Nov. 14, 2017
By Greg Ostendorf
AuburnTigers.com
AUBURN, Ala. ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" Whether you're a coach, a player, or a fan, it was not easy coming back down after Saturday's thrilling victory over No. 1 Georgia. It was the best game Auburn has played all year, and the town is still buzzing three days later.
But the message from Auburn's Gus Malzahn on Tuesday was clear.
"The reality is that game is over," Malzahn said during his weekly press conference. "That game is behind us. We can enjoy that after the year. We have to move forward.
"After a big win, you see a lot of teams have a fall-off. We can't have a fall-off. And that's our challenge to our team -- to keep the momentum going into one of the last games of the year. We need to keep that championship urgency this week."
The other challenge for Malzahn and the coaching staff this week will be to keep the focus on Saturday's opponent, Louisiana Monroe, and not start looking ahead to No. 1 Alabama the week after. It's no secret that the winner of this year's Iron Bowl will represent the SEC West in Atlanta and might be in the driver's seat for the College Football Playoff, but the Tigers need to first take care of their business this Saturday.
That means there will be no Alabama talk this week.
"It's just not the way it works," Auburn defensive coordinator Kevin Steele said. "It sounds good. I've grabbed that pot on the stove before. It will burn you. This week, it's totally about having a dominant performance and a repeat of last week in the stadium."
The Tigers are 25-0 all-time against the Sun Belt and have won all 10 meetings with Louisiana Monroe, including a 58-7 victory last season. Kickoff is slated for 11 a.m. CT pm Saturday.
The workhorse
When Kamryn Pettway suffered a fractured shoulder blade during the Arkansas game, it made Kerryon Johnson that much more important to the Auburn offense. Healthy again, Johnson was already in the midst of a breakout junior season. Now he was going to be asked to carry the load at running back in the month of November.
Johnson carried it 29 times for 145 yards and a touchdown at Texas A&M two weeks ago. This past Saturday, he received a season-high 32 carries and finished with 167 yards rushing against Georgia.
"It's starting to get cooler," Malzahn said. "When it gets cooler, guys can carry the football more, and K.J. is a veteran guy. Like I've said before, you ask him after every quarter, 'How are you holding up? How are you feeling?' And he is a mature guy enough that will tell you the truth.
"He probably could have carried it another 10 times the other night. He's got whatever that is. Tre Mason was exactly the same. Some guys get stronger, and he's got that ability."
The hope for this Saturday is that Auburn can build a big lead early, allowing the coaching staff to give Johnson a break and let other backs like Kam Martin, Malik Miller and Devan Barrett get some game experience. But the primary focus is not on resting players this week. It's on winning and improving as a team.
"Every game is different and unfolds differently," Malzahn said. "Obviously, we are going to use common sense, but our mindset is to get better."
The unsung hero
Ever since SEC play began, the Auburn offense has found its groove. The Tigers have scored 40 or more points in six of their seven conference games, and they have 301 points in those games, which is tops in the SEC and a new program best. In fact, it's only the second time an Auburn team has topped 300 points in SEC play (306 points in 2010, eight games).
It's easy to point to Johnson or quarterback Jarrett Stidham as the reason for the success, and while that would be fair, there's another player deserving of recognition.
"Chandler Cox is having a great season," Malzahn said. "He's been our MVP offensively, I think, two or three games this year. He's one of those guys that the stats don't say it, but you look at some key plays from last week's game, and every week, he's usually making a key block at the point of attack. And he's getting the ball some this year."
Cox has caught a pass in five of the last six games.
Greg Ostendorf is a Senior Writer for AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on Twitter: Follow @greg_ostendorf