Payton Thorne is CRUCIAL for Auburn to BLAST Cal | Auburn Tigers Podcast

stop me if you've heard this before but Saturday is all about Payton [Music] Thorne you are locked on Auburn your daily podcast on the Auburn Tigers part of the locked on podcast Network your team every day yes welcome on into locked on Auburn your daily Auburn Tigers podcast I'm your host Zach blacker beam thank you so much for making locked on Auburn your first listen every single day we're dapping it up with Montgomery radio Legend the Daryl dapp we'll talk about some players we want to see have a larger role this Saturday when Cal comes to town as well as okay did winning by 70 alter expectations for this weekend too much but first things first and darl you and I chatted about this when we were reacting to the game over the weekend but it's like if you're Cal how do you defend Auburn's offense and just erupted for 70 plus points they threw the ball to virtually anybody they wanted to whenever they wanted to wherever they wanted to but if you're cow and you're preparing for this team to me you still have to focus on stopping the run first is what they did a year ago I'm predicting that's what they're going to do Saturday and they're still gonna say hey Payton Thoren it's great that you did that against Alabama A&M but we're gonna make you beat us absolutely you know I talked about it a little bit in the in the postgame reaction and I guess I was you euphoric about the passing game and thought that other people would come along I don't think Cal's sold I don't I think Cal is going to look at that film and go yeah they're better than last year they have better receivers but they're going to look at the opponent and they're going to say we still need to stop the run to have a chance to beat Albert I don't think nothing that happened Saturday last Saturday will change and dictate what Cal tries to do on defense this coming Saturday I don't think it can because you're if you're cow and you decide that you're going to play a few guys back or you may have more defensive backs on the field you normally do or whatever if you're GNA be a dime and only have one linebacker on the field I just don't see how there's any way you stop Auburn with what we think they can do running the ball with jarquez Hunter I mean jarquez hunter only got a handful of touches and he made the most of those touches no question about it and I just think it's more acceptable also if you're Cal to to get beat through the air in this situation than just to like give up six yard run after six-yard run after six yard run to me I I think you're gonna have to stop the run if you're cal It's just so interesting because we we whatever we saw on Saturday it was fun but like as far as what the actual offensive game plan for Saturday is going to look like for Auburn I I don't think we really saw anything no I think Cal is going to say look we've got to let pton Thorne beat us we we didn't see a fully functional jarquez Hunter last year when we played Auburn he was just coming off a one game suspension and he's not the jar quiz Hunter he was later in the year right um so that they're they have to understand that reality they've got a really good lock down Corner in Harris that they feel comfortable with so they might be able to say okay we're going to put him on Auburn's best receiver but this is the KS if you're Cal and you're trying to stop Auburn you put Harris on kls that's what I think they'll do so what does that mean that means that Perry Thompson or Cam Coleman or Robert Lewis is not gonna have their best shutdown Corner uh on them which I mean look this is the perfect scenario for Auburn to finally set something and put something on tape that says okay you're a power five football team that wants to just sell out to stop the run and thinks we can't throw it anymore and wants to shut down our best receiver thereby leaving other guys you know on your less than best this is the opportunity for alurn to show that put it on tape and let the rest of the conference take notice this is a different Alburn yeah which it's Marcus Harris which is funny but uh yeah he played he played a ton of he played 80 snaps against UC Davis you know the the leading Auburn player played 42 I think this past week so Auburn should be well rested and K has to travel there's a lot of things pointing Auburn's Direction here that are favorable but he played 64 snaps at wide corner and 61 were on the left side three were on the right so it's not like they moved him a ton and so I I do Wonder like is Auburn gonna be able to manipulate the matchups that they want if that's the type of defense that that Cal plays if they keep their Corners based off of a side not uh field and boundary so that that's worth that's worth noticing he wears number five for what that's worth yeah I think this is where it gets really interesting because if this is the poison that they're picking and this is where they feel comfortable from a from a game plan standpoint yeah and go back and look and something that we mentioned in the post game UC see Davis threw for 221 yards on that so if they feel that confident in their past defense that they can hold up by selling out to stop the run and the pass defense daring us to throw can hold up is that a sound strategy when you gave up 221 to UC Davis I mean are you just are you telling me by default that Auburn can't throw for a lot more yards than that because of the receivers and who Auburn is with big boy football that's the interesting dilemma they're in because reality is gonna set in if they gave up 221 against UC Davis and some of Auburn's Knicks gets these guys open schematically route trees look different then it's going to be very difficult what's going to happen at that point that let's say Thorn comes out and throws for 150 in the first half okay okay so what are they gonna do they gonna go in halftime and will Cox is gonna go we need to adjust Thorne's killing us what's the rushing game look like let's say if Thorne throws for a buck 50 in the first half what what's the what are what are Auburn's total uh rushing yards let's say Auburn's because he throws for 150 has a modest 75 at halftime what's going to happen they're going to go oh we're happy with that they've only rushed for 75 yards but my goodness they've thrown for there's some context like is the score is the score 17 to nothing because then it's like no we're not going to change because they're going to start running the ball more if it's close yeah you might see him back off a little bit and if they back off look out I'm just tellz yeah I'm not trying to show hypoy here but those three dudes will eat in the second if Payton Thorne sets the tone and they go holy crap these receivers and pton Thorn are killing us in the first half we need to change schematically because they'll have to they'll have to you cannot continue if pton Thorne goes 14 of 17 for 1160 yards of the first half and two touchdowns you better change and if they do then the running game I mean that that's the Dilemma that they're facing right now because I don't believe and I'll say it again I don't believe they are Believers in Auburn's passing game yet but by 3:45 Saturday afternoon by God they might be they might be they may have to be they may have a they may have a religious conversion experience by 345 and say oh we were wrong they are different oh Auburn's offense is different a year ago this isn't the same team we saw a year ago nope are expectations too high for Auburn this weekend because of what happened against Alabama A&M I say no and I tell you why in just a moment right here unlock on Auburn darl Today's Show is brought to you by our friends at eBay Motors passion drive and patience it's what brings home the championship it's also what keeps your rer die alive at eBay motors.com it's the it's the most costeffective way to take care of your vehicle and it's not even close no I what did I text you last Friday I said here we go I've got to use them I had a little incident where I have a scratch on a plastic piece on a fender I looked it up on the normal websites and it was $135 cheaper with eBay Motors $135 cheaper yes it was I thought you were saying it was only $135 I didn't I didn't read that full text well it it was $135 cheaper and you're very close it was 165 bucks on Ebay motors and other places it was three bills it's pretty substantial folks that's pretty substantial so head over to to ebaymotors.com because with eBay Motors you're burning rubber and not cash keep your r or die live at ebaymotors.com eligible items only exclusions apply eBay guaranteed fit only available to us customers we're also uh proud to say that this uh this episode is brought to you by our friends at Alumni Hall can you imagine can you imagine buying Auburn gear anywhere other than Alumni Hall Dar where do you think I got this hat Hall 100% 100% it's the best place for anything Auburn whether it's Swag or something you want to wear to the game Jersey hoodies sweatshirts whatever it is they've got you covered and I love the the flexibility go online and look at their just tremendous product selection alumni hall.com or walk into one of the the stores they have that are so much fun and so nice to browse you have two options beautiful yep yep there's uh there's one in Auburn there's one in opala there's one in Huntsville so be sure to check that out alumni hall.com or there three physical locations I can't imagine buying Auburn gear anywhere else thank you so much for making lock on Auburn your first listen every single day for your second listen I you know try lock on SEC lock on acc is talking a lot about Cal this week so yeah you got plenty of options throughout the lock on podcast Network the every dayers know this good and well I think the expectations because look nationally throughout conference media and then even Auburn media everybody's saying hey Auburn is going to cover fuel's got it at 13 and a half points in Auburn's favor right now and the general consensus is Auburn should cover that and I agree and so many people are saying okay well yeah they you know they scored 73 on Alabama A&M like there's a lot of excitement I don't feel that way because of what Auburn did I feel like Auburn is gonna dominate this game because what Cal didn't do against UC Davis to me I think Cal's poor performance against UC Davis last week is more telling about this Saturday's game than what Auburn did against Alabama A&M yeah I looked at this when you first said expectations too high I thought after a victory like that last Saturday are people's expectations too high for what Auburn can achieve this season yeah I would say yes it is I saw some people kind of get a little bit unrealistic oh the bug is strong no question for cow you make an excellent point I think it's exactly that it's what they look like against UC Davis and let's not underestimate the unknown factor of how healthy a will be or not yeah Jay not is their best player he left with an ankle injury noticeably limping leaving the stadium Saturday we don't know what his status is okay so let's assume he does play if he's not 100% against that Auburn defense it's going to be especially the speed speed I saw side to side it's going to be difficult so I think you about this game a year ago when jarwest Hunter was back but apparently not 100% healthy I mean it's I think it's a similar parallel if that's the situation with OT which is an ankle and sometimes there's just nothing you can do but let you know Father Tom heal the thing it's a tricky spot for him to have a an impact on Saturday's game I feel like he's GNA have to be completely healthy yeah I think I think A's gonna have to have one of those games where goes for like a buck 50 because the quarterback yeah I mean he threw a couple interceptions again I I don't know what that's going to look like I do agree with you though that it's what Cal didn't do not so much what Auburn did do considering the opponent but what Cal didn't do against their lesser than opponent is that a case of oh they worked on Alburn all week they're looking past UC Davis to come travel across the country to play who knows but I know that they better have a completely healthy a and that quarterback better make better decisions or yeah the the expectations aren't to I have Auburn covering I fully feel very comfortable whether the number was 12 whether it was 13 I have Auburn covering I think Auburn wins this game comfortably if it was 16 and a half so you're you're talking three scores would you have Auburn covering yes I think I would too barely when I tell you my score got it but that that's kind of where we're thinking like low three scores is kind of where you're at I am I think that's where I'm at too and it could get worse if the game Flow is what I think it's G to be and I think Auburn's going to get up early and I think we're going to kind of hover in this situation where Cal's not going to want to go away quite yet because I do think Cal's going to be able to score I'm more concerned about Auburn's defense on Saturday than Auburn's off as far as matchups go there were a few things I saw on Saturday and yes I know Alabama A&M scored three points but there were situations where like Kon Crawford I'm gonna talk more about him in the next segment but like Kon Crawford like I I need to see more out of him he can't lose containment against caller it could open up some bigger issues and then there were also times where if Alabama A&M had a you know if they would have caught the football early on like they would have had longer drives they wouldn't have had the get off the field and like they were open like Auburn did not cover particularly well in the first half in my opinion so those are questions that I do want to see get answered because I still have them about Auburn's defense I think they'll get fixed I think there's going to be a lot of uh of difference as far as you know what DJ durkin's goingon to do defensively but I do think uh I do think Auburn eventually runs away with this one when when all four quarters are done and I do think all four quarters will be 15 minutes which will be a nice change yeah I mean you you would have to think that if Cal had a first and goal at the one they score Alabama A&M did not and then they missed a chip they had a a procedure penalty and then they missed a 29 yard field goal Cal scores first and goal from the one now that they got down there early on a fluke play JC Hart had the interception and went through his hands and the guy caught it behind him there was not only some drops there were some balls thrown behind wideopen receivers too so I get all that very very valid points um but were those because of what Hugh freeze mentioned in the press conference that they're going to get corrected he lost his mind over and so did derkin and Kelly and that's the misalignments yeah is that why they had guys the lack of communication you can get that corrected you can get that fixed and if that gets fixed then you could probably see tighter coverages yeah and it's not like cow is crispy clean either that you know they always say I don't know if it's said it earlier in the week or somebody else but the biggest step of improvement in the season is usually from week one to week two and so what does Cal do to get better without their best player potentially being 100% And what does Auburn do to get better and I think Auburn's path to getting better is easier because I think their roster is better and I think their coaches are better but you could say the same thing about like what Cal did in the first half where they were just leaving UC Davis's pass catchers wide open like they just weren't anywhere near him but that could have been an alignment issue or a communication issue like we don't know like there's only so much you can get from watching the games so they could clean that up and this could be a much more difficult situation but to me just the matchups every matchup points in favor to Auburn to me it does and I guess the the flip side of that is if we were able to get into the minds of well the Auburn coaches what's your take on what you think they are going to try to stop first I I think it's an no-brainer if if a plays Auburn's like we can't let a beat us they are going to scheme to shut down the run period even if he doesn't Daryl I I think you still put pressure on the quarterback because I don't think I don't I mean I don't think he's great uh Mendoza Fernando Mendoza I think he's he's fine but to me like you got to make him uncomfortable and so I think you do that by putting guys at the line of scrimmage and saying hey we don't know who's coming but you know it's going to be somebody and if you don't block them all you're going to get lit up I I think that's what we're talking about here yeah exactly and I think Auburn's gonna have some tremendous opportunities to get some some good sack totals Saturday as well uh especially if the running game is like not an option or or it's a it's it's severely hampered and Alber can pin their ears back and say I'm just disregarding the run and a happening without their best player we're going to sell out now and come at the quarterback it could get interesting you could see some turnovers you know get some picks and that kind of thing going on I want to throw this out there assuming a plays and plays a lot and is part of this this game watch him and pass Pro I don't think I don't think that's where he's his best well best on a weak ankle either it's very difficult you can get run over really quick if you can't plant and have that stability yeah yeah to me um to me that's a matchup where it's like okay if it's it's a keldric Faulk that you know comes off the edge or if it's a blitzing linebacker like Eugene Assante or something watch watch that on a third down situation that that's that's a certain situation I'm looking at that I think that's the weakness of game so we'll see we'll see what happens with that I think Kon Crawford needs to have a larger role on Saturday we'll discuss that in just a moment right here unlock Don Auburn Today's Show is brought to you by our friends at FanDuel fanduel's America's number one sports book we talk about fanduel's line right now it's 13 and a half Auburn minus 13 and a half right now Daryl and I are both taking the points fanduel's got something a little different for you now through September 22nd all FanDuel customers can bet $5 and get a three uh a thre week free trial of NFL Sunday Ticket from YouTube and YouTube TV so that's um with YouTube TV's base plan you'll be able to watch every regular season Sunday afternoon out of Market game all you need is a Google account and a current form of payment and you can cancel anytime so visit fanduel.com uh to download America's number one sports book Kon Crawford to me darl has to have a larger role I think he's going to get more snaps just because of the nature of the starters are going to play more but I want to see him be more effective in rushing the passer and I want to see him more disciplined in setting the edge and keeping containment on a more consistent basis I agree I mean I you know I had him getting the first sack and it wasn't it was McLoud which you got right when we were talking about that I thought he was you got everything else right though I thought he was gonna have a lot better game and and maybe it's just getting acclimated and now one game under his belt clean up some stuff totally agree yeah um if he if he does that and has a larger role and has a significantly better game that's gonna just really Bowe well in addition for that alurn defense I I think that makes it again what are you going to do you got McLoud you got Faulk you got I mean that that would speak that would speak volumes and I think it would be a long day for Cal if he goes off yeah another one is amarus Williams who he was second most in as far as snaps played in the entire team on Saturday and I made the comments like he played this much and I didn't notice him like that's not ideal so I wanna I want to see him Mars Williams play not the second most snaps on the team but when he does play I want him to say yes I'm in the game and you will notice me that that's what I want to see from amarus make a statement as a true freshman in the the biggest game of your career so far it's only been two but still like I I think amarus that that's that's a guy that on the defensive front I'm wanting a little bit more from yeah it's funny you say that there's a couple of guys that went back at the end of the game defensively and said did they get in the game did they play and had a look because they didn't Alburn didn't give them stats but they did get in and get some snaps that was a little bit concerning that that was that showed a little bit of a cloak of invisibility that's that can't happen with Crawford more than Williams I I'm okay with Williams coming in like you said playing less less snaps but the snaps he does get in you notice him yeah Crawford more than anything else from an offensive side of the ball I want I think Fairweather needs to have a larger role I want to see him do more I want to see him do more Saturday you know we know that he had his coming out party people always want to go back to the catch that he got from from Thorn In The End Zone that was the game sealer go back to the one that he got them 30 yards downfield where he's falling on his butt and his shield and it makes a heck of a play that that g that play was huge he drew a pass interference as well didn't he he sure did he sure did so I'm looking for him to have a larger role unless again cal falls into that trap and goes he beat us last year we're taking him away we're not letting him we are taking fair weather we're going to double him or we're going to do whatever we're going to put a a defensive back on him instead of a linebacker yeah go ahead do that now this year and I understand like there's no disrespect to raldo Fairweather and we've talked about how like Auburn adding all of these guys on the outside raldo is a true winner this off season we did that show already but if you're a defense and you look at Auburn's offense and you say the guy we got to take away revaldo you're done like Auburn will beat you if they base it upon who hurt them most last year yeah and that recency bias they may do that now again at at at 2:45 pm. that strategy will change if they do that Saturday when you've dropped Coleman and Thompson and kls on your head for a couple long big big Gams that strategy will change quicker than the stop the run strategy will um but they may come out in something like that Zach and put a safety at the line of scrimmage on fair weather which which is one less safety guess what over the top downfield when you're running kls and Coleman backside that's one-on one if it's an extra safety though like run it run it down their throat if that's how they choose to treat you know the tight end on Saturday so we'll see exactly what that looks like but man just the I I just don't I just don't see it there and I could be totally wrong and after this game I'm like all right you know Auburn won but like it was a lot closer than I thought that I just don't see how that would be the case unless unless pton just really has a bad day and I I don't I don't know I don't know if that happens or not well here's why it could be early is Justin Willcox is a defensiv minded coach was a defensive coordinator for those that have coached with him he is very stubborn when it comes to his schemes his way what he thinks is going to be the you know basically what he's going to use from a defensive format so being that way and and not being apt to change much he may stay in that a little bit longer than most head coaches would would because of his defensive background if that makes sense we'll see but that's how he is man he is rigid he is a defensive he's a very bright defensive mind was an excellent defensive coordinator but he's been there and he's a defensive minded coach he may stay with that a little bit longer than a defensive than an offensive coach that that relies on a defensive coordinator yeah defers to him yes yeah you alluded to your score do you want to give that today or you wait till Friday I'm gonna do it now um because I'll stick with it I I think Auburn wins 3114 um I just again numbers stay in my head like Rainman and I just think that's what we're 30 I can see a 3114 game and it's going to feel like excuse me Auburn is in control of the football game at Halftime 31 to 14 would be incredible I think that'd be a really really strong win then you play New Mexico and then you get ready for the season against Arkansas so I'm all for that I'm all for that I would take that in a heartbeat I think there's a chance Auburn scores more than 31 though I think there's a real real chance of that so we'll see we'll see how Cal defends the Tigers on Saturday darl how can people check out everything you've got going on follow me on xap 64 10 Instagram Daryl dap Wednesdays Fridays and Sunday mornings with you my friend yes yes and uh please like the video please subscribe we'll see you next time this has been lock on Auburn