Back To Square One

I’m still trying to wrap my head around last Saturday’s game. 

When I left the gates of Jordan-Hare following Sean White’s final two heaves toward the end zone, I was silent, confused and heartbroken by a game that should have never even come that close. So many questions swirled in my head, and many of them are still left unanswered. 

Let me first mention how dominant the defense was against what was one of the top offenses in the country last season. This was the greatest performance I’ve seen from an Auburn defense since the BCS Championship game against Oregon in 2011. The defensive line was punishing, and gave Deshaun Watson fits in the pocket all night, as he never appeared to be comfortable and able to settle into a groove. It’s a shame that the defense’s strong showing has been overshadowed by the terribly inept play of the offense, because this defensive unit deserves every bit of credit that comes its way. DC Kevin Steele put his doubters, including myself, at ease by showing his ability to take an incredibly talented unit and build a strong gameplan utilizing its strengths. A huge improvement from last season was the linebacker play, as they worked in harmony and was key in disrupting Clemson’s offense. Hopefully, as the season progresses, this defensive unit is able to get some assistance on the other side of the ball.

23. That’s how many substitutions Auburn made at quarterback against Clemson. 23 substitutions for five different players lined up at quarterback. Because of the plethora of substitutions, the offense was unable to create any sort of tempo, and all momentum that had been built up to that point would be extinguished. Not to mention, the offensive line looked terribly ineffective and was consistently manhandled, eliminating most of the run game. During the offseason, I was intrigued by the fact that offensive line coach Herb Hand and Gus Malzahn were reuniting once again this season after building so much success together at Tulsa. However, what I witnessed on Saturday makes me more worried than encouraged for what’s to come.

The Auburn crowd grew irritated by the offensive “gameplan”, as boo’s rained down on the players and coaches. After a while, I thought that Gus was playing a mean joke on us. How could this be the same guy that stepped in for his first year at Auburn and took a 3-9 team to the National Championship with a former defensive back at quarterback? How is this the same coach that caused Nick Saban and other SEC coaches to throw tantrums and beg for rule changes regarding his spread offense? Just three seasons ago, many were saying that the Saban era was beginning to end, and that Gus Malzahn was ushering in a new brand of football at Auburn that would overtake the Tide. But now, here we are. Alabama was able to put up 56 points on USC with a new starter at quarterback, while Auburn struggled to find confidence in one. Maybe Malzahn’s offense truly is a gimmick, and it just takes a special kind of quarterback, like a Cam Newton or Nick Marshall, to effectively run it. Well sorry, coach, those kinds of players don’t exactly come around too often. 

Yesterday, Malzahn definitively named Sean White the unchallenged starter, which brings us back to square one and puts an end to the quarterback carousel — a baby step in the right direction. John Franklin III was named the backup, while Jeremy Johnson will be third in line. However, look for Franklin to earn a decent number of snaps per game in some sort of wildcat package. He’s just too talented to keep off the field, so expect Malzahn and Lashlee to devise some sort of plan that will utilize his speed and agility. Hopefully they’ll let the junior college transfer air it out every so often to open up more opportunities for the run game. 

Franklin could receive some passing opportunities in this week’s game against Arkansas State, as it will be a rebuilding week for the offense, and a recovery week for the defense. And with a killer SEC slate approaching, building Sean White’s confidence needs to be the main focus for the offense this Saturday. On the defensive side, we just need our guys to stay healthy. After a few injuries against Clemson that had fans holding their breath, the Tigers desperately need this unit to stay healthy, as it’s currently what’s keeping this team afloat. 

Coach Malzahn is in trouble. Leaving the stadium on Saturday, I didn’t hear anyone put that game on the players. Instead, I only heard people place blame on the coaching staff, and rightfully so. Following this Saturday’s game against Arkansas State, the SEC schedule gets rolling as Texas A&M and LSU come to town in back-to-back weeks. Lose both and Malzahn will have lost 11 of his last 13 SEC games, dating back to the tail end of the 2014 season. That’s unacceptable. It’s crunch time for this staff, and if the Tigers get off to a slow start in the SEC, this could be it for Gus. This year is still very much up in the air. The offense in the second half was competent — unable to get in the endzone, yet still somehow competent. If this team is able to build upon that second half success, then maybe Auburn could surprise some people. But at this point, I haven’t seen much on offense that would indicate we’re in for a victorious season on the Plains.

Surprise me, Gus. Your job is depending on it.

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