Outback Bowl Reax: Definition of Insanity

It's like I'm taking crazy pills!!!

Wow. That was just...wow.

How many ways can you say crazy? A quarterback throwing 78 passes in a game, with 4TDs and 5 INTs. 115 plays for several Auburn defenders. Blowing a 14 point lead...twice. A failed fake field goal to end the game.

For these reasons and many others, I had indigestion before I even had my New Year's blackeyed peas and collard greens.

Auburn 38 Norwestern 35 will be remembered as the most frustrating and satifying experience of the 2009 season. We looked super at times, and just plain awful at others. Auburn gave Northwestern every opportunity to win their first bowl game since the Harry Truman administration with stupid penalties, costly turnovers, and just flat-out boneheadedness at times.

Walt McFadden's excessive celebration penalty I can stomach. He'd just run 104 yards and high stepped a bit. Ben Tate...not cool man. Combine that with the fumble and you almost became Goat-Boy for the 2009 bowl season. Fortunately, you were bailed out by Neiko Thorpe, who finished play 115 for Auburn.

I can honestly say I am really happy that Pat Fitzgerald decided to fake the field goal. I think he was just as ready for that one to be over as I was. Win or lose, it just needed to end.

Then again, he may have figured he had no choice, given that his backup kicker wasn't even in the media guide, and was obvouisly not as good Stefan Demos. (I mean seriously, saying you're the best kicker on the Northwestern squad is like saying you're the smartest kid in your special ed class-it's just not that impressive).

I gotta say that I think Guz Malzahn is just too cute with his play-calling sometimes. The Kodi trick play at the end of the 1st half? Ugh. Why not a bomb to Zachery or Adams from the quarterback that won the starting job in August? Or better yet, just run it down their throats and go up 28-7 at the half?

I love Kodi. I love his selflessness. But does anyone else think he will help us next year in that wildcat role? With most likely Cam Newton at QB. It just seems like a perfect place for Fannin/Speedwagon. Putting Kodi in as Wildcat after Newton seems to make little sense now that we actually have Newton.

So 2009 is in the books. It was a pretty successful year considering no depth on D, a no-name bunch on offense, and a new coaching staff that no one expected to be as cohesive and sucessful.

I think 2010 is looking even better than it did a few weeks ago, with the addition of Newton and Dyer. The O-line will be the most experienced in the country. The defense should be way better with a little depth. I'd say with the favorable home schedule, 10 wins is a pretty good benchmark for 2010.