Uncompetitive Auburn Teams - Using the CFP's "Eye Test" To Assess the Program

[Townhallsavoy]

Since we're putting emphasis on the eye test nowadays, I thought it would be interesting to go back through Auburn's recent history to identify games that featured a completely inept, unprepared, and uncompetitive Auburn team. This shouldn't be seen as reflective of entire seasons though if enough of them occurred in that season, you could easily form an opinion on the overall success of that team.

I am doing this because I feel like the number of games that include an Auburn team with zero chance of winning due to one or more facets of the game (offense, defense, special teams) have increased at an unacceptable rate.

Since I only started watching Auburn football in 2003, I'm going to start there. You can add more games from previous years if you would like. The parentheses feature the part of the team that completely hindered Auburn from having a chance to win. Point spreads don't matter though they will usually be wide. This is about the eye test where you watch and just know Auburn cannot win.

Note - This is not about statistics. You may be able to find some stats that say otherwise, but I'm mostly going on eye test. You can tell when a team has no chance to win even if they start slinging the ball down field or hit a few good runs.

2003

USC (Offense)
Georgia Tech (Offense)
LSU (Offense and Defense)
Georgia (Offense)

2004

None.

2005

None.

2006

Arkansas (Offense)
Georgia (Offense and Defense though mostly Offense)

2007

None. (Maybe Georgia, but I don't remember it being completely inept in that game.)

2008

West Virginia (Offense)
Ole Miss (Offense)
Alabama (Offense)

2009
LSU (Offense)

2010

None.

2011

Clemson (Defense)
Arkansas (Offense and Defense)
LSU (Offense and Defense)
Georgia (Offense and Defense)
Alabama (Offense and Defense)

2012

Miss State (Offense)
Arkansas (Offense)
Ole Miss (Defense)
Texas A&M (Offense and Defense)
Georgia (Offense and Defense)
Alabama (Offense and Defense)

2013

LSU (Defense)
*Missouri (Defense was absolutely pathetic in this game, but we won so I won't count it)

2014

Miss State (Offense and Defense)
Texas A&M (Defense)
Georgia (Offense and Defense)
Alabama (Defense)

2015

LSU (Offense and Defense)
Miss State (Offense)
Georgia (Offense)
Alabama (Offense)

2016

Clemson (Offense)
Texas A&M (Offense)
Georgia (Offense)
Alabama (Offense)
Oklahoma (Offense)

Totals by Coach

Tubeville (6 seasons) - 9

Chizik (4 seasons) - 12

Malzahn (4 seasons) - 14

[Godfather]

I'll agree with your 2016 assessment and that's about it.  It would take me to long to go back and look at those games to agree or disagree beyond that. 

I will say that based on this:

I am doing this because I feel like the number of games that include an Auburn team with zero chance of winning due to one or more facets of the game (offense, defense, special teams) have increased at a unacceptable rate.

I feel your numbers are a bit off, for instance the 2014 Alabama game, we didn't have zero percent chance of winning that game.  ( and yes I realize that you are being facetious when you say zero, but that game was more about momentum swings than anything else). 

[AUJarhead]

I feel your numbers are a bit off, for instance the 2014 Alabama game, we didn't have zero percent chance of winning that game.  ( and yes I realize that you are being facetious when you say zero, but that game was more about momentum swings than anything else).

And could just easily put the blame on offense in that game as well.  We punch it in 3 out of the 5 times we are inside the 10, instead of settling for FGs, that completely changes the game.

[Godfather]

Reading more into this I'm now actually confused as to the point you are trying to make?

The article title is uncompetitive Auburn teams. So I take back my agreement of your 2016 assessment.  Because in reality those games you mentioned while being inept on the offensive side of the ball we were still in the game thanks to defense. 

If your point is Gus is in over his head and keeps making the same mistakes, I think everyone agrees on that.

If your point is Tubs > Gus > Chizik again I think we all agree.

[Snaggletiger]

Did I leave the iron on?

[WiregrassTiger]

I'm just impressed that you Remember all of these games. I can't remember what I had for breakfast.

[Godfather]

I'm just impressed that you Remember all of these games. I can't remember what I had for breakfast.

Yeah but when your wife turns the microwave on you piss your pants and forget who you are for 1/2 an hour.

[chinook]

I don't get it Big Dan.

[Kaos]

I think you're swinging at two different balls. 

There's a difference between a team not being in a competitive position and one that fails to deliver. 

Again, you don't have the same historical perspective as some of us do.  I was alive during the Barfield era.  When the schedule came out, we'd look at it and go "shit, there's a loss, there's a loss, there's a loss."  We knew going in that we had no chance to win certain games and hoped only to put up a good showing.  We knew other programs were playing at a different level.  We had no hope. THAT's non-competitive to me. 

Dye changed that.  Yes, we still lost games and we lost some that defied explanation.  But after his first season, I looked at the schedule and thought to myself, "we could win every one of those."   Same with Tuberville.  I don't remember ever looking at a schedule and dreading having to play the games because I was afraid that we'd have no chance.   Doesn't mean we always won or even played well, but we could.We were, for the most part, consistent and competitive.   

Now?  Over the last decade I've seen some of the best QB play ever but I've also seen the absolute worst in the history of Auburn football.  In Frazier, Wallace, Moseley, Burns, Johnson and Franklin I've witnessed the most inept, unprepared and embarrassing displays imaginable.  The lack of ability at the position is inexcusable and uancceptable. 

I have no confidence that this team with this monkey-fucking-a-football staff can beat anyone.  Sometimes we do (Arkansas 2016).  Sometimes we barely do (Jax State).  Sometimes we get humiliated by a team we should be at least equal to (LSU 2015, Georgia 2016).  When we get the defense playying well, the offense disappears.  There is no plan B, nothing but twirly swirly gumdrop (borrowed line) formations that would make a junior high coach cringe when things don't immediately go according to plan.  Even with Nick Marshall, the fucking offensive gameplan for most of 2015 was "run up the middle, jet sweep or bubble screen, chunk it as far as you can, punt." 

There's no player development or improvement.  Nothing that gives me the hope that we can compete week in and week out like I had with Dye and Tuberville. 

In my blunt assessment we are a hell of lot closer to being Mississippi State than we are to leveling the field against Bama.  And I don't like it. 

[Snaggletiger]

 

There's no player development or improvement.  Nothing that gives me the hope that we can compete week in and week out like I had with Dye and Tuberville. 

In my blunt assessment we are a hell of lot closer to being Mississippi State than we are to leveling the field against Bama.  And I don't like it.

The one position I would agree on here is obviously QB.  I was concerned about overall player development before under Malzahn and openly questioned their strength and conditioning methods.  Something happened this past off season.  Players across the board came in significantly bigger and stronger on both sides of the ball.  A team that was getting pushed around by Jax State and San Louis Obispo Cal State the season before, was now manning up and knocking the shit out of LSU.  The defense gave just over 15 points a game going into the Sugar Bowl.  That's Tuberville-esque numbers. 

But QB?  To your point, that's been awful on a shittastic level. No need to belabor the point anymore. As I believe Jarhead stated in another thread...if we've got a Heisman candidate in our backfield, we're pretty damn good.  If not, we suck ballz.

   

[WiregrassTiger]

I think you're swinging at two different balls. 

There's a difference between a team not being in a competitive position and one that fails to deliver. 

Again, you don't have the same historical perspective as some of us do.  I was alive during the Barfield era.  When the schedule came out, we'd look at it and go "shit, there's a loss, there's a loss, there's a loss."  We knew going in that we had no chance to win certain games and hoped only to put up a good showing.  We knew other programs were playing at a different level.  We had no hope. THAT's non-competitive to me. 

Dye changed that.  Yes, we still lost games and we lost some that defied explanation.  But after his first season, I looked at the schedule and thought to myself, "we could win every one of those."   Same with Tuberville.  I don't remember ever looking at a schedule and dreading having to play the games because I was afraid that we'd have no chance.   Doesn't mean we always won or even played well, but we could.We were, for the most part, consistent and competitive.   

Now?  Over the last decade I've seen some of the best QB play ever but I've also seen the absolute worst in the history of Auburn football.  In Frazier, Wallace, Moseley, Burns, Johnson and Franklin I've witnessed the most inept, unprepared and embarrassing displays imaginable.  The lack of ability at the position is inexcusable and uancceptable. 

I have no confidence that this team with this monkey-fucking-a-football staff can beat anyone.  Sometimes we do (Arkansas 2016).  Sometimes we barely do (Jax State).  Sometimes we get humiliated by a team we should be at least equal to (LSU 2015, Georgia 2016).  When we get the defense playying well, the offense disappears.  There is no plan B, nothing but twirly swirly gumdrop (borrowed line) formations that would make a junior high coach cringe when things don't immediately go according to plan.  Even with Nick Marshall, the fucking offensive gameplan for most of 2015 was "run up the middle, jet sweep or bubble screen, chunk it as far as you can, punt." 

There's no player development or improvement.  Nothing that gives me the hope that we can compete week in and week out like I had with Dye and Tuberville. 

In my blunt assessment we are a hell of lot closer to being Mississippi State than we are to leveling the field against Bama.  And I don't like it.

I think the "run up the middle, jet sweep or bubble screen, chunk it as far as you can, punt" game plan  has its merits. But you have to go on the hut, hut and not the hut.

[jmar]

Agree with K.
And those Barfield teams lacked overall talent and quality depth but I at least thought they planned well and coached the players up the best they could.
No excuse for this staff to fail so miserably bad with this talent.

   

[Kaos]

Agree with K.
And those Barfield teams lacked overall talent and quality depth but I at least thought they planned well and coached the players up the best they could.
No excuse for this staff to fail so miserably bad with this talent.

 

Agree. We essentially surrendered to Bryant during that era.  He owned the NCAA and cheated at a level that has never been equaled. Not only did he cheat with impunity, he also burned any program capable of competing with him. 

We are in that same world of shit again.  Teflon bama boldly stealing recruits with no fear of being punished. And if you challenge them? The NCAA will be on your ass.

[Buzz Killington]

Agree. We essentially surrendered to Bryant during that era.  He owned the NCAA and cheated at a level that has never been equaled. Not only did he cheat with impunity, he also burned any program capable of competing with him. 

We are in that same world of shoot again.  Teflon bama boldly stealing recruits with no fear of being punished. And if you challenge them? The NCAA will be on your ass.

Gus and Chiz are obviously worlds ahead of Barfield because they chose/choose to put up the good fight.   Originally, Chiz and Tubs (albeit with the wrong guy) did at least have the foresight to bring in a new style offense with a completely different set of players from the machine across the state.  The problem now is that the machine has moved in that same direction offensively and defensively...therefore, recruiting just got tougher.  I have to give Gus a solid B on his recruiting.  His biggest problem is that he doesn't know what to do with half the kids that he gets here, because after year 4, he still hasn't settled on a true offensive style.

[Snaggletiger]

Agree. We essentially surrendered to Bryant during that era.  He owned the NCAA and cheated at a level that has never been equaled. Not only did he cheat with impunity, he also burned any program capable of competing with him. 

We are in that same world of shit again.  Teflon bama boldly stealing recruits with no fear of being punished. And if you challenge them? The NCAA will be on your ass.

Hugh *cough cough* Freeze *cough*

[Token]

Y'all need to quit living in the Dye era.  The kids being recruited now weren't even alive when Dye was coaching.

[chinook]

Y'all need to quit living in the Dye era.  The kids being recruited now weren't even alive when Dye was coaching.

You tell them Papa Bear.

[Buzz Killington]

Y'all need to quit living in the Dye era.  The kids being recruited now weren't even alive when Dye was coaching.

Git!  You kids get off my lawn!

[Townhallsavoy]

Reading more into this I'm now actually confused as to the point you are trying to make?

The article title is uncompetitive Auburn teams. So I take back my agreement of your 2016 assessment.  Because in reality those games you mentioned while being inept on the offensive side of the ball we were still in the game thanks to defense. 

If your point is Gus is in over his head and keeps making the same mistakes, I think everyone agrees on that.

If your point is Tubs > Gus > Chizik again I think we all agree.

You can technically still be in the game yet know as a fan that our chances of winning are extraordinarily thin or even nonexistent based on what you're seeing on the field. We somehow nearly won the Clemson game this year but everyone I hope can admit that the offense was such a clusterfuck that the eye test would say no way. Too fucked for repair.

My biggest point is that from Tuberville to Chizik, our number of embarrassing displays of football increased. It has increased even more under Gus.

It's simply another angle to consider when evaluating this program. Perhaps my ultimate goal is to construct an argument for Jay Jacobs to be fired.

I don't know. As JR would say, nothing we write here matters but we come here to discuss Auburn football.

[Townhallsavoy]

I think you're swinging at two different balls. 

There's a difference between a team not being in a competitive position and one that fails to deliver. 

Again, you don't have the same historical perspective as some of us do.  I was alive during the Barfield era.  When the schedule came out, we'd look at it and go "shit, there's a loss, there's a loss, there's a loss."  We knew going in that we had no chance to win certain games and hoped only to put up a good showing.  We knew other programs were playing at a different level.  We had no hope. THAT's non-competitive to me. 

Dye changed that.  Yes, we still lost games and we lost some that defied explanation.  But after his first season, I looked at the schedule and thought to myself, "we could win every one of those."   Same with Tuberville.  I don't remember ever looking at a schedule and dreading having to play the games because I was afraid that we'd have no chance.   Doesn't mean we always won or even played well, but we could.We were, for the most part, consistent and competitive.   

Now?  Over the last decade I've seen some of the best QB play ever but I've also seen the absolute worst in the history of Auburn football.  In Frazier, Wallace, Moseley, Burns, Johnson and Franklin I've witnessed the most inept, unprepared and embarrassing displays imaginable.  The lack of ability at the position is inexcusable and uancceptable. 

I have no confidence that this team with this monkey-fucking-a-football staff can beat anyone.  Sometimes we do (Arkansas 2016).  Sometimes we barely do (Jax State).  Sometimes we get humiliated by a team we should be at least equal to (LSU 2015, Georgia 2016).  When we get the defense playying well, the offense disappears.  There is no plan B, nothing but twirly swirly gumdrop (borrowed line) formations that would make a junior high coach cringe when things don't immediately go according to plan.  Even with Nick Marshall, the fucking offensive gameplan for most of 2015 was "run up the middle, jet sweep or bubble screen, chunk it as far as you can, punt." 

There's no player development or improvement.  Nothing that gives me the hope that we can compete week in and week out like I had with Dye and Tuberville. 

In my blunt assessment we are a hell of lot closer to being Mississippi State than we are to leveling the field against Bama.  And I don't like it.

Your last sentence is getting at my point. We suck and this is abnormal for Auburn. Drain the swamp as the Fuher would say.