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ESPN analyst: 2019 Tigers may be Malzahn's best team
Posted on 6/13/19 at 12:28 pm
Posted on 6/13/19 at 12:28 pm
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quote:
Gus Malzahn comes into the 2019 football season with some pressure on him after an underwhelming 2018 season that came with speculation about him possibly losing his job.
The good news for Malzahn is that the Tigers have a ton of talent coming back this fall, especially on the defensive side of the ball. But just how good can this Auburn team be? One ESPN college football analysts believes this could be Malzahn’s best squad yet.
quote:
Tom Luginbill joined “The Roundtable” on WJOX and was asked if the Tigers had the two best defensive linemen in the conference with Derrick Brown and Nick Coe. He took it a step further and said that this is the most talented team he’s seen on The Plains since Malzahn took over the program.
“As far as proven commodities, absolutely,” Luginbill said. “I happen to think that, top to bottom as a football team, particularly on the defensive side of the ball but then also offensively with all the weapons they have coming back, which is virtually everybody. This may be the best top to bottom team that Gus Malzahn has had. The problem is, outside of Texas A&M, it may be the most difficult schedule in the entire country.”
Luginbill was then asked if the 2019 team would be better than Malzahn’s 2013 team that won the SEC and went to the BCS National Championship Game. Luginbill said that 2013 team had some lucky breaks along the way, and that this year’s team wouldn’t need those types of breaks.
quote:
“I think his 2013 team had a lot of things fall into place when they needed them to fall into place,” Luginbill said. “This might be the most physically gifted in terms of maybe not needing the ball to bounce your way or maybe being able to create your own luck a little bit out of talent. In that way, being a little bit superior to that team.”
When discussing the pecking order in the SEC West, Luginbill put Auburn in second just behing Alabama. He had the Aggies in third, and said those two teams could flip based on how they handle their extremely challenging schedules.
“Off of the team, I would say Auburn No. 2 and Texas A&M No. 3,” Luginbill said. “Again, the two schedules for both of those teams are so daunting that I think that they’re going to have to have some things go their way a little bit, and they’re going to have to win very difficult road contests in difficult environments.”
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Malzahn needs a strong season this fall, but according to Luginbill the Tigers have the talent to turn in a big season. It'll just be a matter of finding wins in some tough road atmospheres.
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Posted on 6/13/19 at 12:31 pm to AUFan2015
No clue why we schedule difficult OOC teams. Lets pull a UGA and claim Ga Tech is the reason why.
Posted on 6/13/19 at 1:50 pm to AUFan2015
6-6
Posted on 6/13/19 at 2:07 pm to TheSandman
Thanks, Luginbill.
Posted on 6/13/19 at 3:34 pm to AUFan2015
Our schedule is brutal this year, per usual. I have no idea why we schedule these hard OOC games when we are playing the likes of bama, Georgia, and LSU every season.
Posted on 6/13/19 at 4:43 pm to AUFan2015
15-0 Ship 
Posted on 6/13/19 at 7:55 pm to AUFan2015
quote:
2019 Tigers may be Malzahn's best team
So we get a heaping helping of the whirlybird.
Posted on 6/14/19 at 5:09 am to AUFan2015
quote:
2019 Tigers may be Malzahn's best team
Not true
Posted on 6/14/19 at 6:21 am to AU4real35
quote:
. I have no idea why we schedule these hard OOC games when we are playing the likes of bama, Georgia, and LSU every season.
There is zero reason to do it now that there is a 4 team playoff. We need to start scheduling easier non conference. We really need to stop with the neutral site games.
Posted on 6/14/19 at 7:16 am to AUFan2015
8-5
Posted on 6/14/19 at 8:18 am to AUFan2015
Yeah, I ain't buying the hype. Football is all about QB play. We have two kids at that position that haven't taken a meaningful snap in a college football game. That alone should keep everyone from getting too excited.
Posted on 6/14/19 at 8:35 am to Aubie Spr96
Any news on our Oline? Everything hinges on those guys up front.
Posted on 6/14/19 at 9:14 am to Aubie Spr96
quote:Not saying I disagree, but this was true in 2010 and 2013 as well.
Football is all about QB play. We have two kids at that position that haven't taken a meaningful snap in a college football game.
In fact, it could also be said about our opponents in the 2013 BCSCG, and last year's CFP Champs, and the team that beat us in the 2017 SECCG, and the 2016 CFP Champs, etc.
Granted, those teams were composed of talented, experienced, proven players at virtually every other position. But more often than not, having an inexperienced QB is not necessarily a stumbling block to a great season.
Posted on 6/14/19 at 12:14 pm to FearlessFreep
quote:
quote:Football is all about QB play. We have two kids at that position that haven't taken a meaningful snap in a college football game.Not saying I disagree, but this was true in 2010 and 2013 as well. In fact, it could also be said about our opponents in the 2013 BCSCG, and last year's CFP Champs, and the team that beat us in the 2017 SECCG, and the 2016 CFP Champs, etc. Granted, those teams were composed of talented, experienced, proven players at virtually every other position. But more often than not, having an inexperienced QB is not necessarily a stumbling block to a great season.
Though not the starter, Tim Tebow made significant contributions to the Gators as a true freshman when they won the natty in 2006. Johnny Flippin' Football won the Heisman as a RS freshman in 2012 (I know we've all tried to block out the 2012 season).
Sure, it'd be better if we had someone more experienced at QB this year, but it's not the kiss of death that we don't. Whether Gatewood and/or Nix can build team chemistry is likely a lot more important than their age/experience.
Watching the team grow and improve in 2010 and 2013 was almost as much fun as the results. Would be nice to have that kind of fun again. Let's wait and see what happens.
Posted on 6/14/19 at 12:21 pm to Broadside Bob
quote:
Though not the starter, Tim Tebow made significant contributions to the Gators as a true freshman when they won the natty in 2006. Johnny Flippin' Football won the Heisman as a RS freshman in 2012 (I know we've all tried to block out the 2012 season).
I'm not one to bash Gus, but to this point he hasn't shown an ability to get a young guy ready to play. Maybe Pat will have Bo ready.
Posted on 6/14/19 at 1:03 pm to Broadside Bob
quote:
(I know we've all tried to block out the 2012 season)
Speak for yourself. I didn't try. I succeeded.
2013, I remember during the A&M game an announcer mentioned us getting smoked by them the previous season. I literally LOL'd, because we hadn't played them in years. No way they-..... frick! Suppress suppress suppress!
Posted on 6/14/19 at 5:18 pm to HouseofWaffles
quote:
2012 Season
quote:
during the A&M game
That game doesn't get mentioned much but it was about as depressed as I've ever been after an Auburn game. Until then, I had never seen us just flat out quit before the opening kick. Holy frick that was miserable.
Posted on 6/14/19 at 5:53 pm to TailbackU
The pregame was so lit though. That game sucked donkey testicles
Posted on 6/14/19 at 7:20 pm to AU4real35
quote:
Our schedule is brutal this year, per usual. I have no idea why we schedule these hard OOC games when we are playing the likes of bama, Georgia, and LSU every season.
Your preaching to the choir. Gus himself bitches about it all the time. People may think it's weak to complain about a schedule but Malzahn has a point. No one else plays the caliber of teams we do. Bama and UGA are going to be #1 and #2 in the nation about every year and we have to play them back to back (on the road every other year). It's just fricking brutal and unfair since they are the last two games. You simply cannot lose either game and make it to the playoff.
Posted on 6/14/19 at 7:42 pm to AUstar
quote:To be fair, the latter part of that equation has only been in the last two seasons.
Bama and UGA are going to be #1 and #2 in the nation about every year
From 1984 to 2016, UGa came into DSOR with 4 or more losses more often (9 times) than they did with 1 or fewer losses (4 times).
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