Why is Gus the worst at bowl games?

[auburn4ever 1,266]

Why is Gus the worst at bowl games? cause that's his style and he'll never change. 2-5 -- have mercy.

[amsterjam 107]

I think it's because Gus gets so much time to overthink the game plan and he just gets weird.

[Sani-Freeze 552]

On 1/4/2020 at 8:47 PM, Maverick.AU said:

Imagine if we had better regular seasons, he’d probably be 0-7 in bowl games

This was exactly my reasoning when I predicted 9-4 before the season. I felt like there was a slight chance we could get to 9-3 in the regular season - but that would result in a quality bowl opponent and a 4th loss. 

I honestly thought it was going to be 8-4 and then a bowl win over a lesser opponent. 

[McLoofus 35,182]

15 hours ago, amsterjam said:

I think it's because Gus gets so much time to overthink the game plan and he just gets weird.

Nah. Gus just has poor instincts when it comes to running an offense. Maybe he'd be a good OC again if he gave up the head coaching gig, but the irony is he'd 100% be a world class head coach if he would give up the OC gig. 

[keesler 5,922]

On 1/4/2020 at 7:52 PM, Maverick.AU said:

Remember back when we said chizik handcuffed Malzahn lol

OMG, I remember it vividly.  "He's holding Gus back, he's slowing him down.  The defense can't keep the pace so Chizik's trying to save his D."

I'd love to know who the hell's been holding him back and handcuffing him the last 6 yrs?

[auburn4ever 1,266]

A bowl game is like the regular season. Gus gets 7 million a year no matter what. And over the last 2 to 3 years, we've all watched this team go down because Gus truly could not care less if this team wins during the regular or in a bowl game. if the Tigers are lucky enough to gat to a bowl bid. Why should care? he gets paid regardless. The only thing he cares about is that Auburn pays him on time and is never late with his check or checks.

[ArgoEagle 1,766]

Gus had over a month, over a month (let that sink in), to prepare for this game. He should have been spending the first couple of weeks studying film of what worked with our offense (which wasn't much) and practiced these plays. He should have looked at the tendencies that give away his play calling and changed them so as to keep the opposing dc from scheming against them. He should have trashed the plays that never work!!!! Then he should have implemented new plays to throw at MN that they have not seen us run. finally the last couple weeks should have been spent practicing these new plays along with the more successful plays we ran this year.

I truly believe he has convinced himself that his offense is brilliant; it does not need to change, nor does it need to evolve, and if don't work, it's because the players are not executing it like he drew it up. If that philosophy hasn't changed in 7 years then I don't think it's going to! Do you?

[Tiger 8,817]

On 1/4/2020 at 9:49 PM, NoALtiger said:

I don’t have an answer to this but I can tell you it’s not solely because the other team has extra prep time for planning. If that were the case, quality teams like Oregon and Washington would have opened the season  1-0 instead of taking an L from us the past 2 years. 

I get your line of thought but the problem with the Washington and Oregon examples are that Gus still needs 4 games to figure out who the hell is on our roster no matter how many guys we have returning so that entire Summer and Spring where Washington and Oregon were prepping for us they don't get a full scope of what to prep for because Gus himself doesn't even know what kind of team he is going to have or even wants to have...other than "we're going to be a run up the gut team" of course

[jared52 4,354]

While most are rightly focused on the offense, which doesn’t work, I also think Gus has the personality of a warm blanket. Great when you need some comfort, terrible when you need motivation to get out of bed. The team doesn’t usually quit on games because they are sufficiently motivated and that’s commendable, but having a month to stay focused on working hard and playing a largely meaningless brown game isn’t something the team itself can get up for, it has to come from the top. 

[ToomersStreet 795]

1.   Like Paul Johnson with the Triple option at GaTech, Gus runs a gimmick offense and the more time you have to prepare the easier it is to shutdown.

 

2.  Phillip Marshal stated in a recent podcast, that the more time Gus has to game plan, the more time he hhas to overthink things.

[keesler 5,922]

6 hours ago, ArgoEagle said:

I truly believe he has convinced himself that his offense is brilliant; it does not need to change, nor does it need to evolve, and if don't work, it's because the players are not executing it like he drew it up. If that philosophy hasn't changed in 7 years then I don't think it's going to! Do you?

I truly believe he knows his offense isn't brilliant, productive or efficient.  My Lord, he's an offensive savant.  I also truly believe he doesn't know how to make the necessary changes or how to translate them to his position coaches/coordinators well enough to get the end results he wants.

He admitted this year that way back in 2003 when he wrote his book that he knew his offensive philosophy wouldn't hold up once defenses caught on.  He said he knew there would have to be evolution ans wholesale changes to the HUNH/fast paced schemes.  When the substitution rules changed to give the defense the ability to sub with the offense, he hit a brick wall.  He could no longer run up to the line, do the meercat and then wait till the clock ran down to snap the ball and then no-huddle and leave the defense gassed and worn out.  

In an off-season interview he acknowledged his O was predictable and claimed that he knew he had to evolve and get more creative.  So he doubled down on himself and took complete control.  The problem is he didn't plan well enough in the past for what ended up happening.  He put himself in a position where he had to start a TFr QB and forced him to have to play behind an Oline that wasn't SEC caliber.  He knows that the expectations are high as a kite if for no other reason than the salary he and his staff are pulling - I just don't think he knows how to push this team to the next level (back to back 9 win seasons) let alone consistent CFP contention.

[auburn4ever 1,266]

Does Malzahn truly deserve another raise and have more years added to his god awful contract after losing 4 more games this year?

[keesler 5,922]

12 hours ago, auburn4ever said:

Does Malzahn truly deserve another raise and have more years added to his god awful contract after losing 4 more games this year?

His current contract has 5 yrs remaining it doesn't expire until 2025, where did you hear he was getting a raise & extension?

[eaglenest 332]

Gus is the worst at all things football...….esp at Auburn.

[AUloggerhead 2,225]

On 1/6/2020 at 7:07 AM, ArgoEagle said:

Gus had over a month, over a month (let that sink in), to prepare for this game. He should have been spending the first couple of weeks studying film of what worked with our offense (which wasn't much) and practiced these plays. He should have looked at the tendencies that give away his play calling and changed them so as to keep the opposing dc from scheming against them. He should have trashed the plays that never work!!!! Then he should have implemented new plays to throw at MN that they have not seen us run. finally the last couple weeks should have been spent practicing these new plays along with the more successful plays we ran this year.

I truly believe he has convinced himself that his offense is brilliant; it does not need to change, nor does it need to evolve, and if don't work, it's because the players are not executing it like he drew it up. If that philosophy hasn't changed in 7 years then I don't think it's going to! Do you?

It looked to all the world that AU was unprepared, and that they hadn't studied any film of Minnesota on either side of the ball.  If they had studied film, one wonders just what in heck they were looking at -- did they bother to watch Minnesota's losses to Iowa or Wisconsin to see what defeated them?  For the defensive players to say afterwards that the Gophers were "running plays we hadn't seen" is a really stunning admission.  No adjustments, no Plan B ready.   It's like Gus was expecting their talent level to win out for him.  Pathetic.   

[ArgoEagle 1,766]

1 hour ago, AUloggerhead said:

It looked to all the world that AU was unprepared, and that they hadn't studied any film of Minnesota on either side of the ball.  If they had studied film, one wonders just what in heck they were looking at -- did they bother to watch Minnesota's losses to Iowa or Wisconsin to see what defeated them?  For the defensive players to say afterwards that the Gophers were "running plays we hadn't seen" is a really stunning admission.  No adjustments, no Plan B ready.   It's like Gus was expecting their talent level to win out for him.  Pathetic.   

yep! Gus is the worst in-game, pre-game and post-game adjuster ever!!!!!!!!!!

[The Six 39]

Unless it is the National Championship game (where Gus is 1-1, by the way), bowl games are meaningless exhibitions. 

[McLoofus 35,182]

13 minutes ago, The Six said:

Unless it is the National Championship game (where Gus is 1-1, by the way), bowl games are meaningless exhibitions. 

Lil something called the playoffs started a few years back.

Also, Gus is 0-1 in national championship games. His time as an OC is not relevant to his tenure as a head coach. Unless you want to make the case that he leaned heavily on talent that was recruited when he was our OC to get to his only national championship game as our head coach. 

[The Six 39]

11 minutes ago, McLoofus said:

Lil something called the playoffs started a few years back.

Also, Gus is 0-1 in national championship games. His time as an OC is not relevant to his tenure as a head coach. Unless you want to make the case that he leaned heavily on talent that was recruited when he was our OC to get to his only national championship game as our head coach. 

Tell Gene Chizik it is not relevant matter. Pride reaction to Gus' influence and leadership in the 2010 title game cost him his head coaching career when he meddled and ran him off. 

Gus is a championship-level coach and he's great for Auburn. 

 

/I have spoken

[McLoofus 35,182]

4 minutes ago, The Six said:

Tell Gene Chizik it is not relevant matter.

I am sure that Gene Chizik would be quick to agree that his national championship is irrelevant to the fact that Gus is 0-1 in national championship games as a head coach. 

He'd probably be too nice of a guy to add that the one appearance happened 6 years ago and that Gus hasn't won the SEC, or appeared in the playoffs, or lost fewer than 4 games in a season since. 

[gr82be 14,401]

2 minutes ago, The Six said:

Tell Gene Chizik it is not relevant matter. Pride reaction to Gus' influence and leadership in the 2010 title game cost him his head coaching career when he meddled and ran him off. 

Gus is a championship-level coach and he's great for Auburn. 

 

/I have spoken

You may have spoken but the last statement on Gus is absurd. 

[johnnyAU 3,630]

Gus is an average HC. We'll never know if he would be a better HC if he gave up the OC duties, hired decent name and let him do his job...because he never will. 

[dyehardfanAU 2,117]

34 minutes ago, The Six said:

Gus is a championship-level coach and he's great for Auburn. 

Hah.  Wut?

[AuburnKev 15]

I think the problem is Gus is too stubborn and won't change the routine. When you lose 5 bowl games, then it is time to do something different in preparation, because clearly what we are doing isn't working.

[ToraGirl 5,498]

1 hour ago, The Six said:

Unless it is the National Championship game (where Gus is 1-1, by the way), bowl games are meaningless exhibitions. 

They sure set the motivation tone for the ones you keep hoping will pay to come see your meaningless exhibition, though.