Gus Malzahn May Have Saved the Season and His Job

Gus Malzahn changed the fate of the 2016 Auburn football season when he swallowed his pride and gave up play-calling duties.

When Gus Malzahn — the one-time offensive wizard whose face could have been seen on milk cartons for the last 13 months — figured out that his days as a coordinator needed to come to an end, he changed the destiny of the 2016 Auburn Tigers football team from one headed to certain disaster, to possible glory.

But let there be absolutely no doubt: Prior to the shake-up, the season was headed nowhere — fast — and would have likely ended in Malzahn’s dismissal.

As hard as it is to believe or even understand, Malzahn had gone from quite literally one of the preeminent minds in all of offensive football to an absolute liability as a play-caller (without a dual-threat quarterback).

What Rhett Lashlee has accomplished since taking over the reins the week of the LSU game is nothing short of absolute proof. In that game, even with the shortcomings in the red-zone, it was obvious that Lashlee was going to be an instant upgrade.

Against Louisiana–Monroe and then Mississippi State, my confidence in that belief would only grow. Lashlee’s ability (and willingness) to break long-long-long-standing, incredibly frustrating Malzahn tendencies was clear.

And when Arkansas came to town, even taking into consideration how defensively challenged they are, Lashlee removed all doubt, as for the fourth game in a row, he kept the defense off-balance more than Malzahn had in more than a year.

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While it’s true that — if Lashlee were calling Auburn’s plays all year — the Tigers almost certainly defeat Clemson – and the Texas A&M game would have been completely different – it’s important not to fall into the easy trap of thinking about what could have been.

The focus instead should be on what is.

After all, the Tigers only need the Aggies to lose one game — against Mississippi State, Ole Miss, or rapidly improving LSU — to be in complete control of their SEC destiny.

With Lashlee’s feel as a play-caller and a growing arsenal of maturing weapons — and the best Auburn defense in more than a decade — there is no game that is out of reach. Not anymore.

Despite how the prior text may have come across, the point is not to blame Malzahn for not making the change sooner than he did, it’s to celebrate that he made it when he did instead of when the season was legitimately shot. Or even not at all.

It was a big move and, without question, a blow to his pride and ego. But he did it. And because he did it, Auburn’s 2016 team will accomplish as much as it deserves.

The team is raising its level game-by-game, and Malzahn’s move makes it possible for all of us — and they themselves — to see it.

As the seasons go by, Malzahn — still only in his fifth season as a head coach — is also learning and growing. He accepted a hard reality and did what was best for Auburn.

Next: Auburn Football vs. Arkansas: 6 Things Auburn Did Right in Win

Because of it, Malzahn’s time on The Plains may actually be closer to the beginning than it is to what was — just a few, short weeks ago — a rapidly approaching end.

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