Disappointed, confused and ashamed

Thursday, December 4th, 2008 | Sports | No Comments

I, like every other Auburn fan, didn’t believe the rumors. I could only imagine how dumb people who were spreading it would feel after the truth came out. But around 4:35 p.m. Wednesday, as I sat in our increasingly busy office, my comfort level with my disbelief was wavering.

The coach who taught me how to believe in Auburn had “resigned.” For some, this is unreal, for others it’s a cause for anger, but for me it’s the end of something very special.

I’m almost ashamed to admit this, but before I joined the Auburn family I was a fan of the other school. I can only justify this by saying my parents raised me to believe it was the only school to root for and because I never really followed football until the fall of 2006, my freshman year.

Coach has been MY coach, and the only coach I’ve known as a fan. I always looked forward to the smirk he had at every game and the calm way he guided the team through a game. And I, like most fans, waited impatiently for the games where Tubs would uncharacteristically get visibly upset over a bad call. 

I will miss him terribly as our coach and hope the statements about his further involvement in the program are true. However, if he does decide he wants more than a mediocre job in the athletic department and the coaching bug bites him again I as a fan of the Auburn Tigers and of Tommy Tuberville will support him all the way.

Lastly I don’t believe this was Coach’s decision and I’m not the only one with this belief. And to whomever made this decision should know that one day this University and its students will speak lowder than you and your deep pockets.

I hope you can live with yourself.

Florida all the way

Tuesday, December 2nd, 2008 | Sports | 1 Comment

After Alabama blew out Auburn 36-0 in the Iron Bowl, Auburn fans are eagerly awaiting Saturday’s SEC Championship game, which pits the Crimson Tide (12-0, 8-0) against the Florida Gators (11-1, 7-1.)

Not only is this one of the biggest championship games in history, but Auburn fans are hoping Florida will embarrass Alabama as Alabama embarrassed Auburn. I’m definitely one of those fans.

As of Tuesday, the Gators are favored to win the game by 9.5 points, but to be honest I think Florida will win by 14 or 17. After falling to Ole Miss 31-30 Sept. 27, the Gators have played better football than anyone in the country. The loss was the best thing that happened to Florida all year, because it was a wake-up call, and an early one.

After the loss, Heisman candidate Tim Tebow and his Gators got pissed - they have blown out every team since that game. Arkansas by 31, LSU by 30, Kentucky by 58, Georgia by 39, Vanderbilt by 28, South Carolina by 50, Citadel by 51 and Florida State by 30. They have averaged about 52 points per game and have outscored their opponents 414-97.

In that same time span, Alabama has struggled to pull out victories conference opponents, beating Kentucky by 3 points, Ole Miss by 4 and LSU by 6.

The latest BCS rankings have Florida ranked fourth, which is outrageous. Because Alabama is undefeated, they deserve the top spot. But Florida should be second. Oklahoma jumped the Gators and the Texas Longhorns (who beat Oklahoma) this past weekend. I pray to see the Sooners get screwed just once before I die, because it’s ridiculous. Does Bob Stoops run the BCS or something?

Anyway, I’m not taking anything away from the Tide - they are very good. But I do not believe they are the best team in the country. That would be Florida. And I’m not a Florida fan - in fact, I hate Florida. But I hate Alabama more, so I’ll be pulling for the Gators Saturday with the rest of Auburn Nation. War Eagle.

PREDICTION: Florida 27, Alabama 10

Tags: alabama, crimson tide, florida, gators, sec championship

Anticipation almost too much

Saturday, November 29th, 2008 | Sports | 1 Comment

I’m sitting her on my couch surrounded by the goods needed for an afternoon of football: chips, dip, beverages, shaker and toilet paper. 

The toilet paper is for later, hopefully.

But while I was ready for the game at 2:30 p.m., CBS is making me wait another 0:15 to see my game and it’s already 2:48 p.m. 

I say we propose a law, that states a channel should cut to the MORE IMPORTANT game if the other is blowing. 

And the more important game will always be an Auburn game. 

Just a thought.

HOW do you not know that?

Wednesday, November 19th, 2008 | Sports | No Comments

Sunday’s Eagles-Bengals game ended in a 13-13 tie - and quarterback Donovan McNabb didn’t even know a tie was possible in the NFL.

Now, it doesn’t happen that often, I’ll give him that. However, it happened six years ago when the Falcons and Steelers played to a 34-34 tie in 2002. And McNabb’s Eagles ended up playing the Falcons later that season in the playoffs. Did he just not notice the Falcons had a third number attached to the end of their record?

I might expect this from a rookie. But this is McNabb’s 10th season in the NFL.

Maybe his coach, Andy Reid, didn’t know ties were possibly either. Or maybe he did, and he just figured it was not an option he wanted his players to even think about.

Nevertheless, players should know the rules. And this seems like a big one, especially if it affected McNabb’s play. He was undoubtedly expecting a second overtime, so he could have been holding back. If he knew once the overtime clock hit 00:00 the game was over, he might have pushed his team harder to try and get some points.

Check it out for yourself:

Tags: bengals, donovan mcnabb, eagles, nfl, tie

forget the bad, remember the good

Sunday, November 16th, 2008 | Sports, Uncategorized | No Comments

I have this map in my car of LaGrange, Ga., that I used this summer while I worked there. As I spent my days navigating the streets of LaGrange to cover a school board meeting or interview a couple about their hydroponic produce, I kept a running countdown until I was done.

Sure the job was fine and I learned a lot, but that’s how I function — always ready to move on to the next thing.

So yesterday morning as I headed to campus for my last football game as a student, while my friends were all sad and nostalgic, I was secretly fine with the situation. I am admittedly not the world’s biggest football enthusiast to begin with, so I figured after 4 plus hours standing in the chilly weather, I’d walk out of Jordan-Hare for my last time as a student thinking about nothing but the heaters my friend had at her tailgate.

But Auburn threw me a little curve ball. They played well. The last five minutes of that game were the most exciting moments of our season. Even though it ended badly, it was fun having something to jump up and down about.

When the game ended, we decided not to fight the crowd and to just sit down and wait it out. And after a few minutes, the band put down their instruments and sang the alma mater. I don’t know if they do that after every game or after the last home game — I never stay long enough to know. But it was neat. 

As I walked out of the stadium, I was thinking about those heaters (they’re like the ones at Bodega. yeah.), but I was also thinking that I’m glad this game was my last one. Even though it was a loss, it was one to remember.

Moral of the story: When I see that map of LaGrange in my car, I don’t think about getting up at 5 a.m. or the many times I managed to get lost in that little city. I think about the friends I made and experiences I had. So hopefully down the road when I come across a shaker or old game-day button, I won’t remember the embarrassing games or the obnoxious drunk girl who sat behind me that time. I hope I just think about fun games like yesterday’s.

Referee takes matters into own hands, hilarity ensues

Monday, October 20th, 2008 | Sports | 2 Comments

The officiating in the SEC, as is in most conferences, has been suspect to some pretty questionable decision making.

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard from my LSU friends how Auburn can only beat LSU with the help of referees.

Well, for those of you in a similar situation, here’s a video you can show them as a reply that should end any debate about SEC officials giving LSU the shaft.

ESPN2 stretching term of ’sport’

Wednesday, October 15th, 2008 | Sports | No Comments

I was flipping through channels yesterday when I landed on ESPN2. To my amazement, the station was broadcasting a national scrabble championship. The first thing that popped into my head was that scene from “Dodgeball” when the commercial for “ESPN8: The Ocho” comes up.

Bringing you the finest in seldom-seen sports from around the globe since 1999. If it’s almost a sport, we’ve got it here.

Sure, it’s a big joke, but in reality ESPN2 is quickly becoming the fictional ESPN8. Here’s why.

When I turned the TV back on hours later, ESPN2 was broadcasting “Madden Nation,” a reality show in which contestants compete against each other by playing the video game “Madden NFL” for a chance to win $10,000.

The program airs the contestants’ game as if it were an actual NFL game - complete with commentary, highlights and replays.

I had never heard of this show, but after some research, I discovered this show has been on for FOUR SEASONS.

I may have been living under a rock, but I found it unbelievable that people actually sit on their couch and watch others play video games on television.

Seriously. Get a life.

Get a grip, Auburn fans

Thursday, October 9th, 2008 | Sports | 2 Comments

Dear Auburn fans,

I want to start of by saying, I love Auburn just as much as you do. I have poured everything I have into serving this campus over the past two years, and it breaks my heart knowing I have to leave in a few months.

However, I think it’s time Auburn fans get a grip. The expectations placed on our Auburn football team truly unreasonable. There are 119 teams. We will not be the best every year. We will have a rebuilding year here an there, and sometimes it will take more than one year.

To finish consistently in the top 25 puts us in an elite group of programs, and to expect much more, honestly, makes us more like that other school in the state.

I love Auburn football and not just when we are in the top 10. Our coaching staff wants us to win more than any of us, I promise, and they are doing what they think is best. Coach Tuberville knows the staff and players more than any fan. Calling for a coach’s release while the team is still ranked in the top 20 teams in the country is unreasonable.

Constantly berating our program on message boards or on the radio does nothing for our program or our recruiting. What 17-year-old kid wants to come to Auburn when he knows anything short of perfection will be blasted by fans? It’s time for Auburn fans to get behind our program and our coaches.

The Auburn creed reads “I believe in Auburn, and love it.” If you are truly a fan of Auburn then it’s time you start believing in Auburn and loving it too.

Did Franklin’s firing come too soon?

Thursday, October 9th, 2008 | Sports | 1 Comment

Tony Franklin / Auburn Media Relations

I don’t think any of us saw this coming. Not in the middle of the season.

I asked a lot of my friends what they thought of the firing of Tony Franklin on Wednesday, and most of them were glad to see him leave. The general feeling I get on campus is most people think this is a good move.

Obviously, the offense was struggling. That’s a given. The Tigers are currently ranked 104th in total offense. But I’m not sure the timing was right.

First of all, when you fire a coach six games into the season, it shouts “instability!” to the entire SEC and the nation. It’s just embarrassing.

Secondly, what will all these recruits that we’ve gotten this year think? Will they really want to come to a school that will probably have no OC until the season’s over? What about the ones that agreed to play at Auburn because of Franklin?

Franklin should have had more of a chance. Auburn’s 4-2 and still ranked. I know the expectations here are big, but the Tigers’ two losses have come to ranked teams, LSU and Vanderbilt, by six points combined. Also, Franklin was all alone here at Auburn, since his assistants at Troy who helped him run the offense were not hired. He deserved at least one year.

So what now? Starting over from scratch mid-season is not an option. Tuberville has said that the team will stick to the spread offense - which in my opinion is a mistake. I mean, Auburn’s been running the spread with Franklin since December, and it simply was not working. Now Steve Ensminger is just going to run it without the coach that actually knows it? 

If the Tigers were planning on sticking to the disastrous spread anyway, was the firing even necessary?

Tony Franklin out as Auburn OC

Wednesday, October 8th, 2008 | Sports, Uncategorized | No Comments

Well Auburn fans, for some of you, your prayers (or should I say boo’s) have been answered.

Tony Franklin and the spread are no longer a part of our football program.

For those who understand the process that follows firing a coach in Franklin’s position mid-season, you know that the nightmare has only begun.

To the hardcore college football fan, this firing will greatly affect the lifeblood of our football program.

Recruiting.

Do you think high school offensive football players want to attend a school that has no idea what it wants to do on offense?

Auburn coaching staff: We weren’t scoring enough points on offense, so we went to the spread. Then we weren’t scoring enough with the spread, so we fired the new guy mid-season and went back to what wasn’t working before. You’d be a perfect fit.

Recruit: Sign me up!

To even the casual football fan, this firing joins an increasingly growing list of OC’s and DC’s that jumped ship or were fired after working under Tuberville and our Board of Trustees that runs this ship.

As an up-and-coming coach, would you want to be in charge of an offense that you clearly will not have total control over when you get there?

And don’t think Auburn was ever running Franklin’s complete system.  Franklin wasn’t allowed to bring any of his staff (WR’s coach, TE’s coach, etc.) that he used to succeed while at Troy.

The playcalling also seemed very suspect, particularly on third downs where we would choose to run a draw to set up the punt instead of pass in what was a very aggressive pass-heavy offense at Troy. Last year it drove everyone crazy when we would run a draw play on 3rd and long. Do you think it’s just coincidence that we are still doing it even after Borges’ departure?

What bothers me most is that we didn’t even give Franklin the time to work out the kinks and get players familiar with the spread (particularly at WR) into the offense.

Franklin struggled at Troy his first season, but by his second year they were averaging almost 35 points a game, and that included games against SEC opponents Florida, Arkansas and Georgia.

I don’t think Franklin was some sort of coaching god, nor do I know if he would ever have worked for Auburn. What I do know is that this offense barely resembled his offense at Troy, and he was not given enough time to make it work. It may have taken a year of ugly games and even a few losses to rivals, but I honestly feel like at some point it would have clicked.

Well folks, nothing we can do at this point but that reverting back to the “Three yards and a cloud of dust” offense will result in enough wins to salvage a currently solid recruiting class and winning program status.

If it doesn’t, do be surprised to see a few more heads roll by the end of the season.