There's something about Gus Malzahn in bye weeks.
For all the criticism the sixth-year coach is getting burned with amid the Tigers' 5-3 season, Auburn is 7-0 in games immediately following off weeks under Malzahn.
Meanwhile, Texas A&M is undefeated (3-0) at Jordan-Hare Stadium, where the No. 25 Aggies will be looking to rebound from a road loss to Mississippi State.
Something's got to give.
Here are the biggest takeaways from Auburn's media availability on Tuesday.
Tigers looking to break the curse
The home team has never claimed a victory in the series between the Aggies and Tigers since Texas A&M entered the SEC in 2012, and there's not really been a great explanation as to why.
"I don't," Auburn receiver Ryan Davis said when asked if he knows why the home team has played so poorly. "But we're looking forward to changing that. Obviously, that's not something you want to do is lose at home, so hopefully we can do everything in our power to change that, as well."
On the front of Texas A&M scouting, Davis added that he was able to watch the Aggies over the weekend in their road loss to Mississippi State. He's still impressed.
"They're a very talented team," Davis said of Texas A&M. "They're coached very well. Obviously have a new head coach so he's definitely bringing new energy to them. You just see a team that has a lot of potential, lot of talent."
Two offensive starters day-to-day
With the No. 5 rush defense in the nation, Texas A&M may be able to enjoy increased success in run-stuffing if Auburn's leading rusher can't go.
JaTarvious "Boobee" Whitlow (leg, shoulder) didn't practice during the bye week, according to Gus Malzahn.
Whitlow, who boasts a team-high 626 yards on the ground this year, pulled up on his right leg after a long run two weekends ago against Ole Miss. This came after he was already questionable against the Rebels all week.
Malzahn called Whitlow day-to-day.
"I don't know," Malzahn said of Whitlow's ability to practice Tuesday. "I'm hoping, but he didn't practice all last week. He's been banged up some up to this point. He's been a pretty quick healer coming back so we'll just see where that's at."
If Whitlow is unavailable, Malzahn said Auburn will continue its by-committee approach in the backfield. Malzahn mentioned that he would like to see Kam Martin get touches and improve, but the junior was banged up as well in the Ole Miss win. He added that true freshman Asa Martin will also find himself in the mix.
Auburn could also be down a second offensive starter if right tackle Jack Driscoll's knee continues to be an issue. Normally, Auburn would look to redshirt freshman Calvin Ashley to slide in there, but Ashley remains out with an undisclosed medical issue.
Starting corner Jamel Dean will be available Satuday, according to Malzahn.
Auburn did some soul searching
According to players, the team spent the first part of their bye week on self-scouting, analyzing film of themselves like they would with an upcoming opponent.
They came to a simple conclusion after re-evaluating their season: they shouldn't be 5-3.
"Basically I just learned that we're really, really close to being undefeated," Davis said. "We just looked back at a couple plays, a couple miscues and just, execution-wise, we could be in a better place than we are now. It was all kind of self-inflicted as you could see from the film."
While the team's shortcomings, especially given its preseason potential, have been wide-spread, the bye week wasn't all negative reflection.
"It's kinda like going back to the first game of the year," senior linebacker Deshaun Davis said. "You have all your bullets and you're very familiar with the team you're going to play."
Deshaun Davis loves Jimbo Fisher
Since his high school days, Deshaun Davis has been enamored with the offensive smarts of Texas A&M's new head man.
Whether it be his general schemes, route design or implementation of talent, Fisher is a special challenge for the Auburn defense. And it's one that Deshaun Davis can't wait to try and beat.
Deshaun Davis (57) during Auburn Football vs. LSU on Saturday, Sept. 15, 2018 in Auburn, Ala.
"I love his knowledge of football," Deshaun Davis said. "It will be kinda fun to play against him and try to use my mind against his on the field... if we can keep everything in front of us, we're going to be OK."
In addition to general excitement over the bye week, Deshaun Davis said he watched the Aggies' game against Mississippi State and tried to make defensive calls and predict what plays Texas A&M would run.
Most notably, Deshaun Davis has been impressed with Aggies tight end Jace Sternberger, who ranks second nationally in receiving yards by a tight end.
"When it comes to tight ends, it's really on linebacker play," Davis said. "We challenge ourselves to limit his catches. We've been doing a lot of studying film. We know (Sternberger is) one of Kellen Mond's favorite receivers, so we have our work cut out for us."
Jarrett Stidham loves Texas
The joke was born in last season's edition of the rivalry.
During Auburn's 42-27 win over the Aggies in College Station, ESPN commentators repeatedly brought up Auburn quarterback Jarrett Stidham's connections to the Lone Star State.
From then on, any sentence stringing together the words "Jarrett Stidham" and "Texas" was viewed as nothing more than a quip.
For the former Baylor Bear from Stephenville, Texas, a matchup like this Saturday's bears some extra weight.
"Any Texas team, I love it," Stidham said. "I didn’t go out there, obviously, out of high school... I don’t know. I just like playing Texas A&M."
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Nathan King, senior in journalism with a minor in business, is The Plainsman's sports editor.
