But Morris brings something different with the way he meticulously creates mismatches, and Malzahn is the first person on staff to say he believes Morris will be a big help for Auburn.
“(The tight end) alone creates an opportunity to play at a faster pace or increase mismatches,” Morris explained Thursday. “How do people want to play you? Are they going to play him as a wide receiver?
“If they are, they’re going to bring a nickel on the field. If they do that … you’re able to run the football well. Then it’s ‘OK, no, we’re going to play him as a true tight end.’ Well, great. Then I’ve got the opportunity to get (a linebacker) mismatched in space, whether it’s on option routes, rail routes or crossing routes.
“So it’s really a chess match when it comes to that,” he said. “Just to be able to disguise and move them around has been really big for us.”
Auburn opens its season Sept. 26 against Kentucky, with limited fans in attendance and only current students permitted in the general seating section — another change that’s come to college football to which coaches and players have to adjust.
With the call to evolve at the forefront, the Tigers hope to have the kind of offense that creates change for themselves when kickoff finally comes.
“We want to be the best Auburn football team we can possibly be, whatever that means,” Morris said. “I believe with the way that we do things and being able to get guys moved all over the field and put them in space, I think we have an opportunity to be extremely explosive. We want to be the most explosive offense in the country. That is our goal.
