Gus Malzahn stands by Ellis Johnson, defensive staff
AUBURN – The dubious list of historical woes are growing by the week for Auburn's defense, but Gus Malzahn is standing by his coaching staff.
After allowing over 400 yards and 30 points for the fifth straight game, a first in program history and the longest stretch in the SEC this season, defensive coordinator Ellis Johnson and his staff are the subject of much disdain from a fan base at a loss for words.
Malzahn has always been complementary of the veteran Johnson, and recent struggles have done nothing to change that.
"He's been one of the better defensive coordinators in this league for over 20 years and he's earned a lot of respect," Malzahn said. "It's the same defensive staff that led us to 13 seconds away from winning the national championship.
"We've got some deficiencies obviously and we've just got to do a better job of hiding them. But no, I have confidence in these guys. We're going to finish this thing strong."
The statistical regression on defense over the course of the season is a "concern" for Johnson, who said he "always" believes poor results are reflective of coaching, not talent.
"Because if you don't then you don't have any solutions," Johnson said "When you have that issue as a coach you always take that upon yourself. I either have to teach it better, we've got to rep it more frequently, we're doing too much, somehow he's not understanding it.
"If you get to a point where the players just can't perform, then you've got to make a change there. The first thing you're going to do is make sure you're coaching it and teaching it right."
Like all of Malzahn's assistants, Johnson received a raise and contract extension following last season. Johnson, who turns 63 next month, is under contract through 2017 with a $850,000 salary. Should he be bought out of his contract, Auburn would owe Johnson all of the remaining salary over the remainder of his term less any offsetting earnings during that period.
Malzahn isn't surprised by fan reaction. He knows the expectations are high.
"Hey, this is college football and it's the SEC," Malzahn said. "The unfortunate thing is usually, as a coach, you're doing your job and you're insulated. It's just unfortunate for the families more than anything."
Having endured the disastrous 2012 season and all the distractions inside and outside the program, center Reese Dismukes said the current outrage serves as an example for younger players as to how to tune out the distractions.
"There are a lot of people out there that are going to say stuff," Dismukes said. "Right now it's just letting our young guys know not to listen to any of that. We've been in the worst of the worst of those types of situations.
"There are a lot of people out there that are going to talk and don't know anything about anything. It's all opinionated and you have to keep these young guys locked in that we still have a lot to play for. There is a lot still on the line. None of that outside stuff really matters."