As starting quarterback candidates Bo Nix and Joey Gatewood exited the indoor practice field and jogged out into the sizzling summer heat, offensive coordinator Kenny Dillingham lightly grabbed them both by the shoulder pads.

“Be loud,” the 29-year-old Dillingham instructed. “Take charge.”

As expected, the pair of QBs haven’t created much separation through the first few days of fall camp. Gatewood took first-team reps in the “pace” portion of practice during the first media viewing window Friday, while Nix commanded the starting offense Tuesday in red-zone drills.

Auburn continued to throw more playbook installation at the freshmen Tuesday. Coaches focused heavily on the red zone and the challenges it presents for a young quarterback. According to Malzahn, it bred improvement.

“I thought they got better today,” Malzahn said. “Like I said, we’re putting a lot of volume install, and any time you go red-zone, that’s a whole other deal. The field condenses, and there’s specific plays that you call, and quite a few of them were new plays today. I thought they handled it really good today.”

Now, as the competition approaches a critical junction heading into Thursday’s all-important first scrimmage, Malzahn will evaluate his gunslingers in a non-contact vacuum.

The seventh-year Tigers head coach told reporters Tuesday that Auburn’s quarterbacks won’t go live during Thursday's scrimmage — or at any point in practice this fall. Their first hits will be from the Oregon defense come Week 1.

That’s a difference from the spring, when Malzahn allowed all healthy players to tackle and be tackled at a scrimmage — including his quarterbacks.

Both Nix and Gatewood are dual-threat QBs. Nix is a pocket-friendly thrower but quick with his scrambles, while Gatewood, who loves the deep ball, makes his living runner defenders over in space with his 6-foot-5 frame.

So why not let them loose?

“In the spring we had that big scrimmage and we let them go live,” Malzahn said. “There’s not a whole lot of programs this day and time that will let the quarterbacks go live. But I felt like it was real important with what we had, especially being the freshmen. We really learned a lot and I think it was really good for them to to feel what it feels like to get tackled in college football and what it’s like to go live.

“But we’re in a good spot, I think, with our plan to make them non-contact the rest of the fall.”

Simply put: Auburn will be analyzing how the two can catalyze the offense without their legs.

“Who can protect the football," Malzahn said of what he'll be most closely monitoring at Thursday's scrimmage. "Who can move the offense. Who can energize the offense and everything that goes with that."