Saturdays to Remember... 1984

A Saturday to Remember…
Auburn opened the season ranked #1 in the nation. However we were starting a brand new quarterback and opened the season with two very tough games on the road. First Auburn played 10th ranked Miami in the old Kickoff Classic and then travelled to Texas to play the 4th ranked Longhorns. Auburn ended up losing two close games and losing Bo Jackson for most of the season.

Auburn rebounded to win 8 out of their next 9 games losing only to Florida. The most obvious Saturday to remember from this season was the unbelievable shootout between Auburn and Florida St in Tallahassee that Auburn won 42-41. It is arguably the most exciting crazy win in Auburn history. However the game was not on TV. I remember listening to it with my family. My dad was trying to install a new microwave oven and having trouble. He finally gave up as the back-and-forth game was just too much. It was an awesome game.

However, for me, my Saturday to remember was the Tennessee game. It was my first Tennessee game to watch in person. Tennessee was always one of my favorite rivals and that made it tough when we lost them as a regular rival when the SEC went to divisions. The Tennessee game was nearly always the third game of the season and always showed whether Auburn was a contender or a pretender. By the third game of the season it is time to find out. Some of Auburn’s teams recovered from a Tennessee loss to win a championship but it was usually a big indicator. The LSU game neatly replaced it and became the exact same indicator till they recently moved the game to later in the season. But back to the past…

Auburn came in still down from those opening two losses and without Bo Jackson. However the Tigers played great defense and a little used running back named Kyle Collins had his best game ever and Auburn won 29-10.

A Saturday to Forget…
I would definitely like to forget this Saturday. I still have to shake my head when I remember this game. This was the infamous “Wrong Way Bo” game where Auburn lost to Bama 17-15. However that play is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to this game. First, not only was Auburn playing for another Iron Bowl win but a win would also clinch another SEC title and a trip to the Sugar Bowl. Second, this was the worst Bama team since the 1950s. They were 4-6 coming into the game and had just lost to Southern Miss at home.

This was also my first Iron Bowl in person. It was a beautiful day. I remember wearing my brand new Auburn satin jacket to the stadium but then it being too warm to keep it on. I remember being so excited walking to Legion Field. Of course as soon as we got seated I heard the Bama band playing a cheer and the fans chanting something after it. As a young guy at my first Iron Bowl I was at that time not familiar with any of Bama’s traditions. I soon figured out that the cheer was “Rammer Jammer” and they were chanting “we’re going to beat the hell out of you”. It is still to this day the most obnoxious classless cheer. Congrats Bama.

There was simply no way Auburn should have lost this game. It was one of the few times that Auburn was way more talented than Bama but Bama came out and played more physical. However even with their great effort Auburn was inside the Bama five yard line in the 4th quarter poised to take the lead. It was 4th and 1 and Auburn was down 17-15. A field goal is basically extra point length and it would give Auburn the lead. It was not like Bama had a great offense. Kicking the field goal is the only call at this point in the game in my opinion. IT GIVES YOU THE LEAD. Pat Dye did not see it that way and then went and made one of the most controversial calls of his career at Auburn and maybe in Auburn history and went for it. I still think the “Wrong Way Bo” play should have never happened. We should have kicked the field goal. We didn’t and the rest is history. I had to walk out of my first ever Iron Bowl after that mess. Little did I know it would get ever worse the next year.

The Players
Award Winners...
We had five players make All-SEC this season. They were: Gregg Carr LB, David King CB, Jeff Lott OG, Gerald Robinson DE, and Ben Thomas DT. Gregg Carr was also an All-American and is one of the best linebackers in Auburn history. Carr still remains second on the list of career tackles made at Auburn.

Departures...
Victor Beasley S, Clayton Beauford WR, Gregg Carr LB, Kevin Greene DE, David King CB, Robert McGinty K, Ben Thomas DT, Chette Williams LB and Chaplain.

The most memorable player in this bunch is probably Kevin Greene. This wild man was good at Auburn but became a monster in the NFL as he made it to five Pro Bowls and was the 1996 NFL Defensive Player of Year. Gregg Carr as stated above was one of the most consistent players I have ever seen and along with David King turned in four great years for Auburn.

Kicker Robert McGinty makes the all-time most infamous lists at Auburn as he missed a last minute field goal to beat Bama this year and then kicked a critical field goal against us as a Florida Gator a year or two later. I have a one strong memory of Ben Thomas. It is at the end of the famous 1982 Iron Bowl. It was on Bama's last drive after Bo had gone over the top to make it 23-22. I remember Ben Thomas literally vaulting the Bama lineman in a desperate attempt to get to the quarterback. You could just see how much he wanted it.

Finally this season or last was when a player named Chette Williams, in his words, a "mad, upset, mean person" who was also doing drugs and fixing to flunk out of Auburn was touched by God through that little used running back Kyle Collins. Williams would eventually become one of the most positive influences in Auburn history as a long time Auburn chaplain.

Arrivals...
Scott Bolton WR, Aundray Bruce LB, Jeff Burger QB, Russ Carreker LB, Rodney Garner NG, Nate Hill DT, Edward Phillips LB, Kevin Porter CB, Chip Powell CB, Stacy Searels OT, Reggie Ware FB, Freddy Weygand WR, and Steve Wilson OG.