Sept. 26, 2017
By Greg Ostendorf
AuburnTigers.com
AUBURN, Ala. -- A week ago, the college football world was down on Auburn after a subpar performance against Mercer. Meanwhile, Mississippi State was the new hot team after an impressive 37-7 win over LSU. The Bulldogs debuted at No. 17 in last week's AP Top 25, just two spots behind Auburn.
Now? The roles have reversed. Auburn has the momentum on its side after a 51-14 win at Missouri this past weekend, and Mississippi State came crashing back to earth. The Bulldogs were beaten, 31-3, by a Georgia team that is now being picked by many to win the SEC East.
Every week is different. The goal? Continue to improve.
"We have to keep building upon the things that we can be good at," Auburn coach Gus Malzahn said. "My message to our team is that if you look at our league, there will be teams that will be up high one week or two weeks, then have a setback. The teams that can win championships in this league are the ones that figure out a way to get a little bit better each week.
"Now, that is a hard challenge in this league. That is the challenge that I've put on our coaches and players -- to find a way to improve each week even if it is just a little bit. If we can do that, then we have a chance."
Malzahn also knows better than to underestimate Mississippi State based on its performance this past weekend at Georgia. All you have to do is turn on the film from the LSU game the week before, and you can see how talented Dan Mullen's squad can be when it plays up to its potential. Saturday's game will be significant for both sides.
The good news for Auburn is that it looks like Jarrett Stidham and the offense has hit their stride after putting up 482 total yards at Missouri.
"Really for the first time all year, the offense got into a rhythm," Malzahn said. "It was balanced and [we] were able to run the football. I think the big difference was they hit some shots down the field and had some perimeter runs to go with it. The quarterback was very efficient in the pass game, and probably the big thing is protecting the football.
"We have some things to build upon on that side of the football. The key is going to be continuing to be successful running the football. If the offense can do that, they are going to have a good opportunity to improve each week."
Defensively? Auburn just needs to keep doing what it's doing. The Tigers are one of two teams nationally ranked in the Top 10 in total defense, scoring defense and passing defense. They have allowed just 945 total yards this season (236.3 per game), the fewest an Auburn defense has allowed in the first four games of a season since 2006.
Their message is the same, though -- keep improving.
"That's the name of the game and that's their mindset," Malzahn said. "I think they've got a chance to really be a special defensive unit if they keep improving. It's a big-time luxury to have right now from a coach's standpoint."
More notes from Malzahn
On the status of Kamryn Pettway
"He practiced Sunday. So I would say right now there is a high likelihood of him playing. I need to see him [Tuesday] in practice, but he did practice Sunday."
On Jarrett Stidham's progression
"I think he has gotten better in all phases -- his decision making, his comfort with the offense and everything that goes with it. I think he is getting to a point where he can react and not have to think about everything that goes with it. I thought he played at a very high level last week. I was very impressed with, when things broke down, his decision-making. I think he scrambled for two third-down conversions. He scrambled for a big one down in the red zone, protected the football, and he showed a lot of toughness. He got hit a couple of times and showed a lot of toughness. I think he will have an opportunity to keep improving."
On the debut of Malik Willis
"The first thing you can see is he can make some things happen with his feet. I thought he did a very good job on our zone read where he threw the touchdown pass that got called back. I was very impressed with that. He needs more experience. But I think it was good for him to get out there and get a complete quarter of work in because, like I have said before, he has done a really good job in scrimmage-type situations up to this point. So it was really good for him to get out there, especially with him being our No. 2 guy now. It was good for him, and it was good for Chip Lindsey to be able to get him out there and get used to him a little bit to see how he is going to react in certain situations. Overall, we were pleased with the way he performed."
On Jeff Holland exceeding expectations
"That's definitely fair to say. Jeff is a guy that always played with a high motor. He played as a true freshman, sophomore -- he got better last year taking on the run, his physicality -- and then this year he's really taken the next step as far as pass rushing, and his motor is really a factor. He is that guy that the offense has to know where he's at in passing situations, and he's really raised his level. He's a big factor right now."
Greg Ostendorf is a Staff Writer for AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on Twitter: Follow @greg_ostendorf