WEEK 10: Auburn Dominates on the Road; Huge Week Ahead

Auburn topped Vanderbilt 31-15 on Saturday for its second SEC victory. This game was a must-win for the Tigers, and they came ready to play. The final score doesn't really portray how Auburn dominated this game. The defense played lights out, giving up only one touchdown and 266 total yards. The offense finally put up 30 points in an SEC game. It looks like this team is finally hitting its stride.

I've got a few observations from this one, then I'll discuss Arkansas.

-This secondary is elite. Pritchett's late interception brought the team total to 11 for the year. This has been huge for the Auburn offense. When you struggle to put points on the board, these extra possessions that the defense gets you are pivotal. They're also tackling very well. DJ James made an incredible open-field tackle that broke up what looked to be a big play for Vanderbilt. It is going to be very difficult to replace some of these guys next year. I'm pretty sure that both Simpson and Pritchett are out of eligibility, and DJ James is a senior. Freeze is going to miss the production from these guys.

-Thorne played okay. He had a very ugly interception, but outside of that, he threw the ball well. He finished with 194 yards and 2 touchdowns, and there were multiple dropped passes that would have inflated these numbers. I still don't think he is going to be the guy moving forward past this year. I just don't think he sees the field very well. I've seen him bail on plays when he has guys open far too many times this year. He has played better these past few weeks, but I am not sold on him. He'll have a major test on the road against Arkansas next week.

-This receiving room has been horrid. Auburn totaled five total drops yesterday. That is inexcusable. Omari Kelley dropped a beautiful ball from Thorne that was a sure touchdown. Camden Brown did not get credited with a drop, but he jumped early on a deep ball that definitely should have been caught. Even Fairweather, who has been so solid this year, tallied two drops yesterday. This room HAS to improve in the offseason. I think some of the incoming recruits have a good chance to get snaps from day one.

-Jarquez Hunter has been outstanding these past three weeks, averaging over 100 yards a game. He has really stepped up after a slow start to the year. I'm hoping he'll stay at this level for the remainder of the season.

-I'm not sure what it is, but this team really struggles when it comes to recovering fumbles. This may seem like a stupid thing to pick at, but these extra possessions are huge when playing against good opponents. There was a muffed punt that Auburn failed to recover even though they had half the coverage team near the ball. I hope the defensive coaches make that a point at practice this week.

-It looks like the offense is going to roll with only Payton Thorne moving forward. Ashford didn't get any snaps yesterday, and he appeared to be upset on the sidelines. He will more than likely transfer out after this year. I'll be sad to see him go, but it is probably for the best.

Auburn has historically struggled in Nashville. It felt good to see this team go on the road and dominate the way that they should. However, I'm not really sure that it could truly be considered a road game. I'm pretty sure the bleachers were filled with about 75% Auburn fans. The Auburn fanbase travels incredibly well.

Auburn travels to Arkansas next Saturday for its last road game of the year. Arkansas, who seemed to have lost all hope for this year, went to Florida yesterday and beat them in overtime. Had they lost, they would have lost their chance to achieve bowl eligibility. The fact that they won is very concerning to me. I think that Arkansas is going to play very motivated next week. I was hoping that they would lose to Florida and sort of give up on this season. That unfortunately will not be the case. Auburn has a chance to not only keep the winning streak alive next Saturday, but also a chance to become bowl eligible. We need to win this game. This program is on the verge of a turnaround, and a win next Saturday could be the turning point.