Gus Malzahn shares why Tank Bigsby is having early success for Auburn
By Keith Farner
Published:
Auburn RB Tank Bigsby is off to a strong start for the Tigers with 192 yards on 34 carries in three games. His best game came last week against Arkansas when he had 20 carries for 146 yards in the 30-28 win.
Coach Gus Malzahn explained on Tuesday at a press conference why Bigsby is having early success as a freshman.
“I think it’s his approach,” Malzahn said. “He loves the game of football. He loves playing football. He’s got confidence. He’s got a great positive spirit about him and he has that edge. You see him running it, and he’s got the potential to really keep going. That’s what is exciting for me.”
Malzahn said Bigsby is in a unique spot after the program didn’t have a regular spring practice, and there have been injuries at his position.
“What has impressed me is just his physicality and determination. He’s still learning the plays. He is still learning the schemes and the steps and everything that goes with it,” Malzahn said. “But one thing he’s doing is he’s bringing the wood. He’s running angry with great physicality and with great effort. He’s really doing a good job in kick returns, too. We’re throwing him in the fire. He’s a true freshman; he didn’t get to go through spring. We’ve had (Shaun Shivers) banged up, D.J. (Williams) banged up, so he had an opportunity and he seized that opportunity. I really think you’ll see, after the game slows down a little bit and he actually can read things and slow himself down, I think the sky is the limit.”
A former newspaper veteran, Keith Farner is a news manager for Saturday Down South.
