Auburn Football: What Went Wrong for the Tigers in 2014?

In response to that headline: everything. Everything went wrong.

In more detail, though, the list goes on and on:

The defensive coaching staff did a horrendous job. A veteran coach, Ellis Johnson, was fired after just two seasons.

Carl Lawson‘s ACL injury hampered the defensive line from the start.

Auburn couldn’t tackle.

The only thing Auburn’s secondary did well was intercept passes (22 in 2014), but when they weren’t picking off passes, they were being burned for chunk yardage and touchdowns.

Yet another 34-31 bowl loss.

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Gus Malzahn’s play-calling in overtime of the Outback Bowl was legitimately some of the worst I’ve seen. Not by Malzahn. Not by Auburn. Just in general. The 2nd down and 3rd down calls never had a chance to begin with.

The Tigers had an elite receiving corp in terms of pure talent, but drops plagued the Tigers all year.

Duke Williams will return in 2015, but he missed most of the Texas A&M game and all of the Georgia and Samford games with an injury, followed by a suspension that very well might have cost Auburn the Outback Bowl.

Wisconsin gained 521 yards against Auburn. That yardage sealed the 2014 Auburn defense’s fate as the FOURTH consecutive Tiger defense to allow over 400 yards per game. Perhaps this might come across as arrogance, but Auburn should never have a 400-yard defense, let alone an entire senior class of defensive players that have never known an under-400 defense.

After starting the year ranked 6th by the AP, Auburn might not even be ranked in the final polls.

In the past four years when Auburn has started the season in the AP Top 10 (2003, 2006, 2008, 2014), the Tigers have gone just 32-19. Take away the 2006 team, and that’s a 21-17 record. That’s not good.

You don’t need me to tell you all this. Auburn’s struggles in 2014 are well-documented.

The worst part, though, is that this team, with all of its problems, had so much potential to be better than they were. Auburn defeated Arkansas by 24. They defeated LSU by 27. They held Kansas State to 14 points and won a night game on the road in Manhattan. They defeated Ole Miss in Oxford in a top 5 showdown. The offense rolled up 630 yards on Alabama in Bryant-Denny Stadium.

Jan 1, 2015; Tampa, FL, USA; Wisconsin Badgers running back Melvin Gordon (25) runs the ball in the first half against the Auburn Tigers in the 2015 Outback Bowl at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jonathan Dyer-USA TODAY Sports

The seniors of this team gave their all for Auburn. Nick Marshall, Cameron Artis-Payne, C.J. Uzomah, Quan Bray, Sammie Coates (spent four years on campus) and Corey Grant were all instrumental in Auburn’s rapid return to relevance after a disastrous 2012 campaign.

But the lasting images of the 2014 Tigers will be images of Dak Prescott running untouched into the end zone in the midst of a rainstorm on October 11th. Images of Dashazor Everett running a blocked field goal back for a touchdown to give Texas A&M a 35-17 lead.

Images of Georgia offensively and defensively dominating the Tigers in a blowout in Athens. Images of Blake Sims throwing touchdown after touchdown during a 34-3 Crimson Tide run, making a 33-21 Auburn lead a 55-36 Alabama lead. Images of Melvin Gordon slicing through Auburn’s defense like a knife through hot butter.

There’s a lot of delicate words that can be used to describe the 2014 Auburn football season, but really, all I can think is, “What a waste.” Even with everything the team had going for them, they come away from 2014 with nothing to show for it.

Perhaps I sound biased here. I’m a young sports journalist. If I hope to become a true professional, one day, I must cast aside all bias. And when that time comes, I will be able to do it.

But now isn’t the time. Right now, I’m a student at Auburn. I sit in the student section and cheer. I go to road games and cheer. Anybody who knows me knows I’m passionate about Auburn University.

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So, I feel no remorse as a writer for stating here that I strongly disliked this season of Auburn football. It had its moments, but those moments were fleeting and gave way to serious problems in Auburn’s program that might take some time to fix.

The good news is that there are reasons to be optimistic about 2015.

Jeremy Johnson steps in at quarterback. The running back rotation will be among the nation’s best. The receiving corps will be strong again. Most offensive linemen are back. The schedule is much better (home games against Mississippi State, Ole Miss, Georgia and Alabama, along with a neutral-site game against Louisville). And, of course, Will Muschamp will be coaching the defense, so improvement is imminent.

2015 has the potential to be a memorable season. As for 2014, we’re all ready to forget.

Next: Report: Melvin Smith Will Not Be Retained in 2015

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