Auburn head coach Gus Malzahn at the Peach Bowl hotel on Dec. 27. Matthew Stevens
ATLANTA — Gus Malzahn is a believer in the transitive property of bowl games.
During a speech Wednesday, Auburn’s head coach expressed a “business trip” mentality for his players. The message before the Peach Bowl against Central Florida (12-0) was how there’s a bigger picture involved than the final score.
“This team gets it. We have been talking about our program is set up for long-term success,” Malzahn said. “There are opportunities you have to accelerate that and I think our leaders get that — not just for this year, but for next year as far as a team that is taking the next step that gets the bigger picture of the future of the program.”
Malzahn is 1-3 in bowl games with the win in the 2015 Birmingham Bowl two years ago against Memphis to cap a disappointing 7-6 season.
Auburn (10-3) is hoping its coaching staff can turn around the mentality of a glorified exhibition game into a springboard for a three-month momentum ride into spring practices. With a victory, Auburn can reach 11 wins for only the sixth time in school history and second time in the Malzahn era.
On the other sideline, Scott Frost can’t affect UCF's momentum beyond New Year’s Day. He’s already accepted Nebraska's head coaching position. The Golden Knights have former Missouri offensive coordinator Josh Heupel waiting to take over.
“I know they are here to win, too, so our mindset is probably more of a business trip than it has been in the past with the bowl,” Malzahn said Wednesday. “That is by design. Our leaders, our seniors, that is what they want and what they expect so that is a good thing from a coaches’ standpoint.”
This New Year’s Day contest will be Auburn's fifth straight bowl game under Malzahn, which is the most consecutive bowl seasons for the Tigers since eight straight seasons from 2000-07.
Malzahn is distinctly aware that the school in the Group of Six conferences that make a New Year’s Six bowl game have won two of the last three with the only loss coming via Western Michigan’s competitive 24-16 defeat to Wisconsin in the Cotton Bowl.
“You can turn the film on and from a player standpoint or a coaches’ standpoint, and you can tell, hey, this team is good,” Malzahn said. “And then the fact that they’re undefeated … they’ve earned the right to get to this bowl game, which is one of the best there is. We have a lot of respect for them. We’ve got a lot of respect for their coaching staff and you can turn the film on and so you don’t really look at it that way, from our standpoint.”
The award for first bulletin board material went to Central Florida running back Adrian Killins Jr. giving Auburn defensive players motivation after a practice on Dec. 14.
“Auburn hasn’t seen any speed like we have here,” Killins said. “So I would say they’re in for a rude awakening, because UCF football, we’re UCF fast and UCF fierce. Defense is gonna put 11 hats to the ball fast and furious, and offense, we’ve got a lot of guys that can go up and get the ball and make you miss and make big plays.”
Auburn OC Chip Lindsey following bowl practice No. 2 (Dec. 17, 2017). Matthew Stevens
Throughout practice before the Christmas break, Auburn players refused to get into a shouting match with UCF players before Monday's 11:30 a.m. kickoff on ESPN.
“You just go have to go out there and play,” Auburn freshman defensive back Jordyn Peters said. “You, know, do our job and see how the game goes out there. They’re a good team, though, obviously, but hey, nothing we can’t handle.”