SB Nation User Blog: Jay Coulter

Unique Times For The Auburn Program

Jay Coulter — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 21:28:32 -0000

A year ago this past weekend a stunned Auburn family got the news. Former Auburn defensive coordinator Gene Chizik was coming home. This was the same Chizik who bolted from Auburn following the 2004 Perfect Season because Texas offered a better chance at becoming a head coach. This was the same guy who won five games in two years as coach at Iowa State. The Auburn Nation was angry and bewildered.

A year later things are much different. Chizik has largely won over the Auburn faithful with his recruiting efforts and a surprising seven win season that will culminate in a New Year's Day bowl. Just about everyone will tell you things are moving in the right direction. So far, you'd be hard pressed to find fault with this new coaching staff.

As good as things look today, there are stiff challenges ahead. Unlike Tommy Tuberville, this coaching staff must deal with a cross-state rival that's arguably at an all-time high. In an age of internet and 24 hour sports, Alabama football is on everywhere you turn.

Whether it's Mark Ingram and his Heisman or the talking heads all but guaranteeing an Alabama victory in the national championship game, the Tuscaloosa program is getting positive press from coast-to-coast. Ultimately it will be up to Chizik to answer the challenge.

It's a task that would push the limits of even Lombardi and Bryant. Chizik is taking on a program and a coach that's laid down the gauntlet not only to Auburn, but the rest of the conference. Like him or not, Nick Saban lives football 24 hours a day and demands the same of his staff. You likely wouldn't want to work for him or be his friend, but as far as coaching goes, there are few who are better.

What must Auburn do to answer the challenge?

Most importantly, it has to recruit. Chizik's staff is made for it. If a few chips fall its way, Auburn will end up with a top five class in February. Tuberville liked to say he could take his three-star athletes and beat your five-stars. In these times that's too much of a risk. Auburn must answer power with power.

Chizik will also need to retain his staff. An eight or nine win season next year means the likes of Gus Malzahn and Trooper Taylor will be in high demand. Auburn hasn't been shy about paying its assistants. That philosophy has to continue. Continuity is key in the early years of a program.

Defensive coordinator Ted Roof must build a defense that can handle being on the field for long periods of time. In Malzahn's book, The Hurry Up, No Huddle: An Offensive Philosophy, he explains that teams must be prepared for a drop-off in defensive stats. When the offense is not clicking, the defense is under more stress than Tiger Woods. Malzahn all but guarantees a team's defense will suffer with his offense. Recruiting should help in this area.

Auburn must continue to upgrade its facilities. After Friday's story, many of you disagreed with my recommendation to increase seating at Jordan-Hare Stadium. All of you had valid points. The key thing about expanding is the addition of luxury boxes. Talk to school officials and they'll tell you that's where you make money. Currently, Auburn has hundreds on the waiting list to purchase these suites. Adding two additional levels of sky boxes along with a few thousand additional seats will bring in millions for the team. That money can then be used to enhance other parts of the football program.

Most importantly, Auburn people must stand together. We all must be patient while Chizik builds this program. The Auburn experience is unlike any other. Most alumni love their schools, but Auburn people take it to another level. The divisions that existing during the Tuberville years must remain locked away. Bobby Lowder leaving the board of trustees in early 2011 will do wonders for morale.

Finally, Auburn must operate on its own timeline. Everyone's aware of what's happening in Tuscaloosa, Baton Rouge and Gainesville. It alright to be cognizant of the challenge, just don't let it affect the overall plan. Regardless of what happens elsewhere, you have to like Auburn's chances of returning to the BCS in the coming years.

The Tigers have come along way in a year. There's much work to do, but the future is bright.

Talking Auburn Football and Other Stuff

Jay Coulter — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 02:04:12 -0000

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It was good to see former Auburn coach Tommy Tuberville's name mentioned in connection with the Notre Dame job. On Wednesday the South Bend Tribune reported that his name had come up in discussions. Nobody really expected Tuberville to get the job, but being considered should help him with other programs...

If the non-conference results are any indication, Auburn basketball is in for a struggle this year. Phillip Marshall of Auburn Undercover noted yesterday that only three Auburn coaches have ever had back-to-back winning conference records since 1963. With the new arena set to open next season, Auburn officials will have a tough decision to make on Jeff Lebo should things go south this year. To complicate matters, it appears that Auburn and North Carolina have reached an agreement for the two schools to meet in the first game at the new arena. Lebo was the driving force in making it happen...

As War Eagle Atlanta noted on Wednesday, the Tennessee football program is in big trouble for allowing recruiting hostesses to drive as much as four hours to watch high school games that Volunteer recruits were playing in. Auburn recruit Marcus Lattimore, the talented five-star running back from Duncan, South Carolina got some ink in a New York Times story on the subject. When asked whether these girls being at his games had an influence he said, "You don't want to go to a college where they ain't pretty." No argument here...

What recession? Auburn officials promised the Outback Bowl they would bring the fans and on Thursday they delivered. In less than four days, Auburn sold its allotment of bowl tickets and have requested more. With tickets going for $70 each plus hotel, gas and food, it's apparent that Auburn people are coping just fine with this economic downturn...

This season was a frustrating one for former Auburn Heisman Trophy winner and current Samford coach Pat Sullivan. The Bulldogs struggled to a 5-6 record...

The move by Tennessee running backs coach Eddie Gran to Florida State is an interesting one. The former Auburn assistant spent one year in Knoxville before bolting to join Jimbo Fisher's staff in Tallahassee. The question is, what made him leave Lane Kiffin's after only a year? Was it the pending NCAA investigation or having to endure the immaturity of Kiffin and his unusual staff? We'll probably never know...

What's the over/under on how many years Mark Richt has left at Georgia? Next season is his best shot at getting off the hot seat. With Urban Meyer rebuilding at Florida and Kiffin struggling internally, but still recruiting strongly, Richt needs to beat both schools in 2010 or he's likely out sooner than later...

Auburn officials need to begin making serious plans for increasing the capacity of Jordan-Hare Stadium. It's been 22 years since any sizable addition. Enclosing the north end-zone and adding skyboxes is a necessity if Auburn is going to keep up with the other top programs in the SEC...

Not since Bo Jackson edged Iowa's Chuck Long for the Heisman Trophy in 1985 has a race come down to the wire like this year's award. It's still unclear who'll join sports most exclusive fraternity tomorrow night in New York. It will likely come down to how many voters held their ballots until after the conference championship games last weekend. If the majority of votes were cast prior to last Saturday, look for Texas quarterback Colt McCoy to take the prize. If voters waited until Sunday, you have to give the edge to Alabama's Mark Ingram. The wild card in all of this is Stanford's Toby Gerhart. There seemed to be a groundswell of support for him in the final weeks of the season. Being the only viable candidate west of Texas, it will be interesting to see how he figures into the balloting...

Have a great weekend and don't forget the last regular season football game tomorrow with Army taking on Navy. These days it rarely means anything to the college football standings, but it still means a lot to the country. War Eagle!

In A Surprise, Auburn To Face Northwestern

Jay Coulter — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 23:23:30 -0000

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There's a first for everything. Earlier today, I decided to sit down and write this week's story. I talked about Auburn facing Wisconsin for the second time in seven seasons and discussed its star running back, John Clay. I even broke down Wisconsin's conference wins and losses.

As I finished the story, I logged on to see if the bowl pairings were official. Unfortunately for me, they were. In a surprise to everyone, Auburn will be facing Northwestern instead of the Badgers in the Outback Bowl on New Year's Day. Apparently the Wildcats win over Wisconsin combined with its three-game winning streak to finish the season was enough to give them the edge.

It sounds like Auburn fans played a part in grabbing the Outback Bowl invitation. "When we heard of the Auburn fans chanting at the end of Friday's game, 'It's great to be an Auburn Tiger' we knew there was something special about the excitement around this football team," said Outback chairman Jim McVay.
"The Tigers have everything we're looking for in a New Year's Day team - they are a tough, exciting team, extremely well coached and have what might be the best fans in college football."

For the first time in years, the Tampa bowl has selected an SEC West team instead of one from the East. McVay said it was time to mix things up. "We typically take teams from the East," McVay said. "But we've had a lot of East teams and the Cotton Bowl has had a lot of West teams, and we felt like it as time to mix that up a little bit. This was a perfect opportunity. Everything about Auburn says big-time, tradition-rich and success."

Auburn coach Gene Chizik couldn't be happier. "We are so jacked up about this," he said. "We can't stand it we're so excited." I think all Auburn fans will agree that it's nice to be playing someone from the Big 10 other than Wisconsin for a change.

Northwestern enters the game 8-4 overall and 5-3 in conference play. They have conference wins over Purdue (27-21), Indiana (29-28), Iowa (17-10), Illinois (21-16) and Wisconsin (33-31). Their conference losses include, Minnesota (35-24), Michigan State (24-14) and Penn State (34-14).

Heisman Trophy ballots are due Monday and who the winner will be is anyone's guess. It's expected to come down to Alabama running back Mark Ingram and Texas quarterback Colt McCoy. Even though he wears a crimson uniform, you have to give credit to Ingram for putting himself back into the race. A week ago I would have bet he was done. Saturday's performance against Florida was comparable to Tim Tebow's game against Alabama last season. Like it or not, he made a strong statement.

The problem I have with the Heisman is that it now stretches through the conference championship games. That's highly unfair to players like Stanford's Toby Gerhart whose team was not in action. With Ingram and McCoy playing Saturday, they are a lock for a 1-2 finish in the balloting. I guess one could argue the reason those teams are playing are because of their star players. I still don't like it.

What does your Heisman Trophy ballot look like? Here's how I would vote the top five:

Mark Ingram (Alabama) 1542 rushing yards, 15 touchdowns
Toby Gerhart (Stanford) 1736 rushing yards, 26 touchdowns
Colt McCoy (Texas) 3512 passing yards, 27 touchdowns
C.J. Spiller (Clemson) 1145 rushing yards, 11 touchdowns
Tim Tebow (Florida) 2413 passing yards, 18 touchdowns

As tough as it is to vote for an Alabama player, it's hard to justify voting against Ingram. Without his play, there's no way Alabama faces Texas for the national championship. While his yards are less than Gerhart's, you have to remember that his level of competition is much tougher. His play in the Wildcat formation is second only to Ronnie Brown with the Dolphins.

Who are your top five?

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Who's your pick for the Heisman Trophy?

Saturday Savants

Jay Coulter — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 22:44:21 -0000

Teak and JB discuss the disappointing loss to the Bammers. They break down the good and bad in the loss and look to the future of the program. They discuss the surprising inclusion of Auburn in the Outback Bowl vs an as yet unnamed Big Ten opponent.

The guys then pick this weeks games:

SEC championship Fla-Bama, Big 12 championship Texas-Neb, and Cinci @ Pitt

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Auburn Takes Hit On Big Cat Weekend

Jay Coulter — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 09:36:15 -0000

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Apparently last May's Big Cat Weekend was a bigger violation than originally thought. Auburn officials revealed last night that working alongside the SEC office, the school self-imposed recruiting restrictions on its coaches for much of the fall as a result of a secondary NCAA violation.

Auburn was required to halt contact with at least six recruits for much of the fall as part of its punishment. Wide receivers coach Trooper Taylor was banned from off-campus recruiting through the end of November. The rule violation centers around Auburn holding a staged pep rally at Toomer's Corner as part of the weekend's festivities. Taylor played a key role in the planning and staging of the event.

Auburn turned itself in to the conference and offered a reduction of eight official recruiting visits and a letter of reprimand for Taylor. Commissioner Mike Slive felt the measures didn't go far enough and imposed more.

According to Evan Woodbery of the Mobile Press Register, the commissioner, "barred Auburn from contacting six recruits who were present at Toomer's Corner for six weeks, through Sept. 15. Further, a member of Auburn's coaching staff was required to call each of the six recruits -- Jessel Curry, Khairi Fortt, Marcus Lattimore, Eric Mack, Trovon Reed and Lache Seastrunk -- and read a specific, six-sentence statement that said the prospects should "disregard the Toomer's Corner activities when deciding upon the University you will eventually attend.
"Slive also said that Auburn should bar Taylor, one of the team's top recruiters, from any off-campus recruiting until Nov. 30, and that all six of the staff members present at Toomer's Corner should receive a reprimand. Those six coaches are Taylor, offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn, running backs coach Curtis Luper, special teams coordinator/tight ends coach Jay Boulware, offensive line coach Jeff Grimes and safeties coach Tommy Thigpen."

Auburn coach Gene Chizik eventually made the calls to the recruits to read the statement. Auburn issued a statement from Chizik Thursday night that read...

"We unintentionally committed a secondary violation and have cooperated fully with the Southeastern Conference and NCAA, and are moving forward. We're pleased about the foundation that we are setting for this program and are excited for our upcoming bowl game. We will continue to work hard on the recruiting trail to recruit top-notch student-athletes that best fit our needs at Auburn."

Tyrik Rollison Suspended

Jay Coulter — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 09:13:42 -0000

Numerous media sources are reporting this morning that Auburn freshman reserve quarterback Tyrik Rollison has been suspended from the team for an unspecified rule violation. Rollison, who's taking a redshirt this season, was expected to compete with Neil Caudle for the starting job next year. There's no word on how long the suspension is for or whether he'll participate in any bowl activities over the next month. At least short term, this is a huge blow to Auburn's 2010 plans.

"We have high standards that we have set and fully expect our team to meet," Auburn coach Gene Chizik said. "When these expectations are not met, I will make decisions based upon what is best for the entire football team and the Auburn Family."

Tuberville Finds Tough Job Market

Jay Coulter — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 01:11:56 -0000

Tommy Tuberville would like to do more than appear in movies.

A year ago yesterday the unthinkable and yet inevitable happened at Auburn. Tommy Tuberville was relieved of his duties as head football coach. Almost immediately following the firing, Tuberville vowed to get back in the game. His plan has always been to take the 2009 season off and jump right back into a big time coaching gig. The question now is whether there are any out there for the taking.

Talking to Fox's Chris Meyer the day before the Georgia game, Tuberville said he spent a good part of the season visiting programs around the country studying coaching philosophies. He reiterated his pledge to coach again in 2010. With the college hiring season in full swing, Tuberville is finding the job market much like the rest of American job seekers - scarce.

The few high profile openings are at Notre Dame, Virginia, Louisville and Kansas. There's not likely to be many more in the coming weeks. Of the four openings, Tuberville's name is most associated with Louisville and Virginia. Even at those two schools, he's one of many vying for the post. The former Tiger coach is learning that being gone even a year tends to push your name to the back of the pack of candidates.

Tuberville now finds himself in competition with coordinators from successful programs like Florida's Charlie Strong. There's also competition from coaches at smaller programs trying to make the big time like Richmond's Mike London and Al Golden at Temple.

Then there are the other former coaches like Phil Fulmer, Dennis Franchione, Gary Barnett and Glen Mason. All want back into the limelight. For the first time in recent memory there will be no openings in the SEC at year's end. South Carolina's Steve Spurrier appears to be safe and Kentucky's Rich Brooks looks to be headed back for another year in Lexington. Should he leave, coach-in-waiting Joker Phillips is poised to step in for the Wildcats.

Tuberville likely would be at the top of the list at schools like Clemson, Texas A&M and Central Florida. Unfortunately for him, all three programs turned their fortunes around mid-year and no changes are expected.

A hot rumor on the Georgia message boards earlier this week was that Mark Richt was going to make a strong push for Tuberville to be his new defensive coordinator following the firing of Willie Martinez on Wednesday. Don't bet on it dog breath. The days of Tuberville working for another coach are gone forever. Besides, Richt will likely find himself in the same position within the next two seasons.

It looks like two former Auburn head coaches will share the same zip code for another year. Maybe Tuberville and Pat Dye should do a daily sports radio show. Now that would be entertainment. Of course, you'd have to put them in separate rooms to keep the peace. Dye could talk about why the wishbone will still work in the 21^st century and Tuberville can convince listeners that his version of the spread offense is better than Gus Malzahn's.

It would sure beat Paul Finebaum and Jay Barker.

Auburn Is Winner In SEC Bowl Sweepstakes

Jay Coulter — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 01:58:15 -0000

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Auburn wide receiver Darvin Adams (89) will still be catching passes on New Year's Day in Tampa.

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You just never know what's going to happen. That's why we love college football. In a matter of days, the Auburn football team has gone from nearly beating its heavily favored archrival to grabbing an invitation in a New Year's Day bowl. Not too shabby for an unheralded first year coach.

Tuesday's news of Auburn securing a spot in the Outback Bowl sounded almost too good to be true. As late as Monday night it appeared the Tigers were all but certain to be headed to Shreveport and the Independence Bowl. With six SEC teams sharing 7-5 records, there's no arguing Auburn came out the big winner among those teams. In the end, Auburn beat out both Tennessee and Ole Miss for the spot.

How Auburn officials pulled it off is the million dollar question tonight. Some may argue the point, but there's little doubt Friday's performance in the Iron Bowl persuaded Outback Bowl officials. But it didn't stop there. Auburn Undercover senior writer Phillip Marshall offered the best explanation for how Gene Chizik's first team landed the gig.

According to his sources, there were several things that pushed bowl officials toward Auburn. Despite having identical 4-4 conference marks (one better than Auburn), the Outback Bowl felt the Tigers were more deserving than Tennessee and Ole Miss because they defeated both schools in the regular season. Auburn's 3-5 conference mark apparently didn't hurt them in the end.

Another factor in choosing the Tigers are the number of Auburn graduates in the Tampa area. Bowl officials say Auburn has significantly more alumni and fans in the region than Tennessee and Ole Miss. Coming off the surprising Iron Bowl, Marshall said bowl officials felt Auburn fans would be motivated to buy more tickets than other schools.

The fact Auburn hasn't played in the game since 1995 was also a factor. Perhaps what hurt Tennessee most was the lack of tickets sold during the Volunteers last visit to the game. Auburn officials fully expect to sell its entire allotment of tickets.

The big loser in the Auburn bid appears to be Georgia. It now looks like Tennessee is headed to the Chick-Fil-A Bowl (instead of Georgia) and the Rebels are going back to Dallas for the Cotton Bowl. That leaves Georgia with few good options. They now have three possible destinations - Shreveport, Birmingham or Nashville.

I don't care who you are, that's funny!

Auburn Sends Clear Message To Alabama

Jay Coulter — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 22:03:08 -0000

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Auburn wide receiver Terrell Zachery (81) runs 67 yards to score on a reverse against Alabama during Friday's Iron Bowl at Jordan Hare Stadium.

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There are no moral victories in the Iron Bowl. Both sides will tell you so. You either win or you don't. That said, there's a unique vibe in the state of Alabama today. For the first time in series history both schools are smiling the Monday after the game. Alabama perhaps sports a little bigger one, but make no mistake; Auburn people are proud and hopeful.

If Alabama was the second best team in the land on Friday then Auburn was certainly the third. Whether either fanbase likes it or not, both measure its success against how the other program is doing. For two years running, Alabama has been the measuring stick for not only the state, but also the SEC. Friday's narrow loss in the Iron Bowl is validation that Auburn is pointed in the right direction.

If there were any remaining doubts left among Auburn fans about Gene Chizik being the right choice to lead the program, they should all have been put to rest Friday night. In a state where most media coverage is insanely biased toward the school from Tuscaloosa, it's easy to become convinced that the divide between the two programs is greater than reality.

Auburn's onside kick recovery following its first touchdown was a signature moment for Chizik and the Auburn program. The play sent a firm message to Nick Saban and his fans that Auburn was there to win. It also sent a deeper message to the Alabama faithful that Auburn intends on competing and winning sooner rather than later.

Give Alabama credit for doing what it had to do to keep its championship hopes alive. There's no arguing Saban's talent as a coach. But the four quarters Auburn dominated Alabama put the Crimson Nation on notice that the Iron Bowl is again a rivalry.

Saban seemed to agree.

"Only the strong survive," Saban said. "But the strong still get their ass whipped."

Alabama running back Mark Ingram knows that better than anyone. If there's one consolation for Auburn fans it's that Alabama will go another year without a Heisman Trophy winner. The television shot of Ingram being consoled on the bench by an Alabama trainer at the end of the game said it all. Nobody on the Alabama squad expected that kind of contest. You have to wonder what impact the game will have on Saturday's SEC Championship Game.

For Auburn the future appears bright. The Tigers bowl destination is anyone's guess. An amazing six SEC teams have identical 7-5 records. Don't pull Chizik into the discussion. He could care less. For him, it's all about next year.

"I'm worried about recruiting," Chizik said Saturday. "The bowl committees are going to do their thing and administratively we've got great leadership. Those guys worry about those things."

Reflecting on the season, Chizik seems content with the results. "I'm satisfied with how we are working toward building a foundation for what we know is going to be great here," he said. "I don't think there's any question in my mind that we've done that (this season).

I couldn't agree more.

Saturday Savants Iron Bowl Special

Jay Coulter — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 03:21:32 -0000

Teak and JB do an in-depth break down of the Iron Bowl, the likes of which you have never seen before. The guys pick out the keys to Auburn having a chance in this mismatched game. No one is giving Auburn a chance to win, Teak and JB give you the insight to how an Auburn victory is possible.

War Eagle!

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