An open letter to Coach Malzahn prior to kickoff with LSU

Dear Coach Malzahn:

First of all, we believe. We believe in this Auburn football team and we believe in you as our leader of men.‬

‪I wanted to write this in an effort to simply share an observation with you, an opinion that’s been formed over your seven seasons as head coach on The Plains.‬

The old saying holds true – “a team takes on the personality of its head coach.”

‪I’ve come to realize the times your teams have played their best football are the games when you coach with nothing to lose, are relaxed, and are just having fun dialing up‬ successful ball plays.

The more loose you are, the more successful your team plays.

On the contrary, when it appears that you’re nervous, anxious, and anguished, your play calling seems to reflect that resulting in an offense that’s predictable and stagnant.

Of course, we all have our strengths and weaknesses, but your strengths surface when you take power over your emotions and display qualities like confidence, determination, resiliency, boldness, and mettle.

Let’s call it like it is, you have a championship caliber defense this season, but at times your offense has left much to be desired. The defensive line you and your staff have assembled is without question the best DL unit in the country, and most proclaim that your defense as a whole is the best in the SEC.

I say that to say this — your team has proven to have the defense capable of taking Auburn to the top. But as evidenced in the Florida game, you can’t expect those guys to shoulder the entire load while your offense spits, sputters and stalls.

Coach with nothing to lose today. Have fun. Take chances. And know that your Auburn Family will be screaming at the top of our lungs in support of our Tigers. But more importantly, “Win for Auburn, Power of Dixieland!”

Skye Underwood

Power of Dixieland