Gus Malzahn believes Auburn getting its final four games in Jordan-Hare will be huge: 'It's a difference-maker'
After dropping two of its previous three games, Auburn’s promising season is on life support at the moment but that doesn’t mean all hope on The Plains should be lost heading into the stretch run.
Gus Malzahn and company still have three SEC games and a non-conference matchup remaining on the schedule. Beating Ole Miss, Georgia and Alabama in a span of four weeks won’t be easy but Auburn will have the advantage of staying home for the month of November.
How big of an edge is playing in Jordan-Hare for Auburn? Gus Malzahn was asked that question during his Tuesday press conference leading up to the Ole Miss game.
“It’s a difference-maker. We play better at home, there’s no doubt,” Malzahn said. “We feed off our crowd, our group is a lot more comfortable so we need to continue that. It’s a great feeling. Like I said, we are glad to be back home and we need to kick this thing off the right way. We are playing a team that presents challenges, they are a talented team, they are talented on offense and defense so this will be a good challenge for us.”
Aside from the advantage of having the crowd behind them, why has this Auburn team played so much better at home?
Malzahn said it comes down to a comfort level for his team.
“I think it’s a comfort, one it’s a comfort and there’s something special about our place and our fans,” Malzahn noted. “The connection our players have with them, they feed off them. That’s very unique and it’s a comfort. I think that’s the best way to put it.”
That comfort level will only continue to grow moving forward if Auburn manages to do what it did in 2017 and go on a roll to close out the season and beat its two biggest rivals at home. While things may be somewhat bleak following the losses at Florida and LSU, Auburn is hoping the home crowd can help rally the team into upsets of Georgia and Alabama down the stretch.