Usually there's a tangible narrative to extract from even the ugliest Auburn football debacles, but this one? I'm at a complete loss.
If there's a single thing I can point to, it's "Team Under A First Year Coach Implementing A Total Cultural Rebuild" syndrome. We haven't really experienced this in a while.
Tubs gave up a 16-3 lead at home to Miss. State in the last 3 minutes of regulation to lose in 1999.
Chizik lost three in a row in embarrassing fashion to Arkansas, LSU, and Kentucky in 2009.
I don't consider Malzahn to have implemented a Total Cultural Rebuild when he was hired in 2013. He had only been away for a year so 80% of the players either knew him or were recruited by him. Hence the fast turnaround from 3-9 to 12-2.
But man...this? Giving up a 40-0 run at home to what is an average SEC West team? It tops them all by a wide margin. I'm a jaded guy when it comes to college football. It's hard to break my heart. This one broke my heart. Ole Miss trolling us after the game by upsetting A&M made it even worse.
There's no real excuse for it. I'll try my best to make sense of it, though.
1. The most important thing: Auburn is not a talented enough team to play badly and win against anyone. I think Harsin has given us flashes of what the program can be when we're hitting on all cylinders in the wins against Ole Miss and Arkansas. The resiliency shown against Penn State on the road early in the season was also impressive. But when they play badly, or tune out, or become complacent, they can lose to just about anyone.
2. Auburn lacks a pass rush. Can only be fixed with recruiting.
3. Auburn lacks an offensive line. Can only be fixed with recruiting.
4. What you saw from State yesterday, offensively, was a statistical anomaly. The refs didn't help. When it became obvious we were going to have to get physical with their receivers in order to slow it down, we were flagged mercilessly. The bend but don't break defense doesn't work against the Air Raid. That's exactly what the Air Raid wants the defense to do. To stop the Air Raid, you have to stop it from the inside out. And we simply don't have the pass rush to do it.
5. Complacency across the board. It was organizational, so this in on Harsin. He didn't maintain the intensity and killer instinct to close the deal yesterday.
This is the way it's going to be from now on until / unless we get more talent: maddening inconsistency. Can Harsin attract that talent to Auburn? It remains to be seen. This is a weird recruiting cycle. I'm willing to let him have 2-3 cycles before I'm ready to admit that Harsin is out of his depth here. Because from a play-calling, organizational standpoint, I think he has all the tools to get us to where we want to be. The X's and O's are great. But it won't matter unless he can get better players. That will tell the tale, ultimately.
If there's a single thing I can point to, it's "Team Under A First Year Coach Implementing A Total Cultural Rebuild" syndrome. We haven't really experienced this in a while.
Tubs gave up a 16-3 lead at home to Miss. State in the last 3 minutes of regulation to lose in 1999.
Chizik lost three in a row in embarrassing fashion to Arkansas, LSU, and Kentucky in 2009.
I don't consider Malzahn to have implemented a Total Cultural Rebuild when he was hired in 2013. He had only been away for a year so 80% of the players either knew him or were recruited by him. Hence the fast turnaround from 3-9 to 12-2.
But man...this? Giving up a 40-0 run at home to what is an average SEC West team? It tops them all by a wide margin. I'm a jaded guy when it comes to college football. It's hard to break my heart. This one broke my heart. Ole Miss trolling us after the game by upsetting A&M made it even worse.
There's no real excuse for it. I'll try my best to make sense of it, though.
1. The most important thing: Auburn is not a talented enough team to play badly and win against anyone. I think Harsin has given us flashes of what the program can be when we're hitting on all cylinders in the wins against Ole Miss and Arkansas. The resiliency shown against Penn State on the road early in the season was also impressive. But when they play badly, or tune out, or become complacent, they can lose to just about anyone.
2. Auburn lacks a pass rush. Can only be fixed with recruiting.
3. Auburn lacks an offensive line. Can only be fixed with recruiting.
4. What you saw from State yesterday, offensively, was a statistical anomaly. The refs didn't help. When it became obvious we were going to have to get physical with their receivers in order to slow it down, we were flagged mercilessly. The bend but don't break defense doesn't work against the Air Raid. That's exactly what the Air Raid wants the defense to do. To stop the Air Raid, you have to stop it from the inside out. And we simply don't have the pass rush to do it.
5. Complacency across the board. It was organizational, so this in on Harsin. He didn't maintain the intensity and killer instinct to close the deal yesterday.
This is the way it's going to be from now on until / unless we get more talent: maddening inconsistency. Can Harsin attract that talent to Auburn? It remains to be seen. This is a weird recruiting cycle. I'm willing to let him have 2-3 cycles before I'm ready to admit that Harsin is out of his depth here. Because from a play-calling, organizational standpoint, I think he has all the tools to get us to where we want to be. The X's and O's are great. But it won't matter unless he can get better players. That will tell the tale, ultimately.
