"It was a game for the history books" - Auburn Coach, Terry Bowden
THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE HOLMES said one of my good friends, Bill Blackstone, as the game ended in a flurry of drama as Terry's Tigers sent Alabama reeling back to Tuscaloosa and their worst season (4-7-0) since 1957. It was not a pretty win, but it was enough to give Auburn its first SEC West Championship and its first trip to the SEC Championship Game. The MVP of the day was no doubt Jaret Holmes as he stood cool and calm in booting the biggest FG of his career with 15 seconds left in the game (not to mention 3 earlier ones) to prevent the Alabama upset - that would have been identical to the 17-15 loss in 1984! Few remember that placekicker, Robert McGinty, had a chance to win the game that year in the same manner but his attempt was just wide. I have to give the Alabama players (not the coaches, necessarily) for a great game. They played as well as could have been expected and possibly with the exception of the Ole Miss game, the best one of the year. Kitchens had another great game against the Tigers and in many ways outplayed D Craig, who I felt was a bit tense, especially early on. The defense again played well and only allowed 10 points (3 of those after a D Carter fumble deep in Auburn territory) and a very respectable number of yards rushing and passing. Spikes, Reese, and Houston contributed plenty of great plays. Special Teams were a factor, but only in the placekicking units. Holmes was 4/4 and Alabama's FG d'joure duo was 1 of 3. An inspection of the stats reveals that Auburn certainly played poorly overall on offense. Their rushing total was a mere 2 yards per carry, which was not surprising since the Tigers mostly abandoned their offense from the Georgia game. D Craig had trouble with his receivers, especially K Bailey, who kept dropping his passes and one critical one on the 2 point play. Could have been a case of nerves. Auburn could not beat a bowl-bound team with a similar performance. I'd like to see better execution of the 2-TE I-formation offense that shocked the Ga Dawgs and more of the TE catching the ball. F Beasley had a solid performance but D Carter was held in check and had another costly fumble. K McLeod had a 41 yard reception but was only thrown the ball once, as usual. I thought that at the end, we were given quite a gift. Why Alabama passed instead of running the ball and punting the ball deep is beyond my comprehension and it will probably get Asst. Coach, Bruce Arians fired. I felt compassion for Ed Scissum, but he was merely the pawn in the inept play calling that has plagued Alabama all season. Let's face it Tigers, we got a gift in this win. I guess it makes up for those Alabama games in the past where the Tide came up with similar heroics.
Preview
Here it is..the big one! We find ourselves in a position eerily close to that in 1984 having come off a big win against a higher-ranked Georgia team and facing a 4-6 Alabama team with a new coach (albeit Perkins' second season). This time there is a big difference, the game is at Jordan-Hare where Auburn has never lost to the Tide. In addition, this Alabama team seems significantly worse than the one that beat us on a last minute FG that year. On paper, this seems like an easy Tiger win. However this one is never won on paper. The proverbial "throw out the records" applies to this game every year. This IS Alabama's bowl game and they will throw their best at us. Should the Alabama team that beat Ole Miss play the Auburn team that lost to Miss State, we will lose. Everything considered, should Auburn play a good game, it should be able to win this one and hope for the Rebels or Hogs to help us get to Atlanta.
Prediction: Auburn 34 Alabama 20
TV: ESPN 7:30PM ET
November 15 - Univ. of Georgia
WOW (Part 2) ! ! ! Just when everybody had Bowden and the Tigers halfway in the grave, Terry fooled them all with the best team and coaching performance of the year and possibly of the last 2 years. After a quick GA touchdown on the opening drive, I was expecting more of the same, but the defense kicked in and we FINALLY saw a running game led by Demontray and Beasley, the two backs that I have been touting all year as the answer to AU's rushing woes. Georgia was certainly shocked to see the Tigers run the ball 43 times! I kept thinking to myself...where has this been all year? D Craig played a good game but he was not under nearly as much physical or mental pressure since he had this kind of help. It was a total TEAM performance that we really needed. I don't want to be negative and I want to relish this impressive win - it was the best game of the year all-around. However, allowing those late TDs could reminded me of oour breakdowns last year a little too much. I think I will chalk this up more to the Georgia seniors (Bobo, Ward, and Edwards) playing their best ball and trying to pull one out and not quitting. Way to go Tigers!
Preview
This game has looked tough all year and not it looks really tough. Georgia has a very balanced attack with a passing game and a rushing game on offense. Their defense played poorly against Tennessee but well against Florida. The combination of Bobo and Edwards may sink Auburn possibly out of the Division race. Bowden can re-prove his mettle if he can turn the sinking ship around and re-discover the Offense. The defense will need to continue to play well and make something happen. I have given up hope on a running game so I'd settle for play up to par with the LSU game.
Prediction: Georgia 24 Auburn 17
TV: ESPN2 "The Deuce" 5:50PM
Nov 1 (Mississippi State Univ.)
Auburn has hopefully hit rock bottom this week. It is a good thing that this game was not televised. I'm glad only a stadium full of people witnessed this debacle at the hands of the MSU Bulldogs. What is really disappointing is that Auburn self-destructed and beat themselves. You cannot win in the SEC with 6 turnovers (4 INT 2 FUM). Auburn showed how one dimensional they are on offense. Craig had a bad day and without a rushing attach to compensate, the Tigers were sunk. It is hard to believe that Bowden's gameplan did not prepare for Joe Lee Dunn's blitzes. Where were the screen passes and draws. Why was DC throwing it deep instead of trying to establish a drive with the short gain. Where was the Tight End??? The defense played well and in fact, kept the Bulldogs at bay for most of the game. MSU had better coaching and a better game plan and they did not make the critical mistakes. They deserve a lot of credit.
Preview
Another interesting personal matchup in the SEC. My Alma Mater versus my father's. Traditionally, MSU has not been more than a blip on the Auburn schedule. In fact, since 1981, MSU has defeated Auburn only 3 times (playing every year) and each year Auburn won only 5 games. Losing to MSU has been a bellweather of hard times. Last year, DC had his career-best game against the brown bulldogs. Therefore the Tigers "on paper" should be able to do the same this year. Our keys to victory are to execute better on offense by having some sustained drives, continue to attempt to run the ball enough to keep the passing game honest, play with more emotion and watch out for MSU's running game and blitzes. NOTE: Auburn declined to move up kickoff to 2:00PM and allow the game to be telecast pay-per-view. Auburn did not want to inconvence their fans. Jefferson Pilot has an agreement with the SEC to have exclusive rights to SEC games started before 2PM CT. They allow one exception which Auburn took with LA Tech. It is Auburn's first non-televised SEC game since MSU in 1995.
Prediction: Auburn 27 Miss. State 14
TV: None 2:00PM ET