Nightmare on North Donahue
“It’s like a bad dream”
Sitting snuggly at 251 Donahue Drive in Auburn, AL sits what at times can be one of the most intimidating places for opposing teams to play football within. Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn, AL has for years made visiting teams uncomfortable. Famous college football coaches of hall-of-fame names have stumbled inside those concrete walls. The likes of Bowden, Meyer, Saban, and Spurrier have all tasted bitter defeat and disappointment much to the delight of the hometown Tiger fans. After a humbling 2006 loss at Jordan-Hare Stadium, then Florida coach Urban Meyer accused officials at JHS of “pumping music from the speakers to make it louder and more difficult for his QB to communicate”. No Urban, that is just how loud it can get inside that stadium and others around the SEC.
Arguably the greatest of all-time, Alabama coach Nick Saban, has even had his struggles over on Donahue Drive over the years. While at LSU as head coach, Saban was 0-3 at Auburn with an average score of Tigers 25 and Bayou Bengals 11. With all the resources and advantages in the world while coaching Alabama, “The GOAT” is only 4-4 at Jordan-Hare dating back to his first appearance in 2007 on the Bama sidelines with an average score of 27-25 in seven games. Two of those wins came down to the wire initially in 2009 with a last-minute drive to win and 2021 when Alabama had to go to 4OT against a brutal Bryan Harsin led team to achieve victory. No other stadium in league play has given Saban such issues dating back to LSU and while at Alabama prompting Tide faithful to call on JHS as “An Indian Burial Ground” and “Voodoo Magic”. Who knows, with another Iron Bowl looming this Saturday, if that old house of horrors for Saban can muster up one more trick in what may be his last appearance there.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8GKmkD1pUG0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uInWThD_FEM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c5XBgm3B6iU
Despite all the magic and voodoo that has terrorized big time coaches and programs over the years at Jordan-Hare, this past Saturday it took a coach back from the brink of the grave and lowly New Mexico State to exorcise the demons of that stadium for all of college football. Jerry Kill, head coach and cancer survivor at NMSU, rolled into Auburn as a 25-point underdog and destroyed Auburn 31-10 in front of a stunned home crowd. This is a program that was historically 0-24 against SEC opponents until upsetting the Auburn Tigers. Before the loss, AU had not lost against a non-conference opponent not named Clemson at home since South Florida won in 2007 and a had not lost to a non-power five team since 1991 when Southern Miss beat the Tigers 10-9. There is really no reason to relive the shocking loss to NMSU with the Iron Bowl looming but below are ten things that shows “the tale of the tape”.
A slightly injured NMSU QB went 19-28 for 201 yards and 3 TDs
NMSU had 414 total yards while AU had 213 yards
NMSU rushed for 213 yards while AU rushed for 65 yards
NMSU had 23 total first downs while AU had 12
Time of possession had NMSU over 38 minutes while AU had 21
Jarquez Hunter had 8 carries in the game for 27 yards
In their last three wins Hunter averaged 17 carries for 145 yards
Auburn had one sack against NMSU
Auburn paid NMSU 1.85 million to play them
Hugh Freeze has lost to NMSU two years in a row averaged 40-12
So where does Auburn go from here? Short term reaction this is an utter disaster. In no universe should a team vying for their 800th program win should lose to a team that has had five winning seasons in the last 60 years.
After the loss on Saturday, there are only 12 teams with 800 wins or more in Division-1 college football. Auburn was trying to be the 13th. Some of those teams include Alabama, Michigan, Notre Dame, Penn State and Texas. A “who's who” of classic, successful programs with complete national relevancy and brand. Now, several of these teams have had embarrassing losses before. It has been annoyingly pointed out on social media for example that Nick Saban at Alabama lost to Louisiana Monroe at home late in 2007. No doubt that was a gut punch but this game against NMSU feels different. Losing close to a team you should dominate is one thing, but being dominated by a team you should never lose to is another story. Auburn quite frankly Saturday was out coached, out played, out schemed, out worked, and out classed by a 25-point underdog that every person in college football overlooked this game as a warmup to the Iron Bowl.
Long term this is only a disaster if the Auburn program led by Hugh Freeze is defined by the collapse. Will this beatdown sting and linger for years? Sure. Can it be forgiven and forgotten? Yes. The last three years of Auburn football have been forgettable at best. It is very reminiscent of the late 70s at Auburn when Auburn continually mired itself in mediocrity. For the generation of fans that grew up with hard-nosed Pat Dye championship football in the 1980s, welcome to your Doug Barfield years. After throwing millions of dollars at mediocrity including Gus Malzahn and Bryan Harsin leading Tiger teams, Auburn cannot afford for Hugh Freeze not to revive the program like Pat Dye did beginning in 1981. What better way to immediately right the ship other than upsetting Alabama and Nick Saban just one more time inside “The Indian Burial Ground” Saturday at 2:30 in Jordan-Hare Stadium? Although highly unlikely, a win or even strong showing would cool doubts about the future of the program after this generational loss to NMSU. Despite what happens this Saturday, Tiger fans should make no mistake that this rebuild will take years to accomplish. Strong recruiting, monetary support, key transfer portal acquisitions and identifying coaches who relate to the modern game on future staffs will be at the very least what it takes to move on, upwards and stay in contention for championships consistently moving forward. AKA...hard work and commitment. Rome was not built in a day, and neither will this rebuilt Auburn program be either. Keep in mind since Nick Saban started at Alabama as head coach in 2007, Auburn has had 7 total head coaches including two that were interim. That is an average of a new coach every 2.4 years for Auburn and no telling how many million dollars in buyouts spent. That must stop and the only way to do that is despite the horrific loss to NMSU, forget it, move on, and go all in with Huh Freeze. IN HUGH WE TRUST? You better because if not, the next 17 seasons will be just like the last 17 filled with mediocrity, a few shining moments, and a whole lot of disappointment.