One of the biggest legacies former Auburn football head coach Gus Malzahn left on the Plains was his record of beating rival Alabama. He led the Tigers to victory over Alabama three times while coaching the Tigers— in 2013, 2017 and 2019. He was the Tigers' offensive coordinator when the Camback happened in 2010.
In fact, Auburn football has lost every Iron Bowl since 2019, and neither Bryan Harsin nor Hugh Freeze have yet been able to replicate the success that Malzahn had on the Plains. Still, he was fired and moved on to be the head coach of UCF, and he now finds himself as an offensive coordinator again at Florida State.
And the first opponent Malzahn will face as a Seminole coach? Alabama.
Of course, FSU had an extremely disappointing season last year, but with the new recruits and some new coaches on the staff, including Malzahn, there may be reason for Alabama fans to be worried, according to AL.com's Kevin Scarbinsky.
"If you’re an Alabama fan and you’re not concerned about what Malzahn might cook up between now and Aug. 30th, you have a shorter memory than most red elephants," Scarbinsky writes. "Or you’ve suppressed the shock sparked by the pop pass from Nick Marshall to Sammie Coates in the 2013 Iron Bowl, the punctuation on a close-to-perfect, game-tying drive late in the fourth quarter."
Florida State will face off against Alabama in Tallahassee on August 30, and the Auburn football team will return to action on August 29 against the Baylor Bears in Waco, Texas.