Auburn Undercover at the Woltosz Football Performance Center for Alex Golesh’s Monday press conference on mock game week for the Tigers.
Live updates will be posted here:
On wrapping up camp:
The team had a family picnic and alumni day on Saturday.
“I thought we finished well.” “We challenged our guys and they responded... they were as intentional as they had been on Saturday.”
Nothing new health-wise to update since Wednesday’s scrimmage.
Turning to Baylor:
It’s a lot of teaching of what the staff wants. The biggest thing for the kids is the focus piece.
There will be a mock game on Saturday.
Game week:
The team will start the week with Victory Day helping kids with disabilities and giving them a cool experience on Sunday.
On where the mock game week came from:
The mock game week has been going on for a long time. Golesh said it is a dress rehearsal and it needs to look like a normal week and that the players need to figure out their schedules.
Golesh has been bouncing back and forth in between the offense and defense during practice and is trying to make it as normal as possible.
Challenges that Baylor presents:
Week one is an interesting chess match in terms of all the uncertainty and strategy.
Baylor presents a new quarterback in DJ Lagway who presents a challenge and experience in the SEC.
Arnada presents a challenge as being a defensive guy and presents a lot of unknowns.
Tray Taylor:
He’s eligible to practice. The skill set as a returner was intriguing and his biggest value right now is that he can bring value to special teams. Golesh hopes they will be able to use him in that way once he gets cleared gully to play.
On wide receiver rotation:
Auburn is close in the receiver rotation. Sam Turner is still trying to figure things out but the depth is young. Growth has to happen quickly.
Where is this offense in terms of being ready to play:
The team is not starting at square one. It helps to have wideouts and a center that has played in it. The youth in the depth has to grow up though and that’s what the staff is figuring things out.
On Byrum:
Byrum is like a coach and is watching film all the time. Golesh said he is super particular in his routine and has a schedule down to the minute. Golesh.
The backups are like little ducklings that follow him around.
Byrum is confident enough now in his fifth year with talent around him.
On the offensive line:
They have a gorup that is really close but is finding out who they truly are. The week will be good in terms of going against a scout team.
The mock game week will be a good change up for them. They are coming together though and taking pride in what they are doing.
On in-game decisions that are critical:
The team uses analytics on both sides of the ball, but it’s heavy guts in most moments and how the flow of the game is going. They need to know going into each weel what the thought process is.
On the work in the red zone:
The offense has good size down in the red zone in terms of wideouts and tight ends, and Golesh is really excited about what the team can do out there.
On Victory Day:
They started it at Iowa State with Matt Campbell. Golesh said it allows the program to take a deep breath and be grateful for what they have.
It’s three hours on a Sunday night where the team gives back and allows them to reflect on what they have. Victory Day is Golesh’s favorite night of the year.
Every year, Golesh says the players get a lot more out of it because of the experience and it will be a special night for the young men and women because they get to score touchdowns in Jordan-Hare Stadium.
