The big story today was running back Eric Smith being ruled academically ineligible for the bowl game. If you followed the blog on Twitter, you would have been provided an instant link to read about it on this very blog.But there were some other items Friday as well. So let's get to them:
- Defensive end Antonio Coleman and running back Ben Tate have been invited to participate in the Senior Bowl, a postseason showcase for college seniors at Ladd-Peebles Stadium in Mobile, Ala., on Jan. 30. “The Senior Bowl is the Cadillac of all the bowl games,” Auburn head coach Gene Chizik said. “That’s the one that you want to try and get in. ... I think it’s great for them individually and great for us as a university.”
- Coleman and Tate were Auburn’s defensive and offensive MVPs, respectively. Coleman led the SEC in sacks (9) and tackles for a loss (15.5). Tate was fourth in rushing with 1,254 yards and eight touchdowns. For Coleman, a Mobile native, it’s a homecoming. Asked what he wants to show NFL scouts, he said, “Just me in general. What I’ve been doing all year. Just getting out there and flying around and challenging guys.” Tate has one goal in mind: “To show them that I’m the No. 1 senior running back in the country.”
- Right guard Byron Isom posted on his Twitter page Thursday night that he injured his patellar tendon during practice. Chizik did not specifically comment on the situation Friday, simply saying, “He’s doing a nice job for us.” Isom posted that his knee “got rolled up on.” He tweeted Friday that he was headed for X-rays and “praying for the best.” When Isom missed two games earlier this year for a team-imposed suspension, junior Bart Eddins and freshman John Sullen filled in for him.
- Some interesting names on Auburn's graduation list, including two football blasts from the past -- Jeno James and Montavis Pitts. James was an offensive guard for Auburn from 1996-99, Pitts a cornerback from 2002-05.
- Pitts had his ups and downs on the Plains. He briefly left the team during his redshirt year in 2002 to pursue a career as a rap artist. He was suspended for the 2004 season opener but played a key role during the Tigers' undefeated season. He eventually left the program in the summer of 2006 after being arrested for drunk-driving. He transferred to Jacksonville State but got his degree at Auburn, with a little prodding from Chizik, who coached him back when he was defensive coordinator. "I called Montae last summer when I got here and told him, ‘No excuses, no anything, get back into school and graduate,’" he said. "And I’m just really, really excited to hear that he did that today. Just proud of him."
- Classes are all finished, which is a good and bad thing for Auburn's players. "That's kind of a Catch-22 because it's nice not to have to worry about classes, but when we're not in classes they get to keep us up here all day long," right tackle Andrew McCain. "So it's good because you get to focus on football and we are up here a lot, so you tend to be worn out at the end of the day. But we're getting a whole lot done. And like you said, it is good to have class behind us and not have to worry about doing the double-duty. But it's a whole lot of football now that class is over, all day, every day."
- Linebacker Josh Bynes like it. "It's new to just have football on our minds all week," he said. "It's an NFL mentality. It's a good thing to have everybody focused on this one game. There's a lot to be put into it. It's draining as players, but we know it's time to go to work."
- Bynes played every snap this year, essentially. (OK, maybe he took a few plays off.) He thinks more depth will allow the linebackers to be more aggressive next year, knowing they can go all out on plays. "If we fill up the depth, there will be more things we'll want to do," he said. "As a player, you can see there were things we wanted to do but we weren't sure because of the players. If there are more players behind us, there are more things we could incorporate into this defense. We could do more tricks and things like that."
- Bynes is a realist, though. He knows it's going to be a young crew behind him next season. "We're not going to have a lot of junior-college guys coming in," he said. "We're going to have freshmen. They'll have to pick up the game and none of them have played in front of 90,000."
- It was interesting and perhaps mildly surprising to see LB Craig Stevens named co-defensive MVP with Coleman and not Bynes, who led the team in tackles. But Bynes said Stevens does plenty for this defense. "He's a guy who doesn't say much, but he gets the job done," Bynes said> "That's what he does for our team. He does things that nobody really sees. Someone else overshadows him. He's faster than a lot of people think, he's smart, he knows what he's doing, he has long arms so he hits linemen sharp and fast."
- Where does Bynes think Stevens is better than him? "On pass coverage, he's off the charts," Bynes said. "I'm pretty good, too. For an outside linebacker, he's great in coverage and he flies to the ball. He knows exactly what he's doing on the football field. We always compete. In the beginning of the season, we said we want to lead the team in tackles. We just compete every game, try to get to the ball."
- Lots of talk today about Antoine "Hot" Carter, who is poised to take over as the team's top defensive lineman with Antonio Coleman graduating. Here's what Coleman had to say about his protege: "Hot, he's a great player. He played a couple games this season due to injuries and stuff. He's learned a lot. I think he will have no problem filling those shoes. I'm going to try to get him to wear my number next year. I think he's a great player and he'll be a great player next year. He's going to be a senior and most of the guys are going to lean on him. So, like I tell him every time we talk, 'It's your team now.'"
- McCain, who matches up with Carter every day in practice, has come away impressed by the junior. "He's tough," McCain said. "He's fast. Especially since he's been getting healthy, he's fast off the edge and he's got real quick feet and he'll sneak you with a little bit of power every now and then, not too much. But he's the kind of guy that's tough for an offensive tackle to block, especially out in space, because he's got the speed upfield but he's also got the quickness back inside on pass rush. So he's a tough player and as you can see Saturdays he's come on strong this year. He's been a really good player for us."
- McCain called this season personally satisfying for him, especially since he was considering leaving the program after last year. He started every game at right tackle this year. "There was a point last year at the end of the season where it was no secret that I was calling it quits," he said. "And I decided to stick it out and through the help of Coach Chizik and coach (Gus) Malzahn and coach (Jeff) Grimes and my teammates I've been able to step up this year and I feel like play an effective role on the offensive line and helping us win ballgames. And that was the No. 1 goal is just to help the team win, because I love Auburn and I love this program. But on a personal level, there was a whole lot of redemption involved, as far as coming and being able to step up and just really prove that I can play in the best conference in America and be effective doing so."
- Chris Todd offered some advice to the quarterbacks who will battle for the starting job next year: "Going into camp, going into competition, the biggest thing is confidence. Confidence is really big. Really believe in yourself, know what you can do. Camp is weird. You’re throwing a lot everyday, you know. You might come out one day and throw a ton of good balls — you’re feeling really good — then the next day come out and have a terrible one. It’s just being able to get past those days and being able to continue to stay with it and believe in what you’re doing and just push through it. I think the guys who can really get through all those and get through the low points of camp are the guys who have the best chance of finishing strong at the end."
2 comments:
Wow! Great job Andy. I knew Montae when I was in school and it's a tremendous accomplishment to come back and get his degree. He actually started corner opposite the best corner in the country in 2004 and you know teams didn't throw Carlos' way many times. How about a hand for Chizik, huh? I've never heard of a coach caring as much as he apparently does.
I think McClain needs more acclaim. He did a pretty good job this year. Never ever give up! War Eagle!
AUsome04 ~ I think you mean McCain, as McClain has got plenty of attention on the other side of the state. The Pitts example is a great illustration when you try to understand Auburn's resurgence in recruiting. Recruits are getting to know Chizik, and he is the kind of man you want to play for. Spuat is a football factory that saban runs more like an NFL team than a college program. Some athletes are fine with that approach, but some want a coach who actually cares about them. In the midst of probably the busiest year of Chizik's life, he made the time to contact a former player and get him back in school. AUsome stuff. Meanwhile in tuscaloosa, the king is trying to decide which players to cut that he formerly promised starting jobs to.
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