2009 football schedule released
Sept. 5 LOUISIANA TECH
Sept. 12 MISSISSIPPI STATE
Sept. 19 WEST VIRGINIA
Sept. 26 BALL STATE
Oct. 3 at Tennessee
Oct. 10 at Arkansas
Oct. 17 KENTUCKY
Oct. 24 at LSU
Oct. 31 OLE MISS
Nov. 7 FURMAN [HC]
Nov. 14 at Georgia
Nov. 28 ALABAMA
Ball State? Tough deal there. That's a mid-major program that provides a really poor risk for Auburn: Beat 'em and nobody cares; lose and the world is coming to an end.
Sept. 12 MISSISSIPPI STATE
Sept. 19 WEST VIRGINIA
Sept. 26 BALL STATE
Oct. 3 at Tennessee
Oct. 10 at Arkansas
Oct. 17 KENTUCKY
Oct. 24 at LSU
Oct. 31 OLE MISS
Nov. 7 FURMAN [HC]
Nov. 14 at Georgia
Nov. 28 ALABAMA
Ball State? Tough deal there. That's a mid-major program that provides a really poor risk for Auburn: Beat 'em and nobody cares; lose and the world is coming to an end.
posted by Jay G. Tate at
4:33 PM
60 Comments:
They won't be losing to Ball State with Butch Davis coaching
Of course we have to have a former 1-AA school on the schedule. We can't seem to escape them.
This is the 3rd time this decade we'll play Ball State, but this time they are a decent team. Letterman/Suzanne Tuberville U has come a long way since the first time we played them.
WHY WHY WHY did they schedule Ball State???
That game has upset/letdown written ALL OVER IT. If you're going to schedule a cupcake, the nschedule a frikkin cupcake. Not these 'iffy' teams that you dont get much credit for if you beat, but they're good enough to where you might lose. (like USF, Southern Miss, etc.) It just seems too risky.
On a lighter note, I like the setup of early games. Auburn will be able to ease into the tough part of their schedule, for the most part. It'll be nice playing LSU later on in the season.
If I read that correctly, there is no open date until the week before Alabama.
I read the excuse today from Tubby in that we're just so tired on both sides of the ball games 6 and 7. I NEVER here this from any other coach.
just like the old days, anonymous
Looks like Furman is the only total patsy. Not a bad schedule.
Here's something that is mind boggling, sort of. Then again, sort of status quo.
Barrett Trotter is getting a run because he can run the spread. Tony Franklin's spread. But we were supposed to see a "different" Auburn offense moving forward. More running. I have several quotes to back that up. But Trotter "can run this offense", meaning the spread.
So we're going to run Tony Franklin's offense some more without Tony Franklin even though we said we were going to try to win some games to salvage SOMETHING this season?
See, Tuberville needs to go. It's time.
Tuberville never said we were changing offenses... we all just assumed it
Ron, he said it. He said it would look different. He said he only wants certain element of "spread". There's all kinds of stuff out there. I just figured everybody else had read up on it and had the same question marks.
Tuberville specifically said we are staying with the spread he thinks it's a good offense and he thinks it will work. We all just assumed he was pulling his usual double talk.
I like the Miss South Carolina comparison. Maybe he should go coach in SC since there's an opening as of yesterday.
"We'll have a plan. We'll start that plan this week," Tuberville said. "As we go, we'll get better at it. This time in two weeks, we won't be deviating from it. We'll be in here saying: Hey, it worked, it looked good, we're going to keep doing it or well, it's not very good but it's what we're doing and we'll keep working on it.
"These guys want to get better."
The rest of this particular interview is "blah blah blah". But what he said was the offense would be different. And we would not deviate from that offense.
Is it spread?
Tubs says not really since all offense should have some element of spread. He eluded to the possiblity of the shotgun and pass first attach being put on the shelves for now.
The bottom line is catastrophe. One bad season is "OK". The problem is 5-7 is more likely than 7-5. I don't know any program out there that will accept that as "OK".
First of all Jay...thanks for the schedule and I know you did it to provide info to the hotties however i am will to bet thhat you will be making this post again before next. I say that b/c it looks like you've thrown in the toweel man..chalking it up...calling it a year..say it aint so jay..anyway Now to business. gotta admit i always feel a little better when I hear the players talk..Jerrard is a leader aside from a few emotional moments they have always represented themselves with class..so I am not gonna complain this time about AU but instead about the post. When's next campfire Jay?
I never saw what you just paraphrased, but we can't completely ditch what Tony Franklin installed. They have spent too much time working on it and don't have enough time to put in a completely different offense. We can put in some different elements and possible formations, but we are going to be a spread based offense.
If I were the coach,I wouldn't tell the "fans" exactly what we were planning to do. I would speak in generalities and even circles so that I could change as needed and confound the fickle, anal retentive fans that analyze every word and then going "soccer mom" demanding exactness and perfection....but that's just me...I don't want to speak for Tubs.
Seems that a lot of fans don't like Tubs b/c he doesn't fit into your "box". BTW guys..either coaches talk in circles or they speeak too muchand too straight or they don't talk at all($aban). I know this drives all the wannabes crazy, but I think this is the wanabe's problem not the coache's.
by the way track it aint ok but I was thinking has tubbs got to use is undeafted-SEC championship as "his get out of the hotseat card." He hasnt become a legend but no one can argue that he is in the top three of AU coaches..or am I wrong..I mean help me out I am only in my 20's.
95% of the AU fans don't go near internet boards and think that CTT does a great job...even this year.
Why do we keep talking about one bad season? Tuberville has had his bad season already and he almost got canned for it (2003).
There has been a steady decline in the program since 2004. That is a fact. It's disturbing because it says that he couldn't capitalize on the success of 2004-2005.
Ron/Hoopie:
Great points.
I just wish Tubs was really that genius of a football coach.
what 99% of fans think or desire does not matter it's the 1% that CTT has gotta worry about.
hoopie:
55% of the Auburn fans were leaving the game last week while Auburn still had the laed....
lead not laed...my bad.
I stayed because I wanted to see how we would choke it away. This 4-3 season we've lead every game at the half.
I witnessed about a half of the crowd leave after Arky scored the go ahead TD. We all knew it was done. I watched the rest on my phone on the way out and actually smiled as I watched us call those plays at 1st and goal and as good as it gets shot and winning the game. As bad as the play calling was, the receivers should have been hit. Kodi couldn't do it.
I knew with the 1st drive we had of the 2nd half vs Vandy that we were going to have to give up less than 13 to win.
I knew early on last week that the D would have to win the game, because we looked completely lost.
It's sad, but fans, especially our student section leave a lot of games way too early.
Students care about the party afterwards. Not so much the game.
I was a student not too long ago, and I stayed for the games, but you are right.
I can't believe some of you are groaning over Ball State on the schedule. Fer chrissakes, have some dignity!
How many of the fans that left early want CTT replaced? How many are willing to pay for it? How many are willing to pay over $4 mil/yr for a "top notch" coach to come to a school with a fan base so fickle that they wanted Tuberville fired?
"Demanding" to fire an coach is cheap talk...put your money where your mouth is..pony up big boy. Don't give us the "I'll let my season ticket go" b/c if they are located anywhere good...you won't. If you were stoopid enough to do it...there are many folks waiting for well located season tickets. If the tickets are in a bad location....then you can't afford to pay for the new coach and need to shut up.
Booing is cowardice. If you are "demanding", then you aren't a fan...you are a "watcher". A "watcher" is selfish and "expects" to be entertained.....and for some reason thinks that his critical voice is always correct and deserves to be heard.
A fan GIVES "fanatical" support to the team. If a fan "questions something about the team, he does so respectfully and completely without negative speclation. Negative speculation only hurts the team and a "fan" wouldn't do that.
I agree hoopie. We have a lot of fair weather fans that should move on to another team, whether they are season ticket holders or not. I cannot believe the behavior we are seeing by some fans. The booing has been part of the problem for some time now. A lot of people need read the Auburn Creed. We are a family, not a nation. We support each other. We don't desert our team or coaches when they need us the most.
who is deserting whom - Duck hunting in the height of cruitin season
yada, yada, yada
aight being one of those fans that is neither an alumni or a season ticket holder and doesnt have the money to go to alot of games. I mean I went to my first AU game last year(sat in the nose bleed). I have been an Auburn fan since I was 8. I was told choose so I chose and that is where I've been ever since. Being at an AU game just solidified my love for AU jsut being around all the electricity and the Orange and Blue. Sure it was New Mexico and then Vandy but I loved it. I know I may not have the passion of an Alumni or someone with real investments in the school but I am the majority of AU fans. I bleed orange and blue and while there is the occasional Auburn bubba a mojority of this fan base is intelligent, sucessful, and they just sound smarter on the radio. So I ranted on long enough but there it is for those of you that took the time to read it...Thanks..War Eagle Hotties
When is demanding something more than mediocre being fickle as you say?
That was a great first post.
In fact, that's now our featured quote.
I found one I liked better.
ALSO: Someone said I was throwing in the towel. What does that mean?
That's a nice home schedule in the cycle when the "good SEC" are mostly away.
I'll try for season tics again...hopefully not to be denied.
Honestly, you've ramped up the game as far as I can tell.
Not sure what the whole throwing in the towel thing is...
Maybe he/she was talking about something else.
Hey is Jay throwing in his proverbial towel as a beat writer?
Also, there's a definite line between fairweather and fed up. And dollar bills are the spotlight, yes. A lot of us spend a lot of money in donations and game weekends in the fall.
Is it too much to ask a coach to field a competent and championship competitive team? We already know we can do it. We've been elite status in the '80s, the early mid to late mid '90s, and then again over a stretch of 3 or 4 years the last decade.
An alumni shouldn't be ok with a crumbling program.
I don't think it's crumbling. They're recruiting at (approximately) the same level as before.
It's clear the Tony Franklin Project worked out like New Coke. Still, I'm not sure the program is in dire need of change.
I mentioned Tommy Bowden the other day. Perhaps Phillip Fulmer is a more important parallel. Tennessee was remarkably patient during the Vols' struggles in 06 and 07.
That patience hasn't really paid off for Tennessee. That may prompt some Auburn people to take more decisive action at their school.
Just free associating there.
Good points, JG.
Vol nation is really making statements by leaving that stadium with a lot of empty seats on nonconference games.
I'm sure they'll be out in droves Oct. 25 though - the last chance to save face this season in many opinions.
Jay,
Do you know the reason why we play our home games vs LSU in Sept and our road games at LSU in late Oct?
rk: No. I haven't thought about that.
I've just found it odd. The last time we were scheduled to play LSU in Baton Rouge in Sept was the week of Sept 11, 2001. Ever since then, it's been in late October when we played them at their place.
Only two 10 win seasons in last ten yrs and one of those was with 4NFL FIRST ROUND PICKS!!! Heck I, Anonymous, could have coached that team.
Jayg,
The radio heads on the local stations keep bringing up 2 things about CTT and AU. 1. When do we want to get to the next level, 2. We are satisfied with only beating UA.
My opinion is that the majority want what all other programs want (SEC Champ, chance at MNC, and a BSC bowl). I know I do and I get ticked when I hear it so much on the radio with the morning guys.
As much as you cover AU, do you sense that AU fans are satisfied with beating UA more than the other fruits of winning?
Auburn fans, to me, are reasonably well-grounded when compared to other top-half-and-above SEC programs.
I don't sense Alabama wins are The Only Thing That Matters.
Then again, I don't talk with that many fans.
Speaking of radio stations, I'll be on WMSP 740 in Montgomery tomorrow morning at 8:35.
Longshore sent me an email this time. Maybe he really was listening to me on the air last week ...
IMO, we need to go ahead and pay the money for a top-notch coach, someone as good or better than Saban. If we sit around and wait on CTT, Saban will dominate the state and the southeast. Making it harder for Auburn to come back.
If this happens, the Iron Bowl next year will be one of the biggest yet.
Who qualifies as a "top-notch coach" in your mind?
Not many of them have the numbers Tuberville out up from 04-07. This season is a stinker, no doubt.
And to think: Some of you all were bustin' my chops in the preseason when I said it was an 8-win team.
Who gives a flip what a talking head on a radio station says, they're just trying to get you worked up to keep listening and call in, form your own opinion. AU is not "satisfied" with beating Bama, and have actually beat quite a few other teams over the past few years. This year sucks and that's about all you can say. Someone with a hell of a lot money than us will determine if Tubs stays or goes.
Jay G, the CTF and New Coke reference was the funniest thing I've heard in a week.
Jay:
I'm going to ask you this question because you haven't ducked a single one thrown at you that I have noticed:
In your opinion, what are the odds of the following three things happening after this seasion?
1) Tuberville is back at Auburn for the 2009 season as Head Coach.
2) Tuberville is at another school for the 2009 season as Head Coach.
3) Tuberville is enjoying semi-retirement in the 2009 season.
Thanks in advance for your thoughts
These are people who could possibly compete with Saban.
1) Butch Davis
2) Bob Stoops
3) Pete Carroll
Not saying they all are realistic in terms of coaching at AU in 2009.
Pete Carrol ... why in the wide world of sports would he even be on a list?
I don't have a problem with losing but when it is 100% the coaches fault, they need to answer. Jay, somehow I just found out about this blog (which is awesome by the way) but there is no excuse for these decisions and no REAL answers:
-Ace formation that worked during the 1st quarter of the Vandy game has not been ran since.
- Tubbs says because they were stacking the box...NEWSFLASH they have stacked the box for 9 of the last 10 years because you have not had a qb who was a passing threat, you are used to it. RUN IT!
-How many times has Tristan Davis touched the ball? 6? How many touch downs has he scored? 2!!!!! Don't you think you should get him the ball more often. Why not a toss sweep, or screen and get him on the outside and see what he can do?
-Why bring in Todd (the slowest qb in the country) and run an option to the short side of the field...twice? worst calls I have ever seen.
-I don't even want to ask about the 3 straight pass plays from SHOTGUN from inside the 5.
- Fannin is great right? So great you created a formation for him? How many times did you run it?
Those are just some of the stupid decisions made by Tommy's staff in one week, didn't even get into the past weeks.
-Why do you have to run 'the Spread' to get recruits? ANSWER:(see OU, TX,AL,LSU) they don't advertise 'The Spread', they will run it up your ass and then Spread the Field and throw it...or vice versa. Run the ball and be able to throw it down field and cut out this boring ass ball control bs and you will get the same recruits they have...and you may win a NC...like they have.
chirs03... Why would any of those coaches come to Auburn when they have awesome programs where they are at now? Those names shouldn't even be a thought. they aren't going anywhere for a while. CTT will get Auburn back on track this week and i bet they hand it to WVU next Sat. I think Auburn will lose only one more game the rest of the year. With the one loss coming from either UGA or Bama. Next year will be way different, it will be a good season, much like this year should have been...
lmao ya'll are giving Saban WAY too much credit right now...
Jay - this offense is more like "Pepsi Clear" than "New Coke". And I say before the season plenty of AU fans were drinking the "Spread Eagle Kool-Aid".
As to the fans leaving the game early?? I was more pissed that 90%of you were doing THE GOD*&^N WAVE in the 3rd quarter when we had the lead!!!! Are you kidding me? What do you think our players are thinking when they are in an SEC game with the lead in the 3rd quarter and they look up and our fans are doing the stupid azz WAVE???? C'mon! The fact is MOST AU fans gave up on that team BEFORE they ever even got to the game - which is downright shameful.
We sang the alma mater at half time. I'm guessing that 98% didn't know the first word.
Students - every year, good or bad, the particular group of students who ALWAYS leave early are the Fratties and Sorostitutes. Sure, they'll hang around for the upsets or big games, but they'll bail back to their kegs and frat houses as soon as things look bad.
the alma mater is horrible. I never sang it. I also never left a game early no matter how bad, and I never participated in the wave. These things have no correlation.
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