With new O-coordinator, Auburn hopes for repeat of 2004

By Robert Rousseau  |   Tuesday, July 08, 2008  |  Comments( 1 )

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The last time the Auburn Tigers switched offensive coordinators, they went 13-0. What does that mean for Tony Franklin in his first season at the offensive helm for the Tigers?

Honestly, it's hard to say.

But to find out, let’s do some comparisons regarding the circumstances when Auburn's two most recent O-coordinators took over.

When former Tigers coordinator Al Borges took the helm in 2004, he was known as a guru of the West Coast offense. After all, he still credits West Coast founder Bill Walsh with how he chooses to coach quarterbacks. In fact, he once considered himself a West Coast purist.

It's a different offense, but perhaps it's the same idea when it comes to Borges' replacement, Franklin, who is known for his specific type of spread. Actually, the Tony Franklin System Seminar is his own copyrighted offensive system that is utilized by over 275 college and high school football teams.

So both of these offensive coordinators are known for being literal gurus in regard to the style of offense they teach. Now, let’s go over their pre-Auburn track records.

At Kentucky, Franklin coached Tim Couch, Dusty Bonner and Jared Lorenzen, each of whom led the SEC in passing at one point, and Franklin's stellar offenses with the Wildcats are well-documented. Beyond that, however, in his first season at Troy he took a team that ranked last in offense in the Sun Belt Conference to leading the league in passing and ranking second in total 'O'.

Borges, on the other hand, in his only season with the Oregon Ducks, compelled the club to lead the Pac-10 in passing offense with 263.8 yards per game. The team also averaged 406.3 yards and 29.1 points per game, while quarterback Tony Graziani led the conference in total offense and passing. While coaching UCLA’s offense for five years, his teams averaged 31.9 points per contest, including putting up over 40 points a game during two seasons. Of course, Borges is also credited with bringing along quarterbacks Cade McNown and Jason Campbell, both of whom were first-round NFL draft picks.

So Franklin has an excellent track record coming into his first season with Auburn, as did Borges. Are there any other similarities? You bet.

How about the fact that both guys, Borges in 2004 and Franklin now, were charged with bringing offenses to Auburn that some thought wouldn’t work with the Tigers’ talent pool against difficult SEC competition?

Many believed that the West Coast offense simply couldn’t work with Auburn’s tradition of running the ball. Obviously, Borges tweaked his system in 2004 to accommodate backs Ronnie Brown and Carnell ‘Cadillac’ Williams, and the results were terrific. On the flip side, many, including legendary former coach Pat Dye, are wondering aloud whether the spread can work for the Tigers.

"I still have some concerns about whether [the spread] is physical enough to work in the SEC," Dye told the Journal. "We'll see."

In the end, all of these similarities mean little by themselves. Further, there are some stark contrasts between Borges and Franklin, including the fact that the latter has nowhere near the stable of running backs that Borges inherited, among other things. Regardless, there is really only one similarity that Auburn fans, coaches, and players are hoping for.

With Borges coordinating the offense, Auburn's record in 2004 was 13-0. What will Franklin and company do in 2008?

That’s the question.

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About Robert Rousseau

Robert Rousseau is a sports writer that has been published in a variety of print and online venues. He’s been writing for RealFootball365.com for almost three years now. When Rousseau isn’t writing about college football he tends to be penning mixed martial arts pieces for MMAFighting.com or...
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