On Mario Fannin

Why Mario, Why?

I really wanted Mario to have a breakout year this year. I wanted him to fulfill Luper's 2000 yard guarantee, just like Ben Tate did last year. I wanted him to overcome the fumbling reputation that has hounded him since the South Florida game of 2007. I wanted him to be Auburn's Next Great Back.

And then he fumbled. And then again. And then again.

The first one came during the opening game of the season against Arkansas State. The fumble didn't have a major effect on the game, so there was some hope that it was just an aberration that would not happen again, but the fear that nothing had changed started to flare up.

Fannin was relatively quiet the next few games and even sat one out with shoulder problems. He came back in for the South Carolina game and lost the ball during an early drive which led to a South Carolina touchdown, giving them the lead. The coaches blamed the fumble on Fannin's new shoulder brace, so faith was not lost yet.

In the Arkansas game, Fannin fumbled while trying to get into the endzone, turning an easy touchdown after a beautiful Auburn drive into zero points and Arkansas' ball, in a game where the opponent was a threat to score on every possession. Somehow, one of the referees declared the play a touchdown and the replay officials weren't satisfied enough with the video evidence to call it a turnover, so the fumble was wiped from the record books, but we all know what happened. Still, since it didn't officially count as a fumble, a tiny glimmer of hope remained.

And then he fumbled again this past week against LSU, and all faith was lost.

Fannin is now sitting firmly outside of the Auburn Family's Circle of Trust.

What's most shocking about these fumbles is that they've come on a relatively small amount of carries. Mario has carried the ball 44 times this season. For comparison, Newton has run 157 times, Dyer 99 times and McCalebb 55. If you include the Arkansas (non)fumble, Mario has fumbled away 9% of his carries this season: very nearly 1 out of every 10. It's hard to have a successful team when you have a running back that gives you this much risk at giving the ball away. It would be better to never give him the ball again.

Fannin will continue to get carries, though. Dyer has to rest at some point, and McCalebb is not a between-the-tackles runner, no matter how hard the coaches try to square peg him into that position. Unless we start giving carries to Eric Smith or delve into the depth chart to grab Davis Hooper, Fannin will continue to see the field. Besides, he is still a great blocker (which is a role that is always seriously undervalued among fans) and a great pass catcher. While he's on the field, he will still get the occasional carry, if for nothing else, to make him a useful decoy for play action passes and Newton runs.

So, Mario, you still have a chance. Just a few years ago, John Vaughn overcame a horrible outing in the LSU game with a game winning chip shot field goal against Georgia. Your redemption won't be quite so easy, but if you take advantage of your limited opportunities and bust a long or impressive touchdown or two in the Georgia or Alabama game or *fingers crossed* some huge, monumental post season game in a certain southwestern state, then we, as Auburn fans, will love you forever. Make it happen.


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