AUBURN – Like the head coach and the school as a whole, Kansas State plays a no-frills defense. And that defense, Auburn offensive coordinator Rhett Lashlee said Tuesday, will pose a serious challenge.
The message has gone out to Auburn players.
“We’ve been preaching to them the last two days that we have to execute at a very high level,” Lashlee said. “The way they play, they are very sound, they tackle well, they don’t beat themselves, they don’t give up big plays. They make you earn everything you get, and that’s why they’ve been so successful.”
The No. 5 Tigers (2-0) and No. 20 Wildcats (2-0) will play on Thursday night, Sept. 18, at LHC Bill Snyder Family Stadium in Manhattan. The man for whom the stadium, which seats 50,000, is named still walks the sideline. And the largest crowd in school history is expected.
The Tigers, with an open date Saturday, practiced Tuesday and will practice Wednesday and Thursday. They’ll take Friday and Saturday off before returning Sunday to begin final preparations.
“It’s big early in the year,” Lashlee said. “You have a feel for the new personnel. You have a feel for how this team is coming together. It’s still a different team than last year. You just try to have everybody as healthy as they can be.
“This is the week we have to win. We don’t play anybody. We have to win these three days and get much, much better.”
Quarterback Nick Marshall will have to operate in a loud and hostile environment, one that has gotten the best of some of the top quarterbacks in the Big 12.
“It definitely affects you,” Lashlee said. “Fortunately for us, Nick has played. A lot of our guys have played. We don’t have a young team. It’s like going into any hostile SEC environment. All I’ve heard is Manhattan is the toughest place to play in the Big 12.
"We have to be focused. We’ve been fortunate we haven’t had any false start penalties in the first two games. You attention to detail and your awareness really has to raise its level when you are on the road in a hostile environment.”
A year ago, Gus Malzahn’s first Auburn football team was trying to find itself. It eventually did, winning the SEC championship and playing in the BCS Championship Game. It’s different now.
“I think it will be a good measuring stick,” Lashlee said. “You’re going on the road and they sold it out because you’re the one they want to knock off. Boy, they have a good football team. This is not the situation we were in last year. How mature are our guys? How do we handle it?”
