End of an Error?

It never looked right, did it? Always in the shotgun. Four and five wide receivers. An offensive line that rarely imposed its physical will. In short, it wasn't Auburn football. Auburn is a place for hard-nosed football and physical toughness. It's not a place where basketball on grass should be played. It's not a place where the offense lines up against its opponent only to stand up again like a pack of meerkats wondering what to do. In short, Auburn is no place for the spread offense.



I have nothing against the spread offense. I enjoy watching other teams that run the spread (Missouri and Kansas immediately come to mind). However, I never enjoyed watching Auburn run the spread. From the day Tony Franklin was hired, Auburn attempted an extreme makeover that required an immense amount of faith and patience from fans. Sure, the surprise-factor was enough to squeak out a bowl win against Clemson. But after a full spring and summer working on the new offense, Auburn came up empty in the two biggest games of the season thus far. The spread was designed to score more points and take pressure off of the defense. In reality, the defense was forced to work that much harder. To its credit, Paul Rhodes' crew has played admirably, and should be entirely credited with the team's wins against Mississippi State and Tennessee.





Auburn is a place for big running backs, bruising offensive linemen, athletic tight-ends, and gutsy quarterbacks. With the exception of Ben Tate, the 2008 Tigers have none of these characteristics. Would Auburn have eventually turned the corner and made the spread a dangerous high-powered offense? We will never know. Auburn will almost certainly return to a traditional offense based on power running, play-action passing, and time of possession.

When Tommy Tuberville decided to make the switch to the spread offense and hire Franklin, he was mostly praised for thinking outside the box and keeping with the changing times in order to keep the Auburn program on top. The problem is this: the spread is ALL about the quarterback. Think about the elite teams that run the spread. The most recognizable player on that team is the quarterback. Pat White of West Virginia. Chase Daniel of Missouri. Sam Bradford of Oklahoma. Chris Todd and Kodi Burns are not ready to be the focus of a major college offense. Why does that matter? Because Auburn is almost NEVER about the quarterback (the notable exception being Pat Sullivan). Auburn has always looked to a running back to put the team on his broad shoulders and be the face of the program: Joe Cribbs, James Brooks, Bo Jackson, Brent Fullwood, Stacey Danley, James Bostic, Stephen Davis, Rudi Johnson, Carnell Williams, Ronnie Brown, and Kenny Irons. Whether it was the wishbone, the flexbone, the power "I," whatever the hell Terry Bowden ran, etc., it's about the running back. That's the Auburn way, "our way." The quarterback manages the game, maintains order in the huddle, oozes leadership, and makes a clutch throw here and there. Admit it, you have so much more respect for Brandon Cox now that he's gone.





Does Auburn have someone that can carry the team for the remainder of the season? Yes, they do. Ben Tate. It's time for the offensive line to get their "pissed off" back and run some people over for Ben Tate. Auburn may struggle to win games the final two months of the season, but aren't you looking forward to see what Auburn can accomplish when they do it "our way?" Kodi Burns may one day become the type of quarterback that can lead Auburn to a championship. Burns should do it, however, running an Auburn offense.