Gene Chizik is headed toward his fourth season as the Auburn head coach. Not once has the quarterback position been settled when the Tigers moved into fall camp. Not having a named starter is a concern, but the quarterback battle shouldn’t be Chizik’s biggest worry. 

This summer will bring development at a number of positions for the Tigers program. There are a few groups that need massive overhauls, while other positions will be making minor tweaks to the way they handle daily business on the field.

As the summer months pull into view, the Tigers coaches and players have a lot to attempt to digest before this fall. 

These are the worries that will outweigh the quarterback race for Gene Chizik this summer.

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Auburn football will enter spring training with a list of benchmarks that will be used to gauge the success of the coming spring practice session.

Despite the return of 18 starters, this spring will bring a host of questions that the Tigers must answer. Offensive line and quarterback are two glaring concerns that new OC Scot Loeffler will need to address. New DC Brian VanGorder will attempt to temper expectations while trying to build a starting lineup.

The coordinators will have to learn their new players, and implement their new schemes consecutively. This will arguably be the most important spring session that the Gene Chizik staff has faced while at Auburn.

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Defense has been the driving force for successful Auburn football teams in the past. When the Tigers have success stuffing the run and suppressing the pass, championships tend to follow.

The 1957 Auburn Tigers championship team didn’t allow a rushing touchdown all season. The 2010 team was No. 9 in rushing defense and finished the season with the best showing of the year against Oregon in the national title game.

Looking at past success for the Tigers, there have been some very talented Tigers that have led the charge for the lauded defenses. Looking back through the year’s at the bone-crushing hits and pick sixes, here are the top 20 defenders in Auburn Tigers history. 

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So to get my psych test done before the actual date I had to go to my psych teacher’s law office. I get there and she (and a bunch of other people) are outside obviously waiting for someone. I’m told a ‘celebrity

‘ 

I roll my eyes and enter her office and she gives me the test before retreating back outside. A car pulls up and it was Gene Chizik, the coach of Auburn University, oh you can imagine the excitement of everyone.

where as I am just like

So I get an autograph for my brothers and boyfriend before going back to my test where I end up like this for nearly 2 hours:

And when I finally finished and realized I did GOOD on it I bolted from her office excited that it was over and I was DONE with school until January 9th!!

Shamrock Shakes and SEC Drama.

The first night game at The Big House did not disappoint.  Big plays, horrendous defense and throwback uniforms were the themes of the night in Ann Arbor.  Denard Robinson returned to last season’s Heisman hopeful form by dismantling the Irish on a last minute drive to beat Notre Dame 35-31. The last minute of the game was as good as anything I have seen in college football this season. Three touchdowns were scored in just over a minute to play. Denard Robinson only completed 11 passes the entire game but four of those were for touchdowns.  It was an incredible night and fantastic ending.  The only distraction was Brian Kelly.  Every time I saw a sideline shot of Notre Dame’s Brian Kelly, complete with visor, headset and green shirt, I wanted to order a Shamrock Shake!  Hold the Shakes, and Hail to the Victors.

What a day in the Southeastern Conference! Gene Chizik’s incredible lucky streak continued in Auburn, Alabama.  Mississippi State quarterback Chris Relf was stopped inches short of the Auburn end zone on the game’s final play.  Over in Athens, the Ol’ Ball Coach used a pick six touchdown, a fake punt touchdown run and a fumble returned for a touchdown to beat Georgia 45-42. When interviewed after the game, Coach Spurrier smiled and replied, “You can’t lick our Cocks!”  Okay, I may have used a bit of “writer’s embellishment” on that last sentence. 

Lastly, the USC vs. Utah game’s ending was a story right out of Las Vegas.  The Trojans were an 8.5 point favorite and were leading by 3 points when Utah attempted a game-tying field goal as time expired.  The Trojans blocked the field goal attempt and ran it back for a touchdown and a 23-14 win over Utah (a 9 point victory). Point spread covered!  Point spread covered!  Point spread covered!  What?  A penalty flag was thrown 20 yards past the original line of scrimmage as the Trojans rambled down the side line for the touchdown.  Because several USC Trojans left the bench and entered the field of play during the runback, the Trojans were flagged and the touchdown was nullified.  Point spread NOT covered.  Trojans win 17-14. 

College football is back, and we are a better nation because of it.

Have a great NFL Sunday and please remember and honor the victims of the terrorist attacks ten years ago today. God Bless.

POST COLUMN NOTE:

USC covered the spread because the final score was “adjusted” to 23-14. The college football rulebook has a little known exception: It is a “dead ball” foul (not a live ball foul) if the team comes onto the field during the “final” play of the game. Touchdown stands. USC wins 23-14.  The referees blew it, and the Pac-12 corrected the mistake post-game.