For the first 30 minutes of the Auburn-Kentucky game, I wasn’t too sure this argument would hold weight. Auburn rolled up 297 yards and 23 points in the first half in Lexington and was looking every bit the offense that fans expected to see in 2015.
But alas, the second half happened, and I once again was forced to consider something: that Gus Malzahn’s offense doesn’t work without a dual-threat quarterback.
By definition, a dual-threat quarterback is able to consistently attack the defense with both his arm and his legs. This includes quarterbacks such as Cam Newton and Nick Marshall. This Auburn team does not possess that.
While Sean White and Jeremy Johnson have both made some plays running the football, they haven’t shown the explosiveness or consistency to make defenses afraid of stopping them from running.
In the second half of Thursday night’s game, Auburn scored 7 points and gained 110 yards of offense, including just 41 on the ground, and lacked any semblance of rhythm, save a fourth quarter touchdown drive.
Auburn’s offense has struggled all season, gaining just 354.3 yards per game – 97th in the FBS and 13th in the SEC. This is happening in Malzahn’s third year, when the offense should, if anything, be as explosive as ever.
It isn’t just the eye test that Auburn fails when it lacks a dual-threat quarterback under Malzahn. Including his three seasons as Auburn’s offensive coordinator from 2009-2011, Malzahn has fielded three offenses with a dual-threat quarterback (2010, 2013 and 2014) and three offenses without one (2009, 2011 and 2015).
His offenses led by dual-threats Cam Newton and Nick Marshall scored 37.8 points per game in 26 SEC games, including the two highest-scoring SEC Championship Games ever (59 in 2013 and 56 in 2010). His offenses not led by dual-threat quarterbacks have scored 22.1 points per game in 19 SEC games.
Another thing that Malzahn’s offense lacks without dual-threat quarterbacks is consistency. His three offenses led by mobile signal-callers only failed to score 30 or more points seven times in 26 conference games. His offenses without mobile quarterbacks, on the other hand, have only managed to score 30 or more points five times in 18 conference games.
Malzahn teams with dual-threat quarterbacks have an overall record of 34-7 (21-5 SEC), while Malzahn teams without dual-threat quarterbacks have a record of 20-12 (8-11 SEC).
So, what does it mean for the Tigers’ future under Malzahn?
Likely, it means Auburn’s roller coaster ride will continue.
There is no viable dual-threat option at quarterback on this year’s team. White has shown he’s a capable playmaker and a reliable pocket passer, but even in the win over Kentucky, the Tigers couldn’t run the ball effectively in the second half, and a rugged SEC slate still remains. A .500 record and a bowl berth should be considered a relative success.
But the good news for Auburn is that its hiatus from national relevancy might be as short-lived as it was before 2013. Several times in Malzahn’s relatively short tenure, the Tigers have rebounded from mediocre seasons with championship seasons with the signing of a dual-threat quarterback.
Malzahn’s program has shown an ability to compete for national championships, and the Tigers could compete once again soon, but Auburn will need the right quarterback to do so, and that quarterback would need to be fast.
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