Gus Malzahn spends time each Thursday as the featured guest on Tiger Talk, the Auburn Sports Network's weekly radio program.
The following is a rough translation of what Malzahn discussed this time around:
6:05 -- Andy and Not Andy are here. I was hoping maybe Andy could handle this one by himself. He's been a broadcaster so long and he's finally The Voice and this two-man thing creates traffic that Andy doesn't deserve. JMO LYLAS
6:05 -- Gus says he got off the practice field 30 minutes ago. "A lot of positive energy."
6:05 -- "We're expecting it to be loud even though there's only 20,000 fans."
6:06 -- Not Andy wants to talk about the UK game, what Gus learned from that game. "Our guys played their guts out, played the full 60 minutes. We found ways to win the game. There is potential for a lot of growth there."
6:07 -- Andy asks about halftime adjustments, says both teams probably felt frustrated at that point. SMALL CHORTLE THERE FROM GUS. "It's like any other first game -- you have a lot of time to prepare, but you don't know until you get out there."
6:08 -- Gus says there are no new positive COVID-19 tests this week.
6:08 -- On third-down defense. "We did a lot better in the fourth quarter."
6:09 -- Not Andy says Big Kat Bryant is ready to go. Gus adds that "rivalry games have a way of getting guys healthy."
6:09 -- Andy says Georgia kids want this one more. "It's just as important to the kids from Georgia ... it's like the Iron Bowl."
COMMERCIAL BREAK
6:13 -- Andy wants to talk about how AU-UGA is now a middle-season game. "It'll be something we need to get used to. This whole year is about adjustin' and bein' prepared. Just gotta be ready."
6:13 -- Not Andy thinks this one has a little different edge. Yes, the Auburn-UGA game is big, fella. Gus agrees. Wasted 90 seconds.
6:14 -- Andy wants to talk about last season's game. "We fought hard. It was a tough loss. Now we've got an opportunity to go there and play."
6:15 -- Not Andy is reviewing the stats from last season's game, notes that AU's defense was good. GUS WAS RUNNING THE OFFENSE, BRO. DON'T KICK HIM LIKE THIS. Nah, go ahead. It's fine. Gus talks about preparing for all three UGA quarterbacks. Nice avoidance maneuver, Gus!
6:16 -- Andy wants to ask about defending three quarterbacks. "Probably the biggest thing is that it's probably more like a first game because of the quarterback thing."
6:16 -- Gus says he thought UGA's defense was the best defense they faced last season. "It's a matter of us protecting the football. We'll have to create some explosive plays. It's about being balanced and getting explosive plays."
6:17 -- Andy reads off accolades for UGA's secondary. WE KNOW THEY'RE GOOD. "They make you earn it. We're gonna have to execute at a high level."
6:18 -- Not Andy wants to talk about Auburn's wideouts. It's a 10-word question and he needed 75 words. Gus says Shedrick Jackson will be back this week, which brings even more experience to the corps. "That's kind of a comfort zone for Bo."
6:19 -- Andy wants to talk about Seth Williams' TD catches last week. GET A TOWEL, @The Real Ruxpin. "We've really challenged Seth to play without the ball. He really blocked physical. He ran his routes crisper."
6:20 -- Not Andy says Seth "played mean" last week, which elicits a NO DOUBT from Coach Gus.
COMMERCIAL BREAK
6:23 -- Question in there about Schwartz: "You'll see him be more of a focal point as the season goes on."
6:23 -- Question in there about handling George Pickens. "He's a very talented young man, obviously, that we recruited and know a lot about. He's a fast guy, very talented."
6:24 -- Andy suggests that the team's routine will be different due to COVID-19. "We'll be bussin' and doing our best with COVD etiquette and everything."
6:25 -- Not Andy notes that Anders Carlson might be needed. He's a kicker, guys. "He's really performed very well in our fall camp. I think he'll be ready if called upon."
6:25 -- Not Andy says two different guys had longer KORs. "Worm and Tank, they ran extremely hard and broke tackles. I was pleased with our kick-return game last Saturday."
6:26 -- Andy asks about the rotation at tailback. "Cadillac is planning to rotate guys like he did last week."
6:26 -- Not Andy asks about stopping the run because UGA wants to run the football. "It all starts with our defense stopping the run." Gus notes that Auburn was strong between the tackles last weekend. I concur.
6:28 -- "Last week, we played a bunch of new faces. A lot of guys got a chance to see what it's like for the first time. That'll help us this week and throughout the season."
6:28 -- Not Andy notes that UGA's offense ran a lot of plays last week at Arkansas. "What you can really go back to is third down. We've got to get off the field and stay on the field -- that really limits how many plays (the other team) has."
6:29 -- Andy asks about AU's secondary. "I thought we competed. The guys played extremely hard and I think we tackled well. We've got to continue that."
6:30 -- Keys to the game? "It's about protectin' the football. It's about playing extremely hard, tacklin' well and having explosive plays on offense."
6:30 -- Coach Gus offers a steely yet optimistic WAR EAGLE with a slightly elongated R ... interesting.
BE GOOD. BE YOU.
--30--
FLASH SALE
Get a year of AuburnSports.com for $19.80 this week only. Click the graphic below to get more information on how to take advantage of this terrific deal.
