WILD DAY IN THE WEST
Monday 11/15/02
This weekend kicked off two solid weeks of the SEC West taking their best shots at each other. It started with Auburn taking it to Bama and making a statement. The Auburn team and coaches ended an uphill climb of a season with the most satisfying of wins. Teams like this usually take a special place in the history of the school. They don’t win a championship and they endure some heartbreaking losses but they never give up and show unbelievable heart. I believe this team will take it’s place beside the 1982 and 1986 Auburn teams. The similarities between each of these teams is pretty amazing. All 3 teams were very good but each one lost an unbelievable heartbreaker at Florida and all 3 lost a tough game at home to Georgia. However each team rallied for enormous wins over Bama. The 1982 team beat a better Bama team breaking a 10-game Bama winning streak in Bear Bryant’s last regular season game. The 1986 team beat a great Bama team that included Cornelius Bennett and Derrick Thomas. Finally this 2002 team beat a top 10 Bama team who seemed to be on an unstoppable roll.
This history lesson could have another message as the 1983 and 1987 Auburn teams won undisputed SEC Championships. Auburn has just about everybody coming back and seems to have found a quarterback. Auburn looks to be a very solid contender for the SEC West in 2003. I didn’t think Auburn would win this game but I knew that if they did they would have to have a great performance by QB Jason Campbell. They got it. Campbell was calm, cool and precise leading Auburn to a crucial early lead they never relinquished. In hindsight, the loss of their top two RBs might have made the difference in the game. It forced the Auburn coaches to spread things out and run off the pass like Georgia did against Bama. Once again it was an extremely effective plan. The biggest kudos have to go to the Auburn lines as this game was won in the trenches. Everyone knew it would be but most including me thought it would be Bama’s lines dominating.
It was an incredible job by the Auburn players and coaches. It was the finest performance by an Auburn team overall in a long long time. It was a huge game for Tommy Tuberville and his future at Auburn University. Tuberville has now pulled even or has winning records against all of Auburn’s permanent opponents except Arkansas. The game also proved how much Auburn upgraded at the coordinator positions this year especially on offense. Auburn offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino might be the best in the conference right now. He has an Auburn offense which has languished toward the bottom of just about all the SEC stats since 1995 near the top of most of them. A note to Tennessee… they would be wise to take note and try to make a similar move.
However while Auburn is reveling in a sweet Iron Bowl victory they will not being going to Atlanta. That achievement will go to Arkansas or LSU. While Auburn finished strong LSU has managed one less loss and Arkansas whipped the Tigers earlier this season thus winning any tie-breakers with them. Both LSU and Arkansas avoided getting upset by great efforts from the two Mississippi teams. Miss St came back to make it a little too close for comfort for Arkansas while Eli Manning threw 2 critical INTs to help LSU. This officially sets up the winner-take-all game this coming Friday for the SEC West championship. It ought to be a great game and a great way to end the season.