The overwhelming majority of the attention following Auburn’s 14-6 loss to Clemson last weekend was the play of the offense.
And it’s obvious why that was the case.
Rarely does a team ever give up 11 sacks in a single game; it’s even more startling given the team it happened to. Auburn isn’t some hapless foe from a lower NCAA division. It hails from the mighty SEC, led by a coach who made his name for putting up big numbers offensively week after week.
But the Clemson loss was a low point in Gus Malzahn’s career.
In his 12 years as a college coach, he had never had a team gain fewer total yards (117) than it did last Saturday.
Since then, Malzahn has made vows. He announced changes to the makeup of his gameday coaching staff. And he said there might be change to an offensive line that has allowed 14 sacks in two games, tied for most in the FBS. (Emphasis on “might.”)
But all the rehashing of last week’s pitiful showing does nothing. The Tigers can’t change what happened; they can only try to learn from it and improve.
That starts Saturday, as Auburn hosts Mercer at Jordan-Hare Stadium.
Malzan believed Stidham — who went 13-for-24 for 79 yards and carried 18 times for negative-42 yards thanks to the sacks — fared well last week given the circumstances.
“He was put in some tough spots and he was hit quite a bit,” Malzahn said. “He was harassed in the passing game. I thought he played with courage and fought. He played extremely hard.”
In a lone bit of good news for Auburn last week, it didn’t commit a turnover.
On the flip side, its longest play was 23 yards.
“When you don’t play well offensively, you tend to look at the things you didn’t get done,” Malzahn said. “We are going to look at the things that need to improve. One thing the offense did is they didn’t turn the ball over. It starts with the quarterback. I thought he and the running backs protected the ball well.”
Problem is, the running backs didn’t run well. Kamryn Pettway, who was suspended from the opener, seemed to be the lone tailback in the Tigers’ game plan. Auburn had 42 total carries last week; 22 were by Pettway and 18 were credited to Stidham. The other two rushes were by receiver Eli Stove and H-back Chandler Cox.
This lopsided disparity in carries came one week after Kerryon Johnson carried 16 times for 136 yards and a touchdown before suffering an injury. Then Kam Martin came on in relief and ran 14 times for 136 yards and a score.
Malzahn says the game plan should be more varied going forward.
“Looking back, we could have been more patient with the run,” he said. “We thought there were some things there in the passing game, but obviously we didn’t get it done there. As a coach, you look back and you try to correct the things moving forward in the same types of situations.”
Also tight ends, rarely used as a weapon since Malzahn became coach in 2013, could start to take on a larger role.
Since 2013, players listed as tight ends on Auburn’s official roster have had a total of 28 catches for 366 yards; since 2015 they have had three total catches for 35 yards.
“I’d like to see them get more involved along. … We’ve got to do a good job of being balanced and being effective,” Malzahn said. “Sal Cannella was on the field a couple times and was the main target twice. Jalen Harris was the go-to target down on the goal line and he was covered. There were some priorities in terms of trying to get those guys involved. Sometimes it just doesn’t unfold the way we thought.”
Though the Mercer game might be the perfect antidote for Auburn’s offensive woes, it still won’t provide an accurate barometer for progress. Neither might the following week’s game at Missouri, a team that fired its defensive coordinator after just two games.
Malzahn said it simply might take some before the offense finds a rhythm.
“Looking at this season, we have a new coordinator, we have a new quarterback and a couple of new guys up front,” Malzahn said. “(Offensive coordinator) Chip Lindsey is learning his offense, his players are getting used to him, and that’s really the facts of the matter right now.”
Ryan Black covers Georgia football for SaturdayDownSouth.com. Follow him on Twitter @RyanABlack.
