The 2015 Outback Bowl and then the Off Season

Auburn ended the season with a loss to Wisconsin in the Outback Bowl. In overtime, Gus Malzahn called for a trick play to win it, but it backfired. This is what it was supposed to look like.

But against the Badgers, the Tigers lost yards. Oh well.



Before the bowl game, I took a look at how NFL rookies from Auburn have done so far as professionals. I also came up with some silly reasons for Gus to avoid the NFL.

I won't be doing a weekly post during football's offseason, but look for Game Flow and Four Factors charts for the men's basketball team. I might even chip in with a game preview or two. I also have a an idea for National Signing Day, but we'll see about that when it comes.

Meanwhile, I have 240 days until Auburn and Louisville kickoff next season to write about some things I've been thinking about.

• Gene Chizik's 3-9 Recipe: He blamed that season's troubles on changing both coordinators and not having an answer at quarterback. Who is facing that scenario in 2015?
• Game Scripts and Knockouts: Chase Stuart (@fbgchase) has some interesting ways to track run/pass ratios and when a game is out of reach for the NFL. I want to see if they can translate to college football.
• Of course I'll be chopping up Auburn's 2014 games (like this), but I also want to get video of just the QB heir apparent, Jeremy Johnson. He has 78 passing attempts and 11 rushes over the last two years and folks would probably like a refresher.
• Ole Miss head coach Hugh Freeze said before last season that they found their offense performed better when they didn't go hurry up. Could Gus Malzahn do the same next year? Should he? Once I'm done with the 2014 cut-ups, I'll track each hurry-up snap and give a verdict.
• Last year, I used All-22 video of Auburn's 2013 season to really dig into what made Malzahn's offense work. But it was a very run-heavy version. I have some All-22 of Malzahn's Tulsa teams, which threw for 4226 yards in 2008, so I'll try to make more sense of the passing game in preparation for the Jeremy Johnson era.
• Finally, I have been trying to follow the College Football Championship Belt back to it's roots when Rutgers defeated Princeton in 1869. I know someone else has done this, but not back as far as I'm going. And not with the presentation I'm planning. We'll see.