Chizik said the Auburn Tigers are still confident they can win beginning this Saturday against Ole Miss. (Photo courtesy Auburn Unv. Media Relations)

Contributed
(Oct. 28, 2009)

AUBURN - After a rare two-day break from practice, the Auburn football team returned to the practice fields behind the Athletics Complex Tuesday afternoon, working out in shells for two hours.

The Tigers practiced in damp and cool conditions, but the rain that plagued the campus all morning stayed away during the workout. The practice included special teams drills, individual and group drills and scout team work.

Following practice, offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn said that his Tiger offense will face a stiff challenge during Saturday’s game against Ole Miss, which enters the contest ranked ninth nationally in scoring defense (13.6), 14th in pass defense (166.9) and 20th in total defense (300.0).

"They have a lot of speed and are big and physical up front," said Malzahn. "You can tell that they are very well-disciplined and well-coached. They make you earn it and don’t have any weak spots."

The Tigers will return to the practice fields Wednesday at 4:30 p.m. CT.

Chizik says team upbeat despite three straight losses

Head coach Gene Chizik said the Tigers have stayed positive despite losses in the last three games.

"They are great; they’ve been great,” he said during Tuesday’s press conference. “Sunday we came back in here and it was just what I expected. I’m really proud of this group. These last couple of weeks has shown their true personalities and their marks. Just from talking to them individually, I can tell that they really want to win. So, they’ve been excellent.”

Asked if he could pinpoint the differences in the first five games as opposed to the problems in the last three, Chizik said the problems could stem from several breakdowns… one at a time.

"I don’t think that there is one thing that you can pinpoint,” Chizik said. “Nine guys can be doing everything right and two get beat. It’s a little everywhere, a breakdown here or there that causes certain things to be exposed. And when you play teams like we’re playing — the LSU’s of the world — seemingly little things turn into big things.

"We’re not panicking by any stretch of the imagination. We’ve got to get better at what we do. The players know that, the coaches know that, and it starts with me. We’ve made that very evident as a coaching staff that we have to get the details ironed out and get better at them. The level of competition has gone up, and we have to get better at what we do. But again, you just can’t pin it on any one guy."

On Saturday, the Auburn defense will face this week’s SEC Offensive Player of the Week in Dexter McCluster. Chizik said the senior is becoming the focus of the Ole Miss offense as opposed to quarterback Jevan Snead.

"He is a very good player,” he said. “McCluster is one of those guys that is coming into his own. Not that he hasn’t always been a really good player, but now it’s not just wildcat and it’s not just receiver. Now all of a sudden he is your dotted I tailback a lot of the time. You know, 20-some odd carries worth last week or close to it and if he hits a crease, he’s gone. So, that’s an added weapon right now that I think they have hit on. Not that they didn’t always know that he was a great player, but he plays on a whole different speed now. If you watch the film, his speed on the field is a little different than everybody else, so that is a challenge."

Auburn (5-3, 2-3 SEC) hosts No. 24 Ole Miss (5-2, 2-2 SEC) Saturday at 11:21 a.m. CT from Jordan-Hare Stadium. The game will be broadcast by the SEC Network and locally on Fox 20.