TUSCALOOSA — The ice bags covered Antonio Coleman’s shoulder, but it didn’t sooth his most gaping wound.
“The seniors,” began the Auburn junior defensive end after the Tigers’ 36-0 Iron Bowl loss to Alabama, “I saw some of them crying in the locker room. That hurts me to my heart. I feel like it’s my fault. I put all the weight on my shoulders.”
And while the defense did give up 36 points and 412 yards of offense to the Crimson Tide, the blame for Auburn’s first Iron Bowl loss since 2001 can’t be placed solely on Coleman — or his defense.
The offense turning the ball over three times, twice on consecutive drives to start the third quarter, didn’t help matters much.
But, all that’s in the past, as Auburn’s season ends at 5-7. And the seniors unable to join the ranks of “never losing to Alabama.”
With the loss comes the end of the Tigers’ six-game winning streak over archrival Alabama. It’s the first time any current Auburn player has been on the losing end of the Iron Bowl rivalry.
“It’s probably the toughest thing I’ve ever had to go through,” senior center Jason Bosley said. “Coming from where we’ve come from – winning like we have – then my senior year, going 5-7 and struggle like we have after the effort that we’ve gave all year. It’s definitely tough.”
Bosley’s senior class finishes with a 34-16 record over the past four seasons — 47-16 if you count the 2004, 13-0 year, in which most current fifth-year seniors would have redshirted.
But that all seemed to go away for Bosley after Saturday’s loss.
“I guess you’ve got to find the positive in every situation and that’s one of them, being 4-1 against Alabama,” he said. “It’s a tough pill to swallow being the senior class …”
Head coach Tommy Tuberville also hurt for those playing in their last game as Auburn Tigers.
“I want to thank our seniors,” Tuberville said. “They won a lot of games here and I just told them, they’ve done a great job for Auburn. I hate for them to end on a note like this. Just been a tough year.”
Auburn senior linebacker Chris Evans said it was a “bitter pill to swallow” to go out with a loss to Alabama, but he’s not going to let that define his career.
He’ll leave that to the memories made and the relationships forged while playing at Auburn.
“You make some long-lasting friendships here,” Evans said. “It’s just a family. It’s a great bond. What I’m going to leave here with is me having a second family.”
Email
Facebook
Google
Twitter
Favorites
More
Advertisement