Spring game information for Gus Malzahn and his Auburn football team that is looking to rebound after a disappointing season and hopes to compete for the SEC West title.
The Auburn Tigers would very much like to forget about last year as quickly as possible. Gus Malzahn’s team was picked to win the SEC at SEC Media Days in July, but that was the highpoint for the Tigers.
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Auburn slumped to a 7-6 record with an ugly 2-6 record in the SEC to finish in last place in the West. They needed overtime to escape past FCS Jacksonville State in the second game of the year or things could have been even worse on the Plains.
Malzahn may enter the season on the hot seat, but even if his job is not in immediate danger, he’s facing the pressure to get back to nine-win status and out of the basement in the West.
The quickest way to rebound is looking at the quarterback position where Jeremy Johnson went from preseason Heisman darling to riding the bench in favor of Sean White midseason.
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If either of those two can make significant strides this offseason, there could be legit reasons for optimism but relying too much on them is a risky proposition.
If Auburn shows a commitment to the run game this year and feeds Roc Thomas and Jovon Robinson early and often, the two former top recruits should both challenge for 1,000 yards.
The offense has to get better, but so does the defense after the hire of Will Muschamp didn’t pan out. Muschamp is gone and Kevin Steele is tasked with rebuilding one of the nation’s worst units from a year ago. The return of a healthy Carl Lawson gives Auburn a difference-maker on the edge and could be in line for a monster season.
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Lawson can’t do it all, however, and he’ll need Montravius Adams to stay healthy and dominate in the middle and if sophomore Byron Cowart can look like the player who was once the nation’s No. 3 overall recruit, the defense will be vastly improved.
The Auburn spring game is scheduled for April 9.