14 in 14: Auburn
Auburn has been sitting in purgatory for a few years. Can Bryan Harsin engineer a quick turnaround?
By: Bossman Slim
It’s been a few weeks away from the blog as we’ve taken time to focus on the newsletter. We want to give you the best newsletter experience in the SEC, so we’ve shifted focus for a short time to work on doing just that.
Now let’s get right into our 14-in-14 on Auburn. If you need a refresher on our rating system, check out our first 14-in-14 on Florida.
It’s been a tumultuous year on the Plains.
After giving everyone whiplash for the last six or so years of “will Auburn sign Gus to an extension or can his ass,” the booster vultures finally circled the wagons and ousted their coach of the last eight seasons. In his eight years at Auburn, Malzahn led the Tigers to a National Championship game in 2013, two SEC West division titles (the most recent in 2017), a 68-35 overall record (39-27 record in the SEC), and maybe most notably, a 3-5 record against Nick Saban and the Tide, better than any other coach in the SEC against Saban. Didn’t matter. Boosters and fans were tired of consistent mediocrity, questionable coaching decisions, seeming apathy and acceptance of the status quo and sub-par player development. Going a shaky 6-4 through an all-SEC schedule in 2020 didn’t help Gus, and the loss to South Carolina in October was probably the final nail in the coffin even though he was allowed to finish out the regular season. That 6-4 mark is even a little misleading, as wins against Ole Miss and Arkansas easily could have been losses.
There wasn’t much “Boom” in 2020 as Gus struggled to find the answers. (Photo: Butch Dill, AP)
After a big cahones stand by athletic director Allen Greene to wrangle the program back from the grips of scheming self-important boosters, Greene got his man in Boise State’s Bryan Harsin. Harsin is a true hardass and is going to bring a no BS attitude to the Plains.
So where does the program stand after the regime change?
State of the Program is...Purgatory - but optimistic; 6/12 biscuits
Auburn is in a state of limbo. There is palpable optimism in the fanbase and the locker room with the new coaching staff, and Harsin has won over fans quickly with his mentality, tough demeanor and his correct pronunciation of “Jordan-Hare Stadium.”
But no one knows what it will look like. Harsin and new offensive coordinator Mike Bobo have apparently merged their offenses into a new scheme, which we got a taste of in the spring game (hello tight end!). The defense lost a few key players like Big Kat Bryant, so both sides of the ball have some question marks. New blood is also coming in, like recent transfer Donovan Kaufman from Vanderbilt, a former 4-star safety.
The program has felt like it’s been in a stagnant state for multiple years. For now, they still are, until Bryan Harsin can show otherwise.
What went right in 2020
McClain was a beast in 2020, and he’ll be back for one more ride in 2020. (Video: Jake Rothenberg; song NSFW)
Today’s offenses can put up points, even in the formerly defense-proud SEC. Last season, teams put up points on Auburn, but the Tigers’ defense was still ranked in the top half of the conference in total defense (6th). This was in part due to players like LB Zakoby McClain, an absolute animal who led the SEC in tackles with 113, and DBs Smoke Monday and Roger McCreary who combined for 5 INTs and 9 passes defended. The defense got embarrassed by Alabama, but who didn’t. Everyone else the Tigers held in check enough to make it a game. Whether or not it was is another story, but that’s more based on the offense than any defensive performance.
Auburn also found a successor to their proud history of workhorse running backs in the appropriately named Tank Bigsby. The freshman racked up 834 yards on 138 carries and added 5 TDs. It could have been an even better season, and I’d venture to say he would have easily broken the 1,000-yard mark had it not been for being dinged up a few times and the fact that the Tigers’ played from behind in multiple big games, forcing them to abandon the run.
And as was a hallmark of the Malzahn era, the Tigers’ had balls bounce their way that was sometimes just hard to believe. Two out of three weeks Auburn walked away with a win that quite easily could have been a heartbreaking loss. Against Arkansas, Nix dropped a snap late in the game, then spiked the ball immediately after in what could have been ruled a fumble. Auburn went on to kick a game-winning field goal. The next week, it looked like Auburn return man Shaun Shivers inadvertently touched a kickoff that went into the endzone and was recovered by Ole Miss. The zebras instead ruled that Shivers did not touch the ball and it was a touchback, which gave the Tigers the chance that would end up winning them the game.
Gus had nine lives throughout his career on the Plains, but he didn’t have 10.
What went wrong in 2020
It was a tough year for Bo Nix, eventually leading to the exit of Gus Malzahn. (Photo: Cat Wofford, The Trussville Tribune)
In a word: offense. In today’s game, you live and die by your quarterback, it is without a doubt the most important position on the field. Auburn is no exception, and the development of Bo Nix was likely the biggest factor in letting go of Malzahn. Nix regressed in his second year in the shotgun, never quite looking comfortable in the Chad Morris scheme. “Happy feet” plagued Nix, as he would inexplicably run out of clean pockets and create pressure for himself, leading to poor decisions and forced throws.
While Nix had his issues last year, it does not all fall on his shoulders. Ultimately, it falls to the coaches, and the offensive coaching staff was not up to snuff. Malzahn and Morris struggled all season to find an offensive rhythm, and it only clicked in one game: LSU. Other than that, the Morris experiment was an abject failure that saw both he and Malzahn walk out the door at season’s end. Tank Bigsby did his best to save them, but it was not enough.
What the Tigers need in 2021
Can Harsin get buy-in from the team and build momentum? (Photo: Todd Van Emst, AU Athletics)
Momentum. No one is expecting Bryan Harsin to win the SEC and go to a national championship in year one (though his predecessor did just that). What the Tigers need to show is stability, buy-in, improvement and leadership. The last few years under Gus, the foundation felt constantly shaky as boosters, fans and the media released a never-ending flood of job speculation. Couple that with the departures to the NFL and transfers in and out of the program, and the Harsin era is starting off on a loose foundation. Auburn will need to show that Harsin is providing stability, in part due to the buy-in of the players inside the program. There are positive early signs of this from spring practice, but can it hold up when the bright lights turn on in the fall?
Mediocrity plagued Malzahn’s final seasons on the Plains, and fans are hungry for more than the status quo. The keyword to overcoming that status quo: improvement. Player development was lacking under Malzahn, and that came to be embodied in the last two seasons by Bo Nix. It’s time for Nix to put up or shut up, and he has to show growth under this new staff. The rest of the team must also show progress, as finishing 3rd or 4th in the West year in and year out is no longer going to be accepted.
Finally, all of these are tied together through leadership. Part of Nix’s improvement must be his leadership. Coming into his third year as a starter, this is undeniably his team, his program. Some vocal minorities of fans are calling for Harsin to give someone else a shot at QB, but right now, I don’t see a viable replacement over Nix’s raw talent and experience. It’s Bo Nix in 2021, period. This means that coupled with good play, he must be the man at the forefront leading these men into battle. On defense, the Tigers have a clear-cut leader in Zakoby McClain, who must get buy-in for Harsin from his peers.
Leadership from veterans, Nix and McClain specifically, will determine much of Auburn’s fate in Harsin’s first year. With strong leadership, momentum forms, and strong results often follow.
How they can earn some extra biscuits
Follow the blueprint above. To earn that 7th biscuit or more the Tigers will need to show marked improvement, starting with Bo Nix. This program needs stability and hope. I don’t see them finishing higher than 4th in the West this year, with LSU likely leapfrogging the Tigers, and A&M and Alabama still looking strong. But even with a 4th place finish in the West, I think they could earn some extra biscuits with tight losses and signs of progress.
The fanbase won’t want to hear anything about finishing 4th in the West, but I think that is the most likely scenario. Still, the positive early signs from Harsin’s team should excite Auburn fans.
Did we get it right? Completely wrong? What’d we miss? Chip us on Twitter @biscuitsandsec.
Next up:
Georgia