Posts Tagged ‘Football’
Are the powers that be controlling more than the telecast?
by Kevin Strickland
When ESPN signed a blockbuster $2 billion, 15 year deal in August of 2008 with the Southeastern Conference for the rights to televise sporting events including football and basketball many wondered what impact the agreement might have on the future of sports.
Some, echoing the sentiment expressed by former Auburn head football coach Tommy Tuberville, expressed concern at the amount of influence the network now commands and raised the question of where the line between broadcasting games and having a vested interest in their outcome begins to blur (http://www.tigersx.com/ks/espn-influence-is-also-its-curse/).
The Tigers killed the Paladins, up next Dawgs!
By: Kevin Strickland
The Auburn Tigers bombed the Furman Paladins 63-31 in front of a Saturday afternoon Homecoming crowd.
The win was expected as was the relative ease with which it was achieved.
When you’re facing an opponent at a clear disadvantage in terms of talent, there are three things that must be achieved:
1) Avoid injury
2) Allow backups and rarely used players to gain experience; and
3) Learn something about your team
By that measure, Auburn’s win over the Paladins was a success.
By: Kevin Strickland
The Furman Paladins couldn’t have chosen a better time to slip onto the Auburn Tigers’ football schedule.
Sandwiched between an emotional and cathartic win over Ole Miss and next week’s grudge match against traditional rival Georgia the Paladins lurk in easily overlooked ambush.
Furman sneaks in for Auburn’s Homecoming at 4-4 with wins over Presbyterian, Chattanooga, Western Carolina and Samford under their belts. Losses to Missouri, Appalachian State, Elon and The Citadel even out the slate.
The Paladins score a healthy 27.6 points and 151 yards rushing per game and could pose a threat to…
By: Kevin Strickland
The Auburn Tigers reached into their Halloween bag on Saturday afternoon and served up a heaping helping of tricks to the Ole Miss Rebels, knocking out the once and no time in the future number four team in the country 33-20.
Halloween was a fitting time for the Tigers to rise from the grave where they’d been planted after three straight abysmal performances and return to their previous slashing gory, err, glory.
The Ole Miss Rebels made the haunting day trek to Auburn’s Jordan-Hare Stadium with the same youthful recklessness that spurs on teens in any typical slasher film to revisit the scene of previous carnage.
Chizik and Auburn had a Happy Halloween becoming Bowl worthy after a 33-20 victory over Ole Miss.
By: THS
Back when I was playing football in high school, we were expecting to be terrible my senior year. Our quarterback was debating quitting to focus on baseball, we were starting two sophomores on the o-line, and we had a tall skinny white kid playing running back. Along came a surprise on the first day of spring practice by the name of Montez Billings. He was tall, skinny-style ripped, and could do a 360 degree spin in the air before dunking a basketball. After the first day of practice, my o-line coach looked at us and said “he’s going to be the spark that keeps us in ball games.”
Lets put Neil in, he can't be any worse. Right?...Right?!?
By: Kevin Strickland
In the aftermath of another abysmal, soul-wrecking performance, the now 5-3 Auburn Tigers are searching for silver linings in some very dark clouds.
Lets get this out of the way. There is almost nothing positive to take from the 31-10 thrashing delivered by LSU Saturday night. Search if you will, but there are no silver linings. There are no bronze linings. There are no linings of any color, only clouds. Menacing clouds.
Will "The Hat" leave Chizik blue? One reporter thinks so.
By: Kevin Strickland
How the Auburn Tigers fare in Baton Rouge on Saturday night will depend on which Tiger offensive personality decides to show up.
Will the coldly confident executioners who gunned down West Virginia with relentless precision swagger in or will the frigid and insecure victims who failed to perform against Kentucky and Arkansas stumble out of the gate?
Unfortunately for Auburn fans, the most likely personality to appear is the latter. The defensive issues that plagued Auburn in two losses are unlikely to be significantly improved in a single week of practice.
Lets hope Auburn doesn't have a bad Gene
By: Kevin Strickland
If you were one of the ones two weeks ago demanding apologies from anyone who had the audacity to doubt new Auburn head coach Gene Chizik, how do you like your crow?
If you were one of the ones penning sonnets to the genius of new Auburn offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn, it’s time to start singing a different tune.
If you were one of the ones marveling at the transformation of Auburn quarterback Chris Todd, further examination is now due.
Please Roof...Let my Coleman GO!
By: Kevin Strickland
A week after being punched in the face and abused like a nerd at a biker convention by the Arkansas Razorbacks, the Auburn Tigers have the opportunity to show the college football world how this team and its new coaching staff respond to adversity when the Kentucky Wildcats come calling Saturday night.
Will Auburn of 2009 self destruct and allow the misama of the Arkansas loss to pollute the remainder of the season? A loss to Vanderbilt in 2008 set in motion a chain of events that led to infighting, turmoil, mid-season firings and the first non-bowl season for the Tigers in a decade.
SEC Review
By: Townhall
Well, it happened. We lost. It was bound to happen to a first year head coach who inherited a team with depth issues. I’m not upset about losing. I’m upset with the way we lost.
Auburn…
- Got blown out. Bad. Period. Destroyed. Every facet of the game was dominated by Arkansas.
- The players weren’t prepared to play. No matter how many times you say it, you have to MODEL FOR, TEACH, and INSPIRE college kids to play great football at 11am. That’s all on the coaches. I don’t buy into superstitions, so everyone claiming the “we’re cursed in early games” bullshit needs to shut up.
