AU_Canoe

I have seen this guy on TV, 99's neck is bigger than most player's waistline. To be our quarterback and see these guys coming. Not for the faint of heart.

I like your thinking. I think a lot will be told 1st quarter. In many of their games, UGA has come out with a ridiculous amount of 1st quarter points, which allows them to sit on the ball the rest of the game. In some of our games, we are still adjusting in the 1st quarter. As a positive, I am unsure if UGA has been made to play 4 quarters of hard nose ball this season, therefore, their complete game wear-down factor is unknown. However, with the intensity of their 1st quarter/half scoring, there is no time for AU to adjust and play catch up with UGA's D. We have to start differently in this upcoming game than we did with LSU, Ga State, etc.

UGA's D is a monster and their offense appears to have enough of a mix that allows them to score regularly. In some ways, AU will be going up against a professional-level team. Quarterbacks, at times, are still questionable but they have so much talent they often can overcome their weaknesses and look good doing it. I have been surprised by Auburn/Georgia games in the past but this is a different GA. I hope for a win but would be impressed if we can make them sweat. They get after quarterbacks and this spells trouble. I usually reserve this comment before UA games but it might be justified for UGA, we will have to play our best ball, by far, to win. To prep for this game should be interesting. Smart can be a linear coach but again, I think he has enough talent to overcome coaching weakness and win.

"WAR EAGLE Win for Auburn!"

I was in the student section, during the LSU game, when the old barn caught on fire. That was probably the closest I have been to a building fire. It was bad juju for the game.

I can appreciate that recruiting is planting the seeds for future success. It's a tough mix, usually talent does not stay around for multiple years anymore and putting all your faith in the transfer portal can be a gamble. It's constantly feeding that revolving door matrix. Back in the day, a new head coach guaranteed a couple/few years of rebuild and scraping by on wins. Now the need for almost immediate satisfaction by fans amplified the shortening of the learning curve and infrastructure for new coaches. In the past, I would imagine head coaching interviews involved a 5 year plan to get the team back to relevant, now it's 1 year. AU and other peers, it might not even be 1 year but game 1. From reports, Harsin has a solid plan in place and the details were impressive. Harsin might have to do what Saban did at the beginning of his time at UA, tell the boosters and fans that this is his boat to drive and back off. I also can appreciate that Harsin was brought in late and his energy and focus might be on the right now but I would imagine with all the experience there, the importance of recruiting is not lost. It should be glaringly obvious to him with what he is having to deal with currently. Maybe Harsin and Team are looking at the Transfer Portal for the immediate bleeding and then plan on utilizing the new Football Performance Center for future recruiting success. Dunno, theoretical doesn't necessarily equate to real life. The desire for immediate feedback and satisfaction has become ingrained on so many levels in society.

I agree with the overall "gut feeling" on who starts QB. Seems like the old concept of throwing a noodle against a wall and seeing what sticks.

I find it sad when you see some celebrities, coaches, politicians, etc. go this same route. They muck up their career and at some point they realize their star has faded so they lash out at others due to a warped sense of of "attention" seeking and a desire to punish individuals/groups in the hope that others will experience the same pain as they did. However, in an industry built on networking and relationships all it has done is fade their star faster. It's a sad circle of events to witness. Says a lot about the individual.

I noticed this in another forum. Looks like there are improvements scheduled for Plainsman Park.

Tough position to be in when you're between a rock and hard place, i.e., Nix and Finley, while under a microscope. I have no doubt he will be asked this week ad nauseum because this is perceived as AU's sports drama. Harsin, welcome to the SEC where this is the air we breathe 24-7.

I have found that sometimes there is a delay between live and replay both on ESPN and SEC's website but it's not long, maybe about an hour. However, I checked both sites and they do not have the game listed as a "replay". I am not sure why and that is not common to be missing a replay for a "live" game that aired on their site. Maybe they prioritize games to replay due to demand, or if the game is aired on a competitor site, or if there was a technical issue. I am guessing a tech issue because usually there is a replay. If they are replaying North Alabama vs. Nicholls and not AU then there must be a technical issue with the game stream. Again, I am just guessing.

Has UTOU found landing spots for their programs that are not sponsored by the SEC? i.e., wresting, men's gymnastics, men's soccer, etc. I wasn't sure if the Big12 would allow some of their programs to remain in the conference. AU and SEC, at one time, sponsored successful wrestling programs but I am unsure if there is much of a stomach to add programs right now that do not generate revenue.

Texas and OU bring an exciting mix of men's and women's programs. Like stated above, I believe both of them will find the SEC competition variety refreshing and a challenge. Big 12 has some good sports but the SEC provides a wide range of talented sports programs across the spectrum. Off to top of my head, I think there are few sports the SEC sponsors that the conference doesn't do well in. Should be a lot of fun to watch as intra conference play.

Due to the age of UGA's campus, space is a premium and I think they did a good job of putting the bells and whistles on their facility to include a smart layout and design. Their new facility does not come across as gimmicky but classy and a sharp balance between technology and promotion. To me, I like UGA's look vs. LSU's montage. I am excited about AU's new facility and the potential. I hope we go more classy and sharp vs. loud, i.e., LSU.

Thank you for the update! The name Matt Bragga seemed familiar, maybe from a TV appearance.

Very cool, now that is a ride!

This game was tough to watch but, like many of you, I tried to keep the game and outcome in perspective. I thought PSU would be a good "next-step" test for AU and it was, and in the end we didn't pass the test. Hopefully, AU can take a reflective stance to adapt and improve from this encounter, because there are "next-level" tests on the horizon. Fortunately, we live in a world where college football tends to exist with short term memory loss and we are still early in the season. Past grievances can be forgiven and forgotten with future wins. I will be interested to see if we adapt and improve as we continue to march on, or does history repeat itself and each game is unpredictable and the definition of insanity, or do we regress. War Eagle!

With all the white, we will all have to wear sunglasses to watch the game. Preventing snow blindness and all.

Finebaum threw out the name Mario Cristobal as a viable candidate for USC but I disagree. Mario is recruiting well at Oregon, especially in Southern California, and they have a direct tap to Nike money. USC is not a better gig vs. UO but I can see why traditionalist would seek USC. However, the college athletic landscape has changed and several successful coaches appear to be rethinking jumping from high paying, less stressful, and successful gigs vs. accepting certain blue bloods that are unrealistic pressure cookers. Can't say that I blame them. I imagine Frost is wishing he never went to NU.

I would imagine Luke Fickell has a pretty nice spot at Cincy, even more so with their move to Big 12. At least Cincy seems a lot less stressful than USC. I guess coaches have bolted for lesser reasons and he does have the relationship with USC AD, but I see Luke in a Dabo-type of situation.

I have chatted with parents of collegiate softball players and they have often referenced "travel ball". Most of their stories had commonalities in that it's a huge investment of time and money to get their girls exposure and practice. With the travel ball rotation, I believe it's a 12 month engagement. To me, it almost sounded like a full time job of one of the parents and the commitment and sacrifice was huge. From my 30,000 ft view and perspective, it seemed that way. Through their chit-chat, travel ball appeared to be an industry in itself with little overarching governance.

Thank you for the feedback. You post a valid question, maybe the outreach wasn't worth the effort. I admit to not completely understanding the business of collegiate baseball and I can imagine coaching is no longer seasonal but in a lot of ways 365, therefore, balancing outreach can be a challenge. However, I have always felt that AU Baseball had a very "human" feel in it's connectivity with players, coaches, and fans but maybe that is my superficial view and not the reality of the business of AU Baseball and it's current culture. I have a lot of respect for the players, both past and present, and I hope they keep the "human" connectivity with players, especially the average Joe, but I see your point too, it goes both ways. Athletic Departments can be focused on their mega donors and celebs but I hope we don't lose focus on everyone else that has put on the AU.

Your totally welcome. The link is in the post above the message if you need to go back. The ESPN site is not the most intuitive and it took me awhile to figure out how to navigate... so I COMPLETELY get it. You can go the same route, through watch ESPN including steps, for future games both live and replay. You can also jump commercials on replay. Enjoy!

You can always go to watch espn > Schedule & Replays > Replay > Date (Saturday September 11) > NCAA Football Label > Alabama State vs. Auburn