“What if” scenarios from the past

[TAYLORKEETON 792]

Bored at work with no sports & read an article on the 3 most disappointing losses of Gus’s tenure. So this got me thinking. What are some of the most “what if” games that come to mind for y’all? I’m going with UGA 06. We were ranked 5 going into that game & they absolutely destroyed us. Maybe the worst game of Brandon Cox’s career. I believe we had a shot to have a rematch with FL in the SEC title game if I remember correctly & would’ve been in the natty if we won. I know Arky beat us but we would’ve had the tiebreaker? I was 11 so I don’t remember everything. What are some if your biggest “what if’s?”

[SLAG-91 1,483]

1988 Earthquake Game in Baton Rouge. 

Win that one and I believe we're playing Notre Dame in the Sugar Bowl for the MNC...watching us try to hold on to that tenuous 6-0 lead was agonizing. I think LSU converted two 4th downs on that fateful drive. 🤢

That team had a dominant defense and a pretty pedestrian offense. I think that game against LSU was Reggie Slack's first road start, and it was tough sledding.

But, even given that, we were right there. So frustrating.

[Dual-Threat Rigby 8,665]

What if Gus used Kiehl for something other than obvious running attempts - watching the 2011 UVA/Aub game rn 

Pro style would've set him back immensely anyway, but Gus used this guy horribly, as he has most of his backups.

I think another what if would've been if they just didn't hire someone who moved the needle as little as Ellis. those DBs were horrible for the years before Gus, and they didn't even consider making that truly elite hire like Muschamp. Steele wasn't that at the time either, but he at least had some recent success (plus the foundation of Will to build on). 

[Dual-Threat Rigby 8,665]

I think if they dont get hosed vs either MSU or A&M, they win in Tuscaloosa. this isnt anything new, but that's just a belief I cant give up. 

[AUwarrior 26]

What if we had been prepared on offense and beat USC to open the '03 season.  It could have changed the tone of that season and been the spark for a Tuberville dynasty.

[AUwent 3,748]

The three most obvious ones for our program as a whole are Texas '83, LSU '88 and FSU '13.

[aubiefifty 16,777]

yeah fsu was bad but so was usc. the way i remember that game was they beat us like a redheaded step child. i felt like we were dominated. to be honest i do not like losing period but it is aubrun and they are my heart so i keep ob pulling for em and will with my last breath.

[Dual-Threat Rigby 8,665]

I wasnt watching football in 2003, but how do they go about beating USC? and even if they do, how do they translate that to winning the other 4 games they lost? 

[passthebiscuits 6,845]

Tre Mason pulls up at the 1/2 yard line. We bleed the clock and push one in to win the natty...or we make a freakin tackle in the secondary on their last drive.

Therezie trips up Chris Davis on the kick 6 or gets called for taunting...and in overtime Bama wins. (Nightmares I’ve actually had.)

Les Miles has one more second on the play clock and beats Auburn on the last play. Gus is fired and NOT Miles.

In Baton Rouge, Miles mismanages the clock. Their QB throws to the endzone and we get two fingers on the ball, knocking it in the air every so briefly so that it lands a second later..:and we win for the first time in BR since FDR or whatnot.

D Brown hands the ball as a lateral to a faster corner on his trip down the field after recovering a fumble last year. 
 

Pettway doesn’t tear a quad...

Jax State beats us. Mercer beats us. 

i don’t mean all of these to go dark...for some reason they just come out. 

[McLoofus 35,182]

Does it have to be an Auburn game? If Oklahoma State or TAMU finish the drill against Oklahoma in '04, we play for it all.

 

[tigerbrotha12 2,362]

2013 Natty is obvious. 

Biggest one for Gus's tenure is what if we don't get hosed by the officials on a fumble that CAP recovered in the A&M game in 2014 on the goal line? We likely push it in for the score, hold on defense, and get out with a close win. I think that team lost so much momentum when that happened, and caused the butt whipping in Georgia, and then kept us from winning in Tuscaloosa. That team was dominant for the first half of the season. Beat a good Arkansas team like a drum, beat LSU by a million. Played one really bad game in Starkville, but they reached No. 1 that season and I'm confident if we win the rest of our games, we end up in the CFP. 

[tigerbrotha12 2,362]

4 minutes ago, McLoofus said:

Does it have to be an Auburn game? If Oklahoma State or TAMU finish the drill against Oklahoma in '04, we play for it all.

 

TAMU was up 21-7 in that game. Darn.

[AUFriction 1,179]

9 hours ago, passthebiscuits said:

Tre Mason pulls up at the 1/2 yard line. We bleed the clock and push one in to win the natty...or we make a freakin tackle in the secondary on their last drive.

Therezie trips up Chris Davis on the kick 6 or gets called for taunting...and in overtime Bama wins. (Nightmares I’ve actually had.)

Les Miles has one more second on the play clock and beats Auburn on the last play. Gus is fired and NOT Miles.

In Baton Rouge, Miles mismanages the clock. Their QB throws to the endzone and we get two fingers on the ball, knocking it in the air every so briefly so that it lands a second later..:and we win for the first time in BR since FDR or whatnot.

D Brown hands the ball as a lateral to a faster corner on his trip down the field after recovering a fumble last year. 
 

Pettway doesn’t tear a quad...

Jax State beats us. Mercer beats us. 

i don’t mean all of these to go dark...for some reason they just come out. 

With the Mercer game, it was never as close as it felt. Go look at the stats. We dominated them in every way except points scored. It wasn’t even exactly close if I remember correctly... just closer than it should’ve been. Didn’t we win by 2 tds? Even if they doubled their points, I think they would’ve lost.

[AUFriction 1,179]

LSU 2007... not for what it would’ve done for us, but for what it would’ve done for college football as a whole. If not for that Hail Mary, LSU would’ve been out of the championship.

[AUApostle 7,651]

22 minutes ago, AUFriction said:

With the Mercer game, it was never as close as it felt. Go look at the stats. We dominated them in every way except points scored. It wasn’t even exactly close if I remember correctly... just closer than it should’ve been. Didn’t we win by 2 tds? Even if they doubled their points, I think they would’ve lost.

Boring game.  We kept working on short throw after short throw and dropping or fumbling them.  I remember very few big plays.

[AUFriction 1,179]

35 minutes ago, AUDevil said:

Boring game.  We kept working on short throw after short throw and dropping or fumbling them.  I remember very few big plays.

Agreed. My point was that the game wasn’t ever really in doubt. Embarrassing? Yes. Boring? Yes. Closer than it should’ve been? Yes. In doubt? Not really.

[passthebiscuits 6,845]

2 hours ago, AUFriction said:

With the Mercer game, it was never as close as it felt. Go look at the stats. We dominated them in every way except points scored. It wasn’t even exactly close if I remember correctly... just closer than it should’ve been. Didn’t we win by 2 tds? Even if they doubled their points, I think they would’ve lost.

To be honest, I don’t even remember. The only thing i remember about the game is taking care of several players during the game with a variety of issues that I felt were related to not wanting to play at 11am. I felt like we were going to mess around and lose. 

[McLoofus 35,182]

5 minutes ago, passthebiscuits said:

To be honest, I don’t even remember. The only thing i remember about the game is taking care of several players during the game with a variety of issues that I felt were related to not wanting to play at 11am. I felt like we were going to mess around and lose. 

This made me laugh. 

[im4aual 487]

Nobody has mentioned the LSU game in 1972, we win that and we go undefeated.  I agree that the three biggest are Texas 83, LSU 88 and FSU 13.  

[aubietiger14 147]

2 hours ago, im4aual said:

Nobody has mentioned the LSU game in 1972, we win that and we go undefeated.  I agree that the three biggest are Texas 83, LSU 88 and FSU 13.  

I didn't bring that game up because that was 10 years before my arrival on the scene.  

[KnightTiger 205]

On 7/24/2020 at 3:15 PM, TAYLORKEETON said:

Bored at work with no sports & read an article on the 3 most disappointing losses of Gus’s tenure. So this got me thinking. What are some of the most “what if” games that come to mind for y’all? I’m going with UGA 06. We were ranked 5 going into that game & they absolutely destroyed us. Maybe the worst game of Brandon Cox’s career. I believe we had a shot to have a rematch with FL in the SEC title game if I remember correctly & would’ve been in the natty if we won. I know Arky beat us but we would’ve had the tiebreaker? I was 11 so I don’t remember everything. What are some if your biggest “what if’s?”

we needed arkansas to lose two game they did not even if we had beat georgia, arkansas needed to lose to two out of three of its remaining games. LSU was arkys last remaining loss prior to the sec championship . we wouldve likely went to the sugar bowl  if we had beaten georgia and the opponent most likely would have been Notre Dame

[KnightTiger 205]

9 hours ago, tigerbrotha12 said:

TAMU was up 21-7 in that game. Darn.

that game felt like an ugly remake of the wisconsin game from 2006 in the capital one bowl

[WarEagle1982 449]

What if Bo doesn’t go the wrong way in 84 or McGinty actually hits the chip shot at the end and what if they don’t get in position for Tiffin’s FG in 85?  That would have meant a an 8 year winning streak for AU coming just after bammer’s 9 year streak.

[WarEagle1982 449]

13 hours ago, McLoofus said:

Does it have to be an Auburn game? If Oklahoma State or TAMU finish the drill against Oklahoma in '04, we play for it all.

 

It also would have helped had our guys not gone to Tuscaloosa and played like total piss in the first half.  They were fortunate to only be down 6-0 to a bad bammer team that started Spencer Pennington at QB that day.

[WarEagle1982 449]

What if Horace Willis doesn’t stumble and knocks down David Greene’s 4th and 15 prayer in 2002.