By: Kevin Strickland
Since Gene Chizik’s controversial hiring in December, Tiger fans have intently watched his progress, looking for signs that the malaise that plagued the program in the second half of 2008 will evaporate under his leadership.
We’ve seen him assemble a staff, meet with the media, recruit, make personnel decisions, deal with staff issues, handle disciplinary matters, and manage practices.
What we haven’t seen is how that will all translate to the field.
In five short days, Chizik will finally get the chance to show what his Auburn team can do where it counts. Everything he’s done since arriving in Auburn in December built toward this moment.
In the end, Chizik will be judged on how well his team performs, in terms of intangibles like effort and intensity, yes, but primarily on wins and losses.
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Photo by Todd Van Emst- Will Chizik win for Auburn this Saturday?
By: Kevin Strickland
It’s hard to fathom just how much has changed in the last twelve months for the Auburn Tigers.
In the span of 365 days, the Tigers went from predicted title contender to projected punching bag. Have the Tigers really fallen that far that fast?
At this time a year ago, the Tigers were the chic pick to win the SEC West. The program was one of the most stable in the league, its head coach Tommy Tuberville holding the second-longest tenure of any active SEC coach. Fresh off a heady performance in the Peach Bowl, sophomore quarterback Kodi Burns was expected to step in flawlessly and give the Tigers a dual quarterback threat that was a cross between Michael Vick and Tom Brady. New offensive coordinator Tony Franklin brought the anticipation of a high-flying, high-scoring offensive juggernaut to complement Auburn’s traditionally stingy defense.
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A Big Bite for the 2009 Tigers?
by Townhallsavoy
While Tommy Tuberville had one of the most successful tenures in Auburn football history, he left the cupboard bare when it came to talented young players. The attitude that our coach could turn two stars into five stars was flawed. In essence, Tuberville had a knack for finding diamonds in the rough or players that were overlooked by recruiting websites and other schools. Through attrition, the talent level at Auburn dwindled, and it showed on the field. Tuberville’s lazy recruiting tactics and his belief that he could win by finding hidden talents led to his demise. 5-7 and a 36-0 tromping by archrival Alabama ended his career on a sour note.
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