Auburn stands not quite a year out from winning a Bowl Championship Series title, and the Tigers just finished a rebuilding season with a record as good as any realistic fan could expect in preseason.
So, why must Auburn’s head coach make statements like this after the regular-season finale?
“It’s been a lot of ups and downs this season for 12 games, and we’ve had some really good things occur in our 12-game season, and we’ve had some disappointments,” Auburn coach Gene Chizik said after the Tigers’ 42-14 loss to rival Alabama on Saturday. “This is certainly one of the huge disappointments.
“I have a locker room full of guys right now and coaches that are hurting and a lot of fans I know who are hurting as well. So, this is a tough day. This is a tough day.”
Oh, and there was this.
“It’s my job as the head coach at Auburn to make sure that this program continues on the right path, and that will happen here,” Chizik said. “That will happen here.”
That doesn’t sound like a coach who either met or exceeded expectations this season, and that’s because Chizik and Auburn did neither.
It’s not the 7-5 record. It’s how Auburn looked in the five losses.
Losing 38-14 to No. 6 Arkansas, 45-10 to No. 1 LSU, 45-7 to No. 12 Georgia and 42-14 to No. 2 Alabama isn’t just a drop-off. It’s a cliff dive.
A 38-24, early-season loss at No. 21 Clemson looked just like the other four losses from midway through the second quarter on. Clemson figured out then-unbeaten Auburn’s weaknesses on the fly and exposed them to the tune of 624 yards, the most given up by Auburn all season.
Auburn looked more like a Southern Conference team than a Southeastern Conference team against its SEC rivals, and the Tigers looked far from challenging top-tier teams again.
Some of that was expected from a team that lost 18 starters, including a Heisman Trophy quarterback and Lombardi Award-winning defensive tackle. Personnel losses and a lost 2008 recruiting class meant the Tigers got very young, very quickly and were due a brutal game or two, but five?
Auburn never showed signs of getting better against the best teams on its schedule, and that’s where this season became a disappointment worthy of Chizik’s feel-your-pain message after the Iron Bowl.
Chizik also showed a noticeable tone change. He did not defend his staff Saturday like he after the Clemson game, so changes seem likely.
At least one is warranted.
One doesn’t need statistics to see how Auburn’s defense went from bad to worse in three years under coordinator Ted Roof. If the eye test doesn’t cover it, then say two words --- third down.
Auburn won’t have a Cam Newton-quality quarterback every year, and this year proved that even million-dollar offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn can’t solve SEC defenses with vastly inferior personnel at enough positions.
Oh, and Auburn stands to lose Malzahn for a head-coaching shot, perhaps after this season to Ole Miss or North Carolina. Defense needs to return to Auburn, sooner than later.
The next most obvious problem area this season was the offensive line, but struggles in Jeff Grimes’ area are not a multi-year trend. They can also be directly tied to severe attrition after the Tigers lost a senior-laden line.
Still, one senses change is coming to what had been a stable Auburn staff, and change is needed after Auburn achieved a measure of disappointment in a season of low expectations.
Auburn’s showings against top teams and rivals gave Chizik his first visible bruise in three years as the Tigers’ head coach. More than a contrite tone, he needs managerial moves and continued good recruiting to make it go away.
Joe Medley is The Star’s sports columnist. He can be reached at 256-235-3576 or jmedley@annistonstar.com. Follow on Twitter @jmedley_star.
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