Fly War Eagle
Fansided

A most difficult year of Auburn football, 2021, in review

By Andrew Hughes

Dec 28, 2021; Birmingham, Alabama, USA; Auburn football wide receiver Demetris Robertson (0) leads his team onto the field prior to the 2021 Birmingham Bowl against Houston Cougars at Protective Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Marvin Gentry-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 28, 2021; Birmingham, Alabama, USA; Auburn football wide receiver Demetris Robertson (0) leads his team onto the field prior to the 2021 Birmingham Bowl against Houston Cougars at Protective Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Marvin Gentry-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit

Oh man Auburn football fans, this really was the year, huh…

To say that the 2021 calendar year was tough to the Tigers and the Auburn family at large is quite a sizable understatement.

It started off with a Kevin Steele-coached Citrus Bowl loss in a half-empty Camping World Stadium and ended with dejected fans at a come-from-behind loss at the hands of a Group of Five team at the Birmingham Bowl. Georgia and Alabama both made the CFP, too.

What was sandwiched in between was a series of highs and lows that singlehandedly redefined the program going forward.

After early struggles against Penn State and Georgia State–that followed confidence-building (and false bravado-building) blowouts of Akron and Alabama State–Tiger fans were done with Bo Nix and wanted him benched for good in favor of TJ Finley. Nix did everything he could in the weeks after to win every Auburn man, woman, and child back, but it was seemingly too late by the time Texas A&M’s defense was done holding him to 20/41 passing, 155 yards through the air, no touchdowns and an interception. Once Mississippi State completed their comeback, and Nix had thrown his final pass both of the year and in his AU career, 2021 had become a tragic year in the Auburn timeline.

Everything after that was a fever nightmare.

TJ Finley stepped in and threw ball after the ball in the dirt or over the head of his receivers in Columbia, South Carolina, en route to a second straight loss at Williams-Brice Stadium. Alabama mounted a comeback to take down the Tigers at Jordan-Hare Stadiun for the first Tide win on the Plains since 2015. Bryce Young punched his ticket to the top of the Heisman leaderboard in his 4OT comeback effort from under center. The AAC’s Houston continued bowl season’s bullying of the SEC and won the Birmingham Bowl’s Vulcan-backside trophy in what was essentially an Auburn home game.

But fear not Auburn football fans, 2022 will have brighter days

You think Fly War Eagle is going to sulk and feel sorry on New Year’s Eve? Nah. There’s every reason to wake up every day and say “it’s great, to be, an Auburn Tiger…” in 2022.

Bruce Pearl’s Tigers are a top 10 team and just knocked off a previously loss-less LSU. Suni Lee is about to make the Auburn Arena her gymnastics canvass.

Bryan Harsin’s gridiron group is going to make serious waves as well. The Class of 2022 is ranked in the top 15, many key leaders are returning, and the 2022 season will start with five straight home games.

Momentum will be built, and 6-7 will be surpassed, at the barest of minimums.

Happy New Year’s to all Auburn football fans all around the world! Brighter days await on the Plains.

Home/Auburn Football