Chizik knows it is not just him leading the charge for AU

There’s no reason to doubt Gene Chizik when he says, “It’s not about me.”

He’s right.

He’s right when he said it about the success his football team had in his first season on the Plains.

And he’s right when he said it about the recent raises and contract extensions he and his staff received two weeks ago.

Gene Chizik says he’s not about the money. And, again, I wouldn’t doubt it.

Sure, $2.1 million a year is way more than most people make (in a lifetime), but, compared to some of the top coaches in the country — and a few in his conference — it’s peanuts. Really, really nice peanuts.

Chizik’s just happy to be here. And no, that’s not a slight at him or his past record as a head coach. He’s told anyone who will listen how fortunate he is to be at a place like Auburn. A place he calls home.

So, when he says, “It’s not about me,” there is a lot of truth to that.

But you know who it is about?

His staff.

Well, first, his team. He obviously wants his team to be successful, compete and win as much as possible. That’s a given.

Knowing that, aside from the players on the field and their record at the end of the season, Chizik is about his staff. About putting the best possible stable of assistants and recruiters together for as long as possible.

And that’s what he’s been about since Day 1 at Auburn.

He understands the value of having a talented staff. A staff that can coach on the field and close with recruits. A staff that can win everywhere.

That’s what it’s about for Chizik. Heck, that’s what it’s about for head coaches across the country. Or at least the ones who want to compete in the national spotlight year after year.

Why?

Because when you have a good staff, you get even better talent. And when you get even better talent, you win ballgames. A lot more than you’ll lose.

Just look around.

Coaches bring in players. Players win games. The more you can keep the best coaches around the best players, the better things are going to turn out.

It’s simple.

And to keep good coaches, you’ve got to pay them. That’s really simple.

And Auburn obliged.

The salary for Auburn assistants jumped significantly after Year 1. In their first season, the assistants were making a combined total of $2.56 million. Today, they combine for close to $3 million, with offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn getting the biggest bump — a 43 percent raise to
$500,000 per year.

“The administration has been phenomenal for me,” Chizik said. “It was really important that there was a vote of confidence there in our administration that they see and understand the importance in the continuity of our coaching staff.

“Of course, we’ve only been here one year, but when you have very talented guys as assistant coaches there’s going to be a lot of people that are interested in hiring them. It was very important and huge administratively that we made that step forward to say, ‘Hey look, we want to be proactive on the front end of trying to keep everything intact.’

“Really important to our coaches and what that means to our coaches, but also don’t forget the huge impact that has on your players when they don’t have to change coaches. I think that’s big.”

He’s right.

Recruits get attached to the coaches who recruit them. Keeping those relationships intact is vital.

“The guys we had recruiting a (recruit) a year ago is the same guy we had recruiting him on Feb. 2 before signing day,” Chizik said of his staff which was the only one in the SEC to stay completely intact. “I think that’s a huge impact. Anytime you don’t have change, that’s a big deal.
That just ties into the huge impact all the way around of not having any changes in your staff. That’s a huge deal — including recruiting.”

It’s how you get more than one top-5 recruiting class. It’s how you compete year after year.

It’s how you put your stamp on a program, which you are trying to take to the next level.

Chizik can’t do it by himself. Remember, it’s not about him. And he knows it.

MIKE SZVETITZ is sports editor of the Opelika-Auburn News. He may be reached at mszvetitz@oanow.com or 737-2513.

Auburn’s A-Day game is going global.

The Worldwide Leader, ESPN, will be picking up a live feed of Auburn’s A-Day game and will broadcast it to the masses on ESPNU.

The game is set for Saturday, April 17, with a 1 p.m. kickoff.

This announcement comes one day after ESPN declared it would televise National Champion Alabama’s spring game. The games are set for the same day, with Alabama’s kicking off one hour later.

Perhaps this will force Gene Chizik to go by a normal scoring system. Last year’s, which rewarded points to the offense and defense for just about everything, probably wouldn’t be TV-friendly.

War Damn Dyer...Welcome to the Family Michael!!

That’s right Auburn fans, it’s National Signing Day.  A day when all college football fans get to brag about what place

they came in for untested talent.  Will this be Auburn’s best class ever?  Only time will tell.  Check back often as our resident poster and now official updater Chopper will be bringing you the latest signees.

Official Signees (faxes received)  **Page will be modified often, check back!!**

1. Brenham (Tex.) Blinn C.C. QB Cameron Newton – enrolled
2. Visalia (Ca.) College of the Sequoias OL Roszell Gayden – enrolled
3. Coffeyville (Kan.) C.C. TE Brandon Mosley – enrolled
4. Ariton (Ala.) High DE Craig Sanders – enrolled
5. Buford (Ga.) High LB Jessel Curry – enrolled
6. Jupiter (Fla.) High PK Cody Parkey
7. Atlanta (Ga.) Washington WR Antonio Goodwin
8. Kansas City (Mo.) Park Hill P Steven Clark
9. Springville (Ala.) High WR Jeremy Richardson
10. Greenville (Ala.) High DT Kenneth Carter

11. St. Matthews (S.C.) Calhoun County OL Eric Mack

12. Decatur (Ga.) SW Dekalb CB Jonathan Mincy
13. Valdosta (Ga.) Lowndes OL Ed Christian

Corey Lemonier Announces his Decision to ink with the Tigers

14. Roanoke (Ala.) Handley FB Ladarius Phillips
15. Cordova (Ala.) ATH Ryan Smith

16. College Park (Ga.) Banneker S Demetruce McNeal
17. College Park (Ga.) Banneker ATH Shaun Kitchens
18. Olive Branch (Miss.) High OL Shon Coleman

19. Warner Robins (Ga.) High DT Jeffrey Whitaker
20. Troy (Ala.) Charles Henderson LB Jawara White

21. Little Rock (Ark.) Christian RB Michael Dyer

22. Little Rock (Ark.) Christian TE Dakota Mosley

23. Birmingham (Ala.) Woodlawn ATH Chris Davis

24. Linden (Ala.) High DE Justin Delaine

Will we be hearing Newton to Reed.. TD AUUUUUBurn

25. Bessemer (Ala.) Jess Lanier LB LaDarius Owens

26. Pelham (Ala.) High LB Jake Holland

27. Tallahassee (Fla.) Lincoln ATH Ryan White
28. Moody (Ala.) High OL Chad Slade

29. Hialeah (Fla.) defensive end Corey Lemonier

30. Thomaston (Ga.) Upson Lee C Tunde Fariyike

31. Thibodaux (La.) High ATH Trovon Reed

32. Fullerton (Ca.) C.C. DE Joel Bonomolo

This completes Auburn’s 2010 Class as of 1:20 pm.  This includes all commitments.  If there are any further surprises, I will add them.  Until then, welcome to our newest Tigers, and War Damn Eagle!

Discuss it in our forum here

By: THS

You never accept losing.  You never proclaim moral victories.  You never make excuses.  You always take responsibility for your performance.

Auburn…

- But we’re going to break the rules.  I just can’t get upset with this team right now.  I did that enough after the LSU game.  Our guys have busted their butts all year.  It’s been a hell of a fight to turn the program back around.  I wish I could go on another diatribe about Chizik’s future, but this rollercoaster of a season has silenced any opinions.  Think about what we HAVE accomplished:

1.  Recruiting a top ten class (possible top five) and stockpiling talent from other states.
2.  Going to a bowl game.  7 wins and two close calls against Kentucky and Georgia.
3.  Last year, there was no feeling of optimism going into the Bama game.  It was like you could feel “36-0″ in the air.  This year, I have no doubt we will at least be competitive.
4.  All critics have been silenced.  Most predictions that were against Auburn have been debunked.  Chizik is not really a “5-19″ coach.
5.  Trooper and Luper’s “juvenile” ideas in recruiting are working.  It’s only going to get better with next year’s class.

- You really think we lost the Georgia game due to poor coaching?  What could they have done differently?  We simply don’t have the playmakers.  Fannin is a nobody.  Blame Rivals overrating him in high school; blame Tuberville’s staff for not developing him early in his career; or blame him for not focusing on improving his skills.  He just isn’t clutch.  He was never going to make that big catch, and you’re a fool if you thought he was.  That was an NFL/game changer catch, and Mario “This Year, I Break Out” Fannin was surely not going to make it.

- I actually was impressed with the adjustments Malzahn made.  We pitched the ball around a good bit.  The only criticism I had was not throwing the ball in the 5-10 yard frame.  We either went deep or dunked it to the flats.  That might not be Malzahn’s playcalling.  That might be Chris Todd.  God love him, but Chris Todd isn’t a championship caliber quarterback.  He’s doing more than he was predicted to.  At least remember that.

- The defense sucks.  It has continued to suck.  It will continue to suck.  You want proof it’s the players?  Go rewatch the tape.  We BLITZED tonight.  A lot.  I kept screaming about it every time we did it.  Did it ever work?  No.  It didn’t.  We were slow.  We didn’t time it.  We couldn’t shed blocks.  Is that Roof’s fault?  Yeah.  Some.  But it’s a lot easier to play defense when you have experienced playmakers that consistently get it done.  For example, Josh Bynes blew the hell out of that reverse they tried to run.  It’s too bad Josh Bynes also missed some easy tackles, missed a crucial interception, and missed his assignments throughout the entire game.

- My disposition changed about this coaching staff.  After the LSU game, I was very skeptical of their ability to take our team to the next level.  What happened last week gave me hope for the future.  So hope for the future I will.

- We play with heart, and when Gene Chizik speaks of “family,” I believe him.  I believe he has a knack for bringing his guys closer together.  I think this will pay off when it comes to keeping coaches around.  It’s already shown on the recruiting trail.

- About recruiting – have you noticed that guys are committing to us not because we’re a flash in the pan?  It’s not the trendy thing to do, and we haven’t done much to shock and awe the country.  They experience Auburn last summer, and that experience has led them to committing in November.  Michael Dyer and Trovon Reed are only the beginning.

- Blowing out Ole Miss showed me Chizik’s ability to keep his team focused and compete with a good football team.  I was hesitant to accept the WVU and Tennessee victories as legit high quality wins, but Ole Miss had a good defense.  Their offense had just started clicking against Arkansas.  We were able to win and look good doing it.

Notre Dame…

- I told you it’s time for a new coach.  Pitt is a good team.  And you lost.  Add another name to the list of teams with winning records that Charlie Weiss can’t defeat.

Georgia…

- I still think Mark Richt is on a downward spiral.  Georgia (much like Notre Dame) has recruited lights out over the past few years.  There’s no need to have a rebuilding year like this every few seasons.  The players aren’t being developed properly.

Alabama…

- Alright.  That was impressive.  I honestly thought the upset was going to happen.  I know it’s Miss St, and they are more talent depleted than we are.  However, Bama was coming off of a huge SEC West-clinching win against LSU, and Miss St has played tough in big time games.  31-3 and it wasn’t even that close.

LSU…

- Another example of why Les Miles won’t be around much longer.  You never give up.  I’m sorry you lost to the undefeated Bama team last weekend, but you blow out La Tech.  You convince your seniors/juniors that they need to perform well for the NFL draft.  You convince your young guys they need to impress voters so they can participate in the best bowl games available.  You convince your coaching staff that they need to gameplan and motivate so they can bring in better recruiting classes.

Texas…

- The undisputed, unanimous #1 team in the country.  40-0 at halftime against Baylor?  35-3 (if I remember correctly) at halftime against Oklahoma St?  This team is a force.  It’ll be tough for anyone to catch them.

Final thought…

- Please please PLEASE don’t get your hopes up.  We most likely won’t beat Bama.  However, I’m looking to see our team make a statement.  This has been a special year.  We were the misfits.  Supposedly, not one of our players could start for any other team.  That’s what Bama fans have told us.  That’s what Finebaum has preached.  That’s what the B’ham media has reported.  We’re a down in the dumps football team that didn’t have a chance from the start.  We’re a locomotive rushing straight for the landfill led by a “5-19″ loser of a coach.  They’ve been wrong since the start.  I think we come out a fight our asses off against Bama.  We won’t win.  They’ll probably pull away in the 4th quarter, but we’ll be competitive.

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.

If there’s any solace at all to be wrung from the shockingly bad display, it would be that career backup quarterback Neil Caudle came off the bench when the outcome was decided, played with enthusiasm and reckless abandon and made plays that neither starter Chris Todd or designated “wildcat” Kodi Burns have shown any recent capability of making.

If you’re looking for some small glimmer of hope, tailback Ben Tate still runs the ball like he’s on a mission. He picked up 76 yards on 18 carries — not nearly enough.

If you’re trying to find that needle of encouragement in a haystack of despair, Mario Fannin acts like it means something to him. Unfortunately, Fannin doesn’t get enough touches to make a major impact.

There’s no getting around the simple fact that Auburn is a bad football team. What’s worse is that the Tigers have steadily gotten worse as the season progressed.

The Bayou beatdown may have been the single worst effort by an Auburn football team in decades. It’s definitely in the conversation.

Another writer recently chastised those who characterized Auburn’s 5-0 start as a mirage, noting that a mirage, by definition, indicates seeing something that isn’t there.

After the collapse in the last three weeks, mirage may be the most fitting term. Caught up in the relief of a 5-0 start, it was easy for hopeful Tiger fans to see things that weren’t really there while looking past the things that were staring them directly in the face.

Yes, Auburn is a bad football team. The Tigers were incredibly fortunate to reel off five wins to start the season. In retrospect, Auburn could easily have lost to both Tennessee and West Virginia. Luck has run out.

Good football teams do not bog themselves down with sensless penalties. A week after a series of absurd penalties in the fourth quarter killed what would likely have been a game-clinching drive and later an attempt to tie, Auburn was flagged seven times for 64 yards against LSU. Three of those penalties, including two 15-yarders, came on LSU’s opening drive — a scoring march that put Auburn in a hole from which it never recovered.

Penalties are a matter of discipline — something this Auburn team is suddenly lacking, and something that can be laid squarely at the feet of the coaching staff.

Good football teams do not turn the ball over. Two fumbles and an interception were costly against LSU.

Good football teams do not outcoach themselves. Auburn’s first possession of the game showed promise.

Two scrambles by Todd and a designed run from Burns moved the chains.

Running back Ben Tate ripped off a nine-yard blast to near mid field. On second down and one, Burns came back on and launched an awkward laser that had zero chance of being caught by Mario Fannin.

On third and one, a slow-developing handoff to Tate was stuffed for no gain.

In the confusion over whether to go for the first or punt, the Tigers were flagged for a false start.

Auburn punted and confidence wilted.

After LSU scored on the penalty-aided drive, the Tiger offense again failed to convert a third and one.

Confidence gone.

Hey Auburn here is a suggestion: Maybe Mario should run the Wildcat.

Good football teams do not finish with less than 100 yards in a half. Auburn managed a mere 42 yards in the first two quarters, six of that coming on the last play of the half.

It may be too early to declare that offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn’s system will not translate to SEC play, but if you can’t write it in ink you can definitely jot it down it in pencil.

Back in early September, Chizik cautioned about putting too much stock into Auburn’s early effectiveness under Malzahn.

“Right now its effective simply because there are some new things off of it that we can do,” he said then. “After four or five weeks, now, you run out of things and you just got to execute better than the other guy.”

Change Chizik’s first name to Nostradamus. Week five opponent Tennessee slowed the Auburn offense drastically. Since then, it’s gone nowhere.

Auburn certainly isn’t executing better than the other guy.

You could make a compelling case that the five-win string aside, Auburn’s offense under Malzahn is even less effective than it was under the heckled Tony Franklin. His performance was considered so bad he was ejected from the program in mid-season and suffered the ignominy of the media snapping photos of him carting his belongings to his car after being summarily booted.

In Malzahn’s apparent desire to get as many hands on the ball as he can, his overcoaching seems to drown continuity. Auburn once estabilshed its reputation by handing the ball to its backs 30 or more times a game, relentlessly wearing out opposing defenses.

It worked for Carnell Williams, Rudi Johnson, James Joseph, Brent Fullwood, Kenny Irons, Bo Jackson and a host of other Tiger backs.

Tate wants to carry the team. It might not be a bad idea to let him. It is readily apparent that Todd is incapable of doing so.

Good football teams do not choke against the worst defenses in the SEC and allow the worst offenses in the SEC to gash them.

Arkansas was among the worst in the league on defense when the Hogs abused the Tiger offense and rendered it completely impotent.

LSU was statistically one of the worst offenses in the SEC when it passed and ran with abandon over the Tiger stopping unit.

Auburn is simply a bad football team. There’s no way to sugar coat it.

Depth may be a valid issue, but depth isn’t the problem on the first drive of the game. Depth doesn’t commit ridiculous penalties that kill drives or extend those of the opponent.

During the three-game losing streak the Tiger coaching staff seems to have no concept how to correct the issues that plague the team week after week.

The defensive schemes employed by coordinator Ted Roof are horrific. Receivers are given enormous cushions and are routinely wide open across the middle and on the corners.

Tackling fundamentals are poor and get worse week by week.

The Tennessee Volunteers under first year coach Lane Kiffin may not make a bowl, but you can see the team gradually improving. Each outing is slightly better than the last.

Same for Mississippi State and new head coach Dan Mullen.

On the same day Auburn was being made to look like chumps against an overrated LSU team, Kiffin’s Volunteers had a legitimate chance to knock off second-ranked Alabama and Mullen’s Bulldogs kept top-ranked Florida on the ropes for three quarters.

Both the Vols and Dogs acquitted themselves far better than the Tigers.

Chizik is precariously close to losing the team as evidenced by the expressions captured on the sidelines in the fourth quarter.

Chizik adopted “Do What We Do” as the team’s unofficial slogan. That was great when what the Tigers were doing was working.

What will Chizik do when doing what he does continues to fail? So far, he has no answer.

By: Kevin Strickland

Saturday’s showdown between first-year coaches Lane Kiffin of Tennessee and Gene Chizik of Auburn offers a variety of interesting subplots. As both replaced coaching legends whose stars had dimmed, and as each are tasked with re-establishing the proud traditions of their respective programs, this head-to-head matchup is inevitably a major benchmark in measuring the progress of each.

Come Sunday morning, Tiger fans will have more reason to boast while Volunteer supporters will be left scratching their heads and wondering when they’ll be able to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

The meeting between the Tigers and Volunteers is a study in contrasts. In everything from the demeanor of their head coaches to their respective strengths and weaknesses, the two teams are polar opposites.

Chizik is low key. He gives little to the media beyond standard coaching cliches and pat phrases. His press conferences are virtually interchangeable. He’s cautious, reserved and evokes a business only aura.

Kiffin is ebullient. He’s angered opposing coaches and drawn the ire of SEC Commissioner Roy Kramer by sniping at rivals, and engaging in media-fueled battles with opposing coaches. His press conferences are events, because no one is really sure what Kiffin’s going to say — or have to apologize for — next.

Chizik’s Tigers have surpassed early expectations. Poll voters haven’t noticed, but Auburn is 4-0.

Kiffin’s Volunteers have struggled to match his abrasive bravado. Tennessee checks in at 2-2, or 3-1 if you count moral victories. At this point, polls are the last thing on their mind.

Chizik came to Auburn with a reputation as a defensive wizard. As defensive coordinator at Auburn and then Texas he presided over two straight undefeated seasons and one national title — or two if you count titles like cross-state rival Bama fans do.

Kiffin was the pick at Tennessee in large part because of his work with the offense at USC, where the Trojans were a perennial national contender.

Irony number one?

Chizik won his Texas national title while running the Longhorn defense against Kiffin’s Trojans.

Irony number two?

Despite Kiffin’s offensive reputation, Tennessee’s best chance on Saturday rests with its defense. The Volunteer offense remains stuck on start and has shown little sign of go. The Tennessee defense is talented and extremely effective.

Conversely, Chizik’s defensive rep is overshadowed by Auburn’s performance on offense. Questions abound for the Tiger defense, but the Auburn offense has rolled up more than 500 yards per game on average and is scoring a blistering 45 points per outing.

On Saturday something has to give.

Tennessee defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin, Lane’s father, devised an outstanding plan to put the brakes on Tim Tebow and the Florida Gators in a 23-13 loss/moral victory at Florida.

The Mouth vs. The Surprise

Chances are the elder Kiffin will have a similar scheme to derail a resurgent Chris Todd and the high-scoring Tiger offense.

Kiffin’s task was made significantly more difficult with the loss of linebacker Nick Reveiz, whose 27 tackles are third on the team.

The problem for the Volunteers is that the Auburn offense seems capable of putting points on the board. Tennessee might be able to slow it down, but the chance of stopping it outright seems remote.

Auburn averages 526 yards and 45 points per game. The Tigers pick up an average of seven yards per play. Even if the Volunteer defense is able to cut that production in half, it will likely still be enough against a Tennessee offense that puts the “in” in inept.

The Volunteers are moderately effective at running the ball (nearly 200 yards per game), but to say Tennessee quarterback Jonathan Crompton has struggled would be putting it kindly.

Crompton has thrown eight interceptions in just four games. A six-year old child could draw up the defensive gameplan against Tennessee.

Put eight men in the box to limit the run and put pressure on Crompton. Force him to make a mistake.

After West Virginia torched Auburn for two big plays early in a 41-30 Tiger win, that’s essentially the plan defensive coordinator Auburn Ted Roof employed. The result? Five Mountaineer interceptions and a Tiger win.

Auburn’s defense has issues. The Tigers allow a too-high 4.6 yards per play. Opponents average more than 150 yards rushing and more than 170 passing. Opponents score an average of 24 points per game.

That must improve for loftier season expectations to come to fruition. As it pertains to Saturday’s meeting, however, the Volunteers show no indication they are capable of taking advantage of the defensive questions the Tigers present.

Last season these two teams waged an epic battle on the floor of Jordan-Hare Stadium that resulted in 792 combined yards. Punting yards. Tennessee punted ten times for 399 yards, the Tigers nine for 393.

Given Auburn’s offensive prowess and the Tigers’ defensive questions, you may see another 800-yard effort — with no punts — on Saturday.

As the lights go down, you’ll also see a 5-0 Auburn team. The only question is whether poll voters will finally take notice.

Chizik and Auburn Get no Respect.

By: Kevin Strickland

Auburn head football coach Gene Chizik schlumped into his weekly press conference, flopped wearily into his chair, adjusted the microphone, and issued a resigned sigh.

He reached up, tugged at the knot of his tie and eyes bulging declared:

“No respect, I tell ya. We get no respect at all.

“When the polls came out on Sunday, I sent an email to one of the voters. Told him I was climbing up to the top of Samford Tower and was going to jump. They sent Brother Chette to talk to me. He says ‘Ready…Set…’

“No respect.

“I ran into Coach Dye when we went out to eat the other night. I asked him what he thought about the execution of our special teams. He says it sounds like a good idea to him.

“No respect at all. I tell ya.

“Went to the doctor yesterday morning. Told him that when our defense is on the field I start to get sick at my stomach and feel like throwing up. He says he doesn’t know whats wrong with me, but my eyesight’s perfect.

“We get no respect at all…”

If a team goes 4-0 and nobody is there to rank it, does it make a noise?

Chizik’s Auburn Tigers are 4-0. So far the polls haven’t noticed. Despite a win over an athletic West Virginia team and a demolition of the same Mississippi State team that was four inches and a too-cute coaching ploy from knocking off number four LSU, Auburn gets little love from the polls. The Tigers remain unranked.

The Tigers aren’t alone. There are six unbeaten teams on the outside looking in, including Missouri, Wisconsin, Texas A&M, South Florida, and UCLA.

All six have valid cases for inclusion, particularly considering there are 14 once-beaten squads dotting the latest poll.

Ole Miss was a top ten team based on little more than vapor and a fascination with Reverend Houston Nutt. The Rebels laid a rotten, stinking egg against South Carolina, the only legitimate competition they faced this season.

Cal clogged up the Top Ten until the Bears were hammered into an submission by Oregon.

Neither of those teams are playing as well as any of the six unranked teams. Yet Cal checks in at 24th and Ole Miss skidded to 21st from fourth after being punk-slapped by the Gamecocks on Thursday.

Since the ranking services debuted in the ’30s, only one Auburn team that started 4-0 remained unranked entering the fifth week of the season.

The Tigers remained unranked despite a 5-0 start in 1963. Auburn leaped into the poll at number five after its sixth win. Promptly felled by Florida, dropped to ninth. The Tigers ended 1963 with a 9-2 record and were ranked fifth.

So what gives? Why are the 2009 Auburn Tigers getting the Rodney Dangerfield routine from poll voters?

A few theories:

1. Pollsters don’t like to be wrong

Poll voters are a curious lot. They start with preconceived notions in their pre-season rankings and are averse to changing their mind regardless of evidence to the contrary.

It’s why you’ll see one team lose a game and cling to a spot in the rankings, often climbing quickly back to about where it was to begin with. A team that performs at a relatively average level will often end the year within a spot or two of where it started at the beginning.

LSU was slotted in the Top Ten based primarily on history. Voters are accustomed to voting LSU there and dismal performance has had little poll impact. The Tigers flailed against Vanderbilt at home. Last week, LSU got an interception return for a touchdown and a punt return for a score and still needed a two-play brain freeze from four inches away by Mississippi State head coach Dan Mullen to survive the Bulldogs. LSU is the fourth-best team in the country? Yeah. And Kansas coach Mark Mangino runs a four minute mile.

2.  Auburn hasn’t played anybody

This is a rehash of the fraudulent argument used in 2004 to justify denying the Tigers a BCS Championship berth. If you say something often enough – and the media has repeated the ‘who has Auburn played?’ mantra ad-infinitum – people, even voters, accept it as truth.

While a schedule consisting of Ball State, West Virginia, Mississippi State, and Louisiana Tech isn’t exactly murder’s row, it’s not chopped liver either.

Mississippi State ripped Vandy and shoulda’, coulda’ shocked LSU. The Bulldogs are going to stun some teams before 2009 is in the books

Would it surprise you to know that the combined defensive rankings of the four teams Auburn has played is higher than the rankings of the four played by cross-state rival and poll darling Alabama? Really? Be surprised. The average defensive ranking for Alabama’s opponents is 82.75. Auburn’s opponents average defense ranking is 67.5.

Who hasn’t played anybody? That would be number three Alabama actually. But who’s counting?

3. The Tuberville Effect

The Tuberville effect comes in two parts:

1. Despite his frosty relationship with Auburn administration, former head coach Tommy Tuberville was a media favorite. He was accessible and articulate. He maintained a positive demeanor and was usually good for a quality sound bite. When he was ousted (or resigned if you are the one person in the country who accepted athletic director Jay Jacobs’ lame explanation) the media reaction was general outrage. Tuberville was successful and his removal evoked a sense of disgust and disdain from most in the media. It was also poorly received by fellow coaches. Media members and coaches are pollsters. To give Chizik and his staff too much credit—as in ranking the Tigers—would mean that they were possibly wrong about the impact of Tuberville’s departure. Wrong? Not a word in their vocabulary.
2. Remember the whole “don’t like to be wrong” thing? Over the last ten years Tuberville’s Auburn teams made a habit out of proving the media and pollsters wrong. Rank the Tigers high and they’ll likely fall flat. Rank them low and they’ll mutilate expectations and send the fanbase into a media-hating frenzy. It’s possible that voters have settled into a Show Me state of mind in regard to Auburn. The Tigers will eventually crack the poll if they keep winning. But if they don’t? They won’t intrude on the Top 25 and the pollsters don’t have to ever be wrong. They get to maintain the I-told-you-so high ground. Show Me is Missouri’s motto. Not working out too well for Mizzou, either.

4. The Chizik Effect

When Chizik was hired, the nationwide outcry was loud and vociferous. From the fan who famously bellowed “We want a leader, not a loser” at Jacobs when the Chizik hiring seemed imminent, to countless sports journalists who compared his hiring to some of the worst in college football history, the reaction was negative across the board.

Auburn’s talent was derided as sub-juco level. Chizik’s qualifications for the job were panned. Auburn’s unorthodox recruiting tactics under Chizik were ridiculed.

Remember the “don’t like to be wrong” concept? Here we go again.

Acknowledge that Auburn appears to have undergone a near-miraculous transformation in offensive execution and a complete reversal of attitude and you have to also recognize that maybe your Hindenburgian predictions were a bit off base.

Note that Auburn has exceeded expectations and you might have to retract some of your criticisms. Who wants to do that? It’s almost like admitting you were wr…wr…wro,…not entirely correct.

Rank the Tigers after four games and you’re essentially saying that maybe, just maybe, you were wrong about Chizik. That just can’t happen. Because you don’t like to be wrong. Wrong really doesn’t work.

Regardless of the reason the pollsters chose to snub Auburn, there’s only one thing the Tigers can do about it.

Win.

Eventually winning will become too much to ignore, regardless of the objection.

Still no love for the 4-0 Auburn Tigers

By: Kevin Strickland

The Auburn Tigers out-punched the Ball State Cardinals 54-30 Saturday night to move to 4-0 on the season. If history is any indicator, the hot start bodes well for Tiger fortunes.

Only 27 teams in Auburn history have started a season 4-0. Eight of those occurred after 1974.

Of the eight teams in the last 35 years that started 4-0, only two failed to win at least ten games. The 1994 Tigers reeled off nine before a closing with a tie and a loss. Auburn started 2000 with five consecutive wins before fading to 4-4 down the stretch.

Two of the eight finished the season without a loss.

Only one of the eight lost more than two games.

Three of the eight won the SEC West (one other would have but was on probation).

Six of the eight finished in the Top Ten. All eight were ranked at the end of the season.

Seven of the eight opened the season with at least five consecutive wins.

Of interest to fans of college football’s greatest rivalry, seven of the eight Auburn teams that opened 4-0 defeated cross-state rival Alabama.

The 2009 Auburn Tigers have a long way to go before they can start considering double digit win totals.

Auburn special teams are truly special, particularly if you’re using the term “special” to describe something malformed, hideous and shocking to the senses.

Auburn special teams or another bad showing from Cher?

Against Ball State the Tigers fumbled a punt that led to a Cardinal touchdown, attempted a ill-timed and poorly-executed fake punt that helped Ball State put a field goal on the board, committed penalties that nullified the only quality punt and kick off returns, and did a poor job containing Cardinal kick returners.

Auburn head coach Gene Chizik said special teams were his focus after flops against Louisiana Tech and Mississippi State were costly. There seems to be little, if any, improvement.

Kicker Wes Byrum provides lone spark to the woeful special teams effort. Byrum appears to have regained the consistency he showed as a freshman and has been methodically efficient.

Defensive lapses are also particularly troubling.

The Tigers gagged up 30 points to a team that managed just ten against North Texas.

Auburn continues to display a frustrating inability to get the opposition off the field on third down.

Poor tackling continues to plague the Tigers.

Fortunately the Auburn offense has no such issues. Tiger quarterback Chris Todd continues to gain confidence and the Tiger offense has more than compensated for the defensive deficiencies.

Auburn racked up nearly 600 yards against the Cardinals despite sporadic struggles in the rushing game, including a dreadful failure on fourth down in the first quarter.

At some point during the SEC season, Auburn will run into a team that will put the clamps on the offense and the Tigers will have to lean on the defense to earn a win.

The Tiger stopping unit has so far shown no indication it is capable of holding up its end of the bargain.

Still, the Tigers are 4-0. It’s better to be 4-0 with clearly defined areas in need of improvement than 0-4 and performing at peak efficiency.

From a historical standpoint, the 4-0 start forecasts an expectation-defying season for Auburn.

The last Tiger team to start 4-0 banged out five straight wins, including a gutsy 24-17 win over South Carolina in Columbia. Auburn started 2006 ranked fourth and had a chance to leap into the number one spot before Arkansas derailed the winning streak and bounced Auburn out of the Top Ten 27-10.

The 2006 Tigers finished the season 11-2 and were ranked ninth after knocking off Nebraska in the Cotton Bowl.

Other Auburn teams that opened a season with four consecutive wins:

2004 — SEC Champions

Auburn won 13 straight games and finished the season ranked second in the nation. The Tigers were denied a shot in the BCS title game despite playing the toughest schedule among the top three teams and despite beating more top ten teams than the other two competitors combined.

2000 — SEC West Champions

Tommy Tuberville’s second Auburn team roared out to a 5-0 start behind the surprising dominance of junior college transfer Rudi Johnson. The Tigers climbed to 19th in the polls before dropping back-to-back games to Mississippi State and Florida. Auburn finished the year 9-4 after losses to Florida in the SEC Championship Game and Michigan in the Outback Bowl.

Auburn (9-4) closed 2000 ranked 18th.

1997 — SEC West Champions

A year before the Terry Bowden era imploded, quarterback Dameyune Craig helped power Auburn to a 6-0 start. The Tigers clawed their way to sixth in the poll before falling to number seven Florida. The 1997 Tigers lost to Tennessee and Peyton Manning 30-29 in the SEC Championship Game before upending Clemson in the Peach Bowl.

Auburn (10-3) finished the 1997 season ranked 11th.

1993 – 1994

Bowden’s Auburn tenure got off to an incredible start. Despite probation and limited expectations, his first Auburn team clicked off eleven consecutive wins, including a 22-14 win over Alabama.

Even though Auburn was the only major program in the country with an undefeated record of 11-0, the Tigers finished fourth in the polls.

The streak continued through the first nine games of 1994. Georgia halted the winning streak with a 23-23 tie before Alabama upended the Tigers 21-14 to end the season.

Auburn (9-1-1) was ranked ninth in the final poll in 1994.

1988 — SEC Champions

Auburn opened the 1988 campaign ranked seventh. Four wins later, the Tigers had surged to fourth when they visited Baton Rouge for a showdown against LSU Tigers. In a classic SEC bout, the Bayou Bengals set off seismic waves when a fourth quarter touchdown gained a 7-6 win.

The loss was probably the most frustrating of Dye’s career. Three straight shutouts followed and the Tigers only allowed 28 total points over the remaining six games of the season — all wins.

Had Auburn survived LSU, the Tigers would have played a typically overrated Notre Dame team in the Orange Bowl for the national title. Instead, Auburn got a Sugar Bowl bid and fell 13-7 to Deion Sanders and Florida State.

Auburn finished the season 10-2 and ranked eighth. 10-2

1986

In the first year of the post-Bo Jackson era, Pat Dye’s 1998 Tigers churned through seven straight games, rising as high as fifth in the polls, before 20th-ranked Florida rallied in the fourth quarter to eclipse Auburn 18-17. Georgia skimmed past the Tigers 20-16 two weeks later. Auburn smacked Rodney Peete and USC 16-7 in the Florida Citrus Bowl to finish 10-2, seven total points from an undefeated season.

The 10-2 Tigers closed 1986 ranked sixth.

1974

Auburn rolled up seven consecutive wins to open the 1974 campaign. Legendary Tiger coach Shug Jordan was one dismal season away from retirement and this was his last great team.

The Tigers finished 10-2 and were ranked 8th.

1972

One of the most cherished of all Auburn teams, the Amazin’s were expected to flounder after the departure of Heisman Trophy winning quarterback Pat Sullivan and record-setting receiver Terry Beasley. The team flourished instead.

Auburn won four straight before a loss at LSU. The Tigers rebounded and knocked out six consecutive wins to close the season. Included in that string was the famous Punt Bama Punt game, an improbable 17-16 Auburn win, and a 27-3 thrashing of Texas in the Cotton Bowl.

Auburn (10-1) finished the season ranked fifth.

1957 – 1971

Auburn started at least 4-0 on five occasions between 1957 and 1971

1971: Auburn won nine straight and finished 9-2
1970: Auburn won its first five and finished 9-2
1963: Six straight to open the season led to a 9-2 finish
1962: Auburn won its first five, but fell to 6-3-1
1957: The National Champion Tigers ran off 10 consecutive wins
1908 – 1921
Auburn opened with at least four consecutive wins in 1921 (5-3 overall), 1919 (8-1 overall), 1917 (6-2-1 overall), 1916 (6-2 overall), 1915 (6-2 overall), 1914 (8-0-1 overall), 1913 (8-0 overall), 1912 (7-1-1 overall), 1909 (6-2 overall), 1908 (6-1 overall), 1907 (7-0 overall), and 1900 (4-0 overall).

By: Kevin Strickland

Could this be a magical season?

Auburn 41 – West Virginia 30.

This is Auburn football.

It’s not the Auburn football your grandfather remembers. It’s not the Auburn football your father remembers. In fact, it’s not even the Auburn football you remember unless you were born prior to Sept. 5, 2009.

Auburn fell behind 14-0 and trailed 21-10 to the visiting West Virginia Mountaineers on Saturday night before rallying behind an opportunistic defense and a determined offense to fell WVU.

Auburn 41, West Virginia 30.

This is a different kind of Tiger football team.

No disrespect to former coach Tommy Tuberville, whose teams won their share of thrilling, emotional, nationally relevant games, but digging out of a hole when the opponent had momentum wasn’t one of their strong points.

Arkansas 27, Auburn 10

Georgia 35, Auburn 17

Arkansas 42, Auburn 17

Alabama 31, Auburn 7

Arkansas 38, Auburn 17

West Virginia 34, Auburn 17

That’s what used to happen when an Andrew Zow or a Fred Talley or a David Greene or a Noel Devine got hot against a Tiger defense.

The offense rarely had an answer. Things got out of hand.

Saturday night, the opportunity to fold was there. West Virginia burned Auburn on its first two offensive series with a long pass and a long run.

Perhaps feeding off the pent-up emotion of a raucous Tiger crowd, Auburn overpursued, was overly aggressive and ended up getting scorched.

Recognizing that the Mountaineers had speed to spare and a multitude of offensive weapons, the defensive strategy switched from impact to containment. If West Virginia was going to score, they were going to have to drive the ball to do so.

The Tiger defense kept Mountaineer ball carriers in front of them, giving up yards in exchange for preventing the big plays that opened the game.

The strategy was largely successful.  After giving up a 58 yard pass play on the first series and a 71 yard Noel Devine rush on West Virginia’s second possession, the Tiger defense allowed just four plays of 20 yards or more the remainder of the game. One of those came on the last desperation snap.

West Virginia piled up 509 yards and 23 first downs, but after the first two long strikes, the majority of that came between the 20s.

Forcing West Virginia to drive the field also increased the opportunity for turnovers. Auburn grabbed six on the night, converting one for a score.

All the defensive maneuvering might not have mattered in the past. Until the arrival of Gus Malzahn, Auburn has not been a team engineered to dig itself out of holes.

For three consecutive weeks, however, the Tigers have done just that.  Auburn overcame deficits against both Louisiana Tech and Mississippi State before putting both away in the second half.

On Saturday night the vaunted Tiger rushing game was effectively limited by a quick Mountaineer defense.  West Virginia’s strategy was clearly to force quarterback Chris Todd to win the game.

Todd shouldered the burden and while he might not have been spectacular, he was effective.  Todd was a pedestrian 16-of-31 with an interception.  He also threw four touchdown passes and converted several critical third down passes.

More encouraging, Todd consistently made the right decision. Other than the interception and a few poorly thrown passes, Todd kept the Tigers out of trouble and the offense moving forward.

The Tigers aren’t world beaters.  Significant challenges await in the SEC.

Just don’t tell them that.  Auburn looked a repeat of 2008’s Mountaineer meltdown in the face and stared it into submission.

There was no panic, no resignation, no quit, no sense of ‘here we go again.’  The Tigers simply got up off the mat and went right back to the fight.

No, these aren’t your father’s Auburn Tigers.

That’s what 87,000 fans who waited for an hour in a blinding rain and who filled the air with chants of “It’s great to be an Auburn Tiger” as the clock struck midnight on the Mountaineers realized.

This is a different breed of cat.

By: Kevin Strickland

The former champion lay battered and bruised on the canvas, belted to the ground by a faster opponent with a chip on his shoulder.

Months of conditioning and reconditioning, a complete change in attitude and approach led him precisely where he was the last time he’d battled this challenger — flat on his back.

In the stands, his family covered their eyes and screamed “Stop the fight!”

Not this time.

The former champion got to his feet and waded back in. More blows rained down.

The former champion took each shot, staggered but didn’t fall. Instead he taunted his opponent. “You ain’t so bad. You ain’t so bad. I ain’t even breathing hard.”

The champ took punch after punch, daring the opponent to knock him out.

When the challenger failed to bring him down, the ex champ went on the attack and felled his opponent with a barrage of shots to the head.

Music swelled, his family rushed to the ring. “Are you all right?” he was asked.

“Never better,” he replied. “Never better.”

The script for the final fight scene in Rocky 3? Yes.

Also a fitting parallel to Auburn’s 41-30 win over West Virginia Saturday night.

Cast Auburn in the role of Balboa, the former heavyweight champion. After ascending to the top of the sport, Balboa grew less focused. His skills diminished.

Like Balboa, the Auburn Tigers reached the height of the game in 2004, but had been slowly slipping since.

If Auburn is Balboa, West Virginia takes on the role of Lang.

The first time Balboa and Lang clash, the challenger is an underdog despite Balboa’s lackluster performances. Lang stuns Balboa, breaking his will, knocking him out and destroying the champion in humiliating fashion.

The first time Auburn and West Virginia duel the Mountaineers humble the Tigers 34-17 with a second half offensive barrage that leaves Auburn broken and battered.

In the aftermath of the first Balboa-Lang fight, Rocky loses his beloved manager. He connects with an old friend who retools his training regimen, reshapes his approach and turns him into a different fighter.

When the clock hit zero in Morgantown a year ago, the career of respected Auburn coach Tommy Tuberville was effectively over. The Tigers connected with former defensive coordinator Gene Chizik who retooled the Tigers, brought in a different offensive philosophy under new offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn and turned the Tigers into a different team.

As the climactic battle unfolded, Lang hammered Balboa early, dropping him to the canvas twice and leading his wife, Adrian, to cover her eyes and beg for the fight to end.

In the first quarter on Saturday night West Virginia punished Auburn with a long pass to set up one score and a breakaway run for another. Before the Tigers could blink, they were in a 14-0 hole. In the stands, fans who had braved nearly four inches of rain and an hour delay were distraught.

Balboa rallied, daring Lang to hit him again and again, taking his best shots. In the corner, his trainer urged him “Eye of the Tiger, Rock. Take it to him, eye of the tiger.”

Auburn refused to quit. The Tigers took shot after shot, but would not back down.

“You ain’t so bad. You ain’t so bad.”

When West Virginia had given Auburn all it had, the Tigers struck back.

Eye of the Tiger.

As Rocky began his comeback, Adrian leaped to her feet and began to chant “Rocky, Rocky, Rocky…”

As Auburn delivered the knockout blow, Tiger fans picked up the chant “It’s great to be an Auburn Tiger.”

Are you all right Auburn?

Never better. Never better.