Fly War Eagle
Fansided

Auburn Football: Gus Malzahn Outback Bowl Post-Game Press Conference Notes, Quotes and Reaction

By Nicholas Ian Allen

facebooktwitterreddit

It certainly wasn’t the end Auburn football coach Gus Malzahn had in mind for his Tigers: a 34-31 overtime loss to Wisconsin in the Outback Bowl.

“Obviously we’re extremely disappointed. We got beat by a good Wisconsin team.”

The Badgers are very good. Despite losing 59-0 to Ohio State in the Big Ten Championship Game, the victory over the Tiger was the 11th of the season for Wisconsin.

More from Auburn Football

Still, an 8-5 record is a major disappointment for Malzahn, the players, and the Auburn family. After coming up 13 seconds short of a national championship in the first year of the Malzahn era, the Tigers had sky high expectations entering 2014.

Losses to Mississippi State and Texas A&M were surprising, rivalry losses to Georgia and Alabama are never easy to swallow, and as good as the Badgers may be, a fifth loss will leave a sour taste in the mouths of everyone associated with Auburn football.

“The fourth down and ten was a big play for them to convert on their part,” Malzahn said. “That was the game right there but they got it done.”

Though he said fourth-and-ten, the play Malzahn was referencing was actually a fourth-and-5 on the Auburn 33-yard line with less than a minute left in regulation.

After Auburn drove for a touchdown to take a 31-28 lead with less than three minutes to play, the Badgers moved into Auburn territory quickly following five running plays and a costly personal penalty by Kris Forst.

Then, Badgers quarterback Joel Stave, who had been less than reliable for most of the game, connected with Sam Arneson for seven yards to move the sticks and allow Wisconsin to kick a 29-yard field goal six plays later. A Badgers field goal in overtime, followed by an Auburn miss, sealed the game.

Jan 1, 2015; Tampa, FL, USA; Wisconsin Badgers safety Michael Caputo (7) sacks Auburn Tigers quarterback Nick Marshall (14) during the first half in the 2015 Outback Bowl at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

“We just didn’t make the plays at the end of the game. They did,” Malzahn said.

Malzahn himself didn’t have a great day as a play-caller. The double pass trick play third down call in overtime is likely to be a topic of conversation among Auburn fans for the next few months.

Overall, the Tigers made some plays – on offense and on defense – but just not enough. Auburn senior safety Jermaine Whitehead had two interceptions deep in Wisconsin territory, Trovon Reed also picked off a pass in the first half, and Frost sacked Stave late in the second quarter.

On offense, Nick Marshall threw two beautiful touchdown passes – a 66-yarder to Ricardo Louis and a 20-yarder to C.J. Uzomah. Cameron Artis-Payne found the end zone twice, ran for more than 100 yards for the ninth time this season and surpassed the 1,600 -yard mark for the year.

Simply put, Artis-Payne – the SEC’s leading rusher – had a great game and a terrific season. But his performance was nothing compared to Wisconsin tailback Melvin Gordon.

Malzahn was asked about Gordon, who ran for 251 yards and three scores. The Heisman Trophy runner-up finished with 2,587 yards in 2014 – the second most in a single-season ever for an FBS running back and 41 yards shy of Barry Sanders’ record.

“I thought he was a big factor. We were focused on that guy.”

However, much like Gordon’s fellow Heisman finalist Amari Cooper did a little over a month ago, the Tigers couldn’t stop their opponent’s best player. Failing to stop a team’s best offensive player is a big reason the Tigers haven’t beaten an FBS opponent since November 1.

“We just didn’t make the plays at the end of the game. They did,” Malzahn said.

“It’s good that we hired the best defensive coordinator in football,” Malzahn said of Muschamp. “He’ll get it corrected.”

The Tigers were led by interim defensive coordinator Charlie Harbison, who stepped into the role for the Outback Bowl following Ellis Johnson’s firing. Now that the season is officially over, newly hired coordinator Will Muschamp will take the reins and attempt to turn around a defense that has now allowed 31 points or more to seven consecutive FBS opponents.

Malzahn, standing at the podium in somewhere deep in Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida is already looking ahead to 2015.

“Offensively we got a chance to be really good next year.”

That’s true. Despite losing Marshall, Artis-Payne, All-American center Reese Dismukes and fellow O-Line starter Chad Slade, junior receiver Sammie Coates, Uzomah, there is a lot to be optimistic about looking ahead to 2015.

Live Feed

Auburn vs. Texas A&M Prediction, Odds, Trends and Key Players for College Football Week 4
Auburn vs. Texas A&M Prediction, Odds, Trends and Key Players for College Football Week 4 /

Betsided

  • 2023 Week 4 AP Poll Top 25: Every SEC team’s highest, lowest spot on ballotSouth Bound & Down
  • SEC Football: Florida, LSU rise in Week 4 2023 power rankingsSouth Bound & Down
  • SEC Tailgating: Where should you go in each town?South Bound & Down
  • SEC football standings based on yards per play through Week 2FanSided
  • Auburn Basketball: Projected starting lineup and depth chart for 2023-24 seasonBusting Brackets

    • First of all, Jeremy Johnson has a rocket for a right arm and could be even better than Marshall (who was one of the best Auburn quarterbacks ever, by the way). He’s got big-time talent and two years in Malzahn’s system already under his belt. Now it’s time to see what Johnson can do as the full-time signal-caller.

    Running backs Jovon Robinson and Roc Thomas have more pure talent than Artis-Payne, and leading receiver Duke Williams has announced he plans to return to the Plains instead of joining Coates in the NFL.

    On the offensive line, six players return with starting experience  including will-be sophomore Braden Smith, who earned his first start in the Outback, and Ole Miss transfer Austin Golson.

    Plus, the defense should be improved. Nine starters should return (unless Kris Frost or Casanova McKinzy unexpectedly leave for the League). Muschamp has a terrific track record of injecting a unit with intensity and overall effectiveness.

    And talent. He’s a terrific recruiter, as well.

    Because of the returning talent on offense and the arrival of Muschamp, the expectations for next season will be as high as ever. And rightly so.

    “Our goal next year is to win the SEC,” Malzahn said. “That’s what our goal will be every year. The future’s bright.”

    War Eagle.

    Here’s the video, from AL.com:

    Next: Auburn Can't Stop Gordon, Wisconsin in Outback Bowl

    More from Fly War Eagle

    Home/Auburn Football