Auburn scrimmaged for the first time this season, away from the (supposedly) prying eyes of the media and fans in a 90-play session at Jordan-Hare Stadium this afternoon.

We in the media really only got blips of information of how things happened from interviews afterward, so that's how I'll present it to you on the blog:

• The coaches used a scoring system that pitted the offense against the defense, awarding points for first downs, big plays, turnovers, sacks, etc. Your final score: Defense 45, Offense 40. The game apparently came down to the final drive, with the score tied at 40. Onterio McCalebb took a handoff and ran to the perimeter where safety Drew Cole put his helmet on the ball and knocked it loose (Note: this is what defensive coordinator Ted Roof thinks happened). Defensive lineman Cam Henderson pursued from the back side and pounced on the ball for a five-point fumble recovery to win the game.

• Head coach Gene Chizik was extremely adept at not telling us what the scoring system was (heaven forbid that Alabama finds out a scrimmage fumble recovery is worth five points), but we were able to get some sense of how it worked. "I think it’s just a great measuring tool," Chizik said. "Any time we step out on this field or any other field, there’s always going to be a winner and a loser. I think every day, you have to be able to point back to what caused you to be a winner or what caused you to be a loser. I think those points are well taken when they can relate it to a score."
  

• Wide receivers coach Trooper Taylor, shedding some more light on the scoring system: "A lot of schools use some of that. He uses more detail. Overall, what it does is allows kids to understand the situation. First-and-10, you're trying to get five yards or more. If you don't get that, you lose. You either lose or win on every down, and that's the emphasis of it. Plus, it gives the defense a chance to compete as well. It's like a reward. It gives them a little something to shoot for. And it keeps you within the framework of the down and distance because a lot of time when you scrimmage you just put the ball down and play. Not us. We do first-and-10, third-and-long, third-and-short. We talk about those different scenarios, so they can get experience."

• Roof has preached turnovers all spring. For the game to end like that simply hammered home his point. "It was good to win like that," he said. "The positives of ending like that are you keep demanding it, preaching it, and it happens and people start believing. That was a good way to end it."

• CB Walt McFadden didn't realize the team was keeping score until the second half. "I started realizing that we need to win this game, not just do our fundamentals," he said. "And then it turned into whatever goes.

• Lots of positive reaction about Gus Malzahn's offense and its quick pace. The Tigers ran 55 plays in 20 minutes during one stretch. "It's real quick," left tackle Lee Ziemba said. "With the more plays comes more yards. With more yards comes more points, so that's the theory behind that. I think the defense saw it."

• McFadden on if it was tough to keep up with the offense: "Yeah. And that wasn't even fast. It was something that we've got to get used to, by us going against our offense every day, it'll be something that we're ready for the future."

• Taylor might have summed up the excitement the best: "Let me tell you, Malzahn's a genius, fellas," wide receivers coach Trooper Taylor said. "Write it down. I'm telling you, he is the real deal, folks. I made the right decision, I can promise you that. I'm excited. I'm more excited than (the players) probably. I'm geeked about being in this offense."

• The offense had to pull back the reins at some points to allow the defense to set up. Coaches reminded us afterward that the defense is still installing its system, and it wouldn't tell them much if, for instance, the offense scored on a big play during which the defense wasn't properly set up. Some of the offensive players didn't like that, though. "I know he wants us to learn and everything, but I feel like it's a competition," running back Ben Tate said. "If you're keeping score, let us go. He was giving them an advantage right there. I was getting mad there at the end once we lost. I was like, 'That's not fair.' You could see the guys on defense. They weren't even set. Coach was holding us back."

• The three healthy quarterbacks — Kodi Burns, Neil Caudle and Barrett Trotter — rotated evenly with the ones. Burns threw a touchdown to Terrell Zachery and Caudle threw one to Ralph Spry. But Chizik said there still isn't any separation between the three. "I don’t think we’re there yet," he said. "I don’t know if there will be separation in seven more practices. I really don’t. Of course we’re going to take it day-by-day and things of that nature. Right now they’re kind of all clumped in there together and they’re all doing some nice things."

• For the first extended time this spring, the quarterbacks went live Saturday, the coaches opening them up to contact. "I understand that is risky at times," Chizik said. "We didn’t do it the whole practice today, but again you’ve got to be able to have a gauge when you’re trying to measure two or three close guys in a battle right now, what’s going to separate them. And two-hand tag is hard to separate them."

• Chizik said the team ran the ball about 60 times in the 90 plays. He wanted to establish that physical mindset.

• We've pieced together some other tidbits from player interviews:

• RB Eric Smith had a draw play that went for a touchdown.
• Tate said he had a fumble and wasn't pleased with his overall performance. "I had a poor performance. It was the worst day I had since spring started."
• RB Justin Albert, a redshirt freshman,had a bid draw play. We're not sure if it went for a score or not.
• The team is "being smart" about H-back Mario Fannin, who has an injured ankle. Translation: he didn't play.
• CB Aairon Savage (knee) didn't play. "He was out there cheering," McFadden said. "He tried to sneak in one series, but they grabbed him, put him back there. He's got on that orange jersey."
• S Mike McNeil had a monster hit that broke up a crucial third-down pass play.
• DT Zach Clayton had two sacks.
• S Mike Slade had an interception.

Some other news and notes that are roster related:

• Sophomore OL Kyle Coulahan has taken a leave from the team to concentrate on academics. "We had a great conversation, and that's kind of like where he feels like he needs to go," Chizik said. "And I was a good listener." Coulahan's departure leaves an already thin offensive line even more strapped for bodies.

• Auburn had a busy recruiting day Saturday, getting commitments from Pelham (Ala.) High linebacker Jake Holland and College Park, Ga., wide receiver Shaun Kitchens of Banneker High. The 6-foot-1, 228-pound Holland visited the school Thursday and made his decision known Saturday, choosing Auburn over Ole Miss, Stanford, UCLA, Vanderbilt and Colorado, among others. As a junior last season, Holland had 129 tackles, 14 tackles for a loss, two sacks and four fumble recoveries. The 6-foot-3, 211-pound Kitchens, who also plays safety and linebacker in high school, selected Auburn over a host of schools, including West Virginia, Georgia Tech, Ole Miss, Mississippi State, South Carolina and Kentucky. He caught 16 passes for 289 yards and three touchdowns as a junior. He ran for two scores and threw for three more. They join Jupiter, Fla., place-kicker Cody Parkey, a holdover from the Tommy Tuberville era, as the only members of the Tigers’ 2010 class.