AUBURN | The long dark night is finally coming to an end with the season opener just five days away.
As Gus Malzahn closes in on his seventh season at Auburn, I feel much more confident there’ll be an eighth than I did back in January. Maybe its the excitement of a new season before the reality of one of the nation’s toughest schedule takes hold, maybe its the approximately $30 million that Auburn would owe Malzahn and his staff if he was let go after the season or maybe its just that I think this is going to end up being a pretty good team.
I think part of my shift in expectations is due to the momentum this team has built up since the blowout win over Purdue. The young coaching staff has brought a lot of energy to the program and they’ve helped build an impressive recruiting class.
On the field, it looks like Auburn will have one of its best defenses in more than a decade and the special teams has a chance to be very good again. Yes, there are questions marks on offense, especially with a true freshman starting at quarterback, but he’ll be surrounded by a pretty veteran group, especially on the offensive line. When I look at the team position-by-position, I don’t see any glaring weaknesses. My biggest questions involve depth at certain positions, but what team in the country doesn’t have those issues.
Yes, Malzahn enters the season on the proverbial hot seat, but it’s probably going to take a lot to trigger that huge buyout. I’m not sure you can put an exact number on how many wins he needs because what happens in November or possibly December means a lot more than what happens in August or September. But a good start, especially against Oregon Saturday, would certainly keep that momentum rolling.
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I’m sure Malzahn will be asked this week at his press conference or Tiger Talk what his keys to the game are. Of course, he’ll mention taking care of football, forcing turnovers, not giving up big plays, run the ball well and stop their run — all things that coaches have said since the dawn of time. But I do think there are some other important aspects to the matchup against Oregon that will be important if Auburn is going to leave Dallas with a win.
For me, it starts with Auburn’s defensive line against Oregon’s talented offensive line. It’s the strength of both teams going head-to-head and I think it’s crucial that the Tigers hold their own upfront, especially early, and don’t allow the Ducks to build an early lead and put pressure on AU’s offense. If Oregon controls the line of scrimmage, it could be a long night for the Tigers.
On the other side of the ball, I think it’s very important for AU to be successful on first down. Of course, you can say that for every game, but with Bo Nix starting for the first time as a true freshman, you want to avoid as many third-and-longs as possible. And when you do get in those situations, I think it’s important that Auburn’s coaching staff and Nix remain patient.
It’s OK to run a draw play or a screen pass or even an outlet pass to a running back. It’s OK to punt and trust the defense and special teams to make plays. If it’s close late and it’s going to come down to a field goal or special teams play, I really think AU will have an advantage with all their returning starters. Oregon has been using fall camp to decide important competitions at kicker, punter, punt returner and kick returner.
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Last Saturday’s Florida-Miami game was probably even sloppier than I expected. However, it was Aug. 24 — no college football games should be played that early — and drawing too many conclusions from that matchup, especially with the Gators, would be a mistake. The one thing I can say for certain is Miami definitely needs some help at left tackle and UF quarterback Feleipe Franks is still a work in progress, especially with his decision making. But team’s improve, sometimes a lot, through the first few games. We’ve seen that in recent years with Auburn. Even Malzahn’s best team in 2013, trailed 21-0 at halftime and lost by two touchdowns at LSU before winning nine straight and advancing to the national championship game. That team also began the season with a close home win over Washington State and needed a late TD pass to beat Mississippi State at home in Week 3.
Florida has an opportunity to be a much better team by the time Auburn travels to Gainesville Oct. 5, and no matter the outcome in Dallas Saturday, the Tigers will have an opportunity to be a much better team before a run of seven consecutive conference games begins Sept. 21 at Texas A&M.
Sure, Saturday’s game against the Ducks is important but Auburn has many more important Saturdays to come.
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This week our musical journey goes back 44 years to Aug. 26, 1975 when Glen Campbell’s Rhinestone Cowboy hit No. 1 on the U.S. Country charts. The song, which was written and originally performed by Larry Weiss, went on to sell over 4 million units and also rise to No. 1 on the Hot 100 and Adult Contemporary charts. It received three Grammy nominations and was the Country Music Association's Song of the Year for 1976.
Campbell, who passed away in 2017 at the age of 81, released over 70 albums, sold over 45 million records, hosted the Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour on CBS from 1969-72 and had nine No. 1 hits. He won four Grammys, was named the Male Vocalist of the Year by both the CMA and ACM and was CMA’s 1968 Entertainer of the Year. Campbell was also nominated for a Golden Globe for his supporting role in the 1969 movie True Grit starring John Wayne.
Rhinestone Cowboy inspired the 1984 movie Rhinestone, which starred Dolly Parton and Sylvester Stallone, was on the soundtrack of High School High and Daddy Day Care, and has been covered by Radiohead, Soul Asylum and Loretta Lynn, and even parodied by Johnny Carson.
