Tactically Ugly, Strategically Decisive Win

[DKW 86 7,440]

Review: AU 49 UK 27

A Tactically Ugly, Strategically Decisive, Win for the Auburn Tigers

Commentary: #17 Auburn (7-2, 5-1) -22.5 @ Kentucky (2-6) (1-4)

David K. Ward

AUNation.net

11-6-05

Saturday the Auburn Tigers accomplished every goal they set. First, they got a win with as few injuries as possible. Now that the team is back form Kentucky, maybe we can move on. Auburn easily played the sloppiest game of the year. Kentucky showed that they can play hard and continue to lose, but moral victories are for losers. I don’t care for them for Auburn either. The Tigers played the backups intermixed with the starters all day it seemed. Live game day experience is one thing you cannot manufacture on the practice field. We mixed the players just enough to win, get sharper, and gain experience.

The Offense played superbly. How to we define “superbly?” They had 589 Yards and laid 49 points on a hapless, overmatched Kentucky Defense. The Tigers had three running backs at or over 100 yards! That is a feat rare in any college game today. Kenny Irons had 103 yards and sat down. Tristan Davis, a converted defensive back, had 162 and sat down. Tre Smith then got 98-99 yards. That hasn’t happened to an Auburn team since the halcyon 1983 team went 11-1, won the Sugar Bowl, Finished #3 in the AP, and was awarded the NY Times National Championship. That, my friends, is rarified air in the SEC.

Offensive Coordinator Coach Al Borges is quickly becoming a legend on the Plains. Counting the 2004-2005 Tiger Teams, the Offense rates higher now than any offense in school history! Higher than Terry Bowden’s 20-1-1 teams, higher than any Pat Dye-Bo Jackson Teams, Better than any Shug Jordan-Pat Sullivan Team! Wow! Tuberville-Borges accomplished that feat with two different quarterbacks in two years! Astonishing!

The Defense has been awesome the entire season. However they did give up 27 points to the Mildcats. Well, other than 4 huge blown coverage plays, the Defense held Kentucky to less per yard than any team this year. The coverage plays happened AFTER most of the first teamers left the office. Basically, Defensive Coordinator David Gibbs got massive playing time for our kids in a real world situation. We got out of Lexington with a win, no major injuries, and better experienced player depth. An ugly strategic Win-Win-Win if you will. Did the 27 points really hurt the Tigers? Evidently not, they are still Number 2 in the SEC in Scoring Defense, exactly where they were before kickoff.

Like I said previously, THE emphasis for this game was to win and not pay a high price for it. Face it. The real Auburn Season is in the Amen Corner, the last games of the season, so named by Coach Pat Dye. The Top Two Rivalry Games are next up. First, Auburn goes on the road to Athens to play the #9 Georgia Bulldogs. This is the Oldest Rivalry in the South. Then back home to play the Iron Bowl with #4 Alabama. That may be the bitterest rivalry in the nation.

It would not surprise me to see the benefits of this game in the next two. The depth and playing time benefits are great for a team like Auburn. The sloppy play will show up on the game film  reviews. Surely they will be addressed on the practice field. Overall, like I stated before, an Ugly Tactical, Decisive Strategic, Win-Win-Win for the Auburn Tigers.