Head coach of the Auburn Tigers, Gus Malzahn, told the media Tuesday that he was releasing wide receiver Kyle Davis for violating team rules. Davis did not play or even travel with the team this past Saturday when Auburn lost 27-23 to LSU in Death Valley. Malzahn was asked about him before the game and he said that the reason he wasn't there would stay between him and Davis. Apparently, he wanted to wait until Tuesday morning to talk about it when he released the sophomore.
Struggling Tigers
Davis had seven catches for a total of 210 yards this season so he was having a rough time getting meaningful plays.
That falls in line with the offense for the Tigers this season. The Offense has been equally up as it has been down. They started the season strong with a 41-7 win against Georgia Southern but followed that with a pathetic offensive outing loosing to Clemson 14-6. Granted Clemson was ranked #2 in the country at the time but this marks two years in a row that they played near flawless on defense and let Clemson beat them in a game they could've won. The offense continued to struggle the following week to Mercer with a 24-10 win. The offense got back on track with blow out wins against Missouri, Mississippi State, and Mississippi and received a #10 spot in the AP poll after those wins.
LSU game and beyond
Auburn had an early 17-0 lead at the end of the first quarter and quarterback Jarrett Stidham looked good and the run game was moving the ball. Then LSU scored 14 points in the second quarter with Auburn scoring 6. Auburn didn't score a single point in the second half. The play calling was off and Stidham was trying to run too much and only throwing the ball down the field for 30 plus yards for incompletions.
Some people are calling for Malzhan's job after the LSU loss. Auburn hasn't won at LSU since 1999 which is astonishing. There are rumors going around that Auburn's athletics director, Jay Jacobs, might get let go soon and Gus leaving with him might be a real thing. Many people are frustrated with his offensive structure and how predictable it has become.
Kevin Steele is the defensive coordinator and he has the defense looking like one of the best in the country but it's all for not if the offense can't move the ball down the field.
The point here is that Kyle Davis being let go because of team violations might just be a minor problem with the offense at the moment. I guess we will see in the coming weeks but seeing major changes at the plains might be on the horizon.
