As play-callers do, Gus Malzahn will attempt to match wits — and, ultimately conquer — Florida defensive coordinator Todd Grantham on Saturday in Gainesville.
It won’t be the first time the two have battled across the sidelines.
When Grantham coached for rival Georgia, Malzahn faced him twice as the Tigers’ offensive coordinator in 2010 and 2011, then once more in the rivalry in 2013 — Malzahn’s first year as head coach.
Coincidentally, Auburn and Malzahn opened the 2015 season against Grantham when the defensive coordinator coached at Louisville. The coaches last met in 2017 in Jordan-Hare during Grantham’s first and only season as defensive coordinator at Mississippi State.
"Gus does a really good job of getting the ball to his playmakers. He is going to find ways to get the ball in those guys' hands,'' Grantham said this week. "And they're really a physical team when you look at their run game. You've got to be sure you play a complete game.
“We've had some battles. He's a guy that really challenges you to make sure that you are good in the run defense."
Malzahn’s offenses are 4-1 against Grantham defenses in the pair’s coaching history, and average 412.4 yards per game — a number weighed down by Auburn’s 195 yards in a 42-7 loss to Grantham’s Georgia defense in 2011.
"Their defensive coordinator, of course, we've went against each other a lot of times,'' Malzahn said. "He's one of the best. He has an aggressive mindset; his players are playing that way and they've got some guys who can flat get after it."
Malzahn alludes to his adversary’s aggressive, high-risk, high-reward style Grantham occasionally deploys.
Sending the house was sometimes derogatorily referred to as “third and Grantham” when the coach was at Georgia. But at Florida, especially this season, that hostility is paying off with one of the strongest defenses in the nation.
The Gators rank second in college football in sacks with 24, including 10 — the most in the SEC in 11 years — in the season opener against Miami.
He’ll be teeing off an elite group of pass-rushers and defensive linemen against Auburn’s offensive line and quarterback Bo Nix, who’s been nifty evading pressure this season. The Tigers rank second in the conference and 27th nationally this season in sacks allowed with six.
“We’ve got to give (Nix) confidence and give him time to make his throws,” right tackle Jack Driscoll said of Florida’s defensive line. “... When he has time, he can hit some nice throws, amazing throws downfield. And we’re going to need that to win some of these games, including this one. So I think if we can keep him clean and give him time, he can be really successful.”
There will be some familiarity when the Gators have the ball and head coach Dan Mullen is calling the shots, as well. As a play-caller, Mullen has squared off against Auburn defensive coordinator Kevin Steele three times.
“They’re always very, very sound in what they do,” Mullen said this week of Steele’s defenses. “They’re very aggressive. When you look at this defense, he’ll play to his strengths … they’re well enough coached for him to play to his strengths.”
Steele is 3-0 in those matchups, with the first victory coming during his lone season as LSU’s defensive coordinator in 2015. His Tigers weathered a late rally by All-SEC quarterback Dak Prescott and Mullen’s Mississippi State squad to squeak out a 21-19 victory in Baton Rouge. Prior to the fourth-quarter explosion, Miss State had 129 yards of offense.
Steele then took two straight against Mullen in his first two seasons as Auburn DC in 2016 and 2017. The Tigers defense held the Bulldogs scoreless through the first half in a 38-14 win the first year, then did the same in the second half of a 49-10 victory the following season.
“They have some talent — especially up on the defensive front,” Mullen said of Steele’s unit. “You know, they can cause problems. They’re disruptive that way. … They’re going to be aggressive and come after you.”
When the dust settles and a victor is crowned in the top-10 throwdown in The Swamp, the handshake at midfield will mark the conclusion of Malzahn and Mullen’s ninth matchup since they arrived at Auburn and Mississippi State, respectively, in 2009.
They met four years prior. Malzahn, then the coach at Springdale High School in Arkansas, brought prized QB prospect Mitch Mustain, as well as a handful of other players, down to Gainesville for a visit.
Mullen had just begun as the Gators offensive coordinator. He said this week that, during those recruiting visits, the two bounced offensive schemes and play-calling ideas off each other — areas they’ll each be looking for the leg up in at 2:30 p.m. CST in Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.
“I’ve got a lot respect for Dan — the way he goes about it,” Malzahn said. “I think he’s one of the good guys and does things right. His teams are always well prepared, and he’s a very good football coach.”
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