There are losses that preserve some respect. Tennessee losing by three points at South Carolina, for example, isn't a reason for celebration, but none of the Volunteers should be embarrassed.
Auburn should be embarrassed tonight. Gene Chizik probably needs to prepare to pack up his office.
A 63-21 blowout loss to Texas A&M by Auburn is going to send Tigers fans into a fit. They had already been sending letters to the school president, causing him to acknowledge that he heard their concerns and shares some of them. Auburn president Jay Gogue's voicemail box will be full when he gets to work on Monday morning.
We feel for Chizik. He lost his mother this week. He has shown a lot of class during a tough season. But Saturday night seemed like the point of no return.
Texas A&M scored the first 28 points of the game. The Aggies led 42-7 at halftime. Auburn had 91 yards at halftime, and had given up 464. The Aggies passed 600 yards in offense before the third quarter was over. It was the most points scored against Auburn since 1917. This all happened in Auburn's home stadium. Texas A&M is a good team, but Auburn shouldn't get dominated by any opponent like that.
Fans in the student section voiced their displeasure by leaving. A tweet by @JayGTate, who works for AuburnSports.com, showed how empty the student section was just after halftime:
We imagine Auburn fans are dreading the Alabama game, whether they'd admit that publicly or not.
That could be Chizik's last game. That's the regular-season finale, and 1-7 Auburn isn't going to a bowl game. At halftime of the Texas A&M debacle, Chizik said, "We got our eyes beat out in the first half."
Auburn fans feel his pain. They can't bear to watch anymore.
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