The Chris Todd era has begun for no. 9 Auburn's offense and it won't change based on one mistake.
Auburn head coach Tommy Tuberville made that clear during his weekly press conference on Tuesday.
"He's going to be the guy given the reins," Tuberville said. "It won't be a short leash."
Todd was named the Tigers' starting quarterback after a lengthy competition between he and Kodi Burns for the top spot.
Tuberville said Burns would still have a role in the offense.
"Kodi is going to be ready to come in at any time, special situations, and crucial situations when things aren't going too well," Tuberville said.
Todd was considered the favorite entering spring camp, but missed a significant portion of practice while still recovering from a shoulder injury he suffered while playing for Hutchinson (Kan.) Community College.
Burns made a late push during spring practice and finished with impressive performances in both Auburn's spring game and the team's final scrimmage.
Both quarterbacks played in the first two games, but neither played well against Louisiana-Monroe in the alternating-series rotation. Todd started against Southern Mississippi and played very well, throwing for 248 yards.
Todd's performance prompted Tuberville and offensive coordinator Tony Franklin to name him the starter.
"I'm glad that we've got two quarterbacks, but I'm also glad that we've got one guy that everyone can look at as the guy that's going to play well for us and lead this team," Tuberville said.
Tigers getting healthy
Last week, Auburn had to wonder if it would have any players left by the end of September.
Now, the Tigers are near full-strength as they prepare for Mississippi State.
Tuberville said receiver James Swinton is healthy and will play this week.
Another receiver, Montez Billings, made his return to the lineup on Saturday. Tailback Tristan Davis also played after missing the season-opener.
The only players who won't be available this week are offensive lineman Kyle Coulahan (recovering from pneumonia) and fullback John Douglas (knee).
McKenzie still wants to play TE
Three weeks after Gabe McKenzie moved from tight end to defensive end, he said he has adjusted well to defense.
McKenzie admitted Auburn's schemes are significantly more complicated than the ones to which he adhered during high school - especially the gap assignments.
"I can say I'm almost there," McKenzie said. "On film, Mike (Goggans) does stuff like a half-step faster than me. I've just got to get a little bit quicker and then I'll be OK."
McKenzie said he has no regrets about moving to defense, but he wants to have a chance to play offense as well.
"I want to play a little more tight end," McKenzie said. "I'll put that out there. They told me they'd put me there when they need me over there."
All in the hands
Zach Clayton has made the most of his limited playing time through Auburn's first two games this season.
The Opelika native earned his first sack of the season on Saturday and he has two other tackles for losses. All three of Clayton's tackles have been for loss this year, meaning he's doing exactly what he's supposed to - helping the Tigers control the line of scrimmage even when the reserves are in the game.
Clayton said his handwork is the biggest reasons he's seeing immediate results.
"I think I'm using my hands a lot better," Clayton said. "I was really bad about using my forearms and not using my hands real well. I think it's come a long way, but it still has to improve a good bit."
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
Bynes boosting Tigers defense
BY LUKE BRIETZKE
When Auburn defensive coordinator Paul Rhoads was asked about Josh Bynes' seemingly increased role, he sought to put an end to the discussion.
In each of this season's first two games, Bynes has played significantly more than a backup middle linebacker normally does. In fact, Bynes played more than starting middle linebacker Tray Blackmon (LaGrange) in both games.
"I think people are trying to make something out of that, and there's really nothing there," Rhoads said. "Tray's playing well. Josh is playing well. I don't think I've backed off the fact that we like to play a lot of people. People deserve to play, and if they're not hurting our football team, we're going to play them.
"There's nothing there, other than as the rotation goes and a lead exists, Josh might be playing a couple more snaps over two games than Tray has. But there's no reflection there on either one's play. They're both playing good."
While Bynes might not have surpassed Blackmon on the depth chart, he certainly has taken on a larger role than he had last year.
Bynes said the extra playing time has surprised him as well.
Blackmon doesn't seem affected by Bynes getting more playing time, either.
"I think he deserves the right to play," Blackmon said. "Through camp and through the summer, he worked very hard. He knows the plays, and the coaches give us a chance to roll in, give each other a break."
Auburn head coach Tommy Tuberville offered a slightly different take than Rhoads' explanation.
"Our pass drops (Saturday) were pretty good," Tuberville said. "Tray, that was one thing that was concerning and even Merrill."
In each of the first two games, Auburn faced teams that passed more than ran.
Blackmon is known as a run-stuffing linebacker with good blitz skills, but he isn't known as a great coverage player. Through the first two games, Bynes has spelled Blackmon especially in passing situations.
Tuberville seemed to reiterate that stance during his weekly Tuesday afternoon press conference.
"Games like this coming up, where people are more two-back teams, I think Tray's a lot more effective because he's a true middle linebacker, inside guy," Tuberville said.
Auburn will play Saturday at Mississippi State. The Bulldogs operate a run-oriented offense with two backs most of the time, which is the kind of formation in which Blackmon thrives, as he did against Arkansas last year.
Blackmon was named the SEC Defensive Player of the Week for his performance in that Arkansas game.
Bynes and Blackmon have played well through the first two games. Bynes has seven tackles, two more than Blackmon, but Blackmon has a sack and a quarterback hurry to his credit as well.
In Rhoads' scheme, the middle linebacker is in charge of setting the defense. It's something which Blackmon prides himself. It's also an area where Bynes still is trying to improve.
Rhoads noted a play during Saturday's game against Southern Mississippi where Bynes had positioned the defensive front incorrectly. Before the play, though, Bynes reset everyone.
"That's the kind of command that that position's got to have, and he understands that," Rhoads said.
Rhoads classifies Bynes as a strong tackler and a physical player with improving pass-coverage skills.
More importantly, Bynes has given the Auburn coaches enough confidence in him to replace Blackmon for a few series. That's something both players said would help throughout the year.
Still, when Bynes gets in the game, he doesn't worry about trying to play like Blackmon.
"We can't play the same -- we can't act the same -- so, of course, we've got to come out differently," Bynes said. "That's how I see it."
When Auburn defensive coordinator Paul Rhoads was asked about Josh Bynes' seemingly increased role, he sought to put an end to the discussion.
In each of this season's first two games, Bynes has played significantly more than a backup middle linebacker normally does. In fact, Bynes played more than starting middle linebacker Tray Blackmon (LaGrange) in both games.
"I think people are trying to make something out of that, and there's really nothing there," Rhoads said. "Tray's playing well. Josh is playing well. I don't think I've backed off the fact that we like to play a lot of people. People deserve to play, and if they're not hurting our football team, we're going to play them.
"There's nothing there, other than as the rotation goes and a lead exists, Josh might be playing a couple more snaps over two games than Tray has. But there's no reflection there on either one's play. They're both playing good."
While Bynes might not have surpassed Blackmon on the depth chart, he certainly has taken on a larger role than he had last year.
Bynes said the extra playing time has surprised him as well.
Blackmon doesn't seem affected by Bynes getting more playing time, either.
"I think he deserves the right to play," Blackmon said. "Through camp and through the summer, he worked very hard. He knows the plays, and the coaches give us a chance to roll in, give each other a break."
Auburn head coach Tommy Tuberville offered a slightly different take than Rhoads' explanation.
"Our pass drops (Saturday) were pretty good," Tuberville said. "Tray, that was one thing that was concerning and even Merrill."
In each of the first two games, Auburn faced teams that passed more than ran.
Blackmon is known as a run-stuffing linebacker with good blitz skills, but he isn't known as a great coverage player. Through the first two games, Bynes has spelled Blackmon especially in passing situations.
Tuberville seemed to reiterate that stance during his weekly Tuesday afternoon press conference.
"Games like this coming up, where people are more two-back teams, I think Tray's a lot more effective because he's a true middle linebacker, inside guy," Tuberville said.
Auburn will play Saturday at Mississippi State. The Bulldogs operate a run-oriented offense with two backs most of the time, which is the kind of formation in which Blackmon thrives, as he did against Arkansas last year.
Blackmon was named the SEC Defensive Player of the Week for his performance in that Arkansas game.
Bynes and Blackmon have played well through the first two games. Bynes has seven tackles, two more than Blackmon, but Blackmon has a sack and a quarterback hurry to his credit as well.
In Rhoads' scheme, the middle linebacker is in charge of setting the defense. It's something which Blackmon prides himself. It's also an area where Bynes still is trying to improve.
Rhoads noted a play during Saturday's game against Southern Mississippi where Bynes had positioned the defensive front incorrectly. Before the play, though, Bynes reset everyone.
"That's the kind of command that that position's got to have, and he understands that," Rhoads said.
Rhoads classifies Bynes as a strong tackler and a physical player with improving pass-coverage skills.
More importantly, Bynes has given the Auburn coaches enough confidence in him to replace Blackmon for a few series. That's something both players said would help throughout the year.
Still, when Bynes gets in the game, he doesn't worry about trying to play like Blackmon.
"We can't play the same -- we can't act the same -- so, of course, we've got to come out differently," Bynes said. "That's how I see it."
Defensive backs focus on tackling
By LUKE BRIETZKE
Walt McFadden saw a Southern Mississippi play develop before it even began during the first quarter Saturday afternoon.
USM receiver Gerald Baptiste caught a screen pass 5 yards behind the line of scrimmage, where McFadden delivered a crushing hit.
The play didn't force a turnover. It didn't affect the game's outcome. It was, however, a microcosm of the job the Auburn defensive backs have done so far in 2008.
"We're just working hard and studying the film and knowing the formations," McFadden said. "By them doing a lot of screens, we're not scared to come up and hit or anything."
Auburn defensive coordinator Paul Rhoads said the cornerbacks' dedication in the film room has helped them snuff out screens and short passes on the field.
That, Rhoads said, makes McFadden's play much more enjoyable.
"It was a big part of our preparation, so that's what makes you feel good," Rhoads said. "We did a number of things in that game that the kids were prepared for, they worked at, they understood, and then they went out there and executed."
With spread offenses becoming more in vogue, there's a greater emphasis on cornerbacks with good tackling ability as well as coverage skills.
"The ability to play them off and press them up and do all that just adds to the weaponry that you have and what the offense has to adjust to," Rhoads said.
Auburn has played more loose coverage this year than it did last season under former defensive coordinator Will Muschamp, who left for the same position at Texas.
That means the cornerbacks have to be sure tacklers.
So far, they have been. Through two games, 25 of 53 completions have gone for 5 yards or fewer because the defensive backs are making tackles in the open field.
"I don't think it's too big of a challenge," said Jerraud Powers, who was named Auburn's Defensive Player of the Week after leading the team with eight tackles and also making an interception. "If they run a screen, I'm going to cover ground before he gets the ball and can go up field. So that's not a big deal, playing a couple yards off the receiver, because, as long as I do my part, I've got 10 more guys running toward the guy."
Powers leads the team this season with 14 tackles, including nine solo tackles.
McFadden said looser coverage and more zone defense enables the cornerbacks to play more aggressively.
"When we were in man (coverage), they wouldn't do anything but run us down the field, and then we don't know what's going on," McFadden said. "The crowd's going wild, and we don't know what just happened. Now we can see everything in our vision. It's a better thing for us."
It's also allowing more players to get to the football.
Still, cornerbacks such as McFadden and Powers don't mind handling tackling duties by themselves either.
"That's our whole identity," McFadden said. "Our identity is smart, physical tacklers."
Walt McFadden saw a Southern Mississippi play develop before it even began during the first quarter Saturday afternoon.
USM receiver Gerald Baptiste caught a screen pass 5 yards behind the line of scrimmage, where McFadden delivered a crushing hit.
The play didn't force a turnover. It didn't affect the game's outcome. It was, however, a microcosm of the job the Auburn defensive backs have done so far in 2008.
"We're just working hard and studying the film and knowing the formations," McFadden said. "By them doing a lot of screens, we're not scared to come up and hit or anything."
Auburn defensive coordinator Paul Rhoads said the cornerbacks' dedication in the film room has helped them snuff out screens and short passes on the field.
That, Rhoads said, makes McFadden's play much more enjoyable.
"It was a big part of our preparation, so that's what makes you feel good," Rhoads said. "We did a number of things in that game that the kids were prepared for, they worked at, they understood, and then they went out there and executed."
With spread offenses becoming more in vogue, there's a greater emphasis on cornerbacks with good tackling ability as well as coverage skills.
"The ability to play them off and press them up and do all that just adds to the weaponry that you have and what the offense has to adjust to," Rhoads said.
Auburn has played more loose coverage this year than it did last season under former defensive coordinator Will Muschamp, who left for the same position at Texas.
That means the cornerbacks have to be sure tacklers.
So far, they have been. Through two games, 25 of 53 completions have gone for 5 yards or fewer because the defensive backs are making tackles in the open field.
"I don't think it's too big of a challenge," said Jerraud Powers, who was named Auburn's Defensive Player of the Week after leading the team with eight tackles and also making an interception. "If they run a screen, I'm going to cover ground before he gets the ball and can go up field. So that's not a big deal, playing a couple yards off the receiver, because, as long as I do my part, I've got 10 more guys running toward the guy."
Powers leads the team this season with 14 tackles, including nine solo tackles.
McFadden said looser coverage and more zone defense enables the cornerbacks to play more aggressively.
"When we were in man (coverage), they wouldn't do anything but run us down the field, and then we don't know what's going on," McFadden said. "The crowd's going wild, and we don't know what just happened. Now we can see everything in our vision. It's a better thing for us."
It's also allowing more players to get to the football.
Still, cornerbacks such as McFadden and Powers don't mind handling tackling duties by themselves either.
"That's our whole identity," McFadden said. "Our identity is smart, physical tacklers."
Monday, September 8, 2008
Chris Todd earns starting quarterback job
BY LUKE BRIETZKE
Resolution to Auburn's formerly restless quarterback competition was difficult news for newly-named backup Kodi Burns.
Chris Todd emerged as the Tigers' starting quarterback after he completed 21-of-31 passes for 248 yards during No. 9 Auburn's 27-13 win over Southern Mississippi.
Todd's 248 passing yards were the most an Auburn quarterback had thrown for since Nov. 4, 2006.
Conversely, Burns missed on all three passes and had an interception. He did rush for a touchdown, but it capped off a drive that Todd led to the USM 1-yard line.
Following the game, Auburn head coach Tommy Tuberville named Todd the starter.
"Things happen, and I've just got to make the most of it," Burns said. "I'm going to stay positive, and I'm going to be happy about it, be happy that I'm still here for my team.
"Chris is a good quarterback, and (offensive coordinator Tony) Franklin made the decision that he needed to make and what he thought was best for the team. I'm just going to stay positive, and when my time comes, when my name gets called, hopefully people will get to see what I can really do."
In essence, that is Burns' reduced role. He now is the quarterback pinch-hitter, biding time and hoping for another opportunity.
It's a role Todd understands. In 2006, Texas Tech quarterback Graham Harrell beat him out for the starting position. Ultimately, Todd transferred to Hutchinson (Kan.) Community College before coming to Auburn in the spring.
"I went through the same process that he's going through," Todd said. "It's tough. You've just got to kind of keep going with it. I'm going to try to help him do that. He's got a lot to offer."
The decision to name Todd the starter ended a short-lived two-quarterback system.
Franklin seemed relieved to have a clear-cut starter named after he planned to use both quarterbacks throughout the season.
"It's been a really difficult thing for me because I thought I could do it," Franklin said. "I proved I couldn't. I think history probably has proven it, too, time and time again. You need to pick somebody and play him."
Franklin still plans to use Burns, but he doesn't know exactly in what capacity.
Burns started Auburn's season-opener, but he and Todd struggled with the every-other-series rotation. Burns finished with the better numbers of the two, but neither looked prepared to lead a top-10 team's offense.
Franklin said last week that he planned to stick with whomever got the hot hand. Tuberville announced Todd would start, and the junior college transfer came out hot.
He led two would-be scoring drives that ended because of running back fumbles. Then he led two more touchdown drives to give Auburn a 14-0 halftime lead.
Franklin inserted Burns into the lineup on the Tigers' first drive of the second half, but neither he nor Todd looked in sync when they started rotating again.
"I think I got a fair shot," said Burns, who was on the field for only six plays on Saturday. "They're not going to play favorites. They're going to put who they feel like's supposed to be on the field."
Burns met with Tuberville Sunday afternoon before the team practiced.
Tuberville said Burns could be used in goal-line situations but stressed that Burns is capable of more and has improved a great deal in the passing game.
"When you're competitive and want to play -- and it's not anything complaining," Tuberville said. "It's, 'What do I need to do to get better. Where am I at in your eyes? I hear what the coach is telling me, what do you think? What do I need to do?' Kodi's a competitor, and he's going to be there whether he's playing or not playing."
More importantly, Burns will be waiting for his opportunity and trying to crack the starting lineup.
Just like a pinch-hitter.
"He can put me in here and there or whatever he wants to do," Burns said. "Whenever he calls my name. All I can do is be ready when that time comes."
Resolution to Auburn's formerly restless quarterback competition was difficult news for newly-named backup Kodi Burns.
Chris Todd emerged as the Tigers' starting quarterback after he completed 21-of-31 passes for 248 yards during No. 9 Auburn's 27-13 win over Southern Mississippi.
Todd's 248 passing yards were the most an Auburn quarterback had thrown for since Nov. 4, 2006.
Conversely, Burns missed on all three passes and had an interception. He did rush for a touchdown, but it capped off a drive that Todd led to the USM 1-yard line.
Following the game, Auburn head coach Tommy Tuberville named Todd the starter.
"Things happen, and I've just got to make the most of it," Burns said. "I'm going to stay positive, and I'm going to be happy about it, be happy that I'm still here for my team.
"Chris is a good quarterback, and (offensive coordinator Tony) Franklin made the decision that he needed to make and what he thought was best for the team. I'm just going to stay positive, and when my time comes, when my name gets called, hopefully people will get to see what I can really do."
In essence, that is Burns' reduced role. He now is the quarterback pinch-hitter, biding time and hoping for another opportunity.
It's a role Todd understands. In 2006, Texas Tech quarterback Graham Harrell beat him out for the starting position. Ultimately, Todd transferred to Hutchinson (Kan.) Community College before coming to Auburn in the spring.
"I went through the same process that he's going through," Todd said. "It's tough. You've just got to kind of keep going with it. I'm going to try to help him do that. He's got a lot to offer."
The decision to name Todd the starter ended a short-lived two-quarterback system.
Franklin seemed relieved to have a clear-cut starter named after he planned to use both quarterbacks throughout the season.
"It's been a really difficult thing for me because I thought I could do it," Franklin said. "I proved I couldn't. I think history probably has proven it, too, time and time again. You need to pick somebody and play him."
Franklin still plans to use Burns, but he doesn't know exactly in what capacity.
Burns started Auburn's season-opener, but he and Todd struggled with the every-other-series rotation. Burns finished with the better numbers of the two, but neither looked prepared to lead a top-10 team's offense.
Franklin said last week that he planned to stick with whomever got the hot hand. Tuberville announced Todd would start, and the junior college transfer came out hot.
He led two would-be scoring drives that ended because of running back fumbles. Then he led two more touchdown drives to give Auburn a 14-0 halftime lead.
Franklin inserted Burns into the lineup on the Tigers' first drive of the second half, but neither he nor Todd looked in sync when they started rotating again.
"I think I got a fair shot," said Burns, who was on the field for only six plays on Saturday. "They're not going to play favorites. They're going to put who they feel like's supposed to be on the field."
Burns met with Tuberville Sunday afternoon before the team practiced.
Tuberville said Burns could be used in goal-line situations but stressed that Burns is capable of more and has improved a great deal in the passing game.
"When you're competitive and want to play -- and it's not anything complaining," Tuberville said. "It's, 'What do I need to do to get better. Where am I at in your eyes? I hear what the coach is telling me, what do you think? What do I need to do?' Kodi's a competitor, and he's going to be there whether he's playing or not playing."
More importantly, Burns will be waiting for his opportunity and trying to crack the starting lineup.
Just like a pinch-hitter.
"He can put me in here and there or whatever he wants to do," Burns said. "Whenever he calls my name. All I can do is be ready when that time comes."
Friday, September 5, 2008
Injuries change lineup for Auburn
By LUKE BRIETZKE
On an injury front, the season didn't start well for Auburn.
Two plays into its season-opener against Louisiana-Monroe, receivers Philip Pierre-Louis and James Swinton were injured and lost for the game. Another outside receiver, Montez Billings, missed the game with a hamstring injury.
Those three injuries left Rod Smith, Chris Slaughter and Quindarius Carr as Auburn's only outside receivers. Making matters worse, Carr played sparingly for the Tigers.
Auburn offensive coordinator Tony Franklin said the injuries contributed to a sub-par passing day, but it still comes down to his players needing to make plays.
"(Pierre-Louis) made more plays than anybody we have all summer long," Franklin said. "Swinton had been our most consistent guy. That's not an excuse. Everybody's got to come in and step up and do a good job."
By the end of the game, Auburn was so thin on outside receiver depth that Smith and Slaughter played virtually every play throughout the contest.
In response, the Tigers moved three receivers -- Mario Fannin, Darvin Adams and Tim Hawthorne -- to different positions.
Franklin and Auburn head coach Tommy Tuberville made the moves thinking Swinton (knee) and Billings (hamstring) would miss Saturday's contest against Southern Mississippi. However, Tuberville said on Thursday that both receivers would play. Pierre-Louis, conversely, is out for the season.
The trio can still be expected to see most of their time on the outside since that's where all three players practiced this week.
Fannin and Hawthorne embraced the move and are both excited about more playing time.
"It's just more opportunity for catches and touches," Hawthorne said. "I'm looking forward to it. If they need me to go out there and play outside, I'll do it. It's been a pretty easy transition."
Adams, a true freshman, was not made available for comment this week.
Fannin, who has played tailback and slot receiver, is now working on his third position in 10 months.
Last week, the Tigers implemented Fannin in the run game from the slot, sending him in motion and giving him two handoffs. Fannin gained 21 yards on the two carries.
Especially on the outside, Fannin needs to be more of a receiving threat this week.
All Auburn receivers, in fact, are feeling some pressure to improve on last week's dismal performance in the passing game.
"We all made some mistakes," Fannin said. "We all missed some assignments. Basically, we've got to get out there this week, against a better team. That's something we're harping on now: Getting out there, playing with speed, and executing the plays well. If we do that, we shouldn't have a problem."
While Swinton and Billings are expected to play, the moves could still prove vital if there are more injuries since three players now know both the inside and outside positions.
Hawthorne said outside receiver is even easier than playing in the slot.
"Inside, you've got to worry about eluding a lot more people," Hawthorne said. "There's a lot more traffic in there with linebackers, nickelbacks and safeties, things like that. Outside, you really don't have to worry about anything but the cornerbacks. That's why you see a lot of balls going toward the outside."
That's also why Hawthorne had no reservations about making the move -- even if it doesn't result in more immediate playing time.
Burns improving
Auburn quarterback Kodi Burns practiced for the third consecutive day, but Tuberville is still hesitant to say he'll play Saturday when the Tigers host Southern Mississippi.
Burns, who started the season-opener, is recovering from a laceration on his shin.
"It's going to be a game-time decision whether he's going to (play) or not," Tuberville said. "He's got to get better. He's not 100 percent. He did practice, went through everything, jogged, running plays. He didn't have the burst like he normally has."
Several players said Tuesday that Burns looked good in his first day back at practice, but Tuberville said Burns must be effective as a runner to play this week.
Tuberville was pleased that Burns has not had any swelling around the gash.
Burns sustained the gash midway through the third quarter after he gained 16 yards on a scramble.
"It was just a flesh wound," Tuberville said. "You can imagine, seven or eight inch cut. Then you go out in that weather, sticky and pushing off of it every down. If we played today, he'd be very limited."
Chris Todd will start at quarterback, but if Burns plays, the two will split time again this week.
On an injury front, the season didn't start well for Auburn.
Two plays into its season-opener against Louisiana-Monroe, receivers Philip Pierre-Louis and James Swinton were injured and lost for the game. Another outside receiver, Montez Billings, missed the game with a hamstring injury.
Those three injuries left Rod Smith, Chris Slaughter and Quindarius Carr as Auburn's only outside receivers. Making matters worse, Carr played sparingly for the Tigers.
Auburn offensive coordinator Tony Franklin said the injuries contributed to a sub-par passing day, but it still comes down to his players needing to make plays.
"(Pierre-Louis) made more plays than anybody we have all summer long," Franklin said. "Swinton had been our most consistent guy. That's not an excuse. Everybody's got to come in and step up and do a good job."
By the end of the game, Auburn was so thin on outside receiver depth that Smith and Slaughter played virtually every play throughout the contest.
In response, the Tigers moved three receivers -- Mario Fannin, Darvin Adams and Tim Hawthorne -- to different positions.
Franklin and Auburn head coach Tommy Tuberville made the moves thinking Swinton (knee) and Billings (hamstring) would miss Saturday's contest against Southern Mississippi. However, Tuberville said on Thursday that both receivers would play. Pierre-Louis, conversely, is out for the season.
The trio can still be expected to see most of their time on the outside since that's where all three players practiced this week.
Fannin and Hawthorne embraced the move and are both excited about more playing time.
"It's just more opportunity for catches and touches," Hawthorne said. "I'm looking forward to it. If they need me to go out there and play outside, I'll do it. It's been a pretty easy transition."
Adams, a true freshman, was not made available for comment this week.
Fannin, who has played tailback and slot receiver, is now working on his third position in 10 months.
Last week, the Tigers implemented Fannin in the run game from the slot, sending him in motion and giving him two handoffs. Fannin gained 21 yards on the two carries.
Especially on the outside, Fannin needs to be more of a receiving threat this week.
All Auburn receivers, in fact, are feeling some pressure to improve on last week's dismal performance in the passing game.
"We all made some mistakes," Fannin said. "We all missed some assignments. Basically, we've got to get out there this week, against a better team. That's something we're harping on now: Getting out there, playing with speed, and executing the plays well. If we do that, we shouldn't have a problem."
While Swinton and Billings are expected to play, the moves could still prove vital if there are more injuries since three players now know both the inside and outside positions.
Hawthorne said outside receiver is even easier than playing in the slot.
"Inside, you've got to worry about eluding a lot more people," Hawthorne said. "There's a lot more traffic in there with linebackers, nickelbacks and safeties, things like that. Outside, you really don't have to worry about anything but the cornerbacks. That's why you see a lot of balls going toward the outside."
That's also why Hawthorne had no reservations about making the move -- even if it doesn't result in more immediate playing time.
Burns improving
Auburn quarterback Kodi Burns practiced for the third consecutive day, but Tuberville is still hesitant to say he'll play Saturday when the Tigers host Southern Mississippi.
Burns, who started the season-opener, is recovering from a laceration on his shin.
"It's going to be a game-time decision whether he's going to (play) or not," Tuberville said. "He's got to get better. He's not 100 percent. He did practice, went through everything, jogged, running plays. He didn't have the burst like he normally has."
Several players said Tuesday that Burns looked good in his first day back at practice, but Tuberville said Burns must be effective as a runner to play this week.
Tuberville was pleased that Burns has not had any swelling around the gash.
Burns sustained the gash midway through the third quarter after he gained 16 yards on a scramble.
"It was just a flesh wound," Tuberville said. "You can imagine, seven or eight inch cut. Then you go out in that weather, sticky and pushing off of it every down. If we played today, he'd be very limited."
Chris Todd will start at quarterback, but if Burns plays, the two will split time again this week.
Thursday, September 4, 2008
Goggans aces first test
Michael Goggans made a splash on his first play as a starter for Auburn's defense, returning a fumble for a touchdown during Saturday's win against Louisiana-Monroe.
A year ago, however, some of Goggans' teammates weren't sure he could make the switch from tight end to defensive end.
Goggans moved to defensive end after playing tight end for Auburn's scout team as a true freshman. That spring, he moved to the defensive side of the ball.
"When he first got over there, he was slow," said defensive end Antonio Coleman. "I thought it might not work. Mike Goggans has come a long way. I credit him for all that hard work and all the things I taught him and all the things he wanted to learn."
Coleman forced the fumble that Goggans scooped for a touchdown on ULM's first offensive play of the game.
Coleman wasn't the only player who had his doubts about Goggans.
Defensive tackle Sen'Derrick Marks started in front of Goggans last season, when Marks played strong-side defensive end.
"I've seen him come a long way," Marks said. "We were rooming together and going to different things together, and I saw how he was handling things last year. He's handling things much differently this year, so I think he grew up a lot. He's got way more maturity than he had last year."
Even during the spring, however, some thought Goggans simply was a placeholder for junior college transfer Raven Gray.
Instead, Goggans had a breakout spring while Gray missed the entire spring practice.
By preseason camp, Goggans had established a significant lead over Gray, who never was healthy enough to challenge Goggans' starting status.
Goggans displayed his development Saturday night and was named Auburn's Defensive Player of the Week.
Auburn defensive coordinator Paul Rhoads said Sunday that despite registering only two tackles, Goggans had an impressive night. He and Coleman finished as the Tigers' two most productive defenders in the season-opener.
For Goggans, this season has been about earning his spot as a starter.
"It felt a little different," he said. "I know I have to go out there and execute about 100 percent. I can't go out there and have mental busts, mental errors. I'm the starter, so I've got to live up to expectations."
Goggans said he is upset that he, and not Coleman, is getting most of the attention.
Regardless, the opening touchdown launched Goggans into the spotlight.
"It was real exciting," Goggans said. "I just wanted to go out there in my start and do something real big. You can't ask for much more than getting a touchdown on your first play. It just felt real good. It's like, 'Keep up the good work.' "
That's what Goggans has done for the past year.
A year ago, however, some of Goggans' teammates weren't sure he could make the switch from tight end to defensive end.
Goggans moved to defensive end after playing tight end for Auburn's scout team as a true freshman. That spring, he moved to the defensive side of the ball.
"When he first got over there, he was slow," said defensive end Antonio Coleman. "I thought it might not work. Mike Goggans has come a long way. I credit him for all that hard work and all the things I taught him and all the things he wanted to learn."
Coleman forced the fumble that Goggans scooped for a touchdown on ULM's first offensive play of the game.
Coleman wasn't the only player who had his doubts about Goggans.
Defensive tackle Sen'Derrick Marks started in front of Goggans last season, when Marks played strong-side defensive end.
"I've seen him come a long way," Marks said. "We were rooming together and going to different things together, and I saw how he was handling things last year. He's handling things much differently this year, so I think he grew up a lot. He's got way more maturity than he had last year."
Even during the spring, however, some thought Goggans simply was a placeholder for junior college transfer Raven Gray.
Instead, Goggans had a breakout spring while Gray missed the entire spring practice.
By preseason camp, Goggans had established a significant lead over Gray, who never was healthy enough to challenge Goggans' starting status.
Goggans displayed his development Saturday night and was named Auburn's Defensive Player of the Week.
Auburn defensive coordinator Paul Rhoads said Sunday that despite registering only two tackles, Goggans had an impressive night. He and Coleman finished as the Tigers' two most productive defenders in the season-opener.
For Goggans, this season has been about earning his spot as a starter.
"It felt a little different," he said. "I know I have to go out there and execute about 100 percent. I can't go out there and have mental busts, mental errors. I'm the starter, so I've got to live up to expectations."
Goggans said he is upset that he, and not Coleman, is getting most of the attention.
Regardless, the opening touchdown launched Goggans into the spotlight.
"It was real exciting," Goggans said. "I just wanted to go out there in my start and do something real big. You can't ask for much more than getting a touchdown on your first play. It just felt real good. It's like, 'Keep up the good work.' "
That's what Goggans has done for the past year.
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
Auburn's Doolittle back after heel injury
Tez Doolittle thought his football playing days were behind him after he tore his Achilles heel during preseason camp last year.
When Doolittle, an Opelika High standout, took the field Saturday night for Auburn's season-opener against ULM, the senior defensive tackle had a hard time fighting off his emotions.
"I was this far from crying," Doolittle said. "It felt like I had a frog in my throat. I was just anxious to get out there and I got out there in the first quarter. Is this really happening? I was just so excited."
During the fourth quarter of Saturday night's game, Doolittle made a key play in protecting Auburn's shutout. On fourth-and-inches in Auburn territory, ULM attempted a run up the middle. Doolittle penetrated into the backfield. He and linebacker Josh Bynes dropped Frank Goodin for a 4-yard loss, forcing a turnover on downs.
That Doolittle is even playing this year is incredible. The injury -- a complete tear of Doolittle's Achilles heel -- forced him to miss all of what was supposed to be his final season at Auburn.
The injury was also supposed to end his career.
"They told me at the time I did it," said Doolittle, who has already earned a degree in criminal justice and is now working on a second degree in exercise science. "I came back from the MRI. They did a little test on your leg to see if the Achilles' is attached. When they did that, mine didn't move. They told me: 'It's over for you.' "
Auburn coach Tommy Tuberville said watching Doolittle return Saturday was one of the things that makes coaching fun.
"The young man didn't have a lot of fun in the last 12 months, having to do all that rehab," Tuberville said. "He had fun (Saturday). He attacked the line of scrimmage.
"He's obviously been a surprise being able to come back that quickly from that type of injury.
"Four weeks ago, I'd have never thought he'd play in this game at the start of two-a-days. His leg wasn't strong enough, he couldn't push off well, and we were a little bit afraid of putting him in harm's way."
Doolittle was largely an afterthought throughout spring practice until Auburn's pro day. That day Doolittle told reporters that he and the university had requested a sixth year of eligibility since Doolittle had been unable to play in 2007.
The NCAA granted the request and, suddenly, the Tigers had some much-needed depth along the defensive line.
"I've been really excited with his progress," Auburn defensive line coach Don Dunn said. "That injury, from what I understand, is anywhere from 12 to 14 months. For a defensive lineman pushing off and having to use all your weight on that part of your body, I'm pretty amazed with the young man. He's done well."
Doolittle said he's still not back to full strength. If he sits for a while, it stiffens and Doolittle has to limp.
Still, he's back on the field and has already made an impact for the Tigers this season.
Considering where Doolittle was a year ago, that's quite an accomplishment.
When Doolittle, an Opelika High standout, took the field Saturday night for Auburn's season-opener against ULM, the senior defensive tackle had a hard time fighting off his emotions.
"I was this far from crying," Doolittle said. "It felt like I had a frog in my throat. I was just anxious to get out there and I got out there in the first quarter. Is this really happening? I was just so excited."
During the fourth quarter of Saturday night's game, Doolittle made a key play in protecting Auburn's shutout. On fourth-and-inches in Auburn territory, ULM attempted a run up the middle. Doolittle penetrated into the backfield. He and linebacker Josh Bynes dropped Frank Goodin for a 4-yard loss, forcing a turnover on downs.
That Doolittle is even playing this year is incredible. The injury -- a complete tear of Doolittle's Achilles heel -- forced him to miss all of what was supposed to be his final season at Auburn.
The injury was also supposed to end his career.
"They told me at the time I did it," said Doolittle, who has already earned a degree in criminal justice and is now working on a second degree in exercise science. "I came back from the MRI. They did a little test on your leg to see if the Achilles' is attached. When they did that, mine didn't move. They told me: 'It's over for you.' "
Auburn coach Tommy Tuberville said watching Doolittle return Saturday was one of the things that makes coaching fun.
"The young man didn't have a lot of fun in the last 12 months, having to do all that rehab," Tuberville said. "He had fun (Saturday). He attacked the line of scrimmage.
"He's obviously been a surprise being able to come back that quickly from that type of injury.
"Four weeks ago, I'd have never thought he'd play in this game at the start of two-a-days. His leg wasn't strong enough, he couldn't push off well, and we were a little bit afraid of putting him in harm's way."
Doolittle was largely an afterthought throughout spring practice until Auburn's pro day. That day Doolittle told reporters that he and the university had requested a sixth year of eligibility since Doolittle had been unable to play in 2007.
The NCAA granted the request and, suddenly, the Tigers had some much-needed depth along the defensive line.
"I've been really excited with his progress," Auburn defensive line coach Don Dunn said. "That injury, from what I understand, is anywhere from 12 to 14 months. For a defensive lineman pushing off and having to use all your weight on that part of your body, I'm pretty amazed with the young man. He's done well."
Doolittle said he's still not back to full strength. If he sits for a while, it stiffens and Doolittle has to limp.
Still, he's back on the field and has already made an impact for the Tigers this season.
Considering where Doolittle was a year ago, that's quite an accomplishment.
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
Tuberville notes from Tuesday
Opening statement…
“It’s good that we’re getting in a routine now and we’re ready to play another game. It’s been fun watching practice for the last couple of days. Of course, it’s always fun when everybody is disappointed in winning 34-0, but we’re not, as coaches or players, the least bit disappointed in how we played in a couple of areas.
We’ll win plenty of games if we keep improving and understanding what we’re trying to do. I think the big thing in anything that you’re trying to do is trying to get better and understand where you’re going.
About the offense
“Everybody looks at this offense and thinks that we are going to throw for 500 yards each game. And we look up going into the fourth quarter and I think we had about 30 yards. The great thing about that is how right under it, we had rushed for about 300 yards. That’s what is going to win games for you in the long run. Looking at our offense and the reaction of our players, they’re disappointed that we didn’t put more yards up, but as I told them, the biggest thing is execution and fulfilling a purpose. Don’t turn the ball over and give your defense a chance to survive, especially early in the season.
“It all starts with the approach you take. We took a very different approach last week and we were going to alternate quarterbacks and do those things. Obviously you can’t do that and get any kind of rhythm.
In the future, we are going to find a quarterback and someone who is going to get the job done on a long leash. Of course, we will have someone standing by who can go in and play some plays. We haven’t come up with that person yet.
“This week, Chris Todd will start and we’ll have the same game plan as last week. The thing that we want to do is coach better and get us in the right frame of mind in terms of what we want to do; try to be a little more balanced and if we can do that, then we’ll be successful.
About the defense
“We’re off to an excellent start. Anytime you’ve got a shutout, you’ve done a pretty good job. They missed a few field goals and they did move the ball on us a couple of times. We’re a little bit disappointed that we missed some tackles and we were lined up wrong, but our guys attacked the ball well. We played a lot of players.
The second half, we played basically the second team defense and I thought that they competed well.
“It was a good game for us. Louisiana Monroe will win some games this year. They’ve got some good players and a defensive unit that runs well. I thought it was a good game for us to start out with. When you open up the game on defense and cause a sack, a fumble, and a touchdown, it gives you a shot in the arm. But we’ve got to put it all together in a group. This is not an individual sport, a defensive team or an offensive team, or a kicking team. We need to get everybody together and
I told them that going into this game. We’ve got to play better as a team and we’ve got to start understanding more about what each group is trying to get done. It was a good first game and we hope to perform better this week and we’ll need to.
“Southern Miss is coming in off of a very big win for their coach, first game as the head coach. They’re excited and they scored 51 points. It looked like a track meet. They’re a little similar to us; they run a fast-paced, no huddle offense. They take the ball from underneath the center more than we do. They’ve got two good running backs, one rushes for more than 200 yards. You’ve got to give that a lot of respect. They’ve got a red-shirt freshman quarterback who threw some very good passes in his first college football game and they’ll have some of the better receivers that we’ll see this year. Some very good receivers at tight end, wide receivers who will be hard to cover and they’re very physical. It’s going to be a challenge.
“Their defense is impressive. They’ve got a four-man front. They look like us speed-wise. Southern Miss has always played well against
SEC teams. This is going to be a good challenge for us. It’s an 11:30 start so it’s going to be pretty humid, and it’s going to be one of those where we’ll have a lot of people prepared to play. We’re looking forward to it.
“I will say something about special teams. That’s probably the best overall effort that we’ve had over the past few years and we had a lot of young guys making plays. We will need to improve a little bit more.
Clinton Durst will be our starter (at punter) with Ryan Shoemaker still working very hard and the competition there will make them both better.
I’m disappointed that Wes Byrum missed a short field goal. We let Morgan Hull do most of the kicking and I thought that he did a great job on kickoffs.”
Talk about what we’re doing offensively and how Auburn’s defensewill play against Southern Miss’ offense?
“We’ve gone against ourselves now for spring practice and thirty fall practices, and it’s pretty difficult to mentally get prepared for the next play. You have to get back and get set and you don’t have time to rest. Mentally you get gassed as much as you do physically. We ran 79 plays on Saturday and that’s a lot of plays and I know we got tired on offense. It’s not just your defense that gets tired, it the guys running all the plays that get tired and we’re expecting a lot of guys to play this week, offensively and defensively. An 11:30 game is brutal and hopefully the hurricane will turn and go the other way and we don’t have a wet day, but there could be possibilities there so we’ll just have to wait and see.”
Was it a good practice today?
“Yes, good practice. It was a quick turnaround because yesterday we practiced till about six and we don’t usually practice on Monday because of Labor Day, but we gave them Sunday off. They were a little tired this morning and we got their attention fairly quick. The breeze was blowing very well from the hurricane and so we’re very lucky for that because it was awfully humid. We got their attention, though, because the guys want to get better. They understand how much better they’ve got to get to going into these next couple of games, so there’s a sense of urgency with everybody on downs. We’ve got to get ready to go and play the downs.”
Talk about some of the changes that we’ll see at receiver?
“The first couple of plays of the season threw us into a tailspin, but we don’t make any excuses on offense. We didn’t get it done throwing the ball we got it done running the ball. We’re going to go in this week and move some guys around to where they can play. Mario
Fannin will be at a set position. We’ve got to get more consistency from guys in set positions instead of moving them around. I think that’s going to be a key for us going into this week. When you get into the game, you’ve got to execute. When you throw the ball, it’s not just throwing, but you’ve got to catch it and we’ve been working very hard on that as we always do in crucial situations.
Has Tony Franklin come up with any ideas of how he’ll rotate the quarterbacks?
“Chris Todd will be our starter this week and he may play the whole game. We’re not going to alternate them every series and if we think we need somebody else to go in and give us a shot in the arm, then that’s what we’re going to do. We’ve still got two quarterbacks and until we get into the conference, we’ll keep it like that. Kodi
Burns started last week and Chris Todd will start this week and we’ll look for the right combination. But you’ve got to have a guy who you know can go out there and be your starter and I’ve said that all along, someone who the players can look up to. There’s going to be a battle all year long and hopefully they’ll stay close because it’ll make them and the team better.”
Is Chris Todd starting this week because of his performance last week?
“We were going to give Kodi (Burns) the start last week and Chris (Todd) the start this week going in because they’ve both done pretty well. There wasn’t a lot of separation between them during two-a-days.
You give one of them the chance to think that they’ll be the starter and have them figure out what they’re going to do, but then you’ve got Chris on the other side thinking that he’s going to be the starter.”
What do you watch when Chris Todd is on the field?
“Both the quarterbacks are running the offense and they’re going to be a little different, but you’ve got to have a sense of urgency in this offense. If there’s one thing that we did last week, we held the ball too long. You’ve got to get rid of the ball. I think that comes from knowing that you’ve got to take your reps and you’ve got to do it precisely and not make mistakes. Quarterbacks have to have the freedom like any other player; if they go out there and make a mistake, they get back in the huddle and get a chance to redeem themselves. We don’t want quarterbacks always looking over their shoulders because that’s the worst thing you can do. Two non-conference games gives you an opportunity to let them go out and compete and see how much more they can improve, but when we get into the long run, we’re going to have a guy who will be out there with some relief help.”
On running the ball out of the shotgun…
“We went back and looked at the running game the last couple of years and our best running game have come out of one-back; whether it’s underneath the center or in shotgun. So, really the best thing that we do with our offensive line is that we’re very athletic. We run laterally, which is zone-blocking. We have not ever been a power team where everybody blocks down and one guy kicks out. We do have a few power plays and we run them and we ran them last week. We have been a more finesse running team; creating running lanes with zone blocking, handing off and let the running back use his ability in the running lane. That’s what we did Saturday and after going back and evaluating what we’ve done in our running game for the past four or five years, that’s been our bread and butter. Last week was fun to watch. We looked like a heck of a running team. That was about as good as we run the ball and against a team that really had an idea of what we were doing. Louisiana-Monroe slanted, blitzed, and stunted and we were still able to make a lot of plays.”
On studying LSU’s defense vs. Troy’s spread offense…
“I’d rather someone have played against an offense like we run before we play them. We will have some kind of idea to see what their first thoughts were; did it work, did it not work. It just gives you an idea. If we’re going to play a team in the future that doesn’t play anything we run, it doesn’t give you a lot to work on.”
On Tez Doolittle’s first game back…
“You know what I liked about Tez, is that he had fun. The young man hasn’t had a lot of fun in the past 12 months. He had fun and attacked the line of scrimmage. He hasn’t been a surprise in terms of using his hands well; however, he has been a surprise in the fact that he has come back so quickly with that type of an injury. Four weeks ago, I’d never thought he would have played in the first game at the start of two-a-days. His leg wasn’t strong enough to push off and we were a little afraid of putting him in harms way. He worked hard and got better and he is one of our leaders. It’s great to see guys turn a positive in a negative as he has.”
On reassuring Coach Franklin…
“We had a full stadium that came out to look at our offense and everyone was expecting us to throw for 500 yards and run for 75. It didn’t work like that. There are going to be games that we are going to have to struggle on offense. If you play against a defense no matter what level, the team still has to execute. Tony has been in this long enough, he knows that there were some good plays called in terms of the passing game that we didn’t execute and then there were some bad plays called that had no chance of execution. We all have got to back and look over it numerous times and make adjustments to the play called. He knows that running the football in major college football is very important.
“We knew that we could have run in the first half, we just wanted to throw the football to see how these guys react. We went into the second half telling the running backs and offensive line, it’s your turn. They just took the game over in terms of running it. There will be a lot of adjustments with the game plan. It is going to be fun to watch. This offense is going to get better. Each week we play, the defense is also going to get better. It may not look like we’re improving a lot, but we are going to improve. These guys on offense want to make it work.
They’re having fun and they’re working hard, so it’s going to pay off in the long run.”
“It’s good that we’re getting in a routine now and we’re ready to play another game. It’s been fun watching practice for the last couple of days. Of course, it’s always fun when everybody is disappointed in winning 34-0, but we’re not, as coaches or players, the least bit disappointed in how we played in a couple of areas.
We’ll win plenty of games if we keep improving and understanding what we’re trying to do. I think the big thing in anything that you’re trying to do is trying to get better and understand where you’re going.
About the offense
“Everybody looks at this offense and thinks that we are going to throw for 500 yards each game. And we look up going into the fourth quarter and I think we had about 30 yards. The great thing about that is how right under it, we had rushed for about 300 yards. That’s what is going to win games for you in the long run. Looking at our offense and the reaction of our players, they’re disappointed that we didn’t put more yards up, but as I told them, the biggest thing is execution and fulfilling a purpose. Don’t turn the ball over and give your defense a chance to survive, especially early in the season.
“It all starts with the approach you take. We took a very different approach last week and we were going to alternate quarterbacks and do those things. Obviously you can’t do that and get any kind of rhythm.
In the future, we are going to find a quarterback and someone who is going to get the job done on a long leash. Of course, we will have someone standing by who can go in and play some plays. We haven’t come up with that person yet.
“This week, Chris Todd will start and we’ll have the same game plan as last week. The thing that we want to do is coach better and get us in the right frame of mind in terms of what we want to do; try to be a little more balanced and if we can do that, then we’ll be successful.
About the defense
“We’re off to an excellent start. Anytime you’ve got a shutout, you’ve done a pretty good job. They missed a few field goals and they did move the ball on us a couple of times. We’re a little bit disappointed that we missed some tackles and we were lined up wrong, but our guys attacked the ball well. We played a lot of players.
The second half, we played basically the second team defense and I thought that they competed well.
“It was a good game for us. Louisiana Monroe will win some games this year. They’ve got some good players and a defensive unit that runs well. I thought it was a good game for us to start out with. When you open up the game on defense and cause a sack, a fumble, and a touchdown, it gives you a shot in the arm. But we’ve got to put it all together in a group. This is not an individual sport, a defensive team or an offensive team, or a kicking team. We need to get everybody together and
I told them that going into this game. We’ve got to play better as a team and we’ve got to start understanding more about what each group is trying to get done. It was a good first game and we hope to perform better this week and we’ll need to.
“Southern Miss is coming in off of a very big win for their coach, first game as the head coach. They’re excited and they scored 51 points. It looked like a track meet. They’re a little similar to us; they run a fast-paced, no huddle offense. They take the ball from underneath the center more than we do. They’ve got two good running backs, one rushes for more than 200 yards. You’ve got to give that a lot of respect. They’ve got a red-shirt freshman quarterback who threw some very good passes in his first college football game and they’ll have some of the better receivers that we’ll see this year. Some very good receivers at tight end, wide receivers who will be hard to cover and they’re very physical. It’s going to be a challenge.
“Their defense is impressive. They’ve got a four-man front. They look like us speed-wise. Southern Miss has always played well against
SEC teams. This is going to be a good challenge for us. It’s an 11:30 start so it’s going to be pretty humid, and it’s going to be one of those where we’ll have a lot of people prepared to play. We’re looking forward to it.
“I will say something about special teams. That’s probably the best overall effort that we’ve had over the past few years and we had a lot of young guys making plays. We will need to improve a little bit more.
Clinton Durst will be our starter (at punter) with Ryan Shoemaker still working very hard and the competition there will make them both better.
I’m disappointed that Wes Byrum missed a short field goal. We let Morgan Hull do most of the kicking and I thought that he did a great job on kickoffs.”
Talk about what we’re doing offensively and how Auburn’s defensewill play against Southern Miss’ offense?
“We’ve gone against ourselves now for spring practice and thirty fall practices, and it’s pretty difficult to mentally get prepared for the next play. You have to get back and get set and you don’t have time to rest. Mentally you get gassed as much as you do physically. We ran 79 plays on Saturday and that’s a lot of plays and I know we got tired on offense. It’s not just your defense that gets tired, it the guys running all the plays that get tired and we’re expecting a lot of guys to play this week, offensively and defensively. An 11:30 game is brutal and hopefully the hurricane will turn and go the other way and we don’t have a wet day, but there could be possibilities there so we’ll just have to wait and see.”
Was it a good practice today?
“Yes, good practice. It was a quick turnaround because yesterday we practiced till about six and we don’t usually practice on Monday because of Labor Day, but we gave them Sunday off. They were a little tired this morning and we got their attention fairly quick. The breeze was blowing very well from the hurricane and so we’re very lucky for that because it was awfully humid. We got their attention, though, because the guys want to get better. They understand how much better they’ve got to get to going into these next couple of games, so there’s a sense of urgency with everybody on downs. We’ve got to get ready to go and play the downs.”
Talk about some of the changes that we’ll see at receiver?
“The first couple of plays of the season threw us into a tailspin, but we don’t make any excuses on offense. We didn’t get it done throwing the ball we got it done running the ball. We’re going to go in this week and move some guys around to where they can play. Mario
Fannin will be at a set position. We’ve got to get more consistency from guys in set positions instead of moving them around. I think that’s going to be a key for us going into this week. When you get into the game, you’ve got to execute. When you throw the ball, it’s not just throwing, but you’ve got to catch it and we’ve been working very hard on that as we always do in crucial situations.
Has Tony Franklin come up with any ideas of how he’ll rotate the quarterbacks?
“Chris Todd will be our starter this week and he may play the whole game. We’re not going to alternate them every series and if we think we need somebody else to go in and give us a shot in the arm, then that’s what we’re going to do. We’ve still got two quarterbacks and until we get into the conference, we’ll keep it like that. Kodi
Burns started last week and Chris Todd will start this week and we’ll look for the right combination. But you’ve got to have a guy who you know can go out there and be your starter and I’ve said that all along, someone who the players can look up to. There’s going to be a battle all year long and hopefully they’ll stay close because it’ll make them and the team better.”
Is Chris Todd starting this week because of his performance last week?
“We were going to give Kodi (Burns) the start last week and Chris (Todd) the start this week going in because they’ve both done pretty well. There wasn’t a lot of separation between them during two-a-days.
You give one of them the chance to think that they’ll be the starter and have them figure out what they’re going to do, but then you’ve got Chris on the other side thinking that he’s going to be the starter.”
What do you watch when Chris Todd is on the field?
“Both the quarterbacks are running the offense and they’re going to be a little different, but you’ve got to have a sense of urgency in this offense. If there’s one thing that we did last week, we held the ball too long. You’ve got to get rid of the ball. I think that comes from knowing that you’ve got to take your reps and you’ve got to do it precisely and not make mistakes. Quarterbacks have to have the freedom like any other player; if they go out there and make a mistake, they get back in the huddle and get a chance to redeem themselves. We don’t want quarterbacks always looking over their shoulders because that’s the worst thing you can do. Two non-conference games gives you an opportunity to let them go out and compete and see how much more they can improve, but when we get into the long run, we’re going to have a guy who will be out there with some relief help.”
On running the ball out of the shotgun…
“We went back and looked at the running game the last couple of years and our best running game have come out of one-back; whether it’s underneath the center or in shotgun. So, really the best thing that we do with our offensive line is that we’re very athletic. We run laterally, which is zone-blocking. We have not ever been a power team where everybody blocks down and one guy kicks out. We do have a few power plays and we run them and we ran them last week. We have been a more finesse running team; creating running lanes with zone blocking, handing off and let the running back use his ability in the running lane. That’s what we did Saturday and after going back and evaluating what we’ve done in our running game for the past four or five years, that’s been our bread and butter. Last week was fun to watch. We looked like a heck of a running team. That was about as good as we run the ball and against a team that really had an idea of what we were doing. Louisiana-Monroe slanted, blitzed, and stunted and we were still able to make a lot of plays.”
On studying LSU’s defense vs. Troy’s spread offense…
“I’d rather someone have played against an offense like we run before we play them. We will have some kind of idea to see what their first thoughts were; did it work, did it not work. It just gives you an idea. If we’re going to play a team in the future that doesn’t play anything we run, it doesn’t give you a lot to work on.”
On Tez Doolittle’s first game back…
“You know what I liked about Tez, is that he had fun. The young man hasn’t had a lot of fun in the past 12 months. He had fun and attacked the line of scrimmage. He hasn’t been a surprise in terms of using his hands well; however, he has been a surprise in the fact that he has come back so quickly with that type of an injury. Four weeks ago, I’d never thought he would have played in the first game at the start of two-a-days. His leg wasn’t strong enough to push off and we were a little afraid of putting him in harms way. He worked hard and got better and he is one of our leaders. It’s great to see guys turn a positive in a negative as he has.”
On reassuring Coach Franklin…
“We had a full stadium that came out to look at our offense and everyone was expecting us to throw for 500 yards and run for 75. It didn’t work like that. There are going to be games that we are going to have to struggle on offense. If you play against a defense no matter what level, the team still has to execute. Tony has been in this long enough, he knows that there were some good plays called in terms of the passing game that we didn’t execute and then there were some bad plays called that had no chance of execution. We all have got to back and look over it numerous times and make adjustments to the play called. He knows that running the football in major college football is very important.
“We knew that we could have run in the first half, we just wanted to throw the football to see how these guys react. We went into the second half telling the running backs and offensive line, it’s your turn. They just took the game over in terms of running it. There will be a lot of adjustments with the game plan. It is going to be fun to watch. This offense is going to get better. Each week we play, the defense is also going to get better. It may not look like we’re improving a lot, but we are going to improve. These guys on offense want to make it work.
They’re having fun and they’re working hard, so it’s going to pay off in the long run.”
Dunn takes a step out of the doghouse
t took just one play for Robert Dunn to start his escape from Auburn head coach Tommy Tuberville's doghouse.
That play, a 66-yard punt return for a touchdown, apparently helped a great deal.
It was Auburn's first punt return touchdown since 1996.
On Sunday, Tuberville wasn't quite committed to letting Dunn out of "the doghouse."
"Dunn is... we'll take it day by day," Tuberville said. "He's got a big pen out there. We'll let him roam around in that pen out there."
Dunn was dropped from Auburn's starting "H," or slot receiver, to the fourth-string on the depth chart because he violated a team rule.
Still, Dunn returned punts for the Tigers and he was back in the lineup for the second quarter's first play.
Terrell Zachery started in Dunn's place, but Dunn said Monday that he had reclaimed the starting position.
Tuberville made it a point during his Tuesday press conference to address Dunn's drop from first on the depth chart to fourth, specifying that he wasn't suspended, but in "the doghouse."
Dunn said he simply needed to make adjustments.
"I just heard it and corrected the problem," Dunn said. "I'm not trying to go back and forth with any of the coaches. If they feel like it's a problem with something I'm doing then I'm not going to argue with them."
With Auburn's string of injuries to outside receivers, seemingly some players would have to move from the slot to the outside.
Philip Pierre-Louis injured his knee and will undergo season-ending surgery this week. James Swinton (hyperextended knee) and Montez Billings (hamstring) didn't practice on Monday and both are considered questionable.
Both Dunn and Zachery said they practiced Monday as inside receivers still. The leading candidates to move outside are Mario Fannin, Darvin Adams and Tim Hawthorne.
"They are moving guys around, just trying to get two-deep at each position," Tuberville said. "They looked at some things, and they're going to discuss it more tonight to see if they want to move anybody permanently to one spot."
Injury update
Quarterback Kodi Burns was one of several Auburn players who missed Monday's practice. Burns lacerated his leg and required several stitches to close the gash.
Tuberville said there's no swelling, but Burns is "real, real, real sore," and added, "he's a ways away."
Tuberville listed Burns as questionable on Monday, just more than a day after Tuberville said he expected Burns to play. The Auburn coach didn't know whether or not Burns would practice on Tuesday.
Swinton (knee), Billings (hamstring), defensive end A.J. Greene (hamstring) and fullback John Douglas (knee) all missed practice on Monday as well. Linebacker Merrill Johnson (hamstring) and tailback Tristan Davis (ankle) both practiced on Monday. Tuberville said he expects both to play.
Earning points
Auburn defensive coordinator Paul Rhoads said he was especially happy with the defensive touchdown on the first play of Auburn's win over ULM on Saturday because it exhibited to drills Rhoads has led.
First, defensive end Antonio Coleman got his chance for a sack of ULM quarterback Kinsmon Lancaster, but ensured it would be more than just a loss of yardage when he jarred the ball loose.
Rhoads said the team had watched practice film of the Tigers offense when a defensive end had a shot at the quarterback's blindside.
"We watched this as an entire defense and said, 'This cannot be just a sack. This is the kind of play that has to be a turnover,'" Rhoads said. "That's exactly what AC was presented with on that first play. And it's textbook. He makes the sack, he's hooking one arm to secure the tackle and at the same time he punches the ball out. It's not just an impact fumble. He works to strip that ball."
Next, defensive end Michael Goggans made a flawless recovery on his way to the end zone. Every day in practice, Auburn runs a drill where the defensive players have to scoop a fumble and then try to earn extra yards.
"That play was a series of drills that you can see on the field," Rhoads said. "That play to me is what we've been working on becoming as a defense."
Smith impresses in debut
True freshman tailback Eric Smith made the most of his collegiate debut Saturday night, rushing for 66 yards on nine carries.
Monday afternoon, Tubervile raved about Smith.
"He runs hard," Tuberville said. "He sees the field. He's one of those guys that always has his eyes working. He can make you miss in the open field, even though he's probably the biggest guy we've got. The first guy never brought him down, and that's a good sign for a freshman.
"He's got a lot of potential. He keeps his feet moving. He loves to play. He'll get his indoctrination the next few weeks."
Smith said running was a little easier than he expected, but added that he realized it was not against an SEC opponent.
Auburn running backs coach Eddie Gran gave Smith the nickname "Little Rudi" after former Auburn tailback Rudi Johnson. Smith lived up to the hype Saturday, invoking memories of Johnson during his limited role Saturday.
"I feel like that's a very good compliment," Smith said. "Coach Gran called me little Rudi the first scrimmage that we had. I had a pretty good scrimmage. I seemed to run through a couple of people and he was calling me little Rudi. I was very glad to be compared to somebody on that level already."
With a game under his belt, Smith is now fine-tuning other aspects of his game, such as pass protection.
Busy day for coaches
Monday marked the first day that coaches can contact high school juniors.
Tuberville said he and the coaches were already hard at work by the time he spoke with reporters Monday evening.
Auburn currently has 22 verbal commitments for the 2009 recruiting class. That means the coaching staff can focus more attention on the next class.
"It makes it easier," Tuberville said. "We can go out and see more guys and watch certain players that we know we want. We'll try to go out and watch all the commitments play sooner or later. Right now, we're focusing on offensive linemen, defensive linemen. We're in pretty good shape most other places."
That play, a 66-yard punt return for a touchdown, apparently helped a great deal.
It was Auburn's first punt return touchdown since 1996.
On Sunday, Tuberville wasn't quite committed to letting Dunn out of "the doghouse."
"Dunn is... we'll take it day by day," Tuberville said. "He's got a big pen out there. We'll let him roam around in that pen out there."
Dunn was dropped from Auburn's starting "H," or slot receiver, to the fourth-string on the depth chart because he violated a team rule.
Still, Dunn returned punts for the Tigers and he was back in the lineup for the second quarter's first play.
Terrell Zachery started in Dunn's place, but Dunn said Monday that he had reclaimed the starting position.
Tuberville made it a point during his Tuesday press conference to address Dunn's drop from first on the depth chart to fourth, specifying that he wasn't suspended, but in "the doghouse."
Dunn said he simply needed to make adjustments.
"I just heard it and corrected the problem," Dunn said. "I'm not trying to go back and forth with any of the coaches. If they feel like it's a problem with something I'm doing then I'm not going to argue with them."
With Auburn's string of injuries to outside receivers, seemingly some players would have to move from the slot to the outside.
Philip Pierre-Louis injured his knee and will undergo season-ending surgery this week. James Swinton (hyperextended knee) and Montez Billings (hamstring) didn't practice on Monday and both are considered questionable.
Both Dunn and Zachery said they practiced Monday as inside receivers still. The leading candidates to move outside are Mario Fannin, Darvin Adams and Tim Hawthorne.
"They are moving guys around, just trying to get two-deep at each position," Tuberville said. "They looked at some things, and they're going to discuss it more tonight to see if they want to move anybody permanently to one spot."
Injury update
Quarterback Kodi Burns was one of several Auburn players who missed Monday's practice. Burns lacerated his leg and required several stitches to close the gash.
Tuberville said there's no swelling, but Burns is "real, real, real sore," and added, "he's a ways away."
Tuberville listed Burns as questionable on Monday, just more than a day after Tuberville said he expected Burns to play. The Auburn coach didn't know whether or not Burns would practice on Tuesday.
Swinton (knee), Billings (hamstring), defensive end A.J. Greene (hamstring) and fullback John Douglas (knee) all missed practice on Monday as well. Linebacker Merrill Johnson (hamstring) and tailback Tristan Davis (ankle) both practiced on Monday. Tuberville said he expects both to play.
Earning points
Auburn defensive coordinator Paul Rhoads said he was especially happy with the defensive touchdown on the first play of Auburn's win over ULM on Saturday because it exhibited to drills Rhoads has led.
First, defensive end Antonio Coleman got his chance for a sack of ULM quarterback Kinsmon Lancaster, but ensured it would be more than just a loss of yardage when he jarred the ball loose.
Rhoads said the team had watched practice film of the Tigers offense when a defensive end had a shot at the quarterback's blindside.
"We watched this as an entire defense and said, 'This cannot be just a sack. This is the kind of play that has to be a turnover,'" Rhoads said. "That's exactly what AC was presented with on that first play. And it's textbook. He makes the sack, he's hooking one arm to secure the tackle and at the same time he punches the ball out. It's not just an impact fumble. He works to strip that ball."
Next, defensive end Michael Goggans made a flawless recovery on his way to the end zone. Every day in practice, Auburn runs a drill where the defensive players have to scoop a fumble and then try to earn extra yards.
"That play was a series of drills that you can see on the field," Rhoads said. "That play to me is what we've been working on becoming as a defense."
Smith impresses in debut
True freshman tailback Eric Smith made the most of his collegiate debut Saturday night, rushing for 66 yards on nine carries.
Monday afternoon, Tubervile raved about Smith.
"He runs hard," Tuberville said. "He sees the field. He's one of those guys that always has his eyes working. He can make you miss in the open field, even though he's probably the biggest guy we've got. The first guy never brought him down, and that's a good sign for a freshman.
"He's got a lot of potential. He keeps his feet moving. He loves to play. He'll get his indoctrination the next few weeks."
Smith said running was a little easier than he expected, but added that he realized it was not against an SEC opponent.
Auburn running backs coach Eddie Gran gave Smith the nickname "Little Rudi" after former Auburn tailback Rudi Johnson. Smith lived up to the hype Saturday, invoking memories of Johnson during his limited role Saturday.
"I feel like that's a very good compliment," Smith said. "Coach Gran called me little Rudi the first scrimmage that we had. I had a pretty good scrimmage. I seemed to run through a couple of people and he was calling me little Rudi. I was very glad to be compared to somebody on that level already."
With a game under his belt, Smith is now fine-tuning other aspects of his game, such as pass protection.
Busy day for coaches
Monday marked the first day that coaches can contact high school juniors.
Tuberville said he and the coaches were already hard at work by the time he spoke with reporters Monday evening.
Auburn currently has 22 verbal commitments for the 2009 recruiting class. That means the coaching staff can focus more attention on the next class.
"It makes it easier," Tuberville said. "We can go out and see more guys and watch certain players that we know we want. We'll try to go out and watch all the commitments play sooner or later. Right now, we're focusing on offensive linemen, defensive linemen. We're in pretty good shape most other places."
Monday, September 1, 2008
Auburn QBs have a long way to go
Watching film from the season-opener reminded Auburn offensive coordinator Tony Franklin that performances are rarely as bad as they seem live.
Franklin said the offensive line played pretty well in the Tigers' 34-0 win Saturday night over ULM.
So did the running backs.
Conversely, quarterbacks Kodi Burns and Chris Todd looked no better on film than they did during the game.
"The quarterbacks, they were both blah," Franklin said. "They were average. I did a poor job of coaching them, and it showed. I've got to do a better job this week."
How average were they?
Through three quarters, the quarterback duo had combined for 28 passing yards while alternating series. That hardly is what Auburn's new spread attack advertised.
"I think they got tense and tight," Franklin said.
Franklin blamed the every-other-series rotation for both quarterbacks' lack of rhythm. He also said this week's game against Southern Mississippi would feature a new way to rotate the quarterbacks, though no method has been established.
While no starter has been named, Burns might be limited in practice this week. The sophomore cut his leg on a ULM player's facemask midway through the third quarter. He limped to the sideline and then the locker room before getting stitches. He did not return to the game or the sideline.
Auburn head coach Tommy Tuberville said Burns likely would be ready for next week's game.
"There was no swelling today whatsoever," Tuberville said. "They said he probably could practice tomorrow, but we'll hold him out, just let him jog around tomorrow, watch a little bit, and he'll go on Tuesday."
Burns' injury could reduce his playing time. However, if he is cleared to play, Franklin and Tuberville said he would.
Franklin admitted that he hopes either Burns or Todd quickly will emerge as the obvious choice for the starting quarterback spot.
Instead, Franklin thought both quarterbacks looked hesitant to take shots down the field Saturday night, even when he called deep passing plays.
"I don't think either one of them felt that trust factor, and probably because of, 'If I make the bad throw or the bad decision, it might be my last one,'" Franklin said. "I've got to get that out of their heads."
That means Franklin has to split responsibilities this week between coordinating the offense and psychology.
"I tried to give them that confidence to say, 'You're both going to play, so don't worry about it. Play well, and if you throw a pick, you're not done. If you make a bad decision, you're not done,' " Franklin said. "But I think, regardless of that, I think they both probably feel that way.
"Usually, in my history of coaching quarterbacks, I've always told them, 'It doesn't matter what you do. You can throw 12 picks and you're still in. It doesn't make any difference.' This time, it's not that way. I can understand a little bit of it. I'm feeling my way through it, but I better figure it out pretty quick."
It seems Franklin might make it incentive-based for the two quarterbacks to try to make big plays instead of trying to avoid mistakes. Franklin said Sunday that if one quarterback gets hot, he might stay in the game "forever."
Either way, Franklin is searching for a solution to a two-quarterback dilemma he never has faced.
"I've always said you're stupid if you (used two quarterbacks)," Franklin said. "It's funny the way the world works. One day, it'll come back to you. It's a tough deal because they're both really good players. Somewhere along the way, one of them probably will have to play more than the other.
"This week, we'll have to see how it goes."
Injuries take toll
In addition to Burns' injury, receiver Philip Pierre-Louis injured his knee on the opening kickoff. Tuberville confirmed Sunday that Pierre-Louis would have season-ending knee surgery later this week. Pierre-Louis will redshirt this season and still have four years of eligibility.
Another receiver, James Swinton, injured his knee on the first offensive play. Tuberville said the MRI came back negative. He expects Swinton to be ready to play Saturday against Southern Mississippi.
A third receiver, Montez Billings (hamstring), still is questionable after missing the ULM game.
Tuberville said missing three receivers played a minor role in the quarterbacks' struggles.
Linebacker Merrill Johnson (hamstring) is expected to be able to practice again by Tuesday or Wednesday.
H-back John Douglas injured his knee. Tuberville said he wouldn't know the extent of the injury until after Douglas' swelling went down.
Just for kickoffs
Decatur native Morgan Hull is getting a chance to establish himself as Auburn's kickoff specialist.
Hull kicked off three times in the second half of the Tigers' win over ULM and outperformed starter Wes Byrum. Hull averaged 68 yards per kickoff compared to Byrum's 66.8 average. He also booted the only touchback.
"We'll look at it this week," Tuberville said. "I'd love for Morgan to do the kickoffs, just concentrate on that like we did a few years ago with Matt Clark."
Franklin said the offensive line played pretty well in the Tigers' 34-0 win Saturday night over ULM.
So did the running backs.
Conversely, quarterbacks Kodi Burns and Chris Todd looked no better on film than they did during the game.
"The quarterbacks, they were both blah," Franklin said. "They were average. I did a poor job of coaching them, and it showed. I've got to do a better job this week."
How average were they?
Through three quarters, the quarterback duo had combined for 28 passing yards while alternating series. That hardly is what Auburn's new spread attack advertised.
"I think they got tense and tight," Franklin said.
Franklin blamed the every-other-series rotation for both quarterbacks' lack of rhythm. He also said this week's game against Southern Mississippi would feature a new way to rotate the quarterbacks, though no method has been established.
While no starter has been named, Burns might be limited in practice this week. The sophomore cut his leg on a ULM player's facemask midway through the third quarter. He limped to the sideline and then the locker room before getting stitches. He did not return to the game or the sideline.
Auburn head coach Tommy Tuberville said Burns likely would be ready for next week's game.
"There was no swelling today whatsoever," Tuberville said. "They said he probably could practice tomorrow, but we'll hold him out, just let him jog around tomorrow, watch a little bit, and he'll go on Tuesday."
Burns' injury could reduce his playing time. However, if he is cleared to play, Franklin and Tuberville said he would.
Franklin admitted that he hopes either Burns or Todd quickly will emerge as the obvious choice for the starting quarterback spot.
Instead, Franklin thought both quarterbacks looked hesitant to take shots down the field Saturday night, even when he called deep passing plays.
"I don't think either one of them felt that trust factor, and probably because of, 'If I make the bad throw or the bad decision, it might be my last one,'" Franklin said. "I've got to get that out of their heads."
That means Franklin has to split responsibilities this week between coordinating the offense and psychology.
"I tried to give them that confidence to say, 'You're both going to play, so don't worry about it. Play well, and if you throw a pick, you're not done. If you make a bad decision, you're not done,' " Franklin said. "But I think, regardless of that, I think they both probably feel that way.
"Usually, in my history of coaching quarterbacks, I've always told them, 'It doesn't matter what you do. You can throw 12 picks and you're still in. It doesn't make any difference.' This time, it's not that way. I can understand a little bit of it. I'm feeling my way through it, but I better figure it out pretty quick."
It seems Franklin might make it incentive-based for the two quarterbacks to try to make big plays instead of trying to avoid mistakes. Franklin said Sunday that if one quarterback gets hot, he might stay in the game "forever."
Either way, Franklin is searching for a solution to a two-quarterback dilemma he never has faced.
"I've always said you're stupid if you (used two quarterbacks)," Franklin said. "It's funny the way the world works. One day, it'll come back to you. It's a tough deal because they're both really good players. Somewhere along the way, one of them probably will have to play more than the other.
"This week, we'll have to see how it goes."
Injuries take toll
In addition to Burns' injury, receiver Philip Pierre-Louis injured his knee on the opening kickoff. Tuberville confirmed Sunday that Pierre-Louis would have season-ending knee surgery later this week. Pierre-Louis will redshirt this season and still have four years of eligibility.
Another receiver, James Swinton, injured his knee on the first offensive play. Tuberville said the MRI came back negative. He expects Swinton to be ready to play Saturday against Southern Mississippi.
A third receiver, Montez Billings (hamstring), still is questionable after missing the ULM game.
Tuberville said missing three receivers played a minor role in the quarterbacks' struggles.
Linebacker Merrill Johnson (hamstring) is expected to be able to practice again by Tuesday or Wednesday.
H-back John Douglas injured his knee. Tuberville said he wouldn't know the extent of the injury until after Douglas' swelling went down.
Just for kickoffs
Decatur native Morgan Hull is getting a chance to establish himself as Auburn's kickoff specialist.
Hull kicked off three times in the second half of the Tigers' win over ULM and outperformed starter Wes Byrum. Hull averaged 68 yards per kickoff compared to Byrum's 66.8 average. He also booted the only touchback.
"We'll look at it this week," Tuberville said. "I'd love for Morgan to do the kickoffs, just concentrate on that like we did a few years ago with Matt Clark."
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