On Saturday April 20, 2013, Auburn
fans will get their first glimpse at the 2013-2014 football team. But this year’s
A-Day feels even more special than usual. First, there’s a new regime on the
Plains…well, sort of. Gus Malzahn returns to the team he won the national
championship with in 2010 as the offensive coordinator, but this time as a head
coach. Although many Auburn fans (including myself) were skeptical of the hire
at first, it seems like almost everyone has hopped aboard the “Gus Bus.” Second,
it’s a bittersweet day for Auburn. After the spring game, everyone will gather
at Toomer’s Corner for the final rolling of the fabled Auburn Oaks. Because of
the final rolling is after the game, attendance for A-Day is expected to be
much higher than last season. Needless to say, it feels like this weekend is
going to a special one on the Plains. Before the stands of JHS are filled with
eager Auburn fans on Saturday, let’s take a look at some of the key storylines
going into A-Day 2013.
QUARTERBACK
It’s the biggest question mark going into the fall: who will start at quarterback for Auburn next season? The two frontrunners are obviously Kiehl Frazier and Jonathan Wallace. Frazier began the season under center for Auburn, before being replaced by Clint Moseley, who was subsequently replaced by Jonathan Wallace. However, all signs point to Kiehl Frazier having a bounce back year. After playing in an uncomfortable pro-style offense in 2012 under former offensive coordinator Scott Loeffler, Frazier returns to his natural offensive scheme: the spread offense. Frazier was recruited by Gus Malzahn to run this offense, and Kiehl has reportedly lost weight to better manage the quick tempo that Gus brings to the table. Despite this, Frazier has struggled in his Auburn career in protecting the football, decision making, and pocket presence. Whether Kiehl can fix these issues in the spring will go a long way to determining whether or not he starts the season again in 2013.
It’s the biggest question mark going into the fall: who will start at quarterback for Auburn next season? The two frontrunners are obviously Kiehl Frazier and Jonathan Wallace. Frazier began the season under center for Auburn, before being replaced by Clint Moseley, who was subsequently replaced by Jonathan Wallace. However, all signs point to Kiehl Frazier having a bounce back year. After playing in an uncomfortable pro-style offense in 2012 under former offensive coordinator Scott Loeffler, Frazier returns to his natural offensive scheme: the spread offense. Frazier was recruited by Gus Malzahn to run this offense, and Kiehl has reportedly lost weight to better manage the quick tempo that Gus brings to the table. Despite this, Frazier has struggled in his Auburn career in protecting the football, decision making, and pocket presence. Whether Kiehl can fix these issues in the spring will go a long way to determining whether or not he starts the season again in 2013.
Scott
Loeffler once said in 2012 that he would never consider starting Jonathan Wallace.
After Auburn got off to one of its worst starts in program history, Loeffler’s
stance changed. Wallace started the final four games of the season for the
Tigers after Clint Moseley got injured, and the true freshman did not disappoint.
Wallace provided an offensive spark for an otherwise stagnant Auburn offense,
setting the Auburn record for QB efficiency with an average of 139.60. Although
Wallace was impressive at times last season, his physical limitations may
hamper his chances of winning the starting job. The two wildcards at QB for the
Tigers are Jeremy Johnson and Nick Marshall. Johnson, the Carver High School
quarterback was Mr. Football for the state of Alabama in 2012. Many people
believe he could be the quarterback of the future for Auburn, but would Malzahn
be willing to start him as a freshman? Meanwhile, Nick Marshall comes to the
Plains from junior college, looking for a chance to be named the starter as
well. Remember the last quarterback to come to Auburn straight from junior
college? (hint: he has a statue outside of Jordan-Hare). Could Marshall follow in
Cam’s footsteps and become the immediate starter? Clearly it’s going to be an
intense battle at quarterback for Auburn in the next few months.
DEFENSE
Blame
it on the lack of production from the offense which kept the defense on the
field. Blame it on new defensive coordinator Brian VanGorder. Blame it on the
youth and inexperience of last year’s squad. Blame it on the a-a-a-a-a-alcohol
(Jamie Foxx voice). Whatever or whomever you blame Auburn’s defensive failures
from last year on; the problems need to be fixed…immediately. If Auburn doesn’t
fix its defense, all of the expected improvements in the offense will be for
not, and Auburn will be a bottom feeder in the SEC for a second consecutive
year.
Enter
new defensive coordinator Ellis Johnson. Johnson had a disastrous season last
year as a first year head coach with Southern Miss, but he has a strong reputation
as a successful defensive coordinator in the Southeastern Conference. Johnson
will bring a multiple defensive package to the Plains, highlighted by a base
4-2-5 defense. Johnson wants to bring the physicality and aggressiveness that
built Auburn’s defensive reputation over the years, which will be no easy task
considering how poorly the Tigers played in 2012. Auburn has several holes on
defense, starting with linebacker. Senior Darren Bates has left for the NFL
draft, leaving Coach Johnson with a relatively thin linebacking core. Jake Holland,
Cassanova McKinzy, and Kris Frost lead the charge at the position, but all
three will have to really improve their play for Auburn to be competitive next
season. Cornerback was a big problem for Auburn under Brian VanGorder, as the
Tigers only managed two interceptions last season. Winning the turnover margin
goes a long way towards success in college football, and more takeaways for the
Tiger’s defense could be a great equalizer for Auburn in 2013. Auburn has a
deep rotation of defensive tackles and ends, but with Corey Lemonier leaving
the NFL draft as well, Coach Johnson needs someone to step up and be a leader
for the defensive front next season. Finally, according to Coach Johnson the
most impressive player in the spring so far has been Justin Garret. Garret is
the front runner to play the hybrid “star” safety/linebacker position in the
4-2-5 package. With Darren Bates graduating, Auburn needs an aggressive player
to set the tone for the defense and Justin Garret just might fill that role.
OFFENSE
Gus Malzahn
is an offensive guru…there’s no debating that. But can Coach Malzahn, who has
an expanded role that reaches beyond just the offense, fix this horrid Tiger
attack and make Auburn competitive again? If you’re hoping to get an answer
from watching the offense on A-Day, don’t get your hopes up. It’s unlikely that
Gus will reveal any major schemes or plays so that his SEC foes don’t get a
preview of what to expect in 2013. One thing you can expect on Saturday is a
faster tempo. Much faster. There were many reports that Gene Chizik “limited”
Gus Malzahn’s offense while he was the Tiger’s offensive coordinator from
2009-2011. If that’s the case, expect a very new offensive scheme for Auburn
next season. If you want a sneak preview, I’d recommend checking out some film
from Arkansas State last season, a team that averaged 34.9 PPG, good enough for
26th in the nation. It’s going to be a difficult adjustment for
these Auburn players, who ran a slow-paced pro-style offense last season, but
based off the athletes on the roster, it’s a much better fit for Auburn. Plus,
if the Tigers have any chance of beating Alabama, they need to have a quicker
tempo. You aren’t going to beat the Tide at their own game (power football). If
Auburn wants to take down the Tide in 2013, the blueprint lies in the tape from
the Bama-Texas A&m game last season. The best way to wear down the best
defense in the country is by running as many plays as possible…simple as that. And
with Gus Malzahn at the helm in Auburn, and to the delight of most Auburn fans…we
can expect a lot of plays. And a few wrap around draws as well.
