We knew it was coming, we just didn’t know what it’d look like

EDITOR’S NOTE: The following column was written by Mike Szvetitz from the comfort of his own living room as he watched the Auburn-Arkansas game on his 27-inch, 1998 Sanyo picture box.

NOT FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – It was bound to happen.

Auburn was going to lose a game this year. We all knew that.

But did anyone think it would be the way the Tigers lost Saturday?

By 21 points to a team who’s defense came in ranked last in the SEC?

This year’s team?

Maybe last year’s. But Auburn 2009? Gene Chizik 2.0?

Who would have guessed a blowout? Who would have guessed an ugly, couldn’t-get-out-of-its-own-way loss to Arkansas?

Penalties. Fumbles. Miscues. Auburn looked bad. Real bad.

Arkansas looked good. Real good.

But it was bound to happen. Right?

I mean, did anyone really think the Tigers would run the table? No. Not at all.

But it’s the way they lost that should cause concern. Auburn, a really young team, looked that way for the first time.

And Arkansas is not as good as LSU or Ole Miss or Alabama – all coming up on the Tigers’ schedule.

Is Auburn better than what it showed in Fayetteville on Saturday? The second half it was. But that first half? That was bad.

They can send that film to the trash right now, care of Auburn 2008.

The third quarter was more like it for the Tigers, as they racked up 200-plus yards and three unanswered touchdowns to cut a 31-point deficit to 11.

But then the wheels came back off.

Arkansas steadied itself and the Tigers, let down by another special teams’ gaffe and a fourth-down botch, ran off the road.

Sure Auburn scored points and made the game a lot more interesting than the way it started. But it was too little too late.

Way too late.

Auburn’s defense showed some more holes, giving up 44 points and 495 yards of offense. But 17 of those points came off turnovers by the Tigers offense. And you can’t really
put it all on the AU defense, because they never got off the field in the first half.

The 27 first-half points are on the Auburn offense as much as they are the defense.

So is it back to the drawing board for the Tigers?

Well, just like Chizik says, it’s never as bad as it seems.

But Saturday, it wasn’t as good either.

Auburn’s now 5-1 coming home to play Kentucky next Saturday. It will be another tough test for the Tigers as they try to rebound. And they’ll need to do it quickly, as a trip to
Baton Rouge, La., is on the horizon.

There’s a lot to fix between now and then, which isn’t surprising.

Just like Auburn’s first loss.

It was bound to happen. Just not the way everyone thought it would.

MIKE SZVETITZ is sports editor of the Opelika-Auburn News. He may be reached at or 737-2513.