gabo4au

I think hiring away one or two of kiffin's top assistants would go a long way with recruits. We all know kiffin is going to use all this with recruits, bad mouthing freeze and AU to try to swing some recruits his way. Easy way to counter that is to say, look his own assistants know he screwed up by not going to AU, it's a better place with more tradition and resources.

Had a t-shirt in my younger years that was always one of my favorites. The front of the shirt said "Why didn't I go to bama" and the back of the shirt said "because I already have a high school diploma!" War Eagle.

That's a tricky one. On one hand, AU has been frequently dragged through the coals for handcuffing coaches. People saying the PTB tell them what to do, etc. etc. That would be what you're suggesting. On the other hand, it might be committing suicide for the PTB NOT to require him to be retained. I think it would start the whole thing off on the wrong foot. On the other hand number 2, any good coach that is a fit for AU would openly embrace him and think he's a great hire regardless of what the PTB says. So the proper outcome is to hire someone who "gets it" and is a good fit and tell him he has the keys to do what is best for the program. Knowing full well that he's going to embrace and see the huge value in retaining Caddy.

Actually I do think most of them would have thrived under a better OL. Just look at Nix as a great example.

There fixed it. Our QBs have sucked for a long time due to our terrible line play for a long time. As has been noted by several others. No QB can perform if they are running for their life every play. The better QBs we've had, were in times when we had at least adequate OL play. Yes, a QB can also make the line look better. They can get rid of the ball quickly, but for a pro style passing system that's not very effective in College due to the limited amount of time, youth of the players etc. You see long tenured Pros do that more effectively, like Tom Brady, because they read defenses so well and have so many hot routes that are perfected between receivers and QBs. That's difficult to do in College. Then there are the slippery, scrambling QBs that can extend plays. Those are more prevalent in College, we've had some good ones, but that is effective when you have at least an average line such that you don't have a full and quick breakdown of multiple rushers coming through quickly. We've had that with Cam, Nick, Jason, etc. But in the last 4-5 years the line has been so bad, those QBs can't get any consistency. Then you have schemes that can help, Gus's scheme was based on this, the "zone read" plays where a good ball handling QB like Nick Marshall or Cam can make a few guys miss. But again, this isn't effective if the entire defensive line is coming through. You can't read and juke everyone, only a couple of guys at the most. Sure there are plays where it happens, times when Nix made the entire defense look foolish and many other of our QBs, but it's not a recipe for consistent success. Stidham, TJ, and a few other pro style QBs were dead in the water from the beginning. Their only method to try to deal with the lack of blocking is to get rid of the ball quicker. That's a difficult task in College with youth and limited time together with receivers and hot read type offenses. Nix and other mobile QBs fared better, but still not enough blocking even for zone reads to work. The lack of deep throws is proportional. If you can't protect long enough to hit quick throws, how are you possibly going to be able to hold it long enough for long throws? Then defenses, knowing that you aren't going to have time to throw it deep, move their DBs up to press coverage making the short, quick throws very difficult. And the same goes with running backs. We've rolled out a bunch of great backs that didn't do well. Yes a good back, like Tank or Hunter, can make people miss, they can put on a burst of speed that can get them around a corner, and they can run through arm tackles. But they can't run through the entire defense. If they get the ball and there are 3 defenders right there at the hand off point, it's game over. You just can't make a successful offense without an above average line. Yes if you have a hole at a position or possibly even two positions, you can scheme around it and/or great players can make one or two guys miss. But a complete breakdown across the board is not workable. This was always Gus's problem. Even in his good years, he teetered on not having a good line. But in those years, with just a little bit better line, his tricky simple scheme operated by someone like Cam or Nick and it worked. Why he NEVER emphasized any line recruiting is beyond me and as defenses learned how to get around his tricky scheme and his OL's got worse, it finally got him.

I set the DVR and record the games. Then go about my business. If I see they won, I'll watch it, if they lost I'll just delete it. The ratings services see that I recorded it, which is the same as watching it, so I'm supporting them by being a count in the ratings just like I watched it. win-win.. War Eagle!

All those who hate the portal when everyone is exiting, are going to love the portal when a new coach comes in and pulls a bunch of good players.. The portal also goes hand in hand with NIL. So if we can get our NIL in proper shape, and get an exciting new regime, we'll be able to pull good players through the portal.

I never said or even hinted at trying to recover any money from the contract. Yes we owe him and we'll pay him. However, if you're the entity that hired him, you absolutely have the right to scold him and make him face his shortcomings. And I'm not saying not to fire him. Yes, fire him. But put him in a meeting room in front of the people who put their trust in him and make him uncomfortable for a while. Make him face the facts and give some answers or excuses. And give him the opportunity to rebut and/or make his case for any excuse he has. Look at it as a learning experience, an exit interview. Here are the things we are completely upset about, now you tell me your perspective. Maybe you have some good points, maybe there are things we can learn for the next time. AU and the PTB aren't without their problems and issues, let him make his case, if he has one, for how they undermined him or didn't give him what he needed. Both sides can always learn how to do better and be better. He needs to understand that at this level, at this amount of money, no matter what the PTB does you still have your responsibilities to move things in a good direction. You have to win at least one category vs your peers. But the PTB also might need to hear that they need to also do things differently to put a coach in the position to be successful. It should begin as a very contentious meeting and end with everyone agreeing that both sides need to improve. And with that knowledge, let's both sides separate and move on to the next opportunity and DO IT BETTER!

One thing I would do is put together a presentation and call a meeting with Harsin to go over a few things. Confront Harsin with the facts, if for no other reason than peace of mind. - I would first do big picture. How do you compare with other coaches hired the past 2-3 years. How do you compare to Heuple at TN, KIffin at OM, Leach at MSU, Kelly at LSU, Beamer at USCe, Fisher at tamu, on and on. All of those schools have had something to hang their hat on. A better trajectory, better performance, better recruiting, better fan interaction, better energy. There is not one category where Harsin is competitive with any of them. - Then I would talk players. He's run off many players, everyone from Bo Nix to Lee Hunter. Most of the time at least hinting that they didn't fit the culture that he's building. Ok, let's go with that. But what players have you brought in to fit the culture? What recruiting wins and inroads have you made to get us there? What transfer portal guys have you brought in to move the culture in the direction you talk about? In competing with the above coaches, who are about as new as you are, you haven't won in any battles with culture. There is zero indication that you are building the culture you speak of. - Then I would talk about building relationships. Relationships with the fans, relationships with high schools, relationships with anyone. What have you done in the way of building relationships with anyone? I don't see any entity that would proclaim he's even a friend or a good guy. - Then I would talk about the money. I would confront him and ask him does he really think, based on the above info, that he deserves the millions of dollars we're paying him? What has he done to earn this money? Please tell me there is something I'm missing that deserves this money. Would any of this matter or make a difference? NO. But if I were one of the people who signed on, placed my trust in him, turned over the keys to him. I would at least have my say and confront him. Not in a "social media" drama filled rant. Not cussing, screaming and hollering. But in a professional presentation way, laying out the facts and giving him an opportunity to discuss and defend himself. I, for one, was very excited when he came to AU. I supported him and bought in and would still buy in to the message, as it's a solid message. I thought he would be a very good coach for us. A slow methodical approach to building something good. Starting with the foundation and going up. But I have to face the facts. I don't think I've ever seen such a complete failure in such a high paid position. It's incredible and he should be confronted with it and asked to explain his abysmal performance. But I would also do it in private and not get into the public drama, so who knows maybe it's already happened or maybe it will happen. Hopefully I'll never know!

Don't interview him!! MAKE HIM AN OFFER HE CAN'T REFUSE!! I remember a story from Bobby Bowden. He was on the list for Bama's coach, he had wanted that job his whole life and expected to get an offer for it and take it. He said the Bama guys called and wanted to have an interview. He said (I'm paraphrasing as I don't recall exactly how it went down) something to the effect of, I'm a public person who has been around a long time, if you don't know who I am by now you aren't going to know me through an interview. They wouldn't give him an offer without an interview and the rest is history. Prime comes from the Bowden tree, don't ask him for an interview... MAKE HIM AN OFFER.

I agree and I still think he's a good coach. I don't have any inside info or really know what went on behind closed doors back then, but just from a far it seemed like TB had sort of a nervous breakdown as his tenure at AU progressed. There was a lot of pressure to duplicate that '93 season and he just seemed to struggle with it mentally. I remember feeling a bit concerned for his health and wishing he could come to grips with it and develop into a really good coach for us. That obviously never happened. It's a theme that has repeated at AU several times. Extreme success early on in a tenure is great for the fans, but it creates a ton of pressure on the coaches and team. And due to not yet having the proper foundation, becomes next to impossible to sustain. I'm hoping that the next regime has a more balanced upward trend that can be sustainable without creating the extreme pressure. But with the new landscape in College sports, I am highly skeptical that AU can ever become one of the power teams. Hope they prove me wrong.

In Houston, TX, we also got the radio games via telephone, I think the service was called teamlink or something like that. The Houston Area AU Club had listening parties at Scoreboard sports bar (it's no longer there). As the season went on that year, we were getting over 300 people for the games. It was a crazy scene every week. During the Bama game I'm not sure how many people were there, upwards of around 400 or so I would guess. Some time, I believe it was in the 3rd QTR, the broadcast stopped!! Myself and a couple other guys were the ones who provided the equipment and called the service. They were about to string us up because it stopped! haha Finally we called one of our buddies parents in Birmingham and had them put the phone up against the speaker with the radio broadcast going to get it piped back in. It was crazy, what a memorable season.

You're full of "links," wow, I'm impressed. You should get some useful background on the current system... please to go Harligen, go to Del Rio, go McAllen, go to El Paso, and educate yourself as to what the current system is all about. Tell me how horrible it is for NYC, Chicago, Martha's Vineyard and other cites have it to receive a few busloads. The people there in tent camps, living in horrid conditions, aren't filling positions in nursing homes. or doing roofing jobs.

The unelected supreme court didn't actually answer any of those questions. Actually they said that it is NOT their responsibility to answer those questions. They overturned a decision from a previous ruling that said it WAS their responsibility. So if you're implying that the supreme court shouldn't answer those questions, then you got your wish! They don't! What they said was that it's up to each individual state to answer those questions, or not. Nothing to do with the supreme court, leave them out of it. So with the new ruling it definitely IS up to the people through their elected representatives, in each state.

Well, why should select towns and states be responsible for handling ALL the immigrant traffic, whether legal or illegal? It's a national issue, controlled by federal laws and agencies. Why should states like Illinois or NY be exempt from dealing with it? NYC has complained that the people that have been bused to NYC have overrun their shelters and system! What do you think it's done to Harlingen, TX??? Seems to me that if you're going to allow these people in, via federal agencies, then it should be shared by all the states, all the cities, proportional to their population. So maybe this needs to be done in a systemic way, maybe we should systematically transport entrants to all the states and cities so that everyone has to deal with this issue equally. Isn't that what the entire country seems to be all about these days? Equality? The border states and cities are certainly not getting equal treatment when it comes to having to deal with this problem. On the subject of transporting them, If it's so horrible to bus them some where, isn't it also horrible to leave them in the small towns who have no infrastructure or ability to deal with them? Have you ever been to a border town and viewed the shanty towns and horrid living conditions? If they can travel all the way from Central or South America on foot, can't they take another day in a proper bus to go to a city where they would get better treatment and conditions? All we get on both sides are partisan talking points. I wish we had a government that looked at these as real issues to solve instead of political talking points. We do need immigration, legal immigration, and it needs to be based on rules and not chaos. And it needs to have limits, not "we'll take everyone that claims asylum." It's not practical to take every person from every country in Africa, most countries in Central and South America, most countries in the Middle East, most countries in Asia, and throw in China and Russia too. Every one of those people could make a case for asylum. And people not allowed to come in legally should be turned away. And the border should be as secure from violators as possible. In spite of the fact that it was done as a political point, the transportation of these people from TX and FL to other places actually seems to be a proper thing to do. It's more fair to spread the burden around and it's more humane to put them in places with additional resources. And haven't the "sanctuary cites" identified themselves as places that have resources and actually want these people?

I view it as a way to rid AU of the riffraff.. AU might possibly have the fewest low rent, loser fans in the entire country. We might also have the highest percentage of AU graduates as fans compared to any other University. Now, I'm not saying you can't be an upstanding person and citizen if you didn't go to College. But I would say that if you lined up 100 lowlifes, the majority of them would not be college graduates. If you didn't go to College in the state of AL and you're a FB fan.... well, you're probably a bammer fan. Why wouldn't you be? Combine the fact that bammer is one of the most successful teams in the country with the fact that AU inflicts consistent pain on it's fans... And the result is, that unless you have some compelling reason to be an AU fan, you're probably NOT. Which is what makes it so unique. No other University has an in state rival that is the most iconic FB school in the country except us! But if we started consistently winning and not inflicting pain on our fans, our fanbase wouldn't be what we are. Which I believe is the most upstanding, strong willed, highest character fanbase in the entire country. It has to be! To top it off, we have the AU Creed, which enshrines these traits in writing. Our FB team might not be the best. But our fanbase is by far the best, and if you ever have the opportunity to be a part of it, you'll just smile and understand how special we are.

Are you kidding me, I'm thinking of paying dish extra this month! They prevented me from seeing that yesterday! They truly are AU fans..

helLSU - 38 AU - 11 We score a long FG in the first half, then score at the end of the game against the subs, go for two and make it. The players celebrate the 2pt conversion like they won the game. Sad..

One of my favorite comments from a Coach many years ago. He was asked by a new coach about housing, etc. The Coach's response was, "I recommend buying a mobile home, buying the truck that delivers it, and leaving the truck hooked up! You never know when you're going to need to move in the middle of the night."

Since 2000, LSU has won 6 SEC west titles, and AU has won 5. I hear you as far as NFL Players but since 2000 LSU has just barely been ahead of AU in the SEC west on average. They have a few more National titles and they have had some great teams, but they haven't been way ahead of us in terms of the SEC west. That's why I said they were a bit ahead of us putting us at 3rd best in the SEC west since the conference expanded, but 2nd and 3rd have not been separated by a huge margin. Now, I agree that LSU has many advantages. They are the only game in the state of LA, they can pull a fair number of players from TX and probably have a better national brand, and they have traditionally out recruited us for those reasons. TAMU, on the other hand, has been about the same distance behind us as LSU has been ahead of us. That's not to say they will stay there as you point out they have a huge recruiting advantage over us. So I stand by my opinion that we have traditionally been 3rd/middle of the pack in the SEC west to date. With a good run every 5-10 years that makes us somewhat relevant in the grander picture. I view us as a team the "power teams" hate to play as we have traditionally been a thorn in their side and a difficult out. I would be happy to get back to that level and remain there. I think the biggest challenge to that is getting our NIL act together. College sports has really turned into pro sports, albeit a minor league or lower league version of it. At present time with no salary caps, contracts, or franchise tags, so it's going to be dominated by whoever has the most money. To old guys like me, it's a sad state of affairs and is on the brink of driving me away. If AU drops to the bottom of the SEC west, it will certainly drive me away. NOTE: At least I have a great degree from AU, which has opened many opportunities and afforded me a great life. For that reason I'll always be a huge AU fan. It's a unique place that is hard to explain to people who have never been a part of it.

We've traditionally been ahead of MS St, Ole Miss, Ark, and a bit ahead of TAMU, and maybe just barely lower than LSU. So historically 2nd or 3rd place in the SEC West, probably leaning towards 3rd on most years. With NIL and how much money the other schools can bring, it'll be a serious challenge to stay there. We should be able to stay with the MS schools and Ark, a bigger task to stay with TAMU and LSU. I would just like to get back to mid-SEC West with a good run every 5-10 years.

I've been saying this about the OLine for 3 years, they are horrible and the root cause of most of our issues the past few years. You are right, no QB that has ever existed could have done well for us today. And you can say the same about coaches, no coach on the planet could have a game plan that works when every lineman is physically getting blown up every play. There is no amount of training or preparation by the coaches that can overcome the lack of talent on the OLine. It's like saying if I were an OLineman (I'm in my 60s and weight 150lbs!) you could train me up to win in the SEC! It's just not going to happen. We aren't going to get any new linemen this year, so it's a lost cause. Probably cost Harsin his job. HIs worst nightmare was when all the linemen decided to come back this year. I'm sure a lot of portal/transfer guys looked at the roster and saw a bunch of older linemen returning and figured they had no playing opportunity. Reality was, if any OL with a pulse transferred here they would be starting.

Ok, so you can voice any opinion you want about this game, this season, AU Football, or any other sport. You are free to disagree, offer rebuttals, and give evidence to support your position. But in the above response, you called me a liar! That's what "intentionally dishonest" is. That is totally out of bounds on a public forum, especially about someone you know nothing about who is participating in a sports (entertainment) forum and offering their HONEST opinion. As an AU Alum, I try my best to live my life by the AU Creed. It's more important than FB or any sport, it's about working hard, being honest, and respecting others. Here's a quote from the creed. "I believe in honesty and truthfulness, without which I cannot win the respect and confidence of my fellow men." AU Alums and Fans should treat all their fellow Alums and Fans with respect and dignity. We're one big family, as the site (aufamily.com) suggests, so please be a good citizen and try to refrain from calling your "family" liars. It might not hurt to go read the rest of the creed, I read it from time to time and I always find some helpful tips there.

I agree with gr82b4au, this game means nothing in the grand scheme of things. Even less than mercer or SJ St! Had we lost either of those games it would have been much worse than losing to PSU. So no, not important at all. Not an SEC game, not a championship game, not a position in your league game, nothing rides on this game other than fun and pride.

Everyone always wants to focus on the QBs, RBs, and Receivers on offense. But just like last year, the real problem is the OL. Against poor competition we cannot consistently run the ball or protect the QB. The run game gets some traction when we keep them off balance with play calling. But we can't just line up and run it down their throats because we don't have the horses up front to over power even lower talented teams. I seriously doubt we will be able to run the ball at all against top defenses, just like last year. That puts us in a pass happy offense, and our OL can't keep anyone off the QB. Even SJ St put consistent pressure on our QBs, what happens when we face real defenses? It's not going to be pretty. Yes the QBs, RBs, and Receivers can improve. But with good OL play they would all look much better. TJ throws a great ball when he's not scrambling for his life. The RBs are good even with no holes, add some blocking and they would be all world. Receivers can get open and catch passes if they have enough time to run routes before the QB gets flushed. I heard that under Gus we got the reputation of the style of offense not really preparing them for the NFL and thus it became hard to recruit good OL. At that same time we had a couple of top OLinemen that bombed in the NFL, solidifying that reputation. So far, even with a new coaching staff, we don't seem to be turning that trend around. We desperately need a couple of linemen to go to the NFL and become stars to help shed our poor OL reputation.