I hurt, too. We got to do a better job; I got to do a better job.
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Auburn has lost 10 of its last 12 SEC games.
Malzahn said the key for his defense would not allowing Fournette to make it to the second level, which is where he becomes so unsafe.
It’s impossible to project where the Tigers will finish this season, but I’m still sipping the purple kool-aid despite the rumblings of a fan base that would rather have a reason to go ahead and fire Les Miles than root for the team. “We have to put him in better situations from a coaches standpoint to help him”.
We’ll find out this Saturday, when Auburn faces the LSU Tigers in Jordan-Hare Stadium, if the situation on The Plains is improving. In a down year for the SEC (Yes, this is in fact not the 2007-2013 version of the conference) LSU can still make a run at a conference championship with home games against Ole Miss and Alabama lingering in the season’s second half. Malzahn acknowledged the reality that he’s drawing heat from Auburn fans for the start. Auburn hasn’t defeated a Power 5 conference program at home since a 42-35 win over SC in 2014.
On Tuesday, Malzahn spoke at length how Texas A&M’s strategy rushing the defensive end straight at the midline of the running back and quarterback – or “mesh charging” – gave the offense problems throughout the game.
Malzahn said Auburn is close to turning the corner, but there are plenty of issues to fix, especially offensively. “(LSU’s) a big game, no doubt”.
When asked to assess his play-calling to this point in the season, Malzahn was brutally honest.
“I definitely feel their pain”, Malzahn said. I’ve got to do a better job.
Auburn coach Gus Malzahn remembers what LSU running back Leonard Fournette did to the Auburn defense previous year. Senior defensive tackle Montravius Adams said he and fellow captain Carl Lawson, a junior end, “need to pick it up” when it comes to putting opposing quarterbacks on the ground.
“We’ve got to be better around him”, Malzahn said of White. “We have to be better around him”.
Dave Aranda’s defense has been a bright spot in the early going, despite giving up a few big plays to opposing receivers against Wisconsin and Mississippi State. Auburn’s offense has the most of all of the 128 Football Bowl Subdivision schools.
Montgomery Advertiser columnist Duane Rankin and Auburn beat writer Matthew Stevens talk about Gus Malzahn apologizing for Auburn’s 1-2 start to the 2016 season.
“The negative plays, that’s probably the No. 1 focus right now”.
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“I think each individual player on the defense side; they want to redeem themself. As a matter of fact, we’re real close to being a good team and we’re going to get this thing turned around”. “We are getting behind the chains”.
