TAMPA, Fla. — Auburn might have averaged the most plays per game of any team in the SEC, but that’s not fast enough to appease offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn, whose offense is based on speed.

“It’ll get faster, there’s no doubt,” he said “We’re not happy with our pace right now. Our number of plays needs to increase, and that comes with execution and getting first downs, too. We expect it to get quite a bit faster.”

The Tigers ran 842 plays a game this year (70.2 per game), ranking 38th out of 120 Football Bowl Subdivision teams. That’s only a marginal increase from the 810 plays Auburn ran last year with a disjointed offensive coaching staff.

In his two years at Tulsa, Malzahn’s offenses led the nation in number of plays, with 1,097 in 2008 and 1,126 in 2007.

For Malzahn, the magic number is 70 per game, although the higher, the better.

“We do pride ourselves in the number of snaps,” he said. “That’s a big thing for us. We’d like to get 70-plus snaps, and when we don’t reach that and we don’t win, that’s not good. Usually, if we have 70, we like our chances.”

Follow the blog on Twitter. And read some more notes from Wednesday ...

• It was a full day for Auburn's players, who attended an early-morning Fellowship of Christian Athletes breakfast where former NFL coach Tony Dungy, a Tampa resident, was the keynote speaker. “As you’re preparing (for the Outback Bowl), I just ask you to remember one thing,” Dungy said. “In the meetings that you have left, the preparation and concentration, in practice and in that game on New Year’s Day, do everything you can to win. But remember, it’s just a game. It’s not life. Don’t win the game, but lose your soul.”

• Head coach Gene Chizik and a few players visited the West Tampa Boys and Girls Club. He handed out 101 tickets to the Outback Bowl so the kids could attend the game. “It’s really neat when you can come to a Boys and Girls Club and give back to these guys,” Chizik said. “There are so many guys in our football program that grew up around a Boys and Girls Club or a YMCA, so anytime you can visit with those young people and give the community something back, it’s always special.”

• Freshman running back Dontae Aycock, a Tampa native, also spoke to the group of kids. He played basketball at the club when he was younger. “It was good seeing the kids in the club and not out in the streets doing something they’re not supposed to be doing," he said. "They’re here with all their friends playing games and enjoying themselves. It was a good experience for me.”

• Can't remember if I mentioned this before or not, but Auburn will wear blue uniforms Friday while Northwestern will wear white.

• And lastly, a few Auburn players (mostly walk-ons and redshirts) enjoyed a day at Clearwater beach, where there was a tug-of-war competition between the teams' cheerleaders. Apparently, Auburn won the overall competition. Here are a few photos: