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[bama alum]

https://tdalabamamag.com/2018/11/20...knceWup2OTkJIVUcOWaMah3BbXCuoAvkGS-cjOujGdg9c

The Sad Truth About Gus Malzahn and Auburn Football

By Larry Burton
Posted on November 20, 2018

This is the year’s bluntest opinion of Auburn Football and Gus Malzahn. Do you agree with the article or think it’s too one sided? Let us know in the comments.
THOUGH IT'S HARD FOR AUBURN FANS, THE SAD TRUTH REALLY IS THE TRUTH. (PHOTO - USA TODAY)
https://tdalabamamag.com/2018/11/20...nceWup2OTkJIVUcOWaMah3BbXCuoAvkGS-cjOujGdg9c#
THE SAD TRUTH ABOUT GUS MALZAHN AND AUBURN FOOTBALL
By: Lary Burton
Auburn football has always toiled in the shadow of the University of Alabama’s shadow, even during their stellar years. Fans, sportswriters and even the Auburn team themselves have become accustomed to good season that are followed up by mediocre ones. Auburn’s highest highs have always been followed up by laughable lows.

Most recently they had a great season this past year, beating both the nation’s eventual contenders for the national championship, Georgia and Alabama in the regular season only to lose in the SEC Championship Game and then in the post season as well. Still, it was a great season that was once again followed by a season they were lucky to have not landed in the Birmingham Bowl or some other irrelevant bowl.

They followed up their second national championship a few years back with Cam Newton by being so pathetic they fired the coach that won them that championship. That is the history of Auburn football and one they seemed destined to repeat.

Few schools have had more money going to coaches they’ve fired than Auburn. They refuse to spend the money to actually go out and get a big name coach, but always end up paying someone they end up firing like he was one.

Since legendary coach Ralph “Shug” Jordan, Auburn has had to fire or let go of every coach for over the last 50 years. It’s been one bad decision followed by another. The only coach that didn’t leave the school in an awful shape or on NCAA investigations was Tommy Tubberville. He had the best record of beating Alabama of any of the recent coaches for the last 50 years, yet they ran him off and paid him millions not to be the coach at Auburn anymore.

Gus Malzahn was hired because he was thought to be the genius behind Auburn’s only national championship since 1957. The sad truth was that it wasn’t Malzahn at all, but simply Cam Newton carrying the team who was also loaded with good players at the right time. Malzahn’s “magic” only works when he has a top talent dual threat quarterback. Without that, he really doesn’t have many answers as to why the offense won’t work. He’s a one trick pony that can another trick or adapt as Saban and other coaches have.

Since Jordan, Doug Barfield won just over 50% of his games. Pat Dye did better in his 11 years, but was paying players left and right and left under an NCAA cloud. Terry Bowden was brought in and did the best job of anyone in his five years, but sadly they ran him off because he threatened to come forward about paying players if they didn’t stop. Even though he was Auburn’s best coach in the last 50 years, his winning percentage was still only just over 70% of all their games. Bowden’s claims of Auburn cheating are well documented and he was all but blackballed from any high profile coaching jobs since.

Bill Oliver finished Bowden’s last season with a losing record and then they got Tommy Tubberville who as we said earlier, did the best against Alabama had about the same winning margin as Pat Dye, but was run off by insiders who simply didn’t like him and wanted him gone.
Tubberville was replaced by Gene Chizik, who gave them a national title, got a big raise and contract extension only to be fired two seasons later. His termination cost Auburn over 11 million dollars in payouts. This from a man who came to Auburn with a losing record as a coach. It simply shows the pattern that Auburn seems to constantly follow.

Because now, there are folks wanting to pony up over 32 million dollars to get rid of Malzahn. Like other coaches, Malzahn has had a good year that got him a contract extension and raise only to falter quickly the next. He went from only losing one SEC contest last season going 7-1 in the SEC, to a miserable 3-5 mark this season once the Alabama game is over.

Auburn spends the money to have paid for some quality high caliber coaches, but signs middle of the road coaches they think will be great, not great ones with a great proven record.

Name a coach that left Auburn and went on to success somewhere else. There just isn’t one. The same could be said at many schools. Prior to Saban, no one left Alabama and went on to greater things. But unlike Auburn coaches, Bryant left of his own accord, so did Ray Perkins, Bill Curry, Gene Stallings and Dennis Franchione. Stallings retired from coaching after leaving and of course Saban will leave on his time frame. Every Auburn coach since Jordan has been fired and I can’t think of one that didn’t get payouts after being fired.

Until the Auburn administration decides to finally change their ways, history will continue to repeat itself on the plains. This weekend, Alabama marches on the college football playoffs with a win over Auburn and Auburn fans scratch their heads and wonder how a season that started out so promising went to pitiful so fast.

It’s hard to be Alabama’s “Little Brother”, but it seems harder to try and escape that shadow. Even Auburn’s biggest supporter Pat Dye said last season, “Everybody in Alabama tends to gauge a program by what’s going on in Tuscaloosa,” Dye said on the Paul Finebaum Show. “I was there. I don’t look at our situation at Auburn comparing it to Alabama because you can’t compare the two.

“We could play football for another 500 years and we couldn’t catch up with the tradition Alabama has got, but that doesn’t mean we can’t have a good football program and a strong football program. It doesn’t mean we can’t have football teams that recruit good enough to beat Alabama on occasion.”

 

[rocknthefreeworld]

He went from only losing one SEC contest last season going 7-1 in the SEC, to a miserable 3-5 mark this season once the Alabama game is over.

Even the media concede this game already.

 

[#80]

Gus is such a Goober ........ Forrest Gus

 

[It Takes Eleven]

I rarely see articles presume a loss before the game when trying to make a point. Too one sided.

 

[TerryP]

@It Takes Eleven, Larry Burton

 

[Sgt. Lincoln Osiris]

 

[planomateo]

We have a Damian Harris on the roster??

 

[Sgt. Lincoln Osiris]

We have a Damian Harris on the roster??

First thing I thought... Lol.

Rare mistake by Cecil there.

 

[Max]

 

[18Champs]

A recap of the 2008 game:

I am a bad sport. I taunted Auburn fans like never before. The following is merely an acknowledgment, not a confession, as that implies sin, and I am not really contrite. It isn't an apology either, it is what saasafkit is, merely a statement for the historical record.
I sat in section 426 Saturday, which if you aren't familiar, the new upper deck, and it was where many barn fans were parked. A sea of orange around me for three quarters, replaced by a sea of bleachers.

But for the second half of the game I taunted, and I became louder as the game went on, just because the barners were so spread out as the clock wound down. Didn't seem nearly as concentrated as they were pregame.

They were a feisty bunch pregame, standing up and flipping birds to the band, the team running out on the field, the starting lineup, and the pregame films. Even the "war damn eagle" shouted out during a pause in the National Anthem got raucous applause from those in that section.

I sat with a buddy who is of a different temperament than me, Stephen who is very laid back and low key. He was a nice leveling influence on me…for a time that is. I was skittish, I was infected with Shulaitis in a pretty bad way and I was so uptight for whole season about this game, regardless what else we did, it was all worthless without this win in my eyes.

Anyway, I was polite and humble during the first half. I cheered when we scored, I roared loudly when we blocked the field goal at half time. After the first half though, something changed in me.

I saw a ten point lead, I saw a great defense meeting a bad offense. I saw a victory coming for the first time in more than half a decade.

What put me over the edge was the second turnover by the barn, the second fumble. I really exploded with rage. I suppose it was a passive aggressive attack on all the barners around me, as I do realize Tuberville couldn't hear me even though the statement was directed at him.

"{redacted} you Tommy Tuberville!!!!!" I shouted with bird fingers extended…."take your [violation of the third commandment type profanity] [incestuous obscenity] [euphemism for buttocks] back to [redacted county in Alabama which shares the same name as the top confederate general] and stick your fingers up your [donkey]" I am sure my face had a "Old Yellar with the hydrophobee" look about it, as I was spewing verbal Linda Blair pea soup.

Immediately the barners reacted. An older couple, older than me no doubt, sixtyish(?) was in front of me and the man turned to me and said "you need to be quiet and show class". I snapped at him…"you need to shut your mouth, turn around and watch your [donkey] whoopin" (note: all conversations following were at shouting levels)

Him : "You have no class, and you are a [Francis the talking mule] hole!!!!"

Me: "So what??? This guy next to me is my friend and he would tell anyone the same thing"

I noticed that the barners next to Stephen shifted, the boy (14-ish) swapped places with his dad, and his dad immediately leaned over and said…."Hey you, don't use that language around my son…you are a [doo doo-ey] representation of your university!"

At this same moment, Mark Ingram had caught a screen and rumbled and stumbled to inside the ten yard line, if my memory is correct.

"yeah?????? That linebacker is a [bowel movement waste-y] representative of your defense!!!"

Cody came out, we scored and at that moment the barner dad decided he'd leave. As he was walking by me he said "I have to get my boy out of here, he has a temper and he is about to break your glasses" [no kidding, the kid was 14 -16 years old] I replied "I have three more pairs at home"

I was feeling flush with confidence, like an Israeli squad leader in 1948 Palestine who had just cleared his first neighborhood. The game continued….I was more vocal, sometimes no more than a wild cackling laugh every time we made a tackle or good play that sounded like a hyena on meth, sometimes a "woooo hooooo…..kick some [rhymes with grass] BAMA!!!!] Anything I could think of to grate the nerves of my temporary neighbors.

As the fourth quarter came upon us, I got louder (if possible). I shouted at the top of my lungs "Dear lord in heaven……..I hope those people who work the gates are careful. We could have a death like the Walmart stampede, as all the barners are galloping to the exits!!!"

A lady turned around and shouted with a menacing look "That is so classless…somebody died there and you are making fun of it, you should be ashamed [I wasn't] …this game is NOTHING…that is real life, this game is nothing and you make it out to be much more than that!"

Me: "You got it half right baby [as I pointed to the scoreboard]….YOUR game is NOTHING today……OURS is TWENTYNINE POINTS"

My best line follows in this exchange……..

Her husband whipped around and shouted…"you are a terrible fan…you are a terrible fan, you don't know what it is like to be a good fan"

Me: "That is true, I am a bad fan, but I am a great dancer"…and proceeded to gyrate my hips and thrust my pelvis in a demented Ed Grimley dance, which would never been allowed on the Ed Sullivan show, all the time chanting….."number one baby number one"

I then proceeded to shout out "PLEASSSSSE PLEAASSSSEE PLEASE…play Rammer Jammer while some are still here to listen to it."

Completely unprovoked, I turned to the folks behind me and said….."should I move??? Can you see ok??? I don't want to obstruct your view and have you miss any of the action" [I should note that these were barner fans]

After our last touchdown, and Rammer Jammer…the old guy started yelling at me…"Enjoy it while you can…you will get your [burro] kicked next week"

Me: "Well…watch it on tv and let me know how it works out…and if it makes you feel any better, I'll root against you in the blue grey game"

They left in disgust. At this point, my Cuban cigar was whipped out (literally, not metaphorically in a Bill Clintonesqe way] and lit up. I looked like a crazed Nick Fury, with it clenched in my teeth.

As we were ripping off eight yards per carry in the fourth quarter, I shouted "ooooooo…somebody's getting tired….could be me though after holding up seven fingers all night long"

That pretty much sums up the most egregious examples of my behavior, I "Roll Tided" everyone I saw, threw up 7 fingers all the way to the Houndstooth.

I am sure there will be chastisement from some of you, so be it. I feel no shame, guilt or indigestion. I'd do the same thing again if I could, only next time I would hunt down barner children in miniature cheerleader outfits to make them cry in addition to the ones I interacted with.

No shame, no remorse, no conscience. Live with it old timers.

 

[94 Grad]

No shame, no remorse, no conscience. Live with it old timers.

You’re not the first Bama “fan” to make an ass of yourself and you won’t be the last. Every fan base has classless asshole fans... you just happen to be our representative in that area.

 

[bamaledge]

No shame, no remorse, no conscience. Live with it old timers.

You’re not the first Bama “fan” to make an ass of yourself and you won’t be the last. Every fan base has classless asshole fans... you just happen to be our representative in that area.

Yep, my wife’s pet name for me is “asshole “ and you have me beat!...by a long ways!!!

 

[rick4bama]

@17Champs you go man!!! I'm wondering how those fans were during the 7's years?

 

[TerryP]

@17Champs you go man!!! I'm wondering how those fans were during the 7's years?

I think you misunderstood. @17Champs was posting what another Bama fan said on a message forum back in 2008. It's one of a dozen or so we've seen float around throughout the years.

This is ... well. It's a different read.

 

[rick4bama]

@17Champs you go man!!! I'm wondering how those fans were during the 7's years?

I think you misunderstood. @17Champs was posting what another Bama fan said on a message forum back in 2008. It's one of a dozen or so we've seen float around throughout the years.

This is ... well. It's a different read.

So he mostly post on other write up?

 

[TerryP]

@17Champs you go man!!! I'm wondering how those fans were during the 7's years?

I think you misunderstood. @17Champs was posting what another Bama fan said on a message forum back in 2008. It's one of a dozen or so we've seen float around throughout the years.

This is ... well. It's a different read.

So he mostly post on other write up?

Not really a write up.

As I remember that was posted late Saturday night or early Sunday morning following the 2008 game. It didn't get much play other than that site, but someone saved it and it was posted again the next season, '09. Then again in '10, and '11 it's been posted somewhere. I don't know where it originated.

 

[rick4bama]

 

[kbama15]

This game is always crazy! The Barn has a horse shoe up their Ass in this game so, I pray We/Bama puts them away early. and don’t let them hang around!

 

[TerryP]

Two ways to look at this tweet. One, Ross is already in their second level or two, he's blitzing a lot.

 

[RTB X Bot]