Auburn will enter the 2018 football season on a two-game losing streak. That’s not a good look for a team that a month ago was within three wins of claiming the national championship.
So, losing to Georgia in the SEC Championship Game and Central Florida in the Chic-Fil-A Peach Bowl is disappointing but it’s not surprising. In fact, late-season struggles have become an annual event.
Gus Malzahn clearly needs to Tighten Up late in the season.
Since Malzahn became head coach at Auburn in 2013, the Tigers have finished the season by going 1-1, 0-2, 1-1, 0-2 and 0-2. The last time the Tigers entered a season coming off a win was after beating Memphis in the 2015 Birmingham Bowl.
Of course, one thing that helps explain the late-season struggles but also makes them more troubling is that the stretch run for the Tigers always includes games against rivals Georgia and Alabama.
The fact that the Bulldogs and Tide are playing in the national championship game after both lost to the Tigers this season only shines a brighter spotlight on the issue.
But this isn’t a Georgia or Alabama problem. This is an issue of Gus Malzahn needing to find a way to Tighten Up down the stretch.
Who do you think needs to Tighten Up? Call in and the best and most entertaining suggestion will win a $25 gift card from Wintzell’s Oyster House.
For Threaded Fasteners, I’m Randy Kennedy with Tighten Up.
