Hello once again Tiger fans, Oscar Whiskey here and boy do we have a show for you today! Well, it's not really a show but more like a run of the mill blog post. Anyway, as we all know, Auburn took down the Ole Miss Rebels on the road and as of last night, Auburn is still firmly entrenched with a berth into the first ever College Football Playoff. However, the season is far from over as our Tigers take on the Texas A&M Aggies this Saturday and every game counts as much as the previous one. But more about them later, let's get this shindig goin'!
Probably Not
I guess I should explain that the following exchange took place between myself and a friend of mine who, well, she isn't exactly the biggest of football fans. Which, is fine, I mean, the game isn't for everyone. When I hang out with her I try to mention football or Auburn or Auburn Football as little as possible. She knows that I'm a big fan of the sport and that from time to time I write (poorly) about our Tigers. So I was very surprised when she sent me the first text.
This text, of course, arrived mere moments before Laquon Treadwell made his dash for the end zone. When, at that second, I thought Treadwell had scored the game winner for Ole Miss, my crazy Barner-side saw that message. "She just jinxed Auburn," I thought to myself as I stared at my phone. "How could she do that? Why would she do that? What is she even doing looking at football scores? She doesn't like football!"
This was coming from someone, me, who doesn't believe in jinxes or sports curses or that when your team is losing and you are wearing certain sports paraphernalia that you take it off and change into something else. For a few split seconds, though, I was that person and I was just a few thumb taps from calling her a jinx. But I reminded myself I didn't believe in such things and that I didn't take off my API sweater because Auburn was struggling but because I had the heater running. So I responded with a very simple, matter-of-face, somewhat somber text and set my phone down.
Then she responded with those emojis.
"What the hell is this?!" Barner-Oscar exclaimed to no one, eye twitching. "She's having fun with me now! She doesn't even care and now she's mocking me! Wait, what's happening? They're reviewing the touchdown? Why? Oh shit, Treadwell fumbled the ball? How did he - oh God! No! Don't show that again! Why would you show that again?! Brad Nessler just told you not to do that! Ugh, the ball is fumbled, but the touchdown is going to stand, Auburn is going to be vilified and - holy hell, they overturned the call?"
I was overjoyed by the review that went Auburn's way but not at the cost of Laquon Treadwell's season. In fact, I felt downright sad by it. I neglected to mention that in my text and instead of doing so I made some lame reassurance that this behavior would end in a matter of weeks. However, she knows better that I won't stop being a crazy person when football is over and truthfully I take pride in the notion that someone who doesn't even care about the game still went and looked up the score. That's the overwhelming, magnetic power of the Auburn Tigers, fellas and we shouldn't take it for granted.
The ‘A' Word
I don't like the Texas A&M Aggies. In fact, I dislike them more than I do Georgia and almost as much as I despise LSU. Now, before any Aggies go whining and crying about the Longhorns (as they are oft to do without prompt for doing so) I don't care much for them either. I just really, really dislike TAMU more.
We all have our reasons for expressing negative feelings and thoughts towards those teams we don't like. I have mine and I discussed them last year. To briefly recap they are: 1) Growing up amidst the UT and TAMU fan bases 2) enduring their silly, one-sided slap fight of a "rivalry" 3) their silly and very strange cultish "traditions." 4) Maroon, ugh. Either pick brown or red, don't mix them together (this is a new one).
Last year's match-up with the Aggies was the biggest and easily, most personal for me. I wasn't expecting a whole lot from our Tigers last season, hell, none of us were, but all I truthfully wanted was to beat TAMU. I just wanted Auburn to shut them the hell up. One season, one god damn successful season and oh my goodness, you'd think they just saved the earth from aliens. They're spending nearly nearly half a billion dollars to renovate a stadium all because they went ELEVEN AND TWO. Sure, they also had a Heisman Trophy winning quarterback that year but it wasn't like he was going to stick around to play when Kyle Field was done being renovated. They're all dressing themselves up pretty now, got a nice new place and new friends and not talking about their last boyfriend because girl, you are too good for him anyway.
The last time Texas A&M came out to Auburn, well, they embarrassed the ever living crap out of one of the worst Tiger teams fielded in 60 years. Hey, but, thanks TAMU because of that horrifying loss Auburn got a hell of a lot better coach who happens to have some killer dance moves! I'm also really, really hoping the Tigers can repay your generosity in a similar fashion.
Even with Auburn having a penchant for making okay quarterbacks look like world beaters and awful ability to defend passes made over the middle, this game won't be going the Aggies way. Kyle Allen makes his first road start as a true freshman and the last time a true freshman stepped on Pat Dye Field against the Tigers didn't exactly go well for him. Auburn's offense has finally found its rhythm and if you recall what happened to teams this time last year, oh Reveille, you are in for a long game darlin' and even longer drive home.
Well, that's it from me for this week. Make sure to come back next week, same Whiskey time, same Whiskey channel, College and Magnolia dot com.