photo by Brent Maze

Iron will: Trent Richardson dives past Demond Washington to score in the Iron Bowl.

‘AUmost’ isn’t good enough in a rivalry

By Luke Robinson (Contact) | Alex City Outlook

Published Friday, December 4, 2009

The Iron Bowl is just one of those games, isn’t it? To see an undermanned, over-matched home team stand toe to toe with one of the nation’s best squads is really a miracle. No one gave the gutsy underdog a chance, but after the dust settled, the favorite knew they had been in a real tussle. I am talking, of course, about the 2004 iron Bowl in Tuscaloosa.

Yep, it’s a shame that Mike Shula’s depleted Alabama team lost to possibly Auburn’s greatest team ever even though the Tide had the halftime lead. Many Alabama fans claimed a moral victory that day. After all, AU had a school record four first round NFL draft picks in the subsequent NFL draft and the Tide was relegated to playing kids even the game day program ignored. ‘Bama fought and clawed and reversed and flea-flickered, but just like in this year’s Iron Bowl, the better team won.

Flash-forward to this year and there is no doubt that Auburn fans should be proud of the Tigers’ heroic effort. Chizik’s crew played with a passion and intensity that they had not shown all year at the best time possible. It’d be hard for recruits not be impressed with the play of the team and the enthusiastic atmosphere in Jordan-Hare last Friday.

However, moral victories didn’t hold water for Mike Shula and they shouldn’t for Gene Chizik either. Teams and coaches are ultimately judged upon wins and losses not by how close they came to pulling an upset. If that were the case, Auburn may adopt a new motto: “AUmost.” In fact, if “close” counted in college football, Shula and Charlie Weiss would be vying for Coach of the Year honors every season.

For all the praise being heaped upon Chizik’s staff for jumping on Alabama early, most fans have forgotten to critique his performance late in the game. Auburn’s final drive can only be described a as a collection of discombobulated plays that ate up way too much of the clock.

Even though ‘Bama had taken the lead on Roy Upchurch’s touchdown, there was still more than a minute left in the game and Auburn held a time out in its pocket. Instead calling a few plays ahead of time, AU QB Chris Todd seemed to be looking for sideline guidance after every play, which wasted upwards of 30 seconds of valuable time. That eroded time isn’t Todd’s fault; it’s the fault of the coaches who should have explained the situation more thoroughly to him. Of course, this was Chizik’s first Iron Bowl and he’ll (understandably) receive the benefit of the doubt.

Other than the gaffe-ridden final drive, AU played a near perfect game and the coaches do deserve credit for their preparation. (It does make one wonder how in the world they weren’t prepared for Kentucky, though, doesn’t it?) But the bottom line is that Alabama scored 26 points and Auburn only had 21. As the calendar turns, the game’s scenario will become less vivid and the only lingering memory will be the score.

Gene Chizik may be getting accolades for keeping it close in 2009, but by this time in 2011 his team better have at least one actual Iron Bowl victory under its belt. Otherwise, he may be calling upon the king of moral victories, Mike Shula, to find out the best moving companies in Alabama.

Luke Robinson of the Sportz Blitz is a columnist for The Alexander City Outlook. His column appears each weekend edition.

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