I attend Fellowship Bible Church and I understand that Auburn Tiger running back Michael Dyer went there too. It did seem like a miracle when he stayed up and ran for a huge chuck of yards to put Auburn in position to beat Oregon and win the national championship. He was not the only Arkansan on that team. Offensive Coordinator Gus Malzahn was a key part of that win as well. Later I want to talk about Malzahn’s Christian testimony.
This year will be rough for the Tigers. They will be better later in the year as their young talented players improve with experience. Did you know that Auburn has recruited better than about anyone the last two years. They posted top 5 classes the last two years. However, that also means that most of their players are underclassmen now (Freshmen and Sophomores).
Mississippi State is very good and they deserved their 9-4 record. This year will be a little tougher for them. Ole Miss ate their lunch in recruiting and eventually that will come back and bite you. ALSO THEIR COWBELLS NEED TO BE BANNED. I predict if they get around to winning the SEC then they will banned immediately. IT JUST IS NOT FAIR. WHY NOT LET THE OTHER TEAMS USE NOISE MAKERS?
Below is a preview from Rivals:
Auburn
Returning Starters: 6
Strengths: In sophomore running back Michael Dyer, who rushed for perhaps the quietest 1,093 yards ever on a national champion, the Tigers’ offense has a nice building block. Another RB, Onterrio McCalebb, and WR Emory Blake are capable of making big plays. DB Neiko Thorpe will help anchor the defense after a junior year which saw him record 64 tackles and break up nine passes. Coach Gene Chizik has followed a national championship with an excellent recruiting year.
Weaknesses: A whopping 16 starters must be replaced, including Heisman Trophy winner Cam Newton and dominant DT Nick Fairley. For good measure, Auburn also lost both kickers, including clutch PK Wes Byrum. Whoever replaces Newton – and in late May, some reports suggested it could be former N.C. State QB Russell Wilson – must work behind four new O-line starters. The back seven defensively will be almost totally new. This will be somewhat of a rebuilding year, although a national championship should give Chizik wiggle room with a demanding fan base.
Mississippi State
Returning Starters: 15
Strengths: In his third year in Starkville, Urban Meyer disciple Dan Mullen welcomes back a team which could probably win the East Division, but will be challenged to finish higher than fourth in the West. QB Chris Relf improved his passing last season, hitting 59 percent of his attempts with a 13-6 TD-interception ratio, while RB Vick Ballard rushed for 986 yards and scored 20 touchdowns. The defense returns three starters in the line and all four starters in the secondary, led by SS Charles Mitchell (93 tackles).
Weaknesses: The Bulldogs must break in three new starters at linebacker, never a good idea in any conference but particularly not in the SEC. They must also groom a new placekicker and punter, which could impact them in the type of close games that are a part of SEC life. The schedule is also problematic; they play Auburn and LSU in a five-day stretch in the middle of September, then battle Alabama and Arkansas in consecutive weeks during mid-November.
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Mississippi State
Returning Starters: 15
Strengths: In his third year in Starkville, Urban Meyer disciple Dan Mullen welcomes back a team which could probably win the East Division, but will be challenged to finish higher than fourth in the West. QB Chris Relf improved his passing last season, hitting 59 percent of his attempts with a 13-6 TD-interception ratio, while RB Vick Ballard rushed for 986 yards and scored 20 touchdowns. The defense returns three starters in the line and all four starters in the secondary, led by SS Charles Mitchell (93 tackles).
Weaknesses: The Bulldogs must break in three new starters at linebacker, never a good idea in any conference but particularly not in the SEC. They must also groom a new placekicker and punter, which could impact them in the type of close games that are a part of SEC life. The schedule is also problematic; they play Auburn and LSU in a five-day stretch in the middle of September, then battle Alabama and Arkansas in consecutive weeks during mid-November.
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Gus Malzahn:7 Characteristics of a Champion, Part I
Set High Goals
On Tuesday, November 17th East Alabama Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) held the Third Annual Prayer Breakfast at Beard-Eaves Memorial Coliseum on the Auburn University campus. It was a large turnout with close to 1500 students and supporters in attendance. The coliseum was full of notable Auburn Athletic Department employees showing their support for this great cause. Auburn University Defensive Coordinator Ted Roof was recognized from the podium, Athletic Director Jay Jacobs gave the Invocation, and Receiver Coach and Assistant Head Coach Trooper Taylor emceed the event in his normal, energetic, Trooper style. It was great seeing the support from Auburn for the former Auburn defensive linemanWayne Dickens. Dickens is currently the FCA Area Representative for East Alabama. Guests heard both student and coach testimonies of what FCA is doing in area schools, but the highlight of the event was definitely the keynote speaker, Gus Malzahn-first year Offensive Coordinator for Auburn University. His speech was short and to the point, but he challenged the entire room with the 7 (+1) characteristics of a champion. In this series, we will touch on these 7 (+1) characteristics that he discussed, and then spend a little time talking about each.
The first characteristic of a champion is to set high goals. In 14 years of coaching high school football, Malzahn led his team to seven state championships. His offenses at University of Tulsa set both conference and national records during his short tenure, and his first Auburn team sits at number 18 in the nation in total offense and 13 in the nation in scoring offense. None of this would be possible without setting high goals for himself. Coach Malzahn noted that most people pass away without living up to their full potential. The main cause of this is that they do not set high enough goals to challenge themselves to reach this potential which leads to never truly knowing they are capable of.
I completely agree with what Coach Malzahn was saying and have just a few things to add to it. These goals must have measurable results. One can set lofty goals, but without measurable results and a plan to achieve those goals, they are nothing but dreams. Don’t get me wrong, I love to dream, but these dreams will never become achievable goals without a plan that includes measurable short term and long term goals.
Finally, how do your goals line up with Christ? Do they intersect at all? The goal ofFCA is displayed in the Mission Statement, “to present to athletes and coaches and all whom they influence the challenge and adventure of receiving Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord, serving Him in their relationships and in the fellowship of the church”. Do you have goals? What are you doing to reach these goals? In these actions, how are you affecting others?
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I first knew that Gus Malzahn was a great coach when in 1998 he brought his Shiloh Christian Saints into Little Rock and beat my Arkansas Baptist Eagles at Eagle Field. In this clip below you will see that the Arkansas Baptist Eagles in the red uniforms had the much bigger team. In fact, many of the Arkansas Baptist players went on to play college ball.
The Daily Hatch 