Best5Zach's Ruger 10/22 Build Part 1

Like most every kid that grew up hunting, a rim fire .22 caliber gun was my very first firearm. My grandfather bought me a Marlin bolt action rifle when I turned 10 or so. There were several reason for buying a .22. The top reason was because it is a perfect teaching platform to learn about gun safety, maintenance, and shooting practice. It has been a fabulous little gun, but it has its drawbacks. First one being that we outfitted it with a cheap 3X scope, which sits atop it to this day. As many of you know, a firearm is only as good as it's optics. But, since I don't use it very much, it's been very much out of site/out of mind. The other issue I had with that gun was, when varmint hunting, every time you miss a shot...and you will...you have to take your eye out of the scope to reload. It makes it very hard to get follow up shots. Near impossible, I'd say.

In the last few years, the Ruger 10/22 has continued to be the best selling rim fire rifle on the market, perhaps even the best selling firearm, period. And, why not? It is a fantastic weapon that works excellent out of the box. It doesn't cost too much. It shoots a cheap round. It has a fantastic aftermarket base. Most importantly, it is accurate and semit-automatic.

Alas, I found myself continuing to buy other firearms...whether that was pistols or shotguns. But, every time I bought a new pistol, I would cuss about how ammo was either too expensive or non-existent to shoot for recreational fun and, for the most part, unusable for hunting.  Additionally, as I have posted in my Commonality: How to be Efficient post, it was tough to select a firearm that had a good amount of utility. The .223 is a pretty good mix for a game/varmint/protection round, aside the fact that it has become expensive and hard to find. Additionally, in an EOTWAWKI setting, it is a little louder than you would really want for small game hunting. Sure, you have to eat...but you may not want everyone in the county to know it. And, there wouldn't be much left of the animal after hitting it was a .223.

On the other hand, .22 is plentiful, extremely cheap, fairly accurate in a good gun at 50 yards. It has no recoil. Perhaps my favorite feature is, it isn't very loud. That's great for people teaching their children to shoot, or preventing every game animal in 300 yards to take off running every time you shoot.

So, for the last few months, I had decided that my next firearm wouldn't be a hopped up .44 (though it's next on my list...aside from finishing my next AR build), but a semi-auto .22 rim fire. That point was driven home when my two oldest kids said they wanted to learn to shoot, but not on a loud gun. And, what better way to go than the most popular .22LR in the market.

However, for several months, it was almost impossible to find one. When you did, it was one of the $375 versions that had bells and whistles that I didn't care to pay for. In fact, it seemed that you couldn't get one under $250. I was seeing used ones sell on FaceBook pages for ridiculous amounts of money. I had all but given up on them when Academy did me (and themselves) a solid. I received a flyer in the mail that was advertising the Marlin semi-auto for $149. It wasn't a 10/22, but it was a decent gun. So, on a Friday afternoon, I headed up there to check it out.

But it just so happened they had 1 Ruger. I asked to see it. They showed the price tag and I laughed. I told them that the local gun emporium was selling them for $75 less. What I didn't tell them was that there was NO WAY I would brave that mad house on a pay day. The salesman smiled and said "No problem. We will match it."

Sold.

Now. I need a scope. I shopped around a good bit and finally asked the salesman what he thought.

He steered me towards the BSA sweet .22. I saw the price tag and about clutched my heart and died. $130? I mean, I know I want nice optics and all, but DANG! That's about what I was going to pay for the gun, itself! The salesman just smiled. All he had was the display model, which he could sell me for $34. Additionally he told me how this scope had been designed FOR the Ruger 10/22. He said I could shoot the fleas off of the squirrels. I shrugged. For $34, I could try it out. They offer free boresiting for firearm purchases, so of course I took advantage of that.

Additionally, I would need the Leupold medium rings and scope mounts for the gun. Might as well do it right, he said. I agreed. The difference in funds between the cheap stuff and the the Leopold was negligible. In the basket it went.

Naturally, I needed a big nasty banana clip. There are a ton of choices, but I wanted something reliable, so I purchased the Ruger BX25. 

I walked out of Academy with all of this plus a little ammo for under $400. Of course, I didn't want to spend that much, but I hadn't really thought it through (my wife is laughing at that). I took it to the farm and immediately sited it in. Out of the box and with a boresite, it was 3 inches low and three inches left. The elevation was easy to fix, but the windage took some time to dial in. It took about 50 rounds at 50 yards to get it to shoot just the way I wanted. After siting it in, I used Metalloid's Metcor 57 and Gun Green Oil ( here is my write up on these products...check them out!) and had her shined up and cleaned.

During the Government shutdown, my dad and I had a lot of spare time. One of the things we wanted to do was to thin out the squirrel population significantly. So, we squirrel hunted 3 times in the 2 week shutdown. Even with a basic site-in job, the gun ran awesome. I never brought home less than 5 squirrels. In fact, I rarely missed with this gun.

I did, however, run into an issue with the BX25 mag. I did some research on the subject and found out that mags pre-scare had no problems. But, those that were bought afterwards seemed to have problems with the feed ramp. After cleaning it extensively, I found that the finish of the feed ramp was sorely lacking in quality. So, just as I had done before, I did some light firearm repair, as you can read about here: Light Firearm Repair. Problem solved with 30 minutes of work.

So, where to from here?

• The next improvement I will make is to add a sling. It sin't any fun to carry it around in my hands because I don't have a sling. 
• I don't really care for the overall weight of the gun. I attribute most of this to the wooden stock. I will be getting a synthetic stock ASAP.
• The trigger pool is too heavy and it isn't smooth. I am researching some better trigger assemblies

As of now, I have $400 invested in a fantastic tool, which is exactly what this gun is. It has a ton of utility and is probably the most useful gun in my arsenal. Everyone should own one of these guns. It isn't going to be a 1-shot-wonder for home defense and it probably won't take down big game with anything less than a head shot, but that is probably the only draw back it has. It can be shot for fun, it is a perfect farm gun, it is downright deadly on varmints. It is cheap to shoot. And, it is the perfect gun with which to begin training your children.

The Auburn Realist: The TAMU Review

In case you missed it, here is my TAMU Preview. Go read it.

I have never been so happy to be wrong. I guess my years of being married to such a smart woman have gotten me used to admitting when I am wrong. That aside, this win was one of the most fulfilling wins I have ever known.

But, hold up. I wasn't wrong about much...aside from the one thing that mattered, of course.

So, let's look at what I said would happen.

Defense
TAMU rolled up the yards and hung a bunch of points on Auburn. The Evans/Manziel connection set yet another record against Auburn. Every time that guy touched the ball he found the endzone. But, down the stretch Auburn found a way to "stop them", if you can say that. Although Evan's had one go off his fingers in the endzone there at the very end of the game that could have spoiled the win.

While I knew what it would take to win...the turnover or two and the breakout freshman play, I didn't think it would really happen. But it did. It gets lost in the mix, but the two INTs in the first half may have won the game. What I had feared was TAMU going perfect on all of their drives in the first half. I didn't think Auburn could reciprocate that kind of offense. TAMU was indeed unstoppable except for those two costly picks that may have been the gamebreaker for the Tigers.

It's been talked about, but Ryan White's play was incredible, considering the situation. The kid played a position he had never even practiced at and came away with an INT and several tackles.

What does get mentioned more than anything else was the stellar play of the D-Line, particularly the young guys. They had 4 sacks on Manziel, which...by the last two years standards.....is impossible. Frost showed why he should be on the field in pressure situations as he outran Manziel to the sideline, showing us why he was a hyped up player coming out of high school.

So, I guess you can say that I was pretty close on that....I mean, they didn't consistently stop them. Evan/Manziel torched them. But, they did get the 2 INTs and the game winning sacks.

Offense
As I had said, I expected the Tigers to score in bunches but to have quarters of inconsistency. The 2nd quarter was just as I had feared. The play calling was sketchy. 4 drives, 3 3-and-outs with  punts and a kneel down at the half. The 3rd quarter featured anther 3 and out with zero yards, a LLLOONNGG TD and another 3-and-out for 0 yards. I honestly thought the game was probably over at that point, especially since TAMU turned in a TD in the final seconds of the first half then back it up with a TD and a FG in the 3rd.

But, just as I expected...scoring in bunches...even up to 21 points in a quarter...is possible for this Tiger team. That's exactly what we saw in the 4th quarter. 3 long drives with rushing TDs. What I LOVED about those 3 TDs were that they all came from different players. It just shows the versatility to this offense that will only become more pronounced over the remainder of the season.

I expect the Offensive line, behind Dismukes, to really shine. Indeed they did. It's amazing how the same group last year couldn't block anything and this year they are paving roads for truckers. I sure hope he comes back next year....

The biggest story to me is Mason. I knew that he was a versatile athlete coming into this season, but he has absolutely exploded. What better way than to do so in a major game on the way to a season defining win. I said it first. Mason for Heisman, 2014. If he continues to display his balance, nose of the endzone, speed, and versatility, he may very well be in New York THIS year.


The Line
Ok. I get it. I was wrong on the score. I predicted it would take 45 to win. Indeed it did. Just the wrong team. But, hey, throw tomatoes if you want. I will take the win and be wrong any day.

B+ for me!

MFC Classic on Lake Guntersville

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As American's, we are used to winning big. We want our football to score 70 points on our rival team. . We want the fastest car. We want to win the lottery. But, I am learning that we, as a society, don't want to grit it out when things get tough. Sometimes it's easier to make an excuse and accept mediocrity than it is to buckle down.

How does this translate to fishing? Well, everyone wants to catch 100 fish and have a best 5 that weighs in 30 pounds. But, that isn't how it works, is it? In the last year, I feel like I have grown exponentially as a fisherman, particularly as a tournament fisherman. What I have found is, when the fish are biting, it's easy to catch a ton of them. But more often than not, that's not how it works on tournament days. What separates the pack, besides a little luck, are those guys who are willing to grit out their game plan to the end. They are only looking for 5 bites. Take my trip with some of the local guides during the Alabama Mountain Lakes Media Day on Pickwick. We had maybe 6-10 bites all day. The result? 32 pounds of small mouth. Why? Because these guys knew what worked for the magnum fish and they had the faith in themselves and the work ethic to grind it out when most people would start panicking.

Take the Classic on Guntersville lake a few weeks ago. As you know, my last few trips on the Big G have been tough. Like this trip a month back. While I have consistently caught fish, I have struggled to catch measuring fish. And the last time I was there, I actually loaded the boat up and went to Wheeler because I was tired of working so hard for so little a return.

As the Classic loomed, I found myself dreading what the Draw would pick as the lake of the Classic. We had 4 lakes to pick out of a hat. Guess what was picked. Even though I knew where some fish were and what they were biting, I just didn't know about spending all the effort to grind that hard. But, the dollar signs made me go even when everything told me not to.

The day started off rough. There was a ton of fog and I couldn't leave Roseberry until it burned off. The only thing I managed to catch was my hand. I had thrown a Sammy into a tree and when I grabbed the branch with one hand and the bait with the other, the branch slipped and the hook went right throw my hand. Adding insult to injury, I caught it on video!

When the fog burned off, I ran down river to where I knew some fish were. Amazingly, despite the ridiculous traffic on the lake that morning, there wasn't a boat near me. I had caught them the last 4 or 5 trips, but nothing big. However, I knew the lake had been rough on most everyone and I figured I needed a small limit to win. Worst case, maybe I could cash a check with 5 small fish. I was using my new technique called Skitter Shading with the PowerTeam Lures Swinging Hammer swimbait. It didn't take long to get a hit. The fish short struck, though, and pulled the tail off. Despite being de-tailed, I tossed it back in and received another hit. And another. 4 times in a row and no fish.

So it went all morning. Hits and misses. I did manage to boat several fish, but not a one measured.

I had told my wife that if I didn't have a limit by 10, I would come home. At 10, I didn't have a fish. It had gotten hot and I was frustrated. I had quit getting ANY hits. Everywhere I went there were boats. They would plug the water for 5 minutes then haul water.

I sat down to gather my wits for about an hour while munching on some crackers. I got a laugh out of a marine plane that skimmed UNDER the BB Comer bridge...scaring me to DEATH because I thought I was about to have to save some poor souls.

I tried some other things with no luck, though I did notice that I would get bites wherever the mat was popping the loudest and none if there wasn't any popping.

At 12:30, I decided that I had enough. It wasn't worth getting aggravated over, or wasting gas, or showing my face at weigh in without a fish. I started easing my way back towards the ramp with my tail firmly between my legs, even though I had another hour and a half.

As I neared the ramp, I spotted a pocket that didn't look like it had been frogged to death. In fact, it didn't have a track mark in it. I decided at 1pm that I would pull up and listen. If it was not popping, I was going home. If it was popping good, I would give it a try. As I cut the motor, I noticed that it was popping louder than any mat I had been to that day. More importantly, there were no line marks or drag marks in the mat at all. I had thought that was an impossibility on that lake. Every square inch of Guntersville is fished every day.

I tossed out the Swinging Hammer and recorded a quick strike, but lost another tail. I tied on one, cast to another spot, same result. That's when I figured it out. I had been through 3 packs of that bait in a morning. So, I pulled the tail off the fresh one and tossed it to a new area. BOOM! I caught a fish. But, it was about an 1/8th inch too short. But at least I had caught a fish.

Made another cast, another solid hook up. This one DID measure! I tossed him in the box. I made another quick cast, but a nasty birds nest made me put the rod down. It was 1:15.

I picked up my frog rod, topped with a Spro Bronze Eye and made a long cast. One thing I had noticed so far was that the fish wanted the bait burned over the grass. So, I burned the frog.

The sound and wave the fish made might as well have been from an atomic weapon. The fish absolutely EXPLODED on the frog. The hook set was solid and I reeled in a NICE fish. Probably the nicest fish I have caught in the last 5 trips on the G.

It gave me hope. Even if I didn't have but 2 fish, this fish gave me the HOPE that maybe I could take home big fish.

I continued to catch fish for the next few minutes before it was time to head towards the ramp.


As the boats gathered, I noticed that no one was making a move to the scales. Only 1 boat did, weighing in a small limit of fish. I looked around, asking others if they had any measuring fish. No, was the response. Surely it wasn't THAT tough on EVERYONE....right? Well, it had been.

I weighed in my two keeper fish and took home 2nd and Big Fish.

I don't try to take credit for any accomplishment as a fisherman for that. It was a tough day and anyone could get lucky enough to throw on top of that fishes head. The difference was, I had all but given up. But I wasn't and never will be a quitter. I learned that day that sticking it out MIGHT send you home with nothing, but so will loading up early. You might as well give it your all. It's like my wife always says:
"Can't never could." and "Whether you think you can or think you can't, you're right." 

Fishing Report for Pickwick Lake: Government Shutdown Edition

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I've said it before, but I am very lucky to have a group of fisher-friends here at work. So, when we were all sent home, we made a deal that we would fish as much as humanly possible. The issue was, of course, money. None of us would be getting paid and we didn't know how long it would be before we could go back to work. So, we divided up the bills which would allow us to maximize our time on the water. Jon had been doing extremely well on Pickwick. I really like Pickwick and despite it being a near 3 hour drive from his place, we decided that the fishing was definitely worth it.

Here are some of my other Pickwick Adventures:
MFC Tournament on Pickwick
Alabama Mountain Lakes Media Days on Pickwick
MFC Tournament on Pickwick 2012
MFC Night Tournament 2011

I was surprised when he told me what type of tackle to bring. See, I was thinking about deep diving cranks, drop shotting, shakey heads, and other typical Small mouth stuff. Nope. We would be fishing grass. So, no smallmouth at all, I asked. Oh yea, they will be mixed in, he said. I raised an eyebrow. That had not really been my experience. But, after seeing the pictures he had...I was sold.

Some quick background. As you all know, Pickwick is the smallie capital of the world. It's the truth. What many of you also have heard is that it's one of the few places where you can catch an 8 pound largemouth and a 6 pound smallie on back to back casts. While I HAVE caught smallies that big, the largemouth have never really impressed me. Sure, I knew they were around. But I had doubts that we could consistently catch fish that big. But, I trusted Jon and I was really excited to get in on that action!


Day 1
So, the first day, I met Jon and Short at Jon's house early. Like....4AM. Which meant I was up at 2:45. We hit the road and made it on the water by sun up. There wasn't any current and the fishing was slow. In fact, we had 3 fish by 10am and I was already starting to loose faith. We fished some rock piles and other visible structure. My only fish of the morning came on a shakey head in 30 feet of water. But, when the sun came up, the generators kicked on. Like a light, we noticed a ton of action on grass adjacent to the main channel. Everywhere we looked were fish busting. They were running bait out of the deep and into the grass. Jon and Short were throwing plastic Ribbit frogs while I threw a hollow belly Spro and probed the grass edges with a Lucky Craft Sammy.

Getting bites came easy for me, but getting them in the boat was proving much harder. They weren't hitting the Spro frog hard and they were diving into the grass with the Sammy and dislodging it. Normally, that wouldn't be a problem. When I throw the Sammy on Guntersville, I use braid. But since I thought we would be fishing open water, I stuck to mono. Big mistake, especially when I tempted a solid 8 pounder to annihilate my bait not once but 3 times, only to pop it out in the grass. Jon and Short, however, didn't seem to miss a fish. I made the swap over to the Ribbit and that solved a lot of my problems. The other thing I did was eliminate the wait when they hit the Sammy. Now, I snatched them to the top and surfed them in.

We pounded them pretty hard that day, but just as we were hitting stride, we had to go. I had plans at 5 and we had to be off the water at 2. No problem, really. We learned a lot and we knew we would be back. We caught around 25 fish over the course of the day with at least 20 of them coming in the 11-1:30 frame. We had several 4 pounders and 1 that pushed 5. I missed at least half of my fish.

Day 2
It was painful counting the days until we could hit up Pickwick again. We started out early again and it didn't take long to get started. On the way back to the ramp on the first day, we stopped a nice gravel bottom next to a shelf. On perhaps the 2nd cast, I hooked into a fish. I could tell after about 3 seconds I wasn't dealing with a largemouth. After a serious fight, we got the fish in the boat. It wasn't a huge largemouth, but it was a decent one.

We fished the same grass we ended with the previous trip, but they weren't biting yet. It was early and we didn't expect them to start biting until the current kicked in around 11. So, we ran up to some rock piles that have always been good. About the time we got there, we noticed there was indeed some current. It had fish fired up and we watched both largemouth and smallmouth busting shad. I was throwing a Strike King 6XD while I picked off top water fish. That worked extremely well as we had a couple of doubles. But, strangely enough, the current cut off and the sun got high. 

We fished in the area a good bit longer, but didn't have near the action. We fished the same grass mats as teh previous trip but couldn't coax the fish. We had just about given up when we decided to run upriver to a spot Jon had see a lot of activity on a previous trip, though he hadn't fished. 

Between the main channel and the bank was a secondary channel. In between the two channels was a grass mat. The fish were pushing bait back and forth like a pack of wolves. We went top throwing shallow cranks. I was throwing a Strike King Series 3. Suddenly, the action was fierce. We were catching a mix of white bass and largemouth. Even though we had only caught around 10 fish to that point, we loaded the boat for 30 minutes before we had to head home.  The highlight of my day was one of the very last casts. I had seen a nice fish running the bait and I tossed the Sammy out and he missed it. Again. And again. But, I kept twitching the bait, even all the way to the boat. He must of missed it 5 times. But, right at the boat, he destroyed it! 

Day 3

Because the action had been so much later in the day, we decided not to get on the water until 11. That gave us plenty of time to relax and take our time. We put in and fished the spot we ended at the previous day. The action was decent as the fish were hitting crankbaits. The problem was, the wolf pack of fish would move back and forth, sometimes even as far away as 100 yards. But when they came back, we would catch a ton of them, both whites and largemouth.

The middle of the day was pretty slow, but we pulled back up to the original spot around 5 and from 5-dark we slayed the fish. We even recorded an awesome triple! Keith hooked into a fish with a crank. He held the fish still as I threw the Sammy in on top of him. Another fish nail my Sammy. Jon threw a crank into the fray and hooked one too! It was an awesome feeling!

In all 3 trips, I was able to get the big fish that I missed on the first day to bite. But man, that's one smart fish. I never could get her in the boat. The size continually went down as the water level was dropped. Numbers were good, though. All in all, I learned a lot about the lake. The thing I liked the most about Pickwick was, you can catch fish however you would like. There is every type of fishing a bass fisher could want. Can't wait to get on it again!

Product Review for Metalloid Gun Green Oil and Metcore

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I was very fortunate that, despite the government shutdown that sent me home, people were trying to keep me busy. Alas, I did so...splitting time between being a house husband, fishing, and several projects like the one I am about to tell you about.

Neil Borucki, a technical sales rep from Metalloid sent me some products that he thought I would like.Knowing my love for firearms, my desire to keep them looking good and operating smoothly,as well as the issues in performance I have experienced with some of my firearms, he dropped off bottles of Metcor and Gun Green Oil. Metalloid is a company that specializes in metalworking lubricants. In particular, they have a line of firearm cleaning and preserving chemicals. Neil shared some of the reviews he had received on the products. I read the following one and it really made me raise an eyebrow:

"I had something interesting happen to me about a week ago. I have been using Metcore 57 to clean my guns for about 6 months.  I was shooting at a gun range in Arkansas and had trouble with my front sight on my Glock 40 cal. After shooting about 100 rounds I went back to a table away from the range and disassembled my handgun while it was still very warm (hot). As I removed the slide, barrel, main spring I noticed inside area of my weapon that I had applied Metcor 57 that the gun had a very thin liquid level of lube on all areas that had affected the heat. As I was removing my front site with a tool  what was wet on the barrel and slide cooled off and the liquid micro film that I could see dried back to the dull sheen being completely dry to touch in front of my eyes.  It was the coolest thing that I have ever seen.  The lube appeared to be at a micro film level. My Glock is operating even smoother / faster with the Metcor than with the conventional products that I have used for years. I believe that that micro level of wet lube while operating is improving the rounds feeding from the clip and the brass ejecting. It powerful as I talk to customers about this in a personal experience level.

Typically with the other cleaning / lube products I have used the cleaner / gun oil  dried the barrel and ramp significantly and actually made it less reliable  to feed the rounds into the chamber and eject  especially with aluminum and steel jacket products. My 3 guns did not like non brass ammunition before the Metcore but has significantly improved the performance to shoot all available ammunition."

 I was skeptical because it always seemed that the harsher the chemical, the better it cleaned. And improved performance? Hmmm...But, I was intrigued by what the product offered that many do not. No harsh or lingering scents and it's relatively harmless on the environment. So, I gave it a try on two different firearms. Here is the product sheets.

I decided to try out the Gun Green Oil and Metcor 57 first on a Smith & Wesson SD9 9mm. This gun is relatively new to me and had been shot several times. But, I wasn't really happy with the accuracy or the precision. I had told Neil about his, and he had sent me a few reviews from other people who had  used both products to both clean, preserve, and enhance the performance of their firearms. So, I disassembled the gun and cleaned it as I would with typical solvents and oils. 

After cleaning the S&W, I moved on to cleaning a gun that has had several hundred rounds put through it between cleaning. I pulled out my Ruger 10/22. I have been shooting a mixture of good CCI ammo as well as some older and much dirtier ammo.

My thoughts on the product? I was fairly amazed.

The first thing that ANYONE will notice is that the two cleaners do not have a harsh odor. In fact, they don't have an odor at all. So, not only will you not give yourself a headache and you won't have your wife complaining about smelling up the house, but you hunters won't have to worry about game picking up on the stench.

A little goes a long way. It was nice not to have to continually swap out cleaning patches or dabbing more oil on to a cloth.  I was able to clean the 10/22 with 4 patches total, and could have quit with only 3. I cleaned both guns with one drop of Gun Green Oil on a cleaning patch. Both guns had incredible luster that lasts.

Additionally, the guns didn't have to be coated in oil to have a nice sheen. I was able to set them down and handle them without getting oil everywhere. Additionally, it was easy to clean up my work area.

Another beauty of these products are their packaging. Because of their bang for the buck ability, you only need their 4oz small spray bottle. After being out in the woods or on the range, simply wipe down the gun, spray the bore, and store it away!

The action of both firearms was improved with the use of gun green oil.

I have been very impressed. This is a fantastic option for gun cleaning and maintenance. After using it, I would be hard pressed to go back to using traditional solvents and oils.  I see no real benefit to using the latter. Check back in a few months. I plan on running several hundred rounds through each gun and then comparing! For more info or for ordering, email Neil at n.borucki@metalloidcorp.com

The Texas A&M Preview

Yes. I am still alive. And the Internet bill is still getting paid despite being a part of the government shutdown. The good news is, I have had a terrific time being a full time sportsman and part time home husband. Yep, as long as I keep the washing machine emptied and the dishes clean, my wife doesn't mind that I have been to Pickwick 3 times, as of tomorrow. Or that I have killed more squirrels in the last two weeks than in my whole life combined. The bad news is...it looks like the standoff is almost over and I will be back to subjecting you all to my blather.

Let's just ease ourselves back into the swing of things with a quick review of the TAMU game. Why is going to be quick? Mostly because this computer is slow and old as dirt and that there is always something else to clean. I didn't do a preview of last weeks game for several reasons.

 First, who cares. I mean, it was the Catamounts. Secondly, I was busy. Lastly, who can predict what's going to happen in a game like that. I sure didn't care to try.

 Let's take a look at what we know. The Tigers have one of the best rushing attacks in the country, and that was before the Catamounts let them pad those stats even further. We saw the first start of Jeremy Johnson who became the SEC Freshman of the Week. The defense was able to sit some guys to heal while getting some guys back on the field. TAMU, err...Manziel....has been on fire. They post one of the nations all time offenses. And yet, their defense can't seem to stop anyone. They've simply been able to outscore everyone up until this point. Now, I know that same sentence has been said in the past with other teams. Take the 2010 Tigers and their NC counterparts, the Oregon Ducks. Even in those cases, neither team had one of the WORST defenses in the country, as TAMU does. They allowed the Tide, who has struggled on offense, to pile up mad points. Struggling Ole Miss almost pulled off a monumental comeback. And those are the good teams that have scored. Even the cupcakes have been able to put up points.

 Offense
 I fully anticipate Auburn to score, and in bunches. The problem is, the offense has had sputtering quarters. They can put up 21 points in one quarter and fail to record a 1st down in another. A lot of that has been due to the inability to consistently throw the ball. Johnson showed us last week what an accurate passer looks like, and while many people would say that it was against inferior talent, throwing the ball is throwing the ball. Marshall, at times, has been able to complete passes of any length regardless of pressure or the openness of the receiver. On the flip side, this game will be the game where the Tigers show just how far they have grown and how far they can go. I don't think Johnson gives them the best chance to stay in the game, simply because of his age. But, he is probably the best bet to outright win the game. Marshall, and the Tiger running game, have the best chance at keeping the Tigers in the game until the end, though not the best chance to win it. Sound funny? Face the facts here. TAMU is *PROBABLY* going to score on almost every possession. A running game that can continually pick up first downs and eat up the clock will prevent the game from getting "out of hand" as it did last year. On the flip side, it's almost impossibly to win a game running the ball when you are down two scores.

On the flip side, starting Johnson gives you a very real chance to throw the ball, though I feel like it would take him a half to get in the game. By then, the game would probably be out of hand, very similar to what Wallace found last year against TAMU. But, if the game is within 2 scores, the ability to throw the ball accurately gives the chance to come from behind and win. Regardless of the QB situation, the run game will always be there. But, the application of it will be interesting to watch. This is another Trey Mason game.

The dynamic player will continue to impress everone with his versatility. I expect this game to be a breakout game on the National scene for Mason. I don't mean as a 2nd team All-SEC, but as a top tier running back. This game will start the Mason for Heisman in 2014 talk. While he is a fantastic player, this game will showcase an up and coming Auburn offensive line, starting at center.

If Dismukes comes back for his senior season, expect BIG things offensively. This line will give Marshall the time to throw the ball, but I don't think he will make the gamebreaking throws needed to win the game. Expect to see a lot of inaccurate throws, as we have come to expect. Two weeks doesn't make that much difference in the development of a player, regardless of the coach speak that we hear. Now, I am not ready to go out on a limb and say that Johnson will be in by halftime, but I wouldn't be surprised to go into the locker room 28-10 after a couple of 3-and-outs and a pick. But, I also wouldn't be surprised to go into the locker room 17-10 after seeing a run heavy attack that manages the clock and keeps Johnny Football off the field. As stated, this TAMU defense has had trouble against all forms of other teams offenses, so I expect receivers to get open and the run game to be wide open. Will the ball get there and will it get caught?

As I have hinted, the run game will thrive. How could it not? But, if I were Sumlin, I would make Marshall throw it. I would love to be surprised, but I don't think thats a good thing.  I fully expect this to be Marshall's last game as a full starter.

Defense
What can be said? Auburn isn't going to stop the Aggie offense. Even containing it doesn't seem possible. The Manziel to Evans connection seems to be impossible to stop and I don't see Auburn stopping it. So, what can you do? With anyone else I would consider having a spy, with crashing defensive ends. But Johnny is too fast to spy with a player 7 yards off the line. Playing for sacks just seems to be a nightmare.  Auburn has solid corners. Let him see if he can make plays in tge air. And make sure to double Evans.  Malena is a solid back,  but I doubt he would be a traditional SEC starter. Forcing Johnny to give the ball to Malena on early downs gives them the best chance to stay in it. Get him in 3rd and long,  trying to make throws.  The biggest thing Auburn can do is QB contain and take good angles. Honestly,  I hold zero stock in that.  Auburn wont consistently stop them. All they can hope for are a few 3 and outs and a turnover or two.

Now, the move if Egua to the inside made waves the last two games. The freshman have made real strides on the outside and I would love to see them become game breakers. But, I have too much respect for Johnny.  If anything could turn the tide,  that will be it.


The Line
Auburn matches up well on strength on weakness. But barring a complete offensive break down by TAMU, they can't stop them enough nor score enough to win. Furthermore,  they cannot get down more than 2 scores in the first half. Usenets, that means mo , ore than 2 3 and outs in the half. Which means Auburn must run on 1st down and gash the Aggie defense which gives up the nation's worst yards per carry. This is something they can do. The game stays close, but Auburn wont get off the field on defense enough to win.
TAMU 45-31

The Auburn Realist: The Ole Miss Preview

It's the Auburn Realist: Ole Miss Preview......Government Shutdown Edition! I woke up this morning and realized that I had not done my (nearly) weekly habit of previewing this game. A lot of that has something to do with the fact that I am not on my lunch break at work. And that's because I am currently furloughed. The bigger problem is that I don't really have a computer at home.

So, I had to dig this old crusty lap top out of the closet. It's easily from 2005. It doesn't connect to wireless. It's battery is dead. And the DVD drive is busted out of it. But it works... Ok, so the baby is asleep. Griffin is watching the tube. Aubree is at school. And I have the house cleaned up. So let's get to it while the laundry is still drying.

Auburn is coming off of a bye week. Much needed too. Judging by the reports on AL.com, there are a ton of impact players coming back from injury and all signs point to play time. Ole Miss is coming off of a loss at Alabama. And while the media (And every Bama fan I know) labeled this as a dominating performance, I suggest we take a quick step back and use our brain.

Let's talk Ole Miss for a second. In typical Ole Miss fashion, they are starting another polarizing QB in Bo Wallace. He seems to be another QB in a lines going back to Jevon Snead in whom you don't know what to expect from game to game. The kid ha talent, we call have seen it. But he can melt down in impressive fashion. While I have been critical of Freeze in the past, I was especially amazed on his play calling on Saturday against the Tide. TAKE THE POINTS, FREEZE! Honestly. You never leave points on the field against a number 1 team. You especially don't leave points on the field against a team that is having offensive issues. Furthermore, a QB draw on the 1? Wow. Anyway, Ole Miss has some play makers in Moncreif and Treadwell. But, Moncreif never seems to show up in a tight game. THat may not be his fault. And Treadwell is a redshirt freshman that benefited early in the year from being widely unknown and matched up with the 2nd or 3rd best DB on opposing teams. I don't think that will happen against Auburn. Their D is decent. And I don't even consider it because of Nkemdiche The Younger. They were a solid group last year. But, again, they don't have the depth yet to provide anything more than terrific spot play. Then there is the aforementioned play calling from Freeze. There is no doubt that he is good when he is good. When he has opposing defenses on their heels, he knows how to stick the knife in deeper. The problem is adjustments and clutch calls against decent opponents. And before you talk about all the great things he has done, let us recall that they were still 7-7 last year. Ok, that's more than I normally say about opposing teams, so let's move on to the points that matter.

Defense There was a ton of news that has come out in the last 2 days regarding returning players from injuries. That's never a bad thing. Jones is back from a foot injury. Davis is back from an ankle. Perhaps the most interesting bit of news was the Eguae's move to DT. That seemed to stem from Sanders' return to full speed, Blackson's inability to crash the pocket, and the rapid development of Adam's as a 3rd and long pass rusher. The secondary, despite the rash of injuries and slim depth, has played well with players that were backups in the preseason. It's easy to think that their play will be even better with the return of "starters". But, don't expect the starting line up to change drastically from what we saw against LSU. Being the Tempo man who understands pace and rhythm, Malzhan knows when to ride a hot hand, example: Therezie. LSU exposed what we (if you have been reading these previews) already knew about the Auburn defense. It's soft in the middle and the MLB play is lacking. If the offensive line can stall the D-Line or get a push, and another offensive player can engage the MLB, you can break off long runs on the inside. Time after time against LSU, Copeland was either (to steal a line from AUFamily forums) giving Holland a free ride to Arkansas or at least tying him up, the RB was in the secondary before anyone knew it was a run play.

In the words of Hubart Farnsworth: "Great News Everybody!" Scott isn't a between the tackles runner and Johnson has at least made an attempt to shore up this issue. The move of Eguae inside may be the answer. One thing is certain, Blackson and Co were having zero net effect on the game, and were in fact, the weakness of this defense. Honestly, it couldn't get worse. If he can make any impact what so ever, the Rebs are in for a long day. Now, start the Holland bashing. He must practice fantastic because his game play in a physical run game is pitiful. And while we said that Scott wasn't an inside threat, Wallace is. He is a 6'4" wrecking ball, very similar to what we saw with Prescott in the MSU game. This COULD be trouble. But, again, if the DTs can get a push (which they haven't done YET), it will be ok. I expect the passing game to be nil for Ole Miss. While the D-Line may not get to him, he has proven that he would rather run than sit in the pocket and wait for a receiver to break loose. I don't expect Scott to have much impact in the run game. I do expect him to have some impact catching the ball out of the backfield, similar...but not to the extent of....last year. I see him getting 50 yards on the ground and 50 yards in the air. He will get most of those recieving yards on one impact play. Treadwell will catch a fair amount of slants and underneath routes, but the DBs from Auburn have shown that they can make solid tackles, though I can see them botching an early slant for a TD. Possibly a short yardage or down-and-goal play where they go for the ball and miss. The only real damage I see is from the feet of Wallace. With the inability of the D-Line to collapse the pocket, Wallace will run early and often right at the MLB. While this will provide impressive stats at the end of the game, it won't win the game. The key for Auburn's defense is to disrupt Freeze's script. He has a progression of plays he calls when he has the ball moving. And if you can force him out of that script, he falters. Just as he did against Alabama. He will learn from some of his mistakes and kick field goals, though. But Malzhan won't.

Offense Ole Miss has played terrific in spots for the last two years. They even had a couple of great complete games last year. This D is just as good, but it still doesn't have the depth. Auburn, on the other hand, is going to hit stride Saturday. If the LSU game taught us anything, it's that this offense can score on anybody, and do so consistently. While the 1st quarter was as ugly as I have seen in the modern era, the rest of the game was fairly impressive. Honestly, Auburn is 3 plays from winning that game. Granted, that's the difference in a loss or win for ANY team, so I am not making excuses for them. But, luck is luck...even when it's a dropped punt, a fumbled hand off, what have you. I don't know if Marshall will ever loose that deer in the head lights look this year. Everyone is thinking the same thing. He seems to get over anxious or nervous in key plays. It's so easy to say "oh, he will settle down." After all, the same was said after his first start. Then his first SEC game. Now it's being said about his first game against a big time opponent. What will we say after this week? It's his first hangover game? No. I don't expect him to get over his nervous tendencies. I do expect him to elevate all aspects of his game otherwise. Will he miss open receivers? Yes. Will he fumble the ball? Statistics say yes. The question is....will he have that play and get his act together for the rest of the game? I believe he does, and does so well.

Folks, I truly believe this is when the Tigers hit stride offensively. That doesn't mean they will become unbeatable. Far from it. I still think they loose to A&M and UGA. But I think they show that they have more than flash in the pan plays and start playing complete games. It's taught for me really to predict exactly what we will see because I think there are favorable match ups all over the field. I know a lot of people are expecting fireworks from both sides, but I think we will only be seeing it from one side. I think Mason has another big game. Ole Miss is susceptible to the run up the middle and Mason is one of the best 1 cut and go runners out there. I wouldn't be surprised if he goes for 150 yards and 2 TDs.

CAP has really struggled the last few weeks and I think a lot of that just has to do with the amount of touches he has gotten. I don't think this is the game where he gets rolling and I only see him getting 5 -7 touches. Grant is poised to have another 5 touch 100 yard game, but most of it will come on 1 play, as usual. However, with his injuries, I don't really think he will see the field. Instead, I expect him to sit it out, have a good tune up game next week to get ready for A&M.

I expect Marshall to have a good game. 250 passing and a couple of TDs and 50 yards rushing and another TD. The offensive line is going to give him enough time to settle in after the first 2 drives and really conduct the offense. We will see the game manager Marshall who will learn to be patient. He will get loose once or twice, just for kicks. Defensively, Wallace will give the interior of the defense fits early on and will continue to pile up useless yards on the ground.

The Line This game has always had some sort of hype, for good and for bad. I expect Freeze's first and second possession script to go well and he will pile up 10 points in the first quarter. I expect Auburn to fall behind with inadequate play. But, the adjustments will be made halfway through the 2nd Quarter and the route will be on. Auburn wins 31-13