ORLANDO, Fla. - It's been a whirlwind three weeks for Auburn University's football program.
Longtime coach Gus Malzahn was fired on Dec. 13, new coach Bryan Harsin was formally introduced 11 days later on Christmas Eve, and several players have opted out of a Citrus Bowl in which the Tigers will face a stout Northwestern defense. In between the firing and the hiring was the NCAA's early signing period.
The dizzying stretch of transition and preparation, Auburn offensive coordinator Chad Morris said with a shrug and a sigh, has been something of a microcosm of how the Tigers' unpredictable and disappointing 2020 season has gone.
"It's kind of been the norm. It's what we have had to deal with all year long," said Morris, who will work alongside interim head coach and defensive coordinator Kevin Steele in Friday's game at Camping World Stadium. "You don't know one day to the next or one game to the next who is going to be out there with all the uncertainties that we've had to deal with. So really it's business as usual."
Big Ten runner-up Northwestern (6-2) has not had to deal with that type of instability, thanks to its veteran-laden roster and coach Pat Fitzgerald, who led the Wildcats to the league title game for a second time in three seasons, this time advancing to Indianapolis despite the pitfalls of playing amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
The title game didn't go so well for the Wildcats, who lost 22-10 to Ohio State as Trey Sermon carved up their vaunted defense for 331 rushing yards. So now Northwestern, which rallied in each of its first three victories this season, is seeking another bounce-back performance to end on a high note.
"The Big 10 championship game we hope is an anomaly, because we had some guys not execute the fundamentals and techniques that we believe in here," said Fitzgerald, who has dedicated the Citrus Bowl to his defensive coordinator, 73-year-old Mike Hankwitz, who is set to retire after 51 seasons of college coaching. "Really, I'm not going to sugarcoat it: I was incredibly disappointed in our performance in the front seven against Ohio State. But there are some things we can fix in getting ready for this game."
Malzahn, the fifth-winningest coach in Auburn history, was fired a day after the Tigers beat Mississippi State in the regular-season finale to finish 6-4 against an all-Southeastern Conference schedule. A combined record of 8-17 against SEC rivals Alabama, LSU and Georgia plus seven consecutive seasons with at least four losses likely played major roles in the ouster of Malzahn, who was still owed $21.45 million on the seven-year deal he inked in 2017.
Enter Harsin, who won 69 games and three Mountain West titles in seven seasons at Boise State. He won't coach in Orlando, but in recent days he has monitored Auburn's staff from afar and has held video meetings with key players.
"The bowl game is at the forefront of our minds, and it's important to not let this one slip by you and not be too worried about the future," said sophomore quarterback Bo Nix, who has spoken with Harsin. "We're focused on this game and what we have to do to win, and after we can worry about next year."
It's unclear how much of the Auburn roster will be available. Steele said his team found out Thursday morning, just hours before leaving for Florida, that a player had tested positive for COVID-19 and would not be available; Auburn did not publicly reveal which player. Standout running back Tank Bigsby is questionable because of injuries, while receiver Anthony Schwartz, safety Jamien Sherwood and defensive back Christian Tutt opted out because of injuries or hopes of avoiding them ahead of the NFL draft.
"These guys have been very, very resilient," said Steele, whose defense surrendered per-game averages of 23.7 points and 400.9 yards this season. "They have gained experience that will pay dividends for the rest of their life. They are finishers, they are fighters and they are true Auburn men. That's kind of what this group is."