Ranking the Malzahn era: Teams
AUBURN | Gus Malzahn wrapped up his seventh season as Auburn’s head coach in January with a 9-4 record. Below is a ranking of his teams from 1 to 7.
1. 2013 (12-2) SEC Champions
Final AP Rank: 2
This was a no-brainer. After an early loss at LSU, Malzahn’s first team reeled off nine consecutive wins including thrillers over Georgia and Alabama, and a blowout win over Missouri in the SEC Championship game. The Tigers led Florida State 21-3 late in the second half of the BCS National Championship game before falling 34-31 in the final seconds. Auburn’s turnaround from 2012’s 3-9 record was the biggest in SEC history.
The 2013 team was loaded with talent including SEC Player of the Year and Heisman finalist Tre Mason, who rushed for an AU record 1,816 yards and 23 touchdowns, All-American defensive back Chris Davis, whose Kick Six is one of the most iconic plays in college football history, quarterback Nick Marshall, who accounted for 3,044 yards of total offense and 26 touchdowns, offensive tackle Greg Robinson, center Reese Dismukes and defensive end Dee Ford. With Marshall, Mason and a dominating offensive line, AU became the only SEC team to lead the nation in rushing with 328.3 yards per game and only the second SEC team in history to gain over 7,000 total yards.
2. 2017 (10-4) SEC West Champions
Final AP Rank: 10
Led by SEC Offensive Player of the Year Kerryon Johnson and quarterback Jarrett Stidham, Auburn knocked off No. 1 Georgia and No. 1 Alabama in dominating fashion over the final weeks of the regular season to rise to No. 2 in the CFP rankings despite having two losses. But with Johnson injured, the Tigers fell to Georgia in the SEC Championship game and then lost again to UCF in the Chick-fil-A Bowl. It was a frustrating end for a talented team that also included offensive lineman Braden Smith, cornerback Carlton Davis, defensive end Jeff Holland and kicker Daniel Carlson.
Johnson had a spectacular season rushing for 1,391 yards and 18 touchdowns despite missing two games. He also threw for a touchdown and caught two TD passes. Stidham threw for 3,158 yards, second-most in AU single-season history, and 18 touchdown passes. He led the SEC with a .665 completion percentage. Ryan Davis set an AU single season record with 84 receptions including 11 catches for 139 yards in the Iron Bowl. AU’s defense allowed just 319.4 yards per game, the best of the Malzahn era.
3. 2019 (9-4)
Final AP Rank: 14
Auburn opened the season with five consecutive wins before a loss at Florida in which the offense managed just 269 total yards. AU had 278 yards in a close loss at LSU, 251 yards in a loss to Georgia and 232 yards in a loss to Minnesota in the Outback Bowl. AU’s 199.1 rushing yards per game is the second-worst of the Malzahn era. The highlight of the season was a 48-45 win over Alabama in the Iron Bowl as AU returned two interceptions for touchdowns. AU faced an FBS-best six opponents that finished with 11 or more wins.
SEC Defensive Player of the Year Derrick Brown along with Marlon Davidson, K.J. Britt and Noah Igbinoghene led a strong defense. Brown finished his four-year career with 169 tackles, 33.5 tackles-for-loss and 13.0 sacks. SEC Freshman of the Year Bo Nix started every game at quarterback finishing with 2,542 passing yards and 16 touchdowns, both AU freshman records. He also rushed for seven touchdowns. The losses to LSU and Georgia, and the win over Alabama, dropped Malzahn’s record against the big three to 7-15. The loss to Minnesota dropped Malzahn’s bowl record to 2-5.
4. 2014 (8-5)
Final AP Rank: 22
The 2014 team came into the season with high expectations and a top 5 preseason ranking. After opening with five consecutive wins including a 41-7 blowout of LSU, AU rose to No. 2 in the polls before a loss at Mississippi State. The Tigers were back to No. 3 in the polls before dropping a tough one at home to Texas A&M and ending the season with losses at Georgia and Alabama, and to Wisconsin in the Outback Bowl.
This team underachieved with Marshall back at quarterback and Cameron Artis-Payne rushing for 1,608 yards, third-most in single-season AU history, and 13 touchdowns. Marshall finished his two-year career with 6,371 yards of total offense and 57 touchdowns, both of which rank sixth in AU history. Dismukes won the Rimington Award as the nation’s top center and AU had two first-team All-SEC players in Dismukes and Artis-Payne. Quan Bray ranked second in the nation averaging 18.1 yards per punt return including two touchdowns. AU gave up 398.8 yards per game, the third-worst of the Malzahn era.
5. 2016 (8-5)
Final AP Rank: 24
Quarterback issues plagued the 2016 and 15 teams. The 16 team had a better season thanks to a powerful rushing offense that finished third in Auburn single-season history with 3,672 yards. The best wins of the season came over LSU at home in week four and then at Ole Miss in late October. Auburn rose to No. 9 in the CFP rankings before losing three of its final four games, on the road at Georgia and Alabama, and to Oklahoma in the Sugar Bowl.
Kamryn Pettway led the SEC in rushing averaging 122.4 yards per game. Pettway and Kerryon Johnson combined for 2,159 rushing yards and 18 touchdowns. Auburn started three different quarterbacks including Sean White 10 times with the group averaging an SEC-worst 169.5 passing yards per game. The defense was led by Carl Lawson with 13.5 tackles-for-loss and 9.0 sacks. Joshua Holsey had 10 pass breakups and three interceptions.
6. 2018 (8-5)
Final AP Rank: NR
With Stidham returning, Auburn began the season in the top 10, but dropped an early home game against LSU in which it led 21-10 in the third quarter before LSU reeled off 12 consecutive points including a 42-yard field goal with time expiring for a 22-21 win. AU lost consecutive games at Mississippi State and to a poor Tennessee team at home, and then was blown out by Georgia and Alabama to end the regular season. AU ended the season on a high note with a 63-14 win over Purdue in the Music City Bowl, setting an SEC bowl record for points scored.
Stidham wrapped up his two-year AU career with 5,891 passing yards and 36 touchdowns, which both rank sixth in AU history. Stidham to Davis became the most productive pass tandem in school history with 154 completions. JaTarvious Whitlow led the team with 785 rushing yards, which ranks third in AU freshman single-season history. All-SEC linebacker Deshaun Davis led the defense, finishing his career with 266 tackles, which ranks fourth all-time in school history. AU allowed 355.4 yards per game, which is the third-best of the Malzahn era. Auburn blocked seven kicks/punts, which tied for the nation’s lead.
7. 2015 (7-6)
Final AP Rank: NR
Auburn won just two conference games, both on the road at Kentucky and Texas A&M. The Tigers lost to Mississippi State, Ole Miss, Georgia and Alabama at Jordan-Hare Stadium. AU did end the season with a 31-10 win over Memphis in the Birmingham Bowl. AU averaged 370.0 yards per game, the worst of the Malzahn era, and allowed 405.2 yards per game, the second-worst of the Malzahn era. Defensive coordinator Kevin Steele was hired immediately after the bowl game.
Jeremy Johnson and White rotated at quarterback. They combined to throw for 173.7 yards per games, which ranked 12th in the SEC and third-worst in the Malzahn era. Barber led the team with 1,017 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns. Rudy Ford was a standout on defense leading the team with 118 tackles, returning an interception for a 48-yard touchdown and also returning kickoffs for 58 and 46 yards.