Auburn is still unsure if its leading rusher will be able to suit up against Ole Miss this weekend.

Gus Malzahn said during Wednesday’s SEC Coaches Teleconference that redshirt freshman running back JaTarvious “Boobee” Whitlow is still day-to-day along with the rest of the Tigers’ injured players. Whitlow suffered an upper-body injury during Auburn’s 30-24 loss against Tennessee last Saturday.

Whitlow has led the Tigers’ rushing attack with 81 carries for 456 yards and four touchdowns. He also has five catches for 31 yards this season.

Auburn (4-3, 1-3 SEC) will have to lean on a stable of other young running backs if Whitlow can’t play against the Rebels (5-2, 1-2) at noon ET on Saturday. Malzahn on Wednesday also previewed the game and discussed how his team can improve moving forward, and you can read his full responses below.

On measuring his team’s effort from week to week:

  • In the games, they have been excellent. In practice, much the same. They just need to carry that over to the games and score a few more points and win some games.

How do you specifically do that?

  • The execution needs to be better at certain points.

On which side of the ball?

  • In all three areas, that’s our focus.

On Ole Miss QB Jordan Ta’amu:

  • He is a dual-threat guy, strong arm. He can hurt you with his feet in the red zone.

On Ole Miss RB Scottie Phillips:

  • He is a good running back. I credit their offensive line. … They are executing, and it makes them tough to defend.

On RB Asa Martin:

  • All our guys have done well. Malik has come on, was a third-down back and he’s come around.

On the offensive line:

  • I did see some improvement last week. As long as they can stay healthy, I see them getting better.

On QB Jarrett Stidham rushing some decisions, where do you see him this week?

  • He talked to the media after the game; he is tough on himself. He knows the areas he needs to improve on, and I expect him to do that.