Gus Malzahn learned a lot from his team Saturday in the 23-16 win over Vanderbilt.
Auburn needed a late interception from Josh Holsey to secure a victory over the scrappy Commodores, but it bodes well for the Tigers in the long run to have a win that tested their mettle.
“They can handle adversity,” Malzahn said. “They showed a lot of guts and a lot of courage. Any time you are playing well, you are going to be the target of everyone. You are going to get their best. We got Vandy’s best. They had a week off and played extremely hard. We were down at halftime at home when we were expected to win.
“When you have that feeling, you can overcome it. I think that does nothing but help your team. We are very proud of the courage they showed and the guts they showed and the toughness.”
The win might not’ve come about had Malzahn inserted Sean White at halftime. With Auburn trailing, 13-10, the Tigers needed a spark, and even though White was suffering from an undisclosed injury, he told the coaches he could play through it.
“You’ve seen it before. Sometimes quarterbacks have that effect,” Malzahn said. “When we put him out there in the second half, it was like a new energy on the sideline. We got back in our groove and our flow, and that says a lot about our quarterback being a leader of the team. When you have a good team, your quarterback is usually a leader. His teammates have a lot of respect for him, and so do his coaches.”
That tumultuous win could propel Auburn toward a winner-take-all Iron Bowl in a few weeks. First, though, the Tigers have to travel to Athens, Georgia, to take on a limping Georgia team that lost at home to those same Commodores earlier this season.
The Bulldogs are in their first year under former Alabama defensive coordinator Kirby Smart, but at 5-4, Georgia isn’t off to a hot start. However, Auburn hasn’t won at Sanford Stadium since 2005, and the Tigers can’t afford to take one of their biggest rivals lightly, no matter the record.
“This is a big week; it’s one of our rivals,” Malzahn said. “We are playing at their place and we haven’t had a lot of success over there as of late and we have to solve that.”
To stop that streak, Auburn will first have to shut down Georgia’s two running backs, Nick Chubb and Sony Michel. Chubb has rushed for 691 yards and five touchdowns, and Michel has racked up 487 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
The two, nicknamed “thunder and lightning” by members of Auburn’s defense, present a two-pronged running attack the Tigers must defend — similar to what Kamryn Pettway and Kerryon Johnson present to Auburn’s opponents.
But to the man in charge of stopping them, there’s no distinction between them — they’re both equally dangerous, and each are capable of doing damage.
“They have two running backs that are very, very good at what they do and they call them -- I think I've heard the term 'Thunder and Lightning,'” said Auburn defensive coordinator Kevin Steele. “They're both thunder and they're both lightning to me when I watch them. They're pretty good football players.”
Do you like this story? The Plainsman doesn't accept money from tuition or student fees, and we don't charge a subscription fee. But you can donate to support The Plainsman.
