Malzahn can flat out coach. He was the

[VolGee4]

:dunce:

Thanks. Been called worse. Nice thought out response.

 

[daj2576]

guy who I hoped we would go after when Dooley was fired but I think Hart was very slow off the blocks-what was his comment?- "We have all the time in the world" or words to that effect. Hart has not impressed me at all.

Malzahn is a good coach but what he is doing is being over blown.

Auburn is the second most talented team in the SEC west and is within an arms reach of Bama talent wise. They have had solid recruiting, low attrition, and a national championship just a few years ago.

If you look at talent differentials, their loss to LSU was a considerable under performance. Malzahn's performance this year is simply competant. What is inexplicable is just how bad Chizik was (Worse than Dooley or Muschamp).

For comparison, UT is tracking right along what talent predicts (minus the anomaly that is Mizzou) this year. If both Auburn and UT win out, both Jones and Malzahn will have performed one game below talent predictions.

The only two teams who are performing spectacularly outside of talent predictions are Mizzou and Florida.

 

[Col_Cathcart]

Malzahn is a good coach but what he is doing is being over blown.

Auburn is the second most talented team in the SEC west and is within an arms reach of Bama talent wise. They have had solid recruiting, low attrition, and a national championship just a few years ago.

If you look at talent differentials, their loss to LSU was a considerable under performance. Malzahn's performance this year is simply competant. What is inexplicable is just how bad Chizik was (Worse than Dooley or Muschamp).

For comparison, UT is tracking right along what talent predicts (minus the anomaly that is Mizzou) this year. If both Auburn and UT win out, both Jones and Malzahn will have performed one game below talent predictions.

The only two teams who are performing spectacularly outside of talent predictions are Mizzou and Florida.

You could make an argument that Vandy has overperformed as well, but obviously not as much as mizzou. Otherwise, spot on.

 

[johnboyhunter]

Not really if you'd use your brain. If Malzahn is our coach maybe we still lose to Oregon but maybe only by 3 points. Then we beat Georgia and are close against Alabama and maybe even beat or are close to Missouri and then we beat Auburn because they don't have Malzahn and we do and we are 6-4. Then we beat Vandy and Ky and are 8-4 and top 25.

You my friend are delusional. Yes all because of this coach, nevertheless the difference in talent we miraculously play the #1 and #2 teams in the country down to the wire after losing most of our play makers on offense last year. And instead of having the #2 recruiting class he would be 5 spots ahead of the #1 recruiting team because he is a miracle worker and can defy all logic.

 

[btate]

Don't forget Auburns last four signing classes were in the top ten. Our last class we only got 5 four star players. We will get there

 

[cd12]

He also has three top 10 recruiting classes to work with. That will make a lot of coaches look good.

Anybody not named Muschamp.

 

[BenGrimm]

Don't forget Auburns last four signing classes were in the top ten. Our last class we only got 5 four star players. We will get there

No. I refuse to acknowledge any type of reason or logic.

 

[JustAU]

Malzahn is a good coach but what he is doing is being over blown.

Auburn is the second most talented team in the SEC west and is within an arms reach of Bama talent wise. They have had solid recruiting, low attrition, and a national championship just a few years ago.

If you look at talent differentials, their loss to LSU was a considerable under performance. Malzahn's performance this year is simply competant. What is inexplicable is just how bad Chizik was (Worse than Dooley or Muschamp).

For comparison, UT is tracking right along what talent predicts (minus the anomaly that is Mizzou) this year. If both Auburn and UT win out, both Jones and Malzahn will have performed one game below talent predictions.

The only two teams who are performing spectacularly outside of talent predictions are Mizzou and Florida.

Low attrition? You might want to recheck your numbers. Auburn's recruiting classes were great but Chizik recruited a ton of guys that didn't make it past their 1st or 2nd years on campus. Just look at Mike Dyer.

 

[chad4930]

That's the point. You wouldn't have risked it and neither did Jones. But Malzahn did.

Marshall is a great runningback but a marginal QB. He only had to throw 7 times. In two weeks we will see how he fares against the Tide.

 

[Col_Cathcart]

Anybody not named Muschamp.

Or Chizik apparently. Also, and I don't have evidence to support this because he can't recruit on that level but I'm going to say Dooley as well.

 

[metafour]

You guys are seriously overstating Auburn's "outstanding recruiting". A high amount of Auburn's top rated signees over the past few years are no longer on the team due to off-field and/or academic. Of the ones that ARE still on this team; several of them are still not doing much of anything under Malzahn's staff because they were more or less tarnished by Chizik. There is talent on this team (to go 9-1 in this conference means there has to be some talent somewhere), but to state Auburn's "Top 10 recruiting classes" as some sort of indicator that this team is stacked is ridiculous. Lets look at the reality of the situation, and you will quickly see that the majority of the players that bolstered those "highly ranked" AU signing classes have next to nothing to do with this year's success:

2012 Class: #10 on Rivals, 13 4-stars total
4* Shane Callahan: Not on 2-deep depth chart
4* Jordan Diamond: Injury probs, backup OL
4* Javiere Mitchell: Undersized; 3rd string player
4* Tyler Nero: ~3rd string DL, barely plays
4* Ricky Parks: Kicked off the team
4* Jovon Robinson: You guys know this one; currently at JUCO
4* JaQuay Williams: Didn't qualify, signed with A&M after Prep School
7 of 14 4-star recruits are Non-Impact Players or No Longer on Team

2011 Class: #7 on Rivals, 13 4-stars, 1 5-star total
4* Jaylon Denson: Blew his knee out early this year; only a blocking receiver when he did play
4* Erique Florence: Left the team, attitude/behavior problems
4* Kiehl Frazier: Uber-bust, blocking receiver now...doesn't really play
4* Brandon Fulse: Suspended earlier this year, back on team, but not much more than a blocking TE
4* Jonathon Rose: Left the team, transferred to Nebraska
4* Christian Westerman: Left the team, transferred to Arizona State
6 of 14 4-star or better recruits are Non-Impact Players or No Longer on Team. *5-star Kris Frost splits time with one of the worst Linebackers in recent SEC history (Jake Holland)

2010 Class: #4 on Rivals, 13 4-stars, 3 5-stars total
5* Shon Coleman: Cancer story. Backup OL, rarely plays
5* Mike Dyer: Kicked off the team
5* JUCO Cam Newton: No longer on team, obviously
4* JUCO Joel Bonomolo: Huge bust, didn't do anything...no longer on team
4* JUCO Roszell Gayden: Huge bust, didn't do anything...no longer on team
4* Antonio Goodwin: Part of the Burglary Bunch, in prison I believe
4* Jake Holland: "Semi-starting" LB, but the worst LB in the conference and a liability
4* Corey Lemonier: Left for the NFL early, not on team
4* Eric Mack: Shot in the ass during the AU murders a few years ago, no longer on team
4* JUCO Brandon Mosely: Currently in the NFL, no longer on team
4* Trovon Reed: Huge bust; barely does anything
4* Jeremy Richardson: Never qualified
4* Craig Sanders: Special Teams and 3rd-string DL
4* Jeff Whittaker: Blew out his knee at start of season; huge bust up until that point anyway
14 of 16 4-star or better recruits are Non-Impact Players or No Longer on Team.

 

[Sandvol]

You guys are seriously overstating Auburn's "outstanding recruiting". A high amount of Auburn's top rated signees over the past few years are no longer on the team due to off-field and/or academic. Of the ones that ARE still on this team; several of them are still not doing much of anything under Malzahn's staff because they were more or less tarnished by Chizik. There is talent on this team (to go 9-1 in this conference means there has to be some talent somewhere), but to state Auburn's "Top 10 recruiting classes" as some sort of indicator that this team is stacked is ridiculous. Lets look at the reality of the situation, and you will quickly see that the majority of the players that bolstered those "highly ranked" AU signing classes have next to nothing to do with this year's success:

2012 Class: #10 on Rivals, 13 4-stars total
4* Shane Callahan: Not on 2-deep depth chart
4* Jordan Diamond: Injury probs, backup OL
4* Javiere Mitchell: Undersized; 3rd string player
4* Tyler Nero: ~3rd string DL, barely plays
4* Ricky Parks: Kicked off the team
4* Jovon Robinson: You guys know this one; currently at JUCO
4* JaQuay Williams: Didn't qualify, signed with A&M after Prep School
7 of 14 4-star recruits are Non-Impact Players or No Longer on Team

2011 Class: #7 on Rivals, 13 4-stars, 1 5-star total
4* Jaylon Denson: Blew his knee out early this year; only a blocking receiver when he did play
4* Erique Florence: Left the team, attitude/behavior problems
4* Kiehl Frazier: Uber-bust, blocking receiver now...doesn't really play
4* Brandon Fulse: Suspended earlier this year, back on team, but not much more than a blocking TE
4* Jonathon Rose: Left the team, transferred to Nebraska
4* Christian Westerman: Left the team, transferred to Arizona State
6 of 14 4-star or better recruits are Non-Impact Players or No Longer on Team. *5-star Kris Frost splits time with one of the worst Linebackers in recent SEC history (Jake Holland)

2010 Class: #4 on Rivals, 13 4-stars, 3 5-stars total
5* Shon Coleman: Cancer story. Backup OL, rarely plays
5* Mike Dyer: Kicked off the team
5* JUCO Cam Newton: No longer on team, obviously
4* JUCO Joel Bonomolo: Huge bust, didn't do anything...no longer on team
4* JUCO Roszell Gayden: Huge bust, didn't do anything...no longer on team
4* Antonio Goodwin: Part of the Burglary Bunch, in prison I believe
4* Jake Holland: "Semi-starting" LB, but the worst LB in the conference and a liability
4* Corey Lemonier: Left for the NFL early, not on team
4* Eric Mack: Shot in the ass during the AU murders a few years ago, no longer on team
4* JUCO Brandon Mosely: Currently in the NFL, no longer on team
4* Trovon Reed: Huge bust; barely does anything
4* Jeremy Richardson: Never qualified
4* Craig Sanders: Special Teams and 3rd-string DL
4* Jeff Whittaker: Blew out his knee at start of season; huge bust up until that point anyway
14 of 16 4-star or better recruits are Non-Impact Players or No Longer on Team.

Please don't muddy the waters with facts.

 

[Sandvol]

You my friend are delusional. Yes all because of this coach, nevertheless the difference in talent we miraculously play the #1 and #2 teams in the country down to the wire after losing most of our play makers on offense last year. And instead of having the #2 recruiting class he would be 5 spots ahead of the #1 recruiting team because he is a miracle worker and can defy all logic.

No and yes.

 

[titansvolsfaninga]

Not really if you'd use your brain. If Malzahn is our coach maybe we still lose to Oregon but maybe only by 3 points. Then we beat Georgia and are close against Alabama and maybe even beat or are close to Missouri and then we beat Auburn because they don't have Malzahn and we do and we are 6-4. Then we beat Vandy and Ky and are 8-4 and top 25.

You're either drunk or slow. Was Malzahn going to bring the Auburn players with him? So would Saban or Les be ranked with these players? I think not!

 

[BanditVol]

guy who I hoped we would go after when Dooley was fired but I think Hart was very slow off the blocks-what was his comment?- "We have all the time in the world" or words to that effect. Hart has not impressed me at all.

I think a large vocal segment of our fanbase would have rejected Malzahn outright. Rednecks don't like his "gimmick offense". Forget that he won the NC with it....they just don't like it.

 

[BanditVol]

You guys are seriously overstating Auburn's "outstanding recruiting". A high amount of Auburn's top rated signees over the past few years are no longer on the team due to off-field and/or academic. Of the ones that ARE still on this team; several of them are still not doing much of anything under Malzahn's staff because they were more or less tarnished by Chizik. There is talent on this team (to go 9-1 in this conference means there has to be some talent somewhere), but to state Auburn's "Top 10 recruiting classes" as some sort of indicator that this team is stacked is ridiculous. Lets look at the reality of the situation, and you will quickly see that the majority of the players that bolstered those "highly ranked" AU signing classes have next to nothing to do with this year's success:

2012 Class: #10 on Rivals, 13 4-stars total
4* Shane Callahan: Not on 2-deep depth chart
4* Jordan Diamond: Injury probs, backup OL
4* Javiere Mitchell: Undersized; 3rd string player
4* Tyler Nero: ~3rd string DL, barely plays
4* Ricky Parks: Kicked off the team
4* Jovon Robinson: You guys know this one; currently at JUCO
4* JaQuay Williams: Didn't qualify, signed with A&M after Prep School
7 of 14 4-star recruits are Non-Impact Players or No Longer on Team

2011 Class: #7 on Rivals, 13 4-stars, 1 5-star total
4* Jaylon Denson: Blew his knee out early this year; only a blocking receiver when he did play
4* Erique Florence: Left the team, attitude/behavior problems
4* Kiehl Frazier: Uber-bust, blocking receiver now...doesn't really play
4* Brandon Fulse: Suspended earlier this year, back on team, but not much more than a blocking TE
4* Jonathon Rose: Left the team, transferred to Nebraska
4* Christian Westerman: Left the team, transferred to Arizona State
6 of 14 4-star or better recruits are Non-Impact Players or No Longer on Team. *5-star Kris Frost splits time with one of the worst Linebackers in recent SEC history (Jake Holland)

2010 Class: #4 on Rivals, 13 4-stars, 3 5-stars total
5* Shon Coleman: Cancer story. Backup OL, rarely plays
5* Mike Dyer: Kicked off the team
5* JUCO Cam Newton: No longer on team, obviously
4* JUCO Joel Bonomolo: Huge bust, didn't do anything...no longer on team
4* JUCO Roszell Gayden: Huge bust, didn't do anything...no longer on team
4* Antonio Goodwin: Part of the Burglary Bunch, in prison I believe
4* Jake Holland: "Semi-starting" LB, but the worst LB in the conference and a liability
4* Corey Lemonier: Left for the NFL early, not on team
4* Eric Mack: Shot in the ass during the AU murders a few years ago, no longer on team
4* JUCO Brandon Mosely: Currently in the NFL, no longer on team
4* Trovon Reed: Huge bust; barely does anything
4* Jeremy Richardson: Never qualified
4* Craig Sanders: Special Teams and 3rd-string DL
4* Jeff Whittaker: Blew out his knee at start of season; huge bust up until that point anyway
14 of 16 4-star or better recruits are Non-Impact Players or No Longer on Team.

Which is pretty much comparable to our attrition....from our worse classes.

 

[VolGee4]

You guys are seriously overstating Auburn's "outstanding recruiting". A high amount of Auburn's top rated signees over the past few years are no longer on the team due to off-field and/or academic. Of the ones that ARE still on this team; several of them are still not doing much of anything under Malzahn's staff because they were more or less tarnished by Chizik. There is talent on this team (to go 9-1 in this conference means there has to be some talent somewhere), but to state Auburn's "Top 10 recruiting classes" as some sort of indicator that this team is stacked is ridiculous. Lets look at the reality of the situation, and you will quickly see that the majority of the players that bolstered those "highly ranked" AU signing classes have next to nothing to do with this year's success:

2012 Class: #10 on Rivals, 13 4-stars total
4* Shane Callahan: Not on 2-deep depth chart
4* Jordan Diamond: Injury probs, backup OL
4* Javiere Mitchell: Undersized; 3rd string player
4* Tyler Nero: ~3rd string DL, barely plays
4* Ricky Parks: Kicked off the team
4* Jovon Robinson: You guys know this one; currently at JUCO
4* JaQuay Williams: Didn't qualify, signed with A&M after Prep School
7 of 14 4-star recruits are Non-Impact Players or No Longer on Team

2011 Class: #7 on Rivals, 13 4-stars, 1 5-star total
4* Jaylon Denson: Blew his knee out early this year; only a blocking receiver when he did play
4* Erique Florence: Left the team, attitude/behavior problems
4* Kiehl Frazier: Uber-bust, blocking receiver now...doesn't really play
4* Brandon Fulse: Suspended earlier this year, back on team, but not much more than a blocking TE
4* Jonathon Rose: Left the team, transferred to Nebraska
4* Christian Westerman: Left the team, transferred to Arizona State
6 of 14 4-star or better recruits are Non-Impact Players or No Longer on Team. *5-star Kris Frost splits time with one of the worst Linebackers in recent SEC history (Jake Holland)

2010 Class: #4 on Rivals, 13 4-stars, 3 5-stars total
5* Shon Coleman: Cancer story. Backup OL, rarely plays
5* Mike Dyer: Kicked off the team
5* JUCO Cam Newton: No longer on team, obviously
4* JUCO Joel Bonomolo: Huge bust, didn't do anything...no longer on team
4* JUCO Roszell Gayden: Huge bust, didn't do anything...no longer on team
4* Antonio Goodwin: Part of the Burglary Bunch, in prison I believe
4* Jake Holland: "Semi-starting" LB, but the worst LB in the conference and a liability
4* Corey Lemonier: Left for the NFL early, not on team
4* Eric Mack: Shot in the ass during the AU murders a few years ago, no longer on team
4* JUCO Brandon Mosely: Currently in the NFL, no longer on team
4* Trovon Reed: Huge bust; barely does anything
4* Jeremy Richardson: Never qualified
4* Craig Sanders: Special Teams and 3rd-string DL
4* Jeff Whittaker: Blew out his knee at start of season; huge bust up until that point anyway
14 of 16 4-star or better recruits are Non-Impact Players or No Longer on Team.

All of this doesn't tell the whole story either. I have said all year that UT's experience this year is on both lines. We are inexperienced at key positions of QB, WR, and CB. Mason, Artis-Payne, Bray are all junior 4 stars at RB and WR for Auburn. Coates and Uzomah are 3 year three stars. Their OL is relatively young but very talented. The only question coming into the season was Marshall, and his running ability is fantastic. Not a good thrower. Auburn is vulnerable on defense, but they still have young talent and 4 stars playing all across the board- Wright, Owens, Holland, Whitehead, Therezie, Daniel, Lawson, etc. There is plenty of talent at Auburn. At least they don't have to play two walk-ons at nickel back. The fact that UT's experience on both lines really hurts us. If the experience was spread out among some of the skilled positions, it would be much easier.

 

[metafour]

Which is pretty much comparable to our attrition....from our worse classes.

What does that have to do with Malzahn's success? The argument here deals with this new notion that Auburn actually has this goldmine of talent ("look at the recruiting rankings!") which Malzahn conveniently walked into. Ironically enough; Auburn was supposed to win ~6 games this year according to every expert...yet now that they blew every imaginable prediction out of the water, they were actually "supposed to be this good" and had "all this talent"?

The reality is that most of the "meat" (the 4+ stars) of Auburn's highly ranked past 3 recruiting classes is gone and/or has no effect on this year's 9-1 team. So dont tell me Malzahn is only good because "he recruited all these Top 10 classes at Auburn and simply left for a year".

 

[arkyvol]

hiring malzahn was never an option for tennessee. the only job he would have taken over auburn was arkansas, which he waited for. when they passed on him, he took the auburn offer.

 

[oregonvol]

hiring malzahn was never an option for tennessee. the only job he would have taken over auburn was arkansas, which he waited for. when they passed on him, he took the auburn offer.

So you're sure he wouldn't have liked to make an extra $600,000 a year to come here? He told you this?

 

[oregonvol]

You guys are seriously overstating Auburn's "outstanding recruiting". A high amount of Auburn's top rated signees over the past few years are no longer on the team due to off-field and/or academic. Of the ones that ARE still on this team; several of them are still not doing much of anything under Malzahn's staff because they were more or less tarnished by Chizik. There is talent on this team (to go 9-1 in this conference means there has to be some talent somewhere), but to state Auburn's "Top 10 recruiting classes" as some sort of indicator that this team is stacked is ridiculous. Lets look at the reality of the situation, and you will quickly see that the majority of the players that bolstered those "highly ranked" AU signing classes have next to nothing to do with this year's success:

2012 Class: #10 on Rivals, 13 4-stars total
4* Shane Callahan: Not on 2-deep depth chart
4* Jordan Diamond: Injury probs, backup OL
4* Javiere Mitchell: Undersized; 3rd string player
4* Tyler Nero: ~3rd string DL, barely plays
4* Ricky Parks: Kicked off the team
4* Jovon Robinson: You guys know this one; currently at JUCO
4* JaQuay Williams: Didn't qualify, signed with A&M after Prep School
7 of 14 4-star recruits are Non-Impact Players or No Longer on Team

2011 Class: #7 on Rivals, 13 4-stars, 1 5-star total
4* Jaylon Denson: Blew his knee out early this year; only a blocking receiver when he did play
4* Erique Florence: Left the team, attitude/behavior problems
4* Kiehl Frazier: Uber-bust, blocking receiver now...doesn't really play
4* Brandon Fulse: Suspended earlier this year, back on team, but not much more than a blocking TE
4* Jonathon Rose: Left the team, transferred to Nebraska
4* Christian Westerman: Left the team, transferred to Arizona State
6 of 14 4-star or better recruits are Non-Impact Players or No Longer on Team. *5-star Kris Frost splits time with one of the worst Linebackers in recent SEC history (Jake Holland)

2010 Class: #4 on Rivals, 13 4-stars, 3 5-stars total
5* Shon Coleman: Cancer story. Backup OL, rarely plays
5* Mike Dyer: Kicked off the team
5* JUCO Cam Newton: No longer on team, obviously
4* JUCO Joel Bonomolo: Huge bust, didn't do anything...no longer on team
4* JUCO Roszell Gayden: Huge bust, didn't do anything...no longer on team
4* Antonio Goodwin: Part of the Burglary Bunch, in prison I believe
4* Jake Holland: "Semi-starting" LB, but the worst LB in the conference and a liability
4* Corey Lemonier: Left for the NFL early, not on team
4* Eric Mack: Shot in the ass during the AU murders a few years ago, no longer on team
4* JUCO Brandon Mosely: Currently in the NFL, no longer on team
4* Trovon Reed: Huge bust; barely does anything
4* Jeremy Richardson: Never qualified
4* Craig Sanders: Special Teams and 3rd-string DL
4* Jeff Whittaker: Blew out his knee at start of season; huge bust up until that point anyway
14 of 16 4-star or better recruits are Non-Impact Players or No Longer on Team.

Good info. Thanks!

 

[VolGee4]

What does that have to do with Malzahn's success? The argument here deals with this new notion that Auburn actually has this goldmine of talent ("look at the recruiting rankings!") which Malzahn conveniently walked into. Ironically enough; Auburn was supposed to win ~6 games this year according to every expert...yet now that they blew every imaginable prediction out of the water, they were actually "supposed to be this good" and had "all this talent"?

The reality is that most of the "meat" (the 4+ stars) of Auburn's highly ranked past 3 recruiting classes is gone and/or has no effect on this year's 9-1 team. So dont tell me Malzahn is only good because "he recruited all these Top 10 classes at Auburn and simply left for a year".

No one ever said "they were supposed to be this good." That is not the argument. People are comparing Jones to Malzahn. Malzahn has more talent and a better layout of experience. I think that is pretty clear. UT plays two walk-ons at nickel back. They start a former walk-on at DT who is maybe 275 pounds and a true freshman at CB. They start a former 2 star at LB and a former walk-on at LB. They start two freshmen and a sophomore at WR. They now start a true freshman at QB. Do I need to keep going?

 

[Vercingetorix]

Not really if you'd use your brain. If Malzahn is our coach maybe we still lose to Oregon but maybe only by 3 points. Then we beat Georgia and are close against Alabama and maybe even beat or are close to Missouri and then we beat Auburn because they don't have Malzahn and we do and we are 6-4. Then we beat Vandy and Ky and are 8-4 and top 25.

I should never even have opened up the football forum at all tonight. Sweet Jesus.

 

[BanditVol]

What does that have to do with Malzahn's success? The argument here deals with this new notion that Auburn actually has this goldmine of talent ("look at the recruiting rankings!") which Malzahn conveniently walked into. Ironically enough; Auburn was supposed to win ~6 games this year according to every expert...yet now that they blew every imaginable prediction out of the water, they were actually "supposed to be this good" and had "all this talent"?

The reality is that most of the "meat" (the 4+ stars) of Auburn's highly ranked past 3 recruiting classes is gone and/or has no effect on this year's 9-1 team. So dont tell me Malzahn is only good because "he recruited all these Top 10 classes at Auburn and simply left for a year".

It makes all the difference in the world. The attrition you cite is no different than what takes place everywhere. Go check, you will see it's true. Generally a senior class only has about half the original recruits left.

So Malzahn DOES have a ton of talent, and a relatively easy schedule this year.

That doesn't mean he isn't a good coach, he is. But I am not shocked that Auburn is having this success...though they are doing better than I expected.

 

[metafour]

All of this doesn't tell the whole story either. I have said all year that UT's experience this year is on both lines. We are inexperienced at key positions of QB, WR, and CB. Mason, Artis-Payne, Bray are all junior 4 stars at RB and WR for Auburn. Coates and Uzomah are 3 year three stars. Their OL is relatively young but very talented. The only question coming into the season was Marshall, and his running ability is fantastic. Not a good thrower. Auburn is vulnerable on defense, but they still have young talent and 4 stars playing all across the board- Wright, Owens, Holland, Whitehead, Therezie, Daniel, Lawson, etc. There is plenty of talent at Auburn. At least they don't have to play two walk-ons at nickel back. The fact that UT's experience on both lines really hurts us. If the experience was spread out among some of the skilled positions, it would be much easier.

Auburn is really strong at RB. The receivers are hilariously underwhelming; which plays into why Malzahn barely throws the ball. It is basically Coates (who is super talented but has dropped a ton of balls this year) with true freshman Marcus Davis (a 3-star) making some key catches along the way. Louis pretty much only catches screen-passes. Uzomah has been out for most of this season and has only 6 receptions. Bray is a non-factor; he has 16 receptions in 10 games...most of them being screen passes. Auburn's offensive line is very strong, as are the kickers.

Defensively; the DL is strong and has made a big turn-around from last year. The linebackers are below-average as a unit and for whatever reason they have let Holland play half (or more) of the 1st-team snaps, despite him being lesser than even the worst player on Tennessee's defense. The defensive backfield is very hot and cold and has been affected by injuries (starter Josh Holsey is out for the year, top CB Chris Davis has had nagging injuries all year). Auburn has been relegated to starting ~3rd stringers like Ryan White and Ryan Smith for a majority of the season.

This team has some talent, absolutely...but the 9-1 record is an effect of superior coaching and a huge turnaround in mentality which was brought forth by Malzahn. One of the biggest differences has been the change in S&C coordinator where Malzahn brought Ryan Russell from Arkansas State with him. This Auburn team is flawed, but they grind out wins, which is a result of coaching. The offense is hilariously one-dimensional with a DB-turned-QB leading it. Defensively; there really isn't anything special about Auburn...pretty much everyone has scored, and they tend to give up a LOT of long drives. The best thing about Auburn's defense is the fact that they make stops when they need to; another factor of the environment that the coaching staff has created.