Disappointed, but finally on track

The Auburn football team definitely suffered a disappointing loss Saturday afternoon, but I believe they showed a lot of heart and a lot of progress. 

In a 17-13 loss, the Tigers were able to do some things we haven't seen all year -- including playing an entire game.

On the game's final drive, I was sitting there wondering if Kodi Burns was capable of leading the team down the field and putting them in a position to win the game. Turns out he was ready and did it. Then came the final series. Auburn quickly gained 9 to make it 2nd and 1 from the 14 with less than 30 seconds remaining and no timeouts. Second down went awry and Burns' third down pass fell incomplete in the corner of the endzone. So it became fourth down and 1 from the 14 with 7 seconds left.

At this point, I'm thinking we might see Burns fake a throw and take off running toward the left side of the field and try to reach the endzone. I thought at worst he would get the first down, go down -- stopping the clock -- and then rush up to the line and spike the ball to get one more chance. But instead the coaches decided the game would end on that play, for better or worse. So Burns threw the fade to the corner for Ben Tate -- a wrinkle we haven't really seen this year -- and it fell incomplete. Like most Auburn fans, I was a bit stunned and had that pitted feeling in my stomach.

As it set in that Auburn had just lost to Georgia and just barely, I began to think about the playcalling decision on the last play. 

I thought, how much better would it have been if Burns had run on that last play? Then I thought, you know what, how many times has the game come down to the end like that and the quarterback does end up running and everyone is mad and asking why didn't they take a shot at the endzone? So there it was. The game came down the the final play and Auburn tried to throw for the victory -- a move that was actually a bit unexpected for a change. So for that call, I give credit to Steve Ensminger. 

Now, looking back, would a Burns run toward the front corner of the endzone have been successful? Possibly. I feel like he could have gotten the first and gotten out of bounds. But in the end, what would be different? Auburn likely would have still faced a do-or-die situation, only they wouldn't have had as much room to work with and almost certainly would have been forced to run the ball.

But give a lot of credit to Kodi Burns for making a mature decision on the last play. He knew he couldn't afford to be brought down in the backfield and he knew the speed of the UGA defense. He trusted his arm and I'm proud of him for that.

On to other things... Where was Mario Fannin in the fourth quarter. This man almost single-handedly scored the only two touchdowns of the game for Auburn and suddenly he's not in the game when it's on the line?? He didn't appear to be injured while he was standing on the sideline next to Coach Tuberville. Why wasn't he on the field. 

I can see it now: With 30 seconds and forty yards to go, throw a screen to Fannin and let Super Mario go to work. It should have been worth a shot. But oh well, it didn't happen. Tuberville said Tate was in the game because he is a better pass blocker. I trust Tubb's decision, but have to wonder. I guess I'm just another Auburn fan who is looking for something to make me feel better about this season. 

So on that note, congrats to Auburn for appearing to finally get on track. It was a typical Auburn-Georgia game and Auburn just came up with the short end of the stick -- it happens. But you know what, it gives me a little hope going into the Bama game. All I have to say is, Bama better not be looking ahead to Florida.