Head coach Gus Malzahn is stressing the magnitude of the task ahead of Auburn’s matchup against Georgia this Saturday in Athens, GA.
At Malzahn’s weekly press conference on Tuesday, he opened his remarks with high praise of the Bulldogs, who are led by former University of Alabama assistant coach Kirby Smart. Georgia won the contest last season 21-14 at Jordan-Hare Stadium.
“We’re real excited to be playing Georgia, going there this year,” Malzahn said to begin the presser. “You’re looking at a team that’s probably the most talented team overall in the SEC — very well coached.”
“You look at them defensively, they’re very sound,” he continued. “They make you earn stuff. They don’t give up a whole lot of big plays. They’ve got most of their defense back that I thought was excellent last year. Their defensive coordinator does a great job, and obviously Kirby has his hand on the defense. They’re one of the best in the country. Offensively, their [offensive coordinator] Todd Monken is a guy that’s been successful in college. He’s been successful in the NFL. So, it’s a good big task for us, but I will say this — our guys are extremely excited to be going there and playing Georgia.”
During the question and answer portion of Malzahn’s media availability, the head coach also provided a positive update on the latest round of COVID-19 testing for the program.
“Our latest testing, we had no positives again, so that’s a really good sign,” he advised.
“It’s something that we have to continue. It’s a sacrifice that our guys have made,” Malzahn explained. “It’s one of those deals where you test three times a week and you kind of hold your breath each time. Not just for players, but for staff, too. You just have to be ready for all the what-ifs. What-if this, what-if that. It’s just the nature of where we’re at this year. If our guys continue to do a super job like they have, that’s going to be a positive.”
While game days during the pandemic-affected college football season are different in many ways, this season’s schedule is also abnormal for the Tigers, as they normally face Georgia later in the calendar.
“This year is so unique. It is what it is,” Malzahn remarked. “It feels exactly as it would in November. We know how important it is. This game usually has a direct effect on the (SEC) East and the West. It doesn’t matter if we’re playing today or in November or in March.”
He subsequently emphasized the important of the Auburn-Georgia rivalry.
“Well, you know it’s the oldest rivalry in the South, first of all,” Malzahn commented. “We recruit the state; I think a third of our team is from the state of Georgia. You can look at it since I’ve been at Auburn: it’s always been very, very important and the winner usually went on to do real well. So, it’s a big one.”
Georgia currently sits at No.4 in the Yellowhammer Power Poll, while Auburn is sixth.
You can watch Auburn play Georgia starting at 6:30 p.m. CT Saturday on ESPN.
Sean Ross is the editor of Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @sean_yhn
