Entering the Ball State Game, Gene Chizik Still Proving the Doubters Wrong

Three weeks have come and gone, and in those three weeks, Auburn Tiger fans have been all smiles. The fans were smiling through a monsoon none the less; as they watched their team take a haymaker to the face on the first two West Virginia drives, only to respond with a 41-30 victory.

Following the end of the 2008 season, many feared the worst for the Tigers coming into this year. They feared whether Coach Tuberville came back or not. He didn’t, but that didn’t change the outlook for most college football analysts everywhere. The 2009 Tiger team would have a little talent, but after the 2008 debacle, who would be able to coach this bunch back to a top-25 caliber season?

Enter Gene Chizik. “We need a leader, not a loser!” That’s how AD Jay Jacobs was greeted upon his arrival to the Auburn airport by someone who was obviously poorly mistaken about Coach Chizik when news of his hiring came about.

Sure, you could base “loser” off his Iowa State track record, but Gene Chizik is a man of impeccable character, and to judge someone like that before knowing the situation he inherited was unfair. I guess that going undefeated as a defensive coordinator not once but twice wasn’t at least a little proof of that.

That Auburn “fan” who said that surely can’t be saying the same thing now. While Chizik is a defensive mind, he had enough trust and guts to go out and hire Gus Malzahn, who evidently is an offensive mastermind.

An anemic 2008 Auburn offense now has the ability to respond when things go sour, and they can actually give the defense a break. This year’s defense isn’t as strong as years past due to depth issues, but with an offense that ranks near the top in the NCAA, it may not always have to be.

The Auburn offense hasn’t had this kind of success since Al Borges' first two years on the Plains, and that eventually turned bitter. Malzahn is the man with the plan, and every aspect of his offense has a plan.

That plan right now is keep a balanced attack—the one that rushed right through Louisiana Tech and Mississippi State, yet struggled to run against West Virginia, so they passed their way to a victory.

The differences that Malzahn has made are extraordinary, but it all comes back to the top.

Chizik instilled discipline into these young men, not just as players, but as true Auburn men, on and off the field.

This week should be a walk through as Auburn enters into a hostile environment at Tennessee next week. Not so fast says Gene Chizik, as any seasoned coach would. "We’ve got to get refocused. We have to worry about Auburn,’’ said Chizik on playing a 0-3 Ball State team.

So, has Chizik just inherited a good situation and some talent, that many didn’t know the Tigers had, and gotten lucky? Some outside of the Auburn family may be prone to say that, but it couldn’t be further from the truth.

Yes, he does have some talent. All SEC schools do, or they wouldn’t be playing there. This is the Auburn team picked to finish next to last in the SEC West, the one that was ranked below MSU in Sports Illustrated’s college football preview.

Did he inherit this talent and it just all of sudden became a different team compared to last year? Absolutely not. The Tigers have leaders, and players that listen to those leaders. Freshmen have stepped up into larger roles, as well as leadership roles, which is a far cry from last year.

Chizik infused a will in them that, regardless, they will fight until the end. He gave them a staff that would facilitate them to make the necessary preparations and in-game adjustments to be successful.

He couldn’t have done this alone, but by stepping up and hiring the staff he did, he enabled himself to succeed.

This happened on and off the field, it’s happening now, it happened when he got off that plane in Auburn, and it continues to be seen by every Auburn fan and potential recruit considering Auburn University.

Like Malzahn’s offense has a plan, so to does Gene Chizik, and his overall plan is one that is a blueprint for success.

For example, Chizik put his assistants in Tiger Walk, a far cry from zero assistants being in there prior to his hiring.

Tuberville brought up the front of Tiger Walk, Chizik brings up the rear. He does it by not just smiling and shaking hands, but acting like a linebacker about to play for the national title. When the fans see an energized Gene Chizik, it speaks volumes.

Not that Tuberville’s style was wrong; he is one of the men who made Auburn great, but Chizik had to put his own stamp on things.

Gene Chizik has an assistant in Trooper Taylor that is unlike any other. How many coaches run around the stadium with a towel trying to get 87,451 people on their feet, in the rain much less? Not many, that’s for sure.

How many head coaches will actually let an assistant do that? I think we know the answer to that. Chizik blends his businesslike approach with something that the players and fans can relate to on so many levels.

So far, there hasn’t been anything not to like. Regardless of whether Auburn finishes the regular season 12-0 or 7-5, Auburn fans are proud to call Gene Chizik our football coach.

As he reminds the players all the time, “This place was made great way before you got here." Chizik knows that, and preaches it.

He believes in tradition, passion, and winning. He believes in Auburn. Auburn fans believe in him.

While Auburn will be too much for the Ball State Cardinals this weekend, Coach Chizik still will take things week by week.

The Tigers may face some bumps and bruises along the way, but Coach Chizik will have this team ready to bounce back when it happens. It just won’t happen this week.