I am already looking forward to the next football season. The final game against Memphis gave me hope that Auburn will be better football team next season. Of course, I was disappointed that Auburn was playing in the Birmingham Bowl; however, I did want Auburn to beat Memphis since I did attend the two prior games that Auburn did lose to Memphis in 1975 and 1976. I was expecting the Auburn Football team to be flat on Wednesday morning, but they proved me wrong in the second half. TheAuburn defense held the potent Memphis offense to 206 yards and Paxton Lynch, the heralded QB for Memphis was only able to throw for 104 yards.
Sean White did struggle most of the game, but Jeremy Johnson came off of the bench in the second half to direct Auburn to two touchdowns. The Memphis defense seemed to be baffled when Jeremy Johnson entered the game because he did present a run threat. I was happy for Jeremy and he played one of his best games at Auburn. Jovon Robinson had 27 carries for 126 yards and did receive the MVP award. Also, Peyton Barber added 40 yards and entered the 1,000 yard club for the season. Signing day is approaching and I expect Auburn to have a top 10 class. I expect Auburn to recruit some good receivers and two new quarterbacks will be on campus next season. The battle for the quarterback position will be interesting since Jeremy Johnson has stated that he does expect to return. I still remember Jason Campbell who led the Auburn Tigers to an undefeated season in 2004 and an SEC Championship as a senior after struggling in prior years. As Gus Malzahn said yesterday: "We've got a lot of momentum heading into next year." Happy New Year!
As disappointed as I am that we played a Bowl game in Birmingham, Alabama, the very place we fought and won the right to never have to play again, this Auburn team left an indelible footprint on the Legion Field turf about the current state of Auburn football. Auburn football is alive and well.
Last season ended with a tough loss to the Wisconsin Badgers. A harbinger of things to come. This season saw our team lose four games by a single TD or less. What we saw on December 30th was far and away something different. After starting good, much as it did all season, the Tigers struggled offensively in the 2nd quarter and found themselves in a tie at the half. The halftime adjustments, whatever they were, must have lit a fire in this team. These Tigers came out in the 2nd half and put on a defensive show, which allowed the offense to gain some footing, and push the Memphis team around. The end of the 2015 football season has me feeling much better about this team than I did going into the Bowl game. I couldn't ask for a better performance from an Auburn defense than what we saw. So, now what do we look forward to? With Kevin Steele being named the new DC, and a very good recruiting class coming in, can we expect a much better result next season? I certainly hope we can Dab on 'em. WAR EAGLE!
The sun is setting on another college football season. For all of us who are Auburn faithful, it comes upon us with a mixed bag of emotions. There are those that are saying "I told you so" and talking about the highly rated preseason expectations of this Auburn team. These are the folks that said it was a curse for Auburn to be so highly thought of in any preseason publication.
Of course, the fact that those expectations weren't met have some calling for the heads of Jay Jacobs, Auburn's Athletic Director, and the football team's head coach Gus Malzahn, to be served up on a platter. I think that line of thought is a little premature. Next season should be much improved, and if not, those heads may feel like they need an extra set of eyes to watch their backsides, if you know what I mean. Nobody like losing to Alabama. Nobody! The feeling is worse when Auburn was predicted to win the SEC. I get that. Believe me, I get it. Heisman Trophy
The Heisman is not an MVP award. Here are the first three lines from the Heisman Trust mission statement: "The Heisman Memorial Trophy annually recognizes the outstanding college
football player whose performance best exhibits the pursuit of
excellence with integrity. Winners epitomize great ability combined with
diligence, perseverance, and hard work. The Heisman Trophy Trust
ensures the continuation and integrity of this award."
I can't argue that Derrick Henry doesn't meet all of those parameters. I will however say, Clemson's quarterback Deshaun Watson was more instrumental in Clemson making the College Football Playoffs than any other player on the other teams. What I mean to say is: Clemson is not where they are at seasons end without Deshaun Watson.
Jonathan and Ashley sitting in a tree... A very special congratulations to Ashley Kotero and Jonathan Wallace who are now engaged to be married. Ashley is a former Auburn Soccer player, and now works for the university in it's sports media department. Mr. Wallace is an Auburn football player in the line of Kodi Burns, who was a starting QB during the latter part of the 2012 season, and like Kodi, switched to WR, and back to QB when the injury situation occurred this fall. "Anything the coaches want me to do" is a mindset for every athlete, and that mindset will serve Mr. Wallace well as a husband. May God bless both of you. Auburn Basketball The basketball team is showing that it can play with just about anyone, and their steady improvement is a sign that they will be a tough team to beat. They certainly won't win them all, as was the case vs. Middle Tennessee, but this team is going to win some, that many think they shouldn't. Those wins, just may be enough to go dancing. The excitement of what could be is palpable. I for one am looking forward watching these guys play.
I was Auburn yesterday and I visited the "War Eagle Supper Club" one last time. The club will be closed at the end of this year, but I was told that they may relocate. There was some great music played in this building. A true Auburn landmark.
The Auburn Gymnastics season will begin this Sunday at 2 p.m. CDT at the Auburn Arena. Admission is free and there will be an opportunity to meet the team and obtain autographs at the conclusion of the meet. War Eagle!
