Northwestern University Athletics
Skip Myslenski Presents a Know Thy Enemy Report
12/30/2009 12:00:00 AM | Football
Dec. 30, 2009
By SKIP MYSLENSKI, NUsports.com Special Contributor
Sun Tzu Wu, in his much-acclaimed "The Art of War," wrote: "Know thy enemy and know thy self and you will win a hundred battles." The 'Cats, we can surmise, do know themselves. As for the enemy. . .
• It is now known, of course, as Auburn. But back on Feb. 1, 1856, when it was first chartered, it was a private, liberal arts school known as the East Alabama Male College. In 1872, when it became its state's first public land grant university, it was renamed the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Alabama and then, in 1899, it was renamed again to be known as Alabama Polytechnic Institute. Not until 1960, in fact, was its name officially changed to Auburn.
• During the Civil War, the school shut down; its campus was used as a training ground for the Confederate Army; and the "Old Main," the building where classes had been held, was transformed into a hospital for the Confederate wounded. It re-opened for good in 1866.
• Follow closely now. There will be an exam at the end. The school's nickname is the Tigers. The school's mascot is Aubie, which is indeed a tiger. But the school's students are familiarly referred to as Plainsmen and the school's battle cry is "War Eagle."
• Let's deal with the first three things first. The city of Auburn was founded by a guy named Judge John J. Harper, who was fond of an Oliver Goldsmith poem titled "The Deserted Village." "Sweet Auburn, loveliest village of the Plain" is one line in that poem. Another is, "Where crouching tigers wait their helpless prey." Connecting those dots is easy.
• Now for the legend behind the battle cry: In 1864, the armies of Ulysses S. Grant and Robert E. Lee faced off for the first time in Virginia in an action called the Battle of the Wilderness. Among the few survivors of this bloody conflict was a former Auburn student, who upon opening his eyes surveyed the carnage surrounding him and spotted an eaglet. He collected that baby, put it in his pocket and returned to the school, where he nursed the bird to health, got his degree and joined the faculty. They were, then, a well-known pair come Feb. 20, 1892, the day Auburn faced Georgia in Atlanta in the first real football game played in the South. The prof and his eagle were in the stands that day and, as the action began, the bird took flight, which prompted Auburn fans to start screaming, "War Eagle." The bird, in fact, would hover over the field throughout that afternoon, but then, when it ended in a 10-0 Auburn victory, its heart finally surrendered and it fell to the field dead. It had, the school's fans believed, given its all for the team and that is how a battle cry is born.
• There is no need to trot out all the lyrics of that battle cry here. It is found easily enough if one is truly curious. But it is instructive to note, given the controversy soon to come, that its final two lines are: "Stand up and yell, Hey! War Eagle, win for Auburn/Pride of Dixie Land."
• Auburn has had a pair of Heisman Trophy winners. The first was quarterback Pat Sullivan, who won his back in 1971. The other you may have heard of. His name was Bo Jackson and he won in 1985.
• On game day, when the school's Jordan-Hare Stadium is filled to capacity (87,451), it is the fifth largest city in the state.
• The Outback will be Auburn's 35th bowl appearance.
• Gene Chizik is the current keeper of all this lore and wrapping up his rookie season as the school's head coach. He is the first in its history to make a bowl game in his first season with the Tigers.
• Chizik hired the innovative Gus Malzahn away from Tulsa to be his offensive coordinator. The other was pure sizzle: he introduced something called the "Tiger Prowl" and sent his assistants out to high schools around the state for the spring evaluation period in stretch limos.
• He also showed some guts in August when he named senior Chris Todd his starting quarterback. Todd, a JUCO transfer, had been benched by former coach Tommy Tubberville a season earlier and then, at its end, had undergone shoulder surgery. He missed spring ball and many felt his career was over, but here Chizik chose him over the people's choice, junior Kodi Burns.
• Burns is now listed as a wide receiver. But he is versatile and don't be surprised if he takes some snaps.
• Still, it is Todd who choreographs Malzahn's up-tempo, spread offense. He is not the perfect quarterback for it. This offense is spread to run first, not pass first, and he is not as nimble as the 'Cats Mike Kafka. But he did complete nearly 60 percent of his passes and throw for 21 touchdowns, which tied the school record shared by Sullivan and current Redskin Jason Campbell.
• The Tigers, on the season, rushed the ball 511 times and threw it only 331. They averaged 5 yards per-carry and 213.8 yards per-game, which is proof enough that they are spread to run first, not pass first.
• Their best runner is the senior Ben Tate, who had a terrific year while rushing 243 times for 1,254 yards and eight touchdowns. But their most-dangerous runner is quicksilver freshman Onterio McCalebb, who has all the skills to be special.
• They are thin on both lines and, defensively, surrender an average of 26.9 points per game. But they do have a defensive disrupter in fifth-year senior end Antonio Coleman, who led the SEC in both sacks (nine) and tackles for losses (15.5).
• They started out fast, winning their first five, and then limped home, losing five of their last seven. As a result, they finished 3-5 in the SEC and no better than fourth in its West Division.
• That makes them, finally, the first team since Harry Truman was president to appear in a Jan. 1 bowl game with a losing conference record. That, in fact, last occurred back in 1948 when Arkansas, 1-4-1 in the Southwest Conference, played in the Dixie Bowl and TCU, 2-3-1 in the same league, played in the Delta Bowl.
