Gus reviewed Georgia, shared goals for the season

[aubiefifty 16,754]

al.com

Gus Malzahn reviewed Georgia, shared goals for the season

Updated 1:16 PM;Today 11:22 AM

4-5 minutes

After its second one-score loss of the season, Auburn turns preparations to the upcoming game. In Saturday’s 11 a.m game against Samford, the Tigers will take on Bulldogs for the second week in a row.

No. 16 Auburn is 7-3 going into the weekend, and Samford, who plays in the Southern Conference, is 5-6.

Auburn will attempt to bounce back from its 21-14 loss to Georgia, which involved a last-minute comeback. Auburn had trouble with all three phases of the game. The offense struggled to pick up momentum, the defense had trouble affecting quarterback Jake Fromm and the special teams missed yet another field goal.

Gus Malzahn met with the media in his weekly Tuesday press conference to review the loss and go over the upcoming game. Below is a summary of what he said:

GUS MALZAHN:

-- Hurting for Brother Chette, the team chaplain, who lost his son over the weekend. His done a lot for the program and does mission trips with the Malzahns. They’re going to do all they can to help them.

-- Proud of how the team fought against Georgia. They got them back in the game and had the opportunity to tie. Proud of the fans, as well, who “rolled their sleeves up” and fought.

-- Time to turn the page. Their new goal is to win 10 games, which is a feat when you have a schedule like Auburn’s. Looking forward to finishing the season positively.

-- The fourth quarter featured explosive plays the other three didn’t. It helped them find a pace. They also wore them down a bit. There were things that were close in the other quarters that didn’t go their way.

-- It was a physical game. They’re banged up, but they came out of it ok.

-- Bo Nix ran the ball extremely well. They didn’t want to risk hi, but in a big game, you’ve got to do what you’ve got to do.

-- Sometimes they were efficient running the ball. But that team is one of the best run defenses for a reason.

-- He didn’t anticipate throwing the ball 50 times. Going into the third quarter, it was pretty even, but the way the fourth quarter unfolded, that’s what they had to do.

-- It showed him they have the ability to do some things through the air. But for them to be the best they can be, they need to be balanced, no matter what the defense gives you.

-- Everyone they played with a winning record is a top-25 team. But bottom line, they’ve got to score points to win the game. He feels like they’ll be able to moving forward.

-- The fourth quarter gives him confidence. It’s something to build on. They still have one of the best offenses in terms of total yards. They’ve been close many times.

-- There are things they can carry over in terms of urgency from that fourth quarter. But the most important thing is getting that first first down.

WILL HASTINGS:

-- Multiple things are holding the offense back right now. They’ve got to do better on the red zone. The players need to execute better.

-- The offense isn’t taking the blame. They’ve obviously been struggling, but they’re a whole team. They’ve had the issue in the past where people blame, and they can’t do that. They work together and hype each other up.

-- It comes down to the leadership being able to establish there’s no “offense, defense” but just one team.

NOAH IGBINOGHENE:

-- The mindset is to just finish strong. They want to win 10 games, and they want the games to be special for the seniors.

-- The defense played well, but not well enough to win the game. It’s on both the offense and the defense. Because if they had scored zero, Auburn would have won the game.

-- He’s still a work in progress, still new to this. He’s gotten better but he’s got ways to go.

-- Roger McCreary has grown up. He’s earning respect and showing people what he’s got. His advice to McCreary is to just keep working.

-- Their accomplishments show their work ethic. They don’t have any five stars among them, but they work hard.

-- There won’t be a drop off in the secondary after the seniors graduate.

[AUsince72 11,084]

4 minutes ago, aubiefifty said:

-- The offense isn’t taking the blame. They’ve obviously been struggling, but they’re a whole team. They’ve had the issue in the past where people blame, and they can’t do that. They work together and hype each other up.

This struck me.

Who runs the offense again?

[C'viewTiger 242]

“-- He didn’t anticipate throwing the ball 50 times. Going into the third quarter, it was pretty even, but the way the fourth quarter unfolded, that’s what they had to do.

-- It showed him they have the ability to do some things through the air. But for them to be the best they can be, they need to be balanced, no matter what the defense gives you.“

Can one of you coaches explain why you HAVE to be balanced no matter what the defense gives you?  My layman’s understanding is exploit what they give you and take the other when they try to stop what’s been working. 

[api1957 1,783]

[bigbird 60,491]

13 hours ago, aubiefifty said:

WILL HASTINGS:

-- It comes down to the leadership being able to establish there’s no “offense, defense” but just one team.

 

NOAH IGBINOGHENE:

-- The defense played well, but not well enough to win the game. It’s on both the offense and the defense. Because if they had scored zero, Auburn would have won the game.

 

Not trying to start a rumor or stir the pot, but when a player comes out and has to say what Will said above it's usually not good.

Also, for a defense to believe that they need to hold a team from scoring in order to get the win has to be beyond frustrating.

[wareagleguy 1,393]

Being balanced is not only about a 50/50 ratio run and pass; it’s also about being able to take advantage of what the D gives you.

I remember Noel Mazzone saying years ago, if the D gives you the run, then run. If they give you the pass, then pass. Balanced then is being able to do either effectively and efficiently.

[AUFlyer99 647]

Gus, stand up when you’re talking to us...   Sit down, Gus......

[Strychnine 1,802]

11 minutes ago, bigbird said:

Not trying to start a rumor or stir the pot, but when a player comes out and has to say what Will said above it's usually not good.

Also, for a defense to believe that they need to hold a team from scoring in order to get the win has to be beyond frustrating.

 

Personally, I subscribe to the notion that if the defense can hold any good team to 21 points, then an offense orchestrated by what is supposed to be an offensive guru/genius/mastermind/whatever should be able to outscore them much more often than not.

[bigbird 60,491]

1 minute ago, Strychnine said:

 

Personally, I subscribe to the notion that if the defense can hold any good team to 21 points, then an offense orchestrated by what is supposed to be an offensive guru/genius/mastermind/whatever should be able to outscore them much more often than not.

The avg possessions per game for an offense is about 12. That's 3 per qtr. I would expect a good offense to be able to score at least once per quarter.  ~24 pts/game should be the minimum expectation, IMO

[aubiefifty 16,754]

32 minutes ago, bigbird said:

Not trying to start a rumor or stir the pot, but when a player comes out and has to say what Will said above it's usually not good.

Also, for a defense to believe that they need to hold a team from scoring in order to get the win has to be beyond frustrating.

i agree

[aubiefifty 16,754]

13 hours ago, AUsince72 said:

This struck me.

Who runs the offense again?

sexton runs it. jimmy sexton is yo man 72.......

[AUsince72 11,084]

5 minutes ago, aubiefifty said:

sexton runs it. jimmy sexton is yo man 72.......

HAHAHA!

You're on to something Fiddy!

That's been the problem....Gus is letting SEXTON call the plays!!!

[aubiefifty 16,754]

2 minutes ago, AUsince72 said:

HAHAHA!

You're on to something Fiddy!

That's been the problem....Gus is letting SEXTON call the plays!!!

72 i am way more than just the most handsome fella on the fam...............lol

[selias 2,398]

I'm not a coach and Gus just seems completely out of touch with those comments. I find these ones particularly maddening

It showed him they have the ability to do some things through the air. But for them to be the best they can be, they need to be balanced, no matter what the defense gives you.

The fourth quarter gives him confidence. It’s something to build on. They still have one of the best offenses in terms of total yards. They’ve been close many times.

Everyone they played with a winning record is a top-25 team. But bottom line, they’ve got to score points to win the game. He feels like they’ll be able to moving forward.

[TigerFanAU 586]

14 hours ago, aubiefifty said:

He didn’t anticipate throwing the ball 50 times

I feel like this is where Gus is getting Auburn into trouble. He gave up on the run against Florida, LSU, and UGA and it cost us. I realize all those teams have good run defenses, but we needed to keep pounding the ball on the ground.

[kennypowers 1,431]

You have to go in believing Nix will not get hurt no matter the play.  Just run the mother ******* offense.

[The Freak 2,526]

1 hour ago, bigbird said:

The avg possessions per game for an offense is about 12. That's 3 per qtr. I would expect a good offense to be able to score at least once per quarter.  ~24 pts/game should be the minimum expectation, IMO

But Georgia isn't a good offense.

[bigbird 60,491]

4 minutes ago, The Freak said:

But Georgia isn't a good offense.

I was speaking for AU. The minimum for Au should be ~ 24/gm, IMO

[The Freak 2,526]

1 minute ago, bigbird said:

I was speaking for AU. The minimum for Au should be ~ 24/gm, IMO

but Auburn isn't a good offense.  (lol)

[bigbird 60,491]

7 minutes ago, The Freak said:

but Auburn isn't a good offense.  (lol)

Exactly

[KnightTiger 205]

LMAO does this double bubble/waffle house boy wonder actually realize some of the crap he spats out sometime like this postgame comment trying to get a feel of the game down 21-0 really?

[Leftfield 2,593]

15 hours ago, aubiefifty said:

-- It showed him they have the ability to do some things through the air. But for them to be the best they can be, they need to be balanced, no matter what the defense gives you.

This is the one that got me, and goes back to my thoughts in another thread about the way Gus thinks. Of course everyone wants to be balanced to have as many options as possible, but Gus still has it in his head that this team can run the ball like the 2013 team, simply because on paper they should be able to do that. After all, it worked before, right? THEY JUST HAVE TO EXECUTE PROPERLY!!!

Over the course of a season, balance is more important. In a single game, you do what you have to do to win. Gus said as much with his comment about all the passes in the 4th quarter, but once again that decision was forced on him. By then it was too late

[auskip07 930]

i would just be happy if they didnt run plays directly into the defense that has set up for them