It made for an interesting parallel that SEC West foes Auburn and Texas A&M faced the same quandary following the end of the 2014 season.

Both possessed outstanding offenses. Both concluded – and at the time rightfully so – that the final piece to their respective puzzles was a solid enough defense that could hold opponents at bay while its offense piled up the points.

So both schools proceeded with the same school of thought, with that being to go out and get the best defensive coordinator available.

Both succeeded in their mission. Auburn brought back fiery Will Muschamp when things didn’t work out at Florida and Texas A&M plucked the more cerebral John Chavis away from LSU.

Matching high-powered offenses with some of the best defensive coordinators in the country, it seemed the stars were aligned for both Auburn and Texas A&M to make a run at an SEC West title. Some even placed higher expectations for Auburn to possibly return to the national stage and earn a berth into the College Football Playoff.

Ironically enough, however, the parallels followed both coaches into the first year of their new positions despite the dichotomy in personalities. Muschamp prowls the sidelines with his “in-your-face” attitude while Chavis takes a far more calm approach from up upstairs in the coach’s box.

Nevertheless, each experienced the same setback in 2015, which had little to do with defense. Rather, it was the offenses at both Auburn and Texas A&M that misfired this season. Production dropped off at each school and despite improvements defensively, each team struggled in its first year with the big-name defensive coordinators.

Statistically, Chavis made a noticeable difference at Texas A&M over the previous season. The Aggies allowed 73 fewer yards passing per game this seasont, and 6 fewer yards rushing per game. His defense recorded a 25-0 shutout of Vanderbilt, the Aggies’ first shutout since 2004.

But the Aggies scored just 3, 10 and 7 points in losses to SEC West Division foes Ole Miss, Auburn, and LSU, thus wasting any improvements Chavis may have brought to the Aggies defense. Texas A&M was 8-5 in 2014 and needs to win a bowl game to improve on that this year, despite the marked improvement on defense.

For Muschamp, the numbers aren’t quite as good. Although still improved over last year, Muschamp and the Tigers fought through a laundry list of injuries to make this year’s defense a better one. The Tigers yielded less passing yards than last year by a total of 12 yards. The run defense was about the same, allowing a yard more in 2015.

But much like with Chavis at Texas A&M, Auburn’s struggling offense provided little help for Muschamp and his defense. The Tigers scored 9, 13, 13, and 19 points in losses to Mississippi State, Alabama, Georgia, and Ole Miss, negating any improvements defensively. Auburn went 8-5 last season and won’t reach that level this season. The Tigers enter their bowl game at 6-6 and are just looking for a winning season at this point.

Neither team got the success it wanted, but expectations remain high for the future.

And why not? The last time Muschamp was Auburn’s defensive coordinator (2006-07), the Tigers had one of the better defenses in the country. In 2006, Auburn ranked seventh nationally in scoring defense (13.9 points per game) and 19th in total defense (292.3 yards per game). Auburn finished 11-2 and defeated Nebraska  17-14  in the Cotton Bowl.

The following year under Muschamp, Auburn led the SEC and ranked sixth nationally in scoring defense (16.9 points per game) while ranking second in the SEC and sixth in the nation in total defense (297.9 yards per game). A school-record sixth straight Iron Bowl victory highlighted a 9-4 season (5-3 in the SEC), culminating in a 23-20 Chick-fil-A Bowl victory over Clemson.

Muschamp’s stock was high as DC under Nick Saban in 2003 when a defensive-minded LSU team won the national championship. A Muschamp pairing with offensive guru Gus Malzahn seemed like the perfect pairing for another championship run.

It didn’t work out in 2015 and we’ll have to see about 2016, since Muschamp’s name has come up as a potential head coaching candidate at a few spots around the country.

That’s not something those in College Station have to worry about with Chavis, who prefers to stay in a coordinator role instead of chasing a head coaching job. “The Chief” has built a reputation for fielding some of the stingiest defenses in the nation. He won a national championship as DC with Tennessee in 1998 and, holding the same position at LSU, the Tigers played for the national championship in 2011.

Chavis is completing his 20th season as a defensive coordinator at the FBS level. A new chapter in that long-standing career has begun and all indications are that he is beginning to build something special at Texas A&M.