Malzahn Schools Saban

Kevin Scarbinsky: Nick Saban gets high schooled by Gus Malzahn



on December 02, 2013 at 8:57 AM, updated December 02, 2013 at 9:28 AM

Gus Malzahn just stared Nick Saban in the eye and didn't blink. He just outcoached the man almost universally hailed as the best coach in college football.



So, after Auburn 34, Alabama 28, it's probably time to stop calling Malzahn a high school coach as an insult.



But that's one of the best things about Malzahn. He doesn't take it as an insult. He calls himself a high school coach, and he does it proudly. It just so happens that he's taken his talent to another level.



He took his team and his career to another atmosphere Saturday in his first Iron Bowl as a head coach, and he deflated Saban's air of invincibility. And it wasn't a fluke.



Without trickery or deceit, Malzahn's Tigers imposed their will on Saban's Crimson Tide. They ran the ball against undefeated Alabama just like they had against winless-in-the-SEC Arkansas. On the bookend touchdown drives at the end of the second quarter and the start of the third period that tied the game, Auburn ran the ball 13 times in 16 snaps, and there was little Alabama could do to stop it.



Some critics might foolishly dismiss the historic ending, but there was no luck involved this time, no fortuitous tip or bounce. Malzahn's plan at winning time simply trumped Saban's.



Where other teams might panic in a two-minute drill with every championship possible on the line, Malzahn's team took its sweet time to tie the game. He and offensive coordinator Rhett Lashlee baited Saban and defensive coordinator Kirby Smart by running the ball on the drive's first six snaps, then had Nick Marshall toss a pass to a wide-open Sammie Coates for a touchdown.



Tie game.



The last play itself wasn't luck, either. It was the perfect intersection of preparation and opportunity.



First, Saban's decision to try a low-percentage 57-yard field goal tells you he didn't like his chances in overtime. But what were the odds that Adam Griffith, with precious little experience, could come in cold and hit a pressure-packed kick of that distance? It was a curious roll of the dice.



Next, Malzahn called time and changed return men, subbing Chris Davis for Ryan Smith. Smart move. From there, a great wall of blockers created a lane, and Davis followed it into history.



It was the last and the most crushing of Saban's decisions that went wrong in what has to be the most crushing defeat of his career. Like challenging the ruling that time had expired, which led to a review that put one final, fateful second back on the clock.



Saban also opted to go for it on fourth-and-1 from the Auburn 13 late in the fourth quarter rather than try a short field goal that would've given Alabama a 10-point lead. T.J. Yeldon got stuffed for no gain on the play.



Sure, starting kicker Cade Foster had struggled with two misses, but he'd spent the entire season earning the coach's trust. And the Auburn defensive front showed Alabama it's not made of paper.



The defeat dropped Saban's record to 4-3 in the Iron Bowl - never say never again - and continued two shockingly negative streaks for him and the Crimson Tide. At Alabama and LSU, Saban is 0-6 against Auburn teams that would finish with nine or more wins. Alabama, with and before Saban, has lost its last nine Iron Bowls against Auburn teams that would win nine or more games.



It suggests Alabama tends to beat Auburn only when the Tigers are down. Even with Saban on the sideline.



Auburn is sky-high right now. The Tigers won two championships Saturday, the state and the division, and two more are possible. On a more personal level, in his first meeting with Saban as a head coach, Malzahn did more than measure up.



He got the better of the best coach in the game. Not bad for a high school coach at heart.