SZVETITZ COLUMN: What a difference a win makes

Auburn wins.

Auburn wins.

Stop the presses.

Auburn wins. Barely.

There’s a reason this game wasn’t on TV. Anywhere.

Auburn got its much-needed win, but there wasn’t much else the Tigers can take out of Saturday’s game. Or is there?

This was supposed to be an easy win. But this year, there’s no such thing.

UT Martin came to play. There’s no doubt. And, believe it or not, so did Auburn. It’s just that the Tigers’ best isn’t that good.

But they won. And, boy, did they need it.

“It’s been a long time (42 days, to be exact) since we’ve won a game,” Auburn head coach Tommy Tuberville said. “Our guys are excited, obviously.”

Obviously, Auburn would have taken a win against anyone Saturday. It just so happened to be UT Martin of the FCS. But it didn’t matter. It could have been anyone. Anyone.

And everyone on Auburn’s roster needed something good to happen Saturday. And it did. Right from the jump. Tristan Davis, anyone?

But, keeping with the tradition of this season, the Tigers still managed to squeeze off a lot of small-arms rounds right into both feet. Turnovers, muffed punts, bad decisions … you name it, Auburn did it. This season, the Tigers have done it.

Bad to worse to even worse.

But it was a win. A big win, even if the score — Auburn 37, UTM 20 — wasn’t. Confidence isn’t always measured in points.

“There were a lot of positives out of this,” Tuberville said. “The one positive is we got the win.”

The Win.

It’s been a long time.

“Just to get back in the win column,” said junior cornerback Jerraud Powers, “… it’s very important.”

Very important, especially for the next two games — you know, Georgia and Alabama … Amen Corner.

For Auburn, it’s more like Hail Mary Drive.

Remember, the Tigers (5-5) need one more win to make a bowl … to finish .500 … to salvage something from a season that’s been more disappointing than losing to Vanderbilt. Wait, that happened, too.

But is beating either Georgia or Alabama possible? Umm … next question.

Well, it might not be impossible, but it’s pretty darn close. I mean, have you seen Auburn play this year?

“There is a big question mark there,” Tuberville said of where his team is heading into its final two games. “We are going to play two of the better teams that we’ve played all year long. We can’t play like we played today …”

He’s right. No. 13 Georgia will be looking to take out its frustration next week when the Bulldogs arrive at Jordan-Hare Stadium, especially after getting blasted by Florida and barely squeaking by Kentucky.

Then, there’s No. 1 Alabama, which will most likely enter the Iron Bowl on Nov. 29 undefeated with national title hopes just two games away.

Does Auburn have a chance?

According to the Tigers, yes … yes they do.

“Everybody’s going to be ready to play,” senior running back Brad Lester said. “You’re probably going to get our best look that we’ve had all season.

“I feel like if we win these last two games, it won’t be as bad as it really seems. Last year, we had four losses. This year, we’ll have five if we win out.”

But, really, is that possible?

“I have no doubt in my mind,” Lester said. “We should beat both teams by a good amount of points. I feel real confident about it.”

Wow.

See what a win can do?

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