Lessons from the Line of Scrimmage

1. Auburn vs Baylor – Take what the defense gives you

I’ll admit it, I’m biased. I’ve been an Auburn fan since birth. My dad's side of the family is from Auburn, I went to school there, and the program will always have a special place in my heart.

But Auburn football has been through it. Let's see, a bad coaching hire, lackluster recruiting, and five straight losing seasons. Hugh Freeze is in year three. He’s fixed recruiting, but now it has to translate into wins on the field. Baylor, on the other hand, has a quarterback and offensive firepower, but their coach Dave Aranda is sitting on the hot seat. Both teams came into this game desperate.

The storylines were simple. Auburn was the more talented team, but could they finally play clean football. Baylor was riding a winning streak, but could they beat a hungry SEC team.

The analysts picked Baylor at home. But, the game played out differently than anyone expected. Auburn dominated the line of scrimmage, rushing for 300 yards and four touchdowns while the defense bent but didn’t break. Auburn walked out of Waco with a 38–24 win.

Here’s the lesson. Hugh Freeze loves to throw the ball, but Baylor’s defense took that away with a two-high shell defense. So he ran the ball. Again and again and again. He didn’t force his plan, his plan changed. He took what the defense gave him and won because of it. In the presser after the game, he spoke about how he had to fight the tendency to call passing plays and stick to the run.

Leaders and organizations often fall into the trap of forcing things their way. They stick to what they’ve always done, even when it creates the most resistance. Auburn has a top-five receiver room in the country and Baylor has one of the worst passing defenses in the country. On paper it looked obvious to pass, but Auburn chose a different path. Why? Because, Baylor did everything to take away the pass.

Sometimes success doesn't come from doing what you’ve always done but by taking what’s in front of you and making the most of it. Building momentum. It's not how you wanted to do it, or how you expected to get it done. But, sometimes you just need to take what the defense gives you.