The lead-up to the 2017 Auburn football season has been marked by fairly high decibel optimism, resulting largely from the arrival of potentially elite QB, Jarrett Stidham. But the upbeat expectations – some coming from within the Auburn program, not merely pundit love – extend beyond Stidham to the belief that the Auburn defense will be stout and deep. If those factors happen to merge with a typically powerful Malzahn ground game, the preseason optimism could prove to be well-founded, and the Tigers contending for the SEC West deep into November.

Join Coach John Ray and Doug Dean as attack the analysis of the Auburn season’s arrival with exuberance arising from the opening weekend of college football!

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When defensive minds like Coach Nick Saban and Coach Kirby Smart pronounce it as a waste of time to work to scheme to try to stop the vaunted “RPO” (run-pass option) attacks of the day, then it becomes difficult for Auburn fans not to be upbeat about the possibilities with the 2017 AU offense under new offensive coordinator Chip Lindsey.

So as the 2017 season is upon us, for both serious and casual fan, what exactly are the tenets of the recent RPO attack, and how might it look when melded with Gus Malzahn’s often devastating ground game?

Join Coach John Ray and Doug Dean as they welcome special guest and friend of the show, Coach Hunter Adams, in a seriously deep dive into the RPO system and what Auburn fans might expect from the AU offense.

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With the Auburn football 2017 season opener a mere 16 days away, Coach Gus Malzahn posted possibly his most significant tweet since 2013 on Monday, announcing Baylor transfer QB Jarrett Stidham as the clearcut starter. The announcement surprised no one, but is good for this Auburn team in that it allows three good weeks of work with one quarterback and his offensive starters.

Coach John Ray and Doug Dean discuss what Stidham will bring to the table, which very well may include the reclaiming of the level of coaching confidence Malzahn displayed in 2010, and as head coach in 2013.

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Notwithstanding the challenge of accessing reliable information in its real time “context” from Auburn and most every SEC fall camp, reports appear to point to roughly one-third worries for the Auburn coaching staff, and two-thirds excitement as to how the team is shaping up with the season opener just 23 days out. Not an abnormal reality in most every Power Five football camp, as annual attrition takes its toll.

Not surprisingly, Kevin Steele’s Auburn defense is drawing rave reviews – particularly the front-seven in terms of quality depth – even as the offense works to identify the right five (Braden Smith is a clear starter) O-linemen to get maximum reps, and for transfer QB Jarrett Stidham to demonstrate mastery of the offense equal to his enormous physical upside.

Join Coach John Ray and Doug Dean as they explore the best available sourced information coming out of fall camp in the Loveliest Village!

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