A Hero's Journey for a Man's Man

Thank you for writing this article. Barrett showed himself a true leader and a man dedicated to his team.

He showed courage when he didn’t let UVA’s defense rattle him into making poor decisions/bad throws. He even ran like a scrambling man. Congratulations!

He got fired up after one good run and raised his arms to exhort the crowd to make some noise for the Tigers, a rather uncharacteristic for normally taciturn quarterback. This gave Gus Malzahn some joy as he reacted happily on the side lines. And then it was clear that this team was happy. They liked each other. They loved their outgoing offensive coordinator and he loved them. The team had proved the talking heads wrong once again.

During the pregame prognostications, everyone talked up UVA and all but dismissed Auburn’s chances. It was humorous to hear the tone of their comments gradually change during the game.

As fans we should be happy. The team came together and guys came off the bench and rose to the occasion. They showed some real mettle in that game.

Thank you, Gus. Thank you, Barrett.

Being at the game, when he came in; I thought the coaches were just trying to run a trick play that they had specifically designed for Trotter or something as we had no idea Moseley was hurt. Boy was I pleasantly surprised at how well Barrett played. Makes our QB situation look more interesting (or muddled) going into the spring.

I was hoping that with the extended prep time that Fraiser would have taken the reins. The jury is definitely out on him as the coaches (at this point) obvioulsy have no faith in his passing ability.

Whatever you decide Barrett, for the way you handled this year, you’ll have my support.

Just last week we were discussing that Trotter might not even make the trip to Atlanta. But being a true team player… he showed up. Lucky for AU that he did.

I think Gene Chizik’s sentiments are very true. He never complained. Never whined. He accepted and moved on. He did what he could to support the team. How can you not like a man like that?

Could you say the same thing about Clint Mosely?

I would say based upon him not getting selected at the beginning of the season… No.

And for the record… if anyone was actually paying attention at the game… Mosely had gone 1/4 and AU punted twice. Mosely in a word was awful. And accordingly… is why everyone thought that we didn’t have a chance. Malzahn wasn’t going to let Frazier throw the ball… nope. Only run. And with Virginia stacking the box with 8-9 players… well, things didn’t look good. But it is amazing how things turned around. It was almost as if a new team walked on the field when Trotter came out.

Would I compare Trotter to Patrick Nix? Heck no. Not by a long shot. I don’t mean any disrespect to the author… or to Barrett Trotter… but Pat Nix did what he did during a rivalry game when all the marbles were on the table. When it was put up or shut up time…. he did and AU won the game. Barret did good… but not that good.

Watching his interviews and such during the first few games… I don’t think Trotter liked that he didn’t have the supporting cast he needed to win. And the burden of carrying a team is heavy when everything depends on your actions. That is why I don’t think he said a word when Malzahn flipped to Mosely at the LSU game. Regardless, I think AU history will always favor him because of his actions. I hope he gets to do what he wants to do. If that meant coming back… so be it. But I doubt he does.

As for the spring and the QB race… Malzahn has been quoted as saying that he has no doubt Frazier will be starting next year. And considering how moody Clint Mosely is… and that he hasn’t performed that well anyway… I doubt he gets the job. And based upon his attitude I seriously doubt that he will be on the team at all if he doesn’t. I hate it for this kid… he had dreams… unfortunately, we all learn that reality can be somewhat different than what we wanted.

I am glad AU won the bowl. I know the players had affection for Malzahn but I am glad to see him go. While I can understand a man wanting to coach his own team… I can’t understand why you walk away from a better paying job. Who does that?? Ultimately, I think AU will be better for it. Malzahn isn’t the ‘end all – be all’ offensive coordinator. He is good no doubt, but there is better out there. I hope AU and Gene Chizik finds them.

WDE

as I agree about the leaving on good terms bit. The fact that he was willing — and allowed — to coach the bowl game shows a degree of amicability that’s lacking in most other similar situations throughout college football.

What a redemption!!

Does anyone know when Zeke Pike is coming? If he’s enrolling in Auburn in the Spring, then the quarterback race just got a whole lot more interesting.

Keep in mind that Malzahn had time to adjust his offense after Moseley’s series. Granted Trotter was executing, but he definitely benefited from Moseley heading out there first…..

Trotter did a fantastic job, and in the press conference afterward, he stated that he didn’t wear his knee brace for the first time since his injury. He attributed that to his ability to scramble.
If this is Barrett’s last song as a Tiger I wish to extend my thanks, and blessings going forward. I also would like to thank Gus Malzahn, and wish him and his family the best in the future.
Auburn was great before they got here, it will be great, long after they are gone. We will have some good memories to share with each of them.

WAR EAGLE!

I am very happy for Trotter that he was able to come off the bench and not only perform but perform well. Is this the light switch moment for him? Or will he retire on a last moment of glory in an other wise disappointing college career.

First off the bad: If Trotter returns and doesn’t evolve into the rock solid starter we need, we will have wasted another year in the development of Kiehl Frazier or Zeke Pike. At this point, Clint Mosely hasn’t proven to me yet, that he can lead, so he goes to the back of the line in my opinion.
If we go with Trotter next year, we face the possibility of having a new QB in each of the next three seasons, if Kiehl Frazier doesn’t develop and at that point Chizk may be on the way out with 6 seasons under his belt and entrenching himself in the middle of the SEC…..or worse. If Trotter is indeed the man next year, he has to perform and get us some wins against our rivals.

The Good News: We have PLENTY of talent and playmakers on the offense and Trotter now has the experience, and most likely, the desire AND TIME to commit to learning a new OC’s system. If we get the right OC that doesn’t require a super athletic QB, and can effectively utilize a mature graduate with Trotter’s talent, we could indeed make a run at the SEC West next year if the defense can improve under the new DC.
It can happen, we’ve seen it time after time, where a Senior QB finally realizes his potential and comes into his own in his last year. Personally I wouldn’t bank on it, but it is more likely that Trotter will lead us to an SEC West title than anybody else on the team next year. Could Moseley make a comeback? Sure. Could Frazier all of a sudden wrest the QB position for himself? Yep. Could Zeke Pike come in and totally wow the coaches. I guess. But Trotters situation gives him the leg up on everybody else going into next year…..and that may be a very good thing,

Lets get real.
The level of competition has a lot to do with how good any players look. While VA had 8 wins you need to look at who they beat and by how much. I just did (they only beat Idaho by 1 and the Vandals only won 2 games) and it is apparant to me that they were no match for a decent quality SEC team, namely us.

I see no QBs on our roster right now (maybe Frazier, but the jury is still out on him) that can get us back to the top tier of the SEC. It is a tough league folks.