Game 12 Review: DESTINY

(This post is dedicated to Auburn all-time great and first Heisman Trophy winner Pat Sullivan who passed away Saturday night.  He will always be on the Mount Rushmore of Auburn football.)

Auburn 48  Bama 45.  Once again I thought I had seen it all in the Iron Bowl as I wrote about my memories of all the Iron Bowls I have seen in my last post.  Once again I was wrong and once again I was lucky enough to be there in the middle of it with my parents and youngest son for probably the last time in person.  I really feel so blessed and so thankful that I was fortunate enough to see another one of these.  Frankly though I am not sure I can take much more.  I turned to my mother as the fourth quarter started in this one and told her I was not sure I was going to make it through this one.  This was pretty much the wildest game I have ever seen in person or on TV and an instant classic.  

This game resembled the 2014 game in many ways although I think both teams yesterday were actually a little better and the game was a little crazier.  However that one was a high scoring back and forth affair that could have gone either way that Bama won 55-44.  This one could have gone either way but this time Auburn won.  It is hard to fully "get your hands around" this game.  There was SO MUCH that happened.  I mean WOW.  The game started as low-scoring and defensive with the first quarter ending 7-3 Auburn and then we saw a second quarter with 48 POINTS SCORED, 38 POINTS IN THE LAST SIX MINUTES (!!!!!!).  

I am just going to try and hit points in this game and give my take on them and some of the controversial moments although I think the field goal before the half is really the only one.  I have also been a huge critic of Gus Malzahn throughout this season.  How do I reconcile this game with that?  I stand by what I wrote but I obviously admit he did a good job at points within his system to give Auburn some good chances and he did a good job getting the overall attitude of the team right, i.e. expecting to win.  However the game was to me won by Auburn and lost by Bama on the pick sixes especially the second one.  Auburn also got unbelievable plays and performances we have not seen this year.

PREGAME

I drove down with my youngest son and we met up with my parents at their RV.  Again they have been Auburn season ticket holders for 36 years but are giving it up after this Iron Bowl.  We did a little reminiscing about 36 years of watching Auburn football and then my son and I headed to the stadium a little early.  The weather was absolutely gorgeous, the best I have ever seen even remotely close to the end of November.  It was seventy and sunny pretty much the whole time.  We had a few issues with people taking up more than their seat but after a cool flyover by F16s I was ready to go.  The stadium was packed, the energy was high and it was time to start another Iron Bowl.  

FIRST QUARTER

Auburn received the opening kickoff, hit a few passes but had to punt.  Bama got the ball and immediately headed down the field.  The Bama offensive line dominated the vaunted Auburn defensive line most of the first half.  Bama actually scored a touchdown but it was called back on a holding call.  It was pretty bad holding but I was still shocked they called it.  Bama did end up with a field goal to take a 3-0 lead.  Auburn went three-and-out and then forced Bama to punt.  Christian Tutt came up with Auburn's first big play returning the punt 37 yards putting Auburn in business at the Bama 32 yard line.  Bo Nix took it in after a big Boobie Whitlow run to make it 7-3 Auburn.

SECOND QUARTER

In the words of Samuel L. Jackson in "Jurassic Park"... "hold on to your butts", this again is the craziest quarter of football I have ever seen.  Bama started the quarter with an almost seven minute 14-play touchdown drive topped off by Najee Harris taking it in for the touchdown to make it 10-7 Bama.  Auburn then takes it down and ties the game 10-10 aided by a pass interference penalty.  Bama got the ball back and quarterback Mac Jones finally made a mistake and it turned out to be a bad one sailing a pass high.  Smoke Monday intercepted it and took it back all the way to make it 17-10.  This is definitely KEY MOMENT NUMBER ONE to Auburn winning the game. 

You can complain about refs all you want and I have this season but you cannot throw pick sixes and then blame the refs for losing the game.  It was a great job by the Auburn defense taking advantage.  The crowd went nuts on this play and got really loud...  it did not last long.  Bama's Jaylen Waddle then basically took over the game.  He started by taking the ensuing kickoff all the way to immediately tie the game.  Auburn got the ball and two plays later Boobie Whitlow fumbled and Bama got it.  The Bama brain trust made a great call and immediately went for the throat and this time quarterback Matt Jones threw a perfect strike to DeVonta Smith to give Bama first-and-goal.  Jones then hit Henry Ruggs for the touchdown. 

The air went completely out of Jordan Hare.  My head was still spinning.  Auburn had seized the lead and the momentum with a huge pick six and then in LESS THAN A MINUTE AND A HALF BAMA SCORED TWO TOUCHDOWNS to take the lead back.  I just did not think it was in the cards after that blitzkrieg.  I do not think I have ever seen two touchdowns scored so quickly.  Bama had seized this game and here is where they could have won the game.  Instead Auburn went on their most clutch touchdown drive of the entire season.  This drive with Seth Williams unbelievable one-handed catch, Will Hastings out of nowhere grab plus Sal Cannella's tip-toe masterpiece was KEY MOMENT NUMBER TWO to Auburn winning this game.  

This drive kind of gets lost in everything else that happened in this game but it should not.  It was huge.  It came down to 3rd and 7 at the Auburn 38 yard line.  Bo Nix with no fear threw a great pass and then Seth Williams made an even greater one-handed catch for 37 yards.  That is a gutsy pass to throw on 3rd down in that situation.  I mean WOW, what a play.  Nix then scrambles and appeared to just throw it away before Will Hastings came out of nowhere for the catch.  Another WOW moment.  The very next play Nix hits Sal Cannella for the tying touchdown on a pass-and-catch that would make NFL players jealous.  Nix put it the only place he could and Cannella made one of the best catches you will ever see keeping his toes just in bounds.

It was an unbelievably clutch drive with three just incredible passes and catches.  These were players giving it everything they possibly could and making some of the biggest plays of their career.  The game was now tied 24-24 and Auburn had recovered some momentum.  Bama immediately took it away AGAIN.  The Tide scored on TWO PLAYS with Mac Jones hitting Bama hero Jaylen Waddle on the second play and he took it 58 yards to make it 31-24.  It looked like a high schooler racing elementary kids.  Auburn has some pretty good players in the secondary and he just blew past them.  I mean there was nothing you could say.  I just sat down and shook my head.  Auburn could not cover these guys.  I just did not see how Auburn could score more points than Bama.

Auburn had earlier dumbed it up and used all their timeouts because they could not get it together on substitutions.  It almost bit them but they got lucky and we hit the only real controversy in the game.  Auburn got the ball back with 33 seconds left.  The Tigers hit two big plays but the last was a swing pass to Bobbie Whitlow and he got the first down but was tackled with the clock running out.  The play was reviewed and one second was put back on the clock.  Auburn then was able to get the field goal unit on the field and was able to simultaneously snap the ball with the timekeeper starting the clock and got the field goal off which was made and three points was the difference in the game.

First, yes I would be upset if the shoe was on the other foot but since no one and especially Bama fans ever think like that when something questionable is happening to Auburn, I do not feel real sorry for them.  I think a worst call was made in the 2015 Iron Bowl when then defensive coordinator Will Muschamp was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct which gave Bama the win and he did not go off nearly as bad as Nick $aban.  I agree with the official they had checking calls on TV.  He simply explained this is one of the cons of having technology.  It was the correct call to put one second back and since they had to take time out for the replay then Auburn was able to get right people on the field and lined up.  The score was Bama 31 Auburn 27 at halftime.

I agree that I would not like it if this happened to me but Bama still had the lead and had PLENTY OF CHANCES TO WIN THIS GAME.  I believe I would be here writing about those plays more and not this one if I was a Bama fan who has such a higher standard than everyone else.  I am sorry this call did not cost Bama the game.  On the other hand I thought it was pretty good coaching (and it hurts to say that) for Auburn to be ready for something like that especially after watching the incompetence that cost Auburn the timeouts to start with.  You also have to give a ton of credit to Anders Carlson.  The guy had been terrible from over 40 yards and has not been strong the last few weeks.  He was absolutely CLUTCH in this game with fields goals of 43, 52, 43 and 44 yards.

THIRD QUARTER

It took awhile to catch my breath at halftime.  I mean whew the stats told the story, the score and the stats were pretty much what you would see after a whole game (!!!).  Also kudos to both the Auburn and Bama bands, they both put on a great show with Bama paying homage to the Beatles and Auburn to Woodstock.  I know most of us are too busy hating each other to notice but both bands were awesome.  Auburn was able to get coverage and pin Bama deep to start the second half.  The defense then forced Bama into one of their few three-and-outs on the day and got good field position.  The Tigers were then able to just do enough to get into position for Carlson to get his third field of the day.  That brought Auburn to within one with the score 31-30 Bama.

Bama then flexed their muscles again.  Bama's offensive line is ridiculously good.  They are top notch at every position on the field on offense.  Mac Jones was even outstanding going 26 for 39 with 335 yards and FOUR TOUCHDOWNS.  That is a career day for a lot of guys but the problem was his two interceptions.  They were critical mistakes and again they were the biggest reason Bama lost this game in my opinion.  In fact KEY MOMENT NUMBER THREE was the biggest key moment of them all.  This swung the game the most in my opinion.  Bama drove 74 yards in eleven plays for first and goal at the Auburn two yard line.  Auburn also helped with multiple pass interference penalties.  The stage was set for Bama to go up by eight and be in position to take control.

The Auburn offense just was not going to be able to keep up with this Bama juggernaut unless the defense could make some plays.  Mac Jones made his second mistake although the Auburn defense gets some credit for pressuring him so fast.  He was trying to hit Najee Harris for the touchdown and threw it behind him.  In fact it hit him in the back and covering Auburn linebacker Zakoby McClain who was also Auburn's leading tackler in the game was able to grab the ball and then took it 100 yards for a touchdown and a 37-31 lead.  The Auburn defense was struggling against Bama's talent but just kept working and when the mistake was made they were able to capitalize and turn the game right when Bama was close to putting it out of reach.

I can say that now but not then.  I cheered hard but as soon as Auburn kicked back to Bama I just thought here we go again... and I was right.  It took Bama just five plays to take the lead back, basically just three.  Mac Jones passed to Henry Ruggs for 24 yards, then to DeVonta Smith for 26 yards and then 12 yards to you guessed it Jaylen Waddle for his third touchdown of the night to make it 38-37 Bama.  Auburn is playing their guts out and guys are making unbelievable plays they have not done all season.  Auburn is doing everything they can but at this point I was just not seeing how it would be enough especially after the Tigers were stopped and punted it back to Bama the next possession.

You have to keep fighting though.  That is the mantra of every coach and every team fighting Goliath.  The Auburn defense had been absolutely shredded much of the night but they had made some plays and hung in there.  Luckily Auburn was able to pin Bama deep when they punted and then the defense stopped Bama three-and-out the next series to keep it at 38-37.  It was a huge stop.  Boobie Whitlow then busted one for 36 yards to put Auburn in field goal range.  Anders Carlson buried another one from 44 yards to give Auburn the lead 40-38.  Bama opened the fourth quarter by storming down the field again with Mac Jones passing to Henry Ruggs for 33 yards, to DeVonta Smith for 14 yards and then hitting Jaylen Waddle for a 28 yard touchdown, his FOURTH.

Bama was now up 45-40 when Auburn got the ball with a little over thirteen minutes left in the game.  The Auburn offense had hung in all day but now it was down to crunch time.  Auburn pretty much had to score a touchdown because the odds were Bama would go down and score and put this one out of reach like 2014 if they did not.  This is KEY MOMENT NUMBER FOUR.  This was when Bo Nix's dad came up big in the Iron Bowl and now it was Bo's turn.  Bo Nix opened with a great win against Oregon and turned in an incredible performance against Mississippi State but he has struggled a lot of the season.  Now though he was in the spot he had dreamed of being in his whole life.  He was the starting quarterback at Auburn leading a do-or-die drive against the Crimson Tide.

Bo Nix proceeded to write his own chapter in Iron Bowl history leading Auburn down the field to put them in position for the winning touchdown.  He made three huge plays on the drive.  First he had two big runs for first downs and then hit Seth Williams on a huge third down conversion atoning for the one he missed in the Georgia game.  Nix and the offense drove the ball 66 yards consuming over five minutes to a 3rd and 5 at the Bama eleven yard line.  A field goal was really not going to get it done, Auburn needed to score.  Auburn lined up in the wildcat which is usually not good.  Boobie Whitlow took the snap and handed to a crossing Shaun Shivers.  Bama had the end covered, Shivers was not going to take it around the end...

Shivers saw the end was covered and immediately cut up, trucked a Bama defender sending his helmet flying and charged into the end zone and into Auburn history.  The crowd noise was deafening.  It was an unbelievable play.  Auburn then converted the two-point conversion on another clutch pass from Bo Nix to Shedrick Jackson.  It was now Auburn up 48-45 with eight minutes left in the game.  I sure did not feel confident that Auburn could hold the lead.  Bama then started a long slow drive down the field.  Bama drove 52 yards in 12 plays chewing up six minutes to the Auburn ten yard line.  They overcame three procedure penalties caused by the unbelievable crowd noise.  Big bad Bama was first and goal on the Auburn ten yard line needing a touchdown to put the Tigers away.

Bama with all their offensive talent, all their championships, all their swagger simply had to go ten yards to finally put Auburn away, win the Iron Bowl and go to their six straight college football playoff.  They simply had to get ten yards against a battered, bruised and exhausted Auburn defense.  Bama had massively won the time of possession battle for most of game and had controlled the ball for around 34 minutes at this point.  Auburn's defense was on fumes but they were not done yet and they stood strong one more time.  They stopped a Najee Harris run, forced Mac Jones into a short scramble and then Auburn MVP Derrick Brown came up with KEY MOMENT NUMBER FIVE batting down Mac Jones' third down pass which probably would have been a touchdown.

Bama now lined for a short 30-yard field goal and it seemed the first overtime game in Iron Bowl history was finally going to happen.  The kick went up... and bounced off the goalpost.  PANDEMONIUM.  Hold on though there was two minutes left, two long minutes.  Auburn had to get a first down or Bama and their quick strike offense was going to get one more crack at it.  Auburn ran it twice and Gus even tried a pretty nice misdirection trick play with Boobie Whitlow at quarterback but it did not work.  It was fourth down and Arryn Siposs was running onto the field.  Bama's punt return unit ran onto the field... but all of a sudden Auburn was in their regular offensive shotgun set with Siposs split wide???

I think all of us were wondering if Gus had lost his mind.  He tricked us but more important he tricked Nick $aban.  Bama rushed their defense back onto the field but still had their returner, Jaylen Waddle, on the field as Auburn came set.  Bo Nix saw it first, the flag had been throw, it was a twelve men on the field penalty...  Auburn had their first down and AUBURN HAD JUST WON THE FOOTBALL GAME!!!!!!!!!!  Andy Burcham screamed "LET THE CELEBRATION BEGIN!!!" in his first big game call.  I turned and hugged my parents.  This was probably our last one together and it just could not feel sweeter.  I felt now that it was DESTINY that we would get to see one more great one together after watching so many over almost 40 years.

I got to take my younger son down on the field after his first Iron Bowl.  We got to go to Toomers and see another titanic celebration.  I have to say, I do not think there is much debate, there is NOTHING like celebrating a really big win at Auburn University.  Toomer's Corner really is a one-of-a-kind place.  There is just not anything like it.  You head there with about fifty thousand of your best friends, young and old, and you whoop it up, take pictures and just soak it all in.  Toomer's Corner is the best celebration tradition in college football (although a post game meeting on the field at Jordan Hare is rising) and I just feel so thankful to have been there for a few of them.  

I have to say the reaction from Bama fans has been pretty bad even for them.  It is hard to find any Bama fan with sportsmanship.  I have not heard one Bama fan yet give Auburn any credit.  I mean Auburn made some big plays and gave unbelievable effort.  Auburn fans have lived under the $aban regime for going on twelve years now and I have not seen any widespread behavior like this.  Listen Bama, Auburn has had INJURIES, PENALTIES, BAD CALLS and PLAIN BAD LUCK in PLENTY OF IRON BOWLS.  If you want to diminish Auburn winning this game and not give them any credit then I want a LOT OF PAST BAMA WINS IN THE IRON BOWL DISCREDITED.  

I mean when I coach a youth sports team I try to teach KIDS my three rules of sportsmanship and they are:  NO BRAGGING, NO MOPING AND NO WHINING.  That needs to be taught in Tuscaloosa.  I love the supposed greatest college football program in the country of the past decade that had PLENTY of chances to win this game going on and on about Auburn getting a field goal before halftime WHEN BAMA STILL HAD THE LEAD.  I mean come on guys, if the shoe was on the other foot I would be much more upset with my team not running with first and goal at the one yard line with a chance to take the game over or not being able to score at all with a first and goal at the ten yard line to win the game.

It had been a season that was missing something up to this point.  It was a good football team with the nation's toughest schedule that had an offensive staff with some issues.  The team's effort though was never a problem.  This team played their butts off all season and while they did plenty to hurt themselves in the other big games this season they were so close to pulling off a big win.  I guess they saved the best for last.  I will remember this football team for their effort and their perseverance.  The coaching staff and players just kept working.  This team "wrestled with them angels" like their predecessors thirty years ago and like that team we watched them grow up and become men.  These men then went out and won one of the greatest Iron Bowls ever played.

It sure seems like it was their DESTINY as well...  WAR DAMN EAGLE.

Game 11 Review: My Iron Bowl Memories

Auburn 52  Samford 0.  The Auburn football Tigers took care of business in their second-to-last game of this 2019 regular season.  It is bowl season now... first up is the Iron Bowl and then another destination hopefully in Florida on New Year's day.  There is not much to say about the Samford game in which most of the game was played in heavy rain.  I do not think anyone got hurt although reserve defensive back Jamien Sherwood will be suspended for the first half of Iron Bowl for a weak targeting call.  I do not think that will be a deciding factor for Auburn though.  I think the Tigers are as healthy as one can realistically expect.

I think everyone across the entire earth knows Bama's injury situation but Bama will somehow have to give it a go with the other two dozen NFL players on their roster.  I mean I feel bad the guy got hurt but hey it is football.  Auburn has lost one of it's best players several times in Iron Bowl history.  It stinks but somehow Bama got full credit for beating Auburn all those times and I will certainly enjoy a win over Bama just as much with or without Tua.  I mean I know it is tough for Bama when they have to actually prepare for more than one game in a season where they do not have the overwhelming advantage at every position.

It is shaping up to be a good game between two good teams that definitely have strengths but both also have some weaknesses.  Auburn is starting a true freshman quarterback in a mediocre and many times predictable offense that has some good players but has not played good in a big game.  On the plus side Auburn has a really good defense anchored by a really good defensive line.  The Bama defense is solid but not near the dominating units Bama has sported in the past.  They also will start an inexperienced quarterback on the road for the first time but the good news for Bama is he is surrounded by NFL draft choices on the offensive line, running back and especially wide receiver.

The wildcards in the game will as always be turnovers, special teams and the incompetent SEC officials.  The biggest question on the Auburn side will be whether the refs will let Bama hold the entire day or will they call at least one holding penalty?  I guess the biggest question on the Bama side is how physical will they let the Auburn defensive backs be?  They will be looking for anything to slow down Bama's speed burners at receiver.  However the officials have shown they will throw that flag on pass interference (see the LSU game last season) but I have not seen multiple holding calls against a top SEC team in years now. 

For myself I am planning to be at the game and it might be my last Iron Bowl in person.  I hope not but you just never know.  As I wrote earlier this season my parents who have bought Auburn season tickets for our family for 36 years are retiring after this one.  I have had a ticket to an Auburn game whenever I wanted to go for 36 years.  I cannot thank them enough for the amazing experience it has been.  I have been truly blessed and just feel so fortunate to have gotten to see so many awesome Auburn football games.  I have seen great Auburn games against Tennessee, Florida, LSU, Georgia and most everyone else but of course the most special ones have been in the Iron Bowl.

Here is one man's Iron Bowl journey, I have definitely seen the good, the bad, the ugly... and the AMAZING.

1984  -  Bama 17  Auburn 15  "Wrong Way Bo"

My first Iron Bowl at Legion Field in Birmingham and Bama had their worst team in 50 years.  The Tide came into the game at 4-6 and had even lost to Vanderbilt.  Auburn had a good team who had rebounded from a bad start to within a win of a second SEC championship.  The Tigers even had Bo Jackson back after he missed most of the season with a shoulder separation.  I mean you had to feel food Auburn would make it three in a row against the Tide.  I remember wearing my brand new Auburn satin jacket even though it was too warm to wear it.  I remember the first thing I heard going into the stadium was the pregame version of that stupid cheer...

I then had to watch Auburn get outplayed by a bad Bama team, Pat Dye make maybe the dumbest call in Auburn history and Auburn lose to a completely inferior Bama team.  The game is called the "Wrong Way Bo" game but that play should have never happened.  Auburn had it fourth and one inside the five yard line down 17-15.  It is an easy call, you kick the field goal to get the lead especially with Auburn's defense playing well.  Pat Dye stupidly decided to go for it, stupidly did not get it to Bo and then Bo went the wrong way as a blocker.  Auburn would get another chance on a long field goal but the game was lost on that play.  

1985  -  Bama 25  Auburn 23  "The Kick"

I was back the next season at Legion Field in Bo Jackson's last regular season game and last Iron Bowl.  It was also the last time I saw him in person.  He was awesome with over 150 yards rushing.  Auburn once again had the game won but somehow managed to blow it AGAIN.  Auburn had the lead 23-22 with Bama backed up deep in their territory with no time outs and less than 40 seconds remaining in the game.  I watched this sequence years later and still could not believe Auburn lost this game.  The Auburn prevent defense gave up a big throw to a receiver in the middle of the field who was still allowed to somehow make it out of bounds.  

It is the worst example of prevent defense I have ever seen.  The Tigers let Bama get just close enough and Van Tiffin won it in the closing seconds with a 52 yard field goal.  It is the one time I was present at a Bama last second win over Auburn.  I was in the upper deck of Legion Field and the stands were literally shaking after the field goal.  Bama fans were losing their minds.  It was pretty scary getting back to the car and I remember just being kind of numb.  Auburn had the game won and then suddenly they did not.  This was the second year in a row Auburn had the better team and had lost the game.  The big wins in 1982 and 1983 were looking further and further away.

1986  -  Auburn 21  Bama 17  "The Reverse"

I sat with my head in my hands as the third quarter ended at Legion Field in the 1986 Iron Bowl.  Auburn was down 17-7 and it had just started raining.  Once again Auburn had the better team and once again Auburn was getting outplayed by the Crimson Tide.  Bama running back Gene Jelks had absolutely shredded the Auburn defense in the first half and the Auburn offense that had been so good all season had done nothing.  I was staring another awful loss to Bama in the face after watching the last two heartbreakers.  I was cold, I was wet and there had been no indication from Auburn the first three quarters that they would turn this game around...

Then came that fourth quarter, that glorious fourth quarter...  This is why you stick with your team through thick and thin...  this is why you gut out the losses and stay with it.  On the first play of the fourth quarter Auburn great Brent Fullwood broke a long run for a touchdown.  Auburn had a chance.  The Tigers would get the ball back late and embark on a do-or-die drive for the win.  Auburn quarterback Jeff Burger hit wide receiver Trey Gainous on a clutch fourth and three and then Lawyer Tillman took it in for the win on "The Reverse".  The Auburn crowd lost their MINDS.  We danced and sang in the rain to "Louie, Louie" till we were hoarse.  This is my favorite Iron Bowl behind the "Kick Six" and the "First Time Ever" in 1989.  This was the Iron Bowl win I saw in person.

1987  -  Auburn 10  Bama 0  "The Shutout"

I still remember the bumper sticks after this one, "Shut down, Shut out, Shut up".  I remember the offense being backed up deep and Jeff Burger hitting a big pass to Lawyer Tillman to change the field and then scoring the game's only touchdown before halftime.  The rest of the game was pretty boring as the Auburn defense dominated.  This was a landmark game though, it was the end of an era.  This was the last "50/50" ticket split before the game went to home and away.  It never really was "50/50" but more like split in thirds between Auburn, Bama and the city of Birmingham which was a mostly Bama.  It was definitely time for things to change but it is still memorable.

1989  -  Auburn 30  Bama 20  "The First Time Ever"

This was arguably the biggest regular season game in Auburn history.  I think that may still be true.  Younger people do not understand the magnitude of this game.  Bama had never played in Auburn before.  They said it would never happen.  Pat Dye made it happen even though it cost him in the coming years.  It was monumental.  It was the dawn of a new era of football in this state.  It was one of the coolest times in my life to be a student at Auburn for this one.  RVs started showing up two weeks before the game.  The campus basically shutdown by Thursday.  I am getting chills just thinking about it.  We got in line for student seats six hours before kickoff.

The feeling in the air was unbelievable.  It was one of the few times I knew that Auburn was going to win in a game like that.  There was Reggie Slack's Sullivan-like pass to Ace Wright... there was James Joseph going over the top for the first Auburn touchdown and then getting another one later...  there was Stacy Danley's tough running...  There was 'Lectron Williams scoring another big touchdown... There was Auburn's ferocious defense... There was Win Lyle's game clinching field goal.  There was the celebration afterward.  There was Coach Dye's "wrestling with them angels" speech.  There are big games and then there is "The First Time Ever".

1991  -  Bama 13  Auburn 6  "The Last Time Ever"

Auburn had to for some reason throw in one more "home" game in Birmingham to get the deal done to move the game.  It was a horrible experience from beginning to end.  The game was one of the worst in the series played by two bad teams.  I remember tossing my prized Auburn cap out the window driving away from this one.  My plan was to spend the night with one of my good friends who lived in Birmingham.  We were in the middle of a good dinner trying to forget the game when my brother called.  His friend had left him at Legion Field.  I had to drive back down to that hellhole and then take him back to Huntsville where we lived in a downpour.  It was just an awful day. 

1993  -  Auburn 22  Bama 14  "Nix to Sanders"

The 1989 game was huge as I wrote above but for many reasons the 1993 game was almost as big.  Things went downhill in 1990 and bottomed out in 1992.  In 1993 Coach Dye was gone and Bama had just won a national championship.  Somehow, some way this gutty group had scratched and clawed their way to 10-0.  The only thing left between them and perfection was a flawed but still very good Bama team.  The game was not on TV due to Auburn's probation.  The build up was close to 1989 and the game was maybe more magical.  Three words...  "Nix to Sanders".  I saw maybe the most unbelievable Auburn play outside the "Kick Six" in Auburn history.  I then saw James Bostic bust it up the middle on that magical run to finish it off.  "Eleven and Oh!  ELEVEN AND OH!!".  

1994  -  Bama 21  Auburn 14  "Losing By Inches"

This is the one and only Bama home game although it was at Legion Field that I have ever seen and it was a memorable one.  I had a student ticket and the Bama administration wanted to stick it to the Auburn students by putting them in regular bleachers in the end zone.  The problem was the bleachers were slightly higher than the first row of real stadium seats and students stand the whole game.  We were on that back row of the bleachers and we had to stand because the students in front of us were standing.  The Bama ticket holders behind us were livid.  We tried to make peace with them but the guys in front of us made fun of them and a brawl almost started.

On top of that my brother blocked a practice field goal ball from hitting me square in the face at the very last second.  That was bad and then the game started.  Bama was 10-0 and Auburn was 9-0-1 having tied Georgia the previous week.  That killed the magic though as Bama jumped all over Auburn.  Pat Nix had no time to throw.  I remember Bama senior defensive end Dameian Jeffries absolutely terrorizing Auburn freshman offensive tackle Victor Riley.  Bama went up 21-0 in the first quarter and it felt like hell on earth.  Auburn scrapped its way back into the game and was driving to tie it when Frank Sanders was stopped inches short on fourth down.  Tough game.  Tough day.

1995  -  Auburn 31  Bama 27  "Out of Bounds"

This game is one of the lesser known and underrated games in the series.  The main reason for that is that both teams were good, Bama was 8-2 and Auburn was 7-3, but both were out of the SEC championship race.  Arkansas beat both teams and went that year to Atlanta for the West.  However it was one of the only close but high scoring games in the series.  The first half was full of fireworks and Auburn led 24-14 at halftime.  Bama rose up though on both sides of the ball and took a 27-24 lead in the fourth quarter.  Pat Nix rallied the Tigers and then I remember Fred Beasley's run up the middle for the winning touchdown.  Bama took it right back and almost won but wide receiver Curtis Brown caught the ball in the end zone with a foot out.  Yes he was out!  Auburn held on.

1997  -  Auburn 18  Bama 17  "The Fumble"

This was one of the worst games I have ever sat through till the end.  It was almost a carbon copy of 1984.  The 1997 Bama team was the worst Bama team since well... 1984 and came into game with the same record of 4-6 while Auburn was 8-2 fresh off a big win at Georgia.  However Bama head coach Mike Dubose did one of his few good coaching jobs and Bama just flat-out was more physical than Auburn.  They shutdown Auburn's high flying offense led by Dameyune Craig.  Bama led 17-15 with less than three minutes to go in the game... the same score as 1984.  Bama also had the ball and two Shaun Alexander rushes gained 14 yards and a first down.

I just stood there shaking my head along with many other Auburn fans.  I just kept thinking that Auburn was never going to make it to Atlanta.  I mean if this team could not beat a 4-6 Bama team to win the West then it was never going to happen.  The defense finally stopped Shaun Alexander and then Bama went for the first down and the game on a screen pass to running back Ed Scissum.  Auburn safety Martavius Houston then made the play of the game with a huge hit on Scissum separating him from the ball.  Auburn recovered and then Jaret Holmes, who had once missed four field goals in one game, put it straight down the middle on the biggest kick of his life.  This was one of those moments, complete pandemonium.  Auburn beats Bama and wins the West.

1999  -  Bama 28  Auburn 17  "End of the Streak"

The 1999 Iron Bowl was definitely a tough one.  We pretty much knew we did not have a great chance against a good Bama team but Auburn had never lost to Bama at Jordan Hare.  The Tigers had destroyed Georgia the week before and came out playing hard.  Auburn had a 14-6 lead at halftime but a safety in the third quarter turned the game.  Shaun Alexander then took over the game just like he did the year before.  Alexander ended up with 182 yards rushing including a monster second half going off for 100 yards and three touchdowns.  I will say this one did not hurt as much as others because Auburn played their guts out.  I think everyone was proud of the team, Bama and Shaun Alexander were just better this season.

2001  -  Bama 31  Auburn 7  "Black Saturday"

I went to just about every Auburn home game between 1983 and 2001.  My first child was born in 1999 and it was just getting to be too much to keep going to all the games.  My wife and I decided to stop going as season ticket holders.  We got to see Auburn upset #1 Florida earlier that season and I was really hoping and expecting to see a win on this Saturday.  Auburn was 7-2 and needed a win to go back to Atlanta while Bama was 4-5 (!!!).  Freshman Carnell "Cadillac" Williams had almost singlehandedly beaten Georgia the week before and evidently Auburn had no other plan.  Carnell got hurt and Bama just manhandled Auburn.  It will forever be "Black Saturday".

2005  -  Auburn 28  Bama 19  "The Best Fifteen Minutes Ever"

The title for this game says it all for me.  It was the greatest fifteen minutes of a football game ever for me.  I have never enjoyed one quarter of football more.  I had missed the 2003 Iron Bowl at Jordan Hare because of some reason I cannot remember.  I missed Cadillac Williams "going crazy" but I did not miss this one and I am forever thankful.  It was supposed to be a close game, Bama was 9-1 and Auburn was 8-2, but it did not turn out that way.  The sad thing is Auburn went 7-1 in the SEC and should have been in the championship game but lost a close game to LSU because of missed field goals.  It was one of the very few times a team went 7-1 and did not win their division.  

This game helped make up for it.  The defense came out and sacked Bama quarterback Brodie Croyle twice on Bama's first possession.  Auburn got the ball and took it down and scored on a Brandon Cox to Ben Obomanu touchdown pass.  Auburn stopped Bama again and then promptly drove down and Kenny Irons ran it in.  The Tigers then stopped the Tide again including another sack and then took it down for another touchdown on a Ben Obamanu 45 yard run.  Auburn then sacked Brodie Croyle two more times on the next drive.  Auburn finished with an amazing ELEVEN SACKS of Croyle and won the game 28-18.  Many players on Auburn's defense got sacks but Quentin Groves and Stanley McClover both had multiple sacks.  Defense Auburn DEFENSE!!!

2007  -  Auburn 17  Bama 10  "Six in a Row!!!"

Auburn has not had many long winning steaks over Bama in the modern era.  Auburn won three out of four from 1969 to 1972 and then four in a row from 1986 to 1989.  The best one though was the six in a row under Tommy Tuberville from 2002 to 2007.  You knew it would end but I really wanted to get this sixth one at Jordan Hare.  This was the first Iron Bowl for my oldest son and I really wanted for him to see a win.  Auburn got it.  The game was ugly but it came down to Auburn needing to get one yard on fourth down to seal it.  They got it behind forgotten hero Brad Lester who had almost 100 yards rushing against the Tide.  Auburn not only got another win but also beat Nick $aban in his first Iron Bowl.  It was pretty much the last happy night at Auburn for Tommy Tuberville.

2009  -  Bama 26  Auburn 21  "So close yet so far away..."

I started this blog in 2009 and my review of this game is part of my first season of game review posts.  The key part of the post I wrote that I remember from this game is the part toward the end of the game where Auburn had the lead and gets the ball around midfield.  Auburn had a real chance to win this game at that point.  It was the only point in the game I actually believed it could happen.  Auburn then went straight backwards.  It was there for the taking and it was hard to watch.  Bama then drove down for the winning touchdown like championship teams do.  One interesting note, that Bama team is still the ONLY $aban-coached Bama team that went undefeated the whole way.  The Bama fans appear to have forgotten this team and not hold them in high regard when they got it done.   

2013  -  Auburn 34  Bama 28  "THE KICK SIX"

The greatest ever.  I will always be proud to say I was there in the stadium with my older son.  I got to storm the field with thousands of other joyous Auburn fans.  I got to soak in Toomer's Corner.  It goes to the very heart of the Iron Bowl.  It shows the difference between Auburn and Bama.  Bama has had more success but frankly I feel sorry for them at times.  They can find no joy like this.  They have to win the national championship or they are failures.  They feel they always have to act like they are better than Auburn.  They never get to experience the joy of being the underdog and pulling off an upset of these proportions.  It is tough being an Auburn fan much of the time but it is times like this that make it all worth it.

I consider my post on this game to be about the best work I have ever done on this blog along with my national championship post.  I cannot say it any better than I wrote in that post just a few days after:

"The kick went up and from my seats I cannot tell accuracy but I can tell length and after a long couple of seconds holding my breath I could tell it was short.  I let out a long sigh of relief as I saw Chris Davis catch the ball and head out but did not think much of it.  Like everyone else I had overtime on the brain till I saw him cross midfield... and the red sea parted and we were headed to the promise land.  I only know one way to describe the feeling of Davis running into that end zone and the feeling I had the rest of the night and frankly still have and it is pure joy."  PURE JOY.

2017  -  Auburn 26  Bama 14  "More than TEN POINTS" 

I walked into Jordan Hare Stadium on November 25, 2017 and I thought I had pretty much seen everything in this rivalry.  I had seen last second game-winning plays on both sides.  I had seen dominating performances on both sides.  I had seen some of the greatest plays and games in college football history.  There is one thing though that I had never seen.  I had never seen Auburn beat Bama by more than ten points.  I had been talking about this for a long time.  Auburn had beaten Bama many times since I was born in 1969 but that year was the only time Auburn had beaten Bama by more than ten points till this day and this game.  I had pretty much given up on seeing it especially this season with Bama being #1 and undefeated coming into Jordan Hare but I FINALLY saw it.

Auburn behind Jarrett Stidham's greatest game as an Auburn Tiger and an incredible defense plus outstanding performances by Kerryon Johnson and Ryan Davis went out and just beat Bama.  As I said in my post on this game this was one of the few times Auburn was just better than Bama even with Bama undefeated and #1.  Bama went on to get in the back door of the playoff and win it but this year they truly did not deserve it.  Auburn was just better than them.  A team that does not win it's own division does not deserve to make the playoff especially when the team that clearly beats them is hurt by the championship game.  Auburn beat #1 undefeated Georgia bad and #1 undefeated Bama decisively in three weeks.  I got to see this and finally see Auburn beat Bama by more than ten.

THE LAST WORD
That brings us to now and Thanksgiving in 2019 and maybe the last Iron Bowl I will see in person.  I certainly feel very blessed and very fortunate to have seen so many great games in person and as I have wrote here so many Iron Bowls.  I am very THANKFUL.  I probably should have stopped two years ago with that Georgia game and that Bama game.  Those would have been good ones to go out on.  I went down to Auburn once last season and saw the Tigers lose to one of the worst Tennessee teams ever.  I fear that I will have to hear Bama sing that awful obnoxious cheer again this weekend.  I will definitely be sad if that is the way this game turns out.
The Auburn Tigers are flawed and underdogs again this weekend.  Bama is still an extremely strong team even without their first string quarterback.  All I have heard from the national media is about whether Bama should get in after they beat Auburn this weekend.  I have not heard much doubt that Bama will win.  The Auburn coaches and players are disappointed about not getting any really big wins this seasons.  The fans are beat down from all the bad losses in big games outside of 2013 and those two games in 2017.  Auburn will lose a ton of good players after this season.  My family after 36 years of buying season tickets for Auburn games are done after this game.  The odds are long and it looks pretty dark but there is still that hope that I might get to see one more great Iron Bowl win.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING AND WAR EAGLE.  

Game 10 Review: Another Disappointment

Georgia 21  Auburn 14.  As I said all season, I thought Auburn had a good chance against Georgia.  I thought Auburn matched up well with Georgia especially the defense.  Georgia is more run-based and has a less dynamic offense than Bama or LSU.  I felt the Auburn defense would play really well against Georgia and hoped that the Auburn offense even handicapped by Gus Malzahn could scratch out enough points to win at home.  I guess I was right about the defense but once again a Gus Malzahn offense was really bad in a big game till Georgia backed off a bit on defense to milk the clock.  LSU and Georgia both clearly beat Auburn but let the game get close when their defenses backed off.

I guess it is good the Auburn offense could take advantage late but the first three quarters are completely unacceptable in both games.  We are paying an OFFENSIVE coach SEVEN MILLION DOLLARS, let me say that again, SEVEN MILLION DOLLARS.  He is the SIXTH HIGHEST PAID COACH in the country and pretty much in the history of college football.  He has one of the best defenses in college football this season and had a good one last season and he still cannot win a big game.  He is not able to train up his starting quarterback through ten games to hit a short easy pass in critical situations.  I cannot list one well-coached part of the Auburn offense.  Can you?

THE GOOD
I mean here we go again, pretty much like every other post I have written this season, the defense is the good.  I mean how hard is it for people who make their living writing about Auburn to do this week after week?  I mean how do you make this entertaining?  Everyone of us who write about Auburn have written the SAME THING FOR EVERY BIG GAME FOR SIX YEARS other than two games in 2017.  I mean you can literally say the same thing about every single big game loss.  I guess the difference this week is that this was a truly incredible effort by the defense that was undone by stupid clock management and once again NO SUPPORT FROM THE OFFENSE.

The defense forced NINE three-and-outs (!!!) by Georgia.  On fourteen Georgia offensive possessions the defense forced ELEVEN punts.  They gave up just 3-of-15 third-down conversions and only 251 yards of offense.  Georgia burned the defense for their first touchdown but their second touchdown only came because of Gus Malzhan helping them by calling timeout.  The third touchdown came because the offense only had 38 yards and barely five minutes of possession time in the third quarter.  The defense made some mistakes but clearly played good enough to win the game if Auburn had anything resembling a decent offense but it was just the same old story.

THE BAD
And here we go again in this section...  A Gus Malzahn offense was really bad for three quarters in a big game.  Bo Nix was the leading rusher for Auburn in this game.  An offensive "guru" on running the ball who is paid SEVEN MILLION dollars with an all SENIOR offensive line could not even scratch out one hundred total yards rushing.  I have always wanted Auburn to pass more but the key is balance.  Georgia made Auburn completely one dimensional as was their plan.  Bo Nix put up a good stat line but averaged less than five yards a pass and missed critical easy passes.  It was really hard to see the Auburn rally die on Nix missing bad on an easy short pass.

I love Bo Nix and his family connections are a great story however I do not see him developing under Gus Malzahn.  Nix is not super accurate and it looks like he has regressed over the season which is par for the course for most quarterbacks under Malzahn.  As expected the offensive line has not been great this season and there is no experience behind them or highly recruited talent ready to take their place.  Nix will certainly have a hard time progressing regardless of the coaching without a good offensive line.  Auburn could not run in big games this season, how is it going to be better next season?  Seth Williams is the only legitimate All-SEC player I see on Auburn's offense.

THE UGLY
The sunshine pumpers were out this week on most Auburn sites spouting Malzahn's accomplishments and telling us that this is the best Auburn can expect and we should be happy with what we have got.  We should look at Auburn's history and even though we play more games a season now Auburn simply does not have the right to expect to be better than what we are under Gus Malzahn.  My first answer is that when I was in school at Auburn the team won three Southeastern Conference championships in a row and even though those teams lost some big games they also won plenty of big games.  We did not take a back seat to Bama or anybody else.  I expect us to strive for that.

The problem is that I believe Auburn has reached a point where holding on to Gus Malzahn much longer is going take the program down.  We have thought that getting rid of Malzhan would allow an inept administration to make a bad choice at head coach that might lead Auburn down Tennessee's path and that could happen but a good hire could be made as well.  I think Auburn has to risk it.  I now believe that if Malzahn stays that recruiting will continue to go down (see both sides of the line of scrimmage) and fan apathy will hit an historic high.  The bottom is most likely falling out next season with so many good players leaving the program.  Now is the time to make a change.

THE LAST WORD
The problem with that idea is that Auburn can beat Bama in two weeks.  I obviously understand there is no getting rid of Malzahn if that happens but I still believe everything I wrote is true.  The program will just have to go through another mediocre-to-bad season watching this awful offense.  In reality I think that is what is going to happen even if Bama wins.  There is just no leadership at Auburn that can make a tough decision like that.  Things will have to get really bad before they make a change.  I also admit that you have to sometimes quit looking long term and consider the players.  This team has worked their butts off and sacrificed so much.  I hope Auburn beats Bama for them.  They truly deserve something really good to celebrate.  Oregon and Texas A&M wins are not enough.

Auburn always has a chance with this defense but now that Nick $aban was dumb enough to send the best quarterback ever to play at Bama back into a game with a 35-7 lead, Auburn has a better chance.  I certainly do not want anybody to get hurt but am just stating a fact.  Alabama quarterback Mac Jones will start on the road for the first time in the Iron Bowl.  Bama will surround him with NFL-caliber players so I still think they are the favorite but obviously they are not as good without Tua.  Bama will be desperate to stay in the playoff chase and Auburn desperately wants a big win.  For me I might be watching my last Iron Bowl in person with my parents retiring their season tickets after 36 years.  We have one week of scrimmages and then maybe just maybe another classic Iron Bowl.

Game 9 Review: The Stage is Set

Auburn 20  Ole Miss 14.  Auburn beat Ole Miss this past Saturday in one of the weirdest games you will ever see.  Auburn absolutely dominated the game statistically but just could not actually score points.  On the flip side, Ole Miss could not do much offensively but was able to score both times they had a chance.  The game looked like it would be just another blowout but ended up getting very tight in the end with Ole Miss driving for a winning touchdown.  I had a full day of soccer coaching and reffing on Saturday and actually fell asleep after Auburn went up 20-7.  I woke up with Ole Miss driving and the score at 20-14.  I was flabbergasted.  I guess right off with that admission you know this will not be an in-depth review of this game...

I definitely saw enough though to review the game, touch on the controversy after and talk about Auburn's next game.  Auburn moves into a bye week this week and like Auburn's first bye week it comes at a perfect time.  This is one of those seasons you get every few years that has two bye weeks in it.  I know I need it with another soccer tournament coming up this weekend for our family. I also really like a two week build up for the last Auburn vs. Georgia game played in November.  It is the "Deep South's Oldest Rivalry" and for me it has always been played in November.  As I have mentioned in the past it was my favorite game of the year and favorite rivalry till it lost that family feel but I definitely want to savor this one last November matchup.

THE GOOD
The defense was good again except for a couple of scoring drives by Ole Miss.  The Tigers held the Rebels to under 300 yards of total offense and under 25 minutes of possession time.  That is domination.  I am still shocked this one was a close game.  However this was a good job defensively even giving up two touchdowns.  Derrick Brown was a beast again leading the team in tackles.  I mean wow this guy amazes you every week.  He had to lead the way with senior teammate Marlon Davidson sitting this one out.  K.J. Britt made his presence felt as well along with freshman terror Owen Pappoe.  I love watching these guys.  I love watching the energy this defense plays with.  It was also good to get a lot these young defensive linemen good SEC playing time.

The good on offense was Gus Malzahn calling 44 passing plays and 46 running plays.  I mean I know many of those passing plays were basically running plays but still that is a very uncharacteristic stat line from Malzahn.  It is too bad it did not translate to points.  I will concentrate on the good in this section though.  Bo Nix had an outstanding stat line going 30 for 44 with 340 yards.  It is a big deal any time an Auburn quarterback throws for 300 yards.  It is just too bad that none of them were for touchdowns.  D.J. Williams had another good night almost getting to 100 yards rushing plus Anthony Schwartz and Seth Williams both had solid nights catching the ball.  This is the kind of stat line I look for with one main running back and two good wide receivers being used the most.

THE BAD
The bad in this game was kicker Anders Carlson missing three kicks, Bo Nix having one bad fumble and the offense in general not being able to finish good drives with touchdowns.  Auburn had a lot of good runs and passes but Gus Malzahn still called a lot of predictable plays that Ole Miss stuffed.  You look at those stats and you wonder how you can complain but we are talking about Gus Malzahn.  He still gives away so many plays by trying to run out of passing sets or telegraphing what he is fixing to run by his substitutions.  I just sit there shaking my head.  I remember one play where Auburn snapped the ball and the Ole Miss defensive back sprinted straight in and blew up the read option at the mesh point.  That guy knew exactly what Auburn was going to run.

As I said above, there was a lot of good in this game but the bottom line is that Auburn did not look like a team that could beat Georgia or Bama.  That point was emphasized with Georgia playing a pretty strong game in beating Florida.  That win gives Georgia a huge amount of momentum.  They are now the team to beat in the East and will have a lot to play for in two weeks.  We will see how they look against Missouri this weekend after that big win but I am afraid the Bulldogs have turned a corner and will be a much better team to end the season than they were to start it.  They have a good defense, a veteran quarterback and a very good rushing attack.  I think Auburn still matches up with them well but I also think it is going to be a real battle and right now you have to favor Georgia.

THE UGLY
The ugly part of this game was the perceived "players calling out fans" controversy.  Oh the media... ONE player tweets about a lack of energy from the crowed and ONE other player responded and the national headline is "Auburn players call out fans".  I mean GIVE ME A BREAK.  This is really much ado about nothing but since it did make national headlines and the masses on various Auburn forums appear to be mostly piling on the crowd Saturday I have a few comments.  First if you did not pay money to go to the game Saturday, shut up.  That includes the part of the media especially old ex-sportswriters who have never paid for a ticket in their lives.  I just have no patience for people who have never paid the money to go to Auburn for games calling out the people that do.

Many students and fans are complete noobs when it comes to dealing with this weather.  It is warm during day and everyone dresses for that but then it turns cold and it is even more cold when you are just sitting watching a game.  It makes fifty degrees feel like forty, it makes forty degrees feel like thirty and so on.  You have to get burned a few times to learn and that is mostly what happened Saturday.  Everyone was freezing and it looked like we had the game in hand so they left.  They paid their money to travel and be at that game and if they want to leave early that is their right.  They made the sacrifice to come to the game and do not deserve this garbage.  Please keep your righteous indignation about when other people should leave games to yourself.

THE LAST WORD
The last word I have on the previous subject is that it is never a good idea for players to criticize fans no matter how minor it is.  The coaching staff needs to nip this in the bud and hopefully they have.  The stage is now set for the last Auburn vs. Georgia game in November.  I have mixed feelings on the change and what should happen to this series in general.  I wrote previously that: "I always get excited and get those chills when Auburn and Georgia tee it up.  It was my first game as an Auburn fan in 1978 and I think it is the most underrated rivalry in sports, the stats prove it.  Unfortunately since Vince Dooley left the sidelines it has slowly sunk into just another hate fest like the Iron Bowl."  It is also unfair to Auburn to have to play the overall best program in the East every season.

Again I think it is time for the permanent rivalries from the East to end.  It is just too unfair. I was not sure about moving this game and sure wish we would not have after the SEC decided to make things much worse.  We will not play Georgia at end of season with a creampuff between them and Bama but now play LSU and Bama back-to-back to end the season.  The decline of the "Deep South's Oldest Rivalry" is just another example that there is just not much special about college football anymore.  It is all about the money and the NFL.  I just hope Auburn and Georgia can play one more classic this November in Jordan Hare Stadium.  They may not have played many "games of the century" but again if you look at the stats this is the "rivalry of the century".  Burn the Bulldogs.