Gene Chizik's team has been bogged down by an inept offense. (Chuck Cook - US PRESSWIRE)
It was like two ships passing in the night.
Well, not really.
In the first place, when Vanderbilt and Auburn got together in Nashville on Saturday, the game kicked off before lunch time.
And, it would be more accurate to say that it was like one ship passing on toward another port of call … maybe Birmingham or Memphis … while the other ship was taking on water and going nowhere, except maybe down.
Good ship Vanderbilt, captained by head Commodore James Franklin, with veteran quarterback Jordan Rogers at the helm, continued its voyage forward, having survived extremely rough waters, now looking ahead at much smoother sailing. Despite having a 3-4 record, the five remaining opponents all represent winnable games. They only have to get three victories over Massachusetts, Kentucky and Wake Forest in order to play in the postseason. Three more wins are not guaranteed, but five more wins wouldn’t be impossible.
In only his second year in Nashville, Franklin has righted the ship. He has instilled confidence in his players, feeling that they can win games. After the pounding that the ‘Dores took in Athens three weeks ago, Vandy rebounded with a win at Missouri, a respectable loss to undefeated Florida, and the 17-13 win over Auburn. Vanderbilt is getting better each week and on the sideline during the game, you can sense that confidence.
Auburn is more like the S.S. Minnow. You remember the boat that got off course, was blown around in a storm, and shipwrecked on an uncharted island. That one was captained by the “Skipper” played by Alan Hale and his “Little Buddy,” first mate Gilligan (played by Bob Denver), a bumbling, accident-prone, pitiful excuse for a seaman. To Auburn fans, that story line probably sounds familiar.
The Tigers’ 2012 voyage never really got started. They blew opportunities to win the season opener against Clemson, got totally lost on the cruise to Starkville, and have never found their compass. The waters have been rough, but they’re getting rougher – fast. There’s a hurricane named Johnny (as in Manziel) coming to Jordan-Hare in a few days and there’s probably not enough plywood or extra-strength defensive apparel in Lee County to protect that house on Saturday. Major icebergs – Georgia and Alabama – are also on the horizon and if you realistically evaluate the first seven games of the season, even navigating around New Mexico State and Alabama A&M isn’t a sure thing now.
The Auburn defense has improved, playing well enough to win several games. The specialty teams continue to be among the best in the country. The Gilligan’s Island comparison is on the offensive side, qualifying as the comic misadventures of a lost bunch of castaways.
Nashville provided plenty of evidence. Completing a six-yard passing route on third down when 12 yards were needed; back-to-back procedure penalties to kill one promising drive; not picking up a blitzing Commodore who sacked the quarterback to kill another one; missing wide open receivers; getting several gifts from the improving defense – three recovered fumbles, three stops of Vandy’s fourth-down attempts – and being unable to take advantage of anything. Remember that the Vandy defense, which gave up just one touchdown to Auburn, surrendered 48 points to Georgia three weeks ago and 31 to Florida two weeks later. For the past six decades, Auburn has competed favorably with the Dawgs and Gators, ranking above both in winning percentage during that time. Not this year.
How bad is this Auburn offense? I attended an Auburn football game for the first time 56 seasons ago and have been at Tiger games almost every season since. This is the worst Auburn offense that I’ve ever seen.
So what’s ahead for Vandy and Auburn?
The Commodores will win three more, go to a bowl game that it can win, and continue on course. Fans should expect to hear that loud ship’s horn blaring out over Vanderbilt Stadium plenty of times next season.
The Tigers will win three games for the season. Fans should realize that while it is probably best to keep the ship’s captain for 2013, they can’t continue with the same strategy and plans, or the same crew – especially at the offensive helm – and expect anything but more rough water.
