Malzahn Hire Is A Game Changer For Auburn
by Jay Coulter on Dec 29, 2008 3:00 AM CST
in Football
62 comments
The best in the business? We'll soon find out.
Who says the last Christmas gift is not the best one? With 72 hours left in this dreadful year, Auburn has gotten its best news of 2008. The clouds have parted and this morning Auburn fans again have reason for hope. Of course I'm referring to yesterday's hire of Tulsa's Gus Malzahn as Auburn's new offensive coordinator.
Tony Franklin he ain't. This guy is the real deal and Auburn landing him is a game changer for new Auburn coach Gene Chizik. It would be hard to argue against Malzahn being the brightest offensive mind in college football. Take a look at his numbers over the past two seasons:
- Tulsa is second nationally this season in scoring and total offense. Malzahn's team is averaging 565 yards of offense per game, with 310 of it coming through the air and 255 yards on the ground. We'll all get a preview on January 6th when his Tulsa team takes on Ball State in the GMAC Bowl in Mobile.
- The Hurricanes are averaging 47 points per game this year. In contrast, Auburn scored only 37 points against its last four Division 1-A opponents combined.
- Last season Malzahn's offense ranked first nationally in total offense, averaging 544 yards of offense per game. They led Conference USA in passing, scoring, touchdown passes and passing efficiency. The Golden Hurricanes set nine conference records.
Many of you will remember Malzahn's stint as offensive coordinator at Arkansas in 2006. During his tenure in Fayetteville, he helped lead the Razorbacks to a 10-4 record, an SEC Western Division title and a number 15 national ranking.
Prior to coming on the college football scene three seasons ago, Malzahn was a high school coaching legend in the state of Arkansas. He led Springdale High School to two state championship game appearances and captured the title in 2005 when his offense outscored its opponents 664-118 on the way to a perfect 14-0 record.
Prior to his stint at Springdale, Malzahn coached five seasons at Shiloh Christian School where he led the team to back-to-back state championships in 1998 and 1999. He's coached three high school quarterbacks who've set national passing records.
There's a lot of reason for optimism today if you are an Auburn fan. Malzahn will certainly have his work cut out for him, but if there's anyone out there who can make Kodi Burns a quarterback it's him. The Arkansas connection can't hurt things as they get to know one another.
There's no word on other coaching staff hires other than the announcement over the weekend that former Tiger All-American Stacy Searels will not be joining Auburn's offensive staff. Searel's fellow assistant and former Auburn player Rodney Garner is still said to be mulling over an offer from Chizik. Look for an announcement later this week after Georgia concludes its season against Michigan State on New Year's Day.
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Good Hire Indeed
I will agree that he is a great hire for Chizik and Auburn. My only question about him is about the way he got a bunch of mess started between players parents and Houston Nutt. Remember all the letters being sent to Nutt and the AD about how Nutt lied to the players and all that garbage? That is ultimately what lead Malzahn to leave and the players to transfer.
My question about the hire is that Malzahn was high on Tuberville’s list as well. I guess going to the spread was not Tuberville’s undoing. It looks as if we are going to try it again.
Maybe he will be able to right the ship.
If you are a War Damn Eagle, you can War Damn anything.
You right and your wrong
He was at the center of a huge parent vs Nutt battle at the end of 2006, but most of that I would put on Houston Nutt and I think most Arkansas fans do to. Malzahn was the OC for the first 8 games but then Nutt was rumored to have been about to promote David Lee to co-OC and then trying to go a different direction with the offense and malzahn left instead, going somewhere he could tinker with his offense and run it how he saw fit. As for the parents writing in, who knows who started it but I know that Mitch Mustain’s mom was one of the big ones that got the ball rolling. Malzahn had a lot of fans out of Springdale and they let Arkansas know it.
I hope that everyone, and this includes the Trustees, Jacobs, Gouge and the fans, let Malzahn do his job. Next year is likely to be bumpy but we have to deal with it for the good of the long run. If you were a high profile offensive recruit looking at schools this year, wouldn’t this certainly turn your attention at going to school at Auburn? There would be no better time than now to jump on board and cement a spot on a rebuilding program that now has the potential to be nasty in two years.
I agree...
a good hire ! But his offense is not a traditional spread, its more play action.
aubtigerman
by aubtigerman on Dec 29, 2008 10:19 PM CST up reply actions
Maybe Chizik DOES know what he is doing!!!
crazy good news for us!
War Eagle and Happy New Year!
by Tiger on the mountain on Dec 29, 2008 11:25 AM CST reply actions
I hope this hiring doesn't mean...
…that Mitch Mustain is going to transfer to Auburn…
by War Eagle Atlanta on Dec 29, 2008 11:28 AM CST reply actions
Why not?
He’s a heckuva QB.
War Damn Eagle!
by PowerOfDixieland on Dec 29, 2008 1:15 PM CST up reply actions
His mom...
..may have something to say about it…
by War Eagle Atlanta on Dec 29, 2008 3:19 PM CST up reply actions
Remember the '06 Arkansas team?
I can never forgot how that offense came in and just shoved our defense around the field that day. It was a very physical unit.
That wasn't Malzahn's offense
That was Nutt’s offense. Nutt handcuffed Malzahn. You’d have to think Chizik will let Malzahn run it his way, or else Malzahn wouldn’t have accepted the job knowing he’d have Arkansas 2.0 on his hands.
War Damn Eagle!
by PowerOfDixieland on Dec 29, 2008 1:14 PM CST up reply actions
He ran a lot of that in Springdale
according to everything I have read on Malzahn the last two days. And as for Mustain, yes he is a hell of a talent, but keep his drama away. We need to be drama free for the next couple years to build the team back.
Interesting YouTube video...
Gus Malzahn interview on ESPN about Wildcat package
Love watching Ronnie Brown run,…and pass,…in this video. Check out the comments by Ronnie Brown, Chad Pennington, and Ricky Williams. In particular, note Pennington’s comments at the 4:20 mark on the video. Interesting.
War Eagle!
ohhhh nooo not at bama AGAIN!
Appartently Andre Smith, God of the alabama offensive line, has been up to no good. It seems that Mr. Smith has been talking to an NFL agent sooner than he was supposed too and it has cost the tide dearly. He is not only suspended for the sugar bowl but alabama is now under the microscope yet AGAIN! The only question left is how long has Mr. Smith been talking to the agent. Could this mean that they have to forefit the Iron Bowl? Ohhhh Nooooo…..lol! All this information just came out on the Paul Finebaum network.
I hate that my first post in over 2 weeks on this site is about this but...
There is no proof about what he has done. If you want to spread lies just continue talking about how great of a hire Auburn just made, besides that don’t open your mouth till you have facts…
When you are an Alabama fan you are expected to hate Auburn, I hate Tennessee because I want to.
Facts
Tulsa’s offense has ranked in the top 10 in the country in all major statistical categories, including #2 in scoring offense and total offense per game, and #1 in yards per pass attempt and total yards per play. C-USA may not be the SEC, but this was about the best possible hire Auburn could have made. That is a FACT.
No comment on the Andre Smith thing, haven’t got enough info.
War Damn Eagle!
by PowerOfDixieland on Dec 29, 2008 3:37 PM CST up reply actions
FACT!
Its Tulsa…and when he played a team with any kind of talent they lost. FACT!
When you are an Alabama fan you are expected to hate Auburn, I hate Tennessee because I want to.
He's not the head coach, he only coaches offense
In Tulsa’s three losses:
476 total ypg
282.7 passing ypg
193.3 rushing ypg
25.7 ppg
Their defense gave up, in those three games:
451.3 total ypg (this number is a little misleading, I’ll get to that…)
322.7 passing ypg
128.7 rushing ypg
42.3 ppg
Those numbers are just means, the standard deviations would be stratospheric, because they allowed 641 total to Houston, but only 278 to East Carolina.
Tulsa turned the ball over 15 times in those three games, compared to just 3 takeaways. You’re not going to win many games doing that. Now, obviously this is a problem on the offensive side of the ball. However, aside from those three games, they only had 15 turnovers in the other ten games, even with the high-octane nature of the offense! So, really, their biggest problems seemed to be turnovers and facing potent opposing offenses, which, let’s face it, won’t be a problem at Auburn (the latter of the two).
You also have to remember that the talent level at Tulsa isn’t exactly USC-esque, either. Not saying Auburn’s offensive talent is incredible or anything, but we certainly are a power program with tradition that should be able to attract star recruits.
War Damn Eagle!
by PowerOfDixieland on Dec 29, 2008 5:46 PM CST up reply actions
Here's your proof
The Birmingham News is reporting that it was in fact improper contact with an agent.
http://blog.al.com/rapsheet/2008/12/smiths_suspension_possibly_lin.html
tell you what
i’ll tell ya what bammer boy,,, i’ll do more than open my mouth ,, ill open a can of whoop a## on ya,,, time and place partner,,,, go back to your on website nerd,,, you guys got plenty to worry about,,, every one knows that crappy university over in t-town is nothing but a bunch of cheats,,,, by the way,, your old lady is ugly…
THANKS
thank you rene4au,,, but i’m not a hero,, just your average stud of a man,,,lol, war eagle to you too
by tigertracks on Dec 29, 2008 11:05 PM CST up reply actions
Did you just talk tough over the internet??…..How lame…You are a sad little man. Your best jab is saying my wife was ugly….Wow dude you probably have never been laid…so grow up, stop trying to “prove” to people you are tough…act like a gown up (if you are indeed over 17) and enjoy being the 6th best team in the west…
When you are an Alabama fan you are expected to hate Auburn, I hate Tennessee because I want to.
more than talk
hey bud,,, i promise ya ,, i’m alot more than talk,,, unlike your team against the gators,, i can back it up,,,, place and time,,, if you don’t like it,, take your little bama cry baby a$$ back to your team website..
oh yeah
dude,, you didn’t have to change your pic on my account,, i was just kidding about your old lady,,, really i thought she was good looking,,, lol
I changed it
Because of respect for her. I don’t feel like having my wife being called ugly every time i come to this site. And dude….i played D-1 football….6’3" 270….im afraid of no man…the difference is. You feel the need to talk about how “im gonna kick your ass”. I don’t need to. Cause talk is cheap. Fact is…you are a pathetic loser and i am done with you sir.
When you are an Alabama fan you are expected to hate Auburn, I hate Tennessee because I want to.
check it out
lmao,, i don’t care whos balls you played with,,, i’m 6’4 255 myself,, and the star boxer for skyy boxing,,,, check this out,,, (out of tuscaloosa) so anytime pal,, i think i can hold my own,,,,lol
Seconded
The Gayness quotient is through the roof
"Jay Jacobs can't go to the bathroom without Bobby Lowder's permission" - Paul Finebaum
by GumptownTiger on Dec 30, 2008 5:02 PM CST up reply actions
Why go so far
Tigertracks…Is that necessary? Hmmm….
When you are an Alabama fan you are expected to hate Auburn, I hate Tennessee because I want to.
Bammer
,,,Paratiger was just repeating what the all-knowing Finebaum said. It seems to me, when Finebaum says something negative about Auburn, it is OK to repeat it, but when it is against your team , then Auburn fans are spreading rumors.
To me, the Andre Smith thing...
…..is a blow. I want the SEC to do well. I want Utah BLOWN OUT. Whatever Smith did, it jeopardizes that. We’ll see if the real story comes out. This “friend of a friend who knows the team barber” stuff is for the birds…
Dude, if nothing happened
then why did Saban suspend him? I see that your pissed, but think before you type.
Cecil Hurt said that some information was provided to the University, and the school talked with Andre and decided to suspend him. He said that there is no evidence at this time that it was discussion with an agent, but that is the most probable outcome.
He seemed to indicate that this was a case of the University being proactive. He seemed to indicate that this may be a case of the University not knowing all the evidence, and they chose to be proactive and not play Andre Smith.
When you are an Alabama fan you are expected to hate Auburn, I hate Tennessee because I want to.
LOL....
Man and the future looked so bright too. Hehe…..Say what you want to bammer. FACT is that the NCAA is just looking for a reason to come in on the tide again. This is not good news for the tide no matter how you look at it. And i love it for every single one of you shit talking lil turds. If your wondering who i’m talking about just go to Al.com(auburn) sometime and look at all the bama fans.
Heheehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehhehehehehehehehehehehehhehehehehehehehehehehehheheehe….breath….hehehehehehheehehhehehehehehehehe…………..
What ever makes
You feel better about your 5-7 piece of shit that is your administration and team…enjoy losing 7 games a season for a long while!
When you are an Alabama fan you are expected to hate Auburn, I hate Tennessee because I want to.
Touchy Touchy
"Jay Jacobs can't go to the bathroom without Bobby Lowder's permission" - Paul Finebaum
by GumptownTiger on Dec 29, 2008 4:49 PM CST up reply actions
I’m guessing your “piece of shit” comment wouldn’t sit well with your college ministry if you have to debate on “is hell a cuss word?” per your blog.
http://three12ministry.com/2008/12/02/random-thoughts-2/
Anyway…to the Auburn stuff.
Anyone hear how Philip Pierre-Louis’ recovery has gone? He was one of the kids I was looking forward to last season and with Malzahn coming in, my hope that he can go out there and make some plays is renewed.
Gus
gus was OC in C-USA…………not SEC..HUGE difference
Huge difference, but
Do you think he’ll fare worse than what we had? I don’t. Urban Meyer was in the MWC………………..not SEC…HUGE diff…oh wait, he’s about to win his 2nd NC in 4 years at UF. And you can’t say that you think he’s a worse hire than Pat Nix (Auburn grad) would have been.
War Damn Eagle!
by PowerOfDixieland on Dec 29, 2008 5:34 PM CST up reply actions
I would say that Urban's success is more from recruiting than scheming....
Though I agree w/ your point that Malzahn can have success in the SEC, I just don’t think Meyer is a good example.
If you remember, his system didn’t work very well w/ Chris Leak at the helm….and I would be that it won’t work quite as well w/o Tebow at the helm.
Seems...
that there are some tide fans worried about this hire….or worried what we are saying about Andre’ (talk to me) Smith. Why else would they be on our site?
It is nice to see that you know how to spell and type. First in your family?
War Eagle!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Awe, don’t get bent out of shape Bammer. It happened, he’s suspended. You should just be glad that it was caught and taken care of before he played in the game, cause then the NCAA WOULD be banging on the door. But back to the original conversation before a factual comment resulted in an immediate hostile denial from a bammer. Malzahn….Stats wise, obviously looks good, now yes this was C-USA for all you bammers, but if you look at the schedule you will note some big teams, such as BYU WHOM THEY BEAT, and Oklahoma who they put upwards of 20 points on, so don’t use that as an excuse. I just hope that he will stick to what he has said and run a balanced O while keeping it mixed up. Run to open up the pass, play action, but every now and then throw on first down to keep them honest. We have the backs, we have the receivers(if we get someone to actually teach them how to catch a ball) and Kodi did begin to show potential later on in the season, hopefully Malzahn can either help Kodi progress or pull the trigger on Todd if he’s healthy or Trotter if he thinks he’s ready. Regardless of what happens we have GOT to get our players living up to their potential or we’ll never go anywhere, but I think we are moving in the right direction.
They beat BYU in 2007
War Damn Eagle!
by PowerOfDixieland on Dec 29, 2008 5:47 PM CST up reply actions
Bama fans can't be bothered to respond...
We are busy saving lives and arguing landmark cases. We don’t have the luxury of counting pills and inseminating livestock while playing on the internet.
but!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
you sure can be bothered by ncaa sanctions,, LMAO,,,,,,,,,,LOSERS
by tigertracks on Dec 29, 2008 10:55 PM CST up reply actions
And then you responded
"Jay Jacobs can't go to the bathroom without Bobby Lowder's permission" - Paul Finebaum
by GumptownTiger on Dec 30, 2008 9:54 AM CST up reply actions
Raise your hand if you'll now be watching the GMAC bowl...
Man, that bowl game just got a ratings boost.
This article makes me less worried
Take a few minutes and thoroughly read this it is worth it.
This really has me looking forward to seeing what these guys can do together. Chizik understands what he needs to do to build the offense correctly, Malzahn gives him a short list and Chizik does what he needs to do to get it. Malzahn knows what he needs to do to build the offense, work with what he has and fill in the voids as fast as he can. How can a recruit not want to play for this guy?
Winners bring them in
The recruits will come out and play for good coaches. Good players for the most part can figure out what a good coach is. That’s what happens generally.
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