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manikas-whims · 3 years

Text

Troublesome New Girl

Sequel to A Place Good Enough

[Read on AO3]

Characters: Inej Ghafa, Jesper Fahey, Kaz Brekker

Summary: Inej has newly joined the Dregs. She goes to return Kaz's coat in the presence of many members. *cue the teasing & jokes*

Jesper meets Inej & evidences of Jesper's crush on Kaz (tiny bit of angst).

Kaz is his usual self & sets an example. A violent one :)

Note:

I just noticed this complete written fic has been sitting in my drafts for a month now. I'm so dumb 〒_〒

PLEASE DO READ THE PREVIOUS PART IN THIS SERIES TO UNDERTAND THIS SEQUEL.

Hope you guys enjoy!

Inej

The constant noise of banging against wood rouses Inej from her sleep. She looks around haphazardly only to find herself lying on a cot in an unknown room, her torso covered by a grey coat. Sun's rays blind her eyes momentarily as she turns her face, an open window staring back at her, not the daunting walls of the Menagerie. Memories of the previous night flood back and her shoulders deflate in relief. She takes a long breath to calm her rapidly beating heart. She doesn't need to endure Heleen's beatings or sell her body anymore. She is free of that life. Free.

“Oi new girl!” a voice calls, followed by more knocking at the wooden door to her small room. “Brekker told me to bring you some clothes. I’m leaving a pair out here.”

Right! Kaz Brekker had promised her better clothes. She leaves the comfort of the cot but by the time she unlocks the door to thank whoever was on the other end, the person is gone. She catches a short glimpse of a feminine figure with blond hair at the stairs and vows to thank her later. Picking up the clothes, she closes the door.

Jesper

When Jesper had heard his fellow Dregs gossiping about Dirtyhands bringing back a girl with him late at night, he hadn’t given it much thought. He had ignored Anika when she had said that she was literally asked by Kaz himself to provide the said girl with some clothes. In fact, he had completely shooed away anyone who came up to fill his ears with rumors about this unknown Suli girl and the bastard of the barrel. So when a small, bronze-skinned girl bumps into him on the third floor of the Slat, he's stunned.

"Ohhh—", The girl waves her hands frantically, her pupils dilating in concern, "I'm sorry."

But Jesper doesn't bother with apologies for he's too busy appraising her. Now she does match the rumored descriptions and is even donning Anika's lame clothes. But what actually piques his interest is a neatly-folded coat in the deepest shade of grey held between her dainty hands. He doesn’t need to think long to guess who it belongs to. There’s only one person who doesn’t indulge in the colorful fashion sense of the barrel— Kaz “Dirtyhands” Brekker.

He feels his insides fuming. But no way is he going to act like an idiot and jump to conclusions. Just because here's a girl he’s never seen before and she happens to have a coat, doesn’t mean that every single narrative he's heard about this whole situation is true.

He narrows his eyes in what he assumes is his best look of suspicion as he towers over the girl. “Where did you get that?”

"Um", she looks down at the piece of clothing and mumbles in the most innocent tone, "Mr. Brekker lent it to me."

Mr. Brekker!? The hell kinda way is this to address a man you slept with? Or whatever the heck it is that Dirtyhands prefers to do with girls..

"Why?" he asks. From Jesper's experiences, the young lieutenant of the Dregs isn't big on kindness. "Why did he lend it you?"

The girl's brows narrow in thought. It seems she herself is unsure of the reason. Her left palm clutches her right forearm in apprehension. "I guess..because I wasn't in a very decent attire."

Alarms go off in Jesper's head again. What exactly happened between her and Kaz? His heart needs answers yet he knows that its none of his business so he suppresses the unease welling in his belly.

"Well Kaz is up there." He gestures in the direction of the attic. "I'm headed there right now so I can give it to him."

The girl frowns. "I can't let a stranger do that for me. Besides," she twirls a strand of her hair, her eyes alight with some indescribable emotion, "I must properly thank him myself."

Jesper is familiar with this look. It mirrors his own when he was still a newbie at the Dregs and wanted to prove himself, wanted to repay Kaz for saving his ass. And not just by helping him pluck stupid pigeons but also by adding extra sums of profits to his ledger. Jesper can empathize with her on this.

"He saved you too," The Zemeni asks carefully, "didn't he?"

She stares at him, gauging the understanding in his expression and simply nods.

He rubs the side of his neck awkwardly. "Well, wanna go up together?"

Her eyes widen and she involuntarily takes a few steps back. Distrust. Fear. He can empathize with this action as well. In the barrel, it'd be foolish to believe a complete stranger within few moments of the first encounter.

"Then," he smiles the smile that many have called charming and starts his ascend upstairs. He only looks back once to wink at her, hoping it'll quell her anxious mind a bit, "follow my lead?"

"I can do that." she mumbles, more to assure herself and takes the first step of many that will become the foundation to their sibling-like friendship.

Kaz

When it comes to change, development and fresh ideas, Per Haskell always cowers and dismisses the topic. People like that will never achieve anything if they aren't willing to take risks. The restoration of that abandoned fifth harbour would already be in motion if Kaz hadn't chosen to waste another of his precious mornings trying to convince his boss that investing in it may prove fruitful to the Dregs. And so, after a pointless argument he had had earlier with the old man, he's decided to take matters into his own hands.

Huffing audibly, he continues explaining every member present in his room their respective job for the day. The boisterous throng huddled around him, begins dispersing all of a sudden. Curiously, Kaz looks up to find his faitful right-hand man Jesper Fahey walking in, a mischievous glint in his silver irises.

"We bumped into each other on our way up here." Jesper gestures behind him.

And it is then that Kaz notices her presence— Inej Ghafa, the strange Suli girl he had brought back from the West Stave. Oddly, he had felt her presence moments ago but had brushed it off as a mere byproduct of his rest-deprived mind playing tricks on him. Turns out his intuition hadn’t been wrong at all.

"Its that Suli girl."

"The one that Brekker took up to his bed?"

"Who would've thought Haskell's rabid dog had such exquisite tastes."

The one that Brekker took where? Haskell's rabid what? Kaz isn't sure which remark he finds more insulting towards his reputation. Although he does realise he has no one except himself to blame. He should'nt have let the girl follow him up to the attic last night. As usual, he'll have to cover this small err with fresh tales about himself that are even more gruesome than the previous ones. But for now he must find out why the new girl is here.

Anika’s clothes are baggy on her small frame— a deep green shirt so loosely-fitted that she has tied its ends into a double knot just above her belly-button whilst the fawn-colored trousers hang tastefully around her hips. He watches her long, silky hair sway behind her as she walks gracefully in his direction, determination glimmering in her dark brown irises. Shock briefly flits across his gaze but before he can even think of stopping her, she shoots out her hands in which he (dreadfully) recognizes, she’s holding his coat. He can feel all eyes in the room already settling on him. They collectively stare in a mix of shock, curiosity and..is this jealousy he's witnessing on a few faces?

"What do you think you're doing?" He grits out. He hears a muffled snickering which he's sure is Jesper's and wonders if the two somehow managed to become friends in the short span of their climb up the stairs. And that they both planned this prank together on their way.

However, Inej only furrows her brows, debunking his ridiculous theory. She seems to be wondering what she's done wrong as she answers confidently, "I forgot to return it last night."

More interested staring ensues. The new pen in his palm snaps.

Is this girl serious right now? It took him long, unrelenting years to rise to the position he's at. He's spilled his blood, sweat and tears to scatter the seeds of terror about him throughout the expanse of Ketterdam. Even people who come across him for the first time, visibly shiver and turn pale. So what part of their last conversation has given her this courage to approach him so casually? She seems to have forgotten the fact that he’s an infamous barrel thug, feared by merchers, stadwatch and gangsters alike. She isn’t supposed to saunter up to him and return his coat, making this whole exchange appear to be a scandalous affair to the curious bystanders. She isn't supposed to crumble Dirtyhands' hard-built reputation with just a few words!

"Stand aside, I'm busy." He mutters, because he truly has no idea how to get out of this predicament and hopes that his caustic tone will get the message across just like it does with everyone else.

To his utter dismay, Inej seems to be far more tactless than Jesper, who still hasn't stopped snickering. She tucks the coat back in her arms and bites her lip as if suppressing herself from saying something mean. Her eyes quietly regard his own, an unspoken understanding settling between them. She is aware that if she doesn't wish to be thrown back into the Menagerie, she must behave properly with him. And yet, her nostrils flare as she responds, "I just wanted to pay my gratitude-"

"You can pay your gratitude," Kaz hisses back, glaring up at her from his perched position, "with your services." And its only after uttering those words does he realise the ambiguous implications hinted in them. Jesper's shoulders are shaking uncontrollably now, his palms tightly clamped around his mouth to muffle his laugh.

"Slow down, Dirtyhands." comments someone from the back and the whole room bursts into a howl of laughter. Inej brings a palm to her lips, gasping in mortification.

Kaz massages his eyes. Dealing with these ruffians has already been a headache. Now this new girl just walks in and takes the cake. She's proving to be far more dangerous– scratch that– far more more troublesome than he had expected.

He lets them have their fun as he pulls out a knife from his coatsleeve and gets up. He ambles towards Dirix, his steps slow and deliberate. He's sure it was Rotty who'd made the joke but Dirix is standing closer and it doesn't really matter who said what. Dirtyhands just needs to set an example.

The young boy is suddenly looking very pale. Kaz grabs his right hand, the dominant one and digs the blade along the joints of his fingers. The knife easily tears through his skin and goes deeper into the muscle beneath. Dirix is now screaming whilst everyone else hold their breath. From his peripheral vision, he catches the horror on Inej's face and rolls his eyes. Surely she must've heard of his violent endeavors at the menagerie. She shouldn't have approached him in the first place if she's going to be so shocked everytime he spills someone's blood.

He roots out the knife before it can completely sever Dirix's limbs. "Get 'em patched up." The boy is already running out.

He walks back and tosses the knife to the desk, its loud clang making everyone flinch in fright. "Pipe down before I actually start chopping tongues."

The threat silences everyone.

"This is Inej Ghafa." He points at her and the girl cowers slightly. Not at all the abrupt attention on her, he notices, but from him. "She's to be a new spider."

This one simple statement seems to piece together everything for them. Though he has an inkling that his previous act of brutality also plays a major part. They nod and whisper amongst themselves. He almost scoffs. Of course its easier for them to believe that Kaz Brekker took up a girl to his room for information. Not some spicy dalliance.

"Now get to work." He orders and one by one they shuffle out of the room, Rotty nodding respectfully. He knows he was spared merely by luck.

Jesper is the last one. He winks at Inej before taking his leave. "See you around, new girl!"

And with all of them gone, Kaz turns to Inej. She inhales a breath in anticipation.

"Let's start your training."

So hopefully that was as fun reading as it was for me writing :3

Coming parts will have Inej's training and ofc her picking her canon outfit.

SoC Masterlist

( divider by @firefly-graphics )

#six of crows #kaz brekker #inej ghafa #jesper fahey #kanej #kaz x jesper #inej x jesper #kanej fanfic #pre soc #grishaverse #kanej fanfiction

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babybunnyboy1 · 3 years

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Part 12

Apparently that new thing they were going to do was join the giant group of Pillagers that would once raise their axes and crossbows to hunt and kill her own village and herself. Kelly nervously sat there, staring at a plate of steak and rabbit stew nervously, wondering if they would dare poison her.

She sat right next to Donavan, who had insisted that herself and Bunny were guests of honor for the next few days, until she was healed enough for long distance travel. Kelly had never felt so queasy in her entire life. Each word out of Donavan’s ears seemed to rock Kelly to her core, almost forcing nervous vomit up her already shallow breathing throat, or was that just nausea from not having eaten in over a day?

Kelly almost didn’t dare take a single bite of food, but seeing Bunny eat plate after plate of steak. Of course, Bunny was ignoring the absolutely delicious looking rabbit stew. Completely and totally, Bunny’s eyes never once met with the rabbit stew. Kelly knew he had a strong dislike for the stuff, having tamed multiple rabbits of his own he began to dislike it.

This had made her less nervous. Sure, this was the very same man who had shot her, though it was her fault, was it not? Bunny thought she was a Skeleton, out to kill Bunny so he shot first in hopes of monster murder. Although Bunny never did blame her for the incident, and instead blamed himself in a manner that made it seem like he didn’t care.

She guessed that it really was her fault. She was being out so early in the morning when Skeletons and Zombies could still appear out from behind trees. It was her fault, therefore she shouldn’t blame Bunny, and instead start trying to see him as the only ally she had in this institution built for her people’s deaths.

It was her fault for getting shot.

It was not Bunny’s fault for shooting her.

She sighed as she picked up her fork finally, Donavan’s eyes watching her from the corner. A forkful of steak meat entered her mouth, a strange feeling really. She’d hardly been able to afford steak. She’s only if ever eaten beet stew or bread with her brother and mother.

Steak and other meats were reserved for those who could afford it from butchers, and was considered a luxury. But when she looked around, the bit of steak still in her mouth, every plate she saw had some sort of meat on it.

She swallowed thickly, reaching forward to a bottle of water and taking a sip. Donavan leaned forward during this moment, causing her moments to pause after she separated her lips from the bottle. “Uhm…”

“How are you healing?” He asked her, his frown small and his eyes scanning her shoulder and hands. She had to pick up the small bottle with both hands, and no matter how she held the water bottle in her hands they shook. Not from fear, but rather a clumsy looseness. No matter how hard she held the bottle, it wasn’t tight enough to be considered safely held. She started to worry herself with the grip. Is she about to drop it?

She sighs as she puts it down, pulling both arms close to her as she cradled her hurt one. “The potion worked… Thankfully..” She replied, of course she hesitated.

“Not well enough, I’m afraid..” Donavan said, sighing as he watched her. “You would have had a better time actually going to the witch’s camp. They are better than brewing potions than we Pillagers are. Even so, I’m happy you got here when you did. Any less and well- it could have been worse than it is now…”

Kelly nods, and Bunny puts down his bottle of water. “Where’s the beer?”

He asks, sighing as he stood. Donavan shook his head in annoyance. “It isn’t even midday yet, Player, and you already want to drink?”

“Yeah. I happen to like drinking.”

Kelly found herself becoming annoyed with Bunny’s words, sighing as she used her good arm to start feeding herself. Her wound shot throughout the limb, it was difficult to move. Bunny had walked away by now, and most of the other men were also starting to leave.

“Kelly?” Donavan asked, frowning.

“Uh…”

“Is your name Kelly?” He asks again, his voice calm and smooth. It sounded deep and gentle, like the night sky.

She found herself blushing lightly out of embarrassment. “Yes… My name is Kelly..” She looked away. Most of the men were leaving, others were looking at papers posted up to see their jobs for the ongoing day.

“Is your mother’s name Lillian, perchance?” He asked, scooting closer as if he were hearing an interesting story that had yet to be uttered from Kelly’s lips.

She became hostile, glaring as she stood up abruptly. Donavan stood up out of pure instinct, shocked at the hateful glare. “How did you know that?! Do you have spies in my village?! Who are the traitors?” She shouted, her head dizzy with the sudden action. She nearly fell, if Donavan’s hand hadn’t caught her gently around her back, slowly leading her body down to rest back in her seat.

“I know because of a story my dad told me when I was younger..” He murmured, slowly pulling his seat closer to hers. They were alone now, and he sat next to her, bending down so they were at the same level. Kelly found herself hating how he towered over her despite both sitting down. “He had a friend when he was my age, I was told he was a good man, who left years ago to escape an arranged marriage and be with a woman he loved, who was named Lillian.”

Kelly scoffed. “Yeah, next thing you’ll be telling me his name was my father’s name…” “Evan-“ “Evan-“

Both paused and stared at each other, an accidental interruption on both parties at the same time that shattered Kelly’s whole world. Her father’s name was Evan, and she was now terrified at how Donavan knew that name. Was it a popular name? Or did her father used to be a blood thirsty pillager?

Donavan was excited, smiling. “Yes! That was my father’s friend’s name! Evan! My theory was right- you look just like your mother! I met her once- she wore black clothes and she held Mr. Evan’s hand-“ He was like that of an excited child who had been given a brand new version of his favorite toy. It was terrifying.

“M-my father was not a pillager. He was a blacksmith like my brothers! Before.. Before he and my older brother died- of course..” Donavan’s excitement drained right then, and he cleared his throat. “I am… sorry for your loss. My father is dead too- that’s… that’s how I came to be in charge… Course- we all know his murderer, haha… Bunny is ruthless when it comes to war..”

Kelly frowned and sighed. “I’m… sorry for your loss.” She murmurs, frowning as she rested her body on the back of the chair. Somehow, the pair seemed closer. Kelly had such a set ideal of pillagers in her mind, she forgot that they were people too. They had families, ideas, and a culture she was oblivious to because of her stereotypes she was only now not thinking of. “I always thought pillagers killed each other to get a… higher rank? Is that the term?” She admitted and questioned herself, sighing.

Donavan chuckled, shaking his head lightly. “Higher rank is right, but we don’t kill each other. We’re a military people, not a barbarian society. We rise in ranks by honorable deeds, like training recruits or doing brave deeds or even bringing a large amount of food and materials back to the base for the rest of the group.”

“And you kill other people in doing so…?”

Donavan’s smile faltered, nervously glancing off to the side. “M…mostly whoever fights back… and Iron Golems hurt when they punch you in the gut.. Their entire bodies are made of iron, after all..”

“I bet..” She rolled her eyes. Donavan scoffed. “Ah- as if you’ve ever been struck by an Iron Golem-“

“Try three!” “Bullshit-“ His jaw dropped, shock in his eyes.

“I got pushed over and stepped on…” He winced, a hand subconsciously going to his left hip. “Ow…” She laughed, smiling. “They were all charging a Zombie that had snuck past… I was in the way…” She lifted her shirt up to her belly button, showing a few large but pale scars that mingled with black spots. “I was also less than 6.”

He stared at her shirt, blinking momentarily before looking back up at her. “Why do you have witch’s marks…?” He asked, his voice quiet now.

“I’ve always had those.” She says, trying to think back to a time before them. “I think I was born with them..? My twin brother, Casper, he has them too! But ah, only they’re on his back.” He nods along, frowning as he straightened his back. “Huh… It’s midday...” He said, staring at a clock as he stood. “Do you want me to walk you to your room?” He asked, holding out his hand. His gentle, large, sandpaper feeling hand. She took it, frowning at their almost similar skin tone. They were both born with pillager fathers. She stood, wincing and holding her arm that belonged to the wounded shoulder close, not daring to move it.

“I’d appreciate it… I have no idea where it is.” She says, frowning as she looks to the side towards the window.

He smiles, their hands still lightly brushing as they slowly walked. “Just follow me. I know this place like the back of my hand! I was born here.”

She giggles, smiling as she walked close. “You know, when I was a child I thought Pillagers were born in a mansion with an axe in one hand and a crossbow in the other…”

He barks a laugh. “You’re kidding!”

She scoffs. “It’s true! I also thought that when the sun goes down it goes into the ocean and fizzles out before exiting the ocean and becoming the moon! Then it goes back through the ocean, but turns and goes through the Nether and going back on fire there from all the lava.”

He laughs harder, wheezing a bit. “Oh fuck-“

“Well it made sense to me!” She tried to defend, one hand going up.

Donavan smiles, standing straight. “I used to think that ancient Evokers made the sun, and every once and a while it ran out of energy and Evoker prayers, or spells, powered it…”

Now it was Kelly’s turn to laugh, her entire body shaking. She wheezed small ow’s every once and while, holding her shoulder as she laughed. “I don’t even know what an Evoker is, but even that’s a little far fetched!”

Donavan smiles, shrugging, “Well it made sense to me.” He said, repeating Kelly’s words.

Kelly and Donavan stopped in front of Kelly’s medical room door, sighing. “Y-yeah… Made sense to us both, as kids…” She murmurs, shaking her head before watching Donavan open the door. “Thank you.” He nods, smiling at her from the door way as she sighed and sat back down on her temporary bed. “Of course… Call if you need anything. I’ll post a guard for you.”

“Thank you… uhm… Gen-“ “Donavan.” He interrupted, holding the handle to the door. “You can call me by my name. You’re not my soldier after all.” She laughs slightly, then nods as she stares at him. “Thank you, Donavan. I appreciate the walk, and the stories.” She says, before settling into her bed. “Have a good day.” He nods, turning now. “You too…” He said, before closing the door slowly. It clicked, and his heavy boots slowly disappeared down the hall.

Today was going to be a good day.

#minecraft fanfiction #minecraft #mineblr #sm-baby if you see this you inspired me so much #i listened to the edgiest music for this #fanfic #fanfiction #original work #original content

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auburnfamilynews · 4 years

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Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

How low can you go?

Oh boy, this ought to be a hoot. Auburn got trucked in Athens, with very few players bringing the effort necessary to win a game against the most talented team per capita in the country.

Some position groups might not have even been there with the way we played, while others showed that they indeed wanted to play Auburn football. How did we grade? Read along:

QUARTERBACK - R (for RUN FOR YOUR LIFE)

Bo Nix was not great this past Saturday. Now, a lot of that had to do with a game plan asking him to be a hero against the best defense in the country behind what might be the worst offensive line in the conference. He was not put in a position to succeed and it resulted in catastrophe for the Tigers offense.

But that doesn’t mean he was a passive participant in that, uh how can I put this nicely, “poopshow” of a performance. Elite quarterbacks raise the play of their teammates. Elite quarterbacks make big time plays even in less than ideal circumstances. Elite quarterbacks still lose but they elevate their offense anyway.

Bo Nix is not yet an elite quarterback. He might still become one but he’s not there yet. There were chances for Auburn to land some haymakers. It’s unlikely any would have left UGA on the mat for long given the Dawgs dominance along the line of scrimmage but there were some chances where Nix could have given his team some confidence. Two deep shots to Anthony Schwartz jump out, especially that 2nd quarter miss where Schwartz had a step on his defender and a touchdown would have made this a 17-7 game.

If you are going to be a championship calibre quarterback you have to hit those shots when you get a chance. Nix is still not doing it. He has to get better and do a better job capitalizing on big play opportunities especially against elite teams. We saw these same misses last year in College Station, Gainesville and Baton Rouge. Until that changes, there’s a firm ceiling on this offense that will prevent this team from winning anything meaningful in the next 2-3 years.

RUNNING BACKS - A-minus

DISCLAIMER: This ranking is solely predicated on measuring the effectiveness of those who played, which was few

Auburn probably found the back of the future on Saturday night in Tank Bigsby, who got his first real extended action with Shaun Shivers’ injury and D.J. Williams’ apparent lack of speed. What we saw in Athens was the only player who 110% wanted to be there, win, and wasn’t afraid of Georgia. Everyone else played scared or tight. He finished with 8 carries for 31 yards and 7 catches for 68 yards, a couple touches consisting of heroic efforts to negate plays that would’ve otherwise been huge losses. He honestly showed the kind of wiggle and strength that we saw out of his position coach in Sanford Stadium in 2001, but we had less help on Saturday. Georgia was also better than they were eighteen years ago.

The position group is given an A- because of D.J. Williams’ ineffectiveness (no carries, 1 catch for -4 yards), and because there’s still room for improvement from Tank in spite of his great night. Tank can become the absolute start back at Auburn, but we have to figure out how to use him and reward him for being the only guy leaving everything out there on Saturday. An offensive line wouldn’t hurt either.

WIDE RECEIVERS/TIGHT ENDS - D (for Drops)

I will say, there weren’t a ton of opportunities for the receivers to show out in this one. With a lethal pass rush from Georgia, and Bo being lucky to just get the ball in the air near the intended receivers, any production from them would have been a gift. That being said, this group gets heavily penalized by a severe case of the drops. Sure, Seth Williams’s drop would have been a highlight real touchdown if he had reeled it in, but we also saw Shedrick Jackson drop two balls as well (one of them ended up being called for targeting, but my point stands).

The highlight of the night certainly goes to J.J. Pegues, who only recorded three touches for eight yards, but the big man converted third downs on both of his carries out of the Wildcat. Props for that I guess.

OFFENSIVE LINE - L (for Lost.)

The next time you hear someone defend Herb Hand and JB Grimes, show them this:

This is one of the most pitiful efforts in the history of Auburn football. No I’m not talking about the game. I’m talking about how vastly under-prepared this position group is from a personnel/roster management standpoint. After having 2 transfers start in 2017, the regression of offensive line play at Auburn from 2018 - present has been the root problem of this football program. We have not been able to run the football since Kerryon Johnson got hurt against Alabama and now in 2020 we cannot protect the quarterback. What’s so damning about this is that SO MANY PEOPLE SAW THIS COMING.

I can’t even blame Jack Bicknell for this because I think he’s the first offensive line coach Auburn has had since Jeff Grimes (should’ve been retained after 2012 by Gus) who understands how to recruit offensive linemen at Auburn. But he’s probably unable to fully fix it until 2022 at the earliest! And yet, none of these issues are new! None of this is a surprise!

The identity of any offense is based around its offensive line, which explains at least in part why we looked so completely lost as a unit Saturday night. But as bad as the line looked, the real shame is on whoever it is on that sideline who insists upon rotating offensive linemen 2 games into a season. Sure, this group didn’t have this summer to build cohesion thanks to COVID. That’s tough for any group. But you are extending this problem out by continuing to rotate guys. And I don’t think it requires a lot of thinking to see that the most ideal starting group right now probably looks like this:

Left Tackle - Austin Troxell

Left Guard - Brandon Council

Center - Nick Brahams

Right Guard - Keiondre Jones

Right Tackle - Brodarious Hamm

Even with that group, the grades looked abysmal Saturday night based on what was said by the PFF folks. But this position group cannot get better without playing together. Run with these 5, and let them take their lumps and grow. In the meantime, the unit looks lost. I will say that it sure doesn’t help that it was abundantly clear that we were tighter than the Fat Man Squeeze at Rock City thanks to a group of coaches who don’t appear to trust their players and go into a turtleshell each time we play a competent football team away from Jordan-Hare Stadium. You could see that in the opening drive with penalties.

So yeah, the offensive line, and whoever is on that sideline refusing to trust his players and doing this rotation BS deserve a grade worse than F. They deserve to be called out for being LOST.

DEFENSIVE LINE - H (for How?)

I think we all expected this defensive front to regress significantly from last year. Nothing about that is a surprise when you lose a generational talent like Derrick Brown, who friend of the program Justin Ferguson swears is the greatest defensive player in Auburn history. Certainly an argument can be made. That being said, how in the hell do you get blown off the ball this poorly? How in the hell have several of these guys, who have played a significant number of snaps in this defense, not improved since the first year they stepped on campus?

This is the first year that we haven’t had a sure-fire NFL defensive lineman on this team since Gus got to Auburn. And that would be enough of a reason to be upset but also understand why our backs broke in the 2nd half...if that had happened. Instead, this group was dominated from the start, letting a walk on quarterback keep his jersey clean for the majority of the game, and let Georgia bully you in the run game all night. This score could have been 21 points worse, but Georgia was having too much fun pushing our defensive line into the belly of our linebackers.

I expected a regression, and I have confidence in Rodney Garner. Really I’m more angry at the offense since 2016 for wasting 4 years of championship-level defense than I am a bad night at the office without the NFL talent of a year ago. But none of that should make you, me, Gus, Rodney, or anyone associated with this program any less embarrassed by the utter domination by the Georgia offensive line.

LINEBACKERS - D (for Dreadful)

I understand that it’s difficult to make plays when offensive linemen are hitting you, but when you engage a running back (even a five-star one) you don’t need to be getting pushed back every single time. K.J. Britt, Owen Pappoe, and Zakoby McClain again combined for a ton of tackles (28 total), but they came several yards downfield almost every play. McClain had the lone tackle for loss of the group (a sack), but the group lost contain when blitzing, couldn’t hang with the backs out the backfield on short passes, and gave ground on run plays up the middle.

Refer to the guide below, from Harry Potter. These guys were still in the right place a lot of the time, but they didn’t make the plays necessary, and the middle of the field was a place where Georgia got a bookoodle of their yardage. 28 total tackles is nice, but we’re throwing them a D for Dreadful anyway. Be thankful it’s not T for Troll.

DEFENSIVE BACKS - C (for Coverage Optional)

This secondary had a range of performance on Saturday. Roger McCreary for the most part shut down George Pickens, allowing the star receiver just 26 yards on two catches from five targets. One of those catches (and 21 of the yards) were from a touchdown, but the coverage wasn’t necessarily bad there. It was just a perfect pass and catch from the offense. Jordyn Peters and Jamien Sherwood proved to be just fine at safety, with the pair combining for 27 tackles. Generally you want your front seven picking up most of the tackles when the opponent is running the ball down your throat, but nevertheless, that isn’t the safeties’ fault.

Now comes the part that was... not good. At all. Georgia was able to pull a page out of Alabama’s playbook and just abuse Christian Tutt, with Kearis Jackson picking up nine catches for 147 yards. Nehimiah Pritchett struggled mightily as well, although it’s hard to blame him as he was filling in for an injured Jaylin Simpson.

SPECIAL TEAMS - B (for not Bad)

Congratulations, boys. You’re not the reason Auburn lost. There’s probably only one other position group that can say that. Carlson hit both of his field goals. Punt coverage was good. Kickoff coverage wasn’t great on the first one to ding it back to a B. That’s about it.

COACHING - D+

Auburn’s coaching was suspect Saturday. Down 3 scores late in the first half, Auburn elected to kick a field goal, to make it a...three score game. The decision to keep rotating the offensive line is not one I understand. And some of the offensive playcalls around the goal line were...well, they were blah. Auburn couldn’t out-talent Georgia Saturday. Ultimately, that’s on the coaches for recruiting. And if you can’t out-talent an opponent, you have to out-execute and out-scheme. Auburn did neither of those things. I won’t fault the coaches for in-game execution, but Georgia didn’t look surprised by anything Auburn threw at them.

Credit to Kevin Steele (I sound like a broken record) for impressive halftime adjustments. Holding Georgia to only 3 second half points is the only thing saving the coaches from a failing grade. This team didn’t totally quit.

FANS - F

They were Georgia fans, so they probably barked at strangers and were generally lacking in self awareness. Also, their student section didn’t seem to follow any COVID restrictions.

from College and Magnolia - All Posts https://www.collegeandmagnolia.com/2020/10/7/21503374/position-grades-4-georgia-27-7-auburn-6

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