James Crepea

Montgomery Advertiser

BRENTWOOD, Tenn. -- Rhett Lashlee can't help but feel Auburn let one slip away the last time the Tigers took the field.

Since that came on the game's biggest stage, against Florida State in the BCS National Championship, the feeling of a missed opportunity has stuck with the Tigers offensive coordinator in the nearly four months since.

"We could've executed much better and really named our score in that game," Lashlee said before speaking at the Greater Nashville Auburn Club's annual meeting Thursday night. "We didn't, we let them hang around and we ended up losing the football game. From an offensive standpoint, if we would've executed at a higher level there was plays here or there ... that could have blown the thing open."

Lashlee, 30, thinks about Auburn's 21-3 lead on Florida State with 5:01 to go before halftime in the title game and how the offense was stagnant for the next 25 minutes.

The fake punt before halftime, which allowed the Seminoles to convert a critical fourth down from their own 40-yard line, led to an FSU touchdown and was a major turning point in the game.

"I knew with five minutes to go if they got it back and scored, the game could be over right there before half," Florida State coach Jimbo Fisher said after winning the BCS National Championship on Jan. 6.

Auburn gained just 35 yards on three possessions and failed to convert on three straight third downs during the third quarter. Nick Marshall was intercepted on Auburn's opening drive on the fourth quarter and Florida State clawed back to within 21-20 on the ensuing possession.

Then of course came the frantic final 4:31, with Florida State returning a kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown, Tre Mason putting Auburn back on top with 1:19 to go and Jameis Winston leading the Seminoles to the championship-winning drive, connecting with Kelvin Benjamin for the game-winning score with 13 seconds remaining.

Those 13 seconds have been a motivator for Gus Malzahn and his team ever since. Malzahn incorporated 13 into the team's motto for the 2014 season, Tough 'n Together 13 (TnTXIII), which players wears on bracelets.

"We got close. We got 13 seconds away from winning the whole thing," Malzahn said. "Our coaches and players are using that as motivation. I'd say right now, we're extremely motivated as a team. When you get that close, it's tough, but if you can remove yourself from that specific feeling, you look at the whole year. The whole body of work of where they came from and what they accomplished, very proud of what they accomplished."

After leading the nation in rushing last season thanks to Mason's program-record setting 1,816 yards and SEC record-tying 23 touchdowns, Lashlee and Malzahn focused on making the offense more balanced during spring practice.

"If you want to be a great, explosive offense, you got to bring it every day, every quarter, every play, it can't just be a hit-and-miss deal," Lashlee said. "We know how people are going to play us to some degree now. ... That's why we worked on making sure we're balanced because we know what we're going to have to do next year.

"It's not going to be 'line up and tell 'em it's coming and make 'em like it.' We're going to have to be balanced."

Duane Rankin contributed to this story.