re: Under Miles, How Did This Team Go 2-2?

Punting was mostly bad and they couldn't win the field position battle. The offense was bad for most of the Miles era, but they mostly had good punters that could flip field position.

Unexplainable. Why was a hobbling LF pass blocking on the last drive in which Etling got sacked? If you can explain that, maybe you can explain 2-2. Another tight end might have been a better choice.

Piss poor offensive line play, coupled with our norm of average to poor to dogshit QB play, dropped balls by the WRs, and Leonard not being 100%.

Honestly? If you look back on all the teams that Les Miles coached, none of them save for a few had really impressive offenses. The defenses and special teams have been really good and were the backbone of the team for many years save for the last few years. For a Les Miles offense to be effective, it relies heavily on a really good defense and special teams.

Also you have to take into account that over the last 5 years or so, football has changed drastically. Rules have changed to let passing be a larger part of the game. Les came from a time where a QB was a very minor influence in the game. That position was not much more than a means to get the ball from the center to the back with the occasional dump pass mixed in when you needed some extra yardage. Defenses over the years became better at stopping that style of offense as players became faster and bigger.

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It's clear this team functions better with Etling. He does all the little things correct, plus puts in extra time in the film room, and throws the ball better. Why was Harris on the field?

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You're spot on with everything you said in that quote, in my opinion. So far, the offense looks a hundred times better with Etling.

But I'm pretty sure Etling was not able to play last year due to his transfer from Purdue, and Harris didn't play that bad last year, in my eyes. And then I believe Etling hurt his back (or some kind of injury) a week or two before the Wisconsin game.

So you have a Junior QB that started every game last year, or a transfer from a different program to start the season. I have no idea how either QB looked in practices, but imagine what every damn poster here on the rant would be complaining about if Etling started the Wisconsin game and Harris never got his chance.

In that scenario, If Etlings stats were exactly the same as they are now, people would be screaming bloody murder.

The receivers dropping balls didn't help. It also sounds like he had the team do very little film work on their opponents. This could also explain the lack of halftime adjustments. He focused on what his team could do and not what the other team did. Etling's remarks about staying up late watching film on his own explains a lot. May also explain why Harris looked great in practice but not so great in games when the defense would change......

Using the same formula for underachieving he's used for the last 5+ years, i.e., don't engineer your O around the skill-set of the QB so you never have to trust him.

I was suspect of the O line before the season and felt it was over rated. No push cant protect. That's it in a nutshell.

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It seems like they were trying to throw the ball and could not get things going.

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nailed it.

Etling dropped back 35 times at Auburn. Fournette and Guice combined for 19 carries. Miles became so concerned with winning how "they" wanted to see him win. "They" had started talking after the Wisconsin loss. Skip said as much yesterday. Ironically "Stubborn Les" lost his job on a night where he tried to appease his fans by "opening up the offense" and calling twice as many pass plays as run plays.