QB Newton leads Malzahn’s high-powered Auburn offense
Ever since his promotion from coach at Springdale High School to offensive coordinator at Arkansas in 2006, Gus “High School” Malzahn has had to live down his nickname and up to the job many said he didn’t deserve.
But four years later, as offensive coordinator at Auburn, Malzahn has done both. The Tigers lead the SEC in scoring (40.7 ppg), rushing (283.7 ypg) and total offense (481 ypg), boast one of the nation’s most dynamic quarterbacks in Cam Newton and last week rolled to a 65-43 victory at Arkansas.
When No. 5 Auburn (7-0) hosts No. 6 LSU (7-0) on Saturday, Malzahn’s exhausting, up-tempo offense will be tested by the SEC’s top defense (242 ypg) in a matchup of the conference’s remaining undefeated teams.
“They’ve got a lot of speed,” Malzahn told reporters Wednesday. “This is the most talented defense we’ve seen, no doubt about it.”
There’s also no doubt that Newton, a 6-foot-6, 250-pound runner and thrower, is the most talented quarterback LSU has faced. The junior might be the perfect player to run Malzahn’s hurry-up spread, an offense that was tweaked to exploit his running ability.
Last year, Auburn quarterback Chris Todd was not a rushing option; he carried for minus-116 yards. But this season, Newton has rushed for 860 yards and 12 touchdowns while passing for 1,278 yards and 13 scores.
“In normal football, you don’t necessarily account for [the quarterback],” LSU coach Les Miles said. “Now he is a first consideration, maybe on every play.”
Give Malzahn and coach Gene Chizik credit for adjusting an offense that averaged 33 points a game last season and rebuilding it on the fly around the talents of Newton.
“Sometimes, you get a quarterback that you weren’t necessarily thinking that he was going to be that big a part of the run game,” Chizik said. “As the season progresses, it’s very evident that A) he can handle it, and B) he’s very effective at it.”
These days, Newton is making his offensive coordinator look like a genius. Malzahn had plenty of doubters when he parlayed a state championship at Springdale into a job at Arkansas. One of the reasons for Malzahn’s extraordinary promotion? Five of his top players at Springdale, including consensus national player of the year quarterback Mitch Mustain, followed him to Arkansas.
But Malzahn proved he belonged, getting the most out of talented running backs Darren McFadden (Oakland Raiders) and Felix Jones (Dallas Cowboys) and using a Wildcat offense so innovative that it quickly spread to the NFL.
But despite a 10-4 record, Malzahn’s stay at Arkansas lasted just one year as he feuded with coach Houston Nutt. After helping Tulsa to a 21-7 mark in two seasons, Malzahn landed at Auburn, where his star continues to rise, in part, he says, because of his experience as a high school coach.
“I’m used to building the offense around the strengths of the quarterback,” Malzahn said. “[Newton]’s a great competitor, very physical.”
