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Auburn coach Gus Malzahn talked about his team’s development, its injuries and its next opponent during his weekly press conference on Tuesday.
Malzahn said that Auburn has yet to have a game where it played well on both sides of the ball.
“I think everybody will know when we play well offensively and defensively at the same time. We haven’t done that yet,” he said.
Malzahn admitted that quarterback Sean White was still hurting from a knee injury he suffered against Arkansas on Oct. 24, but says White should play on Saturday.
“He is still a little banged up, but we are expecting him to play,” the coach said. “He showed a lot of guts and a lot of toughness. We really weren’t expecting him to play. We got there in pre-game and he was very determined and said, ‘I’m ready to go, I can do it.’ It is still a little sore, but we expect him to play this week.”
However, the coach wasn’t sure how much White would practice this week.
“That is going to be the question. We will see how he does,” Malzahn said. “I expect him to practice more than he did last week. I think we are at that point knowing more about him and what’s wrong with him. So we expect him to practice more than he did last week.”
With White battling an injury, Jeremy Johnson and Jonathan Wallace will both take snaps at quarterback this week in practice. Malzahn also said Wallace would get some time at wide receiver.
Running back Peyton Barber is another injured player who has been limited in practice, but is expected to play Saturday.
“We expect him to play this week,” Malzahn said. “There were some questions going into the game. He didn’t practice a lot, but we do expect him to play. Jovon (Robinson) is a guy that gave us a shot in the arm, and I think everybody saw that he did some good things. He’ll have a bigger role, but at the same time we’ll see once we get into practice and how everybody’s doing.”
Malzahn is pleased to have defensive end Carl Lawson back after a six-game absence.
“Carl has been a factor. There’s no doubt,” Auburn’s coach said. “He came through great. He just said, ‘I’m a little out of shape.’ He’ll get in better shape as he goes, but I think that really helped him confidence-wise. He’s healthy and ready to go.”
Junior cornerback T.J. Davis is still recovering from an ACL tear he suffered in spring practice.
“T.J. is still not quite ready to roll. We were hoping he would be a couple of weeks ago, but he still has a few setbacks.”
The Tigers (4-4, 1-4 in the SEC) travel to Texas A&M (6-2, 3-2) this Saturday for a 7:30 p.m. Eastern game that will be shown on the SEC Network. Malzahn expects a challenge from the 25th-ranked Aggies.
“We are playing another very talented team this weekend on the road,” he said. “Their only losses have been to Ole Miss and Alabama, two quality opponents. Offensively, they are as talented as anybody that we have played.”
“Our talk with our staff and players is we have to find a way to put together our offense and defense and special teams, and play well in all three areas. That is our goal moving forward, and that is what we are going to need to do to beat a team like this on the road,” he added.
The first Texas A&M player Malzahn mentioned was quarterback Kyler Murray, who passed for 223 yards and a touchdown and ran for 156 yards and a score in the Aggies’ 35-28 win over South Carolina last week.
“They have a true freshman quarterback in Murray that is dynamic with his feet.,” Malzahn said. “He was a great high school player that we are very familiar with. We actually recruited him. He is somebody that will definitely get your attention.”
Malzahn feels that the Aggies’ defense is much improved this year.
“Defensively, (new coordinator) John Chavis has made a big difference,” Malzahn said. “He has his stamp on there, and they are playing very hard. They have two defensive ends that I think are as good as anyone in our league, and they are definitely two guys you have to be aware of from an offensive standpoint.”
In particular, Auburn is worried about Myles Garrett, arguably one of the top defensive ends in the country.
“You could tell last year as a true freshman that he has that ‘it’ factor,” Malzahn said. “If he knows it’s a pass, he makes it extremely challenging on you. Last year, he made a difference making plays in our game when he blocked the field goal. He actually blocked a punt this year. He just has a knack. He is a playmaker, and he is someone that you have to be aware of from an offensive standpoint because he can change the game.”
Auburn still needs two wins to qualify for a bowl game, but its coach isn’t thinking about that.
“We’re focused on Texas A&M,” Malzahn said. “We need to play well in order to beat a good Texas A&M team on the road. That’s our only focus. That’s what we’re talking about, and that’s what we’re preparing for.”
Malzahn admitted that Auburn needs to convert more red zone possessions into touchdowns.
“I think it goes back to getting a plan and if the play doesn’t work, you have to get another plan and we just didn’t do that,” he said. “I am going to take responsibility for that and we have to figure out a way to get into the end zone, whether it’s throwing or running. We just didn’t do it Saturday. That was a big factor in the game. I think we had one play that was either called back or close, but we have to get into the end zone.”
Each week, Auburn has its first-team offense get a handful of snaps against the first-team defense in practice.
“We go fastballs every week against our one-on-ones. We usually do it for 10-15 minutes during the week and we’ll continue to do that. That’s been our philosophy for a long time,” Malzahn said.
One bright spot for the Tigers this season has been kicker Daniel Carlson. The sophomore has made 14 of 17 field goals and all 24 extra point attempts this year. Last week, he tied a 46-year-old school record when he made his fourth field goal of 50-plus yards.
“What did he do, break the school record last week? Four field goals 50-plus (yards)?,” Malzahn asked. “From a coaching staff standpoint, we have a lot of confidence in him when (the ball) crosses the 30- or 35-yard line. He has a high success rate. He’s done a great job. If you look at the kickoffs, too, he has to be one of the best placekickers in college football. I think at the end of the year, everybody will see him up for all of those awards and I think that will be very warranted.”
Malzahn announced that wide receiver Stanton Truitt will miss the rest of the season. Truitt has one catch for 13 yards in six games.
“Stanton Truitt is out for the year. He is going to have surgery on Thursday,” the coach said. “It has been tough on him. He has battled a lot of injuries. He is a great kid and I definitely feel for him. He is a dynamic-type player with his feet, and that will be tough on us not to have him for the rest of the year. It is his same shoulder as last year.”
