We all know Auburn fans drink the Koolaid. You serve up anything with a dash of hope to this fanbase and the Auburn fambly slurps it with two straws. But for Auburn to ever be anything close to a real program in terms of significance, its leadership has to substitute sensationalism and bush league tactics for hard work.

Which is why Auburn will never taste real significance with Jay Jacobs in office as A.D.

Not a flash-in-the-pan season. I mean real significance. Year in and year out dread from opponents that you’re on their schedule. Fans of other programs looking at their team’s schedule and calculating a loss when they see your team’s name.

AL.com’s latest Auburn megaphone Brandon Marcello reports that Jay Jacobs wants Auburn fans to know that 2010’s success is possible this season because it has Gus Malzahn’s offense in its toolbag.

Nevermind that Gus Malzahn’s offense was in place in 2009, resulting in just a 7-win regular season. Ball State and Furman on the schedule was the difference between 7-5 and 5-7.

And nevermind that Gus’ offense was also in place in 2011, resulting again in just a 7-win season. Again, thank goodness for Samford and FAU or 7-5 becomes 5-7. Remember Auburn almost didn’t outscore Utah State that season.

Anyone notice the difference in those seasons and 2010?

The fact is, Gus Malzahn’s offense is unique and unstoppable as long as he has a once-in-a-lifetime quarterback in his arsenal, and as long as people aren’t used to facing a hurry up style, spread offense.

Here’s a newsflash: Cam Newton ain’t walking through that door, and throw a rock in any direction and you’ll hit a program running hurry up.

But still, Jay Jacobs has this to say:

“…this offense gives us a chance to be successful as it did in 2010.”

Yeah, Jay. Sure does.

The last time Bama saw Gus, the Tigers’ O never found the endzone. Remember this?

There there’s this zen:

“If somebody said passing is no longer legal in the college game, then Gus Malzahn would still win because he’s such a great student of the game.”

Bama has equipment managers who’ve been in the college game longer than Gus has, yet Jay wants the Auburn faithful to believe Gus is a great student of the game.

I’m not saying Gus isn’t good. I’m just saying Gus isn’t Gus. Not the creation of sensational orange and blue imaginations who would have you believe sure success is just ahead because he’s back in town.

Success only comes through hard work. Day after day dedication, following a plan, sticking to a process. Not soundbytes with a reporter or a perception of offensive dominance that isn’t there. Auburn needs Cam to repeat 2010, and even then, the number of close calls where the ball bounced their way that season was still inconceivable.

Instead they’ll have this guy; watch #7 in white throughout this game. My favorite comes about the 3:35 mark:

Auburn may have success this season with Gus Malzahn. But to think it’s an instant ingredient to the 2013 season (and beyond) because Gus is back…especially comparing ANYTHING to 2010…is just unrealistic. Auburn fan, you’re never going to see that season again.

Until Auburn fans implement some chemo to their problem of high hopes with empty reasons for being able to believe, Jay will continue to be Jay, and Auburn football will always be steeped in the pie in the sky mentality.


(Follow ITK on Twitter for Bama news, commentary and smack.)

17 thoughts on “Jay Jacobs: A cancer to Auburn fans with no cure”

      1. That is true ITK. Auburn fans know there is a problem down there, but refuse to deal with it. Of course, that delusion makes things better for the rest of the SEC.

  1. The Curse of the Bamabino, aka, BARNERGEDDON, began the very night of Bum Newton’s final hurrah. It shall remain for endurance of my time here on earth.

  2. I’ll try to stay on-topic with the Jay Jacobs part, but just for starters, they open the season with a cupcake followed by Arkansas State.

    Now, I don’t know much about Arkansas State. I imagine they’re actually happy for Malzahn instead of furious for leaving after 9.5 months and a decent football season in 2012 only to go back as head coach for an inferior program after being removed from its staff a year earlier. But I hope they’re pissed instead. I hope they want to beat their pregnancy-term coach of 2012 badly enough to use everything he taught them against Auburn.

    Look. Auburn has a culture. It’s a culture of apathy and an “us against the world” mentality. I don’t like it, but others love it and share a similar culture, such as tOSU and, well, that’s about it actually. It’s a culture of secrets and lies and playing favorites to the right people who fit that culture to barter success. Gene Chizik was simply not a great coach, but Auburn hired him because he fit the Auburn culture well enough to help play a role in one of the greatest college football evil schemes in history. And it worked, so not only was it worth it but it also didn’t provide any reason to stop and, say, stick with fundamentals or to clean up.

    Malzahn also fits that profile. He shrouds himself in claims of grandeur and takes solace as a missionary for a higher power (which really bugs me). Empty promises are not the same as false promises.

    Hell, just look at his football style. That tells you everything about why he’s a perfect fit at Auburn. It’s not designed by nature to compete man-to-man on the field. It’s designed to counter-act fundamental football.

    It’s designed to lie, confuse, and misdirect in any way possible. The use of the clock, the formations, the plays themselves, they’re all designed to make fundamental football teams question what the rulebook truly exists for.

    Auburn gets a bye-week again before Alabama this year too, giving Malzahn and Jacobs extra time to craft more surprises and make a motorcycle disappear.

    Wait, sorry, I got a magician confused with Malzahn. Silly me. Misdirection.

    Before you get upset about any other team using a run play from the shotgun formation or check-downs for a short pass to a running back instead of a hand-off, remember that seeing the defense’s play and adjusting for probability is not hurry-up or no huddle. It’s football. Maybe if someone did that in conjunction with fake counts, hiking the ball with 25 seconds on the play clock, and lining up 4 linemen 30 feet from the center we could talk about what the difference is, but that’s hurry-up/no-huddle football. It’s bluffing in poker 98% of the time——eventually, you just have to have some cards in your hand or someone is going to take your $49 and leave you with $0.

    Sorry. I went off-topic. Dammit.

    Jay Jacobs is the keystone for Auburn’s cultural bridge and its athletic identity. His tenure is his legacy to some, a scar on NCAA athletics to others. I think replacing Jay Jacobs would improve a lot of things at Auburn, but only if he was replaced by the right person, a person who doesn’t have much in common with Jay Jacobs; a person who deliberately wanted to help fix Auburn the right way over time.

    Personally though, I think he’s changed the culture at Auburn so much that it’s too late to cure. I don’t think Auburn’s fans, staff, and financial supporters would support the time it takes to restructure an athletic department the right way. It can take 3-4 years. Tennessee tried it with Dooley the right way, he just wasn’t the one to do it (and especially not in the pewp-wake left by DeLane Kiffin). LSU is not going to be known as an academic elite institution with quiet fans and gentle-giant football players. It’s a party school and a rock-and-roll culture. They have a great identity.

    But getting rid of Jay Jacobs wouldn’t change Auburn’s cultural identity enough to make them want to right the issues that continue to plague Auburn from being anything but a little brother with marginal repeatable success. In fact, I bet it would make things worse, which would fit their culture and bring them immediate, unsustainable success.

    Sorry for the rant, but, well…Auburn. Yeah, they’re a rival, but even when I try to be objective they represent nearly everything I don’t like about college sports. Roll Tide.

        1. It just gets old to AU fans how much Alabama fans talk so much trash. It is true that AU has an identity crisis they need to take care of for sure. But why does every AL fan seem to think they know what should happen? You guys were wandering in the wilderness for 2 decades and if it weren’t for Rich Rod turning down the job at Bama you would still be there and Saban would be the powerhouse somewhere else in College Football. So please step down from your high horses for just a second and try and get some perspective. Now I am sure that ITK and Capstone Report and Conduit will have some response to this as you always do and I am sure that response will make AU sound inept and stupid, you guys are really good at that. Contrary to what Colin Cowherd says about Bama having better academics than AU, Au is holding their own. Feel free to pick this apart….looking forward to the responses!

          War Eagle Kids!!

          1. It’s the off-season. And yeah, we’re football fanatics. Yesterday we got to gush over Jay Jacobs saying Malzahn is the answer. Today we fawned over a freaking media guide. We like football. And Auburn is a mess. It just doesn’t happen the same way at, say, Ole Miss, enough to talk about them as much as some Auburn fans wish we didn’t. I can only imagine what Auburn sites say about Alabama.

            Then again, I just don’t look.

          2. Colin Cowherd also said that recruits across the country know Auburn pays more for their services than anyone else. Now if that is the case, how come we don’t have the top recruiting class(or top 3) every single year?? As for this article, time will tell how Auburn does this year, but 8 or 9 wins is not out of the question. I don’t count out 14-0, but am realistic to know that probably won’t happen. The 2 teams with the easiest schedules of major conference teams, Alabama and Ohio State will probably play for it all, but it seems like the champion should play a tougher schedule, and if you don’t, you really shouldn’t get the chance to play for it all. At least that was what we were told in 2004, despite the fact our schedule overall was tougher than USC or Oklahoma.

          3. If Auburn gets 9 wins this year I will shave my body and post the picture on this website. #AintGonnaHappen

  3. No reason why Auburn doesn’t win all 4 non-conference games. Should win against Miss. State(10 of last 12 we won), Arkansas(have more talent, and should have beat them last year), Tennessee(not a betting man, but wished I had a $1,000 to take AU and the 8 points right now, because we beat them outright, and that will make 15 years since they beat us), Ole Miss(more talent, and game at home, but will be toughest of the 8 listed.) That means if we win those, we only have to beat LSU, Texas A&M, Georgia or Alabama to get to 9 wins. All those teams have huge question marks, as does everyone else. LSU is the best chance, followed by Georgia, then Bama, and least chance against A&M. I list reasons why we can get to 8 or 9 wins, not just Kool-Aid drinking. We will find out soon enough. If I wind up being wrong, I will post a reply that I missed it.

    1. elite Tiger, here’s a newsflash:

      You don’t have more talent than ANYBODY in the SEC, except maybe Kentucky. Mississippi State, Arkansas and Ole Miss beat Auburn by double digits last season, and Tennessee is in way better shape that the Tiggers. And your delusion leads you to believe you have a better chance against Alabama than Texas A&M? I don’t know if marijuana is legal in the state you’re in, but you need to check before you hit the net after a toke.

      You are the new Kentucky, and your one-year head coach doesn’t give you the fortitude you’ve been led to believe. Auburn is a junior college with a big stadium. That’s it.

      1. You are right that MSU, Ole Miss, and Arkansas beat us, and the 2 Mississippi teams did beat us by large margins. But we were tied with Ole Miss at halftime, and the score of that game was 24-20 going into the 4th quarter. We led Miss. State in the 3rd quarter and they were up by 11 going into the 4th quarter(not insurmountable lead, though it proved to be so), and Arkansas led 10-7 going into the 4th quarter. In all those games we were in it to the 4th quarter, but never could get over the hump. As far as talent, we have more 4 and 5 stars on our roster(and more overall talent,look it up if you don’t believe me) than the 4 teams you mentioned. That is not my opinion, but those of the recruiting services. Just because we didn’t do a good job making them live up to their potential, doesn’t mean the experts are wrong. It is hard to believe the only team they missed on was us.The problem is last year especially we didn’t develop any of the talent.
        There was a number of reasons why the previous staff didn’t do better, but that isn’t this staff. It is up to them to get the players to play to the capabilities a lot of people(including other SEC Coaches thought they had.) In most cases, we beat out other SEC opponents for them. In several of those cases, we even beat out CNS, and I know you think he knows what he is doing on player evaluations, because he has proved he does. Is he always right? No, but his record speaks for itself.
        The reason I give us more of a chance against Alabama is because that game is at home, instead of Texas A&M on the road. I know that presenting all these facts are confusing to all of you, and I will be attacked by personal things like your comments, and being called an elite idiot by another poster. Maybe some of you can actually come up with decent comebacks, but somehow I doubt it. Because I have heard Bama fans comments all my life, and rarely are they ever rooted in facts. That doesn’t sound like someone on marijuana, does it? Because I have never did wacky weed and never will.
        We will find out whether CGM is as good as I think he can be. If he flops, I will come back and admit I’m wrong. The question is, if he is what a lot of Auburn fans think he can be, do you have the backbone to admit you were wrong, or just accuse us of more cheating? All of which so far, we have been found INNOCENT of any major violations.

        1. Friend, those teams just didn’t beat you. You were whipped by double digits. Arkansas was horrible last year, but Auburn was worse.

          Your staff now is made up of re-treads led by a coach with ONE year of head coaching experience. I’ve never seen such a manufactured resume’ as Gus Bus Malzahn’s. And trust me, there is one recruit in your last class Bama wanted. There’s a reason Darius Page and Reuben Foster wound up in Tuscaloosa, and it’s the same reason the vast majority of the other recruits we’ll want in the future will wind up there (over Auburn) too.

          And you are not innocent of violations. It’s taken the NCAA time to get to Oregon. You’re next.

  4. To be in the game going into the 4th quarter is not a whipping. Now Georgia and Alabama were whippings. The game was not in doubt after the 1st quarter. Went to as digitalnetwork.com for the recap of those games. As for violations, the NCAA said in the Cam Newton case :” These were nothing but false, baseless accusations brought about by rival fan bases, including one who sent over 1,000 emails.” Wonder who that could have been? Won’t have time to respond because of work, but presenting facts as I do, will always trump opinion.

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