AUBURN, Ala. – Auburn scrimmaged Saturday for 92 plays at Jordan-Hare Stadium to conclude the first week of preseason camp, five weeks before the Tigers kick off the 2020 season.
"We had a good week," Auburn coach Gus Malzahn said. "A good first scrimmage. It gave our coaches a really good idea of where our players are. The players were trying to do what was asked, pushing through. It was really good to be out there."
Malzahn has scheduled three more Saturday scrimmages before the season opener against Kentucky on Sept. 26, hoping to make up for preparation lost when the coronavirus pandemic canceled spring practice.
"We felt like we needed to be physical and get back in the swing of things with not having spring football," Malzahn said. "What I talked about is the Auburn standard.
"We go out there, we put full pads on, our game field, it's the Auburn standard. Playing with great effort and with great pride. I just wanted them to play as hard as they possibly could. For the most part, they did that. That was the positive."
'Bo can handle it': Sophomore quarterback Bo Nix was the SEC freshman of the year in 2019
Malzahn noted how sophomore quarterback Bo Nix took charge of Auburn's offense.
"He's very confident," Malzahn said. "I could tell he's starting to feel like it's more of his team. That's a natural progression for a true freshman who starts. He's getting used to Coach Morris' offense. Bo can handle it. He had a good first week."
Auburn will take off Sunday and Monday before practicing three times ahead of next Saturday's second scrimmage.
"We'll put in a little bit more of our offense, a little bit more of our defense," he said. "We'll probably go a little bit longer next Saturday. We strained them pretty good this week. We've got five weeks to get to where we want to be."
Coach Malzahn also said….
On COVID-19 testing: "We tested last Sunday, had zero positives for the second week in a row. We're very encouraged with that. We're in a good spot now but we're not taking anything for granted. I'm really proud of our players, the way they're being responsible. It's just new, and it's got to be different for us to be successful and have a chance to play. There's going to be some sacrifices that our players and our coaches and everybody involved with our program are going to have to make."
On the offensive line: "They've had a solid first week. They're getting used to working together. We're letting the guys compete. There's nothing like a scrimmage. From a coach's standpoint, you can evaluate more in a scrimmage than you can really the first four practices as far as what a guy can do. We've got a two-deep of guys who are battling for those starting positions. I think that's a positive."
On running backs: "There were some good runs. Cadillac [running backs coach Carnell Williams] strategically almost gave them equal carries. Tank [Bigsby], Mark-Antony [Richards], [Shaun] Shivers, [Harold] Joiner, they all got just about equal carries. D.J. Williams was not a part today. He'll be ready next week."
On linebackers: "The urgency. The three freshmen coming in are all what we thought. They just need more experience. Those older guys had an outstanding week, too. We're looking for depth and looking to see who can step up and help us early. That was a big part of this scrimmage."
On Auburn students comprising the attendance for the season opener: "I think that's going to be an advantage for us. I know our students will be very creative."
Jeff Shearer is a Senior Writer at AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on Twitter: @jeff_shearer