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This is a long piece but worth the read. Provides a look at what Alabama is going to face in upcoming years as offenses continue to develop.
This is a long piece but worth the read. Provides a look at what Alabama is going to face in upcoming years as offenses continue to develop.
College football is changing. Yes, the game will finally feature a Playoff in 2014. True, issues regarding the compensation of athletes threaten to overhaul the entire structure of the NCAA.
But if you were to ask a longtime defensive coach like Manny Diaz where the sport is heading, he'd point you to a signature moment in the most thrilling game in recent memory: Auburn's victory in the 2013 Iron Bowl over mighty Alabama.
But Diaz wasn't as struck by the "Kick Six" touchdown that sealed the deal for the Tigers, nor the budding Saban-vs.-spread rivalry. Instead Diaz zeroes in on a play by Auburn quarterback Nick Marshall, one ending 31 seconds before Chris Davis' 109-yard game-winner.
"It's the most significant thing to happen to college football," the 17-year coaching veteran says. "The most important play of last season was the touchdown that tied the game at 28."
The play in question started out as a standard zone-read play, one Auburn had been running the entire season. It was at this moment that Gus Malzahn's offense brought football's future to the biggest stage.