Gus Malzahn: The Pinball Wizard
by Jay Coulter on Sep 14, 2009 9:19 PM CDT
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Sitting in Jordan-Hare Stadium late in the fourth quarter Saturday was almost surreal. People all around were asking the same question, "Is Auburn really this good?" That's the million dollar question on this Monday. Fortunately, we're five days and a wake up from finding out.
Listening to former offensive coordinator Tony Franklin talk last summer, Saturday night's win over Miss State is what most imagined when he described Auburn's new offense. Little did anyone know then it would take an exiled coordinator from Tulsa to finally jump start the Auburn football program.
Fast forward 14 months and Auburn people are wondering now whether this rebuilding project is way ahead of schedule. Has a team with 75 scholarship players ever looked so good? Watching the total yardage rack up like a pinball machine on the Pat Dye Field scoreboard was a sight to behold.
By halftime, the visiting Bulldogs looked like the Washington Generals taking on the Harlem Globetrotters. I halfway expected Meadowlark Lemon to come out and lineup under center to start the second half. What's next, a 308 pound tackle lining up at wide receiver? Check.
Auburn coach Gene Chizik, ever the defensive mind, marveled at the job offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn did Saturday night. "It is very innovative and it is fun to watch," said Chizik. "Again from a defensive background and me looking at it and being a part of it, it is problematic in a lot of ways, and he does a great job with that."
It's too early to say whether Onterio McCalebb and Ben Tate will ever join the fraternity of great tandem Auburn backfields like Carnell Williams and Ronnie Brown or Joe Cribbs and James Brooks, but they achieved something Saturday the others have not. They became the first backs in Auburn history to both rush for more than 100 yards in consecutive weeks.
While it's much too early to put stock in early season stats, the two runners have certainly gotten the attention of the nation. Tate ranks sixth nationally in rushing; averaging 137 yards a game, while McCalebb ranks eighth in the nation with an average of 131 yards per contest.
Critics will point to Auburn's early season schedule and say hold on a minute. But the truth is, Auburn has beaten both of their opponents much more soundly than anyone anticipated. On a weekend where Alabama struggled early, Georgia came within an eyelash of losing and Tennessee fell to UCLA, the Tigers suddenly look like contenders again.
The real test comes Saturday when the West Virginia Mountaineers (2-0) visit the Plains. With Pat White off to the NFL, Coach Bill Stewart returns seven starters on defense and five on offense, led by running back Noel Devine. The biggest question for West Virginia is how effective Devine will be with a rebuilt offensive line. He managed 80 yards on the ground in Saturday's 35-20 win over East Carolina.
With some luck, an impressive win Saturday could land Auburn back among the nation's top 25. It will almost certainly guarantee an undefeated record heading to Knoxville on October 3rd to face Tennessee. All and all, it's a pretty good start for a guy nobody thought could coach.
Auburn kickoffs with West Virginia Saturday night at 6:45 CT from Jordan-Hare Stadium. The game is televised by ESPN 2.
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I'm starting to get the feeling that
by the end of the season Jay Jacobs will look like a genius for hiring Gene Chizik. At this juncture, it appears that Auburn may have a better team than most people thought. Auburn stands a good chance of beating West Virgina this weekend, and LSU, Tennessee, and Georgia have not looked that impressive at all this year so those games are certainly winnable. Bama hasn’t looked like a top 10 team so far either. If Auburn stay healthy, they could get on a roll and maybe even make a run for the SEC West. Win or Lose, this team will be fun to watch.
Gene Chizik has done an excellent job of letting Gus Malzahn handle the offense and now I think that everyone is starting to see that Gus Malzahn is the Real Deal. The great thing about it is that even though Bama has what appears to be their best team in years, Auburn is getting all of the attention, which will certainly help when it comes to recruiting. Best of all, the only thing that Nick Saban can do sit there and watch all of this happen.
At the end of this season, Auburn probably needs to attempt to work out a lifetime deal with Gus Malzahn.
War Damn Eagle!
If I were an upcoming recruit, I'd be all about coming to Auburn!
Any word on what the reaction of the recruits are to all of this impressive offense?
Also the funny thing is...we were'nt suppose to be able to recruit tailbacks in the spread style offense...
as we would be throwing the ball so much…yet we have not one but two and almost three backs getting over 100 yds per game…2 ranked in the top 8 in the nation…just ironic I think.
How has Bama not looked like a top 10 team so far?
They throttled a top 10 (and predicted league champ) on a neutral field and beat down a Sun Belt team. What’s not impressive about that?
"You just keep pounding balls into the gap. The one thing you don’t want to do is hit a home run. That’s a rally-killer." - Jeff Francouer
by jd is legend on Sep 14, 2009 10:04 AM CDT up reply actions
You must not have
watched the first half of the FIU game.
Is a 10 point win really “throttled?” The whole game was back and forth. Weren’t there something like 5 or 6 lead changes?
by jimithing78 on Sep 14, 2009 12:21 PM CDT up reply actions
Just look at the stats against VT
UAT VT 1st downs 22 11 Rushing yards 268 64 Passing yards 230 91 Total yards 498 155 T.O.P. 37:02 22:58
They absolutely dominated VT, except on the scoreboard. I didn’t watch any of the FIU game, but I’m not going to dock them any points in my book for a less-than-stellar win (where they still outgained the other team by 302 yards) over crap competition the week after a big win over a top 10 team. I’m not going to let my Auburn fandom and hatred of the Tahd get in the way of respecting what they’ve accomplished this year. They’re my #2 team in the country right now, behind Florida.
"You just keep pounding balls into the gap. The one thing you don’t want to do is hit a home run. That’s a rally-killer." - Jeff Francouer
by jd is legend on Sep 14, 2009 12:31 PM CDT up reply actions
Let me count the ways
1) It took them 4 Quarters to beat Va. Tech when VT didn’t really have a running game.
2) They’ve allowed 2 long kickoff returns for scores.
3) They let FIU hang around for nearly 4 Quarters before finally putting them away.
They will slip up and lose at least 1 regular season game if they don’t address issues in short order.
How are they not a Top 10 team?
To be honest, you’re just coming off ignorant
"You just keep pounding balls into the gap. The one thing you don’t want to do is hit a home run. That’s a rally-killer." - Jeff Francouer
by jd is legend on Sep 14, 2009 8:11 PM CDT up reply actions
I have to agree with you JD. I am not sure why some of our fans are bashing bama for beating Va Tech. They beat a top 10 team on a neutral field, shut down the Va Tech offense for most of the game, and they mauled the Va Tech defense with the running game. Yes they had a few first game jitters (doesn’t everyone?), but considering they replaced 7 starters on offense, I thought they looked good and if I had a vote in the polls, I would have them in the top 3.
by Jumpn_JackFlash on Sep 15, 2009 9:08 AM CDT up reply actions
I would be hesitant to call someone ignorant....
and I would be hesitant to tell them that they are wrong in this instance. I am not saying that Bama is undeserving of a Top 10 ranking because we all know that rankings this early in the season are based more on what you did last year and the polls prediction about how you are going to do this year. Preseason and early season rankings are guesswork at best and are only good for one teams fans to beat their chest about. As to the statement that was made “Bama hasn’t looked like a top 10 program yet” …. I agree that they haven’t but thats not a revolutionary statement or anything that should get anyones panties in a wad (except for the usual overzealous bammer). That is not to say that they won’t correct the mistakes on offense and special teams that we saw in the Va Tech game and end up gang busters…..their defense is ridiculously good enough to carry them until they do. Basing your argument on Va Tech being a Top 10 program is weak at best……give it a few weaks and we will know more about Va Tech as well as Bama (and AU for that matter). I will tell you this….If bama lets more teams hang around til the fourth quarter they will get beat.
I would have gone to bammer if my grades hadn't been good enough to go to AU
It just seems like some Auburn fans are reaching for anything they can to discredit what Alabama has done
To me, that screams ignorance. I’m impressed with how they’ve fared so far. They may turn out to be great, they may lose a few games. But based on the evidence we have right now I think they’re the second-best team in the country.
"You just keep pounding balls into the gap. The one thing you don’t want to do is hit a home run. That’s a rally-killer." - Jeff Francouer
by jd is legend on Sep 15, 2009 10:26 AM CDT up reply actions
If they played like the second best team in the country......
(and the may be in the end) then the gap between UF and everybody else is alot bigger than I thought.
I would have gone to bammer if my grades hadn't been good enough to go to AU
And....
if I were going purely on quality of wins then I would have to put BYU at No. 2. Or do you think that beating VT on a neutral field is more impressive than beating OU in their own stadium?
I would have gone to bammer if my grades hadn't been good enough to go to AU
How impressive is beating OU when their starting QB gets injured?
It’s still impressive. That’s why I have BYU ranked 6th in my poll this week. My poll is a combination of several things, but ultimately I’m thinking of which teams I think would beat other teams most out of 100 games. In other words, if Florida played everyone in the country 100 times, I’m confident they’d win more than 50% of every game against each team. If Alabama did the same, they’d win more than 50% against everybody except Florida. And etc. etc. etc. BYU (and Alabama) get “bonus points” (for lack of a better term) for beating likely top 10-20 competition.
"You just keep pounding balls into the gap. The one thing you don’t want to do is hit a home run. That’s a rally-killer." - Jeff Francouer
by jd is legend on Sep 15, 2009 1:29 PM CDT up reply actions
So BYU gets a burn for knocking out Bradford.....
and Bama gets a pass for VT not having their starting RB. To quote pete from O’ Brother Where Art Thou “That don’t make no sense”.
I would have gone to bammer if my grades hadn't been good enough to go to AU
I understand that its stupid and fruitless to try and make Bama sound worse......
than they really are and I am certainly not going to do that (lord knows I get tired of hearing the spin on AU) but at the same time I see know reason to proclaim them the best team in the West yet and I stand by my statement that LSU, Ole Miss, and Bama have done nothing to seperate themselves from each other yet. And to me other than for bragging rights the early polls don’t mean much. But the race for the West does.
I would have gone to bammer if my grades hadn't been good enough to go to AU
Ignorant?
So let me get this straight…
You don’t think that a Top 10 team should take care of business against a truly inferior opponent?
I’m not attempting to discredit BAMA, I simply stated that they don’t look like a Top 10 team. That’s my opinion and I have every right to voice it.
Considering
they have a QB who has never really played they looked good.
The only reason the VT game looks close is because they had to settle for 3 so many times. After McElroy gets a few more games under his belt that wont be a problem.
Also, there was really not much out of Julio Jones in either game (did he play atall last week?). Whether he is indeed hurt or whether Saban is sitting on him so he doesn’t get hurt before SEC play doesn’t really matter. The dude is a monster.
"Jay Jacobs can't go to the bathroom without Bobby Lowder's permission" - Paul Finebaum
by GumptownTiger on Sep 15, 2009 3:52 PM CDT up reply actions
I guess 2004 Auburn isn't a top 10 team either
No way they should have only beaten the Citadel 33-3
"You just keep pounding balls into the gap. The one thing you don’t want to do is hit a home run. That’s a rally-killer." - Jeff Francouer
by jd is legend on Sep 15, 2009 4:22 PM CDT up reply actions
Thats the point.....
I haven’t seen anyone say they weren’t deserving of their ranking the only thing I or Tiger83 have said is that they haven’t played like a top ten team should play………I understand that every team has ugly games but I also think its too early to annoint or tear down any team because of performance in the first couple of wins…..we will see who is top ten and who is not soon enough. Preseason polls and early rankings are guesswork……lets see some more games.
I would have gone to bammer if my grades hadn't been good enough to go to AU
Jay Jacobs looking like a genius is a bit of a stretch.....
by anyones measuring stick.
I would have gone to bammer if my grades hadn't been good enough to go to AU
I said that he will (may) look like a genius, not that he would be considered one.
I not a Jay Jacobs fan but it’s really beginning to look like he made an intelligent decision when he hired Gene Chizik. Who would you have hired?
Honestly at the time.....
I thought Turner Gill was the smart choice at least of the candidates that were listed as on the short list. I said all along we should offer Butch Davis some Saban Dollars and see if he would bite. I also said that now that Chizik was hired I was behind him 100% until it became apparent that he didn’t deserve it and so far it has been far above expectations. And just because Jacobs hired Chizik doesn’t mean that there was intelligence involved in the decision. Luck? Maybe. Intelligence? Gonna have to make a lot more good decisions to make me believe that.
I would have gone to bammer if my grades hadn't been good enough to go to AU
Can't get that song out of my head ....
Pinball Wizard, such a skillfull (coach)!
I told my friends Saturday night that I was giddy, and could hardly believe those were Auburn wide recievers. They were out there catching passes, going up high and batteling for them too!
It’s way too early to ask for seconds on the kool aid, but this Auburn team is truly fun to watch.
"An armed man is a citizen. An unarmed man is a subject"-Thomas Jefferson
Right now, Florida looks head and shoulders above the rest of the SEC.
Bama still looks like a clear cut #2.
Tennessee and Miss St look to be the bottom dwellers.
The other 8 teams all look to be about the same level right now. I think anybody can beat anybody in that group. This will be a fun season.
At this point.....
I would say that Florida is head and shoulders above the rest and after that……LSU, Ole Miss, and Bama have been equally underwhelming for their supposed stature. Its too early to tell but I havent seen anything out of the three of them to put one over the other…..Bama and Ole Miss have OL issues and LSU needs Chavis to start delivering on Defense quickly. Past that I haven’t looked to deeply at Arkansas yet so I will refrain from commenting on them.
I would have gone to bammer if my grades hadn't been good enough to go to AU
Have you watched any games?
Bama threw up 500 yds of offense on FREAKING VIRGINIA TECH!!!!
What the hell else are they supposed to do? They are very deserving of their ranking.
I have watched them all.....
and along with that most impressive yardage that they put up they also managed to shoot themselves in the foot constantly (and needed a huge snafu by VaTech to win the game) and have the game up for grabs in the fourth quarter. And I never said that they were not deserving of their ranking (as much as I dislike early rankings). And if you are blind to the fact that McElroy struggled until Bama started moving the pocket or rolling out to complete a pass in the second half, well I can’t help that. The meaning of that is that bama’s OL is lacking in pass protection. All I have stated is that neither Bama, Ole Miss, or LSU have seperated themselves as a clear front runner in the west…….what part of that is unclear?
I would have gone to bammer if my grades hadn't been good enough to go to AU
In most cases,
……it’s too early still, to tell about most SEC teams. Most teams are not yet into the meat of their schedules. We’re still guessing based on preseason data. The “haven’t played anybody yet” cliche seems to hold true for a lot of the SEC.
…..Vandy curb-stomped a cupcake, then was back to a typical “moral victory,” for hanging tough in a loss to LSU.
…..Kentucky’s only thrashed one cupcake.
…..South Carolina has a close defensive win over a BCS school from the worst BCS conference, and a close loss in a shootout to Georgia. Still can’t really get a handle on the Gamecocks, other than the fact that their offense is mistake-prone.
…..What’s up with Georgia? Flu and injuries? They’ve had both. They lost by double digits to a Big-12 team that lost at home by double digits to a Conference USA team. In the South Carolina game, I feel that Georgia didn’t so much win that game, as the Gamecocks just lost it.
…..Tennessee ran it up on a cupcake, and had the most impressive score in the league in week 1. I didn’t figure Jonathan Crompton could hit 21 of 28 in a skeleton drill! Week two, the Vols laid an egg at home against a lower-echelon PAC-10 team.
…..Florida has blown out two cupcakes. It’s kind of like watching practice against the scout team, and trying to figure out how good the team really is.
…..LSU has played two BCS teams, both probably in the bottom half of their respective leagues. LSU won both by double digits, but didn’t just destroy ‘em. Is LSU a sleeping giant? Can’t tell, yet.
…..Arkansas has blistered one cupcake. The D may have vulnerabilities, but it’s looking like the Razorbacks will score a lot of points.
…..Mississippi State bombed a cupcake, then a defense returning only 4 starters got exposed against the last place returning team in the SEC West. I think the Bulldogs will have a tough season.
…..Ole Miss did NOT look like a championship contender in their opener with Memphis. They woke up in the 4th quarter and produced an impressive final score, but they really didn’t look ready to play. Jevan Snead took quite a while to get his arm warmed up.
……Bama bashed Va Tech, but it’s starting to look like the ACC has some really awful teams, this year. On the other hand, the Hokies did obliterate Marshall, the following week. Fla. International has given big schools trouble. They have some quality athletes. A short-handed, flu-ridden Bama squad piddled around for a while, then crushed ‘em. We’re still not really sure how good Bama is. The D still has a few vulnerabilities on the edges, and the Tide has some special teams problems. The O-line isn’t as good as last year’s, but we knew that was going to be the case. They’ve dominated the 4th quarter in both games, that’s for sure!
……We’re all supposedly drinking the Auburn Kool-Ade, but we need to temper things with realism. We blew out a WAC team, and we blew out a lower-echelon SEC squad, but both games were struggles in the first half. It’s a good start, but I still have no idea how we’ll match up with some of the better teams on our schedule. Lack of depth remains a HUGE concern. Mississippi State took great advantage when Auburn starting back seven guys went out, hitting some big plays on backup defenders. The high-octane running game could crash hard, if even one lineman gets hurt.
Huh?
Are you saying that, “Nobody thought that Gus Malzahn could coach?”
… or did you mean Tommy Thigpen?
… or did you mean Phillip Lolley?
… or did you mean Tracy Rocker?
… or did you mean Ted Roof?
… or did you mean Jay Boulware?
… or did you mean Curtis Luper?
… or did you mean Jeff Grimes?
… or did you mean Trooper Taylor?
… or did you mean Gene Chizik?
… or did you mean all of the above?
I’m just asking.
I was referring to Chizik...
and referencing the controversy around his hire.
Track'em Tigers.com
by Jay Coulter on Sep 14, 2009 10:55 AM CDT up reply actions
I have not seen AU run the ball like this since...
…the days of the wishbone with Bo and Brent in the backfield. Seriously. Not even with Cadillac and Ronnie did we pound the ball ahead like this.
I'm very tempted to make bold predictions.
But I will refrain. We haven’t put up numbers in consecutive games like this in a long long time. I mean ‘04 aside. We were in the hunt in the SEC and BCS in ’05 and ’06 and we weren’t putting up numbers like this. But, considering our opponents so far we need to stay humble and realistic. We’ve still got A LOT to prove, but we couldn’t have asked for a better start.
War Eagle
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