Gene Chizik apologizes to fans after Arkansas and vows to give offense an identity

Published October 8, 2012 - 12:15pm

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Gene Chizik may have the lost the game he couldn’t afford to lose Saturday against the dreadful Razorbacks 24-7. The Hogs were giving up over 500 yards of total offense and over 40 points per game on defense. Auburn scored seven points. Arkansas also had only two takeaways on defense in the entire season. Auburn committed five turnovers. Arkansas had seven total sacks on the season. Auburn gave up eight. You get the point.

It was a forgetful overall performance that won’t be forgotten by anyone on The Plains.

After the game, Chizik apologized to the fans.

“Auburn fans and family do not deserve this today,” said Chizik. “I apologize to anyone who came to watch it.

“I felt like we had two good weeks of practice. Today, we did all the things you can’t do and win,” said Chizik.

The coach cited the team’s five turnovers and eight sacks as examples of what the team did wrong. Chizik noted that he felt the defense also started out slow but had some big third-down stops. He also seemed highly disappointed in the offense.

“Offensively, (it was) one of the most poor performances I’ve seen in a long time,” said Chizik.

He also said during his Sunday teleconference that he’ll work with the offense and help it find some type of identity.

“It was pretty much what everybody saw. Offensively, it was glaring there was an inability to run the ball effectively,” he said. “When we had to throw the football, we were very poor in protection…there were different reasons for it, all the results were the same.

We’ve got to settle in on having an identity and being who we are. I feel like we’ve skipped around on that.”

“I really want to spend some time over there, and trying to get focused in on what we’re trying to do and get accomplished.”

“We have to evaluate everything offensively.”

Here are Auburn’s offensive statistics through five games:

• Scoring Offense: 15.4 ppg, 119th in the country
• Rushing Offense: 130.40 ypg, 93rd in the country
• Passing Offense: 172 ypg, 112th in the country
• Total Offense: 302.4 ypg, 115th in the country

Scot Loeffler was tabbed as the offensive coordinator this season after Gus Malzahn accepted the Arkansas State head coaching job. Loeffler had experience in a pro-style and spread offense in the past, working at both Michigan with Tom Brady and Florida under Urban Meyer. He inherited two different quarterbacks, in Kiehl Frazier and Clint Moseley, and now we know why it took the Tigers’ coaching staff so long in the preseason to name a starting quarterback – they weren’t sold on either.

I’m no SEC peanut football coach, but they are playing their best talent at quarterback – Kiehl Frazier – in a pro-style offense under center. Frazier is an option quarterback who can use his legs to hurt teams. They have no creative plays to get Frazier outside the pocket with an option to run or pass it. There are very few misdirection plays for Frazier. There’s very little zone-read even. Auburn is going to have to get good at one thing – running the football. They have to develop a spread attack. Playing Frazier in a pro-style offense is the equivalent of a square peg in a round hole. It doesn’t work, nor does it fit.

It’s back to the drawing board for Chizik, Loeffler and the Tigers’ offense. There is now a reeling sense of urgency for Chizik and his career as the leader of this football team. A 3-9 finish is very much possible. Bowl eligibility is pretty much out of the question.

Tags: Gene Chizik