Oh Matt Hayes...

[AUChizad]

http://aol.sportingnews.com/ncaa-football/story/2012-08-23/auburn-kiehl-frazier-gene-chizik-cam-newton-national-championship-sec

Auburn backsliding post-Cam Newton
Published 19 hours and 46 minutes ago Last updated 10 hours and 31 minutes ago
Matt Hayes Sporting News

Even now, these things still don’t line up. Two years removed from the ultra, Supernova moment, there is no glow.

Only a glaring, gaping hole in the middle of a three-year stretch that has defined Auburn football under coach Gene Chizik. Like it or not.
Since leading Auburn to a national title in 2010 with Cam Newton as quarterback, the Tigers are just 16-10. (AP Photo)

“We have to put ourselves on the map,” says Auburn wideout Emory Blake.

Imagine that. Two years ago, Auburn won the national championship. Heading into Year 2 post glory, Auburn can’t escape this reality: With superstar quarterback Cam Newton, the Tigers were unbeatable. Without him, they’re unbearable.

“We’re in a much stronger position as a football team than we were a year ago,” Chizik said. “We don’t try to look at the negative things.”

How could they avoid them?

In the three years under Chizik, a defining line has been drawn. Auburn is 14-0 with Newton, 16-10 without him.

Auburn is undefeated against rivals Alabama, LSU, Arkansas and Georgia with Newton; 0-8 vs. those four teams without him.

Auburn was the talk of college football with Newton, and is fighting to stay in the upper half of the SEC without him.

“I don’t know if that’s a fair statement,” said Auburn defensive end Corey Lemonier. “Cam Newton is going to lead any team to a championship season.”

And that, everyone, is the point.

Newton was so good, his once-in-a-lifetime season so impressive, he lifted an overachieving, senior-laden program all the way to the best season in the 100-plus years of Auburn football. Says one SEC coach: “Without him (in 2010), they win eight games. Maybe.”

That leads us to this undeniable crossroads for Auburn under Chizik: Is this a program on the move, or a program slipping from relevance?

For the first time in more than four decades last year, the defending national champion failed to outscore its opponents. At times, the 8-5 Tigers were downright brutal.

A 38-point loss to Georgia. A 35-point loss to LSU. A 28-point loss to Alabama. A 24-point loss to Arkansas.

There was also a near loss (should have lost) to Utah State and a gift victory from Mississippi State. But that’s focusing on the negative, Chizik says.

He points to the Chick-fil-A Bowl, where Auburn beat a Virginia team that—I’m not kidding, Chizik actually said this—“won at Florida State, won at Miami and beat Georgia Tech when they were unbeaten.”

Of course, those three teams play in the same conference as Clemson, which won the ACC—and beat Auburn by 14. So Auburn has that going for it.

“We had a lot of young guys last year that just didn’t have experience,” Blake said. “They’ve got it now. We’ve got it now as a team. This year will be different.”

How much different?

Since that all-important win over Virginia, Auburn has lost one of the three quarterbacks who played last season (Barrett Trotter gave up football for academics), and its best player (tailback Michael Dyer was dismissed). The Tigers have two new coordinators and two new systems.

Auburn does have a potentially stout defense—but who in the SEC doesn’t?

This team won’t win and lose with defense. It didn’t in 2010 with Newton when it was 60th in the nation in scoring defense, and 53rd in total defense.

It will win because it finds a quarterback who protects the ball and makes plays on third-and-long to allow the defense to stay off the field. You know, Football 101.

On Thursday, Chizik announced Kiehl Frazier as the starting quarterback. It was no real surprise, considering Clint Moseley had a sore shoulder throughout camp. When asked before making the decision if he hadn’t chosen a starter because he has two good options or none, Chizik said, “I think it’s somewhere in the middle.”

+$1 to the Auburner for this:

@TheAuburner
Does @Matt_HayesSN remember back when he thought 9 wins was an amazing feat for Auburn? The Wayback Machine does http://goo.gl/OyELq

That article:

Auburn has become job no one wants
Auburn hires Iowa State’s
Chizik to replace Tuberville

So let me get this straight. Auburn fired a coach who averaged nine wins a season, went unbeaten in 2004 and won the most bitter rivalry in all of sports six of the last seven years … then rolled craps.

How else can you describe the hire of Gene Chizik? In two years as a head coach at

Iowa State, his teams have won five games and lost to the likes of—in case, you know, anyone at Auburn cares—

Matt Hayes Kent State, Toledo, COLLEGE FOOTBALL

UNLV and Division I-AA North-

ern Iowa.

Why would Auburn, a jewel of a job in the best conference in college football, settle for Chizik, you ask? Because no coach of significance would take it.

This is what happens when you treat coaches like play toys, react to the moment and scramble to tie up loose ends by throwing boatloads of bad money after good. You get a reputation—and you get a majority of the coaching community that won’t touch your job for all the sweaty cash in megalomaniac booster Bobby Lowder’s Santa sack.

Before we go further, let’s all please remember that Auburn—on the surface—is one of the top 10 jobs in the nation. The people on The Plains are terrific; supportive, passionate, loyal. The facilities are impeccable.

There’s just one eensy-weensy issue: Lowder. He’s the trustee who controls the program—not president

AMES, IOWA.—Auburn has hired Iowa State’s Gene Chizik as its new football coach, turning to a former defensive coordinator who helped the Tigers forge a perfect season but has won five games in two years as a head coach.

Iowa State A.D Jamie Pollard said that Chizik told him Saturday he was accepting the job.

“I’m disappointed for our Iowa State fans and student-athletes that he has chosen to leave our program after only t wo seasons,” Pollard said in a statement. “I understand that it is a dream job for him, but the timing and the way it played out has been hurtful and disappointing.”

Chizik will succeed Tommy Tuberville, who resigned following 10 seasons with an 85-40 record.

Auburn athletic director Jay Jacobs would not confirm the hiring earlier after it was reported by numerous media outlets.

“We’re just still working through the deal,” Jacobs told reporters after landing in Auburn on a university jet.

Chizik’s departure will be costly for either the coach or Auburn. According to the terms of his Iowa State contract, obtained by Sporting News under open records law, the Cyclones are due $750,000 should Chizik leave for a head coaching job in Division I or the NFL.

An Auburn spokesman said no announcement was scheduled, but Chizik is expected to be introduced as the new coach Monday.

— The Associated Press

CHARLIE NEIBERGALL / AP
Despite previous triumphs as a coordinator, Gene Chizik wasn’t all that successful during his two seasons with Iowa State—he was collectively 5-19.

Coach tracker

Auburn’s hiring of Iowa State coach Gene Chizik filled the final BCS coaching vacancy—and created the most recent one at the same time. Here’s a look at the BCS coaching comings-and-goings this season.

Jay Gogue and most certainly not athletic director Jay Jacobs.

A quick look at life with Lowder:

Coach Tommy Tuberville’s contract specifically stated if he were fired by Auburn, the university owed him $5.1 million. If he quit, the university owed him nothing. So Jacobs strolled to the podium earlier this month and said he was surprised that Tuberville resigned— but that Aubie, what the hell, will pay him the Five Large, anyway.

Those kind of monetary mistakes cost people jobs in the real world. Unless you’re doing the dirty work for the man who owns everyone and

everything at Auburn.

You do the math.

Who in their right mind thinks Buffalo coach Turner Gill, a man with impeccable character, would wade in that cesspool? And Will Muschamp? Please.

Six weeks ago, while Muschamp was glowing in the postgame aftermath of Texas’ thumping of Missouri, I asked him about Auburn and what could potentially happen if the university pulled the plug on Tubs. He would be, I said, the prime replacement candidate.

I’m not completely certain, but I think Muschamp threw up in his

mouth.

It has finally come around to bite Auburn. All those years of buying off and paying out coaches, assistant coaches and anyone else who didn’t/ wouldn’t do things the Lowder Way, and now the program has never been in worse shape.

Nick Saban has Alabama at the top of the SEC, getting louder and prouder with every elite blue chip he signs. And Auburn counters with a coach who lost 14 of 16 conference games in the Big 12 the last two seasons.

[AUChizad]

And just WTF does he mean by this snark?

He points to the Chick-fil-A Bowl, where Auburn beat a Virginia team that—I’m not kidding, Chizik actually said this—“won at Florida State, won at Miami and beat Georgia Tech when they were unbeaten.”

He actually said it because they are true statements. Virginia was no cupcake pushover, as evidenced by the things Chizik mentioned. If we were in as much disarray as the author suggests, wouldn't we have met the same fate as those other respectable programs?

[AWK]

Who the fuck is this guy?  Does he own AL.com?  Fuck him and his (probably) fat wife.

[Godfather]

See these are reporters that have very short term memories. 

No one wants to hear the young excuse....well guess the fuck what we were young.  That in and of itself is ok, but couple the fact that our talent level was also non-existent.  No offense K on your constant Tubs recruiting protection (I loved Tubs too) but Tubs left us in a world of hurt in recruiting his last 2 years on the Plains.

[DnATL]

See these are reporters that have very short term memories. 

No one wants to hear the young excuse....well guess the fuck what we were young.  That in and of itself is ok, but couple the fact that our talent level was also non-existent.  No offense K on your constant Tubs recruiting protection (I loved Tubs too) but Tubs left us in a world of hurt in recruiting his last 2 years on the Plains.

If we were any younger, Sandusky would have applied for the coaching job

[WiregrassTiger]

If we were any younger, Sandusky would have applied for the coaching job

This is not that bad, as Sandusky jokes go. At least it appears to be original.

[WiregrassTiger]

Who the fudge is this guy?  Does he own AL.com?  fudge him and his (probably) fat wife.

Whoever he is, he doesn't seem to like us. I say fudge him. He obviously doesn't know much about football anyway. Anyone can get a job as a supposed "sports journalist" now-a-days. They seem to take the lowest bidder.

[Pell City Tiger]

If we were any younger, Sandusky would have applied for the coaching job

[The Prowler]

If AJ Greene hadn't gotten hurt in the Clemson game back in '10 we wouldn't have all these fanbases hating on Auburn, because we wouldn't have won every game (probably would've lost that Clemson game too). I've never seen one player hurt the entire OL like AJ Greene did, not even Mark Pera, and that's saying a lot.

[jmar]

If AJ Greene hadn't gotten hurt in the Clemson game back in '10 we wouldn't have all these fanbases hating on Auburn, because we wouldn't have won every game (probably would've lost that Clemson game too). I've never seen one player hurt the entire OL like AJ Greene did, not even Mark Pera, and that's saying a lot.

I blame Grimes. He was responsible for keeping that loafing-assed turnstile on the field which helped drive Moseley into an early fetal position. I can't recall the other pushover but there was another that was at least half as bad as Greene.   

[The Prowler]

I blame Grimes. He was responsible for keeping that loafing-assed turnstile on the field which helped drive Moseley into an early fetal position. I can't recall the other pushover but there was another that was at least half as bad as Greene.

You're talking about last year. I'm talking about our Championship season (had to convert a TE/DE in Brandon Moseley to fill in for AJ when he got hurt), because of Coach Tuberville's nack for signing players that couldn't qualify, when it came to signing OLinemen during his last 2-3 years, that really hurt the '10 team depth wise (we didn't really have a 2nd string, which is very very dangerous especially along the OL).

This past year it was Rs. Freshman Chad Slade at the Guard position next to AJ. He gets a pass from me due to him being a Rs. Fr....Also, he was probably trying to cover for AJ's shittiness.

[Godfather]

Coach Dye sums up how I feel.

Dye said Chizik and the Tigers are still digging their way out of a talent deficit left by former coach Tommy Tuberville, but he believes Chizik has Auburn on the right track.

"I'm realistic enough to know that Gene took over a very, very difficult situation without a lot of football players," he said. "What happened two years ago is a dang miracle. But he had a pretty good senior class -- a senior offensive line, with some leadership on that, of course had a great player in (Nick) Fairley on defense and Cam (Newton) on offense and other guys that were dependable and they were winners. With Superman at quarterback and everybody else playing as hard as they can play, it was good enough to win the national championship.

"Tommy didn't recruit many players his last two years in Auburn," Dye added. "Those guys would be seniors now and juniors now, so we're still playing with freshmen, sophomores and juniors rather than playing with juniors and seniors and a few sophomores and freshmen. It makes a difference in this conference, believe me. Playing an experienced football team with the talent level they've got at schools in this conference, it's tough to win with freshmen and a first-year quarterback. And we're still playing both."

[GH2001]

Coach Dye sums up how I feel.

And Dye would be absolutely correct.

[Saniflush]

And Dye would be absolutely correct.

He started the thug culture with Jeff Burger.

[CCTAU]

He started the thug culture with Jeff Burger.

Hey. Jeff was no thug, but that bitch could drink. Him and Stacy Searels would tie like three on in one night. When they got back to the dorm, you did not dare open the door when they knocked on it. Shit was getting shaved if you did. And if you saw them out, you went the other way. They had a knack for knocking shit over.....

But they wren't thugs, just good ole boys with a little beer money!

[Kaos]

But they wren't thugs, just good ole boys with a little beer money!

AH HAH!

Who gave them that money?  That is the question.

[Saniflush]

AH HAH!

Who gave them that money?  That is the question.

Keep it down home cuz.

[Godfather]

Keep it down home cuz.

CHAOS...Pat Dye running the program!!!




He has an office in the building.

[Saniflush]

CHAOS...Pat Dye running the program!!!




He has an office in the building.

And a farm where he grows the REAL spice.

[The Prowler]

Aight lets take a quick look back at Coach Tuberville's last 2 full classes...(I know we've talked about how the cupboard was bare, after the starting 22. But, I want to look at why). Here are the Contributing prospects in the '07 & '08 classes.

2007:
Kodi Burns QB **** 5.9
Quindarius Carr WR *** 5.7
Lee Ziemba OL **** 6.0
Ryan Pugh OL **** 5.8
Jared Cooper OL *** 5.5 (Injured throughout his career, started in '11 at LG)
A.J. Greene DE *** 5.5 (Contributor at OL)
Antoine Carter DE *** 5.6
Josh Bynes LB **** 5.8
Michael McNeil DB **** 5.9 (”Trailer Park 4”, kicked off the team prior to the '11 season)
Wes Byrum K *** 5.5

2008:
Chris Todd QB *** 5.5
Barrett Trotter QB *** 5.5
Eric Smith RB *** 5.7 (kicked off the team prior to the '11 season)
Darvin Adams WR *** 5.7
Derek Winter WR ** 5.4
Derrick Lykes DE ** 5.2
T'Sharvan Bell ATH **** 5.8
Neiko Lipscomb DB *** 5.7