Saturday marks the official start of the Gus Malzahn era at Auburn, but at his weekly press conference Tuesday, Aug. 27, the first year head coach didn't seem to be feeling the pressure that comes along with the job. He feels "comfortable."
"Regarding our players, I'm very proud of our guys for buying into the stuff they did in the spring and the fall camp," Malzahn said. "They've really improved all the way around. I think after Saturday's game we'll know a lot about this team. But I feel good about where we're at right now. We feel as comfortable as we can right now with our guys. Our coaches work extremely hard, and our players have really responded well."
Since accepting the job in December, Malzahn has been repeating the signature phrase "it's a new day." On Saturday, he'll find out just how far his team has come since last season's disappointing 3-9 effort.
"I told our guys the other day, 'I'm excited to watch you guys and I'm curious to see how you respond to certain situations,'" Malzahn said.
Malzahn said he would be looking specifically at effort, attitude and how well the team responded to adversity and success as key indicators to gauge the potential of the team.
Quarterback Nick Marshall has progressed nicely since being named starter two weeks ago. Malzahn said despite not participating in spring practice, Marshall has caught on quickly.
"This will be the first quarterback we've had that didn't get a chance to go through spring. He's learning every day," Malzahn said. "We named him the starter because we feel like he's comfortable. He definitely earned that position. We feel like he'll get more comfortable and better each game."
Rave reviews of Marshall's superior athletic ability from former coaches and teammates have excited the Auburn faithful, but left others skeptical of his ability to move the ball effectively through the air. Malzahn laid those doubts to rest on Tuesday.
"He's very accurate. He's shown that he's accurate, not just in the vertical game, but the intermediate and short also," Malzahn said.
Malzahn had nothing but good things to say about Washington State, his first opponent as Auburn's head coach.
"We're playing an opponent that I feel like will be much improved. They finished (last) year beating their rival, Washington, which was a very big win," Malzahn said. "They've got the majority of their guys offensively and defensively back, so that definitely is a concern. And then the fact that it's the second year in their system and they've got a proven head coach [Mike Leach] who's won just about everywhere he's been. So we're expecting those guys to be much improved and a very good opponent."
Mike Leach has orchestrated some of the most prolific offenses in recent history, and Malzahn knows that defensive coordinator Ellis Johnson's unit will be challenged by his Air Raid they'll face on Saturday.
"We're playing a good offense," Malzahn said. "They're going to be much improved from what they were last year. When their quarterback had time, they were very effective. So, we've got to get a pass rush. They're going to throw it a lot, so we're going to have to have some depth in the secondary. So it will be a good challenge for our defense."
Malzahn also went in to detail about his play-calling relationship with offensive coordinator Rhett Lashlee. Both are constantly looking to make adjustments to counter the schemes opposing defenses may throw at them. Malzahn said the two are usually on the same page.
"I'll be the one who actually calls the plays, but (Lashlee) will be the guy who will actually be on the sidelines looking at it from a different standpoint," Malzahn said. "He's a very good complement and I've got a lot of confidence in him. He's got a gift. He's not wrong very often."
While Lashlee will join Malzahn on the sidelines, wide receivers coach Dameyune Craig will join Johnson and cornerbacks coach Melvin Smith in the press box.
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