abw0004 10,110 Posted December 31, 2018 Share Posted December 31, 2018 Good afternoon all, I hope this finds you in good spirits with the New Year upon us. Here in Atlanta it is rainy/misty, yet somehow 70 degrees. Being the last game of our season, this thread will be a little bittersweet being the last game thread of mine for this season, but the show must go on. Let's get started shall we? Purdue Fans: I knew going into this there would not be any issues with their fan base. They were all friendly and happy to be at a bowl game. It kind of makes you step back and think for a moment why we take any bowl game for granted. It was funny walking on the bridge over to the stadium with Purdue fans as they had never encountered people preaching the word of God out in the open like that, megaphone and all. I heard everything from "Can they do that?" to "Man he is using a really big speaker, look at that thing." I found it comical because if they were only at an SEC stadium, where there would be at least 5 more waiting for you to walk their way. Also, apparently it is a running joke that people from the SEC can't read? People kept chanting that the SEC/Auburn didn't even know how to spell "Auburn." It was a little perplexing due to the fact that Indiana is known to be blue-collar. Their biggest city, Indianapolis, is as big as an Atlanta suburb. And I say this in all due respect as all of my father's family is from Terra Haute, Indiana. Auburn Fans: About 40 minutes prior to the game it was easily 5-1 Purdue fans to Auburn fans. And then about 10 minutes before, Auburn fans piled in, making it almost even. That was a welcome sight, and I should have expect that seeing this happens in Jordan-Hare. I will say the ratio of pretty Auburn women to Purdue women was in our favor, 5-1. Nashville: The city could not have been a nicer place to be in for a bowl game. I was pleasantly surprised. The drive from Atlanta is very pretty when it isn't flooded due to rain. The stadium was also very welcoming. The only thing that bugged me to death and still to this day is bugging me is after they showed Purdue's hype video, they cut Auburn's off 15 seconds into it. It honestly feels like you held in a sneeze. As a well-known connoisseur of hype videos, ours is one of the best in the country and deserved to be played in its entirety, one last time. Bittersweet Game: As fun as this game was to watch and be a part of, it was a difficult one. The senior class is the first full class I followed from high school when they were recruited. It was fun to watch every single one of them grow into the men they are now. So it was difficult to process that I was witnessing DeShaun Davis' last sack in an Auburn uniform where he flexes his arms forward, cocks his head back and screams into the air. It was difficult to watch Jarrett Stidham throw his last touchdown in an Auburn uniform, and running back to the sideline with that grin all over his face. These are just two examples of why I enjoyed every second of it, but felt the reality that I feel at this time every year. Gameplan: As a well known "sunshine pumper" on this forum, it sure was a breath of fresh air to see what we did to Purdue. Gus Malzahn in the weeks prior bet on himself and officially took over the play-calling. It was do or die, and will be next season. And man, it was sure nice to see what dividends it payed. I sure hope we keep this momentum up. Auburn scored 28 points in the first quarter, making it the most Auburn has scored in a first quarter in a bowl game. What record did it break? The previous high of 21 scored against Virginia in 2011, the last time Gus was a lone/true offensive coordinator. Swan Song: This was really a way to go out for our seniors. Jarrett Stidham's 5 passing touchdowns tied a school record for most in a single-game, and owns the record for most in a bowl game. Gus made a comment that Jarrett has been injured all year and it does start to make sense when you think about it. His passing ability went down right after that shot in the Washington game. So I was happy to see what he did for us. DeShaun Davis led the team in tackles, once again, which is also a great way to go out. We will miss his leadership. Juniors Declaring: As we know this is a hot topic around this time of year. So far Jamel Dean has declared with Jarrett Stidham. After the bowl game, at the trophy ceremony, all of the seniors with Jamel Dean and Jarrett Stidham were up on the stage. Marlon Davidson also got up there so if I had to guess, he is declaring as well. Just speculation from what I saw. Looking Forward: This is for sure positive momentum heading into the off-season. How much will be determined. One thing I did enjoy is Gus continually put his players in a position for success. He wasn't afraid to take shots. I am looking forward to 2019 and I do think we have the opportunity to build on this year. Why? I still firmly believe that the downfall of this season was our offensive line. For me personally, I do believe this fell on Herb Hand, not J.B. Grimes. Herb Hand, in my opinion, did not develop any of our guys. At all. I think he rode on the guys that J.B. developed in his first stint with us, and then jumped ship when those guys graduated. So when Grimes arrived, he had to start at ground zero. Developing an offensive lineman takes time, and this is why our offensive line finally started to hold up around the Georgia game. From then on out the line looked fine. If Grimes does stay, I believe we will continue to see progress. I also believe our quarterback of the future in Bo Nix is about to arrive on campus. I genuinely believe he can win the starting job. Watching his film and his summer camps has me fully confident in his abilities, not to mention he is a coach's son, with his father being Pat Nix. This season, we also played the most freshmen under Gus Malzahn, constantly being rotated in. We have quality depth in most areas, and more on the way. I am very pleased with our 2019 class so far. Class rankings do not matter at the moment as we only have 16 committed to us, compared to others that have the full 25. If you do compare the rankings, compare the average star ranking, not the class ranking. Thank you: This is one of the few times I hope our players go on this forum, to see this thread. I want each and every one of them to know how much we appreciate them. How much we love them. How much we enjoy watching them give their all. Especially the seniors and juniors declaring. It has been a true honor to watch you play, and I genuinely hope you come back to visit us. Nothing makes me happier than to see former players back at Auburn. You are welcome back with open arms at any time. Here is to 2019, and the things to come! Oh and one other thing... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alexava 6,973 Posted December 31, 2018 Share Posted December 31, 2018 I feel bad for not making that 90 minute drive now. Enjoyed reading this! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SaltyTiger 7,793 Posted January 1, 2019 Share Posted January 1, 2019 4 hours ago, alexava said: I feel bad for not making that 90 minute drive now. Enjoyed reading this! you should feel horrible alex. shame on you 😁 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abw0004 10,110 Posted January 1, 2019 Author Share Posted January 1, 2019 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AU-24 3,067 Posted January 2, 2019 Share Posted January 2, 2019 Along with the preacher, on the bridge, on the way to the stadium...on my way back, one of the Indiana girls whipped out the “F” word twice in one sentence. A nice Auburn gentleman asked her, very politely, to watch her language as children were present. About 10 or 12 Indy people, literally stopped walking and looked at the guy like he was nuts. I mean it was like they’ed never heard anything like that before in their life. I just laughed out loud. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChltteTiger 649 Posted January 2, 2019 Share Posted January 2, 2019 Some of the first modern scuzzy-looking young folk (you know what I am talking about) I encountered IN A FAMILY SETTING, A RESTAURANT was in Indianapolis in 1999. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mims44 1,867 Posted January 2, 2019 Share Posted January 2, 2019 On 12/31/2018 at 4:21 PM, abw0004 said: Here is to 2019, and the things to come! Oh and one other thing... Great post all around, hoping our O-Line continues to move forward as well. Things tend to awry quickly when they aren't playing great. PS: Am I blind or do I not have a "thumbs up" symbol anymore? 58 minutes ago, ChltteTiger said: Some of the first modern scuzzy-looking young folk (you know what I am talking about) I encountered IN A FAMILY SETTING, A RESTAURANT was in Indianapolis in 1999. I honestly don't, but you've made me curious... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kd4au 1,145 Posted January 2, 2019 Share Posted January 2, 2019 On 12/31/2018 at 3:21 PM, abw0004 said: Good afternoon all, I hope this finds you in good spirits with the New Year upon us. Here in Atlanta it is rainy/misty, yet somehow 70 degrees. Being the last game of our season, this thread will be a little bittersweet being the last game thread of mine for this season, but the show must go on. Let's get started shall we? Purdue Fans: I knew going into this there would not be any issues with their fan base. They were all friendly and happy to be at a bowl game. It kind of makes you step back and think for a moment why we take any bowl game for granted. It was funny walking on the bridge over to the stadium with Purdue fans as they had never encountered people preaching the word of God out in the open like that, megaphone and all. I heard everything from "Can they do that?" to "Man he is using a really big speaker, look at that thing." I found it comical because if they were only at an SEC stadium, where there would be at least 5 more waiting for you to walk their way. Also, apparently it is a running joke that people from the SEC can't read? People kept chanting that the SEC/Auburn didn't even know how to spell "Auburn." It was a little perplexing due to the fact that Indiana is known to be blue-collar. Their biggest city, Indianapolis, is as big as an Atlanta suburb. And I say this in all due respect as all of my father's family is from Terra Haute, Indiana. Auburn Fans: About 40 minutes prior to the game it was easily 5-1 Purdue fans to Auburn fans. And then about 10 minutes before, Auburn fans piled in, making it almost even. That was a welcome sight, and I should have expect that seeing this happens in Jordan-Hare. I will say the ratio of pretty Auburn women to Purdue women was in our favor, 5-1. Nashville: The city could not have been a nicer place to be in for a bowl game. I was pleasantly surprised. The drive from Atlanta is very pretty when it isn't flooded due to rain. The stadium was also very welcoming. The only thing that bugged me to death and still to this day is bugging me is after they showed Purdue's hype video, they cut Auburn's off 15 seconds into it. It honestly feels like you held in a sneeze. As a well-known connoisseur of hype videos, ours is one of the best in the country and deserved to be played in its entirety, one last time. Bittersweet Game: As fun as this game was to watch and be a part of, it was a difficult one. The senior class is the first full class I followed from high school when they were recruited. It was fun to watch every single one of them grow into the men they are now. So it was difficult to process that I was witnessing DeShaun Davis' last sack in an Auburn uniform where he flexes his arms forward, cocks his head back and screams into the air. It was difficult to watch Jarrett Stidham throw his last touchdown in an Auburn uniform, and running back to the sideline with that grin all over his face. These are just two examples of why I enjoyed every second of it, but felt the reality that I feel at this time every year. Gameplan: As a well known "sunshine pumper" on this forum, it sure was a breath of fresh air to see what we did to Purdue. Gus Malzahn in the weeks prior bet on himself and officially took over the play-calling. It was do or die, and will be next season. And man, it was sure nice to see what dividends it payed. I sure hope we keep this momentum up. Auburn scored 28 points in the first quarter, making it the most Auburn has scored in a first quarter in a bowl game. What record did it break? The previous high of 21 scored against Virginia in 2011, the last time Gus was a lone/true offensive coordinator. Swan Song: This was really a way to go out for our seniors. Jarrett Stidham's 5 passing touchdowns tied a school record for most in a single-game, and owns the record for most in a bowl game. Gus made a comment that Jarrett has been injured all year and it does start to make sense when you think about it. His passing ability went down right after that shot in the Washington game. So I was happy to see what he did for us. DeShaun Davis led the team in tackles, once again, which is also a great way to go out. We will miss his leadership. Juniors Declaring: As we know this is a hot topic around this time of year. So far Jamel Dean has declared with Jarrett Stidham. After the bowl game, at the trophy ceremony, all of the seniors with Jamel Dean and Jarrett Stidham were up on the stage. Marlon Davidson also got up there so if I had to guess, he is declaring as well. Just speculation from what I saw. Looking Forward: This is for sure positive momentum heading into the off-season. How much will be determined. One thing I did enjoy is Gus continually put his players in a position for success. He wasn't afraid to take shots. I am looking forward to 2019 and I do think we have the opportunity to build on this year. Why? I still firmly believe that the downfall of this season was our offensive line. For me personally, I do believe this fell on Herb Hand, not J.B. Grimes. Herb Hand, in my opinion, did not develop any of our guys. At all. I think he rode on the guys that J.B. developed in his first stint with us, and then jumped ship when those guys graduated. So when Grimes arrived, he had to start at ground zero. Developing an offensive lineman takes time, and this is why our offensive line finally started to hold up around the Georgia game. From then on out the line looked fine. If Grimes does stay, I believe we will continue to see progress. I also believe our quarterback of the future in Bo Nix is about to arrive on campus. I genuinely believe he can win the starting job. Watching his film and his summer camps has me fully confident in his abilities, not to mention he is a coach's son, with his father being Pat Nix. This season, we also played the most freshmen under Gus Malzahn, constantly being rotated in. We have quality depth in most areas, and more on the way. I am very pleased with our 2019 class so far. Class rankings do not matter at the moment as we only have 16 committed to us, compared to others that have the full 25. If you do compare the rankings, compare the average star ranking, not the class ranking. Thank you: This is one of the few times I hope our players go on this forum, to see this thread. I want each and every one of them to know how much we appreciate them. How much we love them. How much we enjoy watching them give their all. Especially the seniors and juniors declaring. It has been a true honor to watch you play, and I genuinely hope you come back to visit us. Nothing makes me happier than to see former players back at Auburn. You are welcome back with open arms at any time. Here is to 2019, and the things to come! Oh and one other thing... We don't see things the same way every time, but I do always enjoy your post very much. Thanks and I hope you continue these post in the future. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DyeCampAlum 335 Posted January 2, 2019 Share Posted January 2, 2019 For what it's worth, the difference between central Indiana and Alabama is that Indiana is a lot whiter. Otherwise, they're culturally about the same. Having lived both places. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abw0004 10,110 Posted January 3, 2019 Author Share Posted January 3, 2019 50 minutes ago, DyeCampAlum said: For what it's worth, the difference between central Indiana and Alabama is that Indiana is a lot whiter. Otherwise, they're culturally about the same. Having lived both places. Where in Indiana? My fathers side of the family is from Terra Haute and Vincennes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chimes 442 Posted January 3, 2019 Share Posted January 3, 2019 I’ll never get used to bammers at Auburn games yelling row tahd from the urinals or our bowl competition shouting it after the game. It’s like I shouldn’t be surprised anymore but I am every time. The game was fun in pretty much every facet. The pain that was being emitted from the butthurt Purdue students sitting next to me (in an AU section) made it that much better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DyeCampAlum 335 Posted January 14, 2019 Share Posted January 14, 2019 On 1/2/2019 at 7:23 PM, abw0004 said: Where in Indiana? My fathers side of the family is from Terra Haute and Vincennes. I worked just outside Bloomington for a couple of years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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