I'll be live blogging Gene Chizik's press conference at 11:30 a.m. CT. Here are the fine points, of course, in bullet form:

• "We've learned a lot about our football team. But we've got so much room for improvement."

• On Mississippi State: "They're a talented football team. It's a team that's extremely high energy and is playing really hard for Dan."

• "We know where we are, which is a good thing. Because a week ago we didn't."

• "I don't think so. I don't think we're any further behind than we thought, or really further ahead. We were hoping to be somewhere in this area. We've identified what we're not very good at. But we've got a great starting point. That's what we feel best about."

• MSU has two good quarterbacks. Two different guys. One's a runner. One is less so. He thinks there is obviously some carryover from Florida. He also thinks there are some similarities in MSU's offense to Gus Malzahn's.

• "I think we're always looking for guys who can help us and take a load of some guys. We feel like we've got some guys who are on the right track who can run the football, but we're always in the market for more. The more the merrier." Chizik said it's going to be a long year with no byes until November, so two or three tailbacks are necessary to get through the season.

• Chizik likes Kodi Burns' dual threat nature in the Wildcat. "It poses problems for defenses if you've got a two-dimensional guy back there."

• RB Eric Smith will be back on the team this week. He has been away from the team since being arrested for third-degree assault last month. "You're going to see him in a uniform this week. And we've done what we asked him to do." Smith was back at practice last night, Chizik said. "I think it's great for our football team to welcome him back," Chizik said. "And let's move on."

• Asked if Auburn will expand its offense against Mississippi State, Chizik responded, "You've got to come to the game Saturday to find out. We've got a lot of offense in, but there will be more."

• Chizik hopes LB Eltoro Freeman will be able to play. "We'll play it day-by-day."

Got a late start today, but here are some links (also, follow the blog on Twitter):

• Mississippi State quarterback Tyson Lee was limited in practice with shoulder spasms Monday, but head coach Dan Mullen expects him to rotate in at quarterback this Saturday, writes Kyle Veazey of the Clarion-Ledger.

• Freshman WR Chad Bumphis was headed to Florida , that is until Mullen got the MSU job, writes Veazey. He caught two passes against Jackson State last week. Both went for touchdowns.

• Here's a partial press conference transcript of Mullen's on the Mississippi State athletics site. He said MSU kept things simple in its first game with regards to the offensive playbook:

"I don't know if it has anything to do with the play book specifically. We did not want to get very complicated in game one, just so our guys could get their feet wet and adjust to the speed of the game. Of course you will add little things every game to adjust to the team that you are facing. I know Auburn is going to give us a different challenge than last Saturday so we will adjust slightly in a different direction. Also, having that one game experience will help us adjust."

• ESPN.com's Chris Low chimes in with his SEC power rankings. Looks like Auburn didn't budge much after its win last week.

• Low also lists the SEC's top recruiting closers. No Auburn coaches on the list, although I imagine with time, Trooper Taylor will be. The top five? 1. Nick Saban, 2. Rodney Garner, 3. Urban Meyer, 4. Ed Orgeron and 5. Larry Porter.

• Ole Miss quarterback Jevan Snead is one of a dozen Rebels with flu-like symptoms, writes David Brandt of the Clarion-Ledger. Good thing Ole Miss has a bye this week.

• According to Michael Casagrande of the Decatur Daily, Saban doesn't want to hear about overlooking Florida International, who, at least according to one former Miami Hurricanes announcer, is from across the ocean. Hey, you can say it all you want. Doesn't mean it's not going to happen.

• Georgia's trying not to panic after a season opening loss to Oklahoma State, writes David Hale of the Macon Telegraph.

• Three South Florida players tweeted on the way to the game and even in the locker room Saturday, and head coach Jim Leavitt is going to put an end to it, writes Brett McMurphy. There are a handful of Auburn players who tweet, although not close to the game like that. One who does not: Josh Bynes.. I forgot to put this quote up last night, but here's his thoughts on Twitter: "I don't even know what it is. I've been hearing about it, but I don't know what it is. What is a Twitter?" After being told it's a way to communicate to his peeps, Bynes said, " I don't speak to the peeps. I just do my own stuff."

• OK, had to cut it short today. I'll be back with Gene Chizik press conference updates in less than an hour.

I wrote a story for today's paper about Gene Chizik's contract being released. Here's how it starts.

AUBURN, Ala. — Gene Chizik is guaranteed to make $1.9 million annually as Auburn’s head coach, but he stands to make a lot more if he is successful.

Auburn released the contracts of Chizik and all nine of the Tigers’ assistant coaches Monday. In all, the staff will make $4.46 million this year before bonuses.

Chizik’s five-year deal runs through Dec. 31, 2013 and will pay him $500,000 in base salary, $700,000 for personal endorsement rights and $700,000 for radio/Internet/TV appearance fees.

His predecessor, Tommy Tuberville made $2.825 million last year.

But if Auburn achieves success on the field and in the classroom, Chizik can make as much as $1.5 million more in bonuses.

Although most of this information has been covered on the blog, you can read the rest of the story here. The article also has a link to a PDF of the actual contract if you feel like reading it yourself.

Also, follow the blog on Twitter.

AUBURN, Ala. — Auburn’s offensive players had an extra bounce in their step Monday, laughing and joking in ways they didn’t as the 2008 plummeted downhill.

It was a welcome change.

“I thought having that first win was good for everybody, just to get a good taste in their mouth starting off the season, having a new coaching staff there and having a lot of question marks,” quarterback Chris Todd said. “I thought it was a good solid win to start out.”

The Tigers gained 556 yards of total offense in a 37-13 season-opening win against Louisiana Tech on Saturday, their most since 2005. They finished last season ranked 104th nationally in total offense.

“What’d we punt, twice? Wow,” left tackle Lee Ziemba said. “Usually our punter is about tired after the game. That’s really nice to come out there and move the ball and to win a game against a solid La. Tech team.”

Auburn was especially effective on the ground, gaining 301 yards behind an offensive line that added considerable bulk in the offseason.

“It was nice to see them wear down a little bit,” said Ziemba, who is 30 pounds heavier than last year. “We don’t see it against our defense in practice much because they’re right in shape with us, running that every day. It was good to see the other guy bending over and putting his hands on hips, tired.”

Auburn was hardly perfect. Both Ben Tate and Darvin Adams lost fumbles in Louisiana Tech territory, and guard Byron Isom was flagged for holding on one play when the Tigers were in solid scoring position. But that’s nit-picking.

“I think it was as smooth as I’ve ever seen for a first game,” Ziemba said. “It’s a good building point.”

Follow the blog on Twitter. Here are some other notes and quotes from Monday ...

• Freshman running back Onterio McCalebb was honored as the SEC Freshman of the Week after rushing for 148 yards and scoring a touchdown Saturday. McCalebb, who prepped last year at Hargrave Military Academy, became the first Auburn freshman to have a 100-yard rushing game in a season opener since Bo Jackson ran for 123 yards against Wake Forest in 1982.

• McCalebb’s linemen, who cleared the way for Tate to gain 117 yards as well, were happy to see him get recognized. “No matter what level you’re playing at from Pee Wee on, the running backs are going to get their name in the paper and you’re not,” Ziemba said. “That’s the way it is. I’m proud of Onterio and I’m proud of Ben. You feel like you’ve done your job out there.”

• There was a lot of good stuff from players on McCalebb, so much, in fact, that I'm turning it into a feature story for Wednesday's paper. But here's a sample about McCalebb's knack for talking trash from cornerback Walt McFadden: "He's a big talker. He'll let you know what he's going to do. When he's feeling it, he knows it's going to happen. When he says something, I know he's going to do it."

• McFadden didn't think he interfered with the Louisiana Tech receiver in the first quarter. He also didn't think he see that kind of animated reaction out of coach Gene Chizik. "Oh man, at first I thought he was coming at me," McFadden said. "I tried to hurry up and run to the other side, but eventually he had my back. He ran at the referee and that's when I started saying, 'Yeah, yeah, referee,referee , take that.' But he has my back. He spoke with me after the play, he even spoke to me today, he went over there and re-watched it and telling me it was just a good play, a bad call, but we've got to live with those plays sometimes."

• DeAngelo Benton and Emory Blake, Auburn’s two most-touted freshman receivers, didn’t have much of an impact in Saturday’s opener. Neither receiver caught a pass and were only targeted on a few occasions in limited playing time. “We had a couple situations trying to get them the ball in the game,” Todd said. “That was their first game — a totally different atmosphere than in high school. They were getting adjusted to that. They’ve been doing some really good things, especially in fall camp. I think as we go along, they’ll get a lot more opportunities for us to get them the ball.” Starters Terrell Zachery and Adams had all seven of the catches by Tigers receivers.

• Mario Fannin on his muffed punt: "That was pretty much my first game doing it. The ball just popped off my shoulder pads. That was basically because of me. I kind of went back up towards the ball. In practice this week I’m going to work on it and get more comfortable with it." He thought Auburn lost possession after he dropped it. "That was my fear," he said. "I tried to grab it before it kind of popped out but it was too late and I got hit. All I could think about was I hope we got the ball back because I would have felt real bad."

• We got a lot of good stuff on LB Adam Herring too, which I plan to write in a feature story later this week. His roommate, Ziemba, was impressed Herring was able to play 50-plus snaps after missing almost all of the previous nine months with a heel injury. "In a week of practice you don't see that pretty often," he said. "That's pretty remarkable."

• Todd said his surgically repaired throwing shoulder felt fine after Saturday’s game. “My arm feels fresh,” he said. “We still take it easy on days we’re supposed to take it easy. It felt pretty good. The ball was spinning pretty well the other night, so the arm’s holding up pretty good.”

• Todd felt good during the game too. "It was nice to be able to put the ball where I wanted to," he said. "When you're out there and you don't have to think, 'Am I going to get the ball there?' it kind of helps you in your timing and it helps you get more comfortable and get more confident with your balls and stuff. ... A lot of times, especially last year, I'd see stuff open but then I'd have to think or second-guess myself and maybe don't throw it or you do throw it and it gets there late. It's nice. I think it actually helped me to go through that because sometimes I'd throw stuff earlier than I might have just to hit the windows and now I can put the ball where I want to and it helps. It reminds I can fit some things in there that maybe I couldn't last year.

• Todd said it felt good to celebrate a touchdown throw for once, even if it meant having to spring 93 yards down the field to celebrate with Zachery. "I was actually really tired," he said. "I got to the sideline and I sat down and got like three or four cups of water. I was racing down after that one. That was pretty fun."

• This will be an element of tomorrow's story, but Todd thinks Tate and McCalebb complement each other well. "Ben's a big, powerful back -- a hard-nosed runner -- and he's fast, too," he said. "Onterio, on the other hand, is really shifty and he gets around on some edges. There were some times in the game where the defense played really good and he just kind of beat some guys with speed. I think Ben was there to pick up some really big first downs for us. He helped us get out of the end zone there before we had that big play to T-Zach. That was really big. They both complement each other really well and allow us to do some different things in different situations."

• With Kodi Burns’ success as the quarterback in the Wildcat formation, H-back Mario Fannin said he is no longer working there.

• Plenty of Auburn's defenders played almost the entire game, but they don't mind. "I'll play every down," LB Josh Bynes said. "It doesn't matter to me. You get tired. As the game keeps going and you think about defending the end zone, it's very motivating. You just want to keep getting after it every snap you can."

• One quick men's basketball note: Auburn got a commitment from Knoxville (Tenn.) Fulton High shooting guard Jalen Steele, according to AuburnSports.com. The 6-foot-2, 165-pound Steele averaged 21.3 points per game and led Fulton to its second straight Class AA state championship last season. He is Auburn’s second commitment for 2010, joining forward Heath Houston of Powder Springs, Ga.

• And finally, Auburn's players had some funny answers to how they reacted to their 3-2 win last year at Mississippi State.

• "When you look at it, a win is a win, but a 3-2 score," Todd said. "It's not too much to brag about. We're hoping to put up a few more points than that, but Mississippi State's got a really good team and a really good defense, so we're going to have to come out with a really good gameplan and really be on the ball. They're going to come out firing and we're going to have to do the same thing."

• Did Bynes take pride in that game? "You've got to be proud of it. 3-2? Defensively, you've got to be proud. Of course not the score. If you can hold a team to two points, that's all you need. That's what you want to hear. Two points? You're doing your job defensively." But did he celebrate it? "It was kinda awkward," Bynes said. "A win is a win, but we were like: 3-2? They got the L, we got the W. That's all that matters."

And probably have been for a while. But they were just released to the public today. Here are the finer points of Gene Chizik's contract.

• He'll be paid $1.9 million annually, with a base salary of $500,000, $700,000 for personal endorsement rights and $700,000 for radio/TV/Internet appearance fees.

• The contract runs from Dec. 15, 2008 through Dec. 31, 2013.

• Salary increases and terms for an extension on the contract will be based on four primary areas:

• Academic success of student-athletes as indicated in party by compliance with NCAA and SEC academic progress requirements.
• Competitive success
• Compliance with university, SEC, NCAA and other rules and regulations
• Fiscal responsibility

• He can get bonuses for several reasons:

• For each year the team's Academic Progress Rate meets or exceeds .930 he'll get $25,000
• For each year the team's APR meets or exceeds .950 he'll get an additional $50,000
• For each year the team's APR meets a rate of 1.0000, he'll get an additional $75,000 (so if he meets this, he'll get $150,000 total dollars.
  

• He can also get victory bonuses (only one per year):

• 10 victories: $75,000
• 11 victories: $100,000
• 12 victories: $125,000
• 13 victories: $150,000
• 14 victories: $200,000
• Playing in the SEC championship game: $100,000
• Winning the SEC championship game: $200,000
• Playing in a BCS bowl game: $50,000
• Playing in a non-BCS bowl game: $50,000
• Finishes in the Top 5 nationally in the AP or USA Today poll at end of season: $100,000
• SEC Coach of the Year: $100,000
• National Coach of the Year: $100,000
• Winning the national championship: $500,000

• Auburn will give him the use of two automobiles.

• He can also get money from football camps, speaking engagements and equipment and apparel endorsements.

• If Auburn fires Chizik without cause, he is owed $500,000 for each year remaining on the contract. If Chizik leaves voluntarily, he would owe the base salary for the remainder of his contract.

• Chizik acknowledged that Auburn loaned him $750,000 to satisfy his buyout clause from Iowa State. The debt will be forgiven by $150,000 a year until it is paid back. If Chizik fulfills the full five-year term of his contract, he'll owe Auburn nothing. If Chizik is fired for cause or leaves the program prior to the repayment of the loan, Chizik would be responsible for paying Auburn the remainder. If he is fired without cause, he would owe nothing.
  

• It was signed by all parties on June, 11, 2009.

Here are the annual base salaries of the other coaches on the staff:

• Defensive coordinator Ted Roof: $370,000 (three years)
• Offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn: $350,000 (three years)
• Wide receivers coach/assistant head coach Trooper Taylor: $320,000 (three years)
• Offensive line coach Tracy Rocker: $300,000 (two years)
• Offensive line coach Jeff Grimes: $290,000 (two years)
• Running backs coach/recruiting coordinator Curtis Luper: $260,000 (two years)
• Safeties coach Tommy Thigpen: $250,000 (two years)
• Cornerbacks coach Phillip Lolley: $210,000 (two years)
• Special teams coordinator Jay Boulware: $210,000 (two years)

That's $2.56 million a year as a staff.

Just got this release from Auburn. It's lunch time and I'm starving, so here it is in press release form:

AUBURN, Ala. – Auburn freshman running back Onterio McCalebb has been named the Southeastern Conference Football Freshman of the Week, the league office announced Monday.

McCalebb rushed for 148 yards on 22 carries with a touchdown during Auburn’s season-opening 37-13 victory over Louisiana Tech last Saturday. He also added 49 yards on two kickoff returns, giving him an SEC-leading 197 all-purpose yards.

McCalebb became the first Auburn freshman to have a 100-yard rushing game in a season opener since Bo Jackson rushed for 123 yards against Wake Forest in 1982. McCalebb’s total was the highest ever for an Auburn freshman in a season opener, and the seventh highest total by an Auburn freshman in any game.

After totaling 40 yards on the ground during the first half in just six carries, McCalebb exploded for 108 yards on 16 rushes, including a 3-yard touchdown, in the second half. Five of his 22 carries, including four in the second half, went for at least 10 yards.

It's lunch time, and even on Labor Day that means it's time for some links. I'm going to do something on Mondays where I go back to the weekend to pull some game links for Auburn's opponent. So here we go with some Mississippi State stories:

• The Bulldogs looked good in their season opener, a 45-7 drubbing of Jackson State in Starkville. Although honestly, I'd expect nothing less against a team from the SWAC.

• Looking for a good blog about Mississippi State? We like Kyle Veazey's of the Clarion-Ledger. Back in July, he did a Q&A for us here at the War Eagle Extra.

• Mississippi State will continue to use two quarterbacks, Tyson Lee and Chris Relf, writes Veazey. Relf had three touchdowns passes to go with 82 rushing yards and another score in last week's win. Lee threw for 92 yards but didn't play in the second half because of shoulder problems. (Note: he'll be fine this week.) I'm not sure how different the Bulldogs' offense is when either one is in the game, but it should at least give Auburn something else to think about come Saturday.

• Columnist Rick Cleveland writes that Mississippi State took some time to get rolling in head coach Dan Mullen's debut, which was marred by first-half penalties and sloppiness. Sound familiar, Auburn fans?

• Veazey blogged some talking points after the game. It includes a nugget on running back Anthony Dixon, who was suspended for the opener following his DUI arrest this summer. He'll be back in the game plan Saturday against Auburn. It will be interesting to see if head coach Dan Mullen eases him back in or throws him right into the fire. I'd imagine it would be the latter. It's tough to keep your best running back, one with 2,600 career rushing yards, on the sideline in an SEC game.

• Fifth-year senior linebacker Jamar Chaney is back in action after missing almost all of last year because of an ankle injury.

And a few other links to keep you busy on this holiday weekend ...

• ESPN.com's Chris Low recaps the weekend that was in the SEC. He also gives Auburn offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn a helmet sticker, although I've never seen, or can imagine, Malzahn in a helmet. We'll call it a visor sticker.

• Alabama's defense appears to be the same difference-making unit it was last year, writes Michael Casagrande of the Decatur Daily.

• Bad news for Georgia: left tackle Trinton Sturdivant is out for the year with a torn ACL, writes David Hale of the Macon Telegraph. It's the same knee injury that caused him to miss all of last year. You've got to feel for someone like that.

• This seems a bit premature, but ESPN already has bowl projections out. Both Mark Schlabach and Bruce Feldman have Auburn in the Independence Bowl (check that, the AdvoCare V100 Independence Bowl) against either Texas A&M or Colorado. We think we'll give it a little more than one week before we start making bowl declarations.

• As a newspaperman, I think this is kind of cool.

• Good news for Auburn fans. Week 3 opponent West Virginia didn't look all so hot in its opener, a 33-20 victory against Liberty, a Football Championship Subdivision school. Mike Casazza of the Charleston Daily Mail writes about the Mountaineers' woes here. Here's a Liberty perspective from Chris Lang of the Lynchburg News & Advance, my former employer.

• Oh, it wasn't a great weekend for Week 4 opponent Ball State, which lost at home to North Texas. That's the same North Texas that went 1-11 last year. Seems like Brady Hoke knew what was up when he bolted from Muncie at the first job opportunity that came up last offseason.

• Not a great time for a coach on my former beat. Al Groh's Virginia Cavaliers got upset by FCS William & Mary, writes Doug Doughty of the Roanoke Times. Al's worked his way out of a lot of sticky situations with his job, but it's going to be hard this time.
  

• And finally, SI.com's Stewart Mandel gives a nice recap of the college football weekend.

• I'll be back with an Auburn update tonight after practice.

I wrote a follow-up for today's paper about Auburn's win against Louisiana Tech. Here's how it starts:

AUBURN, Ala. — With his first win as Auburn’s head coach in the books, Gene Chizik met with family and friends Saturday night to celebrate the Tigers’ 37-13 romp against Louisiana Tech.

“Believe it or not, I laugh and I joke with my kids. I really do,” Chizik quipped Sunday, aware of his reputation for being restrained around the media. “I have a really good time. My personality actually comes out. It’s really fun.”

It was easy to have fun after a debut that by every measure was a smashing success.

The Tigers rolled up 556 yards of total offense, controlled the line of scrimmage, ran the ball at will and got a solid defensive effort across the board, outscoring Louisiana Tech 24-3 in the second half of a coaching debut that couldn’t have gone much better.

“I think as a football team we really overcame some adverse situations, so I was really proud to see that,” said Chizik, who gave players Sunday off before the team begins full preparation for Mississippi State today. “But we’ve got a lot of work to do;we’ve got a lot of corrections to make. Typical first-game stuff in my opinion. All correctable. But we’ve got a long way to go to be able to compete in this league."

Linebacker Eltoro Freeman was a late injury scratch for Auburn’s opener Saturday night and wasn’t on the sidelines, but head coach Gene Chizik said not to read into anything about the junior college transfer’s absence.

“A lot of guys who are injured don’t want to be down there,” Chizik said. “It’s hard on them. Sometimes when they’re injured, they don’t want to come to the game. Don’t read anything into that. We probably had 30 or 40 kids in the stands last night.”

Freeman, the projected starter at weak-side linebacker, battled a hamstring problem and wrist injury throughout the preseason. Coaches didn’t feel comfortable having him dress Saturday night, going with sophomore Adam Herring in his place.

“We felt like he was really close,” Chizik said. “You just got to use some good judgment and get some clarity of mind with these guys, because you don’t want to put him back in there and lose him for three more games. It’s a fine line. He’s close to being ready. We don’t feel like he’s 100 percent, so you’re going to get used to some other names in there.”

A group of defensive linemen missed the game with injuries as well, including Nose Eguae (right foot), who was in walking boot, Zach Clayton (unknown), who was on the sidelines, and Antoine Carter (unknown) who was not.

Chizik said Eguae, Clayton and Freeman are all day-to-day.

Follow the blog on Twitter for instant updates. Here are some other notes to come out of Chizik's Sunday teleconference ...

• The Tigers will take another look at their punt returner this week after Mario Fannin struggled in his debut Saturday night. Fannin muffed one punt that Auburn was fortunate to recover deep in its own territory. He let another punt bounce too far before trying to pick it up. Because he called for a fair catch before grabbing it, the play was immediately blown dead. “That’s one of those things that’s really hard to determine,” Chizik said. “If you watch the first game every year, that’s probably what you see the most — punt returners bobbling kicks. It’s hard for you to run people down in practice, in two-a-days, and whack these guys and expect them to be healthy. We tried to do that enough to where it wasn’t out of control. You know, a lot of times, you don’t know how they’re going to react until game night.”

• True freshman Anthony Gulley replaced Fannin late in the game. He had one return that went for minus-1 yard. During preseason practice, a number of players took turns returning punts, including, among others, wide receiver Quindarius Carr, cornerback Walt McFadden and, although he is not eligible to play until the fifth game for academic reasons, wideout Montez Billings. “We’re definitely going to go back and re-evaluate the whole thing,” Chizik said. “We’ve got to find a guy back there we know can get it done.”

• Chizik said all the problems aren't necessarily on the returner. "If you've got three guys standing six inches from your face breathing on you, that's somebody else's fault," Chizik said. "It's not the punt returner. People get confused about that. You have 10 guys out there holding people up so you don't have someone in your face."

• Auburn only had two wide receivers with receptions Saturday -- Terrell Zachery and Darvin Adams, who both caught touchdown passes. That was a bit of a surprise, considering true freshmen DeAngelo Benton and Emory Blake figured to have a role in the offense. Chizik says to expect them to do more in future weeks. "They made your first-game mistakes. There's no question about it," he said. "But I'm really proud of how they've both come along. They're going to get better and better every week. They get big-eyed out there for their first game, but have really, really shown some great signs at practice of getting better. So we don't expect anything less than that."

• Freshman safety Daren Bates, making his college debut, had three tackles, made one interception and dropped another. Not a bad start. "Just really did a really nice job," Chizik said. "Did he play perfect? No, absolutely not. He's going to do all the freshman things. Had a great interception, had a chance to get two. Really proud of him.

• DT Nick Fairley, who transferred from Copiah-Lincoln Community College, had an impressive debut as well, making three tackles, getting in on a tackle for a loss and recovering a fumble. "Being a defensive lineman and starting your first game, things get hairy down there," Chizik said. "That's a whole different world down there on the defensive line because it's so physical. It's just the nature of the position. Nick played high a little bit but overall really tried to play physical, really tried to play with some effort. Again, I think he falls into the category of we've got a long way to go to get him where he needs to be, but I think he's got a chance down the road to be a really good player."

• Chizik said both of the Tigers' touchdowns came on double moves. The coaching staff saw something in the Louisiana Tech defense to make them think it would work. "I think what we do a really good job of as the games progress, we do a really good job of trying to study their people," Chizik said. "We do a great job of really scouting the people as the game goes on. We know when the defensive line gets tired, we know when the corners are biting too hard. Those are the things that matter that we're trying to look at. I think Gus (Malzahn) does a great job of taking advantage of those things based on what we see."

• Chizik said each member of the coaching staff has something specific that they'll watch for during game days. For instance, somebody might watch a linebacker to see which way he flows on certain plays. "Everybody's got a job on gameday," he said. "What we don't do is watch the game. We're not game-watchers. Everybody's got a job to watch this, everybody's got a job to watch that, everybody's got a job to watch this without going into details. You got to do your job. They can watch the game on TV the next day. We're working and we're specifically looking at things that we need to be paying attention to."

• Is Chizik a game-watcher? "I focus on different things in the game that I can contribute based on what I see," he said. "And they change. They move around. It's different. Again, I'm trying to do things on game day that I think are very constructive towards -- you know I've called a game for 14 years myself, so I know how you can get lost in calling that game and not really seeing all the things around you at times. So I try to be that guy that looks at everything around, and I can tell the play-callers, 'Here's what we see. We need to think about this, we need to think about that.' Because I'm not so submerged in every call. It's different. Totally different."

• Auburn played Fairley and Jake Ricks for most of the game at defensive tackle. "We felt like we have to get a rotation going with those inside guys for sure," Chizik said. "Nick was going to start. Jake was going to start. We were going to rotate them based on need. Your druthers is to play your two starts the whole time. In this league, that's hard to do -- especially early in the season. You have to be able to rotate guys throughout the day when needed. That depends on how long they're out there, what's the humidity, if you're losing five guys, that matters."

• Despite Fannin's role in the passing game (he had eight receptions for 82 yards), he is not necessarily disqualified from carrying the ball as a running back. "Mario's still going to carry the football," Chizik said. "Mario's still going to catch the football. Mario is very talented. He can do a lot of different things." So is he a tailback still? "You could say that," Chizik said. "The reason I hesitate on that is because you can move him around to so many places. If you look at number of carries, yes. That doesn't necessarily mean anything. Mario plays so many different positions because he can."

• And one last note: Mississippi State head coach Dan Mullen said running back Anthony Dixon will return for Saturday’s game against Auburn. Dixon was suspended for the team’s opener against Jackson State because of an offseason DUI arrest. The 6-foot-1, 235-pound Dixon, a preseason All-SEC selection, has 2,603 career rushing yards and 34 total touchdowns.

• Since there were no player interviews today, we'll have them tomorrow night. Expect some links during the afternoon about various stuff, especially Mississippi State, then a late update after practice.

Auburn picked up a commitment from four-star Jess Lanier High linebacker LaDarius Owens on Sunday, according to the Tigers' three main recruiting Web sites, AuburnSports.com, Inside the Auburn Tigers and AuburnUndercover.com.

The 6-foot-2, 225-pound Owens, who is from Bessemer, Ala., is the No. 3 ranked recruit in the state and the No. 7 outside linebacker in the country, according to Rivals.com. He had offers from Alabama, Florida State, Clemson and LSU, among others.

He is the nephew of former Tigers running back James Owens, the first black scholarship player in Auburn history, who played from 1970-72.

The Tigers now have 16 commitments for 2010. Owens is the fourth linebacker, joining Jake Holland of Pelham, Ala., Jawara White of Troy, Ala., and Jessel Curry of Buford, Ga.