Dec. 29, 2017
By Greg Ostendorf
AuburnTigers.com
ATLANTA ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" Bowl games typically come down to motivation. Which team will be more motivated to win their final game and finish the season on a high note?
For Auburn, we won't know for sure how motivated this team is until the players take the field Monday for the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl (11:30 p.m. CT, ESPN), but through the first couple days in Atlanta, it looks like the Tigers want to finish with a win. The defensive side, in particular, sounded hungry when speaking to the media Friday.
"We know what this game means to us," senior linebacker Tre' Williams said. "This game is just as important as any other game we've played this year. We've got to come out with a win. I've only won one bowl game since I've been here, so it's important to the players and the seniors."
It's been less than a month since Auburn played in the SEC championship game at the same stadium where they are practicing Friday and where they will play UCF on Monday. Externally, it would be easy for fans or the media to look at that loss and use it as an excuse as to why the Tigers might not come out ready to play in the bowl game. They were one win away from playing in the College Football Playoff.
Internally, though, that's not how players are wired.
"It's one game at a time, one play at a time," Auburn defensive coordinator Kevin Steele said. "Play like a champion. Be the best you can be on the next play. If the game doesn't work out, then you go the next week and do it again.
"When you're dealing with guys that are highly competitive and are committed to excellence and committed to the process of being the best they can be ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" every play, the work ethic and the challenge of being the best you can be internally, is controlled by that. Not what bowl game you're in or you're in the playoffs or you didn't win the SEC championship. That's not how it's built."
There's also still plenty at stake for this Auburn team. As Steele alluded to Friday, the Tigers (10-3) can win 11 games for only the seventh time in program history. They can become the first team in college football history to beat three 9-0 or better teams in the same season. And it's a chance to send the 19 seniors out the right way.
But at the end of the day, it's another football game. That's motivation enough.
"I think everyone is always excited for the next opportunity to play and go out and perform," Auburn defensive tackle Dontavius Russell said. "I don't really think it was much of having to get ourselves ready to play in this game because I feel like we're always prepared to play in the next game. Whenever you are able to go out and play a game, you always want to perform well."
"It's not hard to get up for any kind of game when you're playing college football," added safety Tray Matthews. "Coach Steele always says it doesn't matter who we play, when we play, where we play, we're always going to get after it. It doesn't matter if we're playing a middle school team. We're going to be ready to play and have a lot of fun out there."
Monday's opponent, UCF, is far from a middle school opponent, and the players know that, too. The Knights are the only undefeated team remaining at the FBS level, and they lead the nation in scoring offense, averaging 49.4 points per game this season.
However, while the stats are eye-catching and the film is impressive, it doesn't change the mindset that Auburn has played with all season.
"You accept it as a challenge," linebacker Deshaun Davis said. "But at Auburn, we have a standard that we play to and no matter who we play or what their numbers are, we have a goal that we set each and every game that we want to reach. At the end of the day, we're going to be who we are no matter who we play."
Greg Ostendorf is a Senior Writer for AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on Twitter: Follow @greg_ostendorf