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A spirit that is not afraid

OPINION: Auburn fast is '13 seconds better' in 2014

Last year's motto "It's a New Day" could not have been more true for Auburn football's bottom to top of the league miraculous 2013 season.
It is likely no season will ever come close to the excitement of the Prayer in Jordan-Hare and Kick Six on top of an SEC Championship finish.
Although this year's slogan of Auburn Fast will most likely become true because of head coach Gus Malzahn's now famous hurry-up no huddle offense, this year will be yet another 'New Day' for the senior class that has been through the worst, the mediocre and some of the best days of Auburn football.
Now it's their turn to decide what type of new day the 2014 Tigers will experience.
Looking back, every season for Auburn's seniors truly has been a new day.
They came in as freshmen in 2011, the year after a junior college transfer quarterback took the Plains by storm and led them to their first National Championship victory since 1957, and committed to play for Auburn, hungry for a Crystal Ball trophy of their own.
But the seniors decided to play for the Tigers knowing it would take time and plenty of hard work in order to get back to the top of the college football world.
Their freshman campaign was an above average 8-5 season that was capped off by a 43-24 Chick-fil-A Bowl victory.
Some would argue that was an average or even below average day for Auburn football, nonetheless it was a new day following the undefeated championship season.
Then expectations were up in the air for their sophomore season once a new offensive and defensive coordinator were brought in.
Nobody could have predicted what kind of day that 2013 season would be.
As we all know by now, that was the winless SEC season that gave birth to the slogan, "It's a New Day."
Nobody, and this time I mean nobody, could have predicted what kind of day their junior season would produce.
As we know now, that was the day one of their mentors who recruited them returned to become head coach, one player from their class broke Bo Jackson's all-time yards in a season record and another player from their class was drafted No. 2 overall.
Well, and a few other things happened in last year's new day.
Although some may not want to move past that 2013 movie-like brand new positive day of a season, according to coaches and players, the 2014 Tigers are now hungrier than ever and are striving each and every day to be "13 seconds better."
"We've got some leaders who have really stepped up," Malzahn said. "When you get that close [to winning it all] that has a way of motivating guys."
Despite the departure of Tre Mason and Greg Robinson, the 2011 recruiting class with the addition of Nick Marshall and Corey Grant are ready to lead the team for their senior year still searching for what they originally came for.
Except now it's not for a Crystal Ball.
It's only fitting that this class experiences the new day for college football in their quest to become the first ones to hold up the new College Football Playoff trophy.


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