Auburn struggled in practice earlier last week after an off-day on the first day of fall classes, but coach Gus Malzahn was pleased with how his team practiced the rest of the week.
“Any time you challenge your team and challenge a group, you look as a coach at how they respond to that,” Malzahn said. “Our guys responded very well the next day. That’s usually when you start figuring out who your leaders are.”
Auburn’s practice on Saturday began in Jordan-Hare Stadium and included a 7-on-7 and a 30-play scrimmage, which focused on the underclassmen.
“We’re really still trying to figure out how ready some of those guys are to really help us the first game,” Malzahn said.
The Tigers are two weeks away from their opening game against Louisville, so the coaching staff is beginning to turn its attention to game preparation.
“Our coaches really strained our guys, taxed our guys,” Malzahn said. “We’ve got to be ready.”
Several positions have yet to be sorted out on the offense and defense, but special teams is “a little more wide open” in terms of starters, according to Malzahn. The third-year coach has not decided on a starting punter, punt returner or kick returner.
Wide receivers Marcus Davis and Jason Smith are competing for the starting spot at punt returner, while Kevin Phillips and Ian Shannon are battling for the punting duties.
“We’ve worked extremely hard on special teams in fall camp, probably a little bit more than we’ve done in the past,” Malzahn said.
Malzahn said it is crucial to maintain focus as the season draws near.
“What we challenged our players [to do] is to feel that urgency,” Malzahn said. “We’re two weeks away from playing a very good team. It will be a dogfight, and our guys need to understand that.”
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