This sums up my view on the subject perfectly. We may never have evidence beyond our common sense, so we need to trust our common sense. HUNH leads to more plays per game, which leads to more injuries.If someone said playing 12 games would increase the number of injuries on average NOBODY would argue that point. And what's the root analysis? The fact you have more plays. Consequently, how anyone can sit there and say, "More plays does NOT translate to more injuries," I don't know. And in this case we're talking about injuries caused by players being on the field play after play after play after play with no respite.
If FATIGUE is not a contributing factor then why do teams try to sub out as often as possible? I don't honestly see how anyone can plausibly argue otherwise. Now.....whether that translates into a valid reason for putting the brakes on HUNH is actually something else altogether different.
Do I think Saban's sole concern was injury? No.
But I also don't think Malzahn is blissfully unaware of all the 12 men on the field and linemen past the line of scrimmage fouls his team gets away with, either.
But I do not believe that coaches run the HUNH to purposely circumvent the rules. I believe that they do it to gain an advantage over teams which would otherwise bludgeon them to "death" in a game. When you are not as big, you try to use your speed and athleticism to your advantage in sports. The HUNH does exactly that. If they also happen to gain an advantage because officials refuse to maintain a pace of play that allows them to be in a proper position to do their jobs, that is on the officials. It is the coach's job to find ways to win. It is the official's job to control the game.
Also consider that there are many types of HUNH offenses out there. Auburn is not running the same offense that we see at other schools. They only hurry to the LOS. They do not snap the ball immediately unless they have gained an advantage at that point that they want to press. Once at the LOS, if no clear advantage is present, they slow it down and go into their "meerkat" mode. This stops the defense from substituting since they stay at the LOS, but also results in Auburn running fewer plays than most teams that run a form of the HUNH. They maintain the advantage of running their choice of plays against the defensive personnel on the field (no more situational substitutions, which Saban/Smart were the best in the business at). This is the greatest advantage of Malzahn's version of this offense, IMO.