Enjoy it, Auburn fans. But try to keep it in perspective, ok?

Online, on sports talk radio and even in person, grateful Auburn Tiger fans are relishing that unusual sensation of having their team encounter a Nick Saban coached Alabama Crimson Tide and come away the victor.

But my goodness, you'd think that Auburn has suddenly become the giant killers of the Southeastern Conference. 

With Nick Saban at the helm in Tuscaloosa, Auburn has suffered eight losses against five hard-fought Tiger victories. Four of those five wins have come in the friendly backyard of Jordan Hare Stadium. Their only win in Tuscaloosa was a 1-pt squeaker in 2010, when today's Senior class were eighth graders.

It is true that Auburn has become Alabama's most competitive rival. The two closest SEC schools in rivalry terms are LSU and traditional Bama nemesis, Tennessee. But under Nick Saban, those two programs are a combined 4-23 against their Master. Only Tennessee has ever run off a streak of 7-0 against Alabama. Emphasis on ever. LSU has run off a 5-0 streak, but that was during the Mike Shula era at Bama and two of those games were with Nick Saban as the LSU head coach.

No team in the SEC has ever beaten an Alabama squad coached by Saban more than twice, and we all know how Ole Mrs. did it.

So today, Auburn fans are practically bursting with pride because they have five wins against a Bama team led by Nick Saban. Never mind that none of those wins are back-to-back. Never mind that Saban has done the back-to-back thing to Auburn twice and has done a threepeat once. Never mind that not one of Auburn's wins against Master Saban were by more than two touchdowns and all were competitive. Never mind that six of Alabama's wins in the period were blowouts and that two were shut outs. Auburn hasn't shut out Alabama since 2000.

Its kind of a lame claim to fame when you say, "well, he's beaten us twice as often as we've beaten him, but Saban hasn't dominated! He's only shut us out ok... two times! Nobody else can say that! War Eagle!"

Iron Bowl 2019: It's tough to beat luck like that...

For this Iron Bowl, both the Alabama Crimson Tide and the Auburn Tigers laid everything on the field on a perfect Saturday evening at Jordan Hare Stadium. This is the way this annual grudge match is supposed to be.

What seems to set the 2019 apart from the standard fare of the series was the sloppiness. Sloppiness is a symptom of a lack of discipline, lack of experience and poor concentration. Neither team had much of any of that good stuff.

Auburn won this game using their athleticism and incredible luck. But as the old saying goes, luck is when preparation meets opportunity. Auburn was prepared, Alabama was not.

Four plays epitomized Alabama's fortunes in the game:

1. Auburn's Smoke Monday (is that a name or a play call?) picked off a sailed throw from Alabama's Mac Jones and took it in for a 29-yard touchdown. This is not typical Mac Jones--he's never wild or careless with the ball. It just sailed this time.
2. After three 1st and Goals, Auburn took a Jones pass that bounced off of Naji Harris's back into his hands and raced 100 yards for another pick six.
3. With the score 48-45 Auburn's way, Joe Bulova boinked what should have been an easy kick to tie the game. That's pretty much been Bama's poison for a lot of Nick Saban's tenure at Alabama, but anyway...
4. With Auburn facing 4th and 4-ish with about a minute left, and with everyone in the world except Auburn expecting a punt, AU instead showed a standard offensive lineup. That forced Bama to too-hastily substitute and AU caught'em with 12 men on the field. Automatic 1st down; ball game.

That last penalty was the 13th against Alabama, which is the most ever for a Saban coached team at Alabama. Almost every one of the flags went against underclassmen, every one of them on the field at Auburn for the first time.

In many of the 2019 games, the left side of the defense seemed to always have at least one guy out of position. Opposing teams exploited that weakness repeatedly. Often on 3rd down. Usually for a conversion. Almost always against underclassmen.

Truth be told, Alabama has been cheating lady luck all season. Had this team of uncharacteristically young Sabanites faced up-to-speed and healthy opponents in South Carolina, Texas A&M, Ole Miss, Tennessee and Mississippi State, a 10-2 regular season record would have gotten Coach Saban legitimate nominations for SEC and National Coach of the Year awards. The team lost a treasure trove of talent to the NFL after the 2018 season. No fewer than five freshmen started on defense. There were no more than seven seniors starting against Auburn on the whole team. The offense didn't have one senior starter on the field against Auburn. Not one. The defense only had four. The starting lineup for the Iron Bowl consisted almost exclusively of underclassmen, and only a handful will (or should) depart early for the NFL Draft.

All Bama fans want Alabama to win every single game they play. The players and coaches want that even more. But when your team's best players lack big game experience, you're at risk. When you're up against teams in the SEC, and your team's best players lack big game experience, you're really at risk. When you're the Alabama Crimson Tide and every opponent on the schedule has your game circled on the calendar... luck is just about the only thing that gets you through unscathed. Alabama lost to the only two ranked teams it played--LSU in a down-to-the-wire shootout at home, and Auburn in a down-to-the-wire shootout in their corral. 

There is still a bowl game to play and Alabama will be at the top of the list for the SEC's top tier bowl tie-ins. The few seniors and departing juniors still have one more chance to show their stuff.

After that, Alabama will get down to business putting the 2019 season's experience to very good use. Nick Saban never misses an opportunity to use disappointment as a motivator. The 2019 true and redshirt freshmen will come back and work with the rising upperclassmen. Between 25-30 players from this team will be back for 2020. A year older, a year better an a year hungrier.

Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity and it's my bet that Alabama will be more than prepared this time next year to take advantage of many more opportunities. And other fans can complain about bad luck.

Bama will be just fine.

Iron Bowl 2019: A game that is almost always won or lost in the trenches

This is the Southeastern Conference, where big boys come to play big boy football and all little boys watch'em and pray they grow up to be'em. This is the Iron Bowl, an uncivil civil war between two in-state rivals. This game is like almost every other game played in this league in that it is almost always decided in that scant yard or so we call the neutral zone--a gentleman's euphemism for warfare's No Man's Land.

If your big strong ugly dudes can knock down the other team's big strong ugly dudes, you can win the game. If your less big, less ugly dudes can also block, catch and run, then you probably will win.

Auburn's defensive front seven is probably the best front seven in the league. They are big, athletic and have been wreaking havoc on opposing offensive lines.  Their defense has kept them in games that they shouldn't have had a chance at winning.

Alabama probably has the best offensive line in the league. It's better than Georgia's and at least as good as LSU's. Bama's offensive line finally gelled when Deonte Brown returned from a four game NCAA suspension against Ole Miss in September. The line has worked together as a unit since then--a usual key to success up front.

Auburn's offensive line has been a disappointment. Some of that is due to youth, but some of it is due to injuries. The shifting of players and lack of experience has kept the unit from working successfully together for any considerable stretch. Talent at 'skill' positions only counts if the defense isn't on your side of the line of scrimmage every other snap.

Likewise, Alabama's front seven has struggled. Part of those struggles are also injury related. Bama lost LB Dylan Moses to a freak injury in practice before the season started. The team has never lacked the physical talent necessary to make plays. But Moses was to be the defense's quarterback, making sure the players were in position for Coach Saban's 3-4 Over/Under defense. The left side of the defense has frequently been caught flat-footed or just plain out of position, and the team has often found it hard to get off the field on third downs. Whether Moses' presence could have made a difference is pure speculation but it damned sure wouldn't have hurt.

So we'll likely see a push and push--Alabama's offensive line will struggle to keep Auburn's front seven from wrecking plays, and Alabama's talented front seven will likewise wreak havoc on a young Auburn offensive line.

In games like this, anything can happen. I have no idea who wins.

2019 Iron Bowl: It's that time of year again

Ahh, Thanksgiving. Turkey & fixin's on Thursday, a mad grab for material reward on Friday and the most uncivil civil war on Saturday. Then triage and hangover-nursing (for some) on Sunday.

Look at the history of the series. The average margin of victory is about 16 points. In the College Football Playoff era, the margin has been 17 but the BCS era was closer with a margin of 12.5. Alabama owns the only blowout victories in recent history, all in the Nick Saban era. There was a 36-0 shutout to end the Tommy Tuberville regime in 2008. Then 42-14 in 2011; then 49-0 in 2012 to end Gene Chizik's head coaching career and last year's 52-21 beatdown.

Rivalry games are always emotional. In a rivalry this heated, this bitter and this intense, the rivals’ adrenaline lasts a little longer than the first quarter.

A lot the players in this game are from the state of Alabama. They probably played against each other in high school and may have even played against each other in pee wee leagues. Their families know each other. They’ve gone to the same churches, the same schools and played on the same playgrounds. Sooner or later the two teams will settle in and just play football, but this game is always a little more intense than other rivalries.

Almost all of the fans in this state know each other. We work together. We live in the same neighborhoods. We worship together, shop together and share the road with each other. A big percentage of us all are related to one another, too. I have cousins and in-laws who have crossed over to the Dark Side, for some mysterious reason (I do pray for them; you should, too). Civil wars are always like this.

For most of the three months of college football's regular season, we kind of look at each other a little differently. For the other nine months we tolerate each other. For one holiday weekend, we hardly speak to one another and rarely about the Iron Bowl.

For about 3-1/2 hours on that Saturday afternoon, it's war.

The stakes for the 2019 installment are pretty high. Alabama still has a good chance to make its sixth straight appearance in the College Football Playoff. With three losses already, Auburn head coach Gus Malzahn is probably coaching for his job. Win this game and he probably comes back. Lose it, and he probably doesn't.

For us fans, there's just the Braggin' Rights thing and the schadenfreude pleasure of wearing the T-shirts, sporting the bumper stickers and sharing the memes on social media. Win or lose life will go on. We'll keep working together, worshipping together and living together because it's... just a football game.

Auburn needs a miracle

Only divine intervention will help the Auburn Tigers pull off an upset against an Alabama Crimson Tide that seems destined for Glory.

Either that, or we’re headed for a bizarre 2018 episode of the Twilight Zone, where up is down, good is bad and inside is out.

Last year, Alabama entered the Iron Bowl a little tired and a lot banged up. The game was at Auburn’s Twilight Zone Jordan-Hare Stadium and the Tigers had a team that had already upset Georgia. They were riding high and brimming with confidence, and they just made Bama look bad en route to a 26-14 shocker. It really wasn’t that much of a surprise—Auburn was 9-2 and only needed the win to claim the SEC West. They were at home, healthy, and riding an eight game win streak. Alabama’s defense was banged up and the whole team looked like they’d been rode hard through 11 games and put up wet.

The 2018 Iron Bowl looks radically different. Although Bama is again a little gimpy on defense (and the offensive line), they’re the home team this time and it’s Auburn showing the signs of wear and tear. The Tiger offensive line has been exposed as a glaring weakness just as Alabama’s front seven looks like it tasted bloody red meat for the first time.

The Tide defense is fearsome again, but the offense is absolutely terrifying. Heisman slam dunk Tua Tagavailoa has taken Bama to an entirely different plane of existence. He has a fleet of young, strong, fast and talented receivers. He has a corps of bowling balls for running backs. And he has a field vision and understanding that has been compared to that of Peyton Manning and Drew Brees.

Even scarier is a reasonably healthy Jalen Hurts, who has already led Bama to the Championship Game twice. Alabama’s two quarterbacks are so athletic that there are plays designed to have a quarterback throw the football to… a quarterback. And no one knows whether it will be Jalen throwing to Tua or Tua throwing to Jalen or either one throwing to Irv Smith Jr running open on the other side of the field.

The Alabama Crimson Tide is a monster. Its only weakness is a shockingly bad special teams unit that can’t buy an extra point. It’s a weakness that Auburn will never get close to exploiting, though. This game should be decided by halftime. Auburn’s only chance at sunshine is to suddenly find an offensive line capable of blocking someone long enough for quarterback Jarrett Stidham to convert a few 3rd and long plays. And that’s gonna take a miracle.

Alabama 45, Auburn 14

Fox’s Mike Pereira: Officials blew the call on Bradley Sylve’s interception

First things first—I’m not one to complain about one or two missed calls by the officials in college football games. In my philosophy, the best way of keeping this stuff from affecting the outcome of the game is to have played well enough so that you end up with a lead that makes these calls as irrelevant as they are controversial.

The truth is that the 2014 Iron Bowl was rather poorly officiated. There were missed calls all over the field; during almost all parts of the game. I really don’t blame the officials (much) because they have a difficult job to do. They have to make snap decisions during situations that can take seconds—if not fractions of a second—to unfold. But that’s why God invented Instant Replay and review.

The fact that this was a blown call that was subsequently upheld upon further review bears some scrutiny.

To set the stage, Auburn was up 33-27 with under five minutes left in the 3rd quarter. AU QB Nick Marshall attempted a pass to Quan Bray, who was being covered by UA’s Bradley Sylve. The play was close to the sideline, and both guys got airborne in order to get the ball.

It appeared that both players had their hands on the ball, prompting a simultaneous possession call. The issue is that the officials on the field awarded the reception to Bray, even though Sylve’s left foot clearly came down in bounds, while neither of Bray’s did.

Fox’s Mike Pereira weighed in on the call, and decided that the officials made the wrong call, and that they doubled down on the error upon further review.

---

This was a very difficult call to make on the field, because it was really tight and I think with simultaneous control of a ball in the air, you always think about the ball being awarded to the offense.

However, this rule interpretation is very specific on this play. It says when players are up in the air, like Bray and Sylve were, it's the player who comes down with it first in bounds, who should be awarded the ball. And in this case, Sylve's left foot hit first in bounds.

It's very clear in replay that the ball was intercepted by Sylve and should have been awarded to Alabama. But Auburn got the ball on a 35-yard pass completion and then went on to score a field goal on the possession to give the Tigers a 36-27 lead. 

---

The emphasis above is mine.

By any objective analysis of the play, it should have been either an incomplete pass, or an interception. Neither of Bray’s feet landed in bounds. And while both players clearly had their hands on the ball, Sylve’s left foot did.

I don’t have an embeddable video or GIF of the play (help me out here if you do), but here’s the link to Pereira’s analysis. 

Thankfully, the play didn’t affect the outcome of the game. When such calls do affect the outcome, I fall back on my argument that it was your own damned fault for letting it do so.

My co-bloggers have disagreed with me. As have my fellow denizens on Twitter and Facebook. That’s Ok. While I stick to my philosophy, it’s hard for me to argue that Bama just doesn’t seem to get the home cooking that other SEC teams do. That’s Ok, too. Well, maybe not Ok. But something that I think, as Alabama, this program has learned to overcome, or just get over.

We’re Bama. Since when was there not a target on the back of that Crimson jersey?

The Five Stages of Grief, Malzahn Style

Mega-kudos to my friend Special K at Tidefans.com, who started this hilarious thread with a photographic representation of what Auburn coach Gus Malzahn must have been going  through as Saturday night’s Iron Bowl unfolded.

Here they are. Laugh and enjoy, and be sure to click through on the link above, because on the pages that follow, there’s stuff that will make you laugh so hard you’ll have tears in your eyes.

1. Denial and Isolation

2. Anger

3. Bargaining

4. Depression

5. Acceptance

Snarky Smack: What Alabama’s Championship Parade Will NOT Look Like

At today’s press conference announcing the early draft departures of DJ Fluker, Eddie Lacy and Dee Milliner, Coach Nick Saban also announced that the Fan Appreciation Day and celebration for the 2012 champions will be held in Tuscaloosa on January 19.

Festivities will include a parade and celebration at Sewell-Thomas Stadium.

You may remember the last time a “championship” parade was held in this state.It was the Peoples National Championship parade held in January 2005 in Auburn. Complete with John Deere farm implements, hay bales and and a marching band.

I’m betting that next Saturday’s will look NOTHING like this.

And the championship trophy won’t be made of plastic, either.

Follow me on Twitter and Facebook.

Morning Six Pack: November 24, 2012

Iron Bowl Saturday. Enjoy these six college football stories about the country’s most heated rivalry.

Tide unsung hero ready for his final Iron Bowl

Four years ago, Nico Johnson sat in the stands at Alabama’s 36-0 Iron Bowl win, eager to put on a crimson jersey. A five-star prospect out of Andalusia High, he took his official visit to Alabama that weekend, even though he already had committed to the Crimson Tide almost three months earlier.

UA defense watchful of McCalebb - Alabama

Auburn running back Onterio McCalebb averages 6.3 yards per carry. Stopping him will be one focus for the UA defense Saturday in the Iron Bowl.

With UGA Looming, Focus Must Remain on Auburn

Following the conclusion of the weekly post-game workout this past Sunday, senior Alabama defensive end Damion Square addressed his fellow teammates in a team meeting and counseled them about the week ahead.

Auburn trying to ignore underdog status as Tigers prepare for the Iron Bowl

A 32-point underdog, Auburn's coaches and players say they've been focused on preparation instead of predictions this week.

An Iron Bowl win wouldn't change the disappointment of Auburn's season, Jake Holland says

An Iron Bowl upset could springboard Auburn into next season, but Holland says that simply winning the game doesn't make up for the Tigers' 3-8 campaign and lack of bowl appearance this season.

Quotable:

"This is a special day for the 21 seniors we have on the team coming up on Saturday," Saban said. "I think there are nine scholarship guys and 12 walk-ons. A lot of the guys that were originally in this class are no longer here, because we've had quite a few draft picks and that type of thing.

"This class has done a fantastic job of representing the University of Alabama and representing our program. They've contributed to a large degree the leadership and success that we've had in this organization, and I think it's great to recognize them in our stadium for the last home game and have the community and everybody sort of thank them for the great job they've done in representing the University of Alabama."

Support This Blog: Shop Black Friday Deals.

Follow me on Twitter and Facebook.

Twas The Night Before The Iron Bowl: An Alabama Poem

By: @LivingCrimson

Twas the night before the Iron Bowl, and all through Auburn chests,
Not a hope was stirring, not even the barner obsessed.
Jonna Chizik's prayers were posted on Facebook with care,
In fear that St. Nicholas Lou Saban soon would glare.

When out in the media there arose such a clatter,
Coach Chiz sprang up from his scrapbooking to see what was the matter.
Away to the NCAA mailbox he flew like a flash,
Tore open the letters, and threw up a gasp.

Then, what to his watering eyes should appear,
But an NCAA array announcing "We're here."
More rapid than eagles the interviewers they came,
And he whistled for Pat Dye, and shouted, and called him names.

"Now Trovon, now Demetruce, now Jonathan Wallace,
tell them our recruiters left your academics spotless.
To the tops of Toomer's Oaks, to the top of Samford Hall,
now proclaim away, proclaim away, proclaim away all!"

And then in a twinkling he heard on his cell,
Jay Jacobs ringing, announcing his death knell,
The call was dress'd all in legalese and throughput,
And behold Chiz's contract pronounced ashes and soot.
So he ended the call, went to bed and slept not sound,
For to Tuscaloosa and the Iron Bowl the next day he was bound.

Out on the field St. Nick approached with a growl,
And Gene knew this would be no Tiger Prowl.
A wink of Saban's eye and a twist of his head,
And Chiz understood he had even more to dread.

Nick spoke not one word, but walked away with a smirk.
Then Alabama's defense lined up, all to work.
And giving a nod, Saban let loose the flood,
Of the Crimson Tide menace out for rivalry blood.

O'er 60 minutes they played like a team on a mission,
And the Tide sent the barners down the road to perdition.
Chiz heard Saban exclaim ‘ere he walked out of sight,
"Roll Tide to all, we made his ass quit … Aight."

The 2012 Iron Bowl: Pending blowout or sucker’s bet?

Alabama comes into the 2012 Iron Bowl with a 10-1 record and a chance to play for both the Southeastern Conference and BCS Championship. Auburn limps in with a 3-8 record and a chance to watch its hated rival go for an unprecedented BCS repeat. The Tide is a prohibitive favorite – SportsBetting.ag has the Tide as a 31-point favorite. History says that the better team almost always wins the Iron Bowl. There have been few upsets and it’s typically a well played game.

Could this year be a repeat of last season’s 42-14 beatdown? Or could it be another “scare” like the 2009 26-21 squeaker?

Look at the history of the series. The average margin of victory is about 15 points. In the BCS era, the margin is 12.5. Only once in the BCS era has the margin of victory been more than 30 points, and that was Tommy Tuberville’s 36-0 swansong loss in 2008. Last year was 28 points and the next widest margin is 24 points, which came in the 31-7 2001 “apply the silencer” shocker.

Every other game since 1998 has been within two touchdowns. With Auburn this bad and Alabama this good, what’s the likelihood that this game turns out to be a bit closer than everyone thinks?

Rivalry games are emotional. In a rivalry this heated, this bitter and this intense, the rivals’ adrenaline lasts a little longer than the first quarter.

Most off the players in this game are from the state of Alabama. They probably played against each other in high school and may have even played against each other in pee wee leagues. Their families know each other. They’ve gone to the same churches, the same schools and played on the same playgrounds. Sooner or later the two teams will settle in and just play football, but this game is always a little more intense than other rivalries.

Another indication that this game might be a bit closer than the betting line has it is that this could be Gene Chizik’s last game as the Auburn head coach. He’s only two years removed from an undefeated season and a national title but in big boy football, it’s always “what have you done for me lately?” The players on the Auburn team know this. The coaches who recruited them and coached them every day in practice might be gone by sunrise Sunday morning. There’s an incentive to play a little harder, run a little faster and hold those blocks a little longer.

On the other hand, there’s also the incentive to just mail it in and get this dreadful season over with.

Alabama’s motivation is the real key here, isn’t it? Knowing what’s at stake—state bragging rights, a berth in the SEC Championship game and BCS title hopes—they’ve got the greater incentive. And when was the last time a Nick Saban coached team took such a big game so lightly? Saban’s losses have rarely been in big games, and there’s no bigger game on either team’s regular season schedule than the Iron Bowl.

Again, history says that Alabama should win this one. The teams’ bodies of work over the season suggest it will be a blowout. But history suggests it may be otherwise.

Follow me on Twitter and Facebook.

Iron Bowl Week: The obligatory David Housel rant

It wouldn’t be right not to post this. It’s former Auburn AD ranting about the Iron Bowl rivalry. In it, he’s heard comparing a sports rivalry to the Vietnam War and drawing parallels between the University of Alabama and Nazi Germany.

No, really.

This is Little Brotheritis at it’s absolute creepiest.

Full transcript follows the clip.

---

---

I, like you, have read everything, I’ve heard everything, and I’ve seen everything. Now the time has come, the time has come to decide who we are, what we are, and what we’re going to do.

You Alabama fans listening in to see what we’re saying, how we’re feeling, how we’re thinking – how about giving us a moment alone, just us Auburn people, so we can talk among ourselves. Would you do us that favor? We’d appreciate it. Take a break, go to the bathroom, get another beer, do whatever you want to do, I don’t care. Just give us Auburn people a moment alone.

Shop Amazon - Black Friday Deals Week

Well, now that we’re alone what do you think? Ah, I know they’re still there, I know they’re still there listening in on what we’re saying, but so be it. I’m not scared of them and you’re not scared of them either, not since coach dye came, none of us have been scared of them anymore, none of us. If they weren’t scared of us, they wouldn’t still be listening in and thinking we didn’t know they were there.

Funny thing is they probably thought we were stupid enough to think they would leave when we asked them to leave. They’re the ones with the problem, not us. In fact I want them to hear what we’re saying and what we’re talking about. I want them to know what we’re thinking, they need to know, and when they find out, they won’t sleep good tonight, tomorrow night, any night. We’re coming after their butt. We’re coming after them today, we’re coming after them tomorrow, we’re coming after them the day after tomorrow, and the day after that, and the day after that.

We will not rest, we won’t sleep, we will not be deterred until we reach our goal, and that goal is simply this: to paint this state – the entire state – not North Alabama, not South Alabama, not East Alabama, not West Alabama, the entire state, orange and blue. Now Terry Bowden and I didn’t always agree, and we didn’t always see eye to eye on everything, but we did agree on one thing. We might not get them, the Alabama mamas and papas, but we were going to get the sons and the daughters. We were going to get the children, and we are getting them. Birminghan was once their bastion, their home ground, their turf. Lookat the statistics. Statistics don’t lie. Birmingham and Jefferson County students are coming to Auburn as never before.

We’re winning the battle there, and we’re winning the battle everywhere else. Take a snapshot here, take a snapshot there and it might not be evident. But in your heart, in your heart of hearts, you know we’re winning the battle, and you know we’re winning the war. Where are their sons and daughters going to school? Think about your Alabama friends and the number of their children who are coming to Auburn. Inch by inch, person by person, child by child we’re winning the war. It might not be evident in every battle, and it may or may not be evident today, but we’re winning the war.

All we have to do is keep the faith and keep on fighting. Every day in every way in every arena. The future is ours. All we have to do is fight for it and take it. Keeping the faith, that’s the key. And I don’t want to get anybody mad, and I don’t want to offend anybody, but think about the Vietnam War. Think about it in the context of the Alabama-Auburn rivalry. Time and time again we Americans claimed victory. We read about it in the paper, we heard about it on television, we beat ourselves on the chest.

And what did it get us? In the little things and the hearts of the people? That’s where wars are won and lost, and we’re winning this war with Alabama, just as sure as you hear the sound of my voice, we’re winning it. You know it and they know it.

That’s what will keep them awake tonight, that’s what will keep them awake in the nights to come. Winston Churchill, he of the Auburn heart said it best, “Never, never, never give up. We will fight on the land, we will fight on the sea, we will fight in the air, we will fight until Hitler and his Nazis are driven from the face of the earth.”

Now I’m not comparing Alabama to Hitler and the Nazis. Not at all. There are many good Alabama people, and I have many good Alabama friends, at least a few, and I have great respect for them and their program for what they’ve accomplished down through the years. But this is not about them, this is about us: who we are, what we are, and what we are going to do.

We are going to fight them today, we are going to fight them tomorrow. We’re going to fight them every day and every way. We won’t win all the battles, but we’re going to win the war. You Alabama fans out there, still listening in, eavesdropping voyeurs that you are, lurking there in the deep, dark shadows of radioland, you can bank on it. We’re going to win the war. Remember Dunkirk, the gallant British army was virtually driven into the sea. That was but one battle. It was a long, long war as this has been, and will continue to be, a long, long war.

No, this is not about you. This is about us, the Auburn people. And this is a call to arms. Today, tomorrow, the day after tomorrow, the day after that, and the day after that. We will fight until victory is ours.

And as for today, Coach Jordan said it best, and that’s beat hell out of the University of Alabama. We will fight until the victory is ours. We may get knocked down, but we will not be knocked out. We will get up and fight again. We may occasionally be downhearted, but we will not be defeated. Never.

It is not in our nature, not in our makeup, it is not in our heart and it is not in our soul. Remember Goliath, remember the Roman Empire, remember Ozymandias. Learn from them, my Alabama friends. Learn from them and prepare to join them. No, Ozymandias was not Ozzie Nelson’s cousin.

Now go listen to Eli. He’s a good man, he’ll tell you who Ozymandias was. Back to you, Paul. Let’s get it on.

Follow me on Twitter and Facebook.

Alabama commands a premium

Check this out. While perusing the inventory of office equipment yesterday at a local warehouse store, an Alabama fan found this and snapped a pic.

You can get a comfortable, stylish and ergonomic task chair for $78.81.

But if you want to work from the best looking chair in the office, the price is $88.81.

As we noted in this space last March, some folks are quite sensitive when it comes to the inventory on display at local establishments. It looks like Sam’s has found a way to keep enough product moving to maintain a respectable presence.

Lower the price on the stuff people aren’t buying until they buy enough to justify keeping it in stock.

Note: Hit me up in the comments if you took this pic or you know who did. I’d like to give credit.

Follow me on Twitter and Facebook.

It’s a Crimson state and everyone else is just livin’ in it

We’re not saying. We’re just saying.

Helmet tap to @BigHeadChuck

With apologies to DirecTV, a message to our Aubren friends

When you get bored, you read the local newspaper.

When you read the paper, you see factually accurate critiques of your favorite school.

When you see accurate stories, your Little Brother Syndrome kicks in.

When LBS kicks in, you see a media conspiracy to hurt you and help your rival.

When you begin seeing media conspiracies, your bloggers write posts that make you look like an idiot.

Don’t look like an idiot.

Stay classy, Auburn fans.

Follow me on Twitter and Facebook.

Auburn fans help Bammers find places to shop

God Bless’em. You may recall that a couple of months ago, Auburn fans displayed a bit of hypersensitivity when it came to the apparel and gear inventory of a Baldwin County Alabama Cracker Barrel restaurant.

Word got out and the store’s business boomed as Alabama fans made sure to support the businesses that roll with the Tide.

Illustrating that the Cracker Barrel incident wasn’t just an isolated case of Little Brotheritis: this comprehensive list of business establishments deemed to be disrespectful of teh fambly.

Click the image below the fold for the full version.

Bama fans, since survey after survey shows that this is Alabama’s state and Auburn is just living in it, we’re sure you know what to do.

Weegle, weegle.

Helmet Tap to @BSBHVR2 and the BAMSRadio.com denizens.

Follow me on Twitter and Facebook.and support your local retail establishments, whoever the owner roots for.

 

With Trent Richardson gone to the NFL, Auburn fans begin stalking AJ McCarron

First, it was Mark Ingram. Then Ingram left for the New Orleans Saints via a first round pick in the 2011 NFL Draft.

They moved on to Trent Richardson, taking pictures of cars, driving by his house and generally creeping everyone out.

Now that Richardson has left for the Cleveland Browns via a first round pick in the 2012 Draft, Auburn fans need a new target.

Don’t forget the T-Town Menswear Comedy Show.

Auburn fans like stalking bammers, for some weird reason or another.

Before all of this was Operation Red Dog. Before Operation Red Dog, there was Stump Thrower bribing  former Alabama football player Gene Jelks to make up pay-for-play allegations in the 1990’s. This goes way back, sports fans. Nutty Auburn fans have been trying to entrap Alabama players since before McCarron was a twinkle in his daddy’s eye.

Never mind that Alabama’s compliance department has a solid policy for documenting vehicles driven by student-athletes. If a Bama kid is driving a decent car and wearing decent clothes, it must be an NCAA violation, or something.

Helmet Tap to Tidefan in AU at Tidefans.com.

Follow me on Twitter and Facebook.

This drives Auburn fans CRAZY

Alabama head football coach Nick Saban has his mug on the front page of the Mobile Press-Register’s Sports section. Saban was in Mobile as part of the Crimson Caravan tour, a series of seated dinner events scheduled around the southeast.

Saban was just in Mobile as a featured speaker for Team Focus’ Benefit Banquet on April 23, scarcely more than a week ago. The morning after, the Press-Register was splashed with a big assed headline and another big assed picture.

When Saban stopped in Mobile to check in on Senior Bowl practices last January, a similar chain of events happened.

This drives Auburn fans nuts, especially in the Mobile area. Despite the fact that the second largest metro area in the state is solidly Crimson, it wasn’t that long ago that Auburn got whoever they wanted when recruiting on the Gulf Coast.

Saban turned that around.

The 2011 BCS National Champions featured safety Mark Barron—an eventual first round pick in last week’s NFL Draft—and quarterback AJ McCarron. Both are native Mobilians. The 2012 edition of the Crimson Tide will include tailback sensation TJ Yeldon, a Daphne product who Saban famously flipped from Auburn in the last signing class.

By the way, Auburn coach Gene Chizik also had an interview with the media yesterday. He spoke with Birmingham’s 97.3 The Zone and spoke about quarterback expectations and recruiting linebackers. That story also made the front page.

It was below the fold, accompanied by a photo roughly half the size of the one you see above.

If recent history is any indication, the next few days of Sound Off will be chock full of calls from irate Auburn fans, wailing and gnashing their teeth over perceived Bama bias on the part of the Press-Register.

The truth is that a Saban visit is BIG news in Mobile. Both the Team Focus and Crimson Caravan events were sold out. The Mobile Press-Register has the best (and oldest) sports section in the state. Coverage of both Alabama and Auburn news is about as unbiased as you’ll find anywhere and Sports Editor Randy Kennedy is a certifiable newshound. Go pick up a copy. It’s the best $1.00 you’ll spend all day. Better yet, call 251-219-5343 and subscribe.

You don’t want to miss the next time Saban’s mug dominates the front page, do you?

Follow me on Twitter and Facebook.

Front pages: Iron Bowl and BCS Championship

One of the greatest pleasures I have during football season is to pour that first cup of coffee, sit down and read the sports page after a great game.

I’ve had 12 great opportunities to do that this year, but none sweeter than the last two.

42-14 and 21-0 just feel better when you can pick them up and feel them.

---

Uploaded with ImageShack.us

---

Follow me on Twitter and Facebook.

This Auburn booster is “All in,” y’all

From a poster on Tider Insider comes this picture of an Auburn booster who’s apparently had it all in, or something. NTTAWWT, of course.

Exit question: Is that a European carry all man purse on the fat guy seated to the right? I wouldn’t know anything about that…