Mike A. Tiger's Weekly Football Blog: Auburn

 

Here we Geaux again: Hide the kids, lock up the womenfolk and throw out the record books. Auburn is coming to play. 

 

When two tigers tangle, twisted tales turn out. Weird things always happen when LSU and Auburn meet for football – and games are so singular and memorable that most earn their own name like “Earthquake Game,” “Cigar Game” “Barn Burner” and “Grand Theft Auburn.” Mike’s Auburn blog from last year gives a more detailed history you can review. What will the 2009 tilt be called? For LSU fans, we’ll be happy to just call it a “Win” and move on to our scrimmage with Tulane to get ready for the red elephants on Nov 7, where it could be #1 vs #4 yet again.

 

 

All SEC schools are great universities but their sports fan bases have noticable personality traits. If Georgia’s fans are whiners, Bama’s are delusional, and Ole Miss’ are snobbish for no good reason, then what is the identity of Auburn’s followers? Given their inability to pick a mascot and stick with it, you could say they suffer from multiple personality disorder. Mikey thinks that might be closer to the truth because Auburn fans are generally good-natured folk whose attention is usually diverted to their in-state blood feud. And when you have Bama to tussle with in your own back yard you have your hands full. One could make a case that Auburn fans have a chip on their shoulder for being known as the “other” Alabama school. 

However, the normally indifferent posture of Aubies towards LSU turns into a high-tension alley standoff followed by a seething cat fight when game week comes with cousin Tiger. If they win, they become insufferable and boorish taunters as you exit the stadium. If they lose they go home quietly and then accuse Tiger fans the week after of everything from throwing whiskey bottles and urine bags to setting fire to their vehicles. Almost none of the supposed abuse ever turns out to be true, but it makes for good message board grist to mill for the next year.

 

Mike thinks they are jealous that LSU is clearly THE Tigers – not “Flying Tigers” or “Saber Tooth Hawks” or “Battle Buzzards,” we are happy to be “Tigers,” or “Bayou Bengals” if you want to narrow the type further. 

 

This year’s football team from the Plains is very different from past years. Talk about identity crisis over the past two years! The failed spread experiment and then political turmoil of turning out Tommy Tuberville and the surprising and unpopular hiring of former assistant Gene Chisik to replace him did nothing to instill confidence into the Auburn faithful. The embarrassing incident of a loser fan jeering and booing Auburn’s athletic director for hiring Coach Chizik seemed to bode ill for the new staff. However, Auburn’s team came out like their hair was on fire and ticked off five relatively easy wins to start the season. Those Tigers had something our Tigers did not – a functioning offense. However, after the quick start (including an impressive win over West Virginia) reality set in as Auburn got into the meat of its SEC schedule. Their point production dropped off and they dropped the next two games to Arkansas and Kentucky. 

 

The reason is simple: Tuberville did not leave his successor with a deep roster of talent. Like most SEC teams the first line of athletes are competitive with anyone in the country, but the test comes when the inevitable dings and injuries come. So Mikey thinks it’s not the five early W’s but the 2 recent L’s that are more indicative of Auburn’s direction. The bigger question is what direction LSU’s offense is going. Given last year’s meltdown in the stretch, many LSU fans are apprehensive too.

 

Game Prediction: Not to worry…at least for two weeks. Many fret about how “badly” or “ugly” LSU is winning, but looking around college football it seems that only Florida and Alabama seem to be a cut above anyone else. Mikey isn’t impressed with Texas, USC, Ohio State or other traditional “powers” this year. Boise State? Hey Smurfs, please play two decent teams in a row sometime this decade. And lots of highly ranked statistical teams have two and three losses already. This year, LSU’s revived defense is keeping opponents out of the end zone and there’s a gritty refusal to lose and come through in the clutch. So if we can just find a rhythm when we have the ball the Tigers have an excellent chance to show what they are capable of doing and win the rest of their games…yes, even over Alabama. 

 

Les Miles has proven from his bowl games that when he’s given time to prepare his teams find another gear. Offensive Coordinator Gary Crowton has been nursing Jordan Jefferson along to avoid turning the ball over and that strategy has worked. What hasn’t worked is the development of our offensive line and Crowton trying to pull too many looks out of the bag (spreading the field, power I and option elements, working out of huddle and then using the “check with me” style going into plays) to compensate for Jefferson’s learning curve with reading secondaries and checking receivers. There is no flow or identity to our offense and that has to change. The gut says that Miles and Crowton will narrow down to a few things this team can do well and build on that. Jefferson HAS to start showing more understanding of his passing role and must be given more opportunity to take risks this week, especially if Auburn’s potentially explosive offense starts to click. Hold onto your seats.

 

Bottom line: LSU has a better overall team and skill players. John Chavis has our defense where we want it to be. We’ve had two weeks to refine and work out the kinks on offense. And we have them in Death Valley on Saturday night. LSU breaks out of the funk and chalks up its most impressive team performance. LSU 28, Faux Tigers 13.

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War Damn Eagle? Mike says “Whoa Damn Ego!”

 

 

Your Pal,

 

mike.a.tiger@gmail.com