‘Big men don’t want to go sideways’: How Minnesota took away what Auburn does best
Ninth-ranked Auburn needed a stop.
Trailing 31-24 with around two minutes remaining, the Tigers (9-4) lined up on first down aiming for a quick three-and-out. They had one timeout left. It was a long shot, but given how the Auburn defense bottled up opposing running backs in 2019, a quick stop or a turnover was not out of the question. The only problem: The runner lined up on the other side, and the game plan Minnesota drew up was the perfect counter-punch.
Outside run. First down. Game over.
Mohamed Ibrahim ripped off a 10-yard run, icing the game and gifting Minnesota its 11th win of the season — and doomed Auburn and head coach Gus Malzahn to another season (now six straight) with at least four losses. It was a fitting end to a disastrous game for Auburn’s defensive front: Minnesota ran for more yards (215) than any other Tigers opponent this season (Alabama held the previous high with 180 yards).
“They outplayed us,” Malzahn said, “and they outcoached us.”
‘Big men don’t want to go sideways’
Minnesota’s success on the ground was due to one key difference: the scheme.
The Gophers aimed from the start to set the edge and control the line of scrimmage. They utilized outside runs to stretch the field and take advantage of their speed, which took away the Tigers’ biggest defensive strength.
Defensive tackle Derrick Brown, who wrapped up his Auburn career Wednesday, was largely a non-factor. So too was fellow senior lineman Marlon Davidson. Brown registered five tackles (three solo), but no tackles for loss. Davidson had three tackles and none for loss.
Auburn entered the Outback Bowl giving up an average of 115 rushing yards per game, good for 20th nationally in run defense. Minnesota eclipsed that mark in one half.
“It was a lot of outside runs,” Brown said. “Two hats being on one guy. It was confusing for other people because (they) were making us go sideways. Big men don’t want to go sideways, big men want to go downhill. They had a great game plan. They did, and it paid off (for them).“
The Gophers’ success on the ground also allowed them to extend drives, as they routinely waited until the play clock reached single digits. Gophers coach P.J. Fleck actually had to burn timeouts on two separate occasions due to the play clock running down.
The slowed pace resulted in a disparity in plays and time of possession: Minnesota won the time of possession battle 37:35 to 22:25 and ran 75 plays to Auburn’s 53.
While time of possession and number of plays don’t directly equal wins, they do help. Auburn’s offense only had one drive in the first nine minutes of the game.
When Auburn’s offense is on the sideline, it can’t score points. When Minnesota’s offense was on the field Wednesday, good things tended to happen for the Gophers.
“We had 10, 11 practices to prepare,” Ibrahim said. “We’d seen all the looks. We’d seen what they might would do. They did some things out there that they didn’t show on film ... it was all clicking today.”
Next Auburn game
Who: Auburn vs. Alcorn State
When: Sept. 5, 2020 — kickoff time TBD
Where: Jordan-Hare Stadium
TV: To-be-determined
