2016 Game 1 Clemson

Here we go again.  The 2016 football season begins on a Saturday night at Jordan Hare as the Tigers take on the Clemson Tigers.  The game is on ESPN so we have to wait till 8 for kickoff.  Clemson starts the season ranked #2 and they are a 7.5 favorite.  Auburn is not ranked.  They have the great QB Deshaun Watson, the favorite for the Heisman.  We will have our hands full.  A lot of things need to go right for us to win this game.  We always hear talk of the mystique of night games at Jordan Hare, but I don't put too much faith in that.

Before our game I enjoy seeing South Alabama beat Mississippi State 21 to 20.  I enjoy seeing Houston beat OU.   Wisconsin beats LSU 16 to 14.  I had mixed feelings about this one. Arkansas survives a scare with La. Tech.  I was rooting for those Bulldogs from Louisiana all the way on that one.  TAMU beats UCLA 31 to 24 in overtime. Georgia beats North Carolina.  This is the biggest opening weekend of intersectional games that I can remember.

FIRST QUARTER

Clemson wins the toss and elects to receive.  Why not with DeShaun Watson?
Clemson drives to the Auburn 32 and our defense holds on 4th and 5.
Big stop by the defense!  Almost a pick 6 by Ford.  Should have been.
The Tigers backwards and punt on 4th and 12.  There was a procedure penalty that hurt.
Not the start that we desired with our offense.  Got to do better on offense.
After the punt Clemson starts at their 33.
After one first down Clemson punts from their 48.
Marcus Davis fair catches at the AU 14.
We need some offense.
John Franklin is in at quarterback.
White is back in on third down.
The Tigers go three and out.
So far we have no offense.  Two possessions.  No first downs.
We get a big roll on the punt---68 yards---and Clemson starts on their 18.
Our defense is playing well, but if our offense doesn't get going this is going to be a long game.
We have no running game and haven't attempted a throw downfield.
One first down and Clemson punts from their 41.
Punt goes into the end zone.
Will we get a first down starting from our 20?  This is once again not the Gus Malzahn offense we expect.
Two possessions so far we have 3 total yards.
We can't keep sending our defense back out there without some help from the offense.
Jeremy Johnson is the QB on this possession.
All three quarterbacks have played.  Now I see why the coaches had to wait so long to name a quarterback.  None of the three look effective.
We cannot run the ball and still no throws down the field.  I hope Johnson doesn't throw an interception.  You can't help but think this.
On third down JJ throws a first down pass to Will Hastings just across the 30.
The quarter ends with Auburn facing 3rd and 10 from just across the 30.
We've had too many negative plays and 5-yd. penalties.

Auburn 0 Clemson 0

SECOND QUARTER

There's a first down pass to Hastings to the 41 on third and 10.
There's a pass to Marcus Davis to the Clemson 40.
JJ is looking good at the moment.
We move to a third and 6 at the Clemson 36.
Clemson is clogging the middle daring us to pass.
Pass incomplete on 3rd down to Stevens.
Daniel Carlton kicks a 53 yard field goal!  What a weapon Carlson is.
We get points.  JJ has been the most effective QB so far.

Auburn 3 Clemson 0

Clemson starts on their 16.
Clemson mounts an effective drive.
They are so effective with the throw and catch.  Very slick.
Clemson is first and 10 at the 13 with 10:09 to go in the half.
Carlton Davis gets his bell rung but is hopefully okay.
On third and 11 from the 14 they call a hold on Ford.  Wow!  We hold them and a penalty puts the ball at the 7 first and goal.  Bad break.  Sad. Had them stopped and we get a holding call in the end zone on a pass that couldn't be caught.  Hard luck I suppose.
We move to 4th and goal from just inside the one yard line.
Nick Ruffin goes down.  Carlton Davis has yet to return.
Clemson will go for it.  Why not?
The rush from 1 is easy for the touchdown.

Auburn 3 Clemson 7

We get the benefit of a kickoff out of bounds, but we go sharply backwards and after JJ gets sacked twice we are punting from the 15.  That was a bad, bad, offensive set.  Jeremy Johnson is still ready for prime time.
I do not understand how our offense can be so bad.  How can a Gus Malzahn offense be this bad? Clemson brings big pressure and Johnson cannot handle it.
With 5:44 the visiting Tigers start at their 49 after the punt.
Clemson has execution with their offense and we don't.
On third down after a complete pass for the first the receive fumbles and we recover on our 34.
The play is reviewed but the fumble recovery is upheld.
Sean White comes in but we go three and out.  Their defense is whipping our offense at the line of scrimmage.  Their defense is showing greater effort than our offense.
3:25 to go.  After the punt Clemson starts at their 22.
We are lucky to be trailing by only 4 points given how poorly our offense is playing.
Clemson drives for a 30 yard field goal.  They were aided with a questionable pass interference call on Auburn giving them a first down on a third and seven.  This is an ACC crew.

Auburn 3 Clemson 10

We have exactly 38 total yards in the first half.  This is amazing.
We 37 yards in penalties.  I think they have 10. Penalties kept both of their scoring drives going.
After their kickoff we are at the half.  Auburn gets the ball coming out in the second half.  It hurts to see the defense holding a high scoring team to 10 points at the half and our offense so bad.

THIRD QUARTER

If our offense doesn't show up, this game will end up being a runaway.  Because of sacks we had 1 yard rushing in the half.  How can this be happening?  How can our offense be this bad?  What has happened to Gus Malzahn?  We had 3 first downs in the half.  We have no offensive rhythm and GM offense is all about rhythm.   The only thing I can think of is that we do not have a good quarterback and cannot pass the football so their defense gangs up to stop the run and Clemson is doing a good job of that to say the least.

Right off the bat we have runback out close to midfield BUT there is block in the back call and we start on the 5.  So sad.
Kerryon Johnson is dropped for a loss at the two.
Clemson is killing our offensive line.
Now we are back to the one yard line.
Two straight negative plays to start the series from the give.
We get back to the original line at the five and we are punting.  The penalty on the great kickoff return takes a toll.  This game is already going downhill.
How could you predict such a terrible offense?
Clemson starts on the AU side of the field.
They drive to a 40 yard field goal.

Auburn 3 Clemson 13

Last kickoff we had a runback close to midfield but a block in the back made us start at the 5.  What will happen this time?
10:36 to go in the third.
Still 38 total yards.  Our announcers are dumbfounded.
Finally Kerryon Johnson makes some runs into Clemson territory but Jeremy Johnson floats in interception at the Clemson 8.  I hope we never see him again.
We get the ball back on an interception at the Clemson 34.
Kerryon Johnson gets a catch down the one but a review negates the reception.  It was a close play as to whether it was a catch.
We move to 4th and one at the Clemson 15.
Chandler Cox runs for the first down at the 13.
We move to another 4th and 1.
Jeremy Johnson is stopped short and Clemson holds inside the 5.
We are not going to win this game.  That clinched it.
I don't think it mattered that it was JJ carrying the ball but still I wouldn't have him in there.
Our offense just cannot get it done.  We finally show some life but cannot score from inside the 5.
Our defense will have to win this game but I don't think they can score 10 points on their own.
Clemson is three and out.
As the third quarter ends Auburn is on the Clemson 15 with a 2nd and 7.  The offense is finally showing some life, but can we score in the red zone.  Clemson leads 13 to 3.

FOURTH QUARTER

We have been shuffling quarterbacks.  I did not expect this.
Here we go in the fourth quarter.  We can still win this game.
We settle for the field goal early in the fourth.  We got down to the 11 but got pushed back to the 15 for the FG attempt.  Our offense still can't score a touchdown but at least we are in the this game.  We surely wanted to be in the game in the 4th with a chance to win.

Auburn 6 Clemson 13

Clemson answers with a drive and a 17 yard TD pass.  On third and goal from the 17 we come with an all-out blitz but their good QB hits a receiver in the left corner of the end zone.  That was a big gamble on the blitz and we get burned by it. 10 plays 75 yards.  Why did we blitz?  The PAT is no good.

Auburn 6 Clemson 19

White hits Kyle Davis on a pass down to the Clemson 34.
First down on the 24.
We continue to rotate quarterbacks.
First down pass to Hastings to the 7.
We move to 4th and goal at the 8 with Sean White at QB.
White throws an interception at the goal line and Clemson has the ball at their two.
Same story, different verse.  We are finally moving the ball in the second half but simply cannot find the end zone.  Wasn't this the story last year all year?
First and goal at the 7 and we can't get the end zone.
The offense lost his game pure and simple.  This is the same offense we saw last year.  No improvement.
Clemson is three and out and we get the ball at their 36.
4:44 left.
Kerryon Johnson runs to the 18 on the first play.
A late hit against White moves the ball to the 9.
From the 9 Kerryon wild cats the ball into the end zone.
With 3:22 to go it's a 6 point game.

Auburn 13 Clemson 19

No onside kick.  Clemson starts at their 25                                                                                           Alas, our defense cannot hold them.
Our announcers point out that every time Auburn scores Clemson answers.
Still our defense has played a great game.
Watson competes pass after pass to their best receiver Mike Williams, mostly back shoulder catches.
Clemson drives into the red zone but we get the ball back on our 15 with 40 seconds left as they show poor clock management.
We move to the 39.
With 6 seconds left we have one chance left into the end zone.
The ball is tipped up but one of their players knocks it down.
We have a chance at the end but the Hail Mary as is the case most of the time is incomplete.
We had a chance at the end.  At least that.
We had red zone chances like last year but were not successful enough.
The offense finally got it doing but it was too little too late.
But boy, you gotta say the defense played winning football.
If the defense continues to improve and the offense comes along we could still a good time before it's over.

Auburn 13 Clemson 19