Auburn head coach
Gene Chizik is set to speak to reporters at 11:30 a.m. CT. Here's what he had to say (also, I'm having trouble with my Twitter feed on the side, so
click here if you want to follow along):
- Lot of improvement needed in a lot of areas. "We're glad we're 3-0 at this point, but just so many things that we've got an opportunity to improve on. We've got to do that this week.
- Ball State head coach Stan Parrish was a great offensive coordinator last year and the Cardinals are still capable of putting up those kind of yards, Chizik said.
- "We're perfectionists. We want that perfect game."
- Wants to be more successful on third downs on both sides of the ball. Wants to get the kicking game up and running more (KO coverage, KO return). Thinks Auburn is losing some hidden yardage in there.
- "We've got to tackle better. There's no question about that. Tackling will be at the top of our priority list."
- "We have 12 games to play. And whether you're playing the MAC, the SEC, the Big East, every week you have to show up and play."
- "We're taking it one day at a time and one week at a time. I know that sounds cliche-ish. But we're not good enough to do it any other way."
- Chizik thinks Auburn has been feeling out teams in the first half, which might account for why the Tigers have been more successful in the second half.
- Thinks at halftime they've made the necessary adjustments to get the job done.
- Thinks after 4 or 5 games that teams will settle in to patterns. There won't be so much unknown.
- "I don't think there's been any halftime situation where we've been so far down or so far up. I thin right now that our kids believe in not paying attention to the scoreboard and it's a 60-minute game. You just keep chopping wood."
- He thinks it's important to start getting the younger and less experienced players into the game, especially LBs Harris Gaston and Jonathan Evans and the young receivers. They've got to be able to spell the starters, who have been pulling iron man duties early this season.
- He's hoping DE Antoine Carter (knee) will get some reps Saturday. They're ramping up his conditioning. He's day-to-day.
- On if Auburn's players are overlooking Ball State at all: "Boy, I hope not. I hope our football team is smart enough to know that they're not good enough to do that to anybody. I don't think that's an issue at all."
- Chizik liked what he saw from Anthony Gulley returning punts. "A lot of punt returning is just a willingness to want to do it. That's a courageous spot."
- He called Auburn's blocking on punt returns and kick returns "very average."
- On offensive tempo: "We're still working on it. I think that's a continuous work in progress."
- No concrete decisions have been made on redshirting freshmen. "It's such a long season."
- Hoping for chance to give guys rest? "If it were the perfect world and it ended up, we'd be OK with it. We're certainly not looking at it like that. We're prepared for it to be four quarters."
5 comments:
"Wants to get the kicking game up and running more (KO coverage, KO return). Thinks Auburn is losing some hidden yardage in there."
I agree with Chizik here. I'm wondering if we'll try some other players on kickoff return. Maybe Gulley, Stallworth, Washington or Carr.
Hopefully we can get Pierre-Louis back and healthy again, too.
Andy,
What did Coach Chizik mean by; "We have 12 games to play..." Did he mean a 12 game season of which 2 have been played or did he mean 12 more this season?
If he meant 12 more, Auburn will not be under the radar much longer.
War Eagle
I think he just meant it as in, Auburn has 12 games to play this season. That's what it is concerned about.
It's also entirely possible that I transcribed the exact wording incorrectly. It's hard to keep pace with these live press conferences sometimes.
Here's what he said: "We have twelve games to play and whether you are playing the MAC Conference, the Big East or the SEC you have to show up ready to play."
I think he just meant in the regular season.
Lets see some balls to # 3 and #82 and #13.
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