AUBURN, Alabama — Gus Malzahn knew this day was coming.

He didn't necessarily shout his prediction from the rooftops, but in a line tucked away in his book, "The Hurry-Up, No-Huddle: An Offensive Philosophy," he told coaches utilizing a 2-minute offense during an entire game would soon be impossible.

It was 2003, and it didn't matter if it was on the high school level or in college football, the hurry-up, no-huddle would have to adapt to remain successful in the coming years.

For Malzahn, that didn't happen until he became a head coach in the mid-2010s at Auburn. It's at that time Malzahn adjusted by slowing the pace, introducing more substitutions, run-pass options and movement before the snap -- a no-no previously in his offense.

What he did was marry the old with the new, and with varied results. The Auburn coach enters the final weeks of his seventh regular season averaging only 21 points per game against winning teams, a far cry from the days of scoring 33-plus points against nationally-ranked foes on average.

But Malzahn shouldn't be surprised by time catching up to his offense. He wrote about it 16 years ago as a high school coach at Shiloh Christian in Springdale, Arkansas.

"If you could go back to the first basketball team that ever ran the fast break and could execute it effectively, you know they had to have a huge advantage at first until everyone got used to the speed of the game where they could defend it," Malzahn wrote in his book released in 2003. "The same factor applies in football. The hurry-up, no-huddle is the equivalent to the fast break. As such, a window of time exists that can give you an unbelievable advantage until more and more teams run it or learn to defend it."

Malzahn knew then his hurry-up offense, which never slowed, would soon need tweaks. At Auburn, that tweak was not going with the hurry-up approach unless the Tigers convert a first down. At other times it depends on the look of the defense. Rule changes in recent years, which allowed defenses to substitute after an offense makes a quick adjustment, also forced him to adjust.

"You know, of course obviously in high school we did it, and we got to college in Tulsa and we were in 2-minute offense," Malzahn said Wednesday. "And really when we first got in the [SEC], kinda the same thing, and now everybody in our league has some type of 2-minute type of deal. It's not as big of an advantage as it once was, but still it's part of what we do. At times we'll go tempo and we're a rhythm offense. When we're playing our best, we're in rhythm getting first downs and hitting explosive plays."

Rhythm has not necessarily been Auburn's strong suit over the last two seasons on offense. The Tigers have averaged three touchdowns or less against ranked opponents during that time.

Have defenses caught up to the hurry-up, no-huddle approach? Simply put, yes, and Malzahn has known it for some time. He saw the day coming, even back in 2003 as the head coach at Springdale High in Arkansas.

"Like I said, I think the big thing is, I guess, when I first got into the league here in 2009, we were the only team running no-huddle and all that," said Malzahn, "and now everybody has at least some version of it, so it's not the same as it was then and that's to be expected."

Malzahn has found himself in a position in college more so than in high school of scheming and adjusting more than ever. One small example could be seen last week in a 21-14 loss to Georgia, when the Tigers failed to score until the fourth quarter.

Fourteen Auburn plays included at least one slant route, and eight of those slants were targeted by quarterback Bo Nix. The Tigers entered the 10th game with only 13 slants targeted for the entire season, according to SECStatCat.com.

Still, Auburn was at its best against Georgia when it went to a 2-minute drill throughout the fourth quarter. Nix led the Tigers on back-to-back touchdown drives as he completed 13 of 20 passes for 145 yards, nearly doubling the entire offensive output in a matter of 15 minutes.

Even players believe it's impossible to implement Malzahn's offense as it once was utilized a decade ago.

"That’s a lot of quick running, running down, fast tempo, but I feel like that’s not a part of football," leading Auburn receiver Seth Williams said. "... We can’t just play 2-minute the whole football game. They are going to key in on it and stop it.”

Nix, who admitted he's more comfortable in a 2-minute offense, said he liked the game plan against Georgia.

"Whatever coach Malzahn calls, he believes we can execute," the freshman said. "I believe he's going to put us in the best situation possible. The whole offense believes that. We have his back, and we know he's got ours."

Asked Tuesday if he could recall a game he last ran the 2-minute offense throughout the whole game as he once did, Malzahn said: "Not recently, no."

Can he utilize the 2-minute offense during an entire game again?

"I think the best way to answer that is every game is different, every situation is different," Malzahn said. "That’s the best way to answer that."

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