Worst Road Coach in SEC History

[AUght2win 6,833]

Gus Malzahn is the worst road coach in the history of the Southeastern Conference. Before this is classified as hyperbole, let me show you some numbers. 

We've all heard the stat. Gus Malzahn is 0-12 in Tuscaloosa, Baton Rogue, and Athens combined. With the prominence of these 3 programs, this stat may not seem that abhorrent. But it is. It's historically so. 

SEC Teams at the Big 3 during the Malzahn Era

Let's start with just the recent history to directly compare Malzahn's performance against other teams in the conference. I looked up the stats of each team's record in Sanford, BDS, and Death Valley from 2013 to 2020. 

1. Bama: 4-0
2. LSU: 2-3
3. Miss State: 2-8
4. Vandy: 1-2
5. UF: 1-4
6. USC: 1-5
7. Missouri: 1-5
8. Ole Miss: 1-6
9. Tennessee: 1-7
10. Arkansas: 1-7
11. UGA: 0-2
12. UK: 0-7
13. TAMU: 0-9
14. AU: 0-12

No team in the SEC has had more opportunities in these venues than we have. And we have 0 wins. The likes of Vandy, Miss State, Ole Miss, Arkansas, and Mizzou have us beat, with all of them doing it through different head coaching regimes. Even Troy (1-0) and Georgia Tech (2-1) have won in these stadiums. We have had the same guy, with the same system, with the experience of these hostile environments, yet no wins. But the numbers get worse...

All Auburn Coaches at the Big 3

No Auburn coach in history (with at least two attempts) has failed to achieve at least one win at their rival's home. Not a single one. I listed their records below with their first 4 attempts in each venue in paranthesis.

- Chizik: 1-1 in Tuscaloosa. 0-2 in Athens. 0-2 in Baton Rogue.
- Tubberville: 4-1 (4-0) in Tuscaloosa. 3-2 (3-1) in Athens. 1-4 (1-3) in Baton Rogue. 
- Bowden: 2-1 in Baton Rogue. 3-0 in Athens.
- Dye: 4-2 (3-1) in Athens. 0-1 in Baton Rogue.
- Barfield: 2-0 in Athens. 0-1 in Baton Rogue.
- Jordan: 5-4 (3-1) in Athens. 0-2 in Baton Rogue.
- Meagher: 1-3-1 (1-3) in Baton Rogue.
- Donahue: 1-1 in Athens.
- Watkins: 1-0 in Baton Rogue. 1-0 in Tuscaloosa.
- Heisman: 1-0 in Tuscaloosa.

There are only 3 other coaches to ever coach at the Big 3:

- Floyd: 0-1 in Athens. Interim. Only coached 4 games.
- Kent - 0-1 in Baton Rogue. Only coached 5 games. DNF season.
- Brown: 0-0-1. TIE in Athens. Only won three games in 3 years.

No Auburn coach has had as many chances as Malzahn, and no one in program history is even relatively close to his failures. But I decided to compare him to the SEC historically.

The following is a list of coaches who were tenured long enough to have multiple shots at Big 3 road wins. This excludes legendary coaches (Majors, Bryant, Saban, Dooley) who obviously had wins in these venues. 

It should be noted that all these coaches had around, at least, 5 full seasons. But some even accomplished the feat in less time than that.

All-Time SEC Coaching W/L at Big 3:

Richt (UGA): 2-0 in T. 1-1 in BR.
Donnan (UGA): 1-0 in BR.
Stallings (Bama): 3-0 in BR. 1-1 in A.
Perkins (Bama): 2-0 in BR. 1-0 in A.
Miles (LSU): 3-1 in T.
DiNardo (LSU): 1-2 in T.
Fulmer (UT): 3-1 in T. 4-0 in A. 2-1 in BR.
Jones (UT): 1-1 in A. 0-3 in T.
Spurrier (UF): 3-1 in BR.
Meyer (UF):1-2 in BR
Pell (UF): 2-1 in BR.
Hall (UF): 2-1 in BR
Dickey (UF): 1-3 BR.
Johnson (Vandy): 1-3 in A.
Mason (Vandy): 1-2 in A.
Cutcliffe (OM): 2-2 in BR. 0-4 in T. 0-3 in A.
Croom (MSU): 1-2 in T. 0-3 in BR.
Mullen (MSU): 1-3 in BR.
Sherrill (MSU): 1-3 in BR. 1-3 in T.
Nutt (Ark): 1-3 in T. 0-4 in BR.
Bieliema (Ark): 1-2 in BR. 0-3 in T.
Ford (Ark): 2-1 (3-0 technically) in T. 1-0 in A. 1-2 in BR.
Holtz (SC): 1-2 in A. 1-1 in T.
Spurrier (SC): 2-2 in A. 0-3 in BR.
Muschamp (Combined): 1-1 in A. 0-2 in BR. 0-1 in T.
Rich Brooks (UK): 1-3 in A.
Curci (UK): 2-2 in A. 1-3 in BR.
Claiborne (UK): 0-4 in A. 1-3 in BR.
Curry (Combined): 3-3 in BR (3-1). 0-3 in A. 0-1 in T.
Sumlin (TAMU): 1-2 in T. 0-3 in BR.
Pinkel (Mizzou): 1-1 in A.

Gus Malzahn is the worst road coach in SEC history. And it's not close.

[nixtosanders94 2,180]

4 minutes ago, AUght2win said:

Gus Malzahn is the worst road coach in the history of the Southeastern Conference. Before this is classified as hyperbole, let me show you some numbers. 

We've all heard the stat. Gus Malzahn is 0-12 in Tuscaloosa, Baton Rogue, and Athens combined. With the prominence of these 3 programs, this stat may not seem that abhorrent. But it is. It's historically so. 

SEC Teams at the Big 3 during the Malzahn Era

Let's start with just the recent history to directly compare Malzahn's performance against other teams in the conference. I looked up the stats of each team's record in Sanford, BDS, and Death Valley from 2013 to 2020. 

1. Bama: 4-0
2. LSU: 2-3
3. Miss State: 2-8
4. Vandy: 1-2
5. UF: 1-4
6. USC: 1-5
7. Missouri: 1-5
8. Ole Miss: 1-6
9. Tennessee: 1-7
10. Arkansas: 1-7
11. UGA: 0-2
12. UK: 0-7
13. TAMU: 0-9
14. AU: 0-12

No team in the SEC has had more opportunities in these venues than we have. And we have 0 wins. The likes of Vandy, Miss State, Ole Miss, Arkansas, and Mizzou have us beat, with all of them doing it through different head coaching regimes. Even Troy (1-0) and Georgia Tech (2-1) have won in these stadiums. We have had the same guy, with the same system, with the experience of these hostile environments, yet no wins. But the numbers get worse...

All Auburn Coaches at the Big 3

No Auburn coach in history (with at least two attempts) has failed to achieve at least one win at their rival's home. Not a single one. I listed their records below with their first 4 attempts in each venue in paranthesis.

- Chizik: 1-1 in Tuscaloosa. 0-2 in Athens. 0-2 in Baton Rogue.
- Tubberville: 4-1 (4-0) in Tuscaloosa. 3-2 (3-1) in Athens. 1-4 (1-3) in Baton Rogue. 
- Bowden: 2-1 in Baton Rogue. 3-0 in Athens.
- Dye: 4-2 (3-1) in Athens. 0-1 in Baton Rogue.
- Barfield: 2-0 in Athens. 0-1 in Baton Rogue.
- Jordan: 5-4 (3-1) in Athens. 0-2 in Baton Rogue.
- Meagher: 1-3-1 (1-3) in Baton Rogue.
- Donahue: 1-1 in Athens.
- Watkins: 1-0 in Baton Rogue. 1-0 in Tuscaloosa.
- Heisman: 1-0 in Tuscaloosa.

There are only 3 other coaches to ever coach at the Big 3:

- Floyd: 0-1 in Athens. Interim. Only coached 4 games.
- Kent - 0-1 in Baton Rogue. Only coached 5 games. DNF season.
- Brown: 0-0-1. TIE in Athens. Only won three games in 3 years.

No Auburn coach has had as many chances as Malzahn, and no one in program history is even relatively close to his failures. But I decided to compare him to the SEC historically.

The following is a list of coaches who were tenured long enough to have multiple shots at Big 3 road wins. This excludes legendary coaches (Majors, Bryant, Saban, Dooley) who obviously had wins in these venues. 

It should be noted that all these coaches had around, at least, 5 full seasons. But some even accomplished the feat in less time than that.

All-Time SEC Coaching W/L at Big 3:

Richt (UGA): 2-0 in T. 1-1 in BR.
Donnan (UGA): 1-0 in BR.
Stallings (Bama): 3-0 in BR. 1-1 in A.
Perkins (Bama): 2-0 in BR. 1-0 in A.
Miles (LSU): 3-1 in T.
DiNardo (LSU): 1-2 in T.
Fulmer (UT): 3-1 in T. 4-0 in A. 2-1 in BR.
Jones (UT): 1-1 in A. 0-3 in T.
Spurrier (UF): 3-1 in BR.
Meyer (UF):1-2 in BR
Pell (UF): 2-1 in BR.
Hall (UF): 2-1 in BR
Dickey (UF): 1-3 BR.
Johnson (Vandy): 1-3 in A.
Mason (Vandy): 1-2 in A.
Cutcliffe (OM): 2-2 in BR. 0-4 in T. 0-3 in A.
Croom (MSU): 1-2 in T. 0-3 in BR.
Mullen (MSU): 1-3 in BR.
Sherrill (MSU): 1-3 in BR. 1-3 in T.
Nutt (Ark): 1-3 in T. 0-4 in BR.
Bieliema (Ark): 1-2 in BR. 0-3 in T.
Ford (Ark): 2-1 (3-0 technically) in T. 1-0 in A. 1-2 in BR.
Holtz (SC): 1-2 in A. 1-1 in T.
Spurrier (SC): 2-2 in A. 0-3 in BR.
Muschamp (Combined): 1-1 in A. 0-2 in BR. 0-1 in T.
Rich Brooks (UK): 1-3 in A.
Curci (UK): 2-2 in A. 1-3 in BR.
Claiborne (UK): 0-4 in A. 1-3 in BR.
Curry (Combined): 3-3 in BR (3-1). 0-3 in A. 0-1 in T.
Sumlin (TAMU): 1-2 in T. 0-3 in BR.
Pinkel (Mizzou): 1-1 in A.

Gus Malzahn is the worst road coach in SEC history. And it's not close.

But but but you're not taking into account how good bama, uga and lsu have been...

[CleCoTiger 1,957]

30 minutes ago, AUght2win said:

Gus Malzahn is the worst road coach in the history of the Southeastern Conference. Before this is classified as hyperbole, let me show you some numbers. 

We've all heard the stat. Gus Malzahn is 0-12 in Tuscaloosa, Baton Rogue, and Athens combined. With the prominence of these 3 programs, this stat may not seem that abhorrent. But it is. It's historically so. 

No it isn't. But keep beating the dead horse. I'm sure it will get up and run much faster...real soon now.

 

[nixtosanders94 2,180]

2 minutes ago, CleCoTiger said:

No it isn't. But keep beating the dead horse. I'm sure it will get up and run much faster...real soon now.

 

pot, kettle, black

[AUght2win 6,833]

15 minutes ago, CleCoTiger said:

No it isn't. But keep beating the dead horse. I'm sure it will get up and run much faster...real soon now.

 

Hey maybe you're a world class statistician. Me, personally, I had no idea that almost every coach in SEC history has at least 1 win at those venues, and that NONE have gone 0-12, until after I went digging.

[AUght2win 6,833]

The thing I didn't expect to find was that coaches considered bad or mediocre have better records.

Derek Mason, Muschamp, DiNardo, BUTCH JONES?!? 

[auburn4ever 1,266]

Gus Malzahn and his Tigers are now 0-12 on the road against the 3 biggest rivals. Alabama, Georgia and LSU.

[gr82be 14,423]

2 hours ago, AUght2win said:

Gus Malzahn is the worst road coach in the history of the Southeastern Conference. Before this is classified as hyperbole, let me show you some numbers. 

We've all heard the stat. Gus Malzahn is 0-12 in Tuscaloosa, Baton Rogue, and Athens combined. With the prominence of these 3 programs, this stat may not seem that abhorrent. But it is. It's historically so. 

SEC Teams at the Big 3 during the Malzahn Era

Let's start with just the recent history to directly compare Malzahn's performance against other teams in the conference. I looked up the stats of each team's record in Sanford, BDS, and Death Valley from 2013 to 2020. 

1. Bama: 4-0
2. LSU: 2-3
3. Miss State: 2-8
4. Vandy: 1-2
5. UF: 1-4
6. USC: 1-5
7. Missouri: 1-5
8. Ole Miss: 1-6
9. Tennessee: 1-7
10. Arkansas: 1-7
11. UGA: 0-2
12. UK: 0-7
13. TAMU: 0-9
14. AU: 0-12

No team in the SEC has had more opportunities in these venues than we have. And we have 0 wins. The likes of Vandy, Miss State, Ole Miss, Arkansas, and Mizzou have us beat, with all of them doing it through different head coaching regimes. Even Troy (1-0) and Georgia Tech (2-1) have won in these stadiums. We have had the same guy, with the same system, with the experience of these hostile environments, yet no wins. But the numbers get worse...

All Auburn Coaches at the Big 3

No Auburn coach in history (with at least two attempts) has failed to achieve at least one win at their rival's home. Not a single one. I listed their records below with their first 4 attempts in each venue in paranthesis.

- Chizik: 1-1 in Tuscaloosa. 0-2 in Athens. 0-2 in Baton Rogue.
- Tubberville: 4-1 (4-0) in Tuscaloosa. 3-2 (3-1) in Athens. 1-4 (1-3) in Baton Rogue. 
- Bowden: 2-1 in Baton Rogue. 3-0 in Athens.
- Dye: 4-2 (3-1) in Athens. 0-1 in Baton Rogue.
- Barfield: 2-0 in Athens. 0-1 in Baton Rogue.
- Jordan: 5-4 (3-1) in Athens. 0-2 in Baton Rogue.
- Meagher: 1-3-1 (1-3) in Baton Rogue.
- Donahue: 1-1 in Athens.
- Watkins: 1-0 in Baton Rogue. 1-0 in Tuscaloosa.
- Heisman: 1-0 in Tuscaloosa.

There are only 3 other coaches to ever coach at the Big 3:

- Floyd: 0-1 in Athens. Interim. Only coached 4 games.
- Kent - 0-1 in Baton Rogue. Only coached 5 games. DNF season.
- Brown: 0-0-1. TIE in Athens. Only won three games in 3 years.

No Auburn coach has had as many chances as Malzahn, and no one in program history is even relatively close to his failures. But I decided to compare him to the SEC historically.

The following is a list of coaches who were tenured long enough to have multiple shots at Big 3 road wins. This excludes legendary coaches (Majors, Bryant, Saban, Dooley) who obviously had wins in these venues. 

It should be noted that all these coaches had around, at least, 5 full seasons. But some even accomplished the feat in less time than that.

All-Time SEC Coaching W/L at Big 3:

Richt (UGA): 2-0 in T. 1-1 in BR.
Donnan (UGA): 1-0 in BR.
Stallings (Bama): 3-0 in BR. 1-1 in A.
Perkins (Bama): 2-0 in BR. 1-0 in A.
Miles (LSU): 3-1 in T.
DiNardo (LSU): 1-2 in T.
Fulmer (UT): 3-1 in T. 4-0 in A. 2-1 in BR.
Jones (UT): 1-1 in A. 0-3 in T.
Spurrier (UF): 3-1 in BR.
Meyer (UF):1-2 in BR
Pell (UF): 2-1 in BR.
Hall (UF): 2-1 in BR
Dickey (UF): 1-3 BR.
Johnson (Vandy): 1-3 in A.
Mason (Vandy): 1-2 in A.
Cutcliffe (OM): 2-2 in BR. 0-4 in T. 0-3 in A.
Croom (MSU): 1-2 in T. 0-3 in BR.
Mullen (MSU): 1-3 in BR.
Sherrill (MSU): 1-3 in BR. 1-3 in T.
Nutt (Ark): 1-3 in T. 0-4 in BR.
Bieliema (Ark): 1-2 in BR. 0-3 in T.
Ford (Ark): 2-1 (3-0 technically) in T. 1-0 in A. 1-2 in BR.
Holtz (SC): 1-2 in A. 1-1 in T.
Spurrier (SC): 2-2 in A. 0-3 in BR.
Muschamp (Combined): 1-1 in A. 0-2 in BR. 0-1 in T.
Rich Brooks (UK): 1-3 in A.
Curci (UK): 2-2 in A. 1-3 in BR.
Claiborne (UK): 0-4 in A. 1-3 in BR.
Curry (Combined): 3-3 in BR (3-1). 0-3 in A. 0-1 in T.
Sumlin (TAMU): 1-2 in T. 0-3 in BR.
Pinkel (Mizzou): 1-1 in A.

Gus Malzahn is the worst road coach in SEC history. And it's not close.

I was able to stop reading at Barfield being 2-0 in Athens. That's all I needed to know. 

[johnnyAU 3,630]

As much as I already knew it, it hurts even worse seeing it written down. 

[Swamp Eagle 5,134]

2 hours ago, CleCoTiger said:

No it isn't. But keep beating the dead horse. I'm sure it will get up and run much faster...real soon now.

 

Clicking your ruby 👠  together and wishing for the best ain’t been working for you, either, Cosmo...

[Swamp Eagle 5,134]

I present to everyone the preferred method of making things better for Auburn football...

 

[WalkingCarpet 1,379]

I'm convinced we've reached a point where it's now harder to keep losing every single one of these games year after year than it is to screw around and accidentally win just one. Esteemed meme lords Bert and Butch Jones have done what the seven million dollar man can't. If he's still here next year maybe he'll win at BR but there's some freaky voodoo ish on that stadium that's extended over multiple staffs. 

You guys ever see that video with the Browns fan where he says it is statistically harder to be this bad for this long than it is to occasionally accidentally be good? That's Gus in road games against the big three. 

[shabby 1,956]

Gus Malzahn record at home would make him look like a stellar coach. His record on away games would look the opposite. Black and white thinkers look at it as an example of why he is terrible or why he is a great coach. The better question is this... Why is there such a discrepancy in performance?

[keesler 5,924]

31 minutes ago, shabby said:

Gus Malzahn record at home would make him look like a stellar coach. His record on away games would look the opposite. Black and white thinkers look at it as an example of why he is terrible or why he is a great coach. The better question is this... Why is there such a discrepancy in performance?

It's become a mental issue after 8 yrs in this regime.  Mentally weak people running this program, evidenced by Gus' first comments about the Iron Bowl when he mentioned "the 4th qtr", he'd already given up before the game even started.  He didn't have his team ready and he wasn't mentally ready to take down the #1 team on Saturday.  

[McLoofus 35,182]

15 minutes ago, keesler said:

It's become a mental issue after 8 yrs in this regime.  Mentally weak people running this program, evidenced by Gus' first comments about the Iron Bowl when he mentioned "the 4th qtr", he'd already given up before the game even started. 

Gus butt puckers quite a bit depending on the situation. It's the opposite of just focusing on his team and what they are good at.  Road games, powerful opponents, big leads... he doesn't trust his players, he doesn't trust his staff, he doesn't trust the offense or game plans that he's installed. 

I personally believe this to be a function of never having been mentored by a quality head coach. He's never seen how it's supposed to be done. And so he doesn't have a firm foundation to stand on when things get tough. Just my theory.

[keesler 5,924]

3 minutes ago, McLoofus said:

Gus butt puckers quite a bit depending on the situation. It's the opposite of just focusing on his team and what they are good at.  Road games, powerful opponents, big leads... he doesn't trust his players, he doesn't trust his staff, he doesn't trust the offense or game plans that he's installed. 

I personally believe this to be a function of never having been mentored by a quality head coach. He's never seen how it's supposed to be done. And so he doesn't have a firm foundation to stand on when things get tough. Just my theory.

A solid theory when we recognize he fell out of the trees of Houston Nutt/Todd Graham/Gene Chizik. 

I've seen him look confused on the sideline in years past, this year he just looks disinterested with little to no fire, energy or passion.

[McLoofus 35,182]

3 minutes ago, keesler said:

this year he just looks disinterested with little to no fire, energy or passion.

Probably thinking about how much better our offense would be if Chad wasn't screwing everything up.

[AUght2win 6,833]

10 hours ago, WalkingCarpet said:

I'm convinced we've reached a point where it's now harder to keep losing every single one of these games year after year than it is to screw around and accidentally win just one. Esteemed meme lords Bert and Butch Jones have done what the seven million dollar man can't. If he's still here next year maybe he'll win at BR but there's some freaky voodoo ish on that stadium that's extended over multiple staffs. 

You guys ever see that video with the Browns fan where he says it is statistically harder to be this bad for this long than it is to occasionally accidentally be good? That's Gus in road games against the big three. 

Exactly. The odds that he wouldn't just play decent and have the ball bounce his way for a win once is astounding. Especially when you consider this is an area where experience actually should help - you know the stadium, the gameday routine, the hotel, the noise level, everything. And he STILL can't win. It's truly pathetic. 

[AUght2win 6,833]

1 hour ago, keesler said:

He didn't have his team ready and he wasn't mentally ready to take down the #1 team on Saturday.  

I told my Dad I truly don't think he was even attempting to win the game after the first quarter. Honestly. Watch the decisions, the clock managment, the team's body language, Gus' demeanor. He has no fight in him, truly. I can't stand it.

I'd rather lose by 100 than lose by 14, trying to keep the score respectable, which is obviously what he is thinking with all the field goals.

I never thought I'd have to say it but I want an Auburn coach who actually has a burning desire to win, and not just continue to be head coach. 

[AUTigers2000 10]

This is an excellent post.  Gus MUST GO NOW!! This is an absurd stat.  

[auburn4ever 1,266]

If Barfield was still coaching, I have no doubt that his team could beat a Malzahn team with no trouble.

[bigbird 60,509]

1 minute ago, auburn4ever said:

If Barfield was still coaching, I have no doubt that his team could beat a Malzahn team with no trouble.

Well of course, Barfield had an offense

[keesler 5,924]

2 hours ago, AUght2win said:

I told my Dad I truly don't think he was even attempting to win the game after the first quarter. Honestly. Watch the decisions, the clock managment, the team's body language, Gus' demeanor. He has no fight in him, truly. I can't stand it.

I'd rather lose by 100 than lose by 14, trying to keep the score respectable, which is obviously what he is thinking with all the field goals.

I never thought I'd have to say it but I want an Auburn coach who actually has a burning desire to win, and not just continue to be head coach. 

I never thought I'd have to say that the man is a con artist and a snake oil salesman.  He used Arkansas with Sexton's help to leverage this ridiculous one-sided contract.  Yet, he continues to field a team that looks weak in some areas and unprepared in others, resulting in AU getting manhandled by a rival or two and showing that Auburn can't even dominate the bottom SEC teams anymore.  Then the fact that his entire program couldn't give a rats ass about preparing and winning a bowl game.

He makes the same annual promises to "turn this thing around", and "get back on track/we will get things fixed" while he's pulling in over half a million per game win or lose.  

I make ever effort to not post on here during a game or after a game, I always wait till Monday to even make a comment.  But that piss poor showing and Gus' pre game and half time comments on Saturday should be unacceptable.

 

[aucanucktiger 1,791]

I'm sorry you apparently spent so much time on such an intellectually dishonest, er, conclusion. If your criteria is road games by ANY SEC coach since the SEC started, against ANY grouping of traditionally top 3 SEC teams of their day (e.g. in the 1940s that would include Vanderbilt) Gus' road loss numbers are surpassed by many SEC coaches that haven't sniffed a national title. I'll let you flesh that out. You conveniently also avoid mentioning that historically, to be retained long enough to produce such lousy road records, coaches have to be extremely impressive at home - and not necesarily quantitatively,  occadional big wins do the trick qualitatively like, oh, say, being one of only 4 coaches in the history of the college game to beat #1 on consecutive weeks. 

[AUght2win 6,833]

1 hour ago, aucanucktiger said:

I'm sorry you apparently spent so much time on such an intellectually dishonest, er, conclusion. If your criteria is road games by ANY SEC coach since the SEC started, against ANY grouping of traditionally top 3 SEC teams of their day (e.g. in the 1940s that would include Vanderbilt) Gus' road loss numbers are surpassed by many SEC coaches that haven't sniffed a national title. I'll let you flesh that out. You conveniently also avoid mentioning that historically, to be retained long enough to produce such lousy road records, coaches have to be extremely impressive at home - and not necesarily quantitatively,  occadional big wins do the trick qualitatively like, oh, say, being one of only 4 coaches in the history of the college game to beat #1 on consecutive weeks. 

Lmao. Big ups to Gus for squeaking out wins in Oxford and Lexington against vastly inferior teams. It's like praising someone for putting shoes on in the morning. You don't congratulate someone for meeting a very very basic expectation. 

Championships are won and lost in the big venues. It's the true mark of a coach. 

Think about home field advantage. At the pro level, players shrug it off because they're grown men and professionals. At the high school level, it doesn't really exist. But in college football, home field advantage is more impactful than any other sport on the planet. You're taking 18 year olds into hostile 100,000 seat venues where their composure crumbles and their energy is deeply affected. 

It's here where you need leadership from your head coach. He is the guy leading the kids through the jungle. He has to prepare his players for the sensory overload and emotional onslaught they are walking in to.

Gus has no idea how to do it. And after so many tries, it's actually impressive that he always looks like he's visiting a venue for the first time. His experience has gained him nothing. It's almost difficult to do no better than he's done. 

0-12. Zero for twelve! It's insane! And I'm not even counting losses at Clemson and Florida.

Every year these games come and every year they derail any hopes of a title. Defend him if you want. He's terrible at arguably the most crucial part of his job.