Two Minute Drill…
After 8 months of hearing about Gus Malzahn’s offense, the Auburn faithful were able to see firsthand, just how lethal his offense can be. The Auburn offense amassed 556-yards, 27 first downs and 37 points in their season debut. It was everything Coach Gene Chizik promised Malzahn’s offense would be. It was a run first offense, which incorporates a power-running game and a vertical passing game. It was no-huddle and fast tempo that kept the Louisiana Tech defense on their heels.
Auburn did trail at one point in the game as a penalty plagued Auburn defense, allowed the Bulldog offense to score a touchdown on their first series of the game. By halftime, Auburn clung to a 3-point lead but terrific adjustments on both sides of the ball, resulted in a 24-3 second half for the Auburn Tigers and a dominating performance.
Inside the Numbers …
Auburn won the first down battle, averaging 5.12 yards per play on 1st down to Louisiana Tech’s 2.38 yards.
Chris Todd had his best collegiate start, passing for 255-yards and 2 TD’s. Breaking him down by downs, Todd had a rating of 110.5 on 1st down, 123.0 on 2nd down and an astounding 325.3 rating on 3rd down. The last time an Auburn quarterback had a passer rating over 300 on 3rd down was Jason Campbell in 2004 against Louisiana Tech.
The coaching staff preached impact plays during the spring and Auburn won the battle Saturday night. The Auburn offense had 6 plays of 15-yards or more for 201-yards and La. Tech had 3 plays for 66-yards. Two of those plays came during the Bulldogs 1st offensive possession.
The Auburn offense had 16 offensive plays of 10-yards or more and 37 plays of 6-yards or more against the Bulldogs.
Every Auburn offensive possession resulted in a score or at least 1 first down, failing to go “3 & out” during the game. The last time an Auburn offense went an entire game without any “3 & out” series was against Ball State in 2005.
A statistical goal any offense aims for is averaging at least 30-yards per offensive possession. The Auburn offense averaged 46.3 yards per offensive possession and La. Tech was held to 22.3 yards per possession. During the first half, the Bulldog offense averaged 35.7 yards per possession but was held to just 14.6 yards during the second half.
The last time Auburn totaled over 500-yards in offense was against the Georgia Bulldogs in 2005.
Auburn’s 556-yards in total offense was the 4th best opening day performance in school history. It also marked only the second time in school history, the offense netted over 300-yards rushing and over 200-yards passing in a season opener.
The last time an Auburn offense had over 300-yards rushing and over 250-yards passing against a D1 opponent was against Mississippi State in 1995.
Inside the Red Zone …
Other than defensive penalties in the first half, which aided both Louisiana Tech scoring drives and the two turnovers on offense, there wasn’t much to complain about Auburn’s opening day performance. The pass interference call on Walter McFadden was simply a horrible call.
Wes Byrum was the leader on special teams, connecting on all three field goal attempts including one from 47 and one from 49-yards out. Not sure if Mario Fannin should be returning punts and it appears the coaching staff might be going in a different direction.
The Tommy Tuberville era is officially over with Gene Chizik registering his first game as the Auburn head coach. On Auburn’s last possession of the first half, the Tigers gained possession of the football on their own 39 with less than 30 seconds left on the clock. In the past, Tuberville would have normally elected to take a 10-10 tie into the locker room. Coach Chizik allowed Gus Malzahn the opportunity to play for the lead and the Tigers managed to set up a Wes Byrum long distant field goal after completing a vertical 19-yard strike to Mario Fannin. It only extended Auburn to a 3-pt lead but it was the mentality of leaving no points on the field that was a breath of fresh air.
Looking at Auburn’s overall offensive statistics Saturday night and Gus Malzahn’s previous history as a college offensive coordinator is a strong indicator of his ability as a “play caller”. One play that stood out against La. Tech was the school record, 93-yard TD pass from Chris Todd to Terrell Zachery. Auburn had run the out route numerous times and the opposing corner began to sit on the play. Malzahn waited until a 3rd down situation, deep in his own territory to adjust the route to an out and up, which was executed perfectly. It was also a play rarely seen executed over the past ten years under the same circumstance.
When was the last time you watched an Auburn game and came away thinking the offense was exciting and entertaining to watch? True to form, Auburn had five different skill players to have over 60-yards in total offense, making it difficult to defend Malzahn’s offense. Note the early reverse run with Zachery on 2nd play of the game, which the Bulldog defense had to respect the remainder of the game. The back side pursuit had to freeze every time the receiver came in motion against the actual flow of the play.
I realize this was Louisiana Tech but they were also an opponent most thought would give Auburn a good game and some even predicted a Bulldog upset. There is a long season ahead and a few pitfalls along the way but after Saturday night, there should be less doubt this offense can be dangerous. The depth issues have not changed but it’s good to know there is valid potential in this offense, which will more than likely be called upon to carry the team somewhere down the road. Ted Roof’s defense was sound and made great second half adjustments to keep the Bulldog offense from hitting the big play. Auburn football was finally exciting again making this fan, wanting to see more.
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