What Gus Malzahn said about State on ‘Tiger Talk’

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What Gus Malzahn said about Mississippi State on ‘Tiger Talk’

Updated Sep 26, 2019; Posted Sep 26, 2019

4-5 minutes

After an impressive road win to open SEC play, No. 7 Auburn (4-0) returns to Jordan-Hare Stadium for its conference home opener against Mississippi State (3-1) on Saturday.

The Tigers and Bulldogs will kick off at 6 p.m., with the game broadcast on ESPN. Auburn coach Gus Malzahn gave his final pre-gameday preview of the matchup during his weekly appearance on the “Tiger Talk” radio show Thursday night. The show wass broadcast live on these affiliates and streamed online at AuburnTigers.com.

Below is a recap of Malzahn’s segments from this week’s show. Be sure to check back on AL.com on Friday for full audio from tonight’s episode.

GUS MALZAHN

-- On the Texas A&M win: Quality win. Got off to good start. Defense played exceptional. Big team win.

-- On the WRs being healthy: “You have all the pieces to the puzzle, it really helps.” Believes having all them back will help with Bo Nix’s development.

-- Been a good week of practice so far.

-- Kim appreciates the “more outgoing, salty Gus.” She also noticed that Boobee Whitlow didn’t run as much early on. Could that happen against this weekend? “We had a plan to start out and use some other running backs.... It really helped in the second half. You’ll see that trend.” Says it made a huge difference.

-- Got to put all your energy into next opponent, which Malzahn says is harder than it sounds.

-- Judy wants to know about the pass defense: “We feel real good about our guys.... We think our guys are going to improve against the pass, and overall we were pretty pleased.” Says no personnel changes coming.

-- Auburn leads the nation in rushing yards after halftime this season. Malzahn thinks it says a lot about the players and a lot about the team’s conditioning. Credits Ryan Russell and his staff.

-- Herb wants to know about having Kevin Steele on the sideline: “I really like it. The intensity on our sideline has really raised up. It’s been a really good thing for me.”

-- Andy in Jacksonville asks about the offside penalties: “That’s something we can control. You stay onside; it’s simple as that. You can be aggressive and stay onside.” Need to cut down on self-inflicted errors.

-- On three straight SEC Defensive Lineman of the Week awards: Compares Derrick Brown to Nick Fairley.

-- Kylin Hill is “special” and “may be the best guy in the league.” Hill leads SEC in rushing this season and has 316 yards after contact.

-- Buster wants to know about Mississippi State’s suspensions and how Auburn finds out who will be out: “You find out pregame. You find out who’s playing. It’s just like anything else, an injury or whatever.”

-- On Bo Nix’s first true road game last week: “We’re learning him and we’re learning each other as we go.... He responded like a champ. He wasn’t like nervous. He was ready and focused.”

-- Seth Williams, Derrick Brown and Prince Tega Wanogho had great weeks in practice and are getting even healthier.

-- On final home game until November: “I know our guys are excited. That is a little different, no home games in October; I think that’s a first.”

Time for the AL.com questions of the week:

-- On if Joey Gatewood’s role will expand: Each game they have a different role for him, but keep in mind he’s still the backup QB. Lots of confidence in him to run the entire offense if asked.

-- On intermediate routes in the passing game: “That quick game really helps quarterbacks, and we’ll continue to do that.”

-- Do you try to go after a freshman QB like Garrett Shrader? “You want to make the quarterback uncomfortable.... He’s a fine quarterback... They got the other guy, too, that’s good. We got to prepare for both of them.”

-- Says Shrader looks a lot like Nick Fitzgerald, who gutted Auburn on the ground last season.

Tom Green is an Auburn beat reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Tomas_Verde.