In Alabama, even before an infant decides which baby food he prefers, he is expected to have chosen to pull for the team in blue or the team that wears crimson. I was no exception, and for 61 years, my blood has run crimson and white. Auburn played an excellent game yesterday and no one who calls the State of Alabama home should try and detract from that or minimize Auburns accomplishments. The Tigers were outmanned, outweighed, and outcoached-or so it seemed-but, to their credit, Auburn never gave up. Alabama gained a hundred total yards more than did Auburn, but when it seemed like that should matter, it didt. Everything that Bama did, Auburn countered, starting with the offensive/defensive lines. Everyone, me included, was certain that the Alabama Big Uglies would eventually wear down the Tigers defensive line: we were so much bigger and stronger than Auburns defensive line that nature would eventually take its course, like it did in the Bama v. LSU game, and the Tigers defense would end the game pleading for mercy. Well, it didnt happen. The Tiger defense had 10 men with defensive experience, not 4, and Auburn took advantage of what appeared to be a clear mis-match two different ways: The Auburn defense substituted liberally, so it always had fresh legs on the field. Nowhere, with one notable exception, was that more apparent than in Tide short-yardage situations. Alabama was 4-13 in third-down plays, hardly Alabamas way of doing things. And Auburn had sufficient speed to take the flats away from Alabama. The few times Alabama tried to run wide were usually disastrous. Auburns offense also showed Alabama some looks it had never seen before. To begin with, Auburn ran its offense on a quick snap, giving the Bama defense little time to rest between plays and frequently catching Tide defensive players out-of-position. When the ball was placed on the hashmark closest to the Tigers, Auburn ran its offense at an even greater speed. At no time was the conditioning-or lack thereof-more apparent than during Chris Davis 100+ yard return of Adam Griffiths failed 57-yard field goal to end the game. As Davis cut down the left-side of the field, the CBS cameraman panned briefly toward the right-side of the field, showing most of the Tides huge offensive linemen(remember, this play started out with the Tide playing offense) with their hands on their sides making little effort to catch Davis (their efforts would have been futile, anyway-Davis was being led by a contingent of Auburn players). True enough, Alabama had several chances to put the game away, but it couldnt convert a fourth-and-short deep in Auburn territory, had the third of four missed field goals and Cooper dropped a potential TD in the end zone. One could probably put the Auburn loss down to luck, but that really wouldnt be very honest. Down 7 points, Auburn took the Second Half kick-off and scored in 9 plays. Auburn scored it last TD of the First Half in 15 plays, constantly keeping the Tide off-guard by calling quick plays and showing its defense formations with which it did not seem familiar. One might also just say that Nick Saban got outcoached by Gus Malzahn, but isnt that a part of football? Auburn earned its victory yesterday. That is a bitter pill for many of us to swallow, but its the truth. Glancing at the most recent polls, it would require a great deal of luck for Auburn to win the BCS Championship. Why not do the right thing: Pull for Auburn to win the SEC Championship, and, with a bit of luck, the BCS Championship, too! WAR TIDE!
Posted on: Sun, 01 Dec 2013 17:46:31 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015