Auburn’s Malzahn: Hot seat ‘just part of the job description’
HOOVER, Ala. — Guz Malzahn enters his seventh season at Auburn and the seventh in the long shadow of Alabama coach Nick Saban.
“I’ve got a job (where I’m) expected to win championships, and I expect to win championships,” Malzahn said Thursday as the Southeastern Conference’s Media Days wrapped up. “I knew that when I signed up for it. In the years we win championships, it’s good. The years we don’t, it’s ‘hot seat this and hot seat that.’ It’s just part of the job description.”
The Tigerrs narrowly lost to Florida State in the national title game in Malzahn’s first season at Auburn in 2013, and the closest the Tigers have come in trying to reclaiming that glory is a loss to Georgia in the 2017 SEC title game.
Last season, Auburn finished 7-5 in the regular season, including 3-5 in SEC play, with one of those victories coming at home against Texas A&M. After a 52-21 loss at top-ranked Alabama in late November, it appeared Malzahn might be fired and replaced by former Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops.
But Malzahn kept his job, and the Tigers responded with a 63-14 thumping of Purdue in the Music City Bowl.
“At some places, they celebrate eight wins,” said Malzahn, who is 53-27 at Auburn. “That’s just not part of Auburn. We expect to win championships, and we’ve done that. And we’re going to have more championships in the future here, too.”
Auburn’s hopes rest with unseasoned QBs
If Auburn isto win its first SEC title since 2013, it will need to find a suitable replacement at quarterback for Jarrett Stidham, who was drafted by the New England Patriots.
The candidates are Joey Gatewood and Bo Nix. Both are freshmen, with Gatewood redshirting last season and Nix entering his first college year.
“Our big question is our quarterback situation,” Malzahn said. “Both of them are very athletic, and they can create when things break down. They have big-time arms, and both are really hungry for the job.
“We’ll figure it out in fall camp. We’ll name a starter and figure out which of those two guys gives us the best chance of winning.”
Vandy refuses to rest on Tennessee laurels
Vanderbilt finished 6-7 last season, including a 45-38 loss to Baylor in the Texas Bowl, and coach Derek Mason narrowly missed turning in his first winning season in five tries with the Commodores.
There is one area, however, where Mason has dominated — against division rival Tennessee. Vanderbilt has won three consecutive games against the Volunteers — the first time that has happened since Dan McGugin did it in 1924-26.
“It simply means we’re relevant in the SEC East conversation,” Mason said of the streak. “It’s been about trying to make sure we could keep up with that program up the road. There’s a big combat zone on the SEC East side of the conference, and looking at Tennessee, where Jeremy Pruitt has done a good job, we have to continue to make sure we don’t just focus on Tennessee. We have to make sure that we focus on winning games in our conference. The reality is this is about what happens in 2019, not what happened in 2016, ’17 or ’18.”
Ex-A&M linebacker Bob dies at 51
Former Texas A&M linebacker Adam Bob, 51, died Tuesday after suffering from liver disease, according to his family.
Bob, who was from Lafayette, La., played for the Aggies from 1985-88 and was named the most outstanding defensive player of A&M’s 35-10 victory over Notre Dame in the Cotton Bowl after the 1987 regular season.