The Last Time the Tigers Traveled Without a Skill Position Player
For the first time since 2008 the Tigers travel to SEC Media Days without a skill position player. We decided to revisit 2008 as we look ahead to 2019.
I apologize in advance for rehashing some bad memories.
The year is 2008. Tommy Tuberville enters his tenth season as head coach for the Auburn Tigers and brings OG Jason Bosley and DL Sen’Derrick Marks along with him to SEC Media Days. Both linemen entered the 2008 season under new leadership. Tony Franklin was hired to fix the offense’s problems from 2007 and Paul Rhoads entered his first (and last) season as defensive coordinator before leaving to become the head coach for Iowa State.
The AP poll had Auburn ranked at number 10 in the preseason poll and Sen’Derrick Marks was named to the Walter Camp Award watchlist, Bronko Nagurski Trophy watchlist, Outland Trophy watchlist, and All-SEC 1st Team list while Bosley was named to the Dave Rimington Trophy watchlist. Expectations were HIGH and fell apart almost immediately.
It was bad.
Six games into the season Tubs had enough of Tony Franklin and his pitiful attempt to implement an air-raid offense. Franklin was fired immediately and Steve Ensminger took over the role for the remainder of the season.
The damage was already done. By week 7 the Tigers were unranked. Y’all remember the 3-2 victory over Mississippi State? Yeah, that’s what literature professionals call foreshadowing. The Tigers only won two games after that and finished the season 5-7 overall and 2-6 in the SEC.
Chris Todd started for the majority of the season while Kodi Burns sat at number two on the Tigers’ depth chart. The Tigers did not generate any prolific rushers or receivers, and detracting from his usual run-heavy offense proved to be a critical miscalculation for Tuberville. The same Tigers that were heavily hyped up in preseason rankings finished 110th of 119 teams in scoring offense.
The most crushing blow to the season occurred when the Tigers lost to Nick Saban’s talented 2008 Alabama squad for the first time in six years. It was Auburn’s worst Iron Bowl loss in 46 years and fans saw the writing on the wall. Tuberville no longer ruled the state of Alabama and Nick Saban was quickly in the process of establishing his own dynasty at Alabama.
Auburn fans became desperate for a change in leadership and on December 3, 2008, Tommy Tuberville resigned as Auburn’s head football coach and Gene Chizik was hired to take his place just ten days later. Chizik was coming off a less than stellar track record at Iowa State where he went 5-19 and Tigers fans’ reactions ranged from outrage to “who is that guy?”
JOX radio playing clips of Auburn fans greeting Chizik @ airport, my favorite quote "We want a leader not a loser"
— johnventry (@johnventry) December 15, 2008
Chizik vs. Tuberville: A Change in Attitude
Fast forward to 2019. The Tigers take three potential first round draft picks with them to SEC Media Days, Kevin Steele has consistency in producing Auburn defenses that rank among the top in SEC rankings, Gus Malzahn returns to calling plays, and a starting quarterback hasn’t been declared yet because both options are THAT GOOD.
Trench Warfare: Auburns Representatives for SEC Media Days
Was revisiting the 2008 team a bad idea? Absolutely not, it could’ve been worse. We could’ve revisited 2012, but that’s not the point. There’s a silver lining in all of this. Entering the 2019 season Auburn has consistency, the major key that hindered the Tigers’ 2008 season and the only thing in the Tigers’ way is that schedule.