When Gus Malzahn was named Auburn's new head coach back in December 2012, Tiger fans were excited about the hire and knew that Malzahn could turn things around for a team that went just 3-9 earlier that season. Little did they know the exciting ride the offensive guru and the 2013 team were about to take them on that saw the Tigers come within 13 seconds of winning the national championship.
After spring practice ended a year ago, Malzahn and his staff were pretty upbeat about the talent that they inherited from the previous staff. But with a complicated hurry-up offense, the quarterback position unsettled, and a defensive coordinator bringing in his 4-2-5 system, the coaches knew the few short weeks in fall camp still may not give them enough time to fully implement their system.
Malzahn and offensive coordinator Rhett Lashlee finally named a starting quarterback with just two weeks to go before the opener and the defensive depth chart was taking shape with Ellis Johnson at the helm. Now it was time to see if all of the hard work during fall camp would produce enough victories for Auburn to have a winning season.
When Auburn jogged onto the field for the season opener against Washington State, many experts and fans expected the team to end up with maybe seven wins, but no one ever imagined the magical season that was about to unfold.
The Tigers started 3-0 but were really about to find out what kind of team they had with a trip to LSU. After a disappointing 35-21 loss in Baton Rouge, Auburn seemed to be on a mission not to lose again.
The squad learned from the loss at LSU and steadily improved each week. With a few miracles against their heated rivals to end the season, the Tigers reeled off eight-straight victories to earn a spot in the SEC Championship Game. Auburn defeated Missouri 59-42 to win the Southeastern Conference championship and was rewarded with a trip to Pasadena to play for the national title.
Malzahn became just the third first-year coach to win the SEC championship, and also produced the greatest turnaround in SEC history.
With so much success in 2013, it may be hard for Auburn to match or top the 12-2 overall record and the 7-1 mark in conference play. But with a solid recruiting class and several key players returning from last year's team, the Tigers could be in for another big year in 2014.
Nick Marshall
(Photo courtesy of AUTigers.com)A very important returning player from a year ago is dual-threat quarterback Nick Marshall. It will be the first time during Malzahn's coaching career to have the same quarterback be the starter for more than one season.
Last season, Marshall got off to a shaky start, but like the rest of the team, something seemed to click and he made great strides after the LSU game. As a junior, he rushed for 1,068 yards and 12 touchdowns and passed for 1,976 yards and 14 scores.
Despite not going through spring drills last year and arriving on campus just in time for the start of fall camp, Marshall had an impressive season as the starter under center and is poised to have a stellar senior campaign after participating in spring drills back in March and April. He was named the offensive MVP of the A-Day game after connecting on 13-of-22 passes for 236 yards and four touchdowns.
Marshall's backup, Jeremy Johnson, also had to learn Malzahn's offense quickly last August but proved to be a reliable quarterback when Marshall had to be sidelined because of a shoulder injury for two games. Last season as a true freshman, Johnson was 29-of-41 passing for 422 yards and six touchdowns with only two interceptions, and picked up two SEC Freshman of the Week honors.
Sammie Coates
(Photo courtesy of AUTigers.com)With Auburn's offense running the ball 72 percent of the time last season, and with the team's leading rusher leaving early for the NFL, don't be surprised to see the offense become more balanced in 2014 behind Marshall's strong arm. And unlike last year, Marshall has plenty of experienced receivers to connect with.
Last season, Sammie Coates led the team as a sophomore with 42 catches for 902 yards and seven touchdowns. Coates is excited for the upcoming season after having another year to learn Malzahn's system. Plus, he knows Marshall is capable of putting up huge numbers through the air with a talented group of receivers ready to haul in those passes, including newcomer D'haquille Williams.
Williams, the nation's top-rated juco prospect, went through spring drills and had an impressive A-Day with five catches for 88 yards and a touchdown.
At 6-foot-2 and 216 pounds, Williams will provide another deep-threat and large target in the receiving corps. At Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College in 2012, he caught 67 passes for 1,295 yards and 17 touchdowns. Last season, an injury slowed him down but he still led the team with 51 receptions, 733 yards and nine touchdowns.
Ricardo Louis, the hero of Auburn's miracle 43-38 victory over Georgia, returns after a solid sophomore campaign saw him record 28 receptions for 325 yards and two touchdowns.
With Marcus Davis, Quan Bray, Melvin Ray, Tony Stevens, Jaylon Denson, and tight end C.J. Uzomah all returning after seeing valuable playing time in 2013, it's easy to understand why Lashlee believes his receivers will be a position of strength in 2014.
Phil MarionComing June 23: Running Backs
