that grinds out plays. They have, for the most part, been quick to strike and quick to score. Georgia cannot allow the Tigers to control the tempo of this game, they don't run the kind of offense that would allow them to go toe-to-toe with Auburn for 60 minutes and if they have to get into a shout-out with Cam Newton and his trusty brigade, the defense could be sucking wind before halftime.

Georgia has to find a way to control the clock, keep the Auburn offense off the field, and slow the game down enough that Auburn has to adjust to them—not the other way around.

8. Get too caught up in this being the "Best Team In The Nation".

Part of Murray's problem against the Gators was he let his emotions control his play for the better part of 30 minutes. He was too pumped, too anxious, and too embedded in it being "Georgia-Florida". He cannot do that on Saturday if he expects to run an efficient, focused, and productive offense.

Ditto that for the defense. They need to play this game like it's just another opponent—don't let the ranking or "what this win means for the program" come onto the field of play.

Finish. The. Drill.

9.  Fail to maintain defensive intensity on third down.

All season it has seemed that Georgia goes full-out on first and second downs, then completely falls apart on third downs—no better example of this than against the Kentucky Wildcats a few weeks back.
Georgia needs to maintain a consistent level of intensity on every. single. down.

Defensive lapses have killed them all season and, more often than not, have led to momentum-changing plays.

10. Tighten up if the game is close. 

Cam Newton has proven that he only gets more resolved, more focused, and more calm as the game winds down. He's ready to play for all 60 and he's willing to take the team on his back if he has to. By contrast, Georgia hasn't found their formula for doing the same.

The tighter the game, the more prone to mistakes they become.

If they find themselves in a position to win on Saturday, they need to play like they both deserve and CAN win. If they don't believe it, their play on the field will reflect it, and they will have already lost.

What say you, do you like the Bulldog's chances to make a game of it this weekend?

Heisman Hopeful: Is The Cam Newton of 2010 Better Than The Tim Tebow of 2007?

Is Cam Newton better than Tim Tebow was in 2007—the year he won the Heisman Trophy?

It's an easy debate to get embroiled in lately as Cam Newton has set the SEC ablaze this season with both his arm and his legs. He's carried the Auburn Tigers to new heights in just his first year and the Heisman Trophy chatter that surrounds his name has gone from a dull whisper to an all-out roar.

Some feel that the honor is already Newton's to lose. It's much the same as when Tim Tebow won it in 2007 as a true sophomore. The numbers No. 15 put up in Gainesville that season didn't seem natural for any football player—regardless of the system. Tebow was a god in 2007 and there were few who believed that any player would come close to doing what he's done anytime soon.

Enter Cam Newton, who, through eight games already has more rushing yards, on less carries, and is a mere nine touchdowns away from matching Tebow's 23 rushing scores from that 2007 season.

That said, it seemed only fair to see just how closely these two players really are in what they were able to do in their respective seasons.

Rushing:

Cam Newton: 8 games, 157 carries, 1077 yards, and 14 touchdowns 

Tim Tebow: 13 games, 210 carries, 895 yards, and 23 touchdowns

A lot of Tebow's damage came on third downs. He wasn't a running back type player but, rather, a big hulking body who was capable of moving the pile on third-and-short, or picking up the first on a n 8-12 yard draw play.

Newton, by contrast, can flat-out run the ball. He's as dangerous with the ball in his hands as a running back as he is as a passer. He's got the size, the speed, and the elusiveness to break one at any time and that makes him hell to defend.

2010 Regular Season Projection: 236 carries for 1,616 yards, and 21 touchdowns.  

Passing:

Cam Newton: 90/138 for 1,364 yards, 13 touchdowns, and 5 interceptions (Pass Eff. Rating: 172.08)

Tim Tebow:  234/350 for 3,286 yards, 32 touchdowns, and 6 interceptions (Pass Eff.  Rating: 172.47)

Tim Tebow had guys like Louis Murphy, Percy Harvin, Cornelius Ingram, and Andre Caldwell at his disposal. Finding a legitimate target to get the ball to that season was not the problem. On the contrary, it was a bigger issue just keeping the many speedsters on the roster happy with the touches they were able to get.

Cam Newton has Darvin Adams (mainly) and then a conglomeration of guys who may or may not be considered as legitimate—Terrell Zachary has made a small contribution this season, but no one else has really stepped up. Acknowledging that point makes explaining the rushing yards Newton has amassed this season, much easier.

Even so, there is no denying the arm and accuracy of Tim Tebow during his time at Florida.

2010 Regular Season Projection:135/207 for 2,024 yards, 20 touchdowns, and 6 interceptions

Strength of Schedule:

In 2007, Florida had the toughest schedule in the SEC and finished the season 9-4:

Auburn, arguably, has the toughest schedule in the SEC this season and they are, currently, undefeated:

If the Tigers manage to finish the season without a loss, Newton will have navigated a slate that is every bit as challenging as what Tebow faced—except with less weapons to compliment his play.

Points Responsible For:

Cam Newton: 162 total points (through 8).

Tim Tebow: 330 total points.

There is no denying how important each player was/is to his team. During his sophomore year, Tebow was responsible, on average, for 25.38 points per game. Cam Newton, so far this season, is responsible for 20.25 points per game.

Both players led the SEC in that category.

The difference is the way Cam Newton has taken over games. Tebow had a way of rallying guys and getting every one on the field ready to make plays—he was a team focused guy. Newton is content to put the team on his back and find a way to make it happen—all by himself.

He's been successful at doing so thus far, at least four of the Tigers' wins are a direct result of what Newton has been able to do with his own skills to guide him.

Is Cam Newton better than Tim Tebow was a mere three seasons ago? That point is debatable.

However, there is no doubt that Newton deserves to be sitting front-and-center come Heisman time. His presence is the one certainty that cannot be denied.

What say you?

*Stats appearing in this article are courtesy of ncaa.org and cfbstats.com