Week 2 Review - Hanging Tough

The Auburn Tigers, decided underdogs, hung tough and pulled out another last second win 41-34 against Mississippi State.  After the smoke cleared a couple of things were evident.  First, the Auburn offensive line played a much better game this week and Auburn was able to run the ball.  Next, State while a good solid team was a bit overrated coming into the game.  While Auburn's deficiencies and losses have been talked about ad nauseum you would have thought State was Oklahoma or something coming in after routing Memphis.  Memphis used to be one of those tough minor conference teams like Southern Miss that would always give you a tough game but they are no longer.  They are one of the worst football programs in the country now so State winning that game was not near as big a deal as it was made out to be this last week.  State lost some players as well from last year and their defensive coordinator and coincidentally they were not near as good on defense as they were last year.  Now to the good, the bad and the ugly from Saturday...

THE GOOD
That would be Auburn's offense and State's offense as well to be fair.  As I said above, Auburn's offensive line was much better this week and Mike Dyer came alive with 150 yards and two touchdowns.  Quarterback Barrett Trotter, except for a horrid pick-six, put up an efficient 16 for 23 for 146 yards and two touchdowns.  Hopefully Trotter learned his lesson about absolutely staring down his receivers.  My wife even noticed Trotter staring down his receiver the play before and that means it was REALLY obvious.  Emory Blake put up maybe his best game-to-date with over 100 yards receiving including holding on to a crucial catch before the half where he took a vicious cheap shot from a State player that came in helmet first.  Of course the State player got his just desserts when he knocked himself out on the hit.  State was also flagged for spearing Mike Dyer in the back as well.

Auburn is still looking for more receivers to step up.  I thought Travante Stallworth would be the next best but did not do much this game and neither did any other wide receiver.  Of course everyone's favorite tight end Philip Lutzenkirchen was steady and added a crucial touchdown but Auburn really needs one of its MANY scholarship wide receivers to contribute.  Also in the good category for a second straight week is the Auburn special teams.  Kicker Cody Parkey has come out of the gate strong booting kickoffs out of the endzone and this week hitting two crucial field goals.  Kickoff returner Tre Mason is everyone's new favorite player and I feel that Trovon Reed is going to make something happen on punt returns.

So all-in-all though a much better performance by the offense and another good performance from the Auburn special teams.  However Auburn has had to score 40 points to win these two games.  That will be impossible to maintain and Auburn has to get better on defense which brings us to...

THE BAD
The Auburn defense played better than they did against Utah State but the stats do not lie, it was still a horrible game defensively.  The early stops were good, the pick-six was great and the end-of-the-game stop on the goalline was legendary and it was enough to win Saturday.  However it will not be enough to win many more games this season.  The stats do not like.  Mississppi State ran almost ONE HUNDRED PLAYS and ground out over 500 yards of offense that included two one hundred yard rushers. 

Some people think it is "stupid and ungrateful" to dare criticize Ted Roof after we won the national championship however I have seen a lot of good defensive coordinators at Auburn and Ted Roof is not one of them.  I think we can do better.  I thought that two years ago as we had the worst defense in Auburn history and I thought it last year when we had maybe the most dominating defensive lineman in Auburn history yet still had a mediocre-to-good defense.  Again just look at the national championship game where Auburn dominated the line of scrimmage like few ever have and still gave up 400 yards passing to a non-passing quarterback.  This year we are on track to eclipse the defensive unit from two years ago and have the worst defense in Auburn history.  That will mean the top two worst defenses in Auburn history would have come in Ted Roof's three years on the plains.  Yes even if it means I am "stupid and ungrateful" I think we can do better.

I have also heard the various reasons for our defensive strategy for not giving up the big play and making the opponent earn it.  That strategy has yielded ONE THOUSAND YARDS OF OFFENSE , 72 POINTS and 73 MINUTES TIME OF POSSESSION for the teams we have played against.  I am sorry I do not think our strategy is working and I think we can do better gambling occasionally to get a stop.  Yes I understand we are winning but I think our defense would still be better mixing it up occasionally.

THE UGLY
The "ugly" this week is unbalancing the Southeastern Conference just to bring in Texas A&M.  I know somehow this is supposed to make more money and that is the only thing that matters anymore but it sure looks like the SEC is playing with fire.  Why mess with a good thing?  Who even knows if the "super-conference" idea will work?  You mess up the geography, competitive balance and good division splits the SEC has and you will be the ACC.  I just do not think gaining a mediocre program like Texas A&M is worth it and I cannot wait how they try to equal things out with 13 members.  This is a bad move.

Week 1 Review - I Knew This Was Coming...

But did not expect it to be so obvious against the likes of Utah State. Thanks to a perfect kick on one of the lowest percentage plays in football, Auburn eked out a victory against the Aggies from the WAC to open the season this last Saturday.  Utah State was better than expected but regardless what happened at Jordan-Hare on Saturday was an embarrassment. I did not take the time to write an Auburn preview this season because there were hundreds to choose from available at any Auburn site you picked. However it was just as well because the first game provided a much more realistic preview. To start with it summed up what has been obvious after a cursory look at the roster since the smoke cleared last spring. It was obvious when the defending national champions and an elite college football program like Auburn enters the spring with only two legitimate yet unproven defensive tackles on its entire roster that there is going to be trouble.

Again unless you counted Jamar Travis and Derrick Lykes (who was kicked off the team before fall practice) as legitimate SEC defensive tackles which I do not, Auburn entered the spring with only two legitimate yet unproven defensive tackles on its ENTIRE roster. How in the world can it come to that for a program like this? The fault mostly lies on the nightmarish last two recruiting classes of the Tuberville regime however I still wonder why Chizik and company did not bring in a few more bigger bodies the last two years. I will always believe the game is won in the trenches (as Auburn proved once again last year) so I always want one more defensive or offensive tackle over another small wide receiver. It seems obvious that is what should have been done here.

It was especially obvious as Utah State ran all over us on Saturday. It also became obvious that our linebackers are ordinary and not coached particularly well. I do not see one All-SEC player right now or in the future from our current linebacking corps. I do see talent in our secondary but like all the units it is hamstrung by our current defensive philosophy but hey do not take it from me, here is former Auburn safety Rob Pate’s review of our defense on Saturday...

“I am continually amazed at the lack of desire to confuse, blitz, be multiple, stack the box and make young, inexperienced QB's beat us their arm? There was no reason in the world to have our corners playing 10-12 yards deep, allowing a QB that's never attempted a collegiate pass to build confidence with each uncontested throw to the flat for 10-15 yard gains. Granted, if our defensive backs made an open field tackle at any point in the game, perhaps the yards after catch would have been less...nonetheless, why give a freebie to a newbie? Why not make the guy figure out where the next blitz in coming from? Why not bring more rushers than they have blockers and let your cover men run with receivers? Give the corners and safeties the opportunity to run stride for stride with WAC receivers (cause God knows they couldn't tackle WAC RB's) and make a Frosh QB beat you down the field repeatedly with precision passing under pressure? Sorry...I don't get the philosophy!”

I cannot say it much better than that. It would also seem that playing a more gambling style of defense would fit in better with our offensive philosophy as well. We gamble and we can either get a quick three and out or give up a big play. However if we give up a big play we get our offense who wants to run as many plays as possible back on the field. The worst possible outcome appears to me is to give up multiple 15+ play drives for scores. Of course I wanted to fire Ted Roof last year when we were winning every game because of this stupid philosophy (and the year before). It has been the same for three years and the only question is how long we are going to have to suffer through it before a change is made. Last year our defense got the job done but it could have been a lot better. Case in point was the national championship game where Auburn dominated the line of scrimmage like few teams ever have yet still gave up almost 400 YARDS PASSING.

Unfortunately I think these last few paragraphs will become a reoccurring theme throughout the season. First the coaching is awful but even if by some miracle it improves I am not sure we have talent to stop most of the good teams we will play this season. Hopefully Carter and Whitaker can play better than Saturday and maybe true frosh Blackson, Sigler and Wright are all good players and can grow up fast. Hopefully Eltoro Freeman and somebody else stepping up can save our linebackers. If not, the only solution is to recruit more defensive tackles and bigger linebackers and a lot of them and then bring in somebody who can coach them up.

Offensively, there were not many surprises either. I was not a Barrett Trotter fan to begin with but he has won me over by his play every time he has gotten into a game since A-Day last year. I have seen a lot of backup quarterbacks come into games over the years and not many of them displayed the mental toughness Trotter has shown. He displayed it again on Saturday helping rally Auburn to the win.

I also knew that Trooper Taylor would have his guys ready and it looks like Emory Blake and Travante Stallworth are ready to step in for Adams and Zachary. Trovon Reed also showed glimpses of the playmaker he has been hyped to be for two years. Unfortunately it appears Auburn will become increasingly reliant on Trotter and these wide receivers.

We know Dyer and McCalebb are playmakers but their great plays last season (and for McCalebb the season before as well) were made behind one of the best offensive lines in Auburn history. The current Auburn offensive line looks pedestrian at best. Like our current linebacking crew you just do not see any All-SEC talent on this line. I cannot say that about Christian Westerman and Greg Robinson and maybe some of these other young guys will grow up like Mike Berry and Byron Isom did but right now it does not look good. This looks like an average offensive line at best that has never played together before. They are not going to be able to impose their will running the ball like last year’s group. I do not think that is a stretch when you cannot even rush for 100 yards as a team against Utah State.

My official prediction for this season was 6-6 but right now I am having a hard time finding six wins. I still think it is possible but if so it has to begin this Saturday against State. State is stronger than usual but they are not a powerhouse and we have them at home. Considering the fact that I do not think we have much of a chance against some of our bigger rivals this year I think this game against State is much bigger than usual.

Saturdays to Remember… and Forget... The Decade of the 80s Part 1

The name for this blog comes from the book “Saturdays To Remember” written by David Housel in the 1970s. In my opinion it is the definitive work on the greatest games of the Shug Jordan era at Auburn. Also while Housel tells the story of these games he also weaves in all the history of that season, info on other teams and much more. I read the book over and over in junior high and high school. I loved reading it and still do. Just about all of my knowledge of that era comes from that book. If you can get a copy of this classic I wholeheartedly recommend it. Though David Housel made some mistakes when he was AD at Auburn there is no doubt he is an Auburn man through-and-through.

The other mandatory parts of an Auburn collection in my opinion after “Saturdays To Remember” (Coach Jordan) is “The Decade of the 80s” video (Coach Dye) along with the 1993 and 2004 season videos (Bowden and Tuberville’s best seasons). With that said though it is the offseason and it is the time for lists and trips down memory lane. So… I have decided to take one of those strolls and talk about some of the “Saturdays to Remember” from my almost 30 years of watching Auburn football. This installment will cover the first half of the 80s. I will also have to talk about some “Saturdays to Forget” because there are a few of those as well.

The book “Saturdays to Remember” ends with the 1972 “Punt Bama Punt” game. While Coach Jordan had a couple more good seasons, that game really marked the final great point of his career. There is simply not much good to say about the Doug Barfield era except for the "ABC" of great Auburn running backs in William Andrews, James Brooks and Joe Cribbs.  They were great but the teams were not.  It is the low point of modern Auburn football history. Auburn had several mediocre seasons including NCAA probation before completely bottoming out in 1980 going 0-6 in the SEC. Meanwhile Auburn’s two biggest rivals, Georgia and Alabama, won SEC and mythical national championships in 1978 (Bama), 1979 (Bama) and 1980 (Georgia).

One good memory from the Doug Barfield era for me was I attended my first Auburn football game. My first game was the 1978 Auburn vs. Georgia game. This game was also memorable for several other reasons. First, we came out in orange jerseys. I remember thinking we look like Tennessee. Second, the game ended in a tie, 22-22. My first game ever was a tie between Auburn and Georgia. Finally, I remember by dad being upset because I got him to take me to the concession stand and we missed a Joe Cribbs touchdown run. So I learned the golden rule of watching football games at the stadium right off and that rule is if you have to get up and miss some of the game, do it while we are on defense.

The situation when Coach Dye took over in 1980 was dire indeed. Auburn had seemingly nothing going for it at that time. Those who poke fun and disrespect Coach Dye now as an older man would do good to watch Coach Dye then. He was one tough SOB. As told in the “Decade of the 80s” video, the spring and fall workouts for Dye’s first team were legendary tough. He talked about building a foundation and he was obviously right. The results were seen in the years to follow.

At the exact time Coach Dye took over, my life as an Auburn fan really started. I turned 12 years old and started junior high school in the fall of 1981, Coach Dye’s first season. I had of course grown up listening to Auburn football on the radio with my Dad. College football was not on TV near as much in the 1970s and Auburn was on much less. Even in the 1980s college football on television was nothing like it is now. However our family started buying season tickets in 1983. That started an 18 year run for me where the amount of home games I missed I could count on two hands and I travelled to every campus in the SEC except for Arkansas and Florida. During that time I also graduated high school and college, started my career and got married. All while being completely obsessed with Auburn football…

1981

A Saturday to Remember…

I may have gone down for a game this season but I cannot remember. It was only one if I did. I do not remember a whole lot about this season except what I have seen in the “Decade of the 80s” video. With that said the game that sticks out to me is the Tennessee game where Pat Dye gave his first legendary speech. Auburn lost 10-7 to Tennessee in Knoxville but nearly won it driving down to the Tennessee goal line in the closing seconds. This is probably the only “Saturday To Remember” I will list that is a loss. However it signaled that this team and any team fielded by Coach Dye was going to fight and scratch and claw and get back up “again and again and again”. Auburn then did prove it again the next week hanging with a highly ranked Nebraska team in Lincoln.

A Saturday to Forget…
This was the year Bear Bryant broke the all-time coaching victories record against Auburn, 28-17. I remember watching this game on TV. It was definitely a Saturday to forget.

The Players
First of all, thanks to www.lostlettermen.com for refreshing my memory on our rosters.  I orginally created this post without these player sections.  Later I realized how much I left out not mentioning the different players enough.  I then rewrote this section several times.  I could bring up so many names talking about players and of course some of the better players are key players for 3 or 4 years. I finally settled on having three different entries in this section.  The first entry will list the award winners, basically the All-SEC and All-American players for Auburn that season.  The second entry will list some of the more memorable or valuable seniors or players that would leave after the season in question.  Finally the third entry would list some of the good or great recruits brought in that year.  I do have to put out a disclaimer here that I may be off at times on when a player started at Auburn.  The lostletterman site only lists the years they lettered at the school I believe.  That means that a player could be at a school for four years but only letter two years.  So without further ado here is my first players section.

Award Winners...
We had two players make All-SEC in seniors Danny Skutack LB and Keith Uecker OG.  Keith Uecker was also an All-American and would play in the NFL for almost a decade.

Departures...
There were not too many memorable departures this season with the talent level being so low but there were a few.  There was: Alan Bollinger P, Ken Hobby QB, Edmund Nelson DT, George Peoples RB, Danny Skutack LB, Joe Sullivan QB, Charles Thomas S, and Keith Uecker OG.

I remember running back George Peoples and his big run against Bama the most.  I remember quarterback Ken Hobby, #13, in the Tennessee game, he did not last long after that unfortunately.   I remember Joe Sullivan who also played some quarterback this year. Finally, I remember big Edmund Nelson, mostly from his interviews on the Decade of the 80s video talking about the first spring under Coach Dye.
 
Arrivals... 
Coach Dye's first recruiting haul included: Pat Arrington OT, Clayton Beauford QB/WR, Randy Campbell QB, Gregg Carr LB, Lionel James RB, David King CB, Ron O'Neal FB, and Ben Thomas DT.

Inherited...
This is an extra section just for this season listing some of the good players that Pat Dye inherited from Doug Barfield.  They are: Dowe Aughtman DT, Dennis Collier S, Al Del Greco K, Mark Dorminey S, Mike Edwards WR, Bob Harris S, Donnie Humphrey DT, David Jordan OT, Chris Martin LB, Edmund Nelson DT, George Peoples RB, Danny Skutack LB, Joe Sullivan QB, Charles Thomas S, Keith Uecker OT, Ed West TE, Quency Williams DE, and Chris Woods WR.

1982

A Saturday to Remember…
When Pat Dye came to Auburn he was asked how long it would take to beat Alabama. Dye’s famous response was “60 minutes”. Those “60 minutes” came in November of 1982. Auburn broke their 10-game losing streak to Bama and beat Bear Bryant in his last regular season game 23-22. “Bo over the top” was the signature play and Pat Dye’s “I am going to go back out there and thank our people” was the signature quote. My family watched it on TV and I just remember the absolute jubilation after it was over. You can definitely use the term “Auburn Family” for that day because if they were wearing orange and blue, they were family. It was a monumental game and marked the “turning of the tide” in the Iron Bowl. Bama had dominated the series in the Bryant era but since this game it is Auburn up 16-12 as of 2010. However it all started here in one of Auburn’s greatest “Saturdays to Remember”.

Honorable mention: Auburn went on to beat Boston College in a battle of future Heisman Trophy winners (Bo Jackson and Doug Flutie) in the Tangerine Bowl 33-26.

A Saturday to Forget…
Auburn would be back in the elite of college football the very next season in 1983 but the scrappy ’82 team was not quite ready yet. They only had one bad game all season and in it top-ten ranked Nebraska came to Jordan-Hare and laid a complete beat down on Auburn 41-7.

The Players
Award Winners...
We had five players make All-SEC this season: Dowe Aughtman, NG, Bob Harris, SS, Bo Jackson, HB, David Jordan, OL, and Doug Smith, DT.  Bob Harris is the only senior of the group and I remember him being a vicious hitter at safety.  Harris also made All-American.

Departures...
Dennis Collier S, Mark Dorminey S, Tim Drinkard CB, Mike Edwards WR, Bob Harris S, Chris Martin LB, and Ron O'Neal FB.

I remember Dorminey catching that fumble out of the air in the Bama game and almost taking it back for a touchdown but was caught by Bama quarterback Walter Lewis.  I also remember the big fullback Ron O'Neal and him rumbling for several touchdowns the year before.

Arrivals...
Victor Beasley S, Lewis Colbert P, BO JACKSON RB, JAY JACOBS OT and Athletic Director, Tim Jessie RB, Jeff Lott OG, Ron Middleton TE, Jeff Parks TE, Greg Pratt FB, Gerald Robinson DE, Rob Shuler OG, Doug Smith DT, Steve Wallace OT, and Gerald Williams DE. 

NOTE: People talk a lot about some of the great groups of running backs Auburn has had that were all there at the same time.  Well this recruiting class brought together maybe the best group of tight ends ever at Auburn in Ed West who came in under Doug Barfield the year before Coach Dye came, and then Ron Middleton and Jeff Parks this year.  Both West and Middleton would play a long time in the NFL.

1983

A Saturday to Remember…
There were a lot of Saturdays to remember this season and I was at many of them . Auburn went 11-1, won the SEC outright and should have won the mythical national championship. They played the hardest schedule in the nation and possibly one of the hardest schedules of all time. Auburn played EIGHT BOWL TEAMS out of 11 games in 1983 and that was when there was only 16 bowl games (!!!). There were some incredible games that year. Auburn crushed Tennessee in Knoxville. They beat Florida St in the closing seconds taking the lead on an absolutely epic drive. I remember I had a soccer game that day and my dad and I were listening to the game driving back from it. They had to play 7th ranked Maryland for HOMECOMING and won that game as well.

It is just not possible to single out one game this magical season so I will go with three. The best Saturdays to remember this season were the “Amen Corner” games. I believe it was around this time that Coach Dye used the term “Amen Corner” for Auburn’s former traditional last 3 conference games of Florida, Georgia and Bama. Auburn swept “Amen Corner” this season when TWO of the teams were ranked in the top FIVE and the other was ranked in the top 20 (!!!). It is a nearly impossible task to accomplish each season and one of the reasons Auburn did not have more success before the SEC went to divisions in my opinion. If Alabama had had to play Florida and Georgia plus Auburn to end every season I guarantee they would have a lot less SEC championships and missed out on some of those mythical national championships.

The Auburn vs. Florida game was the biggest SEC game that year at Jordan Hare and one of the biggest games ever played at Jordan Hare period. Auburn was ranked 4th in the nation and Florida was ranked 5th. It was an epic showdown. I remember that an unbelievable amount of players that played in this game played in the NFL. It was a game between two heavyweights that Auburn won 28-21. I remember the awesome runs by Bo Jackson and Florida fumbling the ball just as they were about to go in for a touchdown. It was the biggest game I had ever seen in person.

Auburn then had to go on the road to beat 4th ranked Georgia 13-7 to claim the SEC championship. The images of Bo and Lionel James with some hedge and Coach Dye licking the sugar off the football are absolutely classic. It had been a long time coming. However no season would be complete without a victory over the Tide. Auburn beat 19th ranked Bama 23-20 and everyone got to see one of the greatest performances by a running back in SEC history. Bo Jackson rushed for 256 yards and nearly single-handedly won the game for Auburn.  It was Bo's greatest game in my opinion.

It was also the last Iron Bowl I ever watched with Bama fans. I remember Ricky Moore going up-the-middle to put the Tide ahead and all the Bama fans I was with going crazy and yelling “Roll Tide” over and over. I sat there stewing. Luckily I did not have to stew long. On the first or second play of the next series, Bo went 80 yards to put Auburn ahead for good. I went absolutely crazy yelling “War Eagle!”. Another interesting fact about this game was that part of the second half was played during a tornado warning.

The 1983 team went on to beat Michigan in the Sugar Bowl 9-7 on Al Del Greco’s famous game winning kick. They were then robbed of the mythical national championship. Auburn was #3 and won their game. Texas at #2, the only team that had beaten Auburn, lost to Georgia (a team Auburn had beaten) and #1 Nebraska lost to #5 Miami. The pollsters then went with Miami simply because of NBC hyping the game to be for the “national championship” and the fact that it was a classic game. Miami’s schedule was not even remotely close to Auburn’s schedule. They went 10-1 just like Auburn but were smoked by Florida (a team Auburn beat) and played an easier schedule.

A Saturday to Forget…
There was only one this season as I mentioned earlier and that was the Texas game. Auburn lost 20-7. I was at this game and other than losing all I remember was how hot it was. This was either the hottest or second hottest game I have ever been to. It was just miserable. I think the hottest game I have ever been to was a game we played against Ole Miss in Jackson, Mississippi that was in 1990. I remember the concession areas running out of drinks at both games and people having to be carted out.

The Players
Award Winners...
We had eight players make All-SEC this season.  They were: Dowe Aughtman NG, Pat Arrington OT, Gregg Carr LB, Donnie Humphrey DT, David King CB, Bo Jackson HB, David Jordan OG, and Doug Smith DT.  Dowe Aughtman, Bo Jackson and Doug Smith were All-SEC for the second straight year while Donnie Humphrey also made the All-American team.

Departures...
Pat Arrington OT, Dowe Aughtman DT, Randy Campbell QB, Al Del Greco K, Alan Evans RB, Donnie Humphrey DT, Jay Jacobs OT, Lionel James RB, David Jordan OG, Doug Smith DT, Ed West TE, Quency Williams DE, and Chris Woods WR.

A lot of leaders in this senior class.  Aughtman was a four year letterman at noseguard and the rock of Coach Dye's defensive line for those first three seasons.  Aughtman was the rock but Donnie Humphrey was the heart of the line with his big personality and even bigger play especially this season.  He is also from my hometown of Huntsville.  Just about everyone who saw Auburn play during this time remembers Donnie Humphrey.  Big Doug Smith transferred from East Carolina where he had played for Coach Dye and turned in two huge All-SEC seasons.  These big three along with seniors Jeff Jackson and Quency Williams plus younger guys like Kevin Greene, Harold Hallman, Gerald Robinson, Ben Thomas and Gerald Williams made this one of the best defensive lines in Auburn history.

On the offense the first guy you have to mention is fullback Greg Pratt who collapsed and died during workouts at the start of fall practice.  It was a true tragedy and deeply affected the team and Coach Dye.  However the team dedicated the season to Pratt and the tragedy seemed to pull this team closer together.

Senior Randy Campbell played well in 1982 but played great in 1983.  He was one of the best wishbone quarterbacks I have ever seen and played great under pressure.  Of course it helps when you have a backfield composed of Bo Jackson, Lionel James and Tommie Agee running behind a line of Pat Arrington, David Jordan, Jay Jacobs, Steve Wallace and Ed West and you are throwing to a clutch wide receiver like senior Chris Woods.

On top of all that you had maybe the greatest kicker in Auburn history in senior Al Del Greco who would go on to play more than 15 years in the NFL.  You put all that together and you have one of the best teams in Auburn history.  They would definitely be in my top five greatest Auburn football teams (along with the 1957, 1988, 2004 and 2010 teams).

Arrivals...
Tommie Agee FB, Alvin Briggs CB, Collis Campbell RB, Kyle Collins RB, Yann Cowart OG, Brent Fullwood RB, Trey Gainous WR, Kevin Greene DE, Harold Hallman DT, Arthur Johnson S, Tommie Powell S, Ben Tamurello C, Pat Washington QB, and CHETTE WILLIAMS LB and Chaplain.

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.

1985

A Saturday to Remember…
The obvious one this year was Auburn’s 24-10 win at 12th ranked Georgia where Bo Jackson clinched the Heisman Trophy. Just like Pat Sullivan 14 years before, Bo had to do it the tough way in Athens against a good Georgia team. His long touchdown run that clinched it will forever be ingrained in my memory.

His other great touchdown run from this season that I will always remember was the long touchdown run he had to beat Georgia Tech 17-14.  It was the run where 2 or 3 Georgia Tech defenders had the angle on Bo but he was just too fast.  Jim Fyffe helped immortalize it with his famous "Bye Bye Bo" call on the radio.  Auburn also smoked Florida State as well 59-27 in Auburn.  In that game Bo ran over a freshman cornerback for Florida St named... Deion Sanders.  Two of the greatest athletes ever shared the field one time in college. 

Honorable mention: Those were some great games that I mentioned above but the season opener is one I will also never forget. Auburn opened ranked #2 in the nation and played Southwestern Louisiana and I was there. I do not think I have ever seen a team more outmanned. I mean Bo was video-game Bo that day. He was literally a man among boys. He finished the day with 290 yards rushing but could have had 500 yards rushing . Coach Dye took him out early in the second half I believe and was down to playing scout team guys by the end of the game. I just wish he could have gotten one more good run so he would hold the single season Auburn record. By the way, that is a good trivia question, who does hold the Auburn single game rushing record? I would never have guessed it (it was 307 yards by Curtis Kuykendall vs. Miami in 1944).

The Players
Award Winners...
We had seven players make All-SEC this season.  They were: Lewis Colbert P, Harold Hallman NG, Bo Jackson TB, Tom Powell FS, Ben Tamburello C, Steve Wallace OT, and Gerald Williams DT.  Bo Jackson, Ben Tamburello and Lewis Colbert were also All-Americans.

Departures...
Lewis Colbert P, Kyle Collins RB, Harold Hallman NG, Bo Jackson RB, Jeff Lott OG, Ron Middleton TE, Jeff Parks TE, Gerald Robinson DE, Rob Shuler OT, Steve Wallace OT, Pat Washington QB, Gerald Williams DT, and Steve Wilson OG.

Obviously this was the year of Bo but there is never a great offensive player without the boys up front.  Auburn had one of its best in tackle Steve Wallace.  Wallace would go on to be Joe Montana's left tackle and help win three Super Bowls with those great 49er teams.  Jeff Lott, Rob Shuler and Steve Wilson were also good linemen that I remember.  Quarterback Pat Washington was not great but he was a steady leader that restored order after the debacle in Knoxville.  He would go on to be a long time assistant coach in the SEC.

Harold Hallman, Gerald Robinson and Gerald Williams were huge parts of Auburn's defensive lines during the last three seasons and all would go on to play professional football.  Gerald Robinson became Auburn's greatest pash rusher setting the record for career sacks notching ten of those sacks this season.  

Arrivals...
Carlo Cheattom S, Duke Donaldson WR, Chris Knapp K, Alvin Mitchell LB, Shan Morris S, Walter Reeves TE, TRACY ROCKER DT, Benji Roland NG, Stacy Searels OT,  Brian Smith DE, Ron Stallworth DT, and Lawyer Tillman WR.

A Saturday to Forget…
There were a few bad ones this year. The first came in Knoxville as Auburn once again rose to #1 in the land and then got steamrolled by the Vols. That started the Sports Illustrated smear campaign against Bo Jackson because he dared take himself out of a game that was out of hand. Never mind that he played in the Texas game the year before with a separated shoulder and played the Bama game this season with bruised ribs. Auburn also lost a tough game at home to Florida.  Florida had some great teams in 1984 and 1985 but they were discredited due to major NCAA violations.

However the one I would REALLY like to forget was Bama. After enduring “Wrong Way Bo” the year before I had to suffer through the stupid Van Tiffin kick this year. This is another one of the worst losses I have ever been through as an Auburn fan. I actually re-watched this debacle on ESPN Classic a few years ago. I only watched because I wanted to watch Bo however I did re-watch the end. It was unbelievable. I knew how it was going to end but still thought there was no way we could lose. I am sitting there again 15 years later wondering how in the heck we lost this game??? Auburn scored to take the lead 23-22 and Bama got the ball back deep in their territory (the 14 yard line I think) with only 37 SECONDS left in the game. They strike out on first and second down I believe and are in 3rd and long still deep in their territory with even less time left (!!!). Auburn then goes into the super loose prevent defense and allows Mike Shula to complete a long pass over the middle and then allows the Bama wide receiver to run all the way across the field and get out of bounds. It has to be one of the worst displays of late-game defense I have ever seen. Bama then completes another pass and the rest is history. Tiffin kicks a 53 yard field goal to win the game for Bama 25-23.

The thing I remember most about the game are the moments after the stupid field goal. The Bama fans were literally losing their minds going absolutely crazy. The upper deck at Legion Field on which we were sitting was literally shaking. It was absolute hell getting out of the stadium and getting back to our car. I remember feeling absolutely numb on the ride back home. The season got even worse a month later when Auburn was routed by Jackie Sherill and Texas A&M in the Cotton Bowl.

Bo had won the Heisman and he did his job against Bama with 150 yards rushing and also had a good game in the Cotton Bowl but the season definitely ended on a down note. My one regret though is not enjoying and really soaking up Bo’s play more. However I was a junior in high school and had all of that drama. Bo ended up rushing for 1,786 yards, which was the second best single-season performance in SEC history and he averaged 6.4 yards per rush, which at the time was the best single-season average in SEC history. He was a once-in-a-lifetime player. He will probably always be my favorite. I am not an autograph guy. However, Bo Jackson in the summer after his sophomore year, for some reason, came by the place my grandmother worked in Birmingham. She got my brother and I his autograph and it is one of my most prized possessions. “To Michael and Jeff from Bo Jackson #34 War Eagle”. War Eagle to you Bo, you will always be one of the best.

The "A" in A-Day is now for wAste of time

I now hold it as a point of pride that I saw the last real A-Day at Auburn.  I believe it was 1988 when I was still a student at Auburn.  Starting quarterback Reggie Slack was tiptoeing down the sidelines trying to pick up some extra yardage when starting safety and big hit man Carlo Cheatum just laid him out knocking him out of the game.  Yes I understand the stupidity of getting your quarterback hurt in a scrimmage game and so on but I also know that whenever a football player steps between the lines even wearing a no-contact jersey there is a chance he gets hurt.  I also would like to see an A-Day that somewhat resembles a real game.  Those days are long gone.

Now I will recognize that the 2011 Auburn squad is a special case.  After losing a whopping 35 players in the offseason for various reasons this Auburn team is about as thin as it gets and can ill afford to get any player on the two-deep hurt.  Everyone knew that no critical starter would play past the first or second series.  However not getting to watch anyone but walk-ons play a substantial part of the game is just part of the problem.  The other part is the ridiculously vanilla play calling.  Coach Gus Malzahn verified this fact again stating after the game that they did not want to show any of our opponents anything.

Again I understand what he is saying and after watching the lengths those who hate Auburn will go (see my last post) he definitely has a legitimate point.  However I think he needs to take it a little further.  After watching the lengths certain Bama interests will go to attack Auburn there is no doubt in my mind that they can get video of any closed practice.  Heck they probably have a "sleeper agent" as one of the team managers.  Anybody who thinks I am exaggerating has not been paying attention.  With that in mind I think Auburn might be better off calling some crazy stuff to make it harder for future opponents to prepare for us by giving them a lot to think about.

The main point is that if we cannot get anyone hurt and we cannot show anybody anything, what is the point of playing the game?  I guess it is to give about 50,000 people a reason to come to Auburn, tailgate on hopefully a nice day and spend money.  Mission accomplished I guess on that front. 

As for the "quarterback race" that has been the media storyline for the game, I think Barrett Trotter is the clear starter.  I do not think it is a race.  Trotter looked great last A-Day and I do not think anything has changed other than the one quarterback on our roster better than him has left.  He has looked poised and unafraid every time he has come into a game.  This comes from a guy who was never a fan of Trotter before I saw him play.  Hopefully Moseley will be a capable backup and maybe Kiehl Frazier will be good enough to get in and add something in the fall.

As for the rest of the team, other than some minor shuffling most of the starting lineup is set simply because we do not have many players.  There might be some freshmen that come in and add some depth in the fall but that is about it.  The 2011 season will probably be a tough one but no matter what they will be the defending SEC and National Champions.

Enough is ENOUGH

 

I have finally hit the wall.  It is simply ridiculous the lengths certain people will go to to make Auburn look bad.  I will not dignify the whole HBO garbage with much as it was a complete hatchet job and just as biased or more than I am.  As I told somebody the other day, the NCAA can do whatever they want but someone trying to pass that garbage as the lowest level of journalism is a joke.  You always show at least one snippet showing the opposite point of view (especially when you interviewed hundreds of Auburn players trying to find the final four with the axes to grind).  Not only did HBO not do that but I heard they opened with Tyrone Prothro talking about how clean Bama is when they committed confirmed NCAA violations the year they won the national championship but nobody ever talks about that.  However when I heard the executive producer for HBO Sports was a Bama grad it all started to make sense.

The point of this post was really to point you to Track'em Tigers where Jay Coulter wrote an outstanding article on Auburn's current predicament and what they need to do about it.  I agree wholeheartedly with Jay and he is spot on right.  The Auburn leadership sure need to listen. 

Finally, I started this post with the national championship logo as a tribute to all the Auburn haters out there and now I want to end this post with these thoughts as they continue to be the last word for me on this subject... 

Signing Day Review - State of the Program

Last year at this time I wrote a blog post with the same title.  Signing Day just seems like a good time to do a "state of the program" look at Auburn football along with looking at the newest class of Auburn Tigers who will go a long way toward determining how the program does in the coming years.  The first thing I made clear last year is that here at STR I like to stick with big picture common sense looks at the Auburn football program or whatever else.  For detailed breakdowns on the actual recruits please check out one of the sites I have in my "Auburn Links".

The state of Auburn's football program is about the best it can be after going undefeated, winning the SEC championship and winning the national championship game plus adding another Heisman Trophy and about a dozen other player and coaching awards.  It was an unbelievable run and an incredible job of coaching and recruiting.  The only negative to be found now is having to deal with the void left by Tommy Tuberville's last two awful recruiting classes.  The current coaching staff has gone a long way toward filling that void through two top five recruiting classes however it is still going to hurt some.  I will also say that Tommy Tuberville deserves a lot more credit than he is being given for this year's national championship team but again he will deserve a lot of blame for the lack of juniors and seniors the next two years.

Last year I started out pointing out that I was not as enamored with coach Chizik as the rest of the masses.  One SEC and national championship later I guess I have to say coach Chizik has proven himself.  I will say as I did last year that time will still tell the whole story.  Coach Chizik will now always hold a special elite place in Auburn history but time will tell how great his legacy will be.

I made it clear in my post last year that winning the division and winning in Atlanta was the ultimate goal and determination of success for an SEC coach.  I said Gene Chizik must reach that goal to be considered a good coach.  Well he did and he has now entered that exclusive club of coaches who have an SEC Championship game ring.  Now the question is can he entere an even more exclusive club and that is coaches who have won multiple SEC championship games.  That list right now only includes: Steve Spurrier, Phillip Fulmer, Mark Richt, Urban Meyer and Nick $aban.

Last year I gave major kudos to coach Chizik for keeping his staff completely intact.  I wrote: "I have to give major kudos to Chizik for keeping the staff together. In today’s big-time college football (and after watching the Tommy Tuberville staff merry-go-round for a decade) it is pretty amazing to see any staff stay completely intact for consecutive seasons. Even if you throw out the performance factor, you have to be amazed the personality factor did not rear its ugly head especially for a first year staff. A football staff is a pretty large group and many times some of the coaches just do not mesh. Auburn has seemingly hired a good football staff and kept them together going into a second season."

You can multiply those kudos many times for keeping this staff completely intact for a third season AFTER WINNING THE NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP (!!!).  I boldly predicted before the season that Malzahn would be gone and he would have if the right opportunity would have come along but lucky for Auburn it did not (a monster raise did not hurt either).  I am shocked that a program has not come along and made a move for Trooper Taylor.  He is a phenomenal coach and recruiter.  Somehow someway Auburn was able to keep these guys together and they will definitely be needed next year.

The coaching staff not only led Auburn to SEC and national championships but they also just pulled in their second consensus top five recruiting class.  Last year they were #4, #5 and #4 in ESPN, Scout and Rivals.  This year they are #3, #2 and #7 (???) in ESPN, Scout and Rivals.  Recruiting is not an exact science but is an indicator of the job the coaches are doing.  On the field and on the recruiting trail this coaching staff is excelling.

As coach Chizik stated this week, this recruiting class "scratched all the right itches" loading up on offensive linemen and defensive backs.  It also appears that there is a lot of talent in those groups.  I still wanted that true left tackle but hopefully that void can be filled with the talent in-house.  The biggest area of need outside of those two positions was at defensive tackle.  A couple of good prospects were brought in with this class but I wish they could have gotten a couple more.  Also included in this class was the probable quarterback of the future, a couple more good wide receivers and linebackers plus some highly rated athletes that can help where needed.  All in all, a very good looking class.  Add to that fact that the majority of the class is from Alabama and Georgia and it looks even better.  For the first time since Nick $aban came to Tuscaloosa Auburn got more of the top ten recruits in-state than Bama did.  Another huge accomplishment for this coaching staff.

My only big concern after getting this recruiting class is defensive tackle.  I do not think many people understand how dire the situation is.  We now have only two true defensive tackles ON THE ENTIRE TEAM before these freshmen come in the fall.  Kenneth Carter and Jeffrey Whitaker are it.  Coach Tracy Rocker did everything he could to get these guys ready giving them a lot of playing time however the jury is still out on them in my opinion.  It is still unknown whether they are really true SEC-caliber starters but right now Auburn has no other options.  Journeymen Derrick Lykes and Jamar Travis who "back them up" on the depth chart are certainly not SEC-caliber.  Tracy Rocker will once again have to get true freshmen ready to back up his starters however this time his starters are not Nick Fairley and two seniors but two true sophomores.  Just as I guessed from looking at the depth chart I heard the coaches will look at moving Nosa Egaue inside but defensive tackle still looks like a glaring weak spot for this Auburn team next season.  The player Auburn will miss the most is not Cam Newton but Nick Fairley.

Let me take a very short moment to address the ridiculous Cyrus Kouandjio situation that went down this week.  First I will say I am sickened at the hypocrisy of the media and some Bama fans after Bama used two player's parents and families to turn them at the last moment and NOBODY SAYS ANYTHING while everybody piled on Cecil Newton all season.  The words "hypocrite" and "two faced" do not even seem to cover it anymore.  For me I have tried to keep recruiting at an arms-length since it just consumes me as I know how important it is.  However I got caught up in the whole Kouandjio debacle.  The SEC has hit a new low as now you cannot even get excited when a kid announces he will attend a school on ESPN.  I learned my lesson well and I will make SURE in the future to not get excited about any prospect till his LOI is in the house.

It hit me on Friday that Kouandjio made up his mind to go to Bama in those fateful hours after his "announcement" but was waiting to send in his LOI so he could do it right next to the Super Bowl to cover up the crime.  Everyone's focus is on the Super Bowl and not what Bama did to "get him back in line".  Again everyone piles on Auburn and Cecil Newton all year and then two highly rated prospects commit to Auburn and their parents are outright hostile toward their own kids and no one says anything.  However as a friend told me, Auburn is national champions and has a great offensive line class without Kouandjio.  Why let this situation get us upset?  I have learned my lesson.  Again I will continue to keep recruiting at an arm's length and only get excited about a player when his LOI is in the house.

Final words...  the state of the program is great but I believe Auburn will have a tough season next year.  Auburn has a lot of talent but will be breaking in a new quarterback and will have almost completely new offensive and defensive lines.  Auburn will do this and face a brutal schedule.  The schedule includes road games against Clemson, South Carolina, Arkansas, LSU and Georgia while Florida rolls back on the schedule and of course Bama will still be very good.  I think people are underestimating how tough this job will be next season.  However with a battle-tested coaching staff and two top recruiting classes, maybe there will be some good surprises next year as well.  Regardless I will certainly enjoy the offseason as Auburn sits on top of the college football world.

NOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!

After a year of Cam Newton and with Barrett Trotter and Kiehl Frazier in the house, four years of slow-footed weak-armed #12 quarterbacks Brandon Cox and Chris Todd were looking like they were well behind us... till I heard yesterday that Chris Todd has a brother who will be entering the college ranks next year!!!  Please, PLEASE Gene do not even think about bringing this guy in either next year or when he is transferring a year later...