Oct. 31, 2017
By Greg Ostendorf
AuburnTigers.com
AUBURN, Ala. ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" No team in college football has more of an opportunity this final month of the season than Auburn. The Tigers host the No. 1 and No. 2 teams in the nation. Win out and you're right back in the College Football Playoff conversation despite two previous losses.
"It doesn't get more exciting than that," Auburn safety Tray Matthews said. "That's what we live for. That's what we came to Auburn to do."
Matthews, like so many other Auburn players, can't wait to play Georgia and Alabama the final month of the season. Who else has an opportunity to knock off the top two teams in college football in a span of three weeks? But the focus this week is squarely on Texas A&M because those other two games lose their luster if the Tigers lose at Kyle Field on Saturday.
Auburn coach Gus Malzahn is well aware of what's potentially at stake for his team this final month. He also knows the priority right now is Texas A&M.
"I'm always going to be honest with our team," Malzahn said. "They do understand the big picture, but more importantly, they understand the current picture, and all that matters is A&M. I think we have a veteran-enough team with leaders that will make sure there's no overlooking this bunch. It would be crazy to overlook Texas A&M, and we're not going to do that."
Less than a week ago, it would've been difficult to overlook Texas A&M. The Aggies only conference loss came at Alabama, and they were on the cusp of climbing back into the AP Top 25. But their season took a hit this past Saturday with a 35-14 loss at home to Mississippi State, and as a result, many expect Auburn to now go in there and win with ease.
Not Malzahn. Not this Auburn team.
"This time of year, the games are so important," Malzahn said. "You have to expect each week that you are going to get each team's best effort. That is what we expect out of A&M. You're talking about a very talented team overall. You turn the film on and you can see that in the first five minutes. They have recruited well and have good players. We will have to play well."
Against SEC teams this season, Auburn is averaging 43.8 points per game, and all four of its wins in conference have come by 21 or more points.
Pettway out indefinitely
Malzahn announced Tuesday that Kamryn Pettway will be out for "an extended period of time" after it was discovered the junior running back fractured his scapula, or shoulder blade, late in the 52-20 win at Arkansas.
Before the injury, Pettway ran for a season-best 90 yards and three touchdowns against the Razorbacks.
"It's very frustrating for him," Matthews said. "That's one of my best friends on the team, and I feel for him because early in my career, I had some injuries. This being late in the season and his time here, it's been very frustrating. We're still bringing him up. We're still praying for him. He'll be just fine. It's just a test."
The injury itself won't require surgery and Malzahn didn't rule out the possibility of Pettway returning before the end of the season, but in the short term, it will be up to fellow running backs Kerryon Johnson, Kam Martin, Malik Miller and Devan Barrett to carry the load.
"You have to adjust," Malzahn said. "The positive is Kerryon Johnson is one of the best running backs in our league, and you see the confidence he is playing at right now. We have other guys we feel good about, too, that are going to be big down the stretch right now. So I feel good about where we are."
Johnson is currently tied for second nationally with 14 rushing touchdowns this season.
Aside from Pettway, Malzahn expects everybody else to be available for Saturday's game at Texas A&M.
Greg Ostendorf is a Senior Writer for AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on Twitter: Follow @greg_ostendorf