Auburn’s quarterback situation holds some mystery, but Auburn fans should not give up on Kiehl Frazier. Remember the job Malzahn has done with other quarterbacks. Find out about the QB situation and more in our 2013 Auburn Football Preview.
2013 Auburn Football Preview
Only three years removed from winning a BCS championship, the Auburn Tigers are coming off one of the worst seasons in its limited history, particularly on the offensive side of the ball. The Tigers ranked 114th in points per game (18.7) as Auburn’s quarterbacks managed to throw just eight touchdowns combined. New head coach Gus Malzahn hopes to change all that as he returns to the Tigers as the head coach after serving as offensive coordinator in 2009-2011.
Although there’s currently a battle for the starting quarterback position, coach Malzahn has dropped several hints that he’s slightly leaning towards Kiehl Frazier, a player he recruited extensively in 2011. In fact, Frazier is in a spot much like Chris Todd was in 2009. If Malzahn can develop Frazier even remotely similar to the job he did with Chris Todd, a virtual human statue, he’ll continue to earn the legend of being a quarterback developing genius.
Frazier, or whomever the quarterback ends up being, won’t shoulder the workload alone, and if coach Gus can optimize his offense, his quarterback shouldn’t have to do much more then manage the game based on the scheme of this offense. Furthermore, despite Auburn’s offensive line being built around the run, the athleticism of the front five will be aimed at giving the quarterback time to find the open receiver. The only question is, does Auburn have a quarterback on campus who can do this with consistency?
Running back Tre Mason (Auburn’s leader in rushing yards last season) will look to build off his 1,000 yard year as the offensive line has been tailored to accommodate his speed and ability. Even tight end C.J. Uzomah will see a lot of blocking schemes because of his large size and inconsistency in the receiving aspect of his game. There’s no doubt a majority of Auburn’s success or failure will be credited to Tre Mason and the running backs in general (including Tide transfer Corey Grant) due to the power run scheme Malzahn seemingly has implemented for this season.
The wide receivers on the roster will get their fair share of rush attempts as Gus Malzahn hopes to diversify his rush attack and keep defenses on their toes. Jaylon Reed and Quan Bray will most likely serve as primary targets for the Auburn quarterback who ultimately wins the job. Regardless of who that is, he’ll need multiple security blankets like wide receivers taking handoffs to keep the defense guessing until he can progress his talents and not be so reliant on the running game.
Luckily for the Tigers, they have a capable defense with a decent mix of experience and physicality. Up front, Auburn is good at getting to the quarterback for either a sack or a hurry. And as long as the front four do their job, the secondary is chalked with juniors and seniors that have been around the block and are savvy to the more intricate parts of how SEC offenses work.
Auburn may not be ready to make another BCS run (now or ever), but they do have a vastly improved roster from a year ago, and under the guise and group psychology that a new coach like Gus brings (though he’s been a head coach for one year at a lower tier school) maybe it will be enough to generate a good “rebound season,” leading the Auburn faithful to once again gather at Toomer’s Corner to roll some wires and concrete poles.
Thanks for reading our 2013 Auburn Football Preview. Check back tomorrow as we examine Missouri.
—Special to the Capstone Report by Alex DeRemer.
I heard Amanda Bynes is enrolling this summer; http://www.deathandtaxesmag.com/199666/aspiring-rap-sensation-amanda-bynes-reportedly-evicted-from-apartment-for-throwing-bong-out-the-window/
I’ve been itching to post that story on the Auburn summary, so thanks Alex—–Roll Tide.
I love Guz Malzahn.
I love Kristi Malzahn.
Malzahn’s be crayzee. They’re the Pauley Shore of college football—–too bizarre and crazy not to enjoy listening to for the first 3 minutes, but then they get on your nerves like a fitted sheet of poison oak.
Did I say poison oak? Uh oh…
Let’s start at the top. Auburn sucks.
Now that we’ve got that out of the way, we can be a little more constructive with our criticism.
Auburn sucks. They have sucked so bad since Amanda Bynes left that they simply haven’t been fun to watch. Arkansas was bad last year, but they weren’t boring. I was at a wedding in Ohio when I heard Auburn was beating LSU. I knew better than to care, but at least it sounded like it was exciting. Everything else I saw last year sure wasn’t.
Well, except for the zeros. That’s my favorite number.
But now with the Gus bus back in Pewptown, Auburn won’t be boring. They’ll still suck, but they won’t be boring. With a new head coach, new defensive coordinator, new offensive coordinator, new co-defensive coordinator, and new hair dye for Kristi’s grays, we have a lot to look forward to. They’ll have a fast-paced offense, trick plays, hail mary passes, everything you don’t want your team desperate enough to rely on for success. And they’ll have success; more than two games worth of success in 2013.
That’s right. You heard me. Auburn will win more than two games this season. I’m convinced they’re just that good. They might even be a 4-win team this year. And when they pull out all the stops in the Iron Bowl this year like a fake field goal attempt at the 35-yard line or an onside kick at the beginning of the game or a couple dozen late hits on AJ McCarron, the ensuing beatdown at the hands of the Alabama Crimson Tide will be Christmas in November for me and a couple million other friends.
I hope Auburn has six wins by the end of the season so when the Iron Bowl comes to the Plains we can crush their hopes of going to a bowl game again. Roll Tide.
Obviously the gag order is still in effect.
http://www.ajc.com/weblogs/college-recruiting/2013/may/23/nick-saban-we-dont-think-footballs-dangerous-game-/
and the point of that link is?
He has no idea.
I see that you guys are jonesing for AU fans to spew at.
Nice take Conduit.
Jonesing for AU fans to spew at?
I’m not sure what that means? I thought the article was very civil, and for what it’s worth every other SEC team is getting the same type of evaluation here on capstonereport.com—-most have had their evaluation already.
As for football not being dangerous in the unrelated quote above, it was delivered during a discussion about a high school all-star game, if it helps.
Regardless, that’s why you train, that’s why you work in the weight room all year, that’s why you take hits in practice—–so you know how to hit and how to be hit. There is risk for injury in every competitive sport. The better prepared you are for the sport you’re competing in, the less likely you are to be injured.
Don’t get me wrong, though. Auburn still sucks.
We can always depend on Hoopster to violate the gag order and post something completely unrelated to the article, then follow that up with another completely unrelated post that doesn’t make sense.
Hoop – take your meds, man. That’s what the doctor ordered them for. Every time you try to stop taking them, this kind of psychotic behavior is the result. Then go sit on the couch in the basement with the lights off and see if your little brother will let you play with his computer some more.
Count on barn doing a lot of chop blocking to take out the opposing team’s best defenders. It is what they do when times get tough.
One of the reasons I say fuck the barn.
“Jaylon Reed and Quan Bray will most likely serve as primary targets” …too bad there is not a Jaylon Reed on Auburn’s roster. Sounds about like the intelligence of an Alabama grad. Get your facts straight.
Nothing but trash. Celebrating Updyke at the end. Pure trash. WFE.
Comments are closed.