Whew! What a game! I was very pleased with Auburn's performance on the road against South Carolina. An unranked team playing against the #10 team without home field advantage - it could've been ugly. Obviously, one of these teams was either over-rated or under-rated. You make the call.
I was excited to actually be able to watch this whole game on TV, as I haven't been able to do that since week 1. I quickly discovered, however, that my stress level is much higher when I'm watching the games on TV. For example, when "watching" the game through the ESPN website, I might have seen the following description of a play: "M. Lattimore rush for 21 yards to the Auburn 48." On TV, I could actually see that Lattimore should've been tackled approximately 11 times during that run, but somehow the defense didn't get it done. Very frustrating. But luckily that sort of thing didn't happen too many times in this game - our defense really stepped up and played the best game they've played all season. I know it had to be frustrating for them when they would force a turnover or make South Carolina punt from their own 20 and the offense failed to turn it into points. The defense was definitely our savior in this game. I should mention that, earlier in the day, my loving husband told me that it's not fun to watch football with me, apparently because I get so...umm...emotional. I made an effort to curb my enthusiasm, but unfortunately it didn't last long. I suppose I may eventually just have to watch Auburn games alone. Or with like-minded individuals.
A few other observations:
1. Michael Dyer is a stud. Of course, I knew this from last year, but he had several runs yesterday during which he should've been tackled several times, but somehow he managed to break through them and keep going with an outstanding second, and sometimes third, effort.
2. Philip Lutzenkirchen - I love him. He is always a huge asset on offense, but in this game he was also a big defensive force when the offense turned the ball over. He had two tackles and a fumble recovery in this game. The man is multi-talented. Also, he has created a dance that has taken the nation by storm. See evidence here, here, and even here. You're welcome.
3. Craig Sanders - this kid is a beast. A sophomore who established himself last year as a force on special teams (and getting some nice tackles on defense in some big games, including the SEC Championship) and is now getting a lot more playing time on defense, his energy and awesomeness is infectious. He had an excellent QB hurry in the South Carolina game and got wrongfully accused of roughing the passer. Come on, refs! Garcia was still throwing the ball when # 13 hit him! Geez...
4. Clock issues - I hate that there were still 2 seconds left on the clock when the SC player was down after their last play. Yes, I saw it on the replays. This will make a lot of people question whether Auburn should've won and say we should've at least gone to overtime. However, my ever-insightful husband explained that if there were 2 seconds on the clock, the ref should've set the ball and the clock would've immediately begin to run once the ball was set. South Carolina wouldn't have had time to get its kicking team on the field, as they had no more time-outs. Because everyone rushed the field after that last play, if the refs had taken time to clear the field before setting the ball, that would've allowed South Carolina time that they wouldn't have otherwise had to send in the kicking team. So that wouldn't have been fair, either. John Pennington of Mr. SEC.com agrees. Sometimes you're the windshield; sometimes you're the bug. I feel that this makes up for the bogus roughing the passer call on Sanders.
5. Finally, let's talk the Vols for a minute (because, yes, I'm a Vols fan when they're not playing Auburn). I didn't get to watch that whole game because Ben and I did some of the "Parade of Homes" tour yesterday afternoon, but I did see UT's punter have his kick blocked near the end of the game. Instead of panicking, he grabs the ball and runs for a first down. WHAT?! Sheer awesomeness. That'll teach you to block our kicks, you silly Buffalo Bulls.
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