No, they SHOULD be 12-0 regardless....because they are better than anyone left on their regular season. That's why we play the games because some weeks even the best of the best can have things go against them and they lose. A key injury or two for example and then things are suddenly not what they should be. Will Georgia win tomorrow? Most likely based on what we have seen so far, but its not set in stone.

You may say stale, but after years of watching Gus run the same 5 play handbook and using the same packages/personnel over and over again, I'll take stale. Gus's plays were so predictable my young son was calling them out most of the time before the snap. Gus bread-n-butter call on 1st down: RB into the line or quick WR screen throw. Typical result: -2 to 2 yard gain. Gus call on 2nd down: Nix 35 yard pass downfield or RB off tackle. Typical result: 1-2 yard gain or incomplete 90% of time. You could toss in the Mildcat somewhere in there, where the runner that took the snap always kept the ball, so once the defense saw the play, all they had to do was key on that guy. TE's running down field? Ignore them because that was a rare option to throw to them. Then there was that seldom used gadget play. Once the opposing DC saw say #37 enter the game, they knew the exact play going down. #37 would be that guy who only played 1-2 plays a game and he always went for those gadget plays. BOOM! Blown up as usual. So does that mean I think Bobo is the greatest OC since sliced bread? Nope, I see enough to make me scratch my head, but at least I know when Auburn lines up on 1st and 2nd down, I'm not expecting the same script every single time.

Agreed. People forget Harsin was basically hauling in 3 star recruits with some 4 stars here and there while in PAC 12 country and competed decently against them. So I believe he can definitely develop the players. Certainly can't be worse than Gus who found ways to devolve player development, in particular QB. The recruiting we'll see play out over the next two years. Hopefully he focuses on needs and not "athletes", another of Gus's bread and butter moves.

Even Auburn hater Paul Finebaum thinks he is going to be a fine coach, but not to take anything from this year because of the issues Gus left behind for him.

How many against this years team?

I think Nix will start, but if he gets yanked again that will be it for his time as a starter. Hopefully he now realizes that since Gus is not coach anymore,that his role as starter is not guaranteed for the full 4 years.

What if's mean nothing because even if he did not fumble the ball, that does not mean the game would have played out the same way it did. We lost because Penn St exploited us with their TE's and #5 and our players missed assignments, leaving guys wide open for easy chunks of real estate. That and the fade pass when there you gotta run either play action or just give the ball to Tank and hope he gets a hole to squeeze through.

Correct, even the announcers said he had some daylight to run with, the problem was he tried to run while palming the ball with one hand rather than tucking it and running. Except when he mishandled it and that ultimately killed us. The call itself was not bad. The bad call, the fade, should have been giving it to Tank and letting him go for it.

If Gus was still coach, this would be just like the Clemson games and Penn St would win. Gus couldn't help but stick to his 5-6 play, playbook and we'd lose games we could/should have won. No adjustments, no urgency, no nothing except the standard excuses afterward about having to get better. I still see a one score game going in either direction. I think Harsin and Bobo have given Bo more options to move the ball than Gus's nauseating run the ball into the line or the WR screen, his bread-n-butter plays on first down for minimal yardage. It really comes down to Nix. The OL certinaly is questionable going against Penn St's front 7, so quick passes, use the TE and check downs and most importantly, don't panic. As soon as he starts running out of the pocket to throw on the run, we are in trouble.

It will be interesting to see how the game plays out. For me during the Gus years was his attitude towards these types of games and bowl games. If we win great, if not, doesn't matter because they don't affect SEC standings which is followed by the standard "we need to get better and improve for next week" canned statement. I think this will be a low scoring game separated by a score in either direction. The problem will be Nix, even during the Alabama St game he was again locking on his receivers, sometimes he had check downs wide open and never gave them a look. Hopefully our running game will have success against what is going to be constant stacked boxes and Nix can be a game manager.

Solid win tonight Rebs. Outside of Vandy's disaster, it was a very good weekend for the SEC. Not knocking LSU's loss, I thought UCLA at home was going to win anyhow.

I guess Waffle House didn't impress Harsin very much.

What I am looking forward to the most is how different the offense is going to be. Gus's 6 play playbook and his predictable packages are gone. Even if we finish 6-6, as long as we are competitive in the losses, I won't complain. I'll only fuss if Nix is playing like garbage, doesn't get pulled and we lose a winnable game or two because of it.

"I mean it’s Akron! Just pick 5 plays and run them over and over again." Oh, so we're going to keep using Gus's playbook then.

@EkingGill - The big difference is that Gus's 6 play, playbook will be gone. Even with Morris in, he was still using Gus's standard MO. Just like all of his previous OC's. 1 - WR screen pass or run into the line on first down 90% of the time. Usual result 1-2 yard gain or loss. 2. - TE's were rarely used and no need to really account for them. 3.The Mildcat where the guy taking the snap ran the ball 99.9% of the time. 4. Players that only saw the field for one or two plays during a game were always used in the same package. So once the DC in the booth saw those certain players go on the field, the jig was up. 5. Standard 3rd and 5 type play - Nix throwing downfield trying to connect on the 30 yard plass play so Gus could pump his fist and go "BOOM"! Except he already locked on the receiver who was now double covered. 6. In the red zone, play for the FG first and if we score a TD then that's a bonus. Harsin's offense should leave the opposing DC with a little more guesswork than Gus did. The key is how much did they correct Nix's issues and how short of a leash will he be on if he still is throwing across the body, off his back foot and/or locking onto his targets.

Not if he is going to continue to use Gus's 5-6 play handbook.

If he allows his OC to run more than a 5-6 playhand book, then he is already leaps and bounds above Gus.

Uh, yeah Steele's record as a HC was 9-36 at Baylor when Baylor was a bottom feeder in the Big 12. They already had 3 losing years before he took over and 2 of those were 2-9 teams. Not like he had much to work with. Even after Steele got fired, it would be another 8 years before they finally got past the .500 mark. Not saying that I want Steele to take over, but if he has the respect of the players I would certainly take that over Freeze any day of the week. Just bring in an OC worth their salt to bring some life back to the offense.

I wish Gus the best but his time was done. Games like the State game were just too common. Games that Auburn should be winning handily and we have to sweat through them. Last year Ole Miss driving late for a game-winning TD until the last second pick? Losing to Minnesota in the bowl game, losing to Tenn and Miss St in 2018? Sweating it out against Mercer in 2017 and losing to UCF in Peach Bowl? Granted the overall record against UA,UGA and LSU was poor, but too many times we struggled in games that should have been easier wins. Then there is the stagnant 5 play handbook on offense, even with Chad Morris running the show, it was still Gus's playbook. One series against State, they threw 3 consecutive bubble screen passes to WR on a 3 and out series. That play, other than the line plunge on 1st down, is the biggest waste of a down when 9 out of 10 times the defense is already set to blow the play up for nothing. Play action practically non-existent, TE play wasted. All that in addition to everything else mentioned. A couple of 10 win seasons would have kept Gus around. But 9-4 and 8-5 is what fans hope for in places like Kansas and Indiana.

The key really is to make Nix a game manager style QB and let Tank, DJ and Shiver do the heavy work. For the passing game, stop locking on Seth/Schwartz, use the TE's and play the short/medium pass game. Plus most of all, get rid of the bubble screen WR pass since it gets blown up 90% of the time and puts in constant 2nd and long situations.

Gus, lets talk about the 12 or so bubble screen passes Nix threw in the game, mostly on 1st down. Yeah Nix completed the majority of them, but I believe only 2 of 10 completions gained significant yardage. The rest went from +2 to -2 yards catch. Why this delirious decision to keep using this low-risk, low-reward play is why we constantly have 2nd and long downs Listening to the commentators constantly remind us during the Ole Miss game "This is building Nix's confidence" was also delusional. The slant passes worked when executed properly. I'd much rather them try a slant pass on first down for 5-6 yards and have an incomplete, then the bubble screen that is routinely blown up by the defense because Gus/Chad consider it a bread-n-butter play.

Gus calling the plays is not good because he uses like 5-6 plays all the time. Today we had our usual Gus-esq plays like constantly running into the middle of the line on 1st down. Throwing a WR screen behind the line on 3rd and long. Throwing 50-50 balls to Seth when others are open for possible short gains. The first quarter looked good and then the rest of the game looked like Gus told Morris it was time to use Gus's playbook. That's what Gus did in the past, he would bring these OC's yet the same 5 plays got called over and over again. Then when the "O" did poorly and fingers got pointed at Gus, he would say he is not calling the plays. Sure all these different OC using the same 5-6 plays every year?

If I was the SC DC, all he had to say to Horn was to watch Nix right after the snap and you'll know when the ball is coming your way since he locks on Seth like a hunter with a scope on a big buck.

We can see why all the WR should have been frustrated. If Bo could hit a receiver in stride instead of constantly throwing behind them, we'd have more receptions and yards after the catch. Oh that also includes all the ball he throws at the WR feet too. Gus needs to answer why he and Morris have not yet corrected Nix's glaring problems that are still there from last year. Gus also needs to answer why he recruits talent and then refuses to use it. Bo should have been benched for a series after the 3rd pick to get straightened out.

Same ole Gus after a loss and next week will be the same ole Bo Nix: - Locking in on Seth and not throwing good balls (= 3 picks today) - Running out of pocket with no pressure and throwing bad balls on the run - throwing passes behind his WR instead of infront of them - throwing those idiotic balls while six inches from the ground Also, what was Bo told on the last play with 9 seconds left? Was he not told to throw for the endzone? Also on the last FG drive, why was the offense going in slow motion calling plays and wasting even more time, down by two scores? We wasted another great 1st quarter performance and gave the game away. Congrats to SC who did what they had to win.

He wasn't calling the plays, but the ones being called against Arky certainly resembled his 5 play handbook for the past 5 years. Running into the middle of the line on first down, no TE throws, Nix looking for big plays downfield, Nix keepers, WR screen passes that are blown up 95% of the time, especially on 3rd and long and of course the mildcat. Those are Gus's trademark bread and butter plays. Also a trademark of Gus's prior years is to get ultra conservative in the redzone and play for the FG, if we get a TD then that's a "boom" bonus. A 50-50 ball to SEth one on one with a defender is okay, not when he has 3 defenders on him, but you have a wide open WR 10 yards behind the play. Which means Nix is still not being coached about locking on to strictly Seth or Schwartz if Seth is off the field.

Gus Malzhan needs to be added as well. He hires a new OC and we still see the same 5 play handbook we've seen for the past 5 years. Nix looks no different than last year, locking in on Seth when you can find other guys open. TE play non existent. Throwing screens passes behind the line of scrimmage on 3rd and long and running stupid wildcat crap which fools nobody. The other disappointment was Steele not adjusting to focus on watching and containing Smith who was dominant. Constantly drifting out for wide open passes. Yeah the refs ruined the game but it's Gus's fault we were even in that situation that late in the 4th are.