Walk-on wide receiver Jay Wisner decided to leave the Auburn football team early last week for personal reasons, head coach Gene Chizik told reporters Sunday.

Wisner didn't have a reception this year but established himself as an effective blocking receiver, usually playing in the slot. He threw a block on the perimeter that cleared the way for Emory Blake to score on a screen pass against South Carolina two weeks ago.

The parting of ways sounded amicable.

"He is a great young man and he has done everything we've asked him to do," Chizik said. "And we're going to try to help him in any way, and we wish him well. But last week he decided to leave the team."

Wisner, a senior from Bozeman, Mont., informed the coaches of his decision early last week. He's no longer enrolled in school.

He appeared in 17 games in his career for Auburn and made three catches for 56 yards.

Chizik said a variety of young receivers will step into his role. He named DeAngelo Benton, Antonio Goodwin, Travante Stallworth and Shaun Kitchens specifically.

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Here are some more early notes and quotes:

• No word on backup quarterback Barrett Trotter's injury. The sophomore hurt his knee on an 18-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter and did not return. Chizik called it a "nick and bruise" thing but wouldn't give more specifics.

• He did not know who would be the backup QB if Trotter can't play. Either Neil Caudle or Clint Moseley would be next in line. Moseley replaced Trotter in garbage time yesterday against Louisiana-Monroe. "We've got two great options there," Chizik said. "I don't know yet. I don't know what we would do. We've got two great ones in Neil and Clint. We'd have to play that one by ear and see what direction we would go."

• Chizik was predictably unconcerned with Auburn's No. 8 ranking in both polls: "We haven't talked about it. I don't really know what it means to them. And I think they've got a really good grip on the fact that that really doesn't affect anything one way or the other. Obviously it's nice wherever they have you, but I don't think that has any bearing on the way anybody thinks or prepares. We simply don't talk about it. One day at a time, one game at a time, that's really how we are."

• Kentucky beat Auburn at Jordan-Hare Stadium 21-14 last year, a stunning upset that snapped the Wildcats' 15-game losing streak in the series. "Last year's result and last year's team really have no bearing on this year at all," Chizik said. "That was a different team with different people in a different year. We don't use that as any type of motivation at all. We're trying to get better every day within our own team. That's really not part of the equation."

• Do-it-all WR/RB/QB Randall Cobb was a big reason for last year's upset. Chizik remains impressed. "He is all over the place," Chizik said. "But he's a dynamic player. He's one of the best players in the league. And he's got a great future for himself in my opinion after it's over. So they're using him the way they need to. He's a return guy. He's a wideout. He's a Wildcat guy. They do it all with him and rightly so. That's smart on their part."

• Chizik liked the way Mario Fannin ran the ball yesterday. The senior had 10 carries for 89 yards and a touchdown, getting some confidence back after early season shoulder and fumbling problems. "With Mario, it’s really a confidence thing in we’ve got to make sure he feels confident, with just feeling nicked and bruised and beat up a little bit," Chizik said. "The plan was to get him some perimeter stuff, which is what we did. I thought he handled it great. I thought he had a quick twitch in his step, that he ran with confidence. His circumstances have been dictated more by injury than anything. But I think he ran with confidence yesterday."

• Chizik didn't think Fannin's fumbling problems were all injury related. He does think Fannin can be a contributor for this offense, though. "We have confidence that Mario’s going to hold on to the ball," Chizik said. "He made a mistake, he’s very conscious of it, and he’s going to fix it."

• T'Sharvan Bell continues to impress. He started for the first time Saturday (albeit in place of Neiko Thorpe, who got his bell run on Auburn's first kickoff), but he finished with five tackles and one pass breakup. "I though he played well," Chizik said. "He’s a former quarterback in high school, so he’s got a great feel for the game. He made some things happen. He’s trying to play more physical, which is part of what we’re trying to impart defensively to all our guys. But he’s starting to show up as a more physical player. He’s starting to becoming a better secondary player, and he hasn’t been back there very long. His best days are ahead of him."

• DT Nick Fairley added to his SEC lead in sacks (5) and tackles for a loss (11.5). His problem had been inconsistency, but he's working on eliminating that. "I think Nick's really tried to take that part of his game and really take it to another level," Chizik said. "I won't say that he has arrived in terms of every day, every play, but I can tell you he's light years ahead of where he was last year. We are consistently reminding him of that message and he gets it and he understands it. And I've been pleased with the direction he's trying to move out at practice, because he's going to do in a game what he does in practice."

Gene Chizik has come and gone. Here's what he said:

• On being No. 8 in both polls: "We haven't talked about it. I don't really know what it means to the players. I think they have a good grip on the fact that that doesn't have an effect on anything. ... We simply don't talk about it."

• "There's so much football left. This time of the year just doesn't really sink in."

• Thinks there are areas where team could improve more, but "overall, the final result of everything was obviously what you'd be looking for in a game like that."

• Said Kentucky is a really, really good football team. Look at them offensively, they're at the top of the rankings. "This is a very good football team and they're well-coached."

• "We got first-hand how good they are last year."

• "Challenge of going on the road in the SEC is difficult in itself."

• "Last year's results and last year's team really have no bearing on this team at all. That was a different team with different people."

• Nobody jumps out from yesterday's game. Glad to get to play a lot of young guys.

• Anthony Morgan apparently played both ways yesterday. Chizik said he did well. Also mentioned DeAngelo Benton, Jake Holland and Kenneth Carter as doing some encouraging things.

• "Any time you can get guys in the game and get them experienced and get them play, it's good for team morale."

• Clarifies earlier answer: result of game has no bearing on how to proceed. Team obviously will look at game tape.

• Doesn't think things are different with Joker Phillips running the show. "Offensively, it's pretty similar."

• On Mario Fannin: "It's a confidence thing. The plan was to get him some perimeter stuff. I thought he handled it great. I thought the ran with confidence."

• More on Fannin: "We don't think he's going to fumble a lot. That's not how we feel about him. He's got to help us. He's a big part of what we're trying to do when he's healthy."

• On T'Sharvan Bell: "I was impressed with him yesterday. He made some things happen. He's trying to play more physical, which is a part of what we're trying to impart on all our guys. He's starting to become a better secondary player, and he hasn't been back there very long."

• Said Kentucky is going to be similar to Clemson and South Carolina. Said they have a great offensive scheme. "They're physical, they're fast, they know exactly where every guy is supposed to be."

• On Randall Cobb's versatility: "He's one of the best players in the league. They do it all with him and rightly so."

• No word on QB Barrett Trotter's injury. Said he has two great options if he can't go.

• Called it a "nick and bruise" type thing.

• On Nick Fairley: "I think Nick's really tried to take that part of his game and really take it to another level. I don't think he's arrived at every day, every play, but I can tell you he's light years ahead of last year."

• WR Jay Wisner left the program last week for "personal reasons." Chizik was extremely complimentary of Wisner's departure. Said he and the team would help him out with whatever they can.
  

• Logical replacements for Wisner's unsung duties: Antonio Goodwin, Travante Stallworth, and Shaun Kitchens.

And that's a wrap. Back with more later.

The Auburn basketball team got a 2011-12 commitment Sunday from four-star guard Cedrick McAfee out of Melrose High School in Memphis, Tenn.

Inside the Auburn Tigers reported the news first.

McAfee, a 6-foot-3, 185-pound guard, also considered Baylor and Florida International. He originally committed to Isiah Thomas at FIU in September but immediately changed his mind.

He is the No. 74 ranked prospect on the Rivals150. Scout ranks him as the No. 27 shooting guard in the country.

He played at two different high schools last year, averaging 24 points per game at Craigmont High in Memphis before transferring to Melrose, where he averaged 14 points a game.

McAfee is the third commitment in the Tigers' signing class, joining forward Bernard Morena and center Willy Kouassi from Central Park in Birmingham.

Auburn came in at No. 8 in both major polls this week. The Tigers moved up two spots in the latest Associated Press poll to No. 8, its highest ranking since November of 2006. They moved up three spots in the coaches' poll.

1. Alabama (5-0), 1,449 points, LW: 1 --> 57 first-place votes

2. Ohio State (5-0), 1,377 points, LW: 2 --> 1 first-place vote

3. Oregon (5-0), 1,300 points, LW: 4

4. Boise State (4-0), 1,276 points, LW: 3

5. TCU (5-0), 1,187 points, LW: 5

6. Nebraska (4-0), 1,176 points, LW: 6

7. Oklahoma (5-0), 1,132 points, LW: 8

8. Auburn (5-0) 988 points, LW: 11

9. LSU (5-0), 930 points, LW: 10

10. Utah (4-0), 868 points, LW: 12

1. Alabama (5-0), 1,497 points, LW: 1 --> 58 first-place votes

2. Ohio State (5-0), 1,401 points, LW: 2 --> 1 first-place vote

3. Oregon (5-0), 1,379 points, LW: 4

4. Boise State (4-0), 1,341 points, LW: 3 --> 1 first-place vote

5. TCU (5-0), 1,250 points, LW: 5

6. Oklahoma (5-0), 1,183 points, LW: 8

7. Nebraska (4-0), 1,1,72 points, LW: 6

8. Auburn (5-0), 1,045 points, LW: 10

9. Arizona (4-0), 898 points, LW: 14

10. Utah (4-0), 860 points, LW: 13

Actually had time to get quotes today. While I work on some stuff, here's how tomorrow's story will start:

AUBURN, Ala. — After giving its fans heart palpitations for three straight weeks, Auburn allowed them to rest easy Saturday.

The No. 10 Tigers didn't need a huge comeback, fourth quarter defensive stand or a fortuitous field goal miss in an easy 52-3 win against Louisiana-Monroe at Jordan-Hare Stadium.

"It was a very bizarre feeling, very bizarre," said Auburn head coach Gene Chizik, who's grown accustomed to nail-biters. "But I will take it every time."

Auburn (5-0) got everything it wanted out of its final tuneup before getting to the heart of the SEC schedule, building an early lead and getting the backups plenty of work.

Sixty-eight players got in the game for the Tigers, giving the starters some down time. Quarterback Cam Newton threw for 245 yards and three touchdowns in 2½ quarters. Defensive end Antoine Carter didn't play a snap.

The second team took over midway through the third quarter and the third team finished off the fourth, an important note as Auburn heads into what Chizik called a "brutal" four-game stretch at Kentucky, home against Arkansas and LSU and on the road at Ole Miss.

"There are guys who we felt like are bumped and bruised up," Chizik said. "We have to watch out. It is a long road here before we get any week off. We are just trying to be very prudent on how we proceed."

Read the whole thing here. We'll cover the rest bullet-point style:

• Slow start? Not today. Auburn scored 14 points in four plays, avoiding the big first-half deficit that made games against Clemson and South Carolina so tough. "We never want to let a team get hope and string it out through all four quarters," offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn said. "When we had time to make plays, we made the plays."

• The Tigers finished with 505 yards of offense, the sixth time in the last two seasons Auburn has topped the 500-yard mark. Before last year, the Tigers hadn't had a 500-yard game since 2005. That's the power of Gus right there.

• Short day for Newton, who was taken out after throwing a 5-yard touchdown pass to Philip Lutzenkirchen in the third quarter. Newton, the SEC's leading rusher entering the day, didn't have one designed run, finishing with negative-11 yards after being sacked once. The coaches were all on the same page in saying that the defense was giving them a look that didn't require any QB runs. Center Ryan Pugh had a more truthful answer. "There's no reason to take hits when he doesn't need to," Pugh said.

• Senior tailback Mario Fannin, who has been slowed by a shoulder injury and a fumbling problem, got the most work, running for 89 yards and a fourth quarter touchdown. I thought this part was remarkable: he got 10 carries for the first time since his sophomore year. "I think his confidence is getting back up there," Chizik said. Fannin, by the way, became the 35th Auburn player to rush for 1,000 yards in his career. He's at 1,085 now.

• You want diversity on offense? Nine players had at least one carry and nine more had at least one reception. Backup quarterbacks Barrett Trotter and Clint Moseley both made an appearance, although Trotter came out after being shaken up at the end of an 18-yard touchdown run. Malzahn said he thinks Trotter is OK.

• Defensively, Auburn allowed 232 passing yards but not much else. Quarterback Kolton Browning went 25-for-33, giving the Tigers some fits with quick, short passes. But Auburn allowed only 12 rushing yards up until the final drive of the game. The Warhawks finished with 38 rushing yards on 33 carries. " That's the main thing," defensive end Nosa Eguae said. "When it comes down to every day in practice, the first five, 10 periods is all about run stop, run stop, run stop. So as a defense, that's what you need to hang your hat on."

• Despite having a number of second- and third-team guys in the game, Auburn didn't allow a point in the second half. "We really wanted to come in and make a statement," cornerback T'Sharvan Bell said. "No matter what the score was, we just wanted to play hard and do a good job. They only got three. We're happy with that."

• Auburn forced four turnovers for the second straight week. Safety Zac Etheridge picked off a pass on a fake field goal and the reserves recovered three fumbles in the second half.

• The Tigers burned the redshirt on freshman linebacker Jake Holland, who is Josh Bynes' backup in the middle now. He had an active day, finishing with three solo stops, one tackle for a loss and a fumble recovery. "I thought he played well for his first time," defensive coordinator Ted Roof said. Holland is the 14th true freshman to play this year.

• Dee Ford started in Carter's place at rush end and made four tackles. True freshman Corey Lemonier added two tackles for a loss, including a sack. The duo combined for four quarterback hurries. "It is good again to see some young guys being able to step up to the plate when we have to have them," Chizik said.

• You know who didn't take a day off? Nick Fairley. The defensive tackle added a sack and three tackles for a loss to his increasingly impressive résumé. Fairley, the SEC leader in both categories entering the day, now has five sacks and 11.5 TFLs this year.

• Freshman wide receiver Trovon Reed did not dress, keeping him eligible for a medical redshirt if his bothersome knee doesn't improve. Reed hasn't played the last two weeks since making his brief debut against Clemson.

• Cornerback Anthony Morgan, a converted wide receiver, finished with a game-high six tackles, making a big hit on a fourth-down play in the fourth quarter that knocked the ball loose from a receiver.

• Wes Byrum scored 10 points (a field goal and seven extra points), moving him past Bo Jackson and Carnell Williams into second place on Auburn's all-time scoring list. Byrum's 279 career points are 33 shy of fellow kicker John Vaughn's record.

• Some other notable stat lines:

• Blake: 2 catches, 101 yards, 1 TD
• Lutzenkirchen: 4 catches, 41 yards, 1 TD
• WR Terrell Zachery: 4 catches, 50 yards
• DT Kenneth Carter: 2 tackles, 1 TFL, 1 fumble recovery

• Auburn started out 5-0 last year too, remember? That team went into an October nose dive, losing three straight. "This year team is very special and is very capable of taking that extra step rather than taking a step back," Newton said.

• One last quote. Chizik doesn't ever seem to satisfied with what his team has accomplished. "Our best game is still lurking out there," he said. "It's going to have to come in the month of October. That's for sure."

AUBURN, Ala. — Any fears that Auburn might have a letdown against Louisiana-Monroe were dismissed quickly Saturday afternoon.

The Tigers have a 31-3 halftime lead against the Warhawks at Jordan-Hare Stadium.

Auburn score 14 points on its first four plays. Onterio McCalebb zipped around the edge on for a 50-yard touchdown run 32 seconds in.

On the next drive, quarterback Cam Newton lofted an easy pass to a wide-open Emory Blake that went for a 94-yard touchdown to make it 14-0. It was the longest play from scrimmage in school history, topping Chris Todd's 93-yard touchdown pass to Terrell Zachery in last season's opener.

Mike Dyer added a 3-yard touchdown run and Quindarius Carr a 16-yard touchdown reception.

Newton is 11-for-14 for 231 yards and two scores. He hasn't had a designed run and likely won't play much, if at all, in the second half.

ULM quarterback Kolton Browning has had success with short passes. He's 18-for-25 for 149 yards but hasn't been able to get the Warhawks in the end zone.

The Warhawks have three rushing yards on 15 attempts.

You're looking live at (YAWN) an early glimpse of Jordan-Hare Stadium, where Auburn and Louisiana-Monroe will be playing far earlier than anyone ever should on a Saturday. I wrote about it for today's paper. Here's the advance.

It's cool out here today, relatively. Nice crisp weather for the South. Feels like football. Let's hope it stays that way for a while.

I'll be posting some pre-game musings and updates as the game gets closer. Auburn already went through Tiger Walk and had its pre-game prayer at midfield. (Click the picture to embiggen.) I don't recall any crazy rumors being out there of anyone who might not play, so I wasn't sure who to be looking for.

Well check guys off the list once they get out there with uniforms, so check back later.

And if you want instant updates or want to follow game-long musings about today's proceedings, follow me on Twitter.

Time for some pre-game minutia:

Rise and shine. It's an early one today. Here's how today's Louisiana-Monroe advance starts:

It's Friday. And I know you're waiting on the edge of your seat to see who has the edge in Auburn's game against Louisiana-Monroe, so here it is. No surprises in any of these categories, so we'll keep this brief.

I wrote a story for today's newspaper about Auburn's running back situation, which is clearing up. Here's how it starts:

AUBURN, Ala. — A pecking order has emerged among Auburn’s running backs, and it’s not the picture coaches painted in the offseason.

Days after he had career highs with 23 carries and 100 yards, Mike Dyer officially ascended to the top of the depth chart, a promotion on paper only, considering the freshman started Auburn’s previous two games.

“We felt confident enough to give him the ball 20-plus times the other night,” coach Gene Chizik said. “I think he’s getting better every week. We’ve just got to continue with that progression with him and continue to let him play and get the experience he needs.”

It’s a departure from Auburn’s offseason chatter, when senior Mario Fannin was trumpeted as the next in line of the Tigers’ great backs. Running backs coach Curtis Luper even promised a 1,000-yard season for Fannin.

But through four games, the senior has nine carries for 25 yards, two fumbles and a nagging left shoulder injury.

Read the rest of the story here. Follow the blog on Twitter and Facebook.