The La. Monroe Game

Auburn is in the uncomrtable position of facing a must-win game against Monroe after a disappointing 0 & 2 start.  Will the Tigers make a start in the right direction or will this be the first Auburn team since 1950 to start 0 and 3?   LSU is next, and that would make for 0 & 4 if we lose today.   I would feel better if I had not seen ULM beat Arkansas last Saturday night.  ULM features a short passing game that Auburn has shown itself unable to defend in recent years.  Why should today be any different?  Add to that our anemic offense and you can why I am pessemistic.  If we win, we will have to outscore these guys, and wish us good luck with that with a QB who can't pass.  At least we are at home: the first home game of the year.  AU is a 17-point favorite.  That's hard to figure.

FIRST QUARTER

My worst fears show right off the bat.  ULM gets the ball first and the Warhawks drive right down the field with short passes and running the  ball which is deadly for our defense.  They are helped by a ridiculous interference call against Mincy at the goal line but still they move the ball with ease.  On 4th and goal at the 2 they have a open receiver in the end zone over Bates, who bit on the play fake.  This was too easy.  Just like I feared it would be.  12 plays 89 yards.  Not the start we had hoped for.  Our defense looks defenseless.  Three or four missed tackles says Q Riggins.

Auburn 0  ULM 7

Oh, my.  How bad will this be.  I feared we couldn't stop their offense and on their first possession it is obviously true.
AU starts at the 24.
No run blocking on the first carry by McCalebb.
At least one first down so far.
A 33 yd. completion to Mason.
A 28 yd. run by McCalebb for the score.
That didn't take long.  5 plays.  76 yards.

Auburn 7  ULM 7

Still we will have to outscore these people to win this game.  Can we do it?
Starting on their 15 ULM moves the ball again.
After one first down ULM is punting.
Auburn will put the ball in play on the AU 19.
A long TD pass to Coates is called back on a procedure penalty.
The Tigers have to punt at midfield.
A poor punt and ULM starts at their 22.
The quarter ends as ULM picks up a first down.

Auburn 7  ULM 7

SECOND QUARTER

ULM to punt and Bray fair-catches at the AU 12.
On 4th and a foot we punt.
ULM on the 28 where the ball rolls dead.
After one first down ULM punts.
Come on, offense!  The Tigers at their 30.
After one first down we are punting.  The offense cannot sustain a drive.  We are going to lose this game if our offense can't pick it up.
The Warhawks start on their 20. 
The visitors drive for the touchdown on a long run by their QB up the midfield as Jake Holland gets faked out.  Holland is terrible.  There was a long pass where Bell lost the receiver.  We have defensive lapses.  Two defensive poor plays cost us a touchdown. 

Auburn 7  ULM  14

As I just said, if our offense doesn't get going we will lose this game easily.
Starting from the 25 AU tries to drive.
We score the TD on a razzle dazzle lateral to Bray and then a pass to Frazier who walks into the end zone from about the 35.

Auburn 14  ULM 14

ULM is backed up at their 7 to start with.
We hold as the clock winds down.
The punt rolls dead on the AU 38 with seconds remaining.
Frazier is out of bounds at the 34 with 14 seconds left.  Frazier took too much time.
On the last play of the quarter Frazier eludes the rush long enough to hit a leaping Coates in the end zone.  What a play!    The Hail Mary works.  Give Frazier lots of credit for escaping the rush and making a perfect throw allowing Coates to leap straight up behind the defenders to come down with the football.

Auburn 21  ULM 14

THIRD QUARTER

The second half begins with AU receiving after that bracing touchdown at the end of the first half.
After a pooch kick AU begins on the 35 and we drive the ball down their throats.  Except for one completion to Blake, McCalebb and Mason do the heavy running.  Mason runs it in from the one.  That was just what we needed coming out in the second half.  That was a dominant drive.  That might have been our most impressive drive of the year so far.  AU has scored 21 straight point.   But Arkansas led ULM 28 to 7 last Saturday night.

Auburn 28  ULM 14

The Warhawks start on their 25.
ULM fakes the punt and gets a first down out to the 46.  Our punt receiving team gets fooled.
That we didn't need.  We force a 4th down but our kick receive team lets it get away.
Come on defense!  ULM will go for it from here on out.
ULM drives to the AU 21.  After forcing a punting situation our defense yields.
ULM at the 15.
3rd and 8 at the 13.
There's a 2-yd loss.
The FG attempt is blocked.
After getting fooled on the punt attempt and giving up some yards we block the FG attempt.
AU on the 21.
There is 43-yd run by McCalebb.
AU on the Warhawk 33.
Blakely for 12.
Blakely makes a great run  but fumbles and ULM recovers at the 4.  Oh, my.
That's hard to believe.  Blakely running so well but near the sideline he's carrying the ball in his left hand subject to a big hit by the defenders.  We can't have this.  We cannot have this.  This is the kind of thing that can get Monroe back in the game.  This is a huge red zone turnover.
ULM pushes out of the shadow of their end zone.  I'm telling you that turnover could end up killing us.  They start inside of their 5 and away ULM goes. 
ULM crosses midfield.
The quarter ends.  The 4th quarter will be hairy.

Auburn 28  ULM 14

FOURTH QUARTER

ULM is 4th and 14 and will punt around midfield.
Bray fields the ball on the 7 and almost loses it.  Okay.  Our time to move the ball out from our end zone.
We are 3 and out have to punt from the 15.  We run three times between the tackles and it doesn't work.
This is not good.
ULM starts on their 40.  This game is very much in doubt.  Monroe is one TD away from making this a game.
Our defense is back on the field.
I am scared.
11:55 to go.
Monroe moves the ball with the short passes.  Is our defense tiring?
ULM is 4th down and 10 on our 39.
Their QB is sacked!
The Tigers take over on the AU 44.
On 4th and 1 Mason just barely makes the first down.
Auburn on the 45 of ULM.
But that's an interception as Frazier throws the ball right to the defender.  Bad throw.  Good throw to Stallworth and it might have been a score.  Oh, my. This will not be easy.  Nothing comes easy for this football team so far this year.
After the turnover Monroe starts at their 41.
8:39 remaining.
This a frightening game.
On 4th and 7 from the 18 ULM completes the pass to the AU 4.  Oh, my.
This is not good with 6:28 to go.
First and goal from the 4.
Second and goal from the 4.
Touchdown.  OH, MY.
The score tightens with 6:15 left.

Auburn 28  ULM  21

We will lose this game unless we score again because ULM will score again.
We have kept them in the game with 2 crucial turnovers in this second half.  ULM takes advantage of a fumble at the 4 and the Frazier interception in Warhawk territory.
Since our opening drive of the half we have not been able to sustain anything offensively.
Will ULM onside kick?
AU starts on the 25.  This is our biggest offensive possession of the year.
Blakely loses one as our line gets no push.
Frazier rolls out and loses 4.  Our offensive is going backwards.  What is going on out there? 
We are 3 and out.  The offense is totally ugly.  We go backwards.  Not good offense.  We punt from the 23.  It will take a miracle for us to hold on.  If their score they'll go for 2 for sure.
I can't believe our offense.  There was nothing on that last possession.
Our defense has to step up one more time.  We have 19 yards of offense in the 4th quarter.
ULM starts on their 35 with 4:37 left.  It all comes down to this possession.
ULM is moving fast.
4th and 2 with 3:50 to go.
The pass is incomplete but we are offside as Lemonier jumps.
Pass interference and our defense is melting down.
First down on the AU 37.
3:17 to go.
We have to apply pressure to win this game.
Our defensive backs are playing too far off.
First down at the AU 24.
Complete pass at the sidelines to the 7.  Close but great throw and catch.  The play is reviewed but holds up.
1:57 to go.  Turnovers by the offense puts us in this position.
Auburn is in a fight for its life.
2nd and goal from the 6.
TD pass.  OH, MY.
The point after is good and we are tied at 28 with 1:18 to go.  It's a wonder they didn't go for two.

Auburn 28  ULM  28

What is going to happen?  Our offense has died in the fourth quarter.  Our defense has yielded.  This doesn't feel good.  Not at all.
We have two timeouts remaining.
This is a sad state of affairs.  It's hard to believe that our offense can do anything.  We will likely lose now in overtime.  Certainly we cannot turn the ball over.
From the 25 Mason gains 12.
A run by Mason to the 42 and an Auburn timeout.
Let's take care of the ball.  No turnover please!
3rd and 5 from the 42.
4th and 5 from the 42.
37 seconds left.
Frazier looks lost like last week.
All we can do now is hope for overtime.
We had a 28 to 14 lead and we were on our way to making it 35 to 14 when Blakely fumbled at the ULM 4.
After the punt ULM has 28 seconds left from their 15.
We go to overtime.  OH, MY. 
This is ugly.  Even if by some miracle we win this game it's ugly.  Turnovers have done us in.  Also some bad penalities.  We cannot overcome the adversity.

Auburn 28  ULM  28

OVERTIME

ULM is a good team but this should not be happening.
ULM is on offense first.
There's a rush for 5 yards.
Incompletion.
Incompletion.
4th and 5.
What will they do?
The field goal attempt is no good!
We have a chance here.  Come on guys!
Blakely runs for the first down to the 15.
We take a knee at the 15.
Here is the ballgame.
Parkey makes the field goal.  Auburn wins.
We go ahead and make the kick to end it.
It was ugly but we pull it out.

FINAL SCORE

Auburn 31  ULM 28