AUBURN, Ala. — After nine months off the field because of offseason heel surgery and only a week of preseason practice, Auburn sophomore linebacker Adam Herring simply wanted to contribute any way he could last Saturday against Louisiana Tech.

He did much more than that. Herring started and played more than 50 snaps in the Tigers’ 37-13 win, finishing with two tackles while filling in for the injured Eltoro Freeman at weak-side linebacker.

“In a week of practice you don’t see that pretty often,” said left tackle Lee Ziemba, Herring’s roommate. “That’s pretty remarkable.”

Herring, the son of former Auburn coach and current Dallas Cowboys assistant Reggie Herring, is a sight for sore eyes — and hamstrings — in the linebacking corps, where depth is a major concern. Although walk-on Wade Christopher and freshmen Jonathan Evans and Harris Gaston all got limited playing time near the end of the game, it was Herring who held down the spot in the opener and will likely do so again against Mississippi State this Saturday.

He had his ups and downs last week, getting beat for a touchdown by Louisiana Tech tight end Dennis Morris in the first quarter.

“I peeked back at the ball, and it created a little separation,” Herring said. “I had him covered. I just shouldn’t have peeked back at the ball and should have made that play.”

Nevertheless, it’s a starting point for Herring, who redshirted in 2007 and played 11 games last year, although it was almost exclusively on special teams. Even once Freeman returns, he can provide depth at the weak-side and middle linebacker positions.

“He’s a smart, heady football player that we’ve just got to continue to develop, and he’s just got to keep working here,” defensive coordinator Ted Roof said. “And I know he will. He’s a pretty competitive kid.”

Read the rest of the notebook here.