Auburn Not Just an Overnight Sensation
In December of 2012, Gus Malzahn took the reins of an Auburn University football program that was spinning its wheels.
Most of the coaches had been fired, the fans were for the most part disenchanted and the student athletes were leaving for better opportunities at other schools.
Auburn’s defense had soured and its offense lost its direction as no quarterback was enrolled to makes things better.
The national championship of 2010 was just a distant memory and a reminder of how quickly a program could go from the top to the bottom.
However, Malzahn started changing things at once instilling his expectations of nothing less than a championship. He called his hiring a new day in Auburn and called the past the past.
The team’s spring practice did not prove much, as the Tigers were projected as fifth place finishers in the SEC West. Auburn took on Washington State in the season opener and just sneaked out a victory.
Malzahn called the team below average and not good at that point.
However, things have changed as the Tigers have gone from fighting for a first win the SEC in two seasons to conference titleholders and preparing to play for the national championship on January 6.
Malzahn knows the team took baby steps week to week to reach the point they are at now.
The biggest step was the recruitment of quarterback Nick Marshall a junior college transfer.
He played in the defensive secondary for Georgia but was later dismissed from the school.
All he wanted was the chance to play quarterback. He attended junior college at Garden City Community College in Kansas and his 37 touchdowns, 19 on the ground, convinced the Tigers to take a chance on him.
He missed spring practice making his starting opportunity slim. He could not read the defense and was not a polished passer, but he certainly could run giving him an edge.
His running ability separated him from the rest of the quarterbacks on the squad and the coaching staff felt he gave the team the best opportunity to win.
Their only loss of the season to LSU proved to Malzahn they needed to regroup and let Marshall continue to learn and hope his mistakes became fewer.
Marshall started to show his running ability following a bye week after the LSU loss. Marshall has 140 yards rushing versus Ole Miss and then 100 against Texas A&M and 99 versus Alabama. Then he combined for 223 yards with two touchdowns in the SEC Championship.
Since the start of October, Marshall has tossed only two interceptions and passed for or run 17 touchdowns. His QBR is 10th nationally.
Marshall is only one of the reasons the Tigers are where they are today. Tre Mason and the other running backs, Reese Dismukes and the rest of the offensive line and the much improved defense have all made vital contributions to the team’s success.
Last season the team gave up 37 sacks, this season they allowed 20 fewer. Mason had 1,002 yards rushing in 2012 and over 1,600 this season. The defense gave up no gain or negative yards 35% of the plays this season.
As the team readies for the national title game, Malzahn and his players know that lady luck has also been on their side, just ask the Georgia Bulldogs and Alabama Crimson Tide.
