Examples of good coaching

[aubiefifty 17,478]

saturdaydownsouth.com

 

Auburn quarterback Bo Nix is an example of just how well the Tigers are being coached

Dave Hooker | 17 hours ago

5-6 minutes

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Auburn quarterback Bo Nix is more unpredictable than a roulette wheel.

Pick a number. Pick black or red. It doesn’t matter. No one knows just what Nix will look like on a given Saturday. He has been good and bad this season. He was good on Saturday. Real good. That’s a good sign for Auburn’s entire team.

Nix completed 21-of-26 passes for 292 yards and 2 touchdowns and an interception. The junior also ran for 42 yards on 5 carries. That included a 23-yard scamper for a touchdown late in the game that ended any chance that Arkansas had for a comeback. Auburn won 38-23 and only trailed briefly in the second quarter.

In September, there seemed little chance that we’d be talking about Nix in such a complimentary fashion. Remember when Auburn almost lost to Georgia State in what would have been the upset of the year in college football? That was partly Nix’s fault. Remember Nix getting benched in that game? That was partly Nix’s fault. However, that’s a small sample size. There’s more to Nix.

Even in games in which he hasn’t played great, Nix has always been ready to play, compete and lead his team. That’s saying something for a player that seemed destined to see his eligibility run out from the sideline.

I’ve never been a quarterback, but I’m sure it’s much tougher to be a leader when you’re on the bench instead of under center. It’s readily apparent that Nix didn’t let his absence affect him or his team. Had Nix not been committed to his team when he was benched, Auburn would not be 5-2 and 2-1 in the SEC. Yet, they are.

There’s plenty for Auburn fans to like about the win over the Razorbacks. We could talk specifics like Nix, Auburn’s defensive front or a number of other things. That’s not what fans should take away from the victory.

Auburn fans should be most satisfied with the fact that their team has bought into first-year coach Bryan Harsin. That’s been proven by the way Auburn plays hard, tough and disciplined.

Auburn isn’t as talented as they need to be to compete for a national championship. We’ll see if that changes. Auburn currently has the 34th-ranked class in the nation. That ranks 13th in the SEC and needs to get better quickly.

There aren’t many athletic departments in the SEC that will tolerate 8 or 9 wins per season. Auburn isn’t one of them. Just ask Gus Malzahn. His job was in question leading into the 2020 season after winning 8 games or more for 4 consecutive season. That included a 10-win season in which the Tigers won the SEC West in 2017. No matter. He was replaced by Harsin. Things look good now as the Tigers are improving, but Auburn expects elite out of Harsin, not pretty good.

Recruiting is the key to achieving excellence and it won’t be easy as long as nearby Alabama is in the midst of one of the most successful runs in the history of college football. Either Harsin will somehow have to overcome that hurdle or Alabama coach Nick Saban will retire. The latter does not seem imminent, so Harsin needs to up his recruiting game quickly.

Perhaps Harsin is waiting for his coaching to do the talking in recruiting. If so, he’s gaining momentum. Harsin has been in situations in which lesser head coaches would have lost their team, gotten fired and ended up coaching at a place like Arkansas State. Harsin doesn’t seem like that kind of coach at all.

Harsin is the kind of coach who always has his team ready no matter what happened in the previous game. That was evident against Arkansas. Auburn had every reason to show up flat. Auburn was throttled by Georgia last week. The Bulldogs’ defense was suffocating. The Tigers had no chance and lost 34-10. For these evolving Tigers, last week was over and didn’t affect them moving forward. They learned that from the disaster that they narrowly avoided against Georgia State.

The Tigers didn’t respond nearly as well to a loss earlier in the season. Auburn lost to Penn State 28-20 and struggled against Georgia State the next week.

There was no Panther-like hangover on Saturday after another tough loss to take. Auburn’s players and coaches handled the Georgia loss, got ready for a tough team that is also well-coached and won. That sounds much easier than it is.

Recruiting will certainly be what Tiger fans should keep their eye on. Auburn fans should hope that parents play a key role in the recruitment of some key prospects. Under Harsin, Auburn may not have much flare — though they did hit a few big plays Saturday — but it looks like a good place to send your child if he’s got a few football scholarship offers in his hand. If you’re a parent looking for toughness and discipline, Auburn seems like a good option.

[AuCivilEng1 11,098]

30 minutes ago, aubiefifty said:

There aren’t many athletic departments in the SEC that will tolerate 8 or 9 wins per season.

 

.

This part cracked me up. 2/3 of the conference would be completely ecstatic going 9-3 every year.  I even think we would tolerate it as long at we were competing against our rivals and winning those games more often than we have been.  
 

 

[Guest MustardSeed]

I’m sure glad D. Hooker isn’t involved in our recruiting.  That last paragraph may as well have been written about an FBS team.  Not real sure I want the guy even writing about us 🤔
“Auburn may not have much flare — though they did hit a few big plays Saturday — but it looks like a good place to send your child if he’s got a few football scholarship offers in his hand”

[USATiger 741]

9 hours ago, AuCivilEng1 said:

This part cracked me up. 2/3 of the conference would be completely ecstatic going 9-3 every year.  I even think we would tolerate it as long at we were competing against our rivals and winning those games more often than we have been.  
 

 

yep credibility of author, gone with that statement

[USATiger 741]

I will say, I remember back in the spring Harsin talking about competition in each position group.  When TJ transferred, he kept mentioning competition.  Seems TJ's transfer, and benching of Bo, may be the most brilliant decision he's made.   Biggest difference now with Auburn, when the HC speaks, everyone better be listening.  It ain't coach speak, it's your career.

[AU-24 3,124]

6 hours ago, USATiger said:

I will say, I remember back in the spring Harsin talking about competition in each position group.  When TJ transferred, he kept mentioning competition.  Seems TJ's transfer, and benching of Bo, may be the most brilliant decision he's made.   Biggest difference now with Auburn, when the HC speaks, everyone better be listening.  It ain't coach speak, it's your career.

I never thought I would be saying this after the first three or four games of the season, but I totally agree!

[DAG 34,093]

3 hours ago, AU-24 said:

I never thought I would be saying this after the first three or four games of the season, but I totally agree!

He is on board! I am about to fall out lol

[aucanucktiger 1,810]

Malzahn preserving win last time Bama came to town, by putting Nix at wide out so Saban went into a fetal position trying to get right personnel on field. Penalty on Bama. Brilliant. Example of good coaching. (He ducks).

[AU-24 3,124]

2 hours ago, DAG said:

He is on board! I am about to fall out lol

Shocked myself! Harsin wasn’t ready (IMO) but he is learning very quickly!

[AU-24 3,124]

2 hours ago, aucanucktiger said:

Malzahn preserving win last time Bama came to town, by putting Nix at wide out so Saban went into a fetal position trying to get right personnel on field. Penalty on Bama. Brilliant. Example of good coaching. (He ducks).

Lil Nickie was definitely out-coached that day! 

[Sizzle 3,932]

I guess Friend deserves some credit too. Halfway through the season he changed his LT and took Troxell out the lineup and put in Zierer

 

[I_M4_AU 8,254]

4 hours ago, aucanucktiger said:

Malzahn preserving win last time Bama came to town, by putting Nix at wide out so Saban went into a fetal position trying to get right personnel on field. Penalty on Bama. Brilliant. Example of good coaching. (He ducks).

Malzahn lived for those moments.  He was very good at finding a situation that he could take advantage of.  The FG just before half set Saban off and the trap was set, Malzahn just had to find the right moment.

However, those moments were few and far between.  I can’t help but go back to the 2018 Iron Bowl where there were 2:30 minutes left in the half and Auburn was down by 3.  Auburn gets a first down with just under 2:00 minutes left and Malzahn runs the clock out.  He could get in Saban’s head, but Saban could make Malzahn go into the fetal position too.

[BJCrawford 1,568]

8 minutes ago, I_M4_AU said:

Malzahn lived for those moments.  He was very good at finding a situation that he could take advantage of.  The FG just before half set Saban off and the trap was set, Malzahn just had to find the right moment.

However, those moments were few and far between.  I can’t help but go back to the 2018 Iron Bowl where there were 2:30 minutes left in the half and Auburn was down by 3.  Auburn gets a first down with just under 2:00 minutes left and Malzahn runs the clock out.  He could get in Saban’s head, but Saban could make Malzahn go into the fetal position too.

And for those who criticized (not on here I don’t think) Harsin for taking the timeout with 2 mins left in the half and Ark 3rd and 15, I still loved it! It did not work out but he was still being aggressive and thinking about using those two mins to score. Don’t think Malzahn would have done that up 11. J

[McLoofus 35,182]

44 minutes ago, Sizzle said:

I guess Friend deserves some credit too. Halfway through the season he changed his LT and took Troxell out the lineup and put in Zierer

 

Really need the "our OL sucks" crowd to start qualifying that with "at run blocking". Of course, that will magically start looking better, as we discussed, once defenses have to respect the pass. 

[JwgreDeux 1,279]

I don't know if it is accurate, but on the broadcast they said Bo only got 60% of first team reps this week in practice. Sounds like this staff is continuing the theme of competition week in and week out right now. 

 

 

[McLoofus 35,182]

23 minutes ago, JwgreDeux said:

I don't know if it is accurate, but on the broadcast they said Bo only got 60% of first team reps this week in practice. Sounds like this staff is continuing the theme of competition week in and week out right now. 

I was struck by that comment, too. Said Bo didn't even know if he was starting for most of the week. 

[DAG 34,093]

13 minutes ago, McLoofus said:

I was struck by that comment, too. Said Bo didn't even know if he was starting for most of the week. 

Probably why he is playing feet to the fire. Competition breeds excellence.