"How are we going to respond to adversity?" is going to be answered Thursday night on the road at Kansas State, according to offensive coordinator Rhett Lashlee.
Both Lashlee and defensive coordinator Ellis Johnson said this road matchup will be a test that will show where this year's team is at after a 2-0 start.
"It's going to be a test for our players," Johnson said. "They present some unusual challenges. We probably need to find out if we have improved."
According to Lashlee, the players are excited to travel and play a nationally ranked team in a hostile environment in front of a sellout crowd at Bill Snyder Family Stadium.
"They know we're playing a really good opponent at their place," Lashlee said. "We just keep telling them that it's a great opportunity to see where we're at. We're going to know a whole lot more about our team."
Because Auburn opened the season with back-to-back home games at Jordan-Hare Stadium, Lashlee said this will be a chance for the approximately 70 players and coaches to step out of their comfort zone and walk into a tough situation playing on the road.
According to Lashlee, a lot of the players and coaches have never been to Manhattan, Kansas, but from what they've been told it's an incredible atmosphere.
"From all we can tell, it's going to be a really big challenge for us," Lashlee said. "How are we going to respond to adversity? How are we going to respond to momentum swings in the game?"
Kansas State has multiple players on both sides of the ball who can cause problems for Auburn on offense and defense.
Johnson pointed out dual-threat quarterback Jake Waters and All-American wide receiver Tyler Lockett as two players who can make things challenging for the defense.
Lockett had 81 catches for 1,262 yards and 11 touchdowns last season, and he has carried that success over to this year's first two games with seven catches for 145 yards and a touchdown.
"He's on both sides, so you can't always match up who you want to be on him," Johnson said. "You can't necessarily put a designed defense on him. It's going to be a deal where we're going to have to get lined up and wherever he shows up somebody is going to have to step up."
Waters also creates challenges for defenses, not only because he's a dual-threat quarterback who has rushed for 193 yards and thrown for 462 yards this season, but because he stays on the field even when the offense runs different formations, like the wildcat.
According to Johnson, the defense must be very aware of that and prepare for the four or five formations that Kansas State may throw at them.
"When they do the wildcat they give you a lot of different formations just to try to get you misaligned and find an open spot," Johnson said. "They leave (Waters) out there so you don't know if it's going to be the wildcat. We have to really be on our toes."
On the defensive side for Kansas State, Lashlee is impressed with preseason All-Big 12 senior defensive end Ryan Mueller.
"He plays as hard as anyone I've ever seen," Lashlee said. "He's very active, very smart, he's tough to block one-on-one. He has an unbelievable motor and will never give up on plays."
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