Florida really aint all that. With their faux schedule somehow Bama still manages to beat us a lot lately. I guess the reason they beat us and other strong teams is because they have a light schedule? Whatev. The reason LSU's season two years back was so amazing was because of the difficulty of our schedule and our navigation through it. Losing to Bama in the NC didn't happen because Bama had the easier schedule. It was because we straight got beat. And stop whining about having to play Bama - NCAA football was set up that season to have a NC between the 2 best teams in the nation (all parties knew this going in). Bama was the best team outside of LSU and proved it with a win, really a thumping. Too many crybabies and appologists.
Then there's that point of crossing the fifty yard line. I still see Jefferson getting the blame. And, I still know it's misplaced. Regular season versus the NC game: The blocking scheme on Bama's linebackers changed completely which led to the option oriented plays—one of Jefferson's strong suits‘—nonexistent.
I find that extremely difficult to believe. You must not live anywhere near the state of Alabama, you are lying or just a completely close minded Gump. I have several friends who are Auburn graduates, we just leave football out of the equation.
No, it's different in Alabama. Bammers and Barners simply do not get along and rarely associate. I have 200 relatives in north Alabama, only one of which is a Bammer and he is ostracized by the Barner cousins.
Because Jefferson and Miles for that matter are to blame. Saban is a system guy and he is great at scouting other teams but when you stray from the norm and throw in wrinkles he didn't expect, he is just as beatable as anyone else. If you play into Saban's hands you are more than likely going to get beat. But I think he is pretty fucking average at coaching on his toes and out of his comfort zone.
Lowcountry, South Carolina. I saw a little bit of a rise in Auburn paraphernalia following the 2010 season but it wasn't as dramatic as one might anticipate. However, I lived in Alabama more than 25 years of my life and didn't have any friends who were Auburn fans either. Now that I think about it, the one Auburn fan I've spoken with the most over the last decade—through email exchanges—was one I met here, Deceks7. FWIW, within the state lines of Alabama isn't far from a 50/50 split on the fan base numbers. The sarcastic side of my personality makes me inclined to empathize with you having Auburn friends. Nah, I know there are some good people whose football allegiances are just out of whack. How else do you explain Notre Dame fans?
After speaking with several players on that 2011 team about the defensive scheme I can attest they've all said there were no adjustments/scheme changes in how the Tide team played defense in New Orleans. I doubt you have a recording of that game available. But, if you did, I'd encourage you to watch it again. The difference I'm citing is how your outside guys (tight ends, wide receivers, and tackles) were blocking on runs going outside the tackle box. They were centering on getting a hat on the interior linebackers which allowed the SAM, WILL, and JACK linebackers to remain untouched. The result strung those outside running plays towards the sidelines and the Tiger running backs weren't able to turn the corners. I don't disagree about "coaching on his toes" but I do have to add something to that. I'm hard pressed to think of a coach in FBS play who makes huge in game adjustments on offense when they do face something unexpected. The majority you find on defense and a large part of those changes are found after the half (See UF versus A&M, 2012.) Defensively, I've always though Saban and his staff were late to make the necessary adjustments when they've found the team being outplayed. Two good examples of that were A&M last season and the 2008 Sugar Bowl (though there were a few more factors adding into that mix.)
