Just some ramblings from the mind of a 35 year old Auburn fan...Feel free to post yours...
What might have been. Man we were so close. The losses that stings the most are the ones you walk away from believing you are the better team. That was certainly the case last night. Unfortunately this 2013 will go down along side the likes of the '83, '88, '93, and '04 teams. All those teams were champions in our hearts. Yet, there are no AP or BCS trophies validating their greatness. Auburn could very easily have 6 National Championships in the last 30 years (Oh what might have been). However it turns out that wasn't our "destiny." It doesn't matter though. Not in my eyes. Thats not what it all about. Atleast not to me. To me its about the refusal to stay down. Its about the heart and 100% effort that is displayed each time that Auburn jersey is put on. Its about giving everything you got for 60 minutes and letting the chips fall where they may. Thats all I'll ever ask of any Auburn team. Do that and I will be forever grateful regaurdless of the final score and boy did those teams ever.
The older I get the more I'm able to enjoy the moment. As my wife chewed her nails off watching the title game, I was the one telling her to just enjoy the moment. Remember where these boys came from and just have fun watching this group of Tigers, the 2013 Auburn Tigers, play their last game together. Believe me, this has not always been the case for me when watching Auburn football. I was outside the house on my knees praying when Nix hit Sanders in the UF endzone back in '94. The miles I have paced during Auburn football games probably numbers in the tens of thousands. And even though I still jump, scream, kick and hollar through out the game, this year I made it a point to just enjoy the ride. I'm sure glad I did to. Seems like I enjoyed the season just a little more.
While not getting totally caught up in the moment, I was able to reflect alot more during the game. I couldn't help but smile when Tre Mason, a huge underdog in his own right, ran right by Bo Jackson's school rushing record. I also knew last night that win or lose I wasn't gonna be bitter afterwards like in '93 or '04. This group of upstart Tigers atleast got the chance to prove it on the field. Yet, like the '93 and '04 teams, the 2013 team will always special for me. The '93, '04 and '13 Tigers kind of shared that common theme of being the true underdogs. Teams that had risen from the ashes of past failures only to be tempered by the turmoil around them. The fight and resolve that those teams showed are worth more than any trophy in my mind. Don't get me wrong, watching that 2010 team hoist that crystal football will be a moment I remember the rest of my life. Their stunning rise was just as historic as any of the others but I can honestly say my love for that Auburn team is no greater than the one that just walked off the Rose Bowl field last night. You see whether the trophy was brought home or not this group of Tigers gave us something more than any piece of hardware could ever symbolize. The 2013 Tigers, just like many of their predecessors before them, reestablished the belief that no matter what valleys we may fall into, no matter what lows we may reach from time to time, the Auburn Spirt will always rise again and it will do so in a lightning fast manner.
Looking to the future I can't help but get excited about the what it may hold. Auburn returns a ton of players next year. These guys proved they can compete and win close games this year. Now they need to develop that killer intinct and learn to knock teams out. That inability almost cost us a few times this year and it finally did Monday night. With that said, I honestly believe that as long as Gus is on the sidelines Auburn football could see its greatest run in its storied history. Tom Rinaldi had a great quote in his montage of Gus. It went, "He doesn't come from no ones coaching tree. He coaches out on his own limb." He is the proverbial wolf amongst a group of sheep. He sleeps 4 hours a night and spends the other 20 thinking about football. His offense isn't something he was taught, it is something he created. The man is a wizard. As long as he decides to walk our sidelines, Auburn will compete for titles annually. I am certain of that. My hope is instead of wanting to move on to the next & bigger thing such as the NFL, Gus will be content to call Auburn home. It is truly no hyperboil when I say he could easily go down as the greatest coach in Auburn history. It just a matter of if he wants to hang around and do it. Something tells me he does.
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