I'd have rather been at the beach!

     War Eagle, everybody. My apologies for the late grades. After what I witnessed in the Iron Bowl, I did what I had to do, to take my mind off it, Saturday night. There are certainly better things to think about, such as the beach. I wish I were in the sun, at the beach, right now. I had been considering handing out just a single grade for this last game of the season; a big fat F. Point-wise, it was the worst Iron Bowl loss I've ever witnessed.

     At Auburn, however, we believe in work, hard work. As always, we'll look back, and see what went wrong, before laying this disastrous football year to rest. Auburn repeated a season-long pattern of second half collapse. The Auburn program certainly does hard work, but is it the right work? Are we wearing down too easily, as games wear on? Are the multitude of injuries the past few seasons the result of bad luck, or inadequate preparation? Reports of starters trying to heal have become every day news, during spring and fall camps, lately.

     Before the game analysis, I'd like to congratulate the Alabama Crimson Tide on a well-played game. While we absolutely hate taking a beating like that, I can appreciate a professionally-run operation like we witnessed. There were some complaints here and there about Alabama throwing the late 3rd down pass for a touchdown, running up the score. I don't begrudge the Tide that. It's still our job to pass-rush, and cover the receivers. The backups DO work just as hard as the starters, and deserve a chance to shine on the field. Saban only took that one shot, and he could have tried a higher-percentage field goal, or run up the middle and given the ball back to us. I don't think it was unreasonable to allow his backup quarterback to take one shot down the field. We've NOT done that when we were up big, at Auburn, the past few years. The result has been that many good high school skill players have decided, the past four years, that they'd have a better chance of getting to play meaningful snaps, elsewhere.

     The Auburn defense did show flashes of the glory of old, in the first half, before being worn down like an ocean beach by the Tide. The Tigers stood up to the strength of the Tide team, the big offensive line, and held their own for a half. Asking the 2008 Tigers to play a complete game, however, was asking too much. With little help from the back seven, the Tiger defense failed down the stretch.

     Special Teams were not bad, but not special, either. It was an ordinary day at the office. On a day where we needed some big scoring plays, none were in the offing from these units.

     Offensively, we had our worst day of the year. We knew going in, that our only chance was to spread Bama out, and get the ball to space. Instead, runs to the short side, short passes, and inadequate blitz handling were the order of the day. We knew that we could not give the ball away, and yet we did, repeatedly, leading to a third quarter avalanche of points.

Grades, after the jump.

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BEAT BAMA!

Auburn at Alabama, Open Thread!

     War Eagle, everybody! It's Iron Bowl time, at last! Today, the fired up Tigers can claim an unprecedented seventh victory in a row, over the hated Alabama Crimson Tide!  We'll be here all day, with observations on the biggest game of the year!

    War Eagle! Beat Bama!

Tigers will soar again, in Tuscaloosa!

      War Eagle, everybody! It's time now for the Acid Reign Iron Bowl preview! We've had two LONG weeks of Iron Bowl buildup, controversy, trash talking, and reminiscing about the great ones of years past. When the game kicks off, however, none of that will matter. History is just that. Streaks, records, none of it will make much difference. The players will play this game, and today, we focus on those Jimmys and Joes.

      Looking back on all of my preseason forecasts, none turned out to be farther from the truth than my outlook for the Iron Bowl. Both teams have deviated SHARPLY from expectations on the field. Have matchup outlooks changed? That's not quite as clear, especially since Auburn has been an up and down team, for much of the year. Without consistency, it's been difficult to predict what the Tigers would do on the field. It's time for a fresh look, based on this year's body of work.

Matchups, after the jump!

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I'm ready to play it today!

     I'm confident that we can compete, if we keep it a low-scoring affair. If Bama gets 20, probably not. I'm particularly worried about Auburn's ability to stop the run. WVA, Ole Miss, and UGA all gashed us horribly. Against Bama's O-line, I'm not confident.

     On offense, we've SOMEHOW come up with good drives in every game, but found ways to derail it in the red zone. I think we'll move the ball on Bama, some, too. Will we get points?

     Oddly, I'm cautiously optimistic about the special teams. Especially if Byrum can get healthy enough to kick. Arenas is one of the best return men in the league, but we counter with Tristan Davis. We've been better in coverage than a year ago. I think we can out-punt Bama, assuming that Clinton Durst avoids first-quarter shanks.

     I'm confident about giving Bama a game, and keeping it close. We haven't pulled out the big clutch win, though, all year. I don't know if it will happen this week, either. One reason for confidence: Nick Saban has a losing record against Tommy Tuberville. Not only that, but Nick Saban will LEAVE Bryant Denny Stadium Saturday afternoon, STILL with a losing record against Tuberville.

     How does this Iron Bowl week compare, confidence-wise? I track back to 1974, the first year I really watched a lot of football, and began to think that I knew what was going on. Frankly, the Iron Bowl is usually an agonizing day for me. I'm ALWAYS fired up. Somehow, even when we win it, I suffer. I want MORE. I WANT A BLOW-OUT! Hasn't happened, since I was nine years old.

Acid Reign's Iron Bowl History, and confidence level, year by year, after the jump!

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Auburn has won before, as a heavy underdog in T-Town!

(Photo from al.com)

     War Eagle, everybody! It's Iron Bowl Week! Are you fired up yet? It's certainly my favorite time of year! This year, Auburn comes in in a bit of an unaccustomed position, that of the underdog. Looking back at history, Auburn has won the Iron Bowl only twice, ever, when coming in with a losing record. The Tigers are 5-6 this season, and face a daunting task in Tuscaloosa taking on the top-ranked, undefeated 11-0 Crimson Tide.

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Keep on fighting, Tigers!

     War Eagle, everybody. Time now for the Acid Reign report, on yesterday's 17-13 loss to the Georgia Bulldogs. On a cold, blustery November Saturday, Auburn put up a valiant effort, but special teams mistakes, soft coverage, and help from the referees doomed the Tigers. Several banged up Auburn stars returned for this game, but as usual, we got several more banged up. Starting tight end Tommy Trott's season may be over, with a knee injury.

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Georgia at Auburn, Live Thread

     War Eagle, everybody! Time to get fired up, and ready for an early morning tilt against the Georgia Bulldogs! After a week of animosity and bitterness on the interwebs, it's gameday. Auburn players feel that they owe the Bulldogs some payback, after two years of drubbings, the Blackout, and the Soulja Boy dances in Sanford Stadium a year ago.

     We'll be here throughout the game, commenting of the goings on and calling the game with an Auburn slant. Join us, and watch us train the dawgs, today! Remember, Auburn had a football team, when Georgia was a pup!

Jordan Hare Fills Up

     War Eagle, everybody! It's time now for a belated Acid Reign Report. Another Homecoming has come and gone, and Auburn won their 17^th such game in a row. Auburn outlasted the University of Tennessee at Martin, 37-20. Last loss at Homecoming was back in the Dye Era. In 1991, Tony James broke a late 63 yard run for the Mississippi State Bulldogs, to beat Auburn 24-17.

     Last Saturday, Auburn broke a four game losing streak and went on to win against the Football Championship Subdivision Skyhawks. With several starters out of the game, and more banged up, the Tigers really struggled. Auburn did not put the game away, till the 8:16 mark of the 4^th quarter, when Kodi Burns broke loose on a 58 yard touchdown gallop.

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Auburn vs. U. T. Martin is not even televised.

Auburn vs. U. T. Martin Live Thread

     War Eagle, everybody! Today, the Auburn Tigers host the U. T. Martin Skyhawks on Homecoming, and the only live TV available will be on the Jumbotron at Jordan Hare Stadium. Oh, how the mighty have fallen! For those who wish to see the game, and don't have a ticket, the game will be broadcast on CSS, Sunday afternoon at 5:00 PM Central time. I'll have to postpone my usual grades, till Sunday night.

    In the meantime, it will be an afternoon with the voices of Rod and Stan, for most of us, just like old times. When I was growing up, we were lucky if Auburn was on TV once or twice a year! We'll listen to our Tigers, and cheer them on, as usual! Feel free to chime in with opinions, cheers, angst, or whatever thoughts you have on the game, right here on the live thread!

     Who's going to be playing on Sunday?

     War Eagle, everyone. As we grind along towards a probable losing conclusion to this F. O. R. D. season, (or as the Joe Cribbs Carwash has decided: the 2008 Season of DEATH.) A look back on the real culprit of the disaster is in order. That culprit is, of course, a lack of playmakers on offense, at the skill positions. Arguably, we haven't had a freshman star successfully integrated into any playmaker role, since as far back as 2002. That's a long time in an SEC football program! We'll examine the history of skill player recruiting under the Tuberville administration, today.

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