AUBURN, Ala. – The first scrimmage of fall camp went to the defense. The offense struggled to get into a rhythm, regardless of which quarterback was on the field, and turnovers proved to be a problem. But that same offense responded Wednesday in the second scrimmage.
"It just wasn't our day last scrimmage, but this scrimmage we came out fighting," senior running back Kam Martin said.
Martin and the other running backs ran more effectively thanks to a solid effort from the offensive line. There was also more emphasis put on the passing game, giving opportunities to both Bo Nix and Joey Gatewood to make their case for the starting quarterback job. The only disappointment was some dropped passes that might have kept drives alive.
Still, it was a much better performance overall from the offense.
"The offense overall really rebounded," Auburn head coach Gus Malzahn said. "We're close to starting to look like an Auburn offense – being able to throw it and run it. We're close. We're not there yet. But I saw improvement today. That's the encouraging thing, and I'd like to think that once we get our veteran receivers out there, it will even be a little cleaner."
"We're close," added Martin. "It's just the little things that are holding us back, but I feel like we're going to get there. Everybody has been straining. We've been going this whole camp. Everybody has been straining each other. We're locked and loaded."
Nix and Gatewood continued to rotate equally with the 1s and 2s, and though Malzahn didn't hint as to when he plans to name a starter, the scrimmage will give the coaching staff more information on both players.
There were also some explosive plays with both Nix and Gatewood under center, which is another sign that this group is starting to look more and more like an Auburn offense.
"The first scrimmage the offense was still getting right, but the second scrimmage they came out and had a couple big plays early," defensive back Javaris Davis said. "That was good for the defense. We haven't seen any adversity, so that was good for us facing adversity.
"The offense is progressing each and every day, and they're making us better."
The one constant from the first scrimmage to the second scrimmage was the heat. If anything, it was hotter during Wednesday's scrimmage, and it's been that way all week with temperatures nearing 100 degrees.
"It was hot," Malzahn said. "The last three days it's been extremely hot. I really feel like our guys have battled through and pushed theirselves through, not feeling sorry for ourselves. That's really encouraging. We're building the character of our team right now. So I feel really good from that standpoint about the leadership and our attitude overall, pushing through the heat."
The Tigers will get the day off Thursday for photo day and then return to the practice field Friday and Saturday before a third scrimmage on Sunday.