AUBURN, Ala. – With 15 practices completed and 10 remaining before the season opener, Auburn scrimmaged Saturday primarily with its first and second teams for 60 plays at Jordan-Hare Stadium, two weeks before the Tigers host Kentucky on Sept. 26.
"Overall, we had a solid week of practice," Auburn coach Gus Malzahn said. "We got some good work in, trying to get our guys game shape ready and start hitting different scenarios and different situations."
One week after scoring on an 80-yard touchdown catch, running back Shaun Shivers continued his impressive preseason camp, Malzahn said.
"Shaun Shivers has had a great camp so far," Malzahn said. "His consistency. He finished the season on a high note. He's very confident, he knows the offense inside and out, he's a really good protector. He's playing at a high level. He's one of the bright spots on the whole team at this point with his positive energy."
'Bright spot': running back Shaun Shivers has impressed during preseason camp
Auburn will start preparing for the Wildcats on Sunday, Malzahn said, before returning to Pat Dye Field next Saturday evening to practice under the stadium's new lights.
"It is going to be situational," Malzahn said. "We'll get good work in. We need the work, we didn't go through spring, so everything is accelerated. It won't be just a walkthrough."
Auburn practiced without five starters among 10 players who missed time when two tested positive for COVID-19 and others had close contact with infected persons.
"That's the issue that everybody's dealing with," Malzahn said. "We've really educated our guys. They've done a very good job. Every time we've challenged them with something, they've done it. I expect them to continue to do that.
"If you have guys out, that's the positive. [Younger players] are getting quality reps. Those young guys are getting reps with the ones and twos when it is sound around them, and they have a chance to show what they can do and be successful.
"The teams that can adjust and not get distracted or get discouraged and just say next man up, those are the teams that are going to have an advantage."
Coach Malzahn also said….
On Auburn's "Together We Will" unity initiative: "Auburn family together, we will unite as one. I've been so impressed, encouraged with the Auburn family coming together during these times. That's what we need at this time. It's off to a great start. First 24 hours, we sold 4,500 shirts.
"We had our education time during the summer with 11 different speakers or things we did. Now it's time for the action part. This was a big one, very important to our players and coaches, making our campus more diverse.
"What we've been talking about as a team is what can we do that 10 years from now we can look back and make a positive change and look back and our campus was more diverse. That's very important to our players. I'm very proud of them, I'm proud of our staff. Bruce Pearl deserves a lot of credit and his basketball team, and Allen [Greene, Auburn's Director of Athletics]. I'm really excited about the way it's started."
On Bo Nix's increased confidence: "As a true freshman quarterback, he played the toughest schedule in college football maybe in the last 10 years if you really look at the schedule and the road games. He's a fighter and he kept fighting, he played his best ball in the Iron Bowl, made some great plays to help us win that game.
"He's different now. It feels different. His approach is different. He's no longer a true freshman and I expect him to be a leader on this team."
On true freshmen being prepared to play: "From a coach's standpoint, you've got to be prepared to play them all. You're going to get tested three times a week. Things change so quickly. We told the freshmen you've all got to be ready to play. They've all gotten reps. This is a unique year. Everyone has to be thinking that they're going to get to play this season. We'll see how that goes but it's a different day."
On his COVID-10 coaching contingency plan in the event of a positive test: "Figure out a way in an isolated place in the stadium, or Zoom in. My buddy, Hugh Freeze, coached last year lying down in a hospital bed. I'm going to figure out a way either through technology or isolation to still do it."
Derick Hall and K.J. Britt tackle D.J. Williams in Saturday's scrimmage
Jeff Shearer is a Senior Writer at AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on Twitter: @jeff_shearer