Film Study: Auburn's Malzahn brewing something special on offense

Auburn University head coach Gus Malzahn is undoubtedly one of the most celebrated offensive minds in all of football as many marvel at his ability to create organized confusion by way of a tempo-based, hurry-up no-huddle approach.

He’s consistently gotten the most out of quarterbacks who may never see the light of day as an NFL prospect: Mitch Mustain, Casey Dick, Ryan Aplin, Chris Todd, Barrett Trotter, Clint Moseley and Nick Marshall.

The only top-flight talent he’s exclusively worked with thus far, current Carolina Panthers’ superstar QB Cam Newton, resulted in an undefeated season in which the Tigers won the BCS National Championship.

Heading into the 2015-16 season, Malzahn may be working with, perhaps, a talent who’s on par with Newton. While the 6’5, 229-pound Johnson might not be quite the athlete of Newton, a case can certainly be made he’s the superior passer who is a good enough athlete to do what the scheme calls for.

And that’s not to mention he’s surrounded by the most talent Malzahn has fielded in his time as an offensive coordinator or as a head coach.

In fact, this team — despite Malzahn’s philosophical approach being widely covered — may take some getting used to as it could easily be transformed from the most dominant rushing attack to one centered predominantly around the pass.

That, in itself, would make Auburn the most difficult team to game plan for as we know it will always be able to execute in the run game.

This is going to be a fun season.

Misconceptions

Most of the time when people refer to Malzahn’s offense they do so by simply labeling it a spread. And while it may certainly have elements of a spread, as far as how some of the receivers are deployed at times, calling it such is just flat-out misleading.

For all intents and purposes, Malzahn’s current incarnation should be referred to as a Power outfit.

Think about it; Yes, the Tigers will operate almost exclusively out of the “Gun,” but they also do so with at least two backs. And while the zone-read portion of the playbook receives the majority of the attention, and rightfully so, the Tigers could very well get by with a more traditional QB while running inside-zone concepts with the running backs.

In fact, when you truly break it down, the Tigers run a ton of standard between-the-tackles “Power” plays centered around an H-back — who is predominantly a lead-blocker but adds value to the pass game.

Additionally, the use of a flex tight end — who can be deployed as an in-line blocker — can make for some serious “Heavy” personnel for teams believing in countering the Tigers’ attack with sub-package grouping.

The presence of this guy almost erases what most would think about in regard to a spread offense. With him, “Power O,” “Lead-Iso,” and “Lead-Counter” are all in play. Meaning Auburn plays the same type of smash-mouth football one might associate with the University of Georgia and the University of Arkansas.

But the fact that there are potentially five receiving targets puts the defense on its heels. And the frequent use of play-action fakes, which one could initially diagnose as a read-option, undoubtedly provides cause to pause for the defense.

And all a QB needs is the slightest hesitation — especially in a Malzahn offense with a ton of moving parts — to be provided with an ample amount of room to dissect a defense. This means that a traditional QB could easily thrive in this system just like the dual-threat Marshall did.

Johnson’s Quick-Game Ability Is Paramount For Success

When most think of the Tigers’ offensive scheme, they think about the vertical concepts of Malzahn’s playbook. The fact that Malzahn likes to play a good deal of the game in a phone booth, so to speak, means that taking vertical shots is inevitable.

However, Johnson’s ability to spray the ball all around the yard is how Auburn’s offense will be even better. Marshall was decently efficient last season — 20 touchdowns, 7 interceptions with a 60.8 completion percentage — but I always felt like he left some plays out on the field.

His lack of accuracy in the quick game often resulted in plays not generating the type of yardage designed. Swings, hitches, shallow-crossers, smokes and screens are a prominent part of the playbook and are normally high-percentage throws…for accurate QBs.

Johnson won’t have any type of problems when it comes to accuracy. In fact, albeit in a limited sample size, he may be the most accurate passer I’ve studied on film.

He has a traditional over-the-top release he can get off in the blink of an eye, and he understands how to mirror the lower portion of his mechanics to his eyes and arm. His arm strength is top-notch and he’s usually on the money with his ball placement. (He will sail an occasional pass when he’s trying to piston release it.)

Just look at the ball placement in the above sequence; he led the receiver away from danger by throwing it low and away — effectively not getting him blown up.

His receivers will come to appreciate his accuracy and will have very little hesitation about going across the middle on Digs and Stabs.

The Tigers have a host of receivers who will thrive in the vertical portion of the scheme. Senior Ricardo Louis may be the premier deep-threat on the team as he’s shown a propensity for getting behind coverage in the past.

However, Duke Williams, while not being viewed as a speedster, has such an innate feel for route running that he often takes the top off defenses off sheer skill alone.

Case in point: The trajectory which with Johnson throws is perfect for Williams’ skill set as he’s a master at high-pointing the ball.

The pair will dominate in the quick game and will keep defenses honest with their ability to go vertical as well. When you throw in the versatile talents of Louis and fellow receivers Melvin Ray, Jason Smith and Marcus Davis, you can plainly see how great throw game can potentially become.

Check back with me in the next installment where I break down why the Tigers may also have the most potent rushing attack this season, too.