After an 8-5 overall record and a 4-4 mark in conference play last season, Auburn heads into the 2012 season with a renewed sense of optimism after a new offensive coordinator was hired in late January.
The Tigers experienced record-breaking numbers on offense and even a national title during Gus Malzahn's three seasons as offensive coordinator. After the 2010 season, Malzahn flirted with the idea of leaving the Plains to become a head coach but decided to wait it out for the perfect fit. Arkansas State came calling last December and Malzahn accepted the job to return to his home state as head coach.
Malzahn's departure was probably the best thing that could have happened for Auburn. His up-tempo offense became stale and very predictable as SEC defenses clamped down and weren't fooled by the gimmicks. In the four blowout losses to Alabama, Georgia, Arkansas and LSU, the offense averaged a measly 11.3 points.
Also contributing to the struggles on offense was the fact that Auburn basically had a whole different team from top to bottom after a third of the players from the 2010 team either graduated or left early to pursue careers in the NFL. As a unit, the offense finished the season ranked 104th in total offense and 105th in passing offense.
Even with a very young team, the Tigers still managed an eight-win season, including defeating Virginia 43-24 in the Chick-fil-a Bowl. The valuable experience gained by the young players will go a long way when Auburn takes the field for the first time in 2012 against a very talented Clemson team Sept. 1 in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game.
The season-opener will also give fans a chance to see just what the Tigers' offense will look like under new coordinator Scot Loeffler. Loeffler, 37, was hired in time to make a final push for a few high-profile recruits during the last few weeks before signing day. He also had a chance to install his new offensive scheme in spring drills but didn't offer fans much insight as Auburn ran mostly basic plays on A-Day.
Fans were left wondering if his offense will be more like Malzahn's high-octane spread system or more of a pro-style offense. Loeffler has coached in both spread and pro-style systems, but hinted that Auburn will likely go with the pro-style with an emphasis on running the football. Whatever his style turns out to be, Loeffler brings an impressive 14 years of coaching experience to Gene Chizik's staff.
As offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach last season for a 9-4 Temple team, Loeffler's offense was seventh nationally in rushing averaging 256.5 yards per game and 39th nationally in scoring (30.6 ppg). The Owls were also ranked 33rd nationally in pass efficiency.
Prior to Temple, Loeffler was the quarterbacks coach at Florida in 2009 and 2010. In 2009, the Gators led the nation in pass efficiency (167.3) after passing for 3,305 yards and 28 touchdowns with just five interceptions. Florida also ranked second in the SEC in passing offense with an average of 236.1 yards per game in 2009.
While players had positive reviews about Loeffler and his offensive style after spring drills ended, hopefully he can make a quick decision early in fall camp on who Auburn's starter at quarterback will be in 2012. Spring drills ended without a clear winner with junior Clint Moseley, true sophomore Kiehl Frazier, and newcomer Zeke Pike in the mix.
Moseley started the final six games last season, and finished the year with 66-of-108 completions for 800 yards, with five touchdowns and three interceptions. He missed most of the spring with a shoulder injury which caused him to lag behind the other two potential starters.
Kiehl Frazier
(Photo courtesy of AUTigers.com)Last season, Frazier saw most of his action as the Wildcat quarterback, with 76 carries for 326 yards and three touchdowns. When he was called on to throw, he didn't look confident which resulted in poor decision making. He completed just 5-of-12 passes with two crucial interceptions against Arkansas.
Frazier has said that he feels more confident in Loeffler's system than he did all of last year as a freshman. He was named offensive MVP for the A-Day Game, completing 7-of-9 passes for 92 yards.
Pike enrolled early in January and participated in spring drills. As a senior last season at Dixie Heights High, he threw for 1,964 yards, with 13 touchdowns and 14 interceptions. He also rushed for 730 yards and 16 touchdowns on the ground.
Pike's status with the team is uncertain after being sent back home to Kentucky for the summer following an off-the-field issue in June.
Emory Blake
(Photo courtesy of AUTigers.com)Another reason for Auburn's offensive woes last season was the inconsistent play at wide receiver. The problems at wide receiver weren't as glaring in the first half of the season when Emory Blake was healthy and catching everything in sight.
Blake was poised to have a huge season but suffered a high ankle sprain in the fifth game against South Carolina. The injury kept him sidelined for a few games and never fully healed until the Chick-fil-a Bowl. For the year, Blake caught 36 passes for 617 yards and five touchdowns.
Having a major weapon like Blake go down meant the Tigers desperately needed someone to step up for the offense to continue being effective in the passing game. DeAngelo Benton had the chance to play a major role when Blake went down. But, the highly-recruited receiver from Louisiana has lacked production and been guilty of dropping catchable passes since arriving on campus. His troubles continued last year despite seeing more playing time. Benton caught just seven passes for 136 yards and one touchdown as a junior.
Another receiver who could have been the go-to guy was Trovon Reed. Reed showed signs of taking over for Blake as Auburn's main receiver but was slowed by a shoulder injury and never returned to full-speed. For 2011, Reed had 21 catches for 164 yards.
Quan Bray caught 17 passes for 93 yards as a freshman last year. Bray started slowly but finally got accustomed to the speed of the college game by the end of the season.
Travante Stallworth had early success as a junior last year but became invisible after the Clemson game. In the season-opener against Utah State, Stallworth had four catches for 93 yards and a touchdown, then caught five passes for 71 yards against Clemson. He then caught only three passes the rest of the season.
Sammie Coates would have provided more depth last season but had to be redshirted due to a preseason injury. Coates is back healthy and ready to push for playing time after a productive spring.
Philip Lutzenkirchen
(Photo courtesy of AUTigers.com)While tight end Philip Lutzenkirchen has seen his share of receptions during his Auburn career, Loeffler plans to get the ball in the senior's hands even more. In Malzahn's offense, Lutzenkirchen was thought of as a blocker first, tight end second. But, Loeffler plans to use two-tight end sets which should give Lutzenkirchen more chances to haul in passes.
Last year, Lutzenkirchen finished third on the team in receptions with 24 and receiving yards with 238. His seven touchdown catches led the team. For his career, Lutzenkirchen has 44 receptions for 489 yards and 14 touchdowns, the most receiving touchdowns ever for an Auburn tight end.
Phil Marion
Next week: Running Backs
