Top 10 Most Frustrating Losses of the Malzahn Era

[auburnphan 6,050]

8 hours ago, oracle79 said:

When Gus run ball good we good. Gus recruit much great players offense but no get them all.  Gus like offense more than win. Auburn have good defense long time.

I love the Kevin Malone version!!!!

[WarEagleHunter1221 1,690]

The 2013 national championship is number one. 

The 2017 SEC Championship is number two. 

The 2014 game against TAMU is number three. 

A chance for us to win a national championship at those three moments was very feasible and the ball was dropped badly. To me you can’t beat that. 

Side Note: I’ll never forget that 2014 TAMU game. I had been so confident that we would whoop them that I didn’t even stay home to watch the game. I went uptown. I visibly remember checking my phone and having a genuine oh s*** moment. I rushed home to finish watching it..... I should have stayed uptown. 

[IronMan70 3,277]

On ‎10‎/‎7‎/‎2019 at 9:43 PM, CameronCrazy said:

Where does this past week’s game rank on your list?

1.  2018 Tennessee, 2.  2014 Texas A&M,  3.  2016 Georgia,  4.  2019 Florida, 5.  2017 LSU, 6.  2017 Clemson, 7.  2015 Georgia, 8.  2016 Clemson, 9.  2018 Mississippi State, 10.  Central Florida,

Honorable mention 

2018 LSU,  2013 National Championship Game vs FSU,  2017 SEC Championship Game vs UGA,  2015 Mississippi State,  2014 Bowl Game vs Wisconsin

That's a very good list and it definitely includes the most notable ones.   

My list would be:

1. The 2013 National Championship Game vs FSU. That one took me almost a year to get over. I try not to even think about to this day.

2. The 2017 SEC Championship Game vs UGA. I hated that one. We had just whipped their butts 3 weeks earlier and it would have been a ticket to the playoffs. 

After those 2, all the rest you listed in whatever order. BTW, those 15 games are exactly why we have been an 8 win averaged team over the last 6 years. The thing is, in many if not most of them, we were the clearly superior team. Those are all very tough losses to take.  

[dyehardfanAU 2,117]

1 hour ago, ChltteTiger said:

I believe it has been said that Gus was not quite the same after that game. The only person who should have been fired for that game was Ellis J- and he was fired after the Alabama game.

Gus hire Ellis after he hung 56(?)  points on the guy.  Gus was responsible for him being at Auburn.

[AUsince72 11,084]

2016 vs LSU

[caleb1633 1,418]

1. 2017 LSU - No game was a greater display of incompetence, stubbornness, and stupidity than this one. How do you give up a 20 point lead on the road and continue running the ball up the middle for 17 straight first down plays?
2. 2018 Tennessee - I didn't even see this one because I was in Japan at the time and it was playing at 2 AM on a Sunday, but the fact we lost to a program that is now worse than Vanderbilt is just sad.
3. 2016 Clemson - 5 QBs... Really? 9 months to prepare.... Really? The Whirliebird.... Really?
4. 2017 UCF - The worst part about this embarrassment was not that it was to a UCF team that played High School teams all year and lauded themselves the best in the land. It was that we had just signed Double Bubble to a $49M contract and we remembered why we had been calling for his head prior to the UGA and Bama games.
5. 2017 Clemson - Defense plays lights out and Gus let's Stidham get sacked more than Brodie Croyle.
6. 2018 Mississippi State - Unless the QB's name is Dak Prescott, it is never acceptable to lose to them.
7. 2014 Georgia - Other losses before that could be pinned on the defense; this is the first time we saw the vaunted Gus Malzahn offense look anemic. It's simply embarrassing to get slaughtered like that by one of our biggest rivals.
8. 2015 LSU - Can't help but feel like we're gonna see a similar showing here soon. Trey Matthews getting completely embarrassed with his somersault over Fornette was embarrassing to our program.
9. 2016 Georgia - No first downs the entire second half and an incredible display for stubbornness and stupidity to continue playing Sean White.
10. 2013 National Championship Game - This one was just difficult to stomach. I don't blame Gus for this like I do the others, but it happened under his watch.

 

Honorable Mention:

 

2018 LSU - Refs completely screwed us over

2017 SEC Championship Game vs UGA - I don't think any team would've been able to beat #1, #1, and #4 all in one month

2014 Texas A&M - The most heartbreaking. The team fought so valiantly and came up short. Not one I hate Gus for though.

[lost 452]

I try not to live in the past, neither hold the past against one.  But i go back to Saturday.  I felt we were the better team.  I have to give props to the Florida fanbase.  They came in force and provided an electric atmosphere like i remember in Auburn when we we beat Ga and Bama at home in 2017, ALSO THE WEEK BEFORE vs Ms state.    I understand the season is not over and strange things have happened before, but the injury to Boobie seals the deal in my opinion.  We are headed back down the slippery slope of GUSVILLE.  It is the schedule, yes, but it is also the preparation and game play calling of one Gus Malzhan.  I can easily see 4 losses.  There is no way i expected a 5 loss team with all the SRS present on this team.  This was the year if anything was to happen.....  ALL MY HOPE WAS PINNED ON FLORIDA...   6-0 going to LSU. with a belief we could somehow slow em down enough to win....  Now i am not sure with the injury to Boobie if we win another SEC game.

[auburn4ever 1,266]

Just the top 10? I can't stop with just 10 since Gus has been AU's coach.

[AUsince72 11,084]

3 hours ago, auburn4ever said:

Just the top 10? I can't stop with just 10 since Gus has been AU's coach.

 

[gr82be 14,403]

3 hours ago, auburn4ever said:

Just the top 10? I can't stop with just 10 since Gus has been AU's coach.

This is your best post ever. 

[ArgoEagle 1,767]

For me it's the 2017 SEC Championship Game against uga. We were in it at halftime. Uga makes 1 major adjustment at halftime by blitzing both linebackers. Gus, instead of adjusting to making short throws over the middle to combat this, continues to call 20 -40 yd. Pass plays with JS running for his life, and Kerryon done for the game: Gus with no plan B at RB and we get run off the field in the 2nd half and lose our chance at the playoffs. I've had a harder time getting over Gus' ineptness in this game than any other.

[Win4AU 4,052]

On 10/8/2019 at 6:16 PM, ChltteTiger said:

Would 10 worst loss lists for Dye, Bowden and Tubberville be anywhere near as depressing? For Pat Dye at least I am thinking NO WAY!!

Dye was a little before I was old enough to know what was going on but there were a couple bad games.  Pretty much every loss to Bama since Auburn was the better team during that time.  Probably the game UGA stormed the field at JHS.  The Tennessee blowout.  Someone else can suggest more.

Tubs had plenty.  01 Bama, most 2003 season, Arkansas most every year, USF and Miss State back to back 2007. Most 2008 season.

Bowden actually had a really good run.  94 UGA  tie, 95 LSU and Arky, 96 UGA overtime game, 97 Miss St and Tennessee Championship game.  98 train wreck.  

Gus to me is no worse than Tubs.  Lots of high highs, lots of what the hells.  Tubs may be remembered differently for beating Bama 6 years in a row but he was constantly under heat the same as Gus.

[gr82be 14,403]

On 10/8/2019 at 6:16 PM, ChltteTiger said:

Would 10 worst loss lists for Dye, Bowden and Tubberville be anywhere near as depressing? For Pat Dye at least I am thinking NO WAY!!

Just off the top of my head the '84 Iron Bowl, wrong way Bo game, was the worst. We should never have lost that game. They weren't even bowl eligible. The Miami game earlier that year was pretty bad too, needed to make a statement and couldn't.

For Tuberville you can pretty much pick any Arkansas game. 

[tigers23 644]

The win vs Jacksonville State should be on the list

[DKW 86 7,411]

UT 2018. That loss is as bad as Black Saturday back in 1980. a 44-0 loss to...UT. 

I dont care anymore. After some of the worst O performances of the 2000s, I dont care for CGM as HC. He is a great guy, but a meh SEC HC.  

[johnnyAU 3,630]

#1 is NC game. 80% of the fans were expecting a fake punt in that situation. Gus was oblivious. We stop them there, it's over.

#2 2017 LSU

#3 2016-2017 Clemson games

#4 2018 UT

I'll stop there, because the rest of them are making me angry.

[AU-24 3,063]

9 hours ago, tigers23 said:

The win vs Jacksonville State should be on the list

I’m not into Gus bashing, but I don’t care who you are, that’s funny right there! 

My buddy gave me his families 50 yard line seats for that game; my family and me sat there scared to death, thinking we were going to lose the game. I mean by start of the third quarter, it really looked like we were going to lose, I just couldn’t believe what I was seeing.
 

 

[McLoofus 35,182]

2 hours ago, DKW 86 said:

UT 2018. That loss is as bad as Black Saturday back in 1980. a 44-0 loss to...UT. 

I dont care anymore. After some of the worst O performances of the 2000s, I dont care for CGM as HC. He is a great guy, but a meh SEC HC.  

It's like the entire Chizik tenure condensed into every season. 

[AUsince72 11,084]

12 hours ago, tigers23 said:

The win vs Jacksonville State should be on the list

The 2016 win over LSU too.  LSU & Auburn were the last two standing in the "Win or You're Fired" Bowl.  Auburn won the battle but LSU fired Les Miles so THEY won the war.

[McLoofus 35,182]

4 minutes ago, AUsince72 said:

The 2016 win over LSU too.  LSU & Auburn were the last two standing in the "Win or You're Fired" Bowl.  Auburn won the battle but LSU fired Les Miles so THEY won the war.

What's crazy is that if Sean White and one of KJ or KP stays healthy in 2016... Actually, Gus probably just takes the play calling back over anyway. 

[AURex 1,984]

My most frustrating, because Auburn really SHOULD have won the game and it was such a BIG game was the championship game against FSU.

My #2 was the 2017 LSU game that Malzahn gave away after building a big lead. That too was a big game, and there was no reason Auburn should have lost. He just gave it away.

 

[ToraGirl 5,498]

For many, it's not one game...or ten...or a hundred...it's just that nagging threat of or actual loss of HOPE itself...NEVER in the players.  NEVER in Auburn.  NEVER.  Seven is the Biblical number of completion.  Can we FIX IT this year, one way or the other?