Paul Finebaum says Gus Malzahn’s past will show where Auburn’s struggling offense is headed
By Keith Farner
Published:
The Auburn offense is off to a tough start this season, and talk around Tiger Nation is frustration is growing at the seemingly annual slow start with the promise from coach Gus Malzahn that it’ll get turned around.
The latest example came on Saturday at Georgia in a 27-6 loss when they converted just 6-of-15 third downs and managed just 39 rushing yards. That was their fewest in a game since LSU in 2018. Georgia also snapped Bo Nix’ streak of 253 pass attempts without an interception, which was the second-longest streak in the nation.
ESPN college football analyst and SEC Network host Paul Finebaum, on his regular Monday appearance on The Roundtable on WJOX-FM in Birmingham, Alabama, said he’s seen this Auburn move before.
Are Auburn fans sick of Malzahn’s message?
“Understandably, and we’ve had conversations like this in the past and what do you do?” Finebaum said. “Gus Malzahn decided to try something different by bringing in Chad Morris and so far it hasn’t worked. Against maybe the best defense in the country, there’s no indication from Saturday night that it’s going to work against Alabama, which I think has a similar defense. It’s the same conversation Ryan, and guess what, same result. I don’t know where to go. Auburn occasionally beats Georgia, occasionally beats Alabama, this is the program they have. Are they satisfied with it? No, but what are they going to do about it I guess is my final retort.”
Will this strain the relationship between Morris and Malzahn? Finebaum said that is also a predictable answer because Malzahn “wears thin” and “runs out of patience,” before he eventually takes over.
“People at Auburn probably predicted this from the beginning, and we all heard what a great relationship these two guys had, it was obvious why Gus Malzahn hired Chad Morris, they’re friends, the guy needed a lifeline after an incredibly disastrous run at Arkansas, which guess what, we saw it Saturday night in Starkville, some new blood and maybe some sound coaching can do,” Finebaum said. “It can lead you to finally getting a victory, which Morris didn’t get. I know that’s a long answer, but at some point I’m sure Gus will take the keys back. But is there anybody in this conversation that if I told you that back in July, you’d say, no, there’s no way of that happening. I think everyone will probably say it will happen sometime.”
A former newspaper veteran, Keith Farner is a news manager for Saturday Down South.
