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What unfolded in Starkville on Saturday was an accurate capsule of how Auburn’s season unfolded. Outside of Tank Bigsby, the offense was incapable of doing much of anything. The defense finally stepped up in the 24-10 win over Mississippi State, but it was an otherwise disappointing season from Kevin Steele’s bunch.
Auburn improved to 6-4 in what was a very forgettable season, Gus Malzahn’s 8th on The Plains. Here are the final grades for Auburn in 2020.
Coaching: F
Chad Morris; need I say more? Morris was supposed to take the offense to the next level and maybe even propel Bo Nix into the Heisman discussion. Instead, Auburn regressed in both total offense and yards per play. What originally seemed like a good idea when Malzahn gave up calling plays turned out to be a bad decision.
Steele deserves a little benefit of the doubt for keeping his defense somewhat afloat after losing so much talent from 2019 and dealing with a litany of injuries to what returning talent he did have. But allowing more than 400 yards a game is unacceptable, even by today’s explosive offense standards.
Quarterback: C
So much for Nix taking that 2nd-year leap. While he definitely improved his decision-making, and his footwork and mechanics have even come a long way since Week 1, every single game still had at least 1 play that left you scratching your head. He also really regressed in the season finale. Almost all of Nix’s numbers, from completion percentage to yards per attempt, only negligibly improved. His legs are a real threat to pull a man out of coverage, and he showed real toughness finishing plays. But until he becomes a more reliable passer, Auburn isn’t going anywhere.
Running game: A
Auburn lived and died with Bigsby. It’s no coincidence that as Bigsby’s health began to decline, so, too, did the offense as a whole. Bigsby rushed for more than 100 yards 4 times and was a dangerous returner on kickoffs. Only on rare occasions was he ever wrapped up on 1st contact. Anytime a running back draws Bo Jackson comparisons, a bright future is sure to follow. Shaun Shivers and D.J. Williams were both nice complements to Bigsby, but they, too, suffered from a lack of availability, and Nix will always be a more dangerous runner than passer.
Receivers: B-
Seth Williams and Anthony Schwartz had solid seasons, but I still feel like they underachieved. A lot of it may be on Nix, but after a monster game in Week 1 against Kentucky in which Williams had 112 yards and 2 touchdowns, he was relatively quiet on the scoring front for the rest of the season. With his ability to win jump balls, he should have been targeted more in the red zone. Same goes for Schwartz. His usage really trailed off as the season went on. Everyone knew Schwartz was fast, but he added a little versatility to his routes this year, becoming the frequent recipient of smoke screens. Let’s not forget that 91-yard touchdown against LSU. Morris was expected to get the tight ends more involved, and they definitely did, not that the bar from 2019 was set very high.
Offensive line: C
It took a while for Auburn to settle on a starting 5 after playing musical chairs for the first few weeks, but once the Tigers did establish a group, Nix was able to get more comfortable staying in the pocket, and the ground game started having more success. When injuries began piling up for tackles Alec Jackson and Brodarious Hamm, the unit definitely dropped off. With all that said, the Auburn offensive line did a relatively good job keeping Nix from being sacked and finished near the middle of the SEC in sacks allowed.
Passing defense: C
Auburn fared pretty well in the secondary, never allowing more than 300 yards passing even while facing the prolific passing attacks of Alabama and Ole Miss. As always, injuries to guys like Jaylin Simpson were a limiting factor. Even so, the only star pass-catchers to have stellar games against Auburn were Alabama’s DeVonta Smith and Georgia’s Kearis Jackson. The Tigers struggled to generate much pressure, so DBs were generally forced to hold their coverage for longer than what is ideal.
Run defense: D
A 313-yard game by Texas A&M says it all. So does 283 yards by Ole Miss. Auburn was burned for more than 200 yards on the ground 4 times this season. An inability to stop short-yardage situations on 3rd downs lent itself to Auburn’s league-worst 3rd-down defense. Sure, Derrick Brown is gone, but the Tigers were bullied up front all season. The run defense was arguably the greatest weakness on the team.
Overall GPA: 2.0
C’s may get degrees, but they also get coaches fired when they become a yearly ritual. The worst part about another season with at least 4 losses is that Auburn fans have become fairly apathetic. A lackluster season is standard operating procedure. Auburn had the offensive talent to be far better, and the supposed collective coaching minds to compete for 2nd place in the West. Pandemic and all things considered, this is one of the most disappointing seasons of Malzahn’s tenure. What happens in the next month to the coaching staff, only time will tell.
