[ad_1]
AUBURN, Alabama – Coach Gus Malzahn said on his Monday night radio show that he “hoped” that his team leader, Bigsby Reservoir, could have a chance to play Saturday’s Iron Bowl. The rookie was injured early in Auburn’s win over visiting Tennessee on Saturday night.
Malzahn said Bigsby and two other injured Tigers, starting offensive tackles Hamm Brodarious and Alec jackson, are “day to day” regarding their availability for Saturday’s game on the road in Alabama. On Sunday night, the coach said all three were “questionable” for this week’s competition.
Bigsby sits fourth in the SEC in versatile yardage per game at 131, although he only played briefly in Auburn’s 30-17 Saturday night win over Tennessee. The rookie has three 100-yard running games with 145 against Arkansas, 129 against Ole Miss and 111 against South Carolina. He only got three carries for 24 yards in Auburn’s 30-17 win over Tennessee.
The Tigers maintained their usual routine with Monday a day off after practice Sunday. They will return to the training ground on Tuesday. With no class on Wednesday, the coach said the plan was for weight room work and an extra team meeting before practice.
The plan is to practice Thursday morning before letting the players leave this Thanksgiving afternoon. On Friday, the team will walk around the campus before heading to Birmingham where they will spend the Friday evening before heading to Tuscaloosa.
The match, which should start at 2:39 p.m. CST, will be televised on CBS with Brad Nessler handling piece by piece with Gary Danielson the analyst and Jamie Erdahl the key reporter.
Auburn radio network coverage can be heard on Sirius channel 81 as well as XM channel 81. Andy Burcham manages the game by playing with it. Stan white the analyst, Ronnie brown the secondary reporter, Brad Law the locker room reporter and Paul Ellen the studio host.
Commenting on the rivalry, Malzahn said: “This is not your normal game week. It’s the Iron Bowl and it’s something you look forward to all year round and our guys get it. We are doing things throughout the offseason to try to prepare.
In other news and notes:
*Bo Nix needs two more touchdowns to tie Ben Leard (1997-2000) for 10th place in Auburn history in career touchdown passes. He needs five more to tie up his father, Patrick nix (1992-95), for the fifth-most touchdown passes by an Auburn quarterback.
* Nix and Anthony schwartz combined for the third longest passing game in college football this season with a 91-yard touchdown against LSU. Ryan O’Keefe’s 93-yard reception on a UCF pass Dillon gabriel is at the top of the list.
* In their three-game winning streak since finishing minus three in the turnover margin in a loss to South Carolina, the Tigers are plus four in the turnover margin. Against Ole Miss, Auburn’s offense did not make a turnover and the defense offered two interceptions. Against LSU, each team lost one fumble, but Auburn did not throw a pass interception while LSU finished with two. Against Tennessee, the game was neutral in terms of turnover, with each team throwing an interception.
Malzahn has said he will tell his players that take-out will be the key to defensive success on Saturday, while “hanging on to football” is a must against the undefeated, No.1 Alabama.
* Auburn’s interception against Tennessee produced seven runs for the home team on a 100-yard return by junior safety Smoke Monday. In games with Malzahn as head coach, the Tigers are 22-1 when the team scores a touchdown on defense or on special teams.
Monday has three career interceptions, which ties him to the junior cornerback Roger mccreary and junior nickel Christian Tutt for the team leader among active players.
[ad_2]
Source link