Auburn football: Accepting blame admirable, but avoiding that scenario is even better
By Rob Maxwell
Make no mistake, it’s admirable that defensive coordinator Kevin Steele stood up in front of the media Sunday night and took the blame for the Auburn football team’s disappointing 22-21 loss to LSU.
Thanks, coach. Everyone appreciates it.
But it’s not necessary.
Losses happen, unless it’s 2010, 2004, 1993, 1958, 1957, 1932, 1914, 1913 or 1904.
Coaches can take blame. Players can take blame. It happens all the time.
Excuses are made — blame it on the refs, injuries, turnovers. Take your pick.
But what Auburn football fans want is to not have to hear someone take responsibility for a loss.
Must Read. 5 burning questions for Auburn after loss to LSU. light
Sometimes — most the time — the better team wins the football game. Saturday was not one of those occasions and that’s the frustrating part about what happened with Auburn (and something that has become all-too-familiar).
Auburn DC Kevin Steele: "Very disappointing loss. Frustrating. Unacceptable to our standards. It starts and ends with me. I'm the one responsible to make sure no one scores 22 points at Jordan-Hare Stadium, and they did."
— Justin Ferguson (@JFergusonAU) September 17, 2018
With the talent the Auburn football team has on offense, allowing 22 points shouldn’t be reason to apologize.
LSU entered the game ranked No. 12. That means a lot of people think the Tigers are a good team. Few people expected LSU to win. Ed Orgeron likely told his team to just get to the fourth quarter with a chance to win it. LSU did and won. Give a team enough opportunities and eventually you get burned.
Joe Burrow hit 7 of his first 13 throws as LSU built a 10-0 lead. In the fourth quarter, Burrow was 5 for 9 for 95 yards. That included a 71-yard touchdown that brought LSU to within 21-19. It also included two completions on the game-winning drive: one for eight yards on third-and-7 and another for nine yards on fourth-and-7.
Burrow went 3 for 12 from the time LSU led 10-0 until he hit Derrick Dillon for the 71-yard touchdown.
Give a team enough opportunities …
Malzahn: "We had opportunities to make the play. We didn't. They did."
— Justin Lee (@ByJustinLee) September 15, 2018
That comment by Gus Malzahn sums up Saturday.
Auburn should annihilate Arkansas on Saturday. Auburn should roll past Southern Miss a week later. Is that enough time to adequately prepare for the back half of the schedule that starts with a trip to Mississippi State on Oct. 6?
Auburn turned a double-digit victory into a 1-point loss. dark. Next
That trip to Starkville will tell Auburn football fans everything they need to know about how the rest of this season will play out.