AUBURN, Ala. -- Auburn coach Gene
Chizik said he understands the anger of fans over this season, but has
also heard from some who are more supportive.
Chizik said Tuesday that he thinks both
perspectives are fair given that the Tigers have fallen to 2-8 and have
only one more chance to avoid a winless Southeastern Conference season
-- a visit to No. 4 Alabama following Saturday's game against FCS
Alabama A&M.
"Fans are exactly what they are, they
are fanatical," Chizik said. "And I think that's a good thing. I don't
think you can throw an umbrella over every fan, and not just at Auburn
but anywhere and say, `This is the way they all are.' I've got hundreds
of emails from a lot of great fans who are very supportive and
understand that when you go through struggles, you continue on the path
and you don't deviate off the path in terms of being who you are and
pressing through those things.
"Then you have the other fans who are
caught up in the winning and losing so much it's hard for them to see it
that way. You know what? Both of those are fair. It depends on who you
are. It depends on how you see things from a general perspective."
Chizik said Sunday he feels confident he can turn this program around. It remains to be seen if he'll get that chance.
Auburn President Jay Gogue issued a
statement on Oct. 25 saying he shares fans' concerns about the football
program and that it will be evaluated after the season.
The Tigers are coming off a 38-0 loss
to No. 5 Georgia and also fell 63-21 to No. 9 Texas A&M two weeks
ago, prompting thousands of fans to leave both games early. The only
home sellout was a 12-10 loss to No. 8 LSU.
All that has put plenty of heat from fans on Chizik, who said criticism is part of the job.
"When you get into this business as a
player or a coach, if that hurts your feelings and you can't handle
that, then you shouldn't be a player or a coach because that's what
comes with the territory," he said. "It's very simple -- it's all about
winning and losing. There are a lot of other things out there that
really, really matter, but at the end of the day a lot of people see
wins and losses."
Chizik said the 13 seniors who will be
recognized before their final home game against Alabama A&M deserve
"an outstanding" reception from fans.
That group includes leading tackler
linebacker Daren Bates and top receiver Emory Blake, along with tailback
Onterio McCalebb and injured tight end Philip Lutzenkirchen. They
played on two 8-5 teams and for the 2010 national champions before this
season's slide.
"After this last game, after we play
Alabama, I believe I'm going to be able to forget about this year and
move on," McCalebb said. "I have to move on with my life. I'll be a man
and I'll be out there in the real world doing the things I want to do.
"I definitely didn't want to have a
season like this, but you win some and you lose some. Ten years from
now, I'm going to look back and say something a lot of people can't say:
I won a national championship."
