Bro or Manzir--Thoughts?

Coincidentally, Bama is recruiting a new D-linemen to fill the rather large void left by Mt. Cody.

Too Good not to post

Check out this link. You stay classy Bama...

The Smug Unhappy Little Man

Smile Nick.

Couldn't help but notice how happy Nick Saban was after his Gatorade bath last night. After adding a "pile-on" touchdown that would make Urban Meyer smile (actually I think the Xanax makes Urban smile now), Nick looked more like he was given a Gatorade enema.

It is almost sad to me that he clearly does not enjoy success even for a second or two on the podium. I just caught his post game presser on WJOX (the official flagship station for Bama bootlicking). He was asked what he did to celebrate. I halfway expected the guy to say "I kicked a puppy" or something. After an absolutely supurb defensive play that let's face it, won the game at the end of the first half, Saban ran down the sidelines swearing at Marcel Darius for throwing the ball in spontaneous celebration.

Nick Saban is probably the best of a group of elite coaches in college football right now. I still pity the guy, because he is one of those people who cannot enjoy the most enjoyable moment. He will lose again one day. My God, it will be enjoyable when he does.

Other assorted thoughts:
-Greg McElroy is a D-bag. 5-11 for 58 yards yet you get to berate your O-linemen? Face facts kid. The only reason Texas was in that game was because your playcaller let you drop back 16 times. Bama could have run the ball every play and still won that game. You were the third best quarterback in the game last night. You should thank the good lord every night that you got to hand the ball to the likes of Ingam and Richardson. I won't even go into you calling out your own fans earlier this year.

-Colt McCoy is a hard luck good guy. I still think Alabama wins that game if he stays in, but it would have been interesting to see.

-Mack Brown's brain cramp just before half made me wonder how he has made it this long at a school like Texas. He has an overwhelming wealth of talent and his big rival in Texas is lousy. Vince Young should get a fruitbasket every Christmas from you Mack.

-A little of the shine is off of Boom Muschamp today as well. That was a soft run D last night folks.

So for this Auburn graduate in Birmingham, these are dark times. In 2004, I said I could die happy since the Red Sox won the Series and Auburn ran the table. Flash forward five years, the Yankess win it all, and Alabama is occupied territory. Unfortunately, I reside in the Warsaw ghetto.

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.

Outback Bowl Preview

First and foremost, I hope you and your loved ones had a Merry Christmas and best wishes to you in 2010! May it begin with an Auburn victory!

If you are still with us and reading our pre- and postgame musings this late into the season, in the words of Dr. Z's favorite conservative personality, Glen Beck..."You're a sick, twisted freak!" (Actually Dr. Z loathes Mr. Beck).

The Outback Bowl!! Kudos Jay Jacobs for buying this bowl game for the Auburn Tigers. I'm not sure how many tickets you promised the Outback Bowl committee you'd take off their hands, we're just pleased to not be in Shreveport or, God forbid, Birmingham! High marks your way for working the system in favor of the Tigers.

Truth be told, I believe the Outback Bowl committee saw an Auburn team on the rise, a team capable of putting up an impressive offensive showing in an unorthodox fashion, a team whose fans travel well no matter the location. I believe in the end, the decision to go with Auburn over the other 7-5 log-jammed teams was an easy one for this committee.

Bowl game outcomes are difficult to predict because of the myriad of distractions the week of the game. You wouldn't believe how frequently people call your hotel room to ask if you could come down to the lobby to sign paraphernalia. I've seen photos of myself on eBay that I remember signing the week of my last football game in our hotel lobby. It's unbelievable. You never can tell how a team will respond to being on the road for a week rather than a day, if they're capable of mixing work with play, if they're mature enough to mentally prepare for their opponent.

If Auburn handles the bowl week mania maturely and in stride, I believe the match-up with Northwestern is one Auburn should dominate. Northwestern will move the ball and score some points, but ultimately the Auburn running game is too much for the Wildcats to contain...if Auburn is ready to play!

Auburn-38
Northwestern-28

Dr. Z's Outback Bowl Preview

"Damn Dirty Apes..."

Of the many famous Alums from Northwestern, Charlton Heston has to be my favorite. He's done it all from Ben Hur to Moses. And gun lovers cherish him as Prez of the NRA until he became to senile to operate a gun. Actually, I hear after he died they really did have to pry it "from his cold dead hand."

Anyway, I have heard Northwestern called the Vandy of the Big 10. Excuse me, but I cannot recall a time when Vandy finished in the top 4 in the SEC. That is just an insult to the Purple Cats, who have really been pretty good ever since Gary Barnett took them to the Rose Bowl in the 90's. You might remember Gary Barnett from the Colorado debacle with the strippers paid for by the Athletic budget and the sexual assault of a female kicker. Barnett added insult to injury by saying she was a lousy kicker. Stay classy, Gary.

As far as the game goes, I am just not sure about several things. First, 10 AM start...yada..yada. I am kind of over the whole we play lousy in the early game thing. We played lousy against Kentucky and it was at night, at home, so I am not too worried about the 10 AM start.

Second, how good are the Cats? Offensively they throw it all over the place and hit short passes in doing so. That scares me a bit since we have been pretty adept all season at the 10 yard cushion. I do think the Auburn was a much better defense when fresh (i.e. early in the year and after the bye week against Bama).

Finally, how well have we prepped for this game. Is it a vacation? Is it a stepping stone into 2010? My guess is because of the no-nonsense guy that the Chiz appears to be we will take this game seriously. I also think Chris Todd the One Armed Zombie, Ben Tate, and A.C. finish their careers in style.

Auburn- 35
Nerds!!!- 24

Blown out by S.H.I.T.

Somehow this seems appropriate again

Auburn got blown out by Sam Houston St. (Originally called the Sam Houston Institute of Technology. They changed it for some reason. I can't figure out why) 107-89. It was the most points an AU team had given up since 1994.

I would call this rock bottom, but something tells me it gets worse after this. That same something tells me that if Jeff Lebo makes it to the new arena, it will be as a paying customer.

I am so confused and frustrated by this I may need to channel me some J.R. Suicide, though I am not as talented at swearing.