Biggest thing I got from "reliving" the game in his story is how often our defense really played great and we had them in a key 3rd down play but they made the play and we didn't. I think most would agree that our defense could obviously played better, but to hold them to 26 points considering they dominated TOP was not the main problem.
The article also affirmed my biggest concern and that is our continual struggle that we have on 3rd downs.
Stats don't lie sometimes... though they can sometimes be twisted. Consider this: the average 3rd down both Alabama and Auburn faced was "3rd and 6" (to be exact, 5.84 for AU and 6.25 for UA)... with AU having 19 third downs and UA having 11. And, UA's average distance was greatly influenced by one "3rd and 22" while AU's longest 3rd down distance was 12 yards.
For the most part, third downs were the same... but AU went 9 for 18 and UA went 3 for 11. Two observations result. First, we see what happens when we have a "running QB" versus a "passing QB" (and they have the opposite). Second, we see what occurs when we don't get much of a pass rush (and allow an effective pass rush on the offensive front).