All of a sudden, eight wins not a stretch

[AUChizad]

http://www.al.com/sports/index.ssf/2011/10/all_of_a_sudden_eight_wins_not.html

All of a sudden, eight wins not a stretch for Auburn (Herndon)
Published: Wednesday, October 05, 2011, 7:35 AM
Mike Herndon, Press-Register By Mike Herndon, Press-Register
(Todd Van Emst, Associated Press)

The idea got a few good laughs before the season. It seemed so unlikely two weeks ago that even I discarded it as ridiculous. But now, suddenly, it looks possible again.

   Auburn could win eight games this season -- or more.

    With a roster so young most of it can scarcely remember when Bill Clinton was president or when Lou Holtz was a college football coach, a rebuilding year was anticipated on the Plains in 2011. When the Tigers' defense gave up 34 points or more in its first three games and was roasted in a 38-24 loss at Clemson, even getting to six wins looked like a battle.

    Funny how one performance can change those perceptions. The Tigers did it, amazingly, with defense, holding then-No. 10 South Carolina to 289 yards in Saturday's 16-13 win and proving yet again that Ted Roof has more lives than a cat.

    But it wasn't Roof's defense alone that held South Carolina to 13 measly points. It was -- well, yes, Stephen Garcia's ineptitude. But it was also Gus Malzahn's ball-control offense.

    With Auburn throwing two interceptions in the first half and two more in the second, the wizard of the no-huddle went conservative in Columbia, handing the ball to Mike Dyer 41 times. The result: 141 rushing yards for Dyer, 92 offensive plays to South Carolina's 52, an 11½-minute edge in time of possession, 67 running plays and only 25 passes.

    And one big-time road win.

    The recipe for a successful season for this young team was always clear. The Tigers needed to beat Mississippi State at home and at least split a pair of early-season road games at Clemson and South Carolina to put itself in position for the stretch run.

    Check, and check.

    The trip to Arkansas this week is no less daunting than it appeared before. Tyler Wilson, who torched the Tigers for 332 yards last season, is a far more consistent passer than Garcia and lit Texas A&M up for 510 yards last week.

    But Florida may still be beaten up when it comes to the Plains in two weeks -- it's uncertain whether quarterback John Brantley, out for this week's game with LSU, will be ready to play at Jordan-Hare. Ole Miss is struggling, to put it nicely, and Georgia's defense has been beset with injuries and now a suspension.

    If the Tigers beat the Gators, Rebels and Bulldogs, a win over Samford on Nov. 19 would give them eight -- a game better than the 7-5 regular-season mark they posted in Gene Chizik's first year on the Plains in 2009.

    A lot has to go right. Dyer has to stay healthy. Barrett Trotter must play efficiently (interceptions will get you beaten on most days in the SEC). Young players on defense and the offensive line must continue to mature and improve. 

    Chizik and crew will concede nothing, and they shouldn't. No one thought they'd come back from Columbia with a W and they did.

    But if you'd told him before this season he could get eight wins with a shot at nine in a sunny Florida bowl game with a roster full of underclassmen, I bet he would have taken it.

[Townhallsavoy]

How about this article headline:

"All of a sudden, the local, state, and national media realizes they are morons and know nothing of predicting the success or failure of college football teams"

Actually, this would be better:

"All of a sudden, the media continues to be oblivious to the relevancy and success of Auburn's football program over the last 30 years"

[JR4AU]

How about this article headline:

"All of a sudden, the local, state, and national media realizes they are morons and know nothing of predicting the success or failure of college football teams"

Actually, this would be better:

"All of a sudden, the media continues to be oblivious to the relevancy and success of Auburn's football program over the last 30 years"

Saban would fire them.