Gus Malzahn
Space U
By: Robert Craft
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
UCF has been a stable competitive team in college football, and a team to never overlook, and that is the case again this season. UCF is projected to be at top of the BIG 12 conference but have some interesting games on the 2024 slate.
Here is a look at my game-by-game predictions for the 2024 Central Florida Knights:
August 29 New Hampshire Wildcats
September 7 Sam Houston Bearkats
2 Cupcake UCF Wins
September 14 at TCU Horned Frogs: We expect the TCU Horned Frogs to be better on offense than they were a season ago. Never easy to go into Fort Worth and win. UCF defense steps up and Knights start 3-0. UCF 31 TCU 27.
September 28 Colorado Buffaloes: The Bounce House will be lit. Coach Prime will watch his Buffaloes melt in the Orlando heat. In a shoot-out, the Knights win. UCF 45 Colorado 38.
October 5 at Florida Gators: Never easy to go to Gainesville and win a game. Florida wants to be better this season, now we will see if that actually comes to fruition. The Gators grab a win. Florida 31 UCF 28.
October 12 Cincinnati Bearcats: The Knights roll and take care of Cincinnati. This is the military appreciation game at the Bounce House and the defense will come to life. UCF 28 Cincinnati 10.
October 19 at Iowa State Cyclones: Iowa State plays a defensive style game here and keeps the Knights from moving the ball too quickly. Iowa State finds a way in late October in Ames. Iowa State 24 UCF 20.
October 26 Brigham Young Cougars: The Cougars are slayed, as UCF gets another in the win column. UCF 38 BYU 17.
November 2 Arizona Wildcats: I think this could be the best game of the season. In a shootout, the Knights win at home. This is a game they really need. UCF 48 Arizona 42.
November 9 at Arizona State Sun Devils: The Knights travel to Tempe and leave with a huge win. The Knights have too much offense and they’ll overwhelm the Sun Devils. UCF 34 Arizona State 16.
November 23 at West Virginia Mountaineers: It could be cold in Morgantown just before Thanksgiving. The rushing attack is strong for the Mountaineers. The Knights run through West Virginia. UCF 24 West Virginia 13.
November 30 Utah Utes: The Utes are projected to be one of the best teams in the BIG 12. This could be game 1 of a 2-game series for a playoff berth. UCF with home field advantage takes game one. The crowd, heat, and rushing attack wear down the Utes. UCF 27 Utah 24.
UCF with 1 BIG 12 loss will be heading to the conference championship game and a game to make the College Football Playoffs.
UCF Knights 2023 Preview
By: Robert Craft
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
“When you look at your schedule, there’s no off weeks,” UCF head coach Gus Malzahn said. “You’ve got to bring your A-game every week. That’s really what stands out to me coming in as a new kid on the block.”
Without a doubt, 2023 boasts the toughest schedule in UCF football’s history.
It’s exactly what the Knights want: the chance to play before sold-out crowds on tradition-rich Big 12 campuses.
With the five Big 12 road games and one at Boise State in non-conference play, it’s still a more manageable schedule than any other BIG 12 team.
Let me be clear- it’s not all going to be easy. Those road dates at Kansas State, Oklahoma, and Texas Tech will keep UCF from cranking out a massive debut season.
Do the Knights have the skill level, depth, and toughness to compete in their new conference?
Head Coach Gus Malzahn has been preparing for UCF’s first season in the Power 5 for two years, with the goal of building a roster that’s able to match up with the Big 12.
Malzahn and his staff dove into the transfer portal, adding 18 new transfers to the 2023 roster. A handful of hot-handed new players come with Power 5 experience and clout.
John Rhys Plumlee (JRP) returns for year two at UCF as one of Malzahn’s most trusted leaders, entrenched as the starting quarterback.
JRP returns with a wealth of talent around him, from receivers Javon Baker, Kobe Hudson and Trent Whittemore to tight end Alec Holler and running backs RJ Harvey, Demarkcus Bowman, and Johnny Richardson.
There’s a new playcaller at UCF. Malzahn brought in offensive coordinator Darin Hinshaw this offseason.
Before Malzahn arrived at UCF, the Knights boasted one of the most explosive offenses in the country. The scoring average dropped from 40+ points per game in 2020 to around 32 per game in 2021 and 2022. Big 12 dogfights will happen this season. UCF must keep up.
The Knights defense is okay at best. They need to be a more disruptive force to win games this year.
The run defense got ripped up late last season, the pass defense had issues during the middle of the season. There are enough good veterans back to be better in 2023. Against real competitors, will UCF only be able to perform on one side of the ball?
For the fans: There will be an upset here and there, but there also isn’t a sure win outside of Kent State and Villanova. Are you worried?
Don’t underestimate anything this team and program can do, but figure on at least two losses between the road trips to Boise State, Oklahoma, and Kansas State, and at best the away games against Cincinnati, Kansas, and Texas Tech are 50/50.
With a manageable schedule, will UCF manage a successful season?
My concern is for quarterback health. Rhys Plumlee doesn’t shy away from contact and is regularly on the move behind an offensive line that may be worse than last year’s. Taking hits piles up, and he’s already missed games in his career. If Rhys Plumlee misses games in 2023, UCF is in serious trouble.
UCF could win 8 or 9 game with a healthy Plumlee but if he’s injured or playing hurt 6 or 7 games is the ceiling.
Come Play In The Sunshine
By: Robert Craft
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
First off, kudos to Gus Malzahn and his staff for raising their recruiting as they embark on their first season in the Big 12.
Earlier this month, Malzahn held the third Bounce House event since his arrival and by far his most successful in terms of getting elite recruits on campus.
Of the 22 official visitors, 12 were blue-chip recruits. UCF had three attend last year at the same event. They have signed a grand total of 18 blue-chippers all-time, according to the 247Sports database.
UCF’s staff not only brought in luxury cars to dress up the facilities, Malzahn also outfitted himself in an astronaut suit to show these guys he’s serious about wanting them to be a part of the program’s future. That’s commitment.
All that said, the hardest part in recruiting for a rising program like UCF is getting the buy-in come December.
Last year, the Knights lost three-star offensive tackle Jamal Meriweather to Georgia at the last minute after a 14 months verbal commitment. Then, three-star tight end Jayvontay Conner dropped them the moment Ole Miss extended an offer.
It’s inevitable if SEC schools and other elite programs go head-to-head with UCF for guys — they’re going to lose a few until they prove they can win at the Power 5 level.
In the meantime, I feel good about a handful of last weekend’s prospects eventually committing. Three-star edge rusher DJ Allen left raving about his trip to Orlando.
Purdue and Louisville are the biggest competition with Allen.
Meanwhile, I predict the Knights will end up with four-star running back Stacy Gage, who is originally from the Tampa area. He said he wants to commit before the season begins, but it’s a recruitment that will probably come down to the wire.
Three-star defensive back Christian Peterson from Atlanta told Recruiting News Guru that UCF is his top school coming off the trip, but he has an official visit to Cincinnati, Louisville, Georgia Tech, and Virginia Tech.
The two biggest recruits UCF probably has the best shot of landing are four-star safety Brandon Jacob and four-star offensive lineman Eddy Pierre-Louis, two standouts who live nearby and could be convinced to take the Knights to the next level.
Pierre-Louis, the younger brother of former Gators offensive tackle Richard Gouraige, is close with three-star defensive line commitment Sincere Edwards.
UCF needs to upgrade its offensive line talent. So, I wouldn’t be surprised if Malzahn lands some quality recruits at that spot from the Georgia area, such as four-star Waltclaire Flynn Jr. or three-stars Jordan Floyd and Kahlil House.
The Knights now have seven commits for the 2024 class and are poised to crack the top 40 of 247Sports’ composite team rankings.
All verbal commitments are non-binding until December when the early signing period opens.
I expect UCF to have its best recruiting class in school history with a finish in the top 40.
The Knights Conquest
By: Robert Craft
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The UCF Knights play seven home games during the 2022 football schedule; four of the first five games are inside the Bounce House at FBC Mortgage Stadium.
The most attractive home games from a fan perspective are likely Power 5 opponents Louisville and Georgia Tech, as well as in-conference foes SMU and Cincinnati.
The road games feature an in-state battle with Florida Atlantic, as well as trips to East Carolina and USF.
The road game for the Knights against the Bulls might be the last between UCF and USF for quite some time, as UCF heads off to the Big XII on July 1, 2023.
To win the AAC title in the last year of the AAC’s existence, the Knights will need to be very good during the back end of their schedule. Starting with the road game against East Carolina (Oct. 22), UCF played six consecutive conference games that contained their own pitfalls.
2022 UCF Knights Football Schedule
Sep. 1, South Carolina State: The HBCU National Champions are no match for The Knights. UCF wins in a blowout.
Sep. 9, Louisville: This is Louisville’s first ever trip to Orlando. As we learned first-hand in last season’s match-up, Cunningham’s dual-threat ability has been a problem for UCF historically.
The Bounce House will be Rocking for revenge after last season’s heartbreaking loss. This is a measuring stick game for The Knights. The crowd and humidity will play a big role in this game. UCF 31 Louisville 27
Sep. 17, @ Florida Atlantic: This is UCF’s only true road game in the entire first half of the season. UCF flies by the Owls 48-17
Sep. 24, Georgia Tech: This game in Orlando was initially scheduled for September 16th, 2017, but was canceled due to Hurricane Irma. This is Georgia Tech’s first-ever trip to The Bounce House and they’ll get bounced back to Atlanta. UCF 38- GT 20.
Oct. 1, SMU: The Knights kick off conference play against a team that blew them out last year. Tanner Mordecai has found a home at SMU after sitting on the benching at Oklahoma for three years.
He’s a Walter Camp, Davey O’Brien, and Maxwell Award Watch-lister coming into 2022. With that being said, UCF has never lost to SMU at home. UCF 34 SMU 30
Oct. 13, Temple: The Owls new coaching staff will bring a new energy, but this is a bad football team. UCF smokes another parliament of Owls.
Oct. 22, @East Carolina: The Knights first real road game. The Pirates have 14 returning starters, East Carolina is poised for another winning season and will be a tough out in the American Athletic Conference.
This is a trap game with the Knights looking ahead to the showdown with Cincinnati. ECU 30 UCF 28
Oct. 29, Cincinnati: This will be the big one for American Athletic Conference play.
The Bearcats have lost a ton of talent especially at the skill positions.
Who is going to replace Desmond Ridder, Jerome Ford, Alec Pierce on offense and Sauce Gardner, Coby Bryant and Bryan Cook on defense?
There will be an electric atmosphere at The Bounce House and The Knights will feed off the crowd in a shocker. UCF 27-Cincinnati 24
Nov. 5, @Memphis: The 2022 Tigers are full of veterans on offense, Memphis should be strong in the defensive backfield, and overall, they should be just a wee bit motivated by being left out of the BIG 12 expansion. This should be a true American Athletic Conference shootout. UCF 48 Memphis 38
Nov. 12, @Tulane: The Knights will surf the Green Wave. UCF 37- Tulane 16
Nov. 19, Navy: Navy can play! Their offense can still control the clock, the running game was ninth in America, and their defense even finished 34th in the nation and wasn’t bad.
The Knights sail easily by the Midshipmen all things considered. UCF 31 Navy 10
Nov. 25, @USF: The Cows are still crying about being left out of the BIG 12. This may be the final ‘War on I-4” and the Knights will sacrifice the Bulls. UCF 53-USF 13
Gus Malzahn overcame a rash of injuries to put together a solid 9–4 season in his UCF debut. With 14 returning starters and a host of plug-and-play transfer additions, The Knights will leap back into the AAC championship game.
Out Front
By: Robert Craft
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
When the UCF Knights took the field for their spring game on Saturday, they had a unique look.
UCF announced that in the spring game, players will be donning custom QR codes on the back of their jerseys in place of the traditional number. The QR code will link back to the player’s profile on the UCF athletics website.
On the UCF website, each player has links to their social media profiles. This innovative approach to the spring game further emphasizes the changing times across college athletics in the NIL era.
This approach is not the first of its kind for UCF in the NIL era. Last spring, UCF geared up for its spring game with different looking uniforms, just like this year. Last spring game, though, Knights players had their Twitter handles on their nameplates.
Things obviously look drastically different right now across college sports than they did a couple years ago. With players now able to profit off of their Name, Image, and Likeness, the game has completely changed. UCF head coach Gus Malzahn has seen those changes come by firsthand.
UCF has tried to embrace the evolving times under Malzahn, and now these types of things are par for the course in college sports.
“Last year, we put Twitter handles on our jerseys. I was like, ‘What the heck am I doing?’” Malzahn said. “We wanted to be the school that embraced it. At the old traditional schools, there’s a lot of dynamics. Yeah, they’re for it but really, they’re not for it. We are a school that can fully embrace it—the young school, social media. It fits with us. It was a little weird early on. Now it’s not. Now it’s part of the job description.”
UCF’s offense hit its stride in the Spring Game after quarterbacks Mikey Keene and John Rhys Plumlee combined to produce nearly 500 passing yards.
Malzahn’s optimism for the quarterbacks showed on the stat sheet with Keene going 21 of 28 for 282 passing yards and three touchdowns, while Plumlee went 11 of 15 for 189 passing yards and four touchdowns.
Opponents totaled 25 sacks for 158 yards against UCF last year. That’s 4 more sacks and 23 extra yards than the year prior.
With starters Cole Schneider and Marcus Tatum off to the pros, Malzahn turned to the NCAA transfer portal for more size. He found that with a 6-foot-10 offensive tackle Ryan Swoboda (Virginia) and a 6-foot-7 tackle Tylan Grable (Jacksonville State).
With the combination of adding two transfers with a full year of development under coach Herb Hand, Malzahn likes where things stand with his offensive line.
That success by the offensive line will lead to running the ball well. During the spring game, sophomore Johnny Richardson gained 108 yards on just 9 carries while Mark-Antony Richards, Anthony Williams and true freshman Jordan McDonald rushed for more than 30 yards each.
This all happened while starting running back Isaiah Bowser, who led the team with 9 rushing touchdowns last year, had the afternoon off.
Last season was the first for Malzahn at UCF. In his first year, he led the Knights to an overall record of 9-4, including a 5-3 mark against AAC opponents. UCF wrapped up the season with a victory over the Florida Gators in the Gasparilla Bowl.
“Ever since the bowl win, it’s been different,” Malzahn said. “I think the combination of the bowl win, the combination of going to the Big 12, you can feel when you’re here that we’re about to do something special. You can feel it, the recruits can feel it. Everybody wants to dream, everybody wants to be a part of something special, and we’re well on our way.”
UCF is definitely a bright future stock to BUY.
Shining Knights
By: Robert Craft
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Despite finishing with a 6-4 record last season, UCF has had the most exciting offseason in program history.
First, Josh Heupel took the Tennessee job, then UCF hired Gus Malzahn.
Malzahn has brought excitement in the transfer portal and high school recruiting to UCF’s fan base.
The question is, can Gus Malzahn take the pieces around him and make UCF an AAC Championship contender?
Watching tape of Malzahn’s offense at Auburn, he did not incorporate the vertical passing game, and when his offense was most successful, he had a running quarterback (Cam Newton and Nick Marshall).
So, I dug a little deeper, I watched tape from Arkansas State, Tulsa and Arkansas (offensive coordinator). At these programs, Malzahn did utilize the vertical passing game. At Tulsa, Malzahn’s offense ranked second in the nation in scoring and first in passing offense.
The reason for the research is Malzahn’s offense at UCF will revolve around Junior quarterback Dillon Gabriel.
Gabriel is one of the most prolific passers in college football; in two seasons he has thrown for 7,223 yards, 61 touchdowns and 11 interceptions while maintaining a quarterback rating of 156.6.
UCF returns all five starters on the offensive line, but they do need to be a bit stronger in pass protection. The passing attack will be the spotlight of the offense again in 2021, but the ground game will also have to be productive if the Knights want the AAC Championship.
UCF has weapons at wide receiver with Jaylon Robinson, Ryan O’Keefe, Nate Craig Myer (Colorado State transfer), Brandon Johnson (Tennessee transfer) and Jordan Johnson (Notre Dame transfer). Speed, Speed and more Speed!
UCF’s running back roster is crowded and unproven. Running backs coach Tim Harris Jr and Malzahn will have to find a solid rotation. Look for one of the following players to emerge as the starter: Mark Anthony Richards, RJ Harvey, Johnny Richardson, or Isaiah Bowser.
UCF’s defense was a big problem last season, allowing almost 500 yards and 33 points per game. The Knights are counting on some transfers to improve on last season’s struggles.
Former Auburn Tiger Big Kat Bryant and Ricky Barber from WKU should be quick improvements for the Knights on a roster-personnel standpoint.
Eriq Gilyard (LB), Derek Gainous (S), Tatum Bethune (LB), Cam Goode (DT) and Corey Thornton (CB) will join the other new transfers to create more big plays. UCF’s defense will tighten up and help the Knights get back to Championship contention.
Competition wise, UCF should receive a few challenging tests throughout the 2021 season, including a few heated and strong rivals in their conference.
Their out of conference schedule isn’t a given, as matchups with Boise State and Louisville, will prove to be important early season tests.
Before I waste any more time, here’s the UCF schedule and my predictions.
Layup wins: Bethune-Cookman, East Carolina, Temple, UConn and South Florida
Tough games but wins: Boise State, Louisville, Navy, Memphis, Tulane and SMU
Marquee Matchup: at Cincinnati, the Bearcats home field advantage proves to act too much for the Knights. Rematch December 4th for the AAC Championship Game.
To end the 2021-22 season, Gus Malzahn and the UCF Knights will finish with an 11-1 record. Heard it here first, folks.
Knighting Up
By: Robert Craft
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Gus Malzahn has a reputation for being one of college football’s top recruiters. Since he arrived in Orlando, Malzahn has been able to capitalize by landing several top transfers to UCF.
Malzahn emphasized recruiting is very important to play with the Power 5 programs. Since his arrival on February 15th, “The Gus Bus” hasn’t slowed down.
Linebacker Bryson Armstrong, an All American from Kennesaw State, is the latest player to commit to Malzahn and UCF. Armstrong was the Big South Conference Defensive Player of the Year in 2019.
Wide receiver Jordan Johnson transferred to UCF. Johnson was one of the most talented players in the country in the class of 2020 according to 247Sports Composite Rankings. He ranked as the number 37 overall player and the number 6 receiver in the country. Johnson makes the fourth former Notre Dame product to transfer to UCF since 2017.
Former Western Kentucky redshirt freshman defensive tackle Ricky Barber has transferred to The Knights. Barber was a 2020 Freshman All American by Football Writers Association of America this past season.
Big Kat Bryant announced he was transferring to UCF over Tennessee. During his time at Auburn, Bryant recorded 56 tackles, 10 sacks, seven passes defended, two interceptions, two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery for the Tigers. SEC coaches named Bryant a Second Team All-SEC selection.
The defensive lineman became the third former Tiger to follow Malzahn to Orlando as running back Mark Anthony Richards and receiver Nate Craig Meyers each made the decision to continue their college careers at UCF.
Running back Isaiah Bower (Northwestern) kicker Ryker Casey (App State) and linebacker Hirkley Latu (BYU) round out the new Knights.
The transfer portal can be a double-edged sword. While it can help provide teams with much needed depth and experience, some worry that coaches are signing free agents rather than developing younger talent from high school recruiting.
Unlike former UCF coaches, Malzahn has been offering 4-star and 5-star recruits to UCF. He said it’s about building relationships and UCF is working on changing the narrative with recruits vs transfers.
Malzahn’s sites are set to get these talented players to UCF and be part of building something special. The best way to create franchise energy is to get plugged into the establishment and its actions.
Malzahn will inherit a program that went 6-4 this past season and quarterback Dillon Gabriel. Gabriel, one of the top returning sign callers in the country, should mean the Knights program start Malzahn’s tenure with a high floor.
Non-Conference games against Boise State and Louisville in September will give Coach Malzahn a chance to shine early against big names.
The Gus Bus is creating major synergy, so buckle up Knight fans it is going to be UCFast.
A Plain Change?
By: Kipp Branch
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Auburn started the 2018 season ranked in the top 10 and beat a ranked Washington team the opening weekend in Atlanta.
The Tigers went into a week 3 matchup with LSU and ended up being exposed on offense in a 22-21 loss.
Back to back losses to Mississippi State and a bad loss at home to rebuilding Tennessee started the rumblings on the plains and then another loss to UGA in Athens, and having 52 hung on them in the Iron Bowl has Malzahn’s future at Auburn being questioned by many around the SEC.
Malzahn’s overall record at Auburn now is 53-27 in six years. Outside of the miracle season of 2013 where Auburn went 12-2, won the SEC, and lost the National Title game to FSU, what have the Tigers done that is so special?
Yes, I know Auburn won the SEC West in 2017 and beat number one ranked Georgia and Alabama in a three week span that November. I get that, but this program turned around and lost to Georgia in the 2017 SEC Title game 28-7 and then lost to UCF in the Peach Bowl to finish 10-4 on that season.
Auburn is 41-25 over the past five seasons, the natives are getting restless in Auburn, Alabama. So basically, Auburn under Gus is a program that is going to lose 4 or 5 games a season.
That is not acceptable at Auburn and they are trying to stay in the same area code as rival Alabama. Alabama is winning 13-14 games a season now under Saban, while Auburn is an 8-5 type team.
Let’s take a look at reasons why Auburn is struggling right now:
Stubbornness: Gus always says the right things in the media and promises change, but nothing seems to change especially as it centers around play calling on offense.
This is Malzahn’s offense at Auburn and now that Chip Lindsey is gone the focus is squarely on Gus. That is all on Malzahn. The offense is his baby.
Jarret Stidham will have a successful pro career, but I don’t think Auburn knew how to use his skill set properly. The fan base turned on Stidham, but forgot that without Stidham Auburn doesn’t win the SEC West in 2017.
Running Back: How does a school that produced William Andrews, James Brooks, Bo Jackson, Brent Fullwood, Rudy Johnson, Carnell Williams, Ronnie Brown, and Kerryon Johnson, not have a big time running back? Auburn can’t run the football, and it’s because they don’t have a big time running back. This is squarely on Gus.
Player Development: If you look at five year recruiting ranking averages Auburn is in the top ten, but Auburn has lost, on average, 5 games per season in the same cycle. What is happening to all of that talent? Gus Malzahn is the head coach of Auburn University and the buck stops with him.
Auburn hung 63 on Purdue in the Music City Bowl and Gus was feeling really good about his play calling in that contest. Will that be enough to quiet down the critics on the plains?
If not for The Prayer at Jordan Hare against UGA, or the Kick Six against Alabama in 2013 would Gus still be the football coach at Auburn University?
Keep a close watch on this situation at Auburn. If Auburn struggles early in 2019 will Gus make it to October?
Auburn is a proud football program, but the Tigers have been losing to UGA and Alabama a lot lately. That will not cut it on The Plains.
Tiger fans are praying that incoming QB Bo Nix has the same impact that Jake Fromm has had at UGA. That may be what saves the Gus Bus at AU.
Auburn Spring Game
By: Kenneth Harrison Jr.
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Auburn is one of the traditional powers in college football. The Tigers had a great 2017 finishing 10-4 and 7-1 in the SEC. They beat both teams that played in the national championship game, Georgia and Alabama. They did lose the rematch with UGA in the SEC Championship. They also lost the Peach Bowl to UCF.
Star running back Kerryon Johnson declared for the NFL Draft after the season. Auburn will have to replace his 1,391 yards and 18 touchdowns.
One positive going into the 2018 season is they have finally found another quality quarterback to run Gus Malzahn’s offense in Jarrett Stidham. Stidham completed 66% of his passes for 3,158 yards and 18 TD’s. He did not play in the spring game.
In the A-Day game defense dominated. Auburn’s first-team defense held the second-team offense to minus-five yards in the first half and the quarterbacks combined to go 15 of 39 for 90 yards.
“We’re going to be top 10 this year,” defensive end Marlon Davidson said. “We’re going to be top 5; maybe even top 1. That’s how we feel. That’s how we’re going to carry it.”
I’m trying to not believe the hype. I think the defense can be very good but defense typically dominates the offense in spring or early in the season. It is worth noting that the Tigers have vastly improved over the past two years under defensive coordinator Kevin Steele.
In 2017 they had their best year in pass and total defense since 2008. Auburn ranked 12th in scoring defense and 14th in total defense last season and has ample depth returning, particularly in the front seven.
“Our pillars for success is that we want to be relentless in pursuit,” Steele said. “Effort is being coached at a high level on every day, on every play. Effort is an eraser. When somebody makes a mistake, effort will erase a mistake. Then we’ve worked really hard on physical fundamentals, being physical with your fundamentals. So, really, really good in fundamentals. And then, of course, tackling. We’ve done a lot within the framework of how much you can tackle. So, the proper tackling technique.”
The defense constantly pressured Auburn’s two younger quarterbacks, forcing several interceptions from Malik Willis and Joey Gatewood. They also forced fumbles from several players.
On A-Day, Nick Coe led a defensive line unit that combined for 6.5 of 11 tackles for loss, including two sacks, one from Coe, which led to a safety.
“Our defense has a chance to be really good,” Auburn coach Gus Malzahn said. “… I think we’ve got some quality depth upfront. We’ve got quality depth at the linebacker position too. I know coach Steele’s focus was on the backend, putting all the pieces to the puzzle. I think overall they’ve done a very solid job.”
The final score was Orange: 18, Blue: 10. My takeaway is that Auburn is expecting to have a great defense in 2018 and I think that is realistic. I don’t put a lot of stock in the A-Day defensive performance though because they did not face their first team quarterback.
We will see if they can live up to their potential when the season begins September 1st versus Washington in Atlanta.
Auburn Preview
By: Christian Goeckel
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Gus Malzahn and the Auburn Tigers enter 2017 in an interesting position.
With the transfer signing of quarterback Jarrett Stidham and the return of the SEC’s leading rusher, Kamryn Pettway, the Tiger’s are optimistic they can revive their offense.
On defense, the Tigers face the unenviable task of replacing 3rd round pick, Montravious Adams and 4th round pick, Carl Lawson. Tray Matthews should step in as the emotional and vocal leader of the unit, but the jury is still out on if this defense can withstand a pretty brutal gauntlet of opposing offenses.
Just like with any team, Auburn has plenty of question marks. Do they have enough answers to stand up to LSU and Alabama?
Who’s coming back?
Offense: Auburn returns nine starters on offense this year, including the dynamic running back tandem of Kam Pettway and Kerryon Johnson. The duo combined for an outstanding 2,119 yards on the ground in 2016. Those numbers should only improve if new QB Jarrett Stidham can open up the field with the deep passing game.
Gone is leading receiver, Tony Stevens. I say “leading receiver” in the most apathetic way possible, as Stevens only accumulated 487 yards through the air and the next best was over a hundred yards behind him.
To say the passing game was weak last year would be like saying Nick Saban takes his football serious. Rising sophomores Darius Slayton and Kyle Davis will be leaned upon heavily, but showed promise last year.
The line is the best unit on the team. Redshirt Senior Darius James is the corner stone of a group made up completely of upper classmen. At least two of these guys will be picked in the first three rounds next year, and will be paving the way on the Flats all season.
Defense: On defense, Auburn returns seven starters. Adams and Lawson are gone, and that can’t be understated. Pass rush is a major question, but Auburn can take solace in the fact that it’s secondary and linebacking corps are rock solid.
Senior Tre’ Williams returns at inside linebacker to lead a group that could be the most underrated in the conference.
In the secondary, Seniors Tray Matthews and Stephon Roberts will be shutting down quarterbacks and stuffing running backs with reckless abandon.
If the secondary can hold up long enough for the pass rush to find its’ stride, this could be a very good bunch.
Biggest thing that has to happen to have a great season? Gus Malzahn and Chip Lindsey find a groove: Make no mistake, this is still Gus Malzahn’s offense, but Chip Lindsey was brought in from Arizona State to open up the passing game and bring it back from the laughing stock it has been since Nick Marshall left.
If the brilliance of Gus’ running attack can blend with Lindsey’s aerial attack, Auburn’s offense could be elite.
Biggest thing that could spell disaster for Auburn? Stidham isn’t the savior: Jarrett Stidham is in an unenviable position.
Not since the days of Cam Newton has a quarterback had as much preseason pressure thrusted upon him on the Flats as Stidham has.
The worst thing that could happen to Auburn is if he’s just… ok. If Stidham doesn’t come out and light it up, Malzahn might regress to his old habit and hop back on the quarterback carousel. If this happens, prepare for another seven or eight win season on the Flats.
Expect Stidham to be somewhere in the middle, between Messiah and bust. The Tigers have two great backs to lean on, and will be solid on defense.
A bunch of things have to fall their way to make it to Atlanta, and don’t count on them happening. This will be a good season for Auburn fans, but probably not the great one they’re getting their hopes up for.
Prediction: 8 – 4 Outback Bowl
