When I say “hung over,” I’m not talking about drinking. The only thing I had during the Auburn- Alabama game was Diet Mountain Dew.
Yet, the loss hit like a gut punch and it lasted for several days. We led or were tied with Alabama up until the last two minutes, but the game is sixty minutes and not 58 so we fell.
I was proud of the way Auburn played, but had seen the story twice already this year. We ran out of gas in the 4th quarter and lost to Kentucky. At Georgia, we had the momentum on our final drive. I believe we would have tied them. But the injury that interrupted what became our final set of downs shut us down for 20 minutes. And it’s hard to face a critical third down at the end of a game when you’re just flat cold.
And we all know how the final game of the season ended.
A salve to the wounds came out a few days later as it was announced Auburn would be going to the Outback Bowl. As of this writing, I don’t know if our opponent will be Wisconsin or Northwestern. I’m hoping for Northwestern. We’ve already seen Wisconsin twice in the last decade. Let’s get somebody new. Since we weren’t going to be a BCS team, we couldn’t have done much better if we had two extra wins. And, an Outback Bowl gives Auburn a game that sounds more respectable than some of the other opportunities. Also, we get more practice, which we desperately need.
For now, though, we have to put up with the tauntings of the redneck roustabouts. We can be gracious, which we always are, and do what our hearts tell us to do.
For, and every Auburn fan knows the feeling (and it was initially expressed beautifully by one of my Auburn friends on Twitter), I’d rather lose as an Auburn Tiger, than win as anything else.
War Eagle!
Sunday, December 6, 2009
Saturday, December 5, 2009
Posting Schedule Change
I took a week off as the football season wore me out and the Christmas party season started. I will be shifting to one past per week, with the likely exception of bowl week.
I hope everyone who stopped by during the football season will continue to follow my musings on all things Auburn for the rest of the year.
I'm extremely excited about our projected Outback Bowl invitation. Should be a good game.
I hope everyone who stopped by during the football season will continue to follow my musings on all things Auburn for the rest of the year.
I'm extremely excited about our projected Outback Bowl invitation. Should be a good game.
Friday, November 27, 2009
Auburn - Alabama Postgame 2009
Posting early due to the early game.
Opened my first Twitter post of the game with the words, “I’m cautiously optimistic.” With Terrell Zachary’s opening TD, I went crazy. My wife sent our younger son upstairs to tell me to calm down. I kept it down on the onside kick, but I felt almost the same way.
Then we went up 14-0. I was still cautiously optimistic. The Georgia game started the same way. However, as Alabama tied it up at 14-14 all, I knew already Auburn had to dig down deep if they were going to win this game. The odd thing is that even at the half, nobody outside of Auburn fans was giving Auburn a chance.
And then I saw something different.
Toward the end of the second quarter, Auburn learned how to move the ball again. And I felt we had a chance that I hadn’t seen two weeks ago. “If only the refs would watch the same game.” How that hit on Fannin toward the end of the second half wasn’t helmet-to-helmet was an amazing “no call” by the officials.
We maintained some semblance of heart through the third quarter. According to the CBS announcers (the ones in the studio), it shouldn’t have been that way. Alabama was merely biding its time and was in no danger. Alabama was going to win walking away with a double-digit lead. It was just a matter of time.
Somebody forgot to tell Auburn they weren’t even supposed to be in it.
Two defensive stands in the third quarter left Auburn ahead 21-20. My stomach continued roiled as the tension rose.
And then there was that final drive. Alabama showed why it was undefeated, coming into that drive 2 for 11 on third down conversions and making them when it counted. That last one hurt worst of all and put the Tide ahead for good. Auburn, traditionally having some semblance of clock management at the end of a half, showed they’d watched Les Miles in the LSU-Ole Miss game. Hail Mary chance at the end, but game over.
Back in the ‘70s, I remember watching a TV series called Operation: Petticoat. It was about a pink-colored submarine during WWII that carried a contingent of nurses. The sub was the laughingstock of the navy. In one episode, they were given the dangerous assignment of ferrying MacArthur to another location. It turned out that the MacArthur on board was a decoy. The navy had let it slip that the famed “pink sub” was carrying MacArthur to hide MacArthur’s real movements. At the end, the crew was down because they knew no one had given them a chance, yet they handled their mission. The Captain, played by John Astin, made a speech at the end about not having had a chance. He instructed his crew not to get down around him, because he was too busy “feeling proud.”
So am I. And so should every Auburn fan.
Let’s face it. Moral victories do suck.
But I’m still proud.
War Eagle anyway! Always and forever!
Opened my first Twitter post of the game with the words, “I’m cautiously optimistic.” With Terrell Zachary’s opening TD, I went crazy. My wife sent our younger son upstairs to tell me to calm down. I kept it down on the onside kick, but I felt almost the same way.
Then we went up 14-0. I was still cautiously optimistic. The Georgia game started the same way. However, as Alabama tied it up at 14-14 all, I knew already Auburn had to dig down deep if they were going to win this game. The odd thing is that even at the half, nobody outside of Auburn fans was giving Auburn a chance.
And then I saw something different.
Toward the end of the second quarter, Auburn learned how to move the ball again. And I felt we had a chance that I hadn’t seen two weeks ago. “If only the refs would watch the same game.” How that hit on Fannin toward the end of the second half wasn’t helmet-to-helmet was an amazing “no call” by the officials.
We maintained some semblance of heart through the third quarter. According to the CBS announcers (the ones in the studio), it shouldn’t have been that way. Alabama was merely biding its time and was in no danger. Alabama was going to win walking away with a double-digit lead. It was just a matter of time.
Somebody forgot to tell Auburn they weren’t even supposed to be in it.
Two defensive stands in the third quarter left Auburn ahead 21-20. My stomach continued roiled as the tension rose.
And then there was that final drive. Alabama showed why it was undefeated, coming into that drive 2 for 11 on third down conversions and making them when it counted. That last one hurt worst of all and put the Tide ahead for good. Auburn, traditionally having some semblance of clock management at the end of a half, showed they’d watched Les Miles in the LSU-Ole Miss game. Hail Mary chance at the end, but game over.
Back in the ‘70s, I remember watching a TV series called Operation: Petticoat. It was about a pink-colored submarine during WWII that carried a contingent of nurses. The sub was the laughingstock of the navy. In one episode, they were given the dangerous assignment of ferrying MacArthur to another location. It turned out that the MacArthur on board was a decoy. The navy had let it slip that the famed “pink sub” was carrying MacArthur to hide MacArthur’s real movements. At the end, the crew was down because they knew no one had given them a chance, yet they handled their mission. The Captain, played by John Astin, made a speech at the end about not having had a chance. He instructed his crew not to get down around him, because he was too busy “feeling proud.”
So am I. And so should every Auburn fan.
Let’s face it. Moral victories do suck.
But I’m still proud.
War Eagle anyway! Always and forever!
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Auburn vs. Alabama Preview 2009
Auburn vs. Alabama 2009 Preview
Auburn lost a game to NC State this weekend.
No, you didn’t miss a football game. Auburn lost a basketball game at a tourney in Florida. Auburn was the underdog going in. The team lost a lot from last year’s 24-win squad that dropped a heartbreaker to Baylor in the quarterfinals of the NIT. They are predicted to finish 6th in the West Division this year, not much different from the last few years.
The team trailed at halftime, but led through much of the second half. NC State came back to tie it at 48-all with a few minutes left and it was back-and-forth all the way. Auburn, outmanned and outgunned, lost 60-58 on a basket with 1.7 seconds left. The men’s team is currently 2-3. No one can tell them if that’s good yet.
This week, Auburn, the football team, plays Alabama. It’s a Friday game, meaning it won’t get lost in the melee of games on Saturday. Granted, Alabama and their fans probably think this Friday will be a showcase. A chance to show off. The press has already written us off. Finebaum predicted a blow-out last week. Scarbinsky has already commented that Auburn won’t get beat as bad as last year, but it will still be a beat-down.
And no one expects us to have a chance. We’re currently 12-point underdogs. Prior to last year’s game, we were 14-point underdogs. Since home field advantage is supposedly worth seven points (which makes the Kentucky loss seem even worse), this team, from an odds standpoint, is a bigger long-shot than last year.
The ESPN GameDay guys don’t have to show up for a prediction. They can just use tape from 2003. On that day, the crew pontificated on how bad the beat down might be. When they reached Corso, he just paused as if to add one of his infamous “not so fast, my friends,” and then shook his head and spoke one word, “Alabama.”
This team is better than last year’s team. The defense has been through a lot of changes and is more porous than last year's squad, but the overall team has a stronger heart.
And if the referees allow the game to play, then this is a team that can challenge the whole game.
Pat Dye, when asked in his interview how long it would take for him to beat Alabama, replied “Sixty minutes.”
It will take sixty minutes of solid play for Auburn to beat Alabama this year. I just hope it doesn’t fall in the last 1.7 seconds.
War Eagle!
Auburn lost a game to NC State this weekend.
No, you didn’t miss a football game. Auburn lost a basketball game at a tourney in Florida. Auburn was the underdog going in. The team lost a lot from last year’s 24-win squad that dropped a heartbreaker to Baylor in the quarterfinals of the NIT. They are predicted to finish 6th in the West Division this year, not much different from the last few years.
The team trailed at halftime, but led through much of the second half. NC State came back to tie it at 48-all with a few minutes left and it was back-and-forth all the way. Auburn, outmanned and outgunned, lost 60-58 on a basket with 1.7 seconds left. The men’s team is currently 2-3. No one can tell them if that’s good yet.
This week, Auburn, the football team, plays Alabama. It’s a Friday game, meaning it won’t get lost in the melee of games on Saturday. Granted, Alabama and their fans probably think this Friday will be a showcase. A chance to show off. The press has already written us off. Finebaum predicted a blow-out last week. Scarbinsky has already commented that Auburn won’t get beat as bad as last year, but it will still be a beat-down.
And no one expects us to have a chance. We’re currently 12-point underdogs. Prior to last year’s game, we were 14-point underdogs. Since home field advantage is supposedly worth seven points (which makes the Kentucky loss seem even worse), this team, from an odds standpoint, is a bigger long-shot than last year.
The ESPN GameDay guys don’t have to show up for a prediction. They can just use tape from 2003. On that day, the crew pontificated on how bad the beat down might be. When they reached Corso, he just paused as if to add one of his infamous “not so fast, my friends,” and then shook his head and spoke one word, “Alabama.”
This team is better than last year’s team. The defense has been through a lot of changes and is more porous than last year's squad, but the overall team has a stronger heart.
And if the referees allow the game to play, then this is a team that can challenge the whole game.
Pat Dye, when asked in his interview how long it would take for him to beat Alabama, replied “Sixty minutes.”
It will take sixty minutes of solid play for Auburn to beat Alabama this year. I just hope it doesn’t fall in the last 1.7 seconds.
War Eagle!
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
The Season in Review…So Far
Back in July and August, I made a series of predictions about the impending season. By this time, I predicted Auburn would be 7-4 in the season.
Part of me is flat-out amazed that I’m right. I wasn’t right last year at this time. But, I have to at least bask in a little bit or smarmy satisfaction.
Yeah, right.
Below is a chart showing how I did. I missed a lot
Week 1: Auburn 37, La. Tech 13. (My prediction: Auburn 24, La. Tech 13). I got La. Tech's score correct.
Week 2: Auburn 49, Miss. St. 24. (My prediction: Auburn 13, Miss. St. 6). Obviously I was still thinking about last season's contest.
Week 3: Auburn 41, West Virginia 30. (My prediction: Auburn 21, West Virginia 26). My first miss, but I was happy about it.
Week 4: Auburn 54, Ball State 30. (My prediction: Auburn 31, Ball State 10). Not unexpected.
Week 5: Auburn 26, Tennessee 22. (My prediction: Auburn 27, Tennessee 21). Couldn't believe how close I was here.
Week 6: Arkansas 44, Auburn 23. (My prediction: Arkansas 16, Auburn 14). Correct outcome, but boy was I off on the score.
Week 7: Kentucky 21, Auburn 14. (My prediction: Auburn 27, Kentucky 7). I never imagined drinking beer after the Kentucky game.
Week 8: LSU 31, Auburn 10. (My prediction: LSU 31, Auburn 30). I had LSU's point total correct. Thought we'd do a little better.
Week 9: Auburn 33, Ole Miss 20. (My prediction: Ole Miss 17, Auburn 13). Happily wrong.
Week 10: Auburn 63, Furman 31. (My prediction: Auburn 38, Furman 7). I didn't expect our subs to do this well.
Week 11: Georgia 31, Auburn 24. (My prediction: Auburn 21, Georgia 15.) Fully expected us to get out from behind the eight ball regarding Georgia's recent dominance.
So, of the first 11 games of the season, I was 7-4 in my picks to go along with the 7-4 record. I was wrong on West Virginia, Kentucky, Ole Miss, and UGA on the winner. My biggest miss was likely the Kentucky game, where I predicted 27-7 Auburn victory. My best effort was he Tennessee game, where I predicted a 27 – 21 Auburn victory (and was only off by two points).
What did I miss, other than the games?
I clearly missed the potential for potency in Auburn’s new offense. I also missed the potential for it to tank.
I also missed the potential for it to be even bigger season. Auburn could have been 9-2 right now, with victories over Kentucky and Georgia, games they blew.
So, with one game left in the season, I look at my prediction and realize that I predicted an Alabama victory of 20-13. This would make Auburn 7-5 on the year.
I hope I’m wrong.
Part of me is flat-out amazed that I’m right. I wasn’t right last year at this time. But, I have to at least bask in a little bit or smarmy satisfaction.
Yeah, right.
Below is a chart showing how I did. I missed a lot
Week 1: Auburn 37, La. Tech 13. (My prediction: Auburn 24, La. Tech 13). I got La. Tech's score correct.
Week 2: Auburn 49, Miss. St. 24. (My prediction: Auburn 13, Miss. St. 6). Obviously I was still thinking about last season's contest.
Week 3: Auburn 41, West Virginia 30. (My prediction: Auburn 21, West Virginia 26). My first miss, but I was happy about it.
Week 4: Auburn 54, Ball State 30. (My prediction: Auburn 31, Ball State 10). Not unexpected.
Week 5: Auburn 26, Tennessee 22. (My prediction: Auburn 27, Tennessee 21). Couldn't believe how close I was here.
Week 6: Arkansas 44, Auburn 23. (My prediction: Arkansas 16, Auburn 14). Correct outcome, but boy was I off on the score.
Week 7: Kentucky 21, Auburn 14. (My prediction: Auburn 27, Kentucky 7). I never imagined drinking beer after the Kentucky game.
Week 8: LSU 31, Auburn 10. (My prediction: LSU 31, Auburn 30). I had LSU's point total correct. Thought we'd do a little better.
Week 9: Auburn 33, Ole Miss 20. (My prediction: Ole Miss 17, Auburn 13). Happily wrong.
Week 10: Auburn 63, Furman 31. (My prediction: Auburn 38, Furman 7). I didn't expect our subs to do this well.
Week 11: Georgia 31, Auburn 24. (My prediction: Auburn 21, Georgia 15.) Fully expected us to get out from behind the eight ball regarding Georgia's recent dominance.
So, of the first 11 games of the season, I was 7-4 in my picks to go along with the 7-4 record. I was wrong on West Virginia, Kentucky, Ole Miss, and UGA on the winner. My biggest miss was likely the Kentucky game, where I predicted 27-7 Auburn victory. My best effort was he Tennessee game, where I predicted a 27 – 21 Auburn victory (and was only off by two points).
What did I miss, other than the games?
I clearly missed the potential for potency in Auburn’s new offense. I also missed the potential for it to tank.
I also missed the potential for it to be even bigger season. Auburn could have been 9-2 right now, with victories over Kentucky and Georgia, games they blew.
So, with one game left in the season, I look at my prediction and realize that I predicted an Alabama victory of 20-13. This would make Auburn 7-5 on the year.
I hope I’m wrong.
Saturday, November 14, 2009
Auburn - Georgia Postgame Review 2009
When the game started, I was drinking coffee. (Yes, I can drink coffee in the evening and not be bothered by it.) However, after the initial euphoria wore off, I knew I would have to break out the beer.
Ironically, after the first half, I should have felt good.
1) We were leading.
2) We’d only had four penalties called on us in the first half. That’s got to be a record. We’ve had more penalties that that in drives this season.
3) We had a 3-2 ratio in time of possession. Our defense must be rested and ready to go out like out gangbusters in the second half.
Yes, it seemed like we were seeing difficulties.
1) We couldn’t establish a running game
2) Georgia was establishing a pass rush.
3) Georgia started moving the ball.
And in the back of my mind I kept thinking, Auburn was ahead of Kentucky 14-7 and we blew that.
I wonder if that’s what it means to be an Auburn fan sometimes. It seems like we always play games close, where our guts get roiled every game. And then I thought…enough with the introspection. Get back to football.
We opened the third quarter and we looked like crap. Georgia moved the ball on us with relative ease, taking the lead. Finally, Auburn showed some moxie and tied it up. From there we moved into the 4th quarter and Auburn blew it again on a drive where they had Georgia 3rd and long. One time, the ball was tipped and the Georgia player still caught it. And then Neiko Thorpe just got flat out beat.
I gained some happiness from the 99-yard KO return, though I did think Washington let go of the ball too early. I was still troubled as I hadn’t seen Auburn really hold Georgia in the second half. I found myself praying that Auburn wouldn’t blow another 3rd and long. They did, but then Todd threw an interception to kill what had been a good drive. Georgia went on to score and that was it.
So, as I watch Auburn lose to Georgia for the 4th straight time, the question that really troubles me is that Auburn hasn’t beaten Georgia since I moved to Georgia. Do I need to move back to Oregon so Auburn can win again?
Ironically, after the first half, I should have felt good.
1) We were leading.
2) We’d only had four penalties called on us in the first half. That’s got to be a record. We’ve had more penalties that that in drives this season.
3) We had a 3-2 ratio in time of possession. Our defense must be rested and ready to go out like out gangbusters in the second half.
Yes, it seemed like we were seeing difficulties.
1) We couldn’t establish a running game
2) Georgia was establishing a pass rush.
3) Georgia started moving the ball.
And in the back of my mind I kept thinking, Auburn was ahead of Kentucky 14-7 and we blew that.
I wonder if that’s what it means to be an Auburn fan sometimes. It seems like we always play games close, where our guts get roiled every game. And then I thought…enough with the introspection. Get back to football.
We opened the third quarter and we looked like crap. Georgia moved the ball on us with relative ease, taking the lead. Finally, Auburn showed some moxie and tied it up. From there we moved into the 4th quarter and Auburn blew it again on a drive where they had Georgia 3rd and long. One time, the ball was tipped and the Georgia player still caught it. And then Neiko Thorpe just got flat out beat.
I gained some happiness from the 99-yard KO return, though I did think Washington let go of the ball too early. I was still troubled as I hadn’t seen Auburn really hold Georgia in the second half. I found myself praying that Auburn wouldn’t blow another 3rd and long. They did, but then Todd threw an interception to kill what had been a good drive. Georgia went on to score and that was it.
So, as I watch Auburn lose to Georgia for the 4th straight time, the question that really troubles me is that Auburn hasn’t beaten Georgia since I moved to Georgia. Do I need to move back to Oregon so Auburn can win again?
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Auburn - Georgia Preview (Musings) 2009
I hate the Georgia bulldogs.
Actually, that’s not true. I have nothing personal against them. Florida fans hate Georgia and vice-versa. And they can share that each year.
However, for one week of the year, I don’t like Georgia very much either.
And that’s odd, because I’ve always considered Georgia like the cousin you see twice a year at the family BBQ and Thanksgiving. I have a cousin my age. He attended a rival high school. When my school played his, I rooted for my school. But I held nothing against him personally before, during, or after the game. My cousin also had a shot at a basketball scholarship. Scouts came to watch him play. I wished him well, even if my school was the other team on the floor.
And so I feel when that way when Auburn plays Georgia.
Years ago, Auburn played its biggest games at neutral fields as the city of Auburn wasn’t big enough to host them. When Auburn began bringing its opponents to Auburn, Alabama, Tennessee, and Georgia Tech all fought the change. Only Georgia respected Auburn’s right to play its home games where it wanted to. I always liked that story, though an older friend of mine once told me that, had I seen the field where Auburn and Georgia used to play (in Columbus, I think he said), then I’d understand why Georgia didn’t argue. In the end, it didn’t matter.
For me, one of the greatest acts of sportsmanship involved a game against Georgia. The Auburn CB was laid out on the Georgia sideline. The Auburn defense knelt around him and said a prayer while the trainers worked on the player. The Georgia players came off the sidelines and knelt around the Auburn defense. On the first play from scrimmage after the injury, the Georgia QB threw a TD strike at the guy’s replacement. Still, it was a prayerful moment.
And, as I look at this weekend’s game, I think about the fact that we have lost three straight. In one of those three, we were heavily favored (2006). In another one, we were the underdog and just blew it (2008). It’s time to redress the balance and have the “W” on our side of the ledger again.
So, as I said, I hate Georgia.
But only for this week.
War Eagle!
Actually, that’s not true. I have nothing personal against them. Florida fans hate Georgia and vice-versa. And they can share that each year.
However, for one week of the year, I don’t like Georgia very much either.
And that’s odd, because I’ve always considered Georgia like the cousin you see twice a year at the family BBQ and Thanksgiving. I have a cousin my age. He attended a rival high school. When my school played his, I rooted for my school. But I held nothing against him personally before, during, or after the game. My cousin also had a shot at a basketball scholarship. Scouts came to watch him play. I wished him well, even if my school was the other team on the floor.
And so I feel when that way when Auburn plays Georgia.
Years ago, Auburn played its biggest games at neutral fields as the city of Auburn wasn’t big enough to host them. When Auburn began bringing its opponents to Auburn, Alabama, Tennessee, and Georgia Tech all fought the change. Only Georgia respected Auburn’s right to play its home games where it wanted to. I always liked that story, though an older friend of mine once told me that, had I seen the field where Auburn and Georgia used to play (in Columbus, I think he said), then I’d understand why Georgia didn’t argue. In the end, it didn’t matter.
For me, one of the greatest acts of sportsmanship involved a game against Georgia. The Auburn CB was laid out on the Georgia sideline. The Auburn defense knelt around him and said a prayer while the trainers worked on the player. The Georgia players came off the sidelines and knelt around the Auburn defense. On the first play from scrimmage after the injury, the Georgia QB threw a TD strike at the guy’s replacement. Still, it was a prayerful moment.
And, as I look at this weekend’s game, I think about the fact that we have lost three straight. In one of those three, we were heavily favored (2006). In another one, we were the underdog and just blew it (2008). It’s time to redress the balance and have the “W” on our side of the ledger again.
So, as I said, I hate Georgia.
But only for this week.
War Eagle!
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