AUBURN | It’ll be Christmas in Nashville for Auburn’s players and coaches.
The Tigers wrapped up a week of bowl practices in Auburn on Wednesday and will spend some time with their families before reporting to the bowl site Sunday evening.
They’ll hold several more practices before taking on Purdue in the Music City Bowl Dec. 28.
“Really proud of our players,” Auburn coach Gus Malzahn said. “I really feel like we’ve had seven good practices. They’ve been very intense; more intense than normal in a bowl prep than what we’ve done in the past, and so I’m really excited about that. It’s a good way to have a break here before we show up in Nashville on the 23rd.”
Malzahn turned up the intensity this past week as he tries to finish a disappointing 7-5 regular season with only the second bowl win in his last six tries as Auburn’s head coach.
“It’s been, like I said, a little different approach,” Malzahn said. “Been a little more demanding, is probably the best way to put it. That strain to get better each practice, each day. That’s probably the best way to put it.”
A long-time Auburn tradition of the players carrying off the seniors was part of a special final workout in Auburn before the short break.
“The younger guys carried them off the practice field like they always do on the last day here. It’s always a pretty special deal,” Malzahn said. “We’ve got a lot of seniors that have meant a lot to this program. It’s always one of those special times. Pretty emotional in a lot of ways for them. But they’ve got one more game and I know they’re excited about that. They’ll give it their best.”
Malzahn reiterated Wednesday that he expects full participation from his players in the bowl game, including the ones planning to declare for the 2019 NFL Draft.
“Yes. I expect everybody to play. They have practiced hard, everybody on our team,” he said.
Kickoff in Nissan Stadium is scheduled for 12:30 p.m. CT on ESPN.
FOOTBALL NOTES:
** Calvin Ashley, who has not been with the team since early October due to what Malzahn has described as a medical issue, is expected to return for spring semester.
“He’s still with the team. We expect him to be back in January,” Malzahn said.
** Linebacker Richard McBryde, who missed all of this season with a neck injury, will not return for his senior season.
** Malzahn confirmed that tight end signee Luke Deal suffered a non-contact knee injury during bowl practice and will be out for an extended period. He expects Deal to return before the start of the season.
