The Auburn football team was put through a “spirited” practice today, according to coach Gus Malzahn.
The practice occurred less than a day after the announcement that star wide receiver D’haquille “Duke” Williams was dismissed from the football program for undisclosed reasons.
“We went a little bit old-school and did some one-on-one drills and just tried to get better,” Malzahn said. “We let our guys compete a little but too, which I thought was very good. [I] really feel like we improved in all three phases.”
Senior cornerback Jonathan Jones said Tuesday’s practice was about stepping away from schematics and focusing on competing in individual battles.
“We definitely came out physical today,” Jones said. “Kind of put concepts to the side, just focusing on basic football. Tackling, effort, just the simple things in football.”
Malzahn was pleased with the team’s effort and energy, and the third-year coach said Williams’ dismissal had no effect on practice.
“We’ve got a really close team,” Malzahn said. “There was great energy at practice today. The guys responded extremely well, and I feel like we got better.”
Senior wide receiver Jonathan Wallace said it was nice to relax and just play football for a day.
“That’s something that we need to do, have fun playing this game,” Wallace said. “Enjoy each and every day, each practice we have, and I feel like we did that today. A lot of guys are excited about the second half of this season, and that’s the focus right now.”
Auburn has a bye week before a trip to Kentucky on Thursday, Oct. 15, and the coaching staff is tasked with finding a replacement for Williams, who had 12 catches for 147 yards and a touchdown in five games this season.
“We feel good about our receiving crew,” Malzahn said. “You could see some really good energy out of the receiving crew today. … I’m confident in all our guys.”
Malzahn mentioned senior Melvin Ray and juniors Marcus Davis and Tony Stevens among those who could be in line for increased production with Williams gone. The coach also wouldn’t rule out the possibility of playing two freshmen, Ryan Davis and Darius Slayton, who have yet to play this season and were expected to redshirt.
Senior Ricardo Louis, who has led Auburn in catches and receiving yards this season, was singled out by Malzahn as someone whose numbers could see a jump.
“I think (Louis is) in a position to really take that next step forward,” Malzahn said. “He’s been a little banged up the last couple of weeks, hasn’t had full weeks of practice. He’s probably played at somewhere around 75 percent. We’re hoping to rest him up this week. You can really see his urgency stepping up.”
Malzahn also addressed the team’s injury situation. Aside from defensive end Carl Lawson, who is out for an undisclosed amount of time with a hip injury, Malzahn is “pretty confident” everyone will be able to play at Kentucky.
Players such as linebacker Tre’ Williams, wide receiver Stanton Truitt and Louis have been dealing with various injuries over the last two weeks.
“There’s that fine line this week of getting our guys better, but then, the guys that have been a little banged up, getting them healthy,” Malzahn said. “Some of the guys are doing some things this week, but our main goal is to get them healthy for the stretch run.”
Specifically, Malzahn updated the statuses of tight end Jalen Harris and cornerback T.J. Davis.
Harris was involved in a serious car accident on Sunday, but the freshman is fine physically but is still shaken up emotionally following the crash.
“(Harris) wasn’t out there with us today, but I feel like he’ll probably be back before the week’s out,” Malzahn said. “We’re just letting him heal up emotionally. That’s a scary deal.”
Davis is recovering from an ACL injury sustained in March and has been practicing for the last three weeks, according to Malzahn.
“We’re hoping that he has a chance to come back [against Kentucky,] Malzahn said. “We’ll probably know more by the end of the week.”
Despite Auburn’s disappointing 3-2 start, Jones said the team has not given up on its goals and will use the bye week as a new beginning.
“We do have two losses, but there’s a lot of football left to be played,” Jones said. “No one’s lost faith; no one’s lost hope here. Everyone’s fighting.”
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