The October from Hell. Red October. The Meat Grinder. The Gauntlet. Gene Chizik and the Month of Doom. Whatever cheesily ominous ESPN-style brand you give it likely applies to the slate facing Auburn in the weeks ahead.
After an inauspicious 3-1 start to the 2011 campaign (which could easily have been 1-3) the most brutal stretch of the schedule has arrived. At No. 10 South Carolina. At No. 18 Arkansas. Home against No. 12 Florida. At No. 1 LSU. Home versus unranked Ole Miss (oh, sweet relief).
Auburn’s coaches, players and fans have been hearing about October ad nauseum since the schedule was announced, so it isn’t catching anyone by surprise. But while the Tiger’s opponents arrive at this point as advertised and with only one loss among them (Rebels excluded, of course), Auburn has lent credence to the popular preseason prediction that this would be a rebuilding year on The Plains.
It’s not the come-from-ahead loss to a good Clemson team that has been so discouraging, but the uneven (at best) performances in the three victories. Having to miraculously pull out a dramatic escape against Utah State in the opener is one thing. Nursing a 10-6 halftime lead over the worst offensive team in the nation in Florida Atlantic last week is something else entirely.
The October schedule would be a mine field for a team loaded with veterans that is clicking on all cylinders on both sides of the ball. For a young and inexperienced Auburn squad (yes, that description still applies at this point in the season, but just barely) that is having issues in nearly every facet of the game, it could serve as a crushing blow to a team that has spent the first month of the season living on the edge.
Finish the month 1-4 or 0-5 and the wheels could very well come off. With rivals Georgia and No. 3 Alabama waiting patiently to pound on the team’s battered remains in November, getting to six wins and the lesser bowl invite that comes with it could be nearly impossible. Finish the year 5-7 (or worse) and the longer term effect on recruiting, player confidence and program stability all gets a bit murkier. Yes, the 2010 championship afterglow will cushion the blow for most, and it should, but for a fan base that expects bowls at a minimum it won’t go over well.
Of course, where there are the prospects for doom and gloom, there is also the opportunity for sunshine and glory. Auburn, largely written off following the loss to Clemson, has been given a chance to play their way back into the national discussion. A chance to erase any misinformed notion that 2010 was a one year wonder built around two amazing players. To add theirs to the list of unlikely Tiger teams who have slain the giants in past years. Steve Spurrier knows all too well from his days at Florida what an underdog Auburn team can do to a title contender.
If the Tigers can make it through October alive, adding two or three to the win column, then the month would have to be considered an unqualified success. It would show the world that Auburn’s coaches didn’t forget how to coach in one year, that its players won’t roll over just because they don’t have a Heisman or Lombardi winner on the field.
More importantly, it would give hope to all in orange and blue that this is a team that can make some real noise starting next year. Win more than three… well, dare to dream big and all, but it would take more than this year’s team has shown so far to prove it’s capable of accomplishing that feat. Still, glory is there for the taking and every goal this team has is still attainable. As a football team, or fan, that’s all you can ever ask for.
Riley Downing graduated from Auburn in 1999 and moved to the Washington, D.C. area, where he has been stuck ever since. He makes the most of his long daily commute and forfeits sleep in an attempt to keep up with everything Auburn and cling to his brief moment on The Plains. Follow him on Twitter—@FearlessandTrue.
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Honestly, if Auburn can split the next 4 games, the Coach of the Year award should be renamed after Gene Chizik.
I feel like if Gus can create and Barrett can pull off a brilliant offensive game plan that puts 40-45 on the board for us, and we can get some pressure on, and maybe pick off the quarterback 3 times or so, we could come away from either South Carolina or Arkansas with a “W”.(both might be too much to ask.) And, at home, I think we’ll have at least a puncher’s chance against The Gators. LSU… well… umm, I’ll be pulling for us like crazy. But, they are both REALLY, REALLY good, as well as a terrible match up for us… built perfectly for exploiting nearly every weakness we’ve shown so far this year. To say nothing of the game being in Death Valley at night.
A win against South Carolina is do-able if Auburn can slow down Lattimore. If the defense can keep him from running all over the place it will force the game on Garcia and then Auburn will catch the break it needs. On the otherside of the ball just offer enough protection for Trotter and let him put the ball down the field then utilize Dyer for the short pick ups.
From what I’ve seen, Auburn’s best chances are the next two weeks – South Carolina and Arkansas.
South Carolina looks uneven as well and their defense gave up 42 against UGA. Arkansas hasn’t beaten anyone of consequence. I agree that winning one of those games would be a monumental feat.
Florida looks really sharp. I’m already having nightmares thinking of Darren Bates trying to tackles Demps or Rainey. Charlie Weis will probably hang half a hundred on us. LSU will probably win 17-0 or something…no razzle dazzle but they won’t need any. That defense is so good it would require a Cam-like effort from Trotter to get more than 2 tds.
Here’s hoping we eek one out in Columbia or Fayetteville!
Agree with the comments. But as for a 5-7 record somehow casting doubt on the future of the program, I think that’s an overstatement. Chiz and Co. appear to be rounding up another top-shelf recruiting class on top of the talent already in house. So short of a mutiny, or the players and coaches simply giving up, or unexpected terrible news from the NCAA, I don’t see a 5-7 season ruining the future. USC, Oklahoma, and — hate to use bama as an example — but other successful programs have endured more than one off year and rebounded rather well.
CD: I didn’t mean to imply that 5-7 would mean the end of the line for AU or our staff, only that it would represent a significant step back perception-wise in the overall trajectory of the program. It’s not something another top recruiting class and successful 2012 can’t overcome.
Fair enough. It just seems to me that some of the fan angst over the early season is excessive, given that, one, AU just won the national title for the first time in 53 years, and, two, any sane person knew this would be a rebuilding year.