College Football 2011: Why the Auburn Tigers' Offense Will Still Be Potent

Auburn starts this 2011 college football season as one of the most inexperienced teams in the SEC.

Even though there is a wealth of young talent who is ready and able to play—and some who received playing time a year ago—major positions face questions and challenges as the fall approaches.

Despite the heavy losses the Tigers face this coming season, there is a common denominator in the program: the coaches.

This coaching staff has lost one coach the past three years, and that was defensive line coach Tracy Rocker, who went to the Titans of the NFL.

The offense has the same staff for the third consecutive season.

One of the largest accomplishments of Gene Chizik’s tenure at Auburn has to be the staff retention, and making Gus Malzahn the highest paid assistant in the nation was a great move.

Malzahn has earned every bit of his $1.3 million in his time at Auburn, and if he can make this offense potent in 2011 then the earnings may go up again.

There is a lot of doom and gloom surrounding the program with the loss of major playmakers, but this coaching staff and this team know they can excel.

Malzahn has a proven track record of success at the collegiate level and has been consistently successful. From Arkansas to Tulsa and Tulsa to Auburn, Malzahn has produced some of the best offenses in the country and has used a new starting quarterback each season.

The Tigers are only returning six starters on both sides of the ball in 2011, but there is a solid group of playmakers who are up and coming on both sides to make Auburn formidable and competitive in many games they supposedly shouldn’t be able to win this season.

The offense will grow into one of the best in the country, and Malzahn is the key to getting the Tigers there.

In 2009 Malzahn took over an offense that lacked an identity and vision. The offensive linemen were experienced, but they lacked weight and an understanding of how to be successful. The line was forced to shed weight in the Tony Franklin years to enable more mobility; Franklin wanted his linemen to be fast down the field, and he felt that lighter, quicker linemen were the answer.

When Malzahn arrived with Chizik, the running game was emphasized yet again, as it has been a staple in the success of Auburn in years' past and will be a foundation well into the future. Jeff Grimes joined the staff and got the linemen back to SEC playing shape.

Malzahn built a rushing offense around Ben Tate and a young—and later injured—Onterio McCalebb. Tate was coming off a 664-yard, three-touchdown season.

In 2009, Tate ran for 1,362 yards and 10 touchdowns—talk about a major improvement in production.

Malzahn took an injured quarterback in Chris Todd, who threw for 903 yards, five touchdowns and six interceptions in 2008, and transformed him into a 2,612-yard guy with 22 touchdowns and six interceptions.

Malzahn has shown the ability to build an offense that is formidable and successful around his talent. This season he will be faced with a choice at the quarterback position that needs to be made early.

At this point, it would not be a surprise to see Clint Mosley take the opening snaps Sept. 3. Trotter was the backup a year ago, but Mosley brings a stronger arm and more mobility to the position.

The running back spot is set with Michael Dyer and McCalebb set to lead the way, but after that, the depth is not so clear.

Mike Blakely is still awaiting the answer to a waiver that was issued to the NCAA in hopes he could compete in 2011. Beyond Blakely are Anthony Morgan, a former defensive back, and Tre Mason, who has yet to be cleared to enroll this fall.

The offensive line returns two starters from a year ago in A.J. Greene and Brandon Moseley. Both have game experience and will likely be leaders this season on the offensive line.

Another senior, Jared Cooper, is likely to start at one of the guard positions. Center will come down to a fall decision between freshman early enrollee Reese Dismukes and sophomore Blake Burgess. The other guard position is likely to be filled by John Sullen.

Backups will include a lot of talent in Ed Christian, Aubrey Phillips, Christian Westerman, Greg Robinson and others. I would expect to see some of these backups often, and some of the true freshmen may be starters by season's end.

The receiver position is a strength this season and will be full of playmakers. Although this position loses leadership, it likely receives an upgrade in talent in 2011.

Emory Blake will look to replace the loss of Darvin Adams, Phillip Lutzenkirchen will look to fill the gap left by Kodi Burns and Trovon Reed will likely fill a role similar to Terrell Zachery.

What Malzahn and his offensive staff will do with this talent will be a sight to see in 2011.

Grimes will mold the offensive line to be in step and focused by Week 1. The ability Malzahn has shown with quarterback development has to put Auburn fans' minds at ease at least a little bit, even though there is no clear-cut leader at this point.

Dyer and McCalebb will likely be the most dangerous running back tandem in the country this season if they can stay healthy. Being under the assumption that Grimes will be able to forge two top-level offensive line classes into a quality unit early, Dyer and McCalebb will be looked upon to carry the offensive load as the quarterback settles in the first few games.

Blake earned his stripes a year ago and will be looked upon to be a steady hand and a sure target for the new quarterback. Players like Lutzenkirchen will also fill the need for leadership and clutch plays to ensure success this coming season.

With the high level of skill talent the Tigers possess this season, anything less than a 420-yard average would be surprising. Malzahn first broke onto the collegiate scene with Arkansas as a semi-coordinator under Houston Nutt; the Arkansas offense gained 378 yards per game that season.

His next position came with Tulsa, a team that fared slightly better in 2006 with 388.5 yards per game. Malzahn arrived at Tulsa in 2007, and for the first time in college, he was able to be the play-caller. Tulsa’s offense exploded for 543.9 yards a game under Malzahn in 2007, and in 2008, he guided the Golden Hurricane to 569.9 yards a game.

In 2008, the Auburn Tigers averaged 302.3 yards a game. The next season after Malzahn arrived, he took the same personnel to a 431.8-yard per game average. In 2010, Auburn averaged 499.2 yards a game.

To assume Malzahn will not put Auburn in the 400-plus-yard game this season is laughable.

The Tigers have more talent this season than they could have imagined in 2009. The offense will be guided by Malzahn for its third straight year, and this is Malzahn’s longest tenure at one school since arriving in at the collegiate coaching level. You have to assume there are some extremely dynamic plays that have yet to have been seen that will be rolled out this year.

The talent is also undeniable this coming season. Auburn has recruited extremely well the past two seasons under Chizik and co., and the offense is full of playmakers. If the offensive line can be molded into a cohesive unit, this will be one of the best offenses Auburn has had. It is likely to statistically surpass the 2009 squad and will be effective more consistently than in the past.

Malzahn will have his players hitting on all cylinders by the time the season comes around, and the Tigers will produce more than most expect.

What a distant memory three years ago seems to be, but looking back, then looking forward, it seems unfair to compare the two teams. The 2009 squad was 8-5 with a lot less talent on both sides of the ball, especially offensively. Auburn has the talent, but lacks the experience, which is where the preseason respect seems to be earned.

Expect the Tigers to be explosive and surprising from day one.