A labama defeats Auburn; Crimson Tide 12-0 for second straight undefeated regular season.
The story of this year’s Iron Bowl is not the inspired play of Auburn’s defense, or the superb job Auburn defensive coordinator Ted Roof (and Gene Chizik) did in putting the Tigers into a position to win the game. None of that stuff matters as the lights fade on Iron Bowl 2009. What matters is that Gene Chizik and Gus Malzahn were exposed.
Their horrible clock management made LSU’s Les Miles look like Rockne, Bryant or Lombardi.
To put it mildly, Auburn’s coaches wilted under pressure. They were without a plan.
They were without a clue.
And that is sad. Chris Todd deserved better than the horrible final moments of that game. He played a good season, and was competent in this year’s Iron Bowl. Unfortunately, Malzahn bungled the final minute. All that looking at the sidelines was amateurish as seconds ticked off the clock.
Gus, this isn’t high school.
I feelt like Verne saying, “WHAT ARE THEY DOING?!?!??!â€
Tick…Tick…Tick.
That was beyond bad. It wasn’t even high school coaching because I know many high school coaches would have done a much better job of clock management.
Alabama fans should put Chizik and Malzahn on their Christmas card list after that.
One of the most overused clichés in sports is out-coached. Usually, out-coached doesn’t apply to what happens in a game. X’s and O’s rarely determine a game; what determines a game is the execution of the plan put together by the coaches.
Alabama fans have criticized Jim McElwain’s playcalling for a good portion of the season. Sometimes, the calls have been puzzling. But never forget that final drive. It was a masterpiece of playcalling. The screen pass was called at the right moment to exploit Auburn’s pressure. The touchdown pass was masterful—and no doubt a cooperative effort from the entire staff.
It was like a Botticelli.
You cannot doubt the Alabama Crimson Tide is in the right hands with Nick Saban.
Auburn fans cannot feel so lucky tonight. I guess Auburn fans can always hope someone offers Malzahn a job.
BTW, you keep dodging the key point. Your coaches lucked into a lead and then couldn’t hold it because you couldn’t convert first downs to eat the clock. ALSO, you couldn’t run a two-minute drive if your life depended on it.
Everything the ISU people said about Chizik being clueless when having to manage a game was true.
Have fun with two guys who aren’t ready for primetime.
All of these comments from the Bama fans just prove my point. CLASSLESS. A true Alabama fan wins and losses with class. I try to offer a congratulations and note that the better team won and I get ripped by classless AL fans. Let me guess, you’ve never attended a single class in Tuscaloosa. What? Yes, there is actually a school in Tuscaloosa that the youth attend to receive a higher education. You might want to research it a little. It might behoove you to extend your vocabulary past four letter words that you learned when you were 10 years old. To those AL fans that do win with class, Congratulations on a great year and please beat Florida. From an Auburn alum (class of ’96), Roll Tide and good luck next week!!
Geez cappy, did Malzahn scare you so bad you had to write an article dedicated to trashing him so you can convince yourself that he’s a bad coach?? You and ITK have run your mouths about him so much this year that you each have a vested interest in seeing him fail. He put more points on your D than any other team has this year. You think it doesn’t count simply because he did it with big plays and by catching Bama out of position?????? What in the $#@! do you think coaches watch film for??????? It’s to catch a teams’ tendencies on what it takes to GET them out of position. Read all of what Saban said. He said the constant motion, shifts, and reverses are what got Bama out of position. I know it absolutely freakin’ kills you to hear that, because you want so badly to call it “dipsy-doo” and “high school”. The offense results in big plays. That’s what its designed to do. I don’t know who these anonymous NFL asst’s are who say Malzahn is easy to stop, but I know there are some SEC defensive coordinators who will go on the record and tell those phantom NFL asst’s that they’re crazy.
P.S. I agree with you about AU’s last possession. That was ridiculous. I’m not going to trash an otherwise solid gameplan solely on that, though.
Julio, every coach I’ve spoken with from high school through college to an NFL assistant has laughed at Malzahn’s offense.
I’m happy you like it though.
Please keep it.
Six in a row is right around the corner.
BTW, what those SEC people say in public is NOT what I’ve heard privately both from active and former people in the league.
One thing I was told is that you have to watch film because Malzahn is predictable if you watch enough tape.
Cappy, it’s real easy to cite these “phantom” assts to bolster your argument. You keep citing them. What I’ll cite to bolster my argument is this — results. All Malzahn and his “dipsy doo” offense have done is lead the nation for 2 consecutive years at Tulsa (please remind me here that it was in Conf USA so I can remind you that McElwain never sniffed at accomplishing that in the WAC); and take an offense that ranked 108th nationally to 18th in one year. But you keep citin’ those “coaches” and keep tellin’ yourself that you’re glad AU’s got him, though. God knows that’s a lot better than citing actual results.
BTW – apparently Saban’s D gets a little predictable if you watch enough tape as well. Those big plays weren’t a result of dumb luck or wild guesses.
Whatever Julio.
If you don’t believe me when I cite sources then I’d suggest you not visit the site. I’m telling the truth about conversations I’ve had with assistants. If you pick not to believe it–then that is good.
I told you the truth about Tuberville, and you didn’t want to believe it.
You guys fired him later.
You guys will fire Malzahn if he isn’t run off first. He is a cancer and I can tell you I’ve heard he isn’t liked by others on the Plains, and his incompetence cost your team a chance at winning following a wonderful gameplan from Chizik and Roof. This is consistent with what I heard about Malzahn at Arkansas. Those guys still hate him.
Enjoy him. 6-6 next year and you’ll be singing a different tune.
Ok cappy, just a couple more things and I’m ready to drop this:
1. I have no doubt that you’ve talked to coaches who said he was easy to stop. I’m saying that they obviously are saying it so flippantly that they won’t even go on the record about it.
2. If all you have to do is watch game film to stop Malzahn, why han’t everyone done that for the last 3 yrs?? Why couldn’t Saban, the greatest coach and defensive mind of all time, simply watch the game film Malzahn has piled up for 3 yrs and shut him down instead of allowing him to score more points on Bama’s D than any other team has all year??
I’d also point out often coaches have axes to grind when they say these things, so I understand doubting what the coaches say.
Scoring one point more than Kentucky isn’t something to hang your hat on.
I really think Auburn fans need to look at the larger picture from the game instead of the tactical issues–putting up some big plays is less important than the strategic handling of the program.
If Alabama folded like that through such horrible clock management, I’d be irate.
The stats were not conjured up. They are factual. The Kentucky analogy is B.S. as Bama put them away in the third quarter. They had the game won and Kentucky knew it. We still put more points on the board than anyone else. Explain it away or spin it away . I really dont care.
And I don’t care what you think Ballplay. I was right about Tuberville, and in a few years when you are firing Chizik and Malzahn, don’t say I didn’t try to help you out again.