Malzahn remains in a pretty good position

[JBiGGiE 2,488]

On 7/27/2018 at 12:01 PM, NorthGATiger said:

Gus has an almost identical record as Dan Mullen did at MSU against SEC opponents while both were coaching against each other.  How many head coaching gigs did Dan Mullen have before coaching at MSU?  Dan had far less talent with far less amenities yet he had the same record as Gus had against the SEC.  Please stop the Gus is learning and the Gus comparisons to Saban.  Gus is who he is.  Any success he has or has had only reaffirms in his mind that he is an innovative coach who is smarter than everyone else.  Life is easier if we all understand who he is instead of thinking every year that he is going to change or all of the sudden learn from his mistakes.  Gus is Lucy and all of you are Charlie Brown thinking you are finally going to be able to kick the football.

To compare Dan Mullen's record to Gus' is comparing apples to oranges. Miss St. under Mullen was consistently average and even in their best season still only managed one marquis win (yes, against Auburn) and still lost to Bama, Ole Miss, and Georgia Tech. Mullen is 0-9 against Saban.

But if you can't see that Gus is growing as a head coach, I don't know what to tell you... He's learning to trust his coordinators and position coaches, he's learning to trust his players, and recruiting is improving every year. Yes, things like riding the starters til they break and beyond bother me.

But come on man... Gus is not completey immutable.

[AUsince72 11,084]

10 minutes ago, JBiGGiE said:

To compare Dan Mullen's record to Gus' is comparing apples to oranges. Miss St. under Mullen was consistently average and even in their best season still only managed one marquis win (yes, against Auburn) and still lost to Bama, Ole Miss, and Georgia Tech. Mullen is 0-9 against Saban.

But if you can't see that Gus is growing as a head coach, I don't know what to tell you... He's learning to trust his coordinators and position coaches, he's learning to trust his players, and recruiting is improving every year. Yes, things like riding the starters til they break and beyond bother me.

But come on man... Gus is not completey immutable.

I had to look up the word immutable.  Nice.

I am, once again, giving Gus the benefit of the doubt (like there's a choice).  Yes, there is MUCH he's doing well and he HAS shown some evidence of learning and growing.

The only thing I take issue with is the bolded parts.  On Defense, absolutely 100%, but I don't think he's shown any real evidence of this yet on Offense.  I HOPE this is the year we do see it.

Unfortunately, Kam Martin last season is a prime example of his lack of trust in players.  He should have been RB1 for the SECG but.... Again, I do hope for more growth this year.

War Eagle.

[NorthGATiger 1,801]

1 hour ago, JBiGGiE said:

To compare Dan Mullen's record to Gus' is comparing apples to oranges. Miss St. under Mullen was consistently average and even in their best season still only managed one marquis win (yes, against Auburn) and still lost to Bama, Ole Miss, and Georgia Tech. Mullen is 0-9 against Saban.

But if you can't see that Gus is growing as a head coach, I don't know what to tell you... He's learning to trust his coordinators and position coaches, he's learning to trust his players, and recruiting is improving every year. Yes, things like riding the starters til they break and beyond bother me.

But come on man... Gus is not completey immutable.

What part of what I said don't you understand?  Gus has a mirror image record against SEC opponents from a coach at Mississippi State.  A school that is not and should not be on Auburn's level at ANYTHING when it comes to football.  Auburn football consists of more than just beating Alabama.  The SEC record of the 2 coaches shows that Mullen has done equal to Gus with less talent.  

[Auburn2Eugene 2,317]

On 7/24/2018 at 7:49 AM, AUsince72 said:

^^^ This.

As discussed previously, 10 wins used to be more impressive than it is today.  10 wins used to mean no more than 1 or 2 losses and a probable Conf Champ and/or Bowl victory.

10 wins now is fine but when coupled with 4 losses, No Championship and embarrassing Bowl loss.....it's not really a goal anymore (unless you're talking strictly Regular Season totals).

Hopefully numbers are not the goal but rather "Win the SEC".  

10 wins may not be the goal anymore, but even as "easy" as it is these days, we have won 10 in back to back seasons once in our entire history of playing football. As "easy" as it is, we still haven't done it since games expanded and bowl games were counted. 

On 7/27/2018 at 9:17 PM, AUsince72 said:

Not 100% sure bammer signs a Dabo nor a Kirby when l'il general steps down.  They have their own fat egos as it is and probably don't want to follow a "legend". .... besides, Clemson and thUga aren't exactly B List schools and Kirby is "home".

Probably like happened after bahr quit, they'll sign some NFL name who thinks he can step in but then he'll find out saban's blackmail material on Emmert doesn't carry over so he'll have some actual eggshells to navigate when 'cruitin'.

bammer's time is coming to an end.  Maybe not soon enough to make us happy, but they've run their course and sooner or later bammer fatigue will set in.

I just hope Lucy finally let's ole Charlie actually kick the ball by then.

People have only said this for 5+ years, yet he is still going strong, and shows no sign of letting up. 

We need to just take the next step, and not worry about what West Vance is doing. That way it won't matter when Little Nicky leaves or not. 

[AUsince72 11,084]

4 minutes ago, Auburn2Eugene said:

10 wins may not be the goal anymore, but even as "easy" as it is these days, we have won 10 in back to back seasons once in our entire history of playing football. As "easy" as it is, we still haven't done it since games expanded and bowl games were counted. 

Didn't say it was easy.  Not sure why you read that into my post.  Look at my points regarding 4 losses including the SECCG & bowl games.  Number of wins or losses regardless, I am always hoping for an SEC Championship (first) and Bowl victory (2nd).  If they could achieve that with only 9 wins it would be okay with me.

Don't get me wrong, I'm very happy with the bammer game win but unfortunately, the SECG sorta nullified the 1.0 victory over the mutts and the bowl game was humiliating.  10 wins doesn't remove that sting.

Note: This is just me and my opinion.  If you were satisfied with 2017 and a repeat of the same this year would make you happy, that's okay.

[AUsince72 11,084]

52 minutes ago, Auburn2Eugene said:

People have only said this for 5+ years, yet he is still going strong, and shows no sign of letting up. 

We need to just take the next step, and not worry about what West Vance is doing. That way it won't matter when Little Nicky leaves or not. 

I don't mean to imply it's imminent.  But l'il general ain't gonna coach forever (nor will his minion be running the NCAA forever) so the day will come.  I remember when bahr finally hung it up.  Some thought he was immortal and there were times it felt like it.

I DO agree with you though, regarding AU taking care of it's own business.  And that's one area I've been PROUD of Gus.  He's recruiting lights out in the same state, conference, division as the evil empire (holding his own) and he AIN'T intimidated when playing bammer.  I wish he'd treat every week like bammer week.

War Eagle.

[JBiGGiE 2,488]

3 hours ago, NorthGATiger said:

What part of what I said don't you understand?  Gus has a mirror image record against SEC opponents from a coach at Mississippi State.  A school that is not and should not be on Auburn's level at ANYTHING when it comes to football.  Auburn football consists of more than just beating Alabama.  The SEC record of the 2 coaches shows that Mullen has done equal to Gus with less talent.  

By that comparison a Ford Pinto and Corvette are both equally just cars.

[NorthGATiger 1,801]

14 hours ago, JBiGGiE said:

By that comparison a Ford Pinto and Corvette are both equally just cars.

Your avatar is a picture of me trying to figure out your thinking process lol.  It is 2 coaches against the same competition in the SEC.  One is driving the Pinto in your analogy and one is driving the Corvette in your analogy.  The guy driving the Pinto tied in a quarter mile race with the guy in the Corvette.  That should not happen.

[McLoofus 35,182]

15 hours ago, JBiGGiE said:

By that comparison a Ford Pinto and Corvette are both equally just cars.

 

24 minutes ago, NorthGATiger said:

Your avatar is a picture of me trying to figure out your thinking process lol.  It is 2 coaches against the same competition in the SEC.  One is driving the Pinto in your analogy and one is driving the Corvette in your analogy.  The guy driving the Pinto tied in a quarter mile race with the guy in the Corvette.  That should not happen.

Yeah, you can disagree with NorthGATiger's point, but I don't see how you can misunderstand his logic.

About the only argument against it I see is that MSU gets KY out of the East every year, but uga was hot garbage in 2 of the seasons that Gus lost to them: the season that got Richt fired and Kirby's first year immediately after. 

[DAG 33,997]

This year with a returning QB will be the perfect Litmus test for Gus. A legit college QB can mask a good bit of deficiencies on the offensive end, ask Lamar Jackson and Johnny football (obviously Stidham doesn’t have their athleticism). That being said, this team is more than capable of winning 9 games. There is no learning curve to be had. My biggest fear is Gus becoming Richt 2.0 and we already seeing his peak value. Of course Gus will have to get to Richt consistency in the SEC West, which is no easy task.

[Dual-Threat Rigby 8,682]

Man had 3 straight years where he did absolutely nothing and had like 3 ranked wins throughout and we’re fickle for not being sated by another 4 loss season with 3 embarrassing losses 

[keesler 5,926]

On 7/29/2018 at 1:21 PM, Auburn2Eugene said:

10 wins may not be the goal anymore, but even as "easy" as it is these days, we have won 10 in back to back seasons once in our entire history of playing football. As "easy" as it is, we still haven't done it since games expanded and bowl games were counted. 

People have only said this for 5+ years, yet he is still going strong, and shows no sign of letting up. 

We need to just take the next step, and not worry about what West Vance is doing. That way it won't matter when Little Nicky leaves or not. 

PREACH Brother!

If Gus' only obstacle was Alabama and Nick Saban, then AU would be sitting pretty as a playoff contender at the end of every year.  If his only hurdle hinged on a W/L vs Alabama then Auburn fans would be happy as clams.

But Alabama and Nick Saban are NOT Gus' major problem, they are NOT the reason he has averaged +/-4 losses a year, they have NO effect on the random/idiotic/stubborn play calling he always exhibits in a couple of games a year, they do NOT force him to run his RB#1 into the ground without prepping the backups, they have zero input on his game preparation, in-game management, refusal to make adjustments, or the fact that it takes him damn near the entire month of September every single year to know his roster, get his oline personnel in position to be effective, and get his players to execute whatever scheme he wants to run.

 

 

[keesler 5,926]

1 hour ago, Dual-Threat Rigby said:

Man had 3 straight years where he did absolutely nothing and had like 3 ranked wins throughout and we’re fickle for not being sated by another 4 loss season with 3 embarrassing losses 

They call us fickle fans, but we all know Jimmy Sexton's elaborate concoction of the Arkansas scheme, well designed scare tactics, and precision timing using threats on AU's Administration, saved CGM's arse.  

AU had no choice with the way the football coaching carousel unfolded at the end of the '17 season.  The AU Admin was ripe for the picking with a brand new President, an out-going AD, and an Athletic Department with their heads spinning like a top from the basketball/softball fallout.

[gr82b4au 5,568]

On 7/29/2018 at 12:38 PM, NorthGATiger said:

What part of what I said don't you understand?  Gus has a mirror image record against SEC opponents from a coach at Mississippi State.  A school that is not and should not be on Auburn's level at ANYTHING when it comes to football.  Auburn football consists of more than just beating Alabama.  The SEC record of the 2 coaches shows that Mullen has done equal to Gus with less talent.  

Just a quick question - who is MSU's east opponent every year? I think it is Kentucky?

[McLoofus 35,182]

23 minutes ago, gr82b4au said:

Just a quick question - who is MSU's east opponent every year? I think it is Kentucky?

Correct. 

-In 2013, AU and MSU both beat their inter-conference rival.
-In 2014, uga was 6-2 in conference and UK was 2-6. Auburn lost to uga, MSU beat UK.
-In 2015, uga was 5-3 in conference and UK was 2-6 again. Auburn and MSU both lost to their respective rival. 
-In 2016, they were both 4-4 in conference. Auburn and MSU both lost to their respective rival.

There was 1 season during Malzahn's tenure where MSU won 1 more game than Auburn did because of having an easier inter-conference rivalry matchup. 

Not being a smartass. Just trying to save folks some trouble. 

[gr82b4au 5,568]

19 minutes ago, McLoofus said:

Correct. 

-In 2013, AU and MSU both beat their inter-conference rival.
-In 2014, uga was 6-2 in conference and UK was 2-6. Auburn lost to uga, MSU beat UK.
-In 2015, uga was 5-3 in conference and UK was 2-6 again. Auburn and MSU both lost to their respective rival. 
-In 2016, they were both 4-4 in conference. Auburn and MSU both lost to their respective rival.

There was 1 season during Malzahn's tenure where MSU won 1 more game than Auburn did because of having an easier inter-conference rivalry matchup. 

Not being a smartass. Just trying to save folks some trouble. 

Make it easy. Swap UGA and UK and let’s see if MSU has the same wl record as AU. We would beat UK just about every year. They would lose to UGA just about every year. 

 

[McLoofus 35,182]

9 minutes ago, gr82b4au said:

Make it easy. Swap UGA and UK and let’s see if MSU has the same wl record as AU. We would beat UK just about every year. They would lose to UGA just about every year. 

Well, you can't really say that. Especially in 2014 when I think Mississippi state would have beaten UGA and we did not. That is why I went to the trouble. Because to just flatly say that without any numbers to back it up is overly simplistic and reductive. And, again, the real point of the numbers that I posted is that there was only one season when Auburn lost to UGA and Mississippi State beat Kentucky during Gus's tenure. 

Maybe some folks think that Auburn is only one game better then Mississippi State over 5 years as a program and job. I disagree.

[gr82b4au 5,568]

5 minutes ago, McLoofus said:

Well, you can't really say that. Especially in 2014 when I think Mississippi state would have beaten UGA and we did not. That is why I went to the trouble. Because to just flatly say that without any numbers to back it up is overly simplistic and reductive. And, again, the real point of the numbers that I posted is that there was only one season when Auburn lost to UGA and Mississippi State beat Kentucky during Gus's tenure. 

Maybe some folks think that Auburn is only one game better then Mississippi State over 5 years as a program and job. I disagree.

I think most would agree that We would love to play UK yearly. In the end we would have beaten UK just about every year and MSU would have lost to UGA just about every year. It is what it is- we have a tougher SEC schedule than anyone in the SEC. 

In the end it does not matter. We still have Gus. 

[McLoofus 35,182]

5 minutes ago, gr82b4au said:

I think most would agree that We would love to play UK yearly. In the end we would have beaten UK just about every year and MSU would have lost to UGA just about every year. It is what it is- we have a tougher SEC schedule than anyone in the SEC. 

In the end it does not matter. We still have Gus. 

Yes, I would prefer to have Kentucky on our annual schedule. But the respective inter-divisional matchups do not explain why Mullen's record is as good as Gus's in conference. That was the only point that I was making.

But since we're still talking about this, no, I'm not certain that we would have beaten Kentucky in 2015 or 2016.

Auburn and Mississippi State should never have comparable conference records over a 5 year stretch.