The pressure is on, and Auburn players are feeling the heat as the Iron Bowl becomes their last chance to win a conference game this season.
Quarterback Jonathan Wallace, however, said the pressure to win against Alabama has turned to a new determination for Auburn football players.
"I think it just gives us something to work toward," Wallace said. "It's not pressure so much as just something to look forward to, I would say, so we're really excited about it, but we've got A&M first, so we're going to take it a game at a time and finish this season."
Wallace said he is especially determined to win the team's next games for senior players in their last season.
Wide receiver Emory Blake said he also hopes they do well during his final weeks on the team.
"My time here feels like it's flown by," Blake said. "It feels like just yesterday I was a freshman. I definitely want to finish next week on top."
Coach Gene Chizik said producing a win for the seniors has become an important goal for the team.
"We have a senior class who has to play its last game here at Jordan-Hare, and that is going to be very important for us to come back and go to work and make sure they come out of their senior season with their last game at home as a win," Chizik said.
The performance the team showed against Georgia, however, will not be enough to win in the coming weeks, said defensive coach Brian VanGorder.
"It's frustrating," VanGorder said. "We had a good week and great meetings last night. I really thought we were ready, but we played a superior team and couldn't tackle them. That's been kind of the theme."
Wallace said he noticed a substantial difference between Georgia and New Mexico State on the field and that Auburn would have to take advantage of every opportunity to win in the following games.
"It's a lot faster," Wallace said. "There's a lot of bigger guys everywhere, but it's Georgia, and they have a good football team. It's just one of those things where you have to make plays where they present themselves, and we had some and missed some."
Defensive tackle Jeffrey Whitaker said that, despite the shutout against Georgia, none of the players are giving up.
"It's a tough deal," Whitaker said. "What makes it better, in a way, is when you see your teammates don't give up. It makes it better just to come to work and keep going. The only thing we can do is come back and continue the fight. You can't give up."
Keeping hope during tough times is something the team does well, Blake said.
"Yeah, it hurts because we really felt like we were ready for this game and prepared well all week, and they came out and they played well," Blake said. "They're a good team. We just have to wake up tomorrow and stay positive for the next game. It's something I feel like we're able to do. We don't lose hope, but we just have to execute better."
VanGorder said he admires the players for their resolve and thinks the team will continue to improve as younger members develop.
"They carry a toughness about them in that they've endured a very difficult year, but our defense is not built with size, strength and power right now, and I think that becomes obvious against teams like Georgia," VanGorder said. "Players know it; we talk about it. I respect them. We did a fine job preparing this week. I feel awful that they went out and good things didn't happen, but you have to earn those things too."
VanGorder said the future of Auburn's football program is clear, and the team needs to work hard offseason if they want to become a major contender in the following years.
"I don't have a lot of doubt in my mind," VanGorder said. "I'm not going to talk about that out of respect for everybody, and that's the way it should be. If you're into football and know football, you can look at it and pretty much know the route it has to go. We need to improve drastically."
In the meantime, Blake said players still hope to produce a win for the fans before the season is out.
"We play for Auburn," Blake said. "We play for the fans. I've been here when we've done some great things, and this is definitely different for us. We're not used to it, but you still play for your fans, you play for your teammates, and you play for your coaches. What else can you play for?"
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