The Best Is Still To Come
by Jay Coulter on Oct 12, 2009 6:01 AM CDT
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"We came out and hit them in the mouth early and didn't look back. Our guys never hesitated."
Listening to Arkansas coach Bobby Petrino utter those words following Saturday's beat down of Auburn felt like being punched in the face by the president of the high school chess club. You really don't know what's worse, the pain or the embarrassment.
The Auburn offense spent the first half of its weekend in the Ozarks being as invisible as Auburn President Jay Gogue on the day Gene Chizik was named head coach. Apparently daylight to the Auburn offense is like Kryptonite to Superman.
Over the past 48 hours, there's been a mass exodus of fans jumping off the Auburn bandwagon. The message boards have been lit up with those who believe the best of this season has come and gone.
To them, I say, good riddance.
Saturday's loss was ugly. It was uninspiring on so many fronts. But it wasn't a return to 2008. This Auburn team is talented and well coached. But it's also young and even worse, thin in critical places. It's far from great, but it's much better than anyone dreamed it would be a few months ago.
A win on Saturday against Kentucky will make the Tigers 6-1 on the season heading to Baton Rouge the following week. Who expected as much two months ago? Can any of us ask for much more?
When the second half of the season kicks off Saturday night, Auburn will find the going a lot tougher. Wins will be harder to find. Injuries are starting to become an issue in critical places and the schedule begins to look more like the AFC West than the SEC West.
Auburn's season has been built on emotion. Every win has been like opening a new gift at Christmas - mostly unexpected and crazily exciting. It's no wonder the hangover hit around midday Saturday. This Auburn team is better than the one that showed up in Fayetteville and perhaps not as good as the one who whipped Lane Kiffin a week earlier. Emotion does that to young teams.
I said before the season started that Auburn would likely beat someone it shouldn't and lose to someone it should have handled. As bad as the beating was at the hands of the Razorbacks, Auburn is still the better team - just not this past Saturday.
Before the final whistle this season Auburn will beat someone better than them. It may happen in Baton Rouge or at home against Ole Miss or maybe even the Iron Bowl. But rest assured, it will happen.
Those who believe Auburn has only two victories left in them (Kentucky and Furman), think again. Ted Roof's defense, while being decimated with injuries literally by the minute, will find a way to keep Auburn in games. Gus Malzahn and the Auburn offense will retool.
Despite Saturday's loss, this season still has a special feel to it. No, Auburn will likely not be bowling on New Year's Day - but they will still be practicing in December - laying the foundation for better days down the road. I get the feeling this season still has a lot of excitement ahead. These players and coaches haven't thrown in the towel and neither should true Auburn fans.
The best is yet to come.
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"The best is yet to come."
I couldn’t agree more with you Jay.
I’m anxious to see how this group of Tigers bounces back after a very tough loss to Arkansas. We will still win a game we’re not supposed to (against LSU or Alabama or maybe even both) but for now we must take this one game at a time. Gene Chizik warned all of us before the season started and has continued to warn us week after week…this is not a GREAT football team but we are getting there. It takes time and patience.
The better team won?
You Auburn guys tickle me, how are fooling yourselves into thinking that your team is better than the Hogs? Come on! We whooped you last year and gave you a beat down this year and yet your’e better. WAKE UP and smell the coffee. As of today Auburn does not hold a candle to the Razorbacks.
better team won?
really.
the game i watched was basically handed to you. pass interference calls for first downs. at least three turnovers that should have been avoided. arky played a solid game, but better? at least arkansas has something to celebrate other than marrying their sisters.
Aw Come On Now
Don’t bellyache to me bout pass interference calls, teach your defenders to play without a hand on the other shoulder. And don’t be mad that we didin’t give you a game like West Vir. did. Beat someone who doesn’t give you a game, then come back to me.
give you a game?
like mo state or texas a&m?
give you a game
uga lost to tennessee, but beat you. does this tell you that the sec is full of week by week successes. arkansas has had auburns number in the past. this past week just shows that nothing is secure, hopefully that includes alabama’s ride to the top.
Moving on....
Yeah arkansas came out and popped us in the mouth this weekend. They really won the game in the trenches. The blocking on the o-line was pathetic and the pass rush was just as bad. You couple that with the 1st bad QB play of the season in Todd, and helping them move the ball with penalties and you have the 1st loss of the season. Hell the blocking was so bad that they made arkansas’ defense look like a collection of all-pro’s. Thats bad!
I’m ready to see how they come back from this loss too. Will the young guys let it get to them or will they use it as a wake-up call. Hopefully the latter. Because it was utterly embarrassing how they played saturday. They just seemed lost at times. And by “times” i mean the entire 1st half. I can see alot of the fans jumping off the wagon too. They are the very ones that make predictions about us beating an upcoming team by 15 to 25 points. Thats why i don’t make predictions anymore. It always seemed to raise my expectations about how my team should perform. Which in the case of a lose made me more bitter than necessary. I’m a lil more laid back these days and just hope that my team can and will perform like i know that they can. Without the expectations of knowing “in my mind” that we are GONNA win by 15 to 25 points.
And wow, you know its bad when an arkansas fan comes to talk shit. Well i’ll tell you this smartass, Why don’t we see where the final standing fall before you go tooting your own horn. Arkansas played a good game and won on the field, No excuses in that. They played prepared and Auburn did not. It happens, But to come here and talk shit is a getting a bit ahead of yourself. I understand it was your 1st SEC win but don’t act as though it was against an Auburn that is at full-force. Last year we were in the crapper with too much tormoil. This year we are playing with only 77 scholarship players in a completely new system with a whole new coaching staff. We were destined to stumble at some point. No matter how much some fans didn’t want to admit it.
All i can say is arkansas played a good game and won it fair and square. But try to talk shit to a team you beat that is really good before you talk shit to a team you beat that is trying to rebuild. Dickhead!
Classic Auburn
This game featured all of the things Auburn has been doing for the past 3 years:
Not Tackling
Stupid Penalties
Awful Special teams
Not being able to get the hell up for an 11am game
Eventually we were gonna pay for it and we did. All of these need to be taken care of and fast. We didn’t deserve to win this game. The scoreboard makes it look closer than it was.
"Jay Jacobs can't go to the bathroom without Bobby Lowder's permission" - Paul Finebaum
Also
Lee Ziemba makes me want to jump out a window.
"Jay Jacobs can't go to the bathroom without Bobby Lowder's permission" - Paul Finebaum
by GumptownTiger on Oct 12, 2009 10:31 AM CDT up reply actions
Wow paratiger
You guys sure know how to jump off football and start calling names. But don’t bellyache to me about not enough scholarship players and new systems, hell we beat your ass last yeaar with a new coach and a new system. and we were sorry then too. Hey you let mallet have too much time in the pocket, (your defense isn’t whatcha used to seeing outta you guys) but don’t keep sitting here saying that Auburn is still better than Arkansas, NOT THIS YEAR.
Buddy
You’re being a Dbag. You didn’t come over here once to post anything leading up to this game. Heck on the Ark site barely anyone commented, but here you are today running your mouth. It was a good win for Arkansas, that doesn’t dive you the right to be a douchebag.
"Jay Jacobs can't go to the bathroom without Bobby Lowder's permission" - Paul Finebaum
by GumptownTiger on Oct 12, 2009 10:34 AM CDT up reply actions
give
"Jay Jacobs can't go to the bathroom without Bobby Lowder's permission" - Paul Finebaum
by GumptownTiger on Oct 12, 2009 10:34 AM CDT up reply actions
Gumptown
Just having a little SEC fun with you guys, hey we’re both down from where we want to be and i hope both our progams come back up. And i hope you guys kick Bama’s as* cause i hate Sabin. Just screwing with you guys.
Fair enough
It may have been a better idea to wait until Wednesday when the pain wasn’t so fresh. You guys just need to keep winning so we won’t look so bad for this one.
"Jay Jacobs can't go to the bathroom without Bobby Lowder's permission" - Paul Finebaum
by GumptownTiger on Oct 12, 2009 10:40 AM CDT up reply actions
Gump....
there is no way to make this loss look better. We just made a 5-7 team go to a 6-6 (assuming they can beat Mississippi State) team with a pitiful performance. If by some miracle AU does manage to win the rest of our games this one will still stick out like the hair in the mole on the chin of the R-kansas’ swine homecoming queen. Absolutely pathetic performance by our Tigers.
I would have gone to bammer if my grades hadn't been good enough to go to AU
Agreed
"Jay Jacobs can't go to the bathroom without Bobby Lowder's permission" - Paul Finebaum
by GumptownTiger on Oct 12, 2009 4:51 PM CDT up reply actions
Fair enough
I’ll take you up on that one buddy. Kick UK ’s butt next week. And you guys got a good one in Gus. (wish we would have keep him and let Houston go)
After losing a game that we shouldn't have lost.....
we get to see how this team responds. My guess is that our senior leadership steps up and pushes the team to another level and UK pays dearly for it. Give R-Kansas credit they came out and played with emotion and executed their game plan well and our guys, with the exception of the 3rd quarter, laid down and looked pathetic. The penalties were bad (even though there were a couple of pass interference “ghost” calls) but the turnovers were worse and thats what ultimately cost AU the game. You simply cannot turn the ball over and give the opponent a short field and on the other end you can’t come away with no points after driving down far enough to spit across the goal line. If some one had told me that our team was playing while drugged I would almost have believed it…..this is a huge step backwards and it will take the leaders on the team to push the rest in game prep this week and the remainder of the season to continue to get better.
I would have gone to bammer if my grades hadn't been good enough to go to AU
The rest of the season
Realistically, the rest of our schedule is probably going to be 4-2 or 3-3. We should beat UK this weekend. I don’t think we’ll stop LSU in the Bayou, especially on a night game on their field. Ole Miss is the toss up. Furman is a gimme and the way that UGA is playing ball now we should win between the hedges. Unfortunately, I think that UA will hand our butts to us on our own field.
That still gives us a 9-3 or 8-4 season, with a likely bowl appearance. Not too shabby for a new staff and a thin team.
Sounds about right.
Track'em Tigers.com
by Jay Coulter on Oct 12, 2009 12:01 PM CDT up reply actions
still could be a strong season
when you think about the talent level left behind, i felt that a realistic goal was the peach bowl, despite the lack of depth. hoping for nothing less that the music city bowl. a strong west, a new coach, and a tough road schedule (despite lame kiffin, and a uga program that is up in the air), you have to admit, the coaching staff is out performing spring expectations.
this past weeks game was the one i expected to be the tester. now, with focus and a “protect this house” mentality, the season will still be solid. we all wanted a ‘94 undefeated run, and even the media was drinking that koolaide. they need to hold on to these recruits and pull in the running backs and a few more linebackers and we’ll come storming back in style.
8-4 is realistic, 9-3 with a signature road win.
war eagle
Auburn Defense
There is no defense for the Auburn DEFENSE. No doubt this is the worst AU defense in 55 years, since 1955, including Bowden’s worst. How do you make a player like AC disappear? Thin? They don’t play well with the first 11 on the first 3 plays. So, if there is no talent, how about scheme, strategy?
Our defensive line should be called the “Purse Gang”, ’cause they play like girls.
This is a great offense with only good players. But something has to change on defense.
There are plenty of rational AU fans. What we are lacking are rational bama fans.
Just because you troll the sespool that is al.com and read the crap that the biggest idiots both fan bases have to offer (bama included) doesn’t mean that there are no rational Auburn fans.
I am glad you guys are excited about your team. But why do you feel the need to come over here just to “kick us when we are down”? Auburn lost a tough game and it was a tough pill to swallow. Yes we hate it when our team loses. Does that make you feel better? Did you sleep better Saturday?
Everyone knew this would be a tough year for Auburn. Our expectations were raised a little with the 5-0 start, but that is to be expected when fans get excited about the team. Does 2005 ring a bell?
There are no excuses for the loss. The better team won Saturday. If we don’t turn the ball over like we did, could the game have been different? Who knows. I just know that, despite the loss, I like the direction that this team is headed.
There is a lot of positive energy surrounding the program that had been lacking the last few seasons. This is not the most talented AU team by any stretch of the imagination. But the players play extremely hard and never quit. And as long as that continues, good things will happen.
Good luck to your team, except on black friday.
by Jumpn_JackFlash on Oct 12, 2009 3:26 PM CDT up reply actions
The reality is....
you are just another trolling bammer douche bag……
Sincerely
A Rational Auburn Fan.
I would have gone to bammer if my grades hadn't been good enough to go to AU
No Excuse
I agree totally, no excuses. We were beaten in every way and the defense is pitiful. Tommy left us little to work with on that side of the ball. We need sec caliber players on the defense in a hurry.
No Excuse, But A Clear Reason
Screwing up in the morning is nothing new for Auburn. I feared this would happen yet again, and it did. Auburn is a 100% different team in the evenings. Getting one’s ass up in the morning and getting going requires a modicum of mental discipline, which requires a modicum of mental capacity. Until Auburn grasps this, nothing will change. Auburn needs to do one of two things:
1: Never, EVER schedule a morning game again or
2: Hire someone to get the players up, splash some cold water on their none too bright faces, have them take a shower, have them do some jumping jacks, have them drink a cup of caffeinated coffee or a caffeinated soft drink, have them go for a brisk walk around the block.
Once Auburn’s players finally managed to wake their asses up, they outplayed Arkansas. Had they been awake from the beginning as they should have been, Auburn would have won, as they should have. And I wouldn’t have flown to Arkansas to watch the other team prove capable of being mentally and physically awake in the morning and Auburn not – yet again.
by Auburn '07 in Manhattan on Oct 12, 2009 3:41 PM CDT reply actions
Yeah thats the answer.....
be completely condescending to the players. Stay home next time. I’m sure you can find something else to do like get your poodle a perm or something.
I would have gone to bammer if my grades hadn't been good enough to go to AU
The Answer Would Be
for Auburn’s players and/or coaches to address this ongoing issue of being completely incapable of functioning in the mornings. This has been an consistent, pathetic and predictable pattern for Auburn for far too long, and should be corrected. I’m not sure of the reason for it. Perhaps my theory of a lack of mental discipline and my theory of a clear need for some exercises to wake them up are inaccurate. If so, then the cause(s) should be identified if Auburn continues to try to function in the mornings. The inability to function in the mornings is, for whatever reason(s), far more of an problem for Auburn than for any other team of which I am aware. And I don’t have a poodle. I have two cats, one of whom I brought up here from Auburn with me when I graduated. I thought he may be lonely by himself, so I bought another one. They hate each other, but I tried. The Native New Yorker one bitchslapped the neighbor’s pug while I was at the Arkansas game (she brought him over here with her for some inexplicable reason while she was to tend the cats). I get to pay the $1,500 plus bill to have his damaged eye repaired. The icing on the cake of my weekend.
by Auburn '07 in Manhattan on Oct 12, 2009 5:46 PM CDT up reply actions
You are nicer than I am then....
the pug would lose the eye before I antied up the vet bill for the dumbass neighbor.
I would have gone to bammer if my grades hadn't been good enough to go to AU
Time
to pull out the .22 and start over with a new pug for $400…
:-)
by War Eagle Atlanta on Oct 13, 2009 3:30 PM CDT up reply actions
It's a joke!!!
Please no Mike Vick hate mail!!!
by War Eagle Atlanta on Oct 13, 2009 3:30 PM CDT up reply actions
You could eat the dog. Then it’s not murder. It’s hunting.
by KungFuPanda9 on Oct 13, 2009 4:12 PM CDT up reply actions
MMM
Tailgating with Barbque pug on the menu. Yummy
by Jumpn_JackFlash on Oct 13, 2009 5:31 PM CDT up reply actions
Triumph through adversity
I disagree with the “woe to the morning games” excuse. That excuse is tired and BS. We were outplayed and seriously schooled on Saturday. The fact that we seem to be hearing from more Razorbacks than Bammer trolls says something right there.
I am still excited about the rest of the season. It was one loss. A bad loss, but a single loss. Will there be others? Probably. Will that be the end of the world? NO! I think this team still has the cajones to win a couple that they probably shouldn’t. There is a positive energy around this team that won’t be denied. If the coaching staff can keep this young team together (and I think that they will), imagine how this will pay off down the line.
I’m with Jay, “the Best IS yet to come!”. War Eagle!
by Tiger on the mountain on Oct 12, 2009 6:43 PM CDT reply actions
I think the best is yet to come as well.
But, in a big game situation in the morning, Auburn doesn’t seem to get off the buzz or even out of the dorm rooms for that matter. Say what you will about it, we just don’t do well in the morning and Arkansas does seem to have our number. Much, like we have Florida’s number here lately.
As an excuse, it is “tired and BS;” but as a verifiable fact it is stange that it would go unacknowledged or addressed. Some Georgia “dawg” fan just told me about his parents being hosed with freezing water at a game in Auburn. That must have been before my time, but it gave me an idea. What about hosing Auburn’s players with freezing water prior to morning games? They seem to do so much better once they wake up, but it takes them so long to wake up that no team could possibly catch up at that point.
by Auburn '07 in Manhattan on Oct 12, 2009 7:07 PM CDT up reply actions
How about
we try it on you first…and if it is useful we will pass it along to Coach Chiz. Cool?
Sorry that was me yawning…again with the ‘early in the morning’. Such trite drivel.
by Tiger on the mountain on Oct 12, 2009 8:39 PM CDT up reply actions
The Georgia game in question was during my time.....
and that was freaking awesome.
I would have gone to bammer if my grades hadn't been good enough to go to AU
If I had a tenth as much trouble as the Auburn football players dragging ass up in the mornings, I would definitely agree. They had better not try to work at my agency here in New York (only a small percentage of the football players would have a snowball’s chance in hell of working there, to be honest). However, I’m not sure any would last as one is expected to be there, be on time and to be at 100% all day every day – no exceptions. Dragging ass in the mornings is not tolerated. I’m the first one there every morning (and often the last one to leave in the evenings). My boss said I made the agency over $480,000 more than anyone else last month, and that “Alabama boys” (meaning the state, not Bammer) seem to know how to get up and get going. Not sure where in the hell he got that. Certainly not from the Auburn football team. And he canned some girl last week for coming in a very few minutes late a couple of times and for “moping around with a lackadaisical demeanor”. He would drop dead over Auburn’s football team in the mornings. I realize that while there are very intelligent players on the team, the IQ doesn’t seem to be there with a painfully large percentage of them. It does take mental discipline to do as well in the morning as one does later in the day. Either that or physical strength – and I wouldn’t think the latter would be a lacking on the football team. I don’t have any reason to doubt that Auburn’s players are collectively any dumber or younger than the players of other SEC institutions. However, others seem to be better at getting them going in the mornings.
by Auburn '07 in Manhattan on Oct 12, 2009 9:17 PM CDT reply actions
believe, rather… (not “doubt”) LOL!
Bedtime… Unlike Auburn’s players, I have to go to work in a few hours – and taking half the day to wake up wouldn’t be viewed as acceptable.
by Auburn '07 in Manhattan on Oct 12, 2009 10:51 PM CDT up reply actions
Have we gotten a little snooty living in Manhattan??
While I agree that Auburn played a really bad game against Arky for whatever reason, it sounds a bit like Auburn ’07 in Manhattan has a bad case of snobery. Maybe that comes from living in Manhattan, where people look down their noses not only at all southerners as stupid and not worth their time, but also have the opinion that people who have an interest in college football are barely above their contempt. I have lived in the Northeast and know of what I speak. How dare you suggest on line that our players are dumb. Not prepared, aboslutely….thin in key positions, absolutely….dumb? Get over your big city self.
Yes, I graduated from Auburn! Is there anyplace else? WAR EAGLE!!!
by AUTigress on Oct 12, 2009 9:26 PM CDT reply actions
I Graduated From Auburn Too. I Thought About Going To Bammer,
but then I f’ed up and graduated from high school. I kind of like Manhattan. They treat not only Southerners (I am one, btw) like that, but Midwesterners, Westerners, Upstaters, Canadians and people from Queens the same way. But I don’t let that bother me. My relatives in Charleston, South Carolina in the St. Cecilia Society believe that Georgia (including Atlanta) is comprised of “white trash, upstart Westerners”. Besides, I just do better than the native New Yorkers. Who cares what they think?
I believe my point is a valid one. Look at Auburn’s record in recent years in morning versus night games. It is the difference between day and night (no pun intended). There is a huge problem. I meant to put forth the notion that sometimes young, immature, possibly none too bright people don’t have the discipline to “shake off the cobwebs” in the mornings unless they are trained mentally to do so. Perhaps this is not the case for Auburn’s players, but then what is? Why did Auburn do so much better in the Arkansas game later in the game? They had just colossally screwed it up so badly that there was no way they could have caught up.
I want Auburn to do well. It was nice to have truly thought Auburn would win every single game this season except for the last one. I had a feeling Auburn would beat West Virginia and Tennessee, and that was exciting. And I honestly thought, “Well, this Arkansas game is in the morning, so odds are Auburn will f it up”. And what a surprise, they did!
by Auburn '07 in Manhattan on Oct 12, 2009 9:53 PM CDT up reply actions
I just have to ask....
were you this snooty before you moved to Manhattan or is it some sort of metamorphosis that one goes through once a person lives there for a while?
I would have gone to bammer if my grades hadn't been good enough to go to AU
If I can say so without the snobbery
Auburn does play pretty badly in the morning and I don’t have a clue as to what the problem is. I would say the best way to combat the early morning game, is to have the kids up but 6:00am or even 5:30am. That way, they’ve got time to have their muscles warmed up and their mental uptake on the up and up. We often do not come out prepared in a morning game. I don’t know why, I do hope someone can answer it soon.
Agreed. At least someone acknowledges the painfully unwavering pattern. Recognition of a problem is usually necessary in order to correct it. I’m hopeful that it will be addressed, and then Auburn’s football team can meet its potential.
by Auburn '07 in Manhattan on Oct 12, 2009 10:44 PM CDT up reply actions
Schedule gets tough
I hope you are right about Auburn winning one they’re supposed to lose, because my guess is they will be picked to win only two, the rest of the way. Georgia or we catch lightning in a bottle against LSU or Bama???….sure, we could take three to add to our 5 we already have. I do have supreme confidence in Gus.
We are a recruiting class or two away, plus a lot of the current assistant coaches staying put for two or three years,,,dare I say, getting back to being a consistent contender for the SEC West title.
As for Arkansas. The Razorbacks were better than us. The home field advantage and some very close penalty calls made it look bad. If that game had been played in Auburn, I truly believe we would have won in a close one. Still, the Razorbacks were very good. Their QB is in the upper half in the SEC.
Auburn already having 5 wins, with a real shot at 7, 8, even 9 wins…well, they’ve exceeded my expectations for a first year staff, thin at nearly every position on the team. I expect this staff can recruit us back into a much stronger position (assuming they recruit smarter than Tubbs did the last few years – ie. OL recruiting). Just give them time!
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