2012/ 2013: The Passing Grades, Review of the Two Seasons

The Auburn Tigers have gone through some drastic changes in only a year under Gus Malzhan that has him as the leading candidate for the Coach of the Year Award. Thank heavens 2012 has passed rather quickly. Truth is, if Auburn has any success last year, do they fire Gene Chizik? As miserable as last year was I would take that hurt to be where the University is today. AU new day is upon us and players, coaches, and fans alike have put the past behind us and are 1 win away from being SEC West Champions.

Here are a few stats and grades that can express just how big of a turnaround has taken place:

2012

September 1, 2012; Atlanta, GA, USA; Auburn Tigers quarterback Kiehl Frazier (10) fumbles the ball after being hit by Clemson Tigers linebacker Marcus Bullard (57) in the second half at the Georgia Dome. Clemson won 26-19. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Shirey-US PRESSWIRE
Offense- Points a Game- 18, Offense Grade: D

Passing- Last year the QB play was abysmal. Frazier played out of his element under the new offensive coordinator and it showed just how unprepared he was to play the position. Clint Moseley also was not up to speed with how the offense ran and Jonathan Wallace could have had better stats if he would have been implemented sooner than he was. Passing Grade: F

Rushing- One of the only bright spot about last years team was Tre Mason. He broke the 1,000 yard mark in the Alabama game, but he fought all year and demanded the ball more after each game. Kudos and a ton of respect for how he played last year. Rushing Grade: C

O Line- Only a few words are needed for last years O Line I'll keep it short and sweet. BAD. O Line Grade: D

Defense- Allowed Points a Game- 28, Defense Grade: F
LBs, Secondary, and D Line- I almost turned away from the T.V when we came up on defense. My wife and I attended 3 games last year; ULM, LSU, and Arkansas. By the time we played Arkansas destroyed us, I had all but completely lost hope in our defense. Entire Defense: F

Special Teams- The only other bright spot of the 2012 season was Special Teams. Cody Parkey was automatic as usual and Steven Clarke had a few mishaps, but he was solid and played a key role for the Tigers. Special Teams Grade: A

2013

Nick Marshall celebrates with the Auburn fans after his two-touchdown game in the Tigers' victory over Ole Miss. (USATSI)

Offense- Points a Game- 39, Offense Grade: A-

Passing- Nick Marshall has been an absolute game changer for Auburn this year. He has had experience in the SEC as a DB for Georgia and played a whole year on the JUCO side of football and excelled. His dynamic playmaking ability and cannon for an arm have made teams play true to their position. His accuracy is getting better each week, but a little improvement and the Tigers will be a threat through the air as much as they are on the ground. Marshall has 9 passing TDs through 11 games while Auburn as a team last year only totaled 8 between 4 different players. Jeremy Johnson has been magnificent when he touches the ball. A true passer, but has decisive speed when he needs it. Passing Grade: B

Rushing- Auburn is SECOND in the Nation in Rushing Yards only behind Army, which rarely passes the ball. Tre Mason, Corey Grant, and Cameron Artis-Payne all share the ball and contribute greatly when each touch the ball. You can't leave out Nick Marshall from this category either. Mason has evolved as the go to back, even though all play and play exceptional. Mason also leads the SEC in multiple categories and has stacked up some really impressive stats for anyone's eye's. Rushing Grade: A+

O Line- The Offensive Line has been a key factor in the success. Aiding Auburn's Rushing attack, the Line also gives Marshall ample amount of time to pass or make a play. The O Line is also a main reason why Auburn is 10-1 to this point. O Line Grade: A+

Defense- Allowed Points a Game- 22, Defense Grade: B

LBs, Secondary, and D Line- Keeping this short and sweet again with the Defense, but Auburn's freshmen have stepped up all year long and are filling out their expectations. The Defensive Line has been able to make plays all year long and the LBs and Secondary have forced turnovers and made plays that have won games on multiple occasions. LBs Grade: B-, D Line Grade: A, Secondary: B+


Special Teams- The Special Teams are the only consistent part of the 2012/ 2013 seasons. Except this year, the Tigers have added more of a threats in the Return Game. Chris Davis has been electric  since his return and has yet to disappoint when he gets a head start. Special Teams Grade: A+


Well there you have it. As you can see just in this small review, Auburn has made leaps and bounds in only one year. Much credit is to Malzahn and his staff, but these players are simply fighting and playing harder than every game except the LSU game last year. Auburn has a chance to make even more history this weekend by knocking off the top ranked Tide in Jordan-Hare. Can the Tigers somehow pull out another Miracle in Jordan-Hare? We will see this coming Saturday.





Be sure to follow me on Twitter @austin_preiss19. Leave questions or comments on any Topic that you would like me write about in the coming weeks.

The Battle of Good vs Evil

 I have read this post about life after Bobby Petrino which you can read by mashing HERE, and have come to some conclusions.

 Excerpts from that article reveal what life under Petrino will be for Auburn football players, and what will certainly happen when he leaves. He will leave.

 At the same time, there were rumblings after Petrino's departure that the coach had been too lax when it came to taking action on positive drug tests. The first positive test got you sent to drug counseling. The second got you a one-game suspension. The third got you a four-game suspension. Some later alleged that if there was a first, there usually was no testing done to risk a second or third. But attempts to get even aggregate records were not successful.

 Once new head coach Steve Kragthorpe had replaced Petrino at Louisville, the administration and fans were amazed at what transpired when a definitive drug policy was enforced.

 Players started being dismissed in high numbers, including some who had people around the school scratching their heads, because they'd been otherwise good citizens. Nobody could divulge the real reason for many of the dismissals, though one source close to the program said, "They chose pot over their football futures."

Yes Petrino is a very good coach. I’ll give him that. He is detailed, and very demanding. Two things this Auburn team needs right now. In an article from al.com reporter Mike Herndon, this was quoted from now deposed Gene Chizik.

 "He's very, very precise," Chizik said then. "He knows exactly what he wants; he knows exactly how he's setting you up for the next thing. He coaches those guys in minute details. He knows what he's looking from you defensively to take advantage of what he does. He's really good at it."

 Bobby Petrino is at a crossroads in his life. He has reached that crossroads because he got caught. Not because he had a revelation, not because he had a come to Jesus meeting with his Pastor, because he got caught. He is still in conflict with his mind on the good versus the bad.

 In an age where “Honey Boo-Boo” is acceptable television, I am not at all surprised to see so many Auburn fans think that Bobby Petrino is the best choice available to Auburn. Put simply, Petrino needs time. Time to reveal to his family, that he is a changed man, not someone who is sorry that all of his transgressions became public knowledge.

 My very small request to the search committee is to “Just say no to Petrino.”

WAR EAGLE! 

Making Sense

The hot topic is the AU coaching search. Who would make the most sense to bring to Auburn? How would certain styles of offense and defense work in the league? Who among the believed names among the myriad lists of candidates, would get the most out of our current recruits? All questions that are bringing emotional responses among the AU faithful.

 Auburn has recruited for the spread offense that last four years. We have some of the top talent in the country. How can I say that? AU was constantly rated among the best in recruiting and those top 10 schools over the past four years have consistently competed for conference and national championships. No way the percentage of those recruits that did not pan out all landed at AU. That indicates that the talent is already at Auburn.

 Most of you know, that I liked Gene Chizik. Although Chizik gambled and lost on his BCS title giving him more than one year to change his philosophy, he still has my respect. He made a terrible mistake to change to the pro-style offense. 

 Why do I say that? Because Alabama has lost four games in the last three years. Those losses have come to AU running a  Hurry Up No Huddle spread attack, and Texas A&M running the same style of attack. The other two losses were to LSU, and South Carolina. Alabama missed 3 or 4 FG's which would have won them the game against LSU. Using that as a criteria, Chizik should have never left the HUNH spread attack.

 That would seem to narrow the search list, or would it? Chris Peterson is on that list, and he runs that style of offense. My personal choice of Gary Patterson runs an exceptional offense, and very inventive defense. Patterson is the one guy that has a proven record of coaching up the talent, and also making the changes needed to adjust to different styles of offense that he faces. Read this STORY then come back and tell me you don't agree.

 The other name on the popular lists is Gus Malzahn. Malzahn would fit the easiest with the current staff, and players. He has worked very successfully with the offensive coaches, winning a BCS title. I'm sure he would replace Coach Loeffler with Rhett Lashlee, as offensive coordinator. The rest of the offensive staff he would be comfortable with. That would keep the recruiting class mostly together.

 There are some other names out there that could be great hires, too many to name here, these three are three that I wanted to highlight. We will come back and look at more, unless a coached is named soon.

WAR EAGLE!

Smooth Sailing

Smooth sailing ahead

 In case you missed it, there will soon be a new captain of the U.S.S. Auburn Football. Once the new captain is named, he must make a few course corrections to get the ship headed back in the right direction. 

 Gene Chizik is a man that I respected, and liked as an individual. His tenure was never one that we could just sit back and relax. He brought excitement to Auburn recruiting. Chizik and his staff proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that Auburn could, and should recruit with the very best in the nation.

 He also believed that Auburn could contend for a National Championship, and he proved it by winning his first attempt at one.

 He represented Auburn with class and dignity. Speaking of which, I must get this off my chest. Auburn and Gene Chizik were shown a great deal of respect by Nick Saban in our last contest with Alabama.  For all his media tirades, and his sometimes sketchy sideline theatrics, taking a knee on fourth down, instead of giving the back up squad a nugget to enjoy was a class move by Saban.

 Whomever Auburn decides to hire as the next captain of our ship, I hope that they represent Auburn as well as Gene Chizik has. I hope that they embrace and love Auburn in much the same way as the Chizik family.

 Thanks Gene Chizik for all the great memories of 2010. Though you accomplished much more while here at Auburn, you gave the Auburn family something it hadn't had in this generation, a National Championship! We will forever be grateful for that. 

 Until the next storm arises, and storms will come, there are smooth seas ahead. We just need to get the course corrections made quickly, so we can get back to enjoying our football cruise.

WAR EAGLE!

Players Reaction To Chizik Being Fired

Some of the players react to Coach Gene Chizik being fired.

 Tre Mason


Jeff Whitaker


 Phillip Lutzenkirchen

Gene Chizik's Statement

Where did it all go?

This is a copy of Gene Chizik's statement to the Auburn family. Thanks goes to Auburn Authority.

I am very grateful for the opportunity that I had during the last four seasons to serve as the head football coach at Auburn University. I’m extremely disappointed with the way this season turned out and I apologize to the Auburn family and our team for what they have had to endure.

In my 27 years of coaching, I have gained an understanding of the high expectations in this profession. When expectations are not met, I understand changes must be made.

While we experienced a tremendous low in 2012, I will always be proud of the incredible highs that we achieved, including three bowl victories, an SEC championship and a national championship.

I want to thank Dr. Gogue and Jay Jacobs for the great opportunity they gave me. I’m confident in their leadership ability to continue to move this football program forward.

I feel blessed to have been surrounded with so many great coaches, players and administrators that have worked relentlessly and dedicated themselves to this institution. I will miss not being able to continue to mentor these players on a daily basis. I’m confident these young men will continue to excel both on and off the field. They are a great group and I wish them nothing but the best.

I’ve been fortunate to spend seven years of my coaching career at Auburn, which is an incredible place to work and live. My family and I have been blessed to call Auburn home and look forward to remaining in the Auburn community.

I have said this many times, but the Auburn fans are the best in college football. They have an incredible passion and love for their school and I want to thank them for their support in good times and in bad times.

As I said four years ago when I arrived, Auburn was great way before we got here and it will remain great long after we leave. My sentiments about Auburn have not and will not change. I wish the next football coach all the best and I anticipate a smooth transition.

I encourage the Auburn family to continue to be ‘All In’ and support this great university and its athletics programs. War Eagle!

Ugghhh The 2nd

The sun has set on Auburn's 2012 season

 It was the most embarrassing display of football I have seen in years, months weeks days. Ugghh I hate feeling this way. I can only imagine how bad the players feel. let's look at the glaring things wrong from a fans prospective.

 Offensive production, no wait, that is an oxymoron. How about the lack of any offensive production can best be described by this statement from al.com
 Auburn's final three SEC opponents scored touchdowns on 16 of 18 first-half possessions.

 What about defensive prowess? Here is the most horrid of all stats from the game, as provided by the war eagle extra...
Alabama led 42-0 after 30 minutes, its largest halftime lead ever on Auburn. Never before in the Iron Bowl’s 77-game history had one team banked 40 points in back-to-back matchups.

from twitter
Bama's defense has now gone 2 consecutive years w/out giving up any points to Auburn.

This is from Joel Erickson at al.com 

Faced with a barrage of questions about whether or not Gene Chizik is the man to pull Auburn out of this hole, the Tigers stood united on one key point.

The Tigers want Chizik and his coaching staff back.

"He should be back," quarterback Jonathan Wallace said. "They know exactly where this program needs to go, and they know what to do. I hope they are back next year. I really have no doubt. I really do believe they will be."

"Of course I want him back," Mason said. "But that's not my decision to make."
"I don't think there are any quitters on our team," Mason said.

 To finish, we have this video of Jake Holland with the media after the game.


 The waiting will soon be over, and the news of Gene Chizik's fate will be told. Until then, we will hope for the best for these players.

WAR EAGLE!

Read more here: http://www.wareagleextra.com/#storylink=cpy

Jay Jacobs To Remain?

Jordan-Hare stadium, home of Auburn Tiger football

 Published reports indicate that Jay Jacobs will remain the Athletic Director at Auburn University. Jacobs job has come under attack by many fans and message board posters for the perceived lack of  improvement in Auburn's four major sports programs. Most recently the failure of the football program to win any of its conference games. There is still Alabama to play this season, and many fans have already written that off as a loss.

 Increasingly the cries for removal of Jacobs along with his first football coach that he hired, Gene Chizik, have echoed loud and strong across the state of Alabama and indeed the country. According to the report by al.com contributor Charles Goldberg "Gogue defended Jacobs at a recent university event,"

 The report goes on to state...
"The university's Board of Trustees will meet Friday morning in Auburn in a regularly-scheduled meeting in which both Gogue and Jacobs will attend. Jacobs is scheduled to address a proposed renovation of baseball's Plainsman Park. Football is not on the agenda." 

What does this mean going forward for Gene Chizik and the athletic department?

 It is my opinion, that if Jay Jacobs indeed keeps his job, that Gene Chizik will be allowed to stay on as head coach of Auburn football.

 This certainly will not sit well with many of the Auburn family that believe that Chizik is the problem at Auburn, and that his style of coaching is perceived as why player development is lacking.

  Until all this unfolds we will be in the dark as to the future of Auburn football, and indeed the entire athletic department. Hold on.

WAR EAGLE!

Early Evaluations Part 1

Defense wins Championships

 The title seems to be a joke of sorts since Auburn President Jay Gouge has decided to wait until after the season to evaluate the state of the football program. I don't have to wait, and I see no reason to wait, so I will give my honest evaluations now. 

 Your criticisms and comments are welcome below, all you have to do is click on the  word comments.

 This is "Part 1" and we will break this team down by groups, so we don't have a multiple page post. Hopefully this is better for you, as I know it is for me. On to it...

 Let us start up front with the defensive line where we anticipated a much improved unit, and a steady stream of sacks and tackles for losses. None of that ever actually happened, and many AU faithful are asking themselves "why?"

 We have seen the results and listened to commentators talk all year of our defensive linemen being out of position during plays. Why are they still out of position, and not making plays? Does the current coaching staff not see these problems? Were we not promised an "unleashed" defensive front, that would supposedly cause havoc in the backfield? Who is to blame for this failure? Most importantly, how do we fix it? Tough questions.

 It's evident that our Defensive front is still not strong enough to compete throughout the entirety of the game. We went into the 4th quarter of several games this season with a reasonable chance to win. The defensive front for Auburn has been pushed around all season long, period!

 After the first couple of games, most of these nuances have normally been corrected, yet we continue to see the same mistakes game after game. Why?

  So far this season, Auburn only has 56 tackles for a loss. The defensive line is credited with 26.5 of those losses. Out of 719 plays so far, only 26.5 tackles for a loss. So much for the havoc being created in opposing backfields. PATHETIC!

 The start of every half has seen an opposing offense march up and down the field scoring with ease, and putting this team behind. While that may seem to be a coaching problem, and I am sure some of it may be, there also has to be an attitude amongst the defensive players that no team will score on us. That attitude is sorely lacking. Why can't the coaches get our defensive front to play with aggression?

 We have seen so little of this attitude from the linemen on defense this year, that I have to grade the entire unit as a failure. I'll let you decide if it is because of scheme, coaching, or lack of effort. I know one thing for sure, in all my days watching and cheering for Auburn football, I have never seen a more porous defensive front.

War Eagle!

Senior Day 2012

One last Tiger Walk for the Senior class of 2012

Dengelo Benton
 
Anthony Morgan
Ikeem Means
T'Sharvan Bell
Onterio McCalebb
Daren Bates
Jonathan Evans
Phillip Lutzenkirchen
Ashton Richardson
John Sullen
Jamar Travis
Emory Blake
Travante Stallworth

 This week Auburn plays host to Alabama A&M. While it is the first time ever for A&M to visit Jordan-Hare, Auburn will honor the Senior class of this football team. That means the underclassmen will have plenty of incentive to send the Senior's on this team out with a victory in their last home game. 

 Above are the names of those who have experienced the joys of Championships, and the misery of this season. If you go to the game, please give the honor and respect they deserve. They have truly been through it all.

WAR EAGLE!

Amen Corner

the heart of Amen Corner, the 12th at Augusta National - Golden Bell

 In the deep south, the name "Amen Corner" is held in reverence. The fact that it ties the states of Alabama, and Georgia forever together, increases its meaning to college football fans in our part of the world.

 Bobby Jones, that wonderful amateur golfer who has won so many titles, and the "Grand Slam" of golf, helped design Augusta National, the site of the Masters golf tournament every spring. Along the way while playing the famed course you will find yourself on the tee at the 12th hole. That is the heart of Amen Corner at the worlds most coveted championship.

 One season while the head coach at Auburn, Pat Dye met with reporters and dubbed the annual meetings against Georgia, and Alabama "Amen Corner." These two schools are the two biggest rivals of the Tigers from the Loveliest Village. 

 The ties go a little deeper, in that Pat Dye played football at the University of Georgia, and was an assistant coach under Bear Bryant at the University of Alabama. Auburn is conveniently located between the its two counterparts.

 Dye also told reporters that fateful day, that those two games can make or break your season at Auburn. While Auburn is no doubt not playing its best football right now, winning either or both of these games could sweeten the taste of a very sour campaign.

 So, what must Auburn do to snatch victory from the jaws of those dreaded Dawgs? First, and foremost they must play with a desire like they had against LSU earlier this season. 

 The defense must have a very large chip on its shoulder, and play like they are mad as heck! Take all the frustration of this not so great of a season, and make the UGA team pay for visiting our turf. Tackling must be sure, and ferocious. Pass coverage must not be played with a 10 yard cushion. Big plays should not be given up at any time in this game.

 The Tiger offense must play a ground control, mistake free game. Passes will have to be made, no doubt, but they must be limited at least at first, and allow this Auburn offense to develop a rhythm. 

 Last week, Jonathan Wallace led Auburn on the four longest scoring drive of the entire season. He must be able to do that this week, if AU is to pull out the victory. Georgia has shown a penchant for being able to come from behind in games, so the foot must stay on the peddle until the game ends, or is decisively decided late into the contest.

 I believe Auburn can win this game. I know the odds are against this happening, but I refuse to give up when faced with a challenge of this nature. You will hear the term David vs. Goliath many times this week. Since Auburn is headlong into our Amen Corner, I can think of nothing better than a Biblical battle to describe the challenge.

WAR EAGLE!

All American Good Guy

 I truly enjoy these interviews with Auburn fullback Jay Prosch. He seems to always have a smile on his face. He seems like a great young man.

 Considering what he has been through in his short time at Auburn, you wonder how a guy can keep smiling. Prosch transferred to Auburn to be closer to his dying mother, Iris Prosch. She had a form of brain cancer that took her life earlier this season. 

 The Auburn family wrapped Jay in their prayers, and held him close, kept him in their thoughts amidst one of the worst football seasons ever on the Plains. 

 This past Saturday, as we watched a young Auburn football team finally shake its self from the doldrums and have fun playing football, we were given a reason to celebrate. Jay Prosch, our All-American fullback scored the first touchdown of his collegiate career. 

 It was a play that was designed specifically for a short yardage goal line run. And it couldn't have happened to a better person. Listen below as Jay talks about his score.

AU Athletics Locker Room Report

This is one of the best of these episodes I have seen. 

Enjoy, and WAR EAGLE!

Tre Mason Loves To Run

Tre Mason has been asking for the football more often during the game. He got his wish Saturday and he delivered with his performance to date. According to the Auburn Athletics official website..

"The Tigers (2-7) gained 475 total yards in the game, their highest offensive output of the season, and held New Mexico State (1-8) to 305 yards, including just 127 in the second half. A total of 311 of Auburn's yards came via the rushing game, the first time for Auburn to top the 300-yard rushing mark since gaining 315 against Georgia in 2010. 

Mason carried 22 times for a career-high 152 yards and a touchdown, averaging 6.9 yards per carry. Meanwhile, McCalebb made the most of his eight touches, picking up 113 yards (14.1/carry) while scoring two touchdowns".

A Win Is A Win

Listening to Jonathan Wallace one get the feeling that this young man is well on his way to being something very special at Auburn. We will look at his stats after this post game interview.


 Jonathan Wallace performed much like a nervous true Freshman in getting his first start. Then it looked like he started to settle down. In the second half, the play calling made things much easier for Wallace. A steady diet of running plays, paved the way for a more relaxed, and confident Auburn offense. 

 The line on Wallace reads 9 completions on 17 attempts with an interception and a touchdown. His yardage per pass attempt is a very respectable 9.6 yards.  Not Heisman worthy numbers, but a much better performance than one would have suspected for the first career start. Time of possession in the game went to Auburn.

 The biggest difference in this performance and what we have seen previously this season, is that with the ball in the hands of Wallace, the total number of yards he lost was 1. That's it, one yard. I'll take that all day every day.

Highlights from the Homecoming game are below.



   Guiding Auburn to it's first victory in the last six tries, is something to be proud of. That it was against New Mexico State, a team Auburn should handle easily every time they play, is of no matter. Winning the game may be the best cure for what has been ailing this Auburn team.  

 There are plenty of positives to take away from this game, even while tempering those positives with the knowledge of the game was against an over matched opponent.  Auburn looked, and played in the second half, like an Auburn football team. Which is something we as fans have been sorely missing. 

 Now it's time to entertain the Georgia Bulldogs. I say lets treat them rudely on the field, and upset their dreams. Lets take it to them. Keep this momentum, hold it close, and treat it dearly, all the while taking a bite out of the 'Dawgs season.

WAR EAGLE!

X's & O's

Coach Gene Chizik talks about execution of the plays that are called by Scot Loeffler.

The Case For Jonathan Wallace

Cam Newton the last winning quarterback at Auburn

The popular ESPN College Game Day segment has inspired this old man to make a case for Jonathan Wallace to be the starting quarterback for the Auburn Tigers throughout the rest of the season. I am not a lawyer, and have only served on one jury, so my actual legal experience is basically squadoosh!

 Evidence exhibit A
 Wallace is the only Auburn quarterback not nursing any injuries. If the coaches are to be believed, Frazier has a bum shoulder, and Moseley has a tired shoulder. When Moseley was brought into his very first action of the season, he limped in from the sideline. He had yet to play a down in 2012, and he limped into the game! 

 Evidence exhibit B
 Jonathan has taken snaps at "key times", a Gene Chizik trademarked phrase, in games on the road, and at home.

 Evidence exhibit C 
 The only two drives that resulted in a touchdown in the same quarter of play for Auburn this entire season, came with Jonathan Wallace at quarterback. 

 Evidence exhibit D 
 Have you listened to this young man in an interview? He has maturity well beyond Freshman status.
Listen as Wallace runs through the questions. 
 


 Summary 
 It's no secret, every year somewhere there is a quarterback that the fans want to see play. Somehow when things aren't going really well, the answer always seems to be "play the backup QB" from the fans. The fans think that the backup will somehow be able to perform better than the guy that won the starting job.

 In this case, the fans are correct, and the coaching staff needs to listen to them. One reason to listen is this seems to be the only topic with the fans that doesn't involve someone packing suitcases. The other reason, is that it took most of these same coaches 5 games into the 2010 season to realize what a special talent Auburn had with Cam Newton. Chizik openly admits that he had to be persuaded by the offensive coaches to even grant Newton a scholarship.

 Finally, Jonathan Wallace performed head and shoulders above what either of the two QB's have. Sure, it was mostly against the backups of the Texas A&M  defense, and The Aggie defensive coordinator may have "called off the dogs", but nonetheless, Wallace did something with this offense, that the other two could not. He put together two scoring drives that resulted in touchdowns,and had ZERO interceptions on the day.

 I rest my case.

WAR EAGLE!

The Kiss of Death

This will be one of the more morbid posts about Auburn football that you will ever read. Just try to put yourself in the place of these young men, and look at things the way they have seen them. Maybe, you will have a better appreciation for what they are, and have been, going through.

 We go back to that dreadful day in June when Desmonte Leonard opened fire into a crowd of people, killing  three, two of which were part of the Auburn football family.
Here is a quote from OANow.com

"...police say he opened fire at University Heights apartments off West Longleaf Drive at about 10 p.m. Saturday. The shooting left three men dead, including two former Auburn University football players, and three others wounded".

If this were the only obstacle this team faced, we might not be writing about it in October. As death usually is, this was just one cold horrible event this very young team has had to try and overcome. There would be more, much more.

 On September 3rd we heard of the death of Iris Prosch. The mother of starting fullback Jay Prosch, who had transferred to Auburn from Illinois to be closer to his Mom. She had a grade 4 cancer of the brain known as glioblastoma multiforme.

 Then a long time coach's assistant died unexpectedly just prior to the LSU game. Here is a short clip from the Ledger - Enquierer and sports writer Aaron Brenner.

"Chizik revealed that a student coach with the football team, Joe Bagwell, unexpectedly passed away earlier Saturday at East Alabama Medical Center. Bagwell, a Huntsville native and Auburn graduate, was in his first year as a student coach, after previously serving as an athletic trainer".

Read more here: http://www.ledger-enquirer.com/2012/09/23/2213623/heavy-heart-auburn-student-coach.html#storylink=cpy

 The chilling grip of death wasn't thru with this Auburn team yet, as news that Rita Chizik, the Mother of head coach Gene Chizik died unexpectedly. Auburn University released this statement.

"The Chiziks appreciate the prayers and support that have been sent from the Auburn family. We ask that everyone respect the family’s privacy during this difficult time,"

These events have shaped this team in ways that many can not comprehend. I read an interesting story on the effects that death has had on this team. It is HERE if you would like to read it. Here is an excerpt from that story, that may help many of us to realize a little of what this team is dealing with.

 "In hospice we visit the family regularly for a year to 18 months after a loved one dies, 3 – 4 months will hardly scratch the surface of the compound grief this team and coaches are facing, it will take time. Brother Chet is probably doing all he can, but it will take time.

 As a trained professional with death and dying, when my dad died and then his brother 3 days later and then a week later when I went back to work at the hospital and experienced many deaths over a 3 day period I had had enough death for a while. I had been used to covering 10 floors and remembering every patient and visit to chart at the end of rounds, but after my compound deaths I had to write myself notes when I left each room so I could do my charting".

 I have this post ready just prior to the Texas A&M game, and then the students and Alumni put together an impromptu Pep Rally for the players after practice Thursday afternoon. Seeing those events inspired me. So, I'll wait and post this later(now if you are reading this). This team has been through enough. I hope you will understand.

WAR EAGLE!

How Far Gone?

The real question we have to ask is, how far gone is the Auburn football program?

 The answer it seems is as varied as the opinions surrounding the most devastating slide of a football program not on probation, in modern college football history. We have heard calls for replacing the entire decision making group of the AU Athletic Department, and all of Auburn's football coaches, to fire Scot Loeffler  NOW!

 What many  fans don't realize is, that Jay Jacobs, and Gene Chizik won't fire offensive coordinator Scot Loeffler during the season. That is simply not how they operate. Has the AU offense really improved on a weekly basis? No, it hasn't made any radical improvement. We see signs each week that some of the players are getting the idea of how to play in this league, but I believe that is more to do with the talent that Chizik has recruited than simply coaching them up.

 What then? Does AU fire Gene Chizik too? Has that already been decided by the powers that be at AU? You nor I really know the answer to that. Let's look at things with a calm thought, and try to dissect exactly where we are at this point in time.

 The defense. 

As each week passes, there have been improvements. Not great strides, but steady improvement nonetheless. 

 Have they played well enough to keep Auburn in the game each week? I think so, yes. Auburn has lost most of it's games in the fourth quarter, and most of those games, led at some point in the second half of play. The offense is really where the problem starts, and ends. This is not to say that the defense gets a pass, because there are some problems, but we get real football answers from VanGorder as to why, and they make sense with what we are seeing on the field.


 During the entire time former coach Gus Malzahn was at Auburn, there were plenty of skeptics against the Hurry Up No Huddle (HUNH) style of offense. The biggest complaint they had was that the defense wasn't getting rested before they were asked to go back on the field.That's not the case anymore. If the defense isn't getting any rest, its because the offense isn't moving the ball.

 The Offense.

 We know that the Auburn offense isn't scoring enough points to help win games. One of the reasons appears to be that the plays take too long to be called in, and the offense does not have enough time to set, motion, and realign to get the play started. This single factor has led to more false starts than I have ever seen from a football team at this level. Put plain and simple that is coaching. If it ain't working, fix it!

 Which leads me to the next most obvious point. If it works, call it again! Not on the next play, but the basic rule of offense is to run plays that work, until you make the defense adjust to that play, then play  off of that adjustment. It keeps the defense guessing. 

 Which leads me to the point of this post. Auburn football is at an all time low. Especially from a fans perspective so close to the euphoria of winning the ultimate prize. It's not just the wins and losses, its how the games have been lost. In my opinion, which counts for nada- zilch- zero, everything could be much better with just an average offense output. That has to come first, from our coaching staff.

 Here is to hoping we can see that this week....

WAR EAGLE!