Only Coach Tubs knows exactly when it happened, but somewhere in the midst of the up-and-down 2007 football season, he decided that a change in offensive philosophy was in order. Maybe it was when Auburn couldn’t score enough points in early season losses to South Florida and Mississippi State. Maybe it was when Auburn had to rely on defense to win low-scoring SEC contests against Arkansas and Ole Miss. Or maybe it was after the last second loss to LSU or the blowout defeat at the hands of the Georgia Bulldogs.
In the end it doesn’t matter when it happened. It only matters that it did in fact happen, as demonstrated by Tubs’ words:
"An old dog doesn't change his tricks very often, but you have to grow with the times."
Enter new Auburn Offense Coordinator Tony Franklin and his high-energy, aggressive Spread offense.
Anyone who followed Auburn’s season last year knows that it took Franklin less than 2 weeks to install the 1.0 version of his offense, which racked up more than 400 yards against Clemson’s top ten defense in the Chick-fil-a Bowl.
In reality, Auburn’s defense was so good, that it’s safe to say that the Tigers had a good shot at beating Clemson with the old offense.
So why did Coach Tubs make the switch?
I can think of five reasons why it happened. And when your team switches to the Spread offense (and eventually, your team will switch too), the reasons for it will be similar.
Reason #1. Points, points, points. This offense can rack up points fast. Scoring seems to come in waves. The Patriots NFL team runs a similar offense, and I noticed this tendency with them as well. You start to wonder if their offense is going to show up, and the next thing you know they’re up by twenty.
Now, please don’t tell me that Auburn is nowhere as good as the Patriots. I know that…I doubt that another Pro offense will be that good any time soon so certainly no college team can compare to them. But, they do run a similar style of offense, and the results can be the same as well.
I remember sitting at Auburn’s Spring game, just about to declare the new offense a failure, and then, in what seemed like moments later, we had scored 3 TDs and a field goal. Can this offense be shut down by a solid defense? Yes. But, that defense better be solid on every single play from scrimmage.
10 comments Last one added 11 months ago — Leave a Comment
Jordan Coleman about 1 year ago
I've always been a big fan of the spread offense. With the right coaching and the right personnel, the spread is by far the best offensive scheme to run IMO. But, you have to have the right coaching and the right players to run it. Auburn has both.
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Michael Felder about 1 year ago
The maxim is actually "Offense wins games, defense wins championships" but either way your point about the spread putting butts in seats is very valid, as are the points pertaining to pace and maximizing talent.
I'm not a spread guy, my offensive philosophy has always been deeply rooted in straight ahead running, play action passing and limiting the opportunity to make mistakes. The spread has too many chances to mess up for my liking, the ball is exposed too much.
Like Woody Hayes said "three things can happen when you throw...and two of them are bad." In my opinion that goes for option pitches and simulated handoffs as well. Just an opinion of a defensive minded guy, there isn't anything wrong with winning 17-10, a W is a W.
I think everyone's beloved spread offense may be in trouble soon because over the next three years some of the best defensive minds in the nation are going to be faced with cracking this ever pressing spread epidemic. Nick Saban, Bo Pelini, Pete Carroll and Jim Tressell will have their staffs focused on eliminating the spread threat in their respective conferences.
Solid article, even though I don't necessarily think highly of the spread I do understand why so many people are in love with it and why its being adopted so quickly, especially at the high school and low college ball level. It puts the ball in your best players' hands every play, no need to pound and pound when you can elude.
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Jordan Coleman about 1 year ago
A win is a win for sure. But, the spread offense isn't all pass. There is run formations in every playbook even if they run the spread offense. I'm very familiar with the spread offense, because I run it in football(I'm going into my senior year) But I know where your coming from. I'm a defense guy as well and I recognize your points.
It all just depends on your personnel that you have to choose from. You can;t run the spread with a big slow team, those are the power running teams. Spread is best used with the speed athletic teams. Which is why my high school team runs it. It all depends on your coaching and personnel on offense.
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Rob Sansing 11 months ago
Michael: 3 things can happen when you RUN the ball and 2 of them are bad. you can gain yardage, you can LOSE yardgae and you can FUMBLE. it all depends on your perspective!!!
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Liger about 1 year ago
I'm with you on the a W is a W thing Michael. My fav Auburn football game in recent memory is our 7-3 win against LSU is 2006. Both offenses came in averaging over 30 pts apiece and both defenses were on lock down. I can't ever remember seeing so many players get jacked in a game. We lost like 3 players for the season. But, as I said, I love offense too. The ideal team has both going for them.
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Thomas Brown about 1 year ago
The spread is only going to work if your coach knows how to run the spread and manipulate the defense. If not, its going to be a disaster. The SEC puts a premium on defensive superiority and defensive speed (as you said) and not so much on getting guys for the spread offense. For example, some of the top receivers in the country are 6-4, 220 pound kids who are not fit for the spread. Frankly, I don't think that SEC programs will pass on top-rated talent in order to fit their spread offenses. There's too much pressure from fans and boosters to bring in five-star recruits and highly-touted players for a coach to pass on them for a more speedy player who would fit the spread better. Take Rodriguez at West Virginia for example. He never had a recruiting class that was a top 5 or top 10 in the country, but he could take advantage because he recruited players who he knew fit the system. That was okay, because WVU boosters don't expect to bring in top 10, five-star receivers every year. However, in the SEC they do and therefore I don't think the spread will ever catch on in the SEC.
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Liger about 1 year ago
Spread will never catch on in the SEC? Good thing no one ever told Florida that.
UGA and LSU also run the Spread offense though it's a somewhat diluted version. It's not uncommon to see UGA in the I-formation running a tradition offense or in the Spread using Stafford as a passer and runner. He torched AU in 2006 running the ball from the Spread. And, almost every time Ryan Perriloux was in the game for LSU last year, they ran the Spread.
Plus Bama tried their best to get Rich Rodriguez from WVU before they hired Saban. Guess what type of offense he would've run?
Also Arkansas under Houston Nutt, their Wild Hog package was the just the Spread by another name. He has carried that philosophy to Ole Miss, where I think they call it the Wild Rebel.
And Spurrier's offense at Florida...if it wasn't the Spread, then what was it? He called it the Fun n Gun, but it was the Spread.
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Thomas Brown 11 months ago
Who doesnt torch AU
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Liger 11 months ago
And your team last won the SEC Championship, when? Oh that's right...never.
1. win something
2. and THEN talk smack
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Deric Winslett about 1 year ago
Excellent article, great points from the readers as well.
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