Malzahn, Auburn Quickly Erasing Bad Feelings of 2008

A year ago, the Auburn football team was 2-0, just like it is after two games in 2009.

What makes the start to the 2009 season much different than the 2008 season is the incredible numbers new offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn and his offense are putting up.

Auburn has produced two 100-yard rushers in both games, the first time that's happened in the team's history.

The school, which has produced Bo Jackson, Joe Cribbs, Brent Fullwood, Carnell Williams, and Ronnie Brown, has never had a duo go for 100-yards a piece in two consecutive games.

That's certainly something for fans to hang their hats on, especially compared to last year's struggling performances against Louisiana-Monroe and Southern Mississippi in the first two games.

Last year, in eight SEC games, Auburn scored 93 points and scored only seven touchdowns. This year, through one game, Auburn put up 49 points against Mississippi State and scored six offensive touchdowns.

That speaks not only to the improvements in this year's team, but to the abysmal performance of last year's offense.

Last year, Auburn scored 208 total points all season. They've already scored 86 points this year, equaling 41 percent of last year's scoring total.

What Malzahn has done is give Auburn a chance. He has given the defense a chance to believe that they don't have to hold a team to 10 points to win a football game, and they've given the offense a confidence they couldn't have dreamed of last season.

The dissension on the team in 2008 was obvious. It was a big part of why Auburn had a losing season.

Well that's gone now.

The team has a different mentality in 2009 and the sense of unity is very evident.

There is still a lot to learn about this Auburn team; they will face much tougher competition than Louisiana Tech and Mississippi State as the season goes on, and it starts this week with a good West Virginia team.

Regardless of how the schedule plays out, new head coach Gene Chizik has already accomplished a big goal since he's taken over.

He took a team deeply divided and wounded from last year's disaster, brought them together, and now has them believing in each other.

Now they doesn't mean they will win more than five games like they did in 2008, but what it does say is that he's building a foundation, and that starts with getting the players behind you, especially as a new coach.

Don't expect this Tiger team to go 5-7, though, and so far Auburn has been far more impressive than what most thought.

One thing is for certain: If you are buying stock in Gus Malzahn, you better buy now, because it will only go higher with the way he's turned this Auburn offense around so quickly.