In this week's Auburn football notebook, sports writer Harrison Tarr opines on another loss in the Deep South's Oldest Rivalry, and what the future may now hold for Gus Malzahn.
Gus Malzahn entered this past weekend’s game against the Georgia having never lost following a bye week as a head coach. But this year's installment of The Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry brought an end to his streak of perfection.
The UGA defense shut down the Tiger offense through three quarters before Auburn was able to score two late touchdowns in the fourth quarter only to turn the ball over on downs and not complete the comeback.
So, what can we take away from this loss?
The Auburn offense is inconsistent at best. Eleven of the Tigers’ 15 drives ended in a punt, only five third downs were converted on 18 attempts, and the team’s leading rusher was quarterback Bo Nix.
Yes, you read that correctly. Auburn’s leading rusher was Nix. The Tigers only managed to gain 84 yards on the ground on 36 attempts.
Also, when asked about the offensive struggles in his post game press conference, Malzahn told the media that it was “a work in progress.”
It’s still a work in progress? In Week 12?
The most mind-boggling part about the whole offensive situation is that Auburn posted 78 more yards of total offense than UGA, and out-passed the Bulldogs by well over 100 yards. And the Tigers didn’t even find the end zone until the fourth quarter.
Well, if Auburn boasted more yards than UGA, could that be why it was such a close game?
Not a chance.
Per usual, Derrick Brown and company took care of business on the defensive side of the ball; Kevin Steel’s squad was able to hold a team who averages over 200 rushing yards per game to only 141 yards, and managed to keep quarterback Jake Fromm to a mere 110 yards through the air.
So what position is Auburn in now?
The Tigers are an underwhelming 7-3 and have now fallen to 4-3 in the SEC, and while the strength of the team’s schedule will likely play a factor in landing Auburn in a respectable bowl game, the season is not over just yet. The Tigers must take care of business this weekend against Samford before taking on Alabama.
How much does the end of the season matter anymore?
A good bit more than one might think. In the eyes of Auburn fans, the Iron Bowl will always be of utmost importance, regardless of either teams' records.
The Auburn faithful has grown restless, and Gus Malzahn seems to have returned to the hot seat that he was on entering the 2019 season. Rumors have begun surrounding the concept of Malzahn leaving Auburn to take the Arkansas job.
The future of the Auburn football program becomes more and more puzzling each day, and it’s unclear if anyone within the organization truly knows what to make of it.
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