Thought I'd listen in to Gene Chizik's weekly radio call-in show tonight. Nothing groundbreaking here. Here's a rundown of things he had to say:

• On Cam Newton winning the SEC Offensive Player of the Week award. "Any time our guys can get any kind of recognition, it helps Auburn."

• The team's game plan was "fairly base" in the first game. "You can tell that it was our first game," he said. "We weren't good in the execution area on most things," he said. "Thursday night we'll have to be a completely different team to go into Starkville and win that game."

• Chizik said he was pleased with freshman running back Mike Dyer's performance in his first game. He especially like Dyer's running style. He keeps his pad level low. "He's got great vision, and when he makes a cut, he makes a cut with no hesitation," Chizik said.

• He was pleased with his special teams coverages. "We ask: did they help you with field position? And we won every field position battle there was to win."

• Chizik's philosophy on redshirts: "Sometimes that gets difficult. All these guys want to come in and play and rightly so. So they all come in with high hopes and expectations. No matter how highly recruited you are, everybody is different when they get here. It's really simple for us: Can he help us win ballgames now. If we feel he can do that and is a significant contributor to our cause, then you have to pull the trigger on it." Said there's about a 50-50 split on freshman this year on who's ready to play.

• WR Trovon Reed (knee cap) is still day-by-day. No further details there.

• Said punter Steven Clark has been good in practice. Made it sound like he might make the trip to Starkville.

• Wasn't happy with the pass defense but was highly complimentary of Arkansas State offensive coordinator's Hugh Freeze's scheme. "We've got miles and miles to go all over our defense in every regard. By no means is that an acceptance of a performance, because we know in this league we've got to play much better."

• On Mississippi State: "Doesn't even look like the same football team. Let me tell you something, they can run that football and now they have a two-quarterback system so they can throw it much better than last year. This is a completely different Mississippi State team."

My computer crashed at this point of the call-in show. Took a minute to get up and running again. We continue ...

• Chizik thinks Zac Etheridge and Aairon Savage needed that first game to get back into the swing of things. "There's no substitute for doing it. You can talk it. You can't think it. You've got to do it."

• "We can't lose sight of the things defensively we did do well." Chizik liked the rush defense. He thinks that's why Arkansas State threw so much.

• Caller just compared Chizik to George Bush on the sideline. Don't know what to make of that. To avoid getting into any political stuff, let's just move on.
  

• We're talking about more cowbells. "Right now I'm more concerned about stopping blitzes and their option game," Chizik said. "Right now, that's the least of our worries."

• A caller wanted to know Chizik's defensive philosophy. "We're going to be more of an attack and pressure defense when the situation calls for it. You're going to see more blitzes, more pressures, you'll see that more as the season wears on."

• A caller claims not much has not come out in the media about the team's health this week. He's about to find out why after Chizik's answer. "I think we're in decent shape. I think we came out about as good as we could come out."

• Keys to the game: "Got to protect the ball on the road. Not just on offense. You saw on special teams we turned the ball over. We need explosive plays. And on defense, we've got to stop the run."

Aaaaaaaaand that's a wrap. Like I said, not much new info there.

If you want to talk more about Auburn football, though, join tomorrow's live chat at 3 p.m. ET/2 p.m. CT. Great turnout last time. I hope to go at least an hour if there are enough questions.

Auburn's win against Arkansas State gave it a modest bump in both major polls Tuesday. The Tigers jumped three spots in the latest USA Today coaches' poll, from No. 23 to a tie for No. 20. They moved up one spot in the Associated Press poll to No. 21.

The Tigers had 371 points in the coaches' poll after getting 260 the first week. They're tied with Utah at No. 23, moving ahead of Pittsburgh, North Carolina and Oregon State, who all lost in their openers.

Auburn is one of seven SEC teams in the rankings, joining No. 1 Alabama, No. 6 Florida, No. 15 Arkansas, No. 16 LSU, No. 19 Georgia and No. 25 South Carolina.

In the AP poll, Auburn had 362 points, just behind Utah at no. 20 and ahead of Georgia at No. 22.

The Tigers play at Mississippi State on Thursday at 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN. The Bulldogs received votes in this week's coaches' poll, finishing with five points.

Coaches' poll snapshot:

19. LSU (1-0) 384 points, LW: 21
20. Utah (1-0) 365 points, LW: NR
21. Auburn (1-0) 362 points, LW: 22
22. Georgia (1-0) 353 points, LW: 23
23. West Virginia (1-0) 226 points, LW: 25

AP poll snapshot

18. Florida State (1-0) 500 points, LW: 20
19. Georgia (1-0) 458 points, LW: 21
20. Auburn (1-0) 371 points, LW: 23
20. Utah (1-0) 371 points, LW: t24
22. West Virginia (1-0) 185 points, LW: t24

While he was glad to see Zac Etheridge and Aairon Savage return to the field after suffering potential career-threatening injuries, Auburn safeties coach Tommy Thigpen didn’t necessarily think his seniors played that great Saturday.

“There was a lot of rust still on both of them,” Thigpen said candidly Monday. “I look for 200 percent improvement this week.”

Savage was back after missing the last two seasons with ACL and Achilles’ injuries. Etheridge returned after tearing ligaments in his neck and cracking a vertebrae in a scary injury last fall.

Although Savage had seven tackles and Etheridge four, Thigpen thinks there was definite room for improvement.

“Most of the things we got beat on were things with eye discipline and recognition of things,” Thigpen said. “I’ve challenged them to come in and watch more tape on their own and know their points inside and out. Not play outside their system, just play inside the call. Do what you’re supposed to.”

Etheridge missed a crucial tackle early in the third quarter, allowing Arkansas State’s Derek Lawson to score on an 8-yard run. He also got beat twice on deep passes.

“It goes back to the eye discipline,” Thigpen said. “It was nothing physical. What you’re looking at on the back end is really important. On one call, you might have to look in the backfield. On the next call, you can’t look in the backfield.

“He got caught peeping in the backfield and those are the reasons why we gave up two long passes.”

Thigpen had good things to say about junior Mike McNeil, who was returning from a broken leg that cost him all of 2009. McNeil finished with two tackles in limited playing time.

“I probably should have played Mike a lot more,” Thigpen said. “He played with that fire. Mike was playing with an edge. He was focused. He was in tune with that game.”

Thigpen said he'd also like to get walk-on Ikeem Means close to 25 snaps a game.

"That'll save us in the long run," he said.

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Here are some more notes and quotes from Monday's late interviews:

• Wide receivers coach Trooper Taylor sounded confident that wide receiver Trovon Reed will make his debut Thursday. The freshman has been dealing with a bruised knee cap. “He’ll play early in special teams and he’ll play early in the offense,” Taylor said.

• Reed went to the ground as he made a play on a ball Monday. After some prodding from Taylor, he got back up. “He fell down and everybody was just waiting. I told him, 'Get up, clown! Ain't no time for that. Get up off the ground,'" Trooper said. "And he popped right up and kept on going.A lot of his is going to be mental, getting confidence back in that leg,” Taylor said. “But he looked good. On one leg he looked better than some on two, so I’m going to put him out there and see what he can do.”

• Short exchange with running backs coach Curtis Luper about Mario Fannin's last carry, which ended with a fumble:

• Reporter: Mario didn’t get a carry after the fumble. Coincidence?
• Luper: No. No coincidence.
• Reporter: Where does he stand now?
• Luper: He’s fine.
• Reporter: Is he still the No. 1 guy?
• Luper: Yep.
• (Crickets chirping)
  

• Luper clarified later that it was no coincidence that Fannin didn't return the next series. But had the game been closer, Fannin would have gotten more work.

• Instead, freshman Mike Dyer got in the game. He finished with 14 carries for 95 yards. “I think he knows he can play,’’ Luper said. “He already knew that. It was just confirmed on Saturday. If I known he had 95, I would have gotten him five more yards.”

• Dyer also didn't fumble, which was a big plus for Luper. "He’s really strong. He’s compact and he’s strong, and he’s really conscientious of it. I’m glad they tried to take it from him. In the evolution of a running back, it’s generally the last thing they perfect. That, and pass protection."

• Luper on FB Ladarious Phillips, who missed the opener with an ankle injury. "He’s moving around well," he said. "We’ll make some decisions about him. He’s progressing."

• Offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn said he doesn't worry about getting in a shoot out with opposing teams. "Honestly, we just try to do what we do and try to score as many points as we can and try to help our team win, whatever that means," he said.

• There will be cowbells Thursday. That is a fact. But Auburn does a lot of hand signals in from the sideline. So are the Tigers affected less by noise? "I think good crowd noise can affect either one," Malzahn said. "You have to have a simple system as far as your communication goes to deal with it. In this league, you're going to get great crowds everywhere you go. This will be our first road test with a new quarterback and so it will be important."

• As we mentioned in yesterday's notebook, Thursday is a big day from a recruiting standpoint. "As a matter of fact, I've had a lot of recruits who have already called me this week and we're already starting the one phone call a week and I don't even mention the game," Taylor said. "They watched our game this Saturday and they said they noticed that we're going to be playing on Thursday. It's just any time you put yourself out there, exposure, it helps you. Especially on the national stage. That's what Auburn is accustomed to doing it. That's what we want to continue to do."

• Thigpen said the recruits have especially noticed Newton. "Right now, I think they all want to play with Cam," he said. "Hopefully this week he'll have another one of those all-star performances."

• Trooper would have liked for his receivers would have made some more plays on the ball Saturday but was still pleased, especially with the blocking on the perimeter. "I was proud of the lack of loafs," he said. "The guys played hard."

• Trooper heaped some more praise on Quindarius Carr, who was a boon to the punt return game. "You've got to have a guy who can change it," he said. "The biggest deal is just making a play first. Q saved us first downs in the game. He averaged 10 yards per return. That changes field position and gives our offense chances to score. Big returns? That's icing on the cake. If he takes it to the house, we'll throw a house party for him. Just catching it -- for us, it was baby steps."

Here's a short video from interviews earlier today. It's got quarterback Cam Newton, left tackle Lee Ziemba and left guard Mike Berry. I apologize in advance for the typing sound in the background during Newton.

Back with more after post-practice interviews tonight.

During the recruiting process last December, the final two schools in the running for Cam Newton were Mississippi State and Auburn, who meet Thursday in Starkville.

"It was probably one of the hardest decisions I've made in my life, honestly," Newton said.

Newton, obviously, picked Auburn, where he starred in his debut, earning SEC Player of the Week honors after accounting for 357 total yards and five touchdowns.

But Mississippi State coach Dan Mullen will always hold a special place in Newton's heart. As Florida's offensive coordinator, Mullen recruited Newton to the Gators, coaching him in 2007-08.

"I think our relationship is a long one, far beyond football," Newton said. "His persona, the way he goes after top-notch athletes is superb. I admire that in him."

Newton said he didn't talk about football much when he was re-recruited by Mullen coming out of Blinn (Texas) Community College last December. In the end, Newton and his family thought Auburn was the better fit.

"This decision wasn't just my decision," Newton said. "I had to clear it with the whole 9 yards. I had to go through so many people to see what they think, my family, the close people toward me. And it was just best that my career would be played at Auburn."

Newton thinks his game has come a long way since he was just starting out at Florida.

"I've matured," he said. "I had a lot of mature things that I need to step up on, and coach Mullen always told me about that. I was too young and naive to notice that, but now that I look back at the things that I've done, I just laugh and am really somewhat embarrassed.

"I had a good leader that I could look up to in Tim Tebow. I look at the stuff he did now and I'm trying to do the stuff that he did."

Some other notes from early interviews:

• Starkville's going to be loud Thursday. One reporter asked if he's been in a situation like that before. "I think we had a couple games like that at Blinn," Newton said, drawing laughs from those in attendance. Blinn drew maybe 3,000 to 5,000 on a good day.

• Newton's ability to keep a play alive means is something the offensive line has to be aware of. "You never know where he's going to be at any time," left tackle Lee Ziemba said. "So you have to hold your blocks and basically just feel it. If your defender starts going left, you've got to think Cam is going left, too. It's a different animal."

• Ziemba was pleased with the way the offensive line played in the opener. "Anytime you rush for 350, you're doing OK."

• Ziemba's description of what happened right before the half, when Auburn couldn't spike the ball to stop the clock. "We were trying to spike the ball and get the field-goal team on the field. We had everybody set. We were ready to go. I guess the ref wouldn't let us. (Center Ryan Pugh) went to get the ball. The ref set it in the wrong spot and realized it needed to be moved back. Ryan was already on the ball. The ref was trying to get the ball and move the ball. We were all set and ready to go. All the time, the clock was running. That stuff happens. I don't know. I … we were ready to go. It wasn't like we hadn't been coached or anything like that."

• Left guard Mike Berry is the only offensive lineman who doesn't have long hair. Ziemba and Pugh have giant manes this year. Byron Isom and A.J. Greene are sporting dreads. Berry goes with the close crop. "I was trying to grow it out, but I wasn't feeling the 'fro," he joked. "It wasn't a good look for me, so I was just like, 'You know what? I'll be the only guy with short hair.'"

• Remember the 3-2 game two years ago? Auburn's players do. They even compared it to two different sports. Berry called it a baseball score; Ziemba a soccer score.

• Ziemba on that game: "It was a different time and place. It's obviously not like to happen again this week."

It's Labor Day, but it's not a day off here at Auburn. Gene Chizik just spoke to the assembled media. Here's what he said:

• Gene looking relaxed on Labor Day. No tie. Casual button down shirt."

• On MSU: "You can see just an unbelievable improvement in their team."

• MSU was a run-first team last year but had two 100-yard receivers in the opener. "Without question, they're doing that better. ... They have definitely made a concerted effort to throw the ball down the field."

• "They look more comfortable in the offense. You can tell it's just much different. Even at the end of last year, you can see it progress."

• Chizik said MSU's offense is still a power, counter rushing attack, despite the big numbers they've put up. "It's not your conventional two-back, I-back. It gives you a lot of problems. If you're not in the right spots in the run game, it's going to give you some fits."

• "There are some different offenses in the conference right now that aren't your traditional offenses. They have their own wrinkle. ... It's the same with our offense."

• COWBELLS! "We're preparing for it all. Every stadium in the SEC's got tradition for the game. We're going to get the noise. Whatever happens Thursday night, we'll be prepared for."

• Noise is noise. "It doesn't matter. When you can't hear, you can't hear."

• Chizik thinks the officials will be aware of what they need to do if there is a cowbell violation. "I'm not really whole bit concerned about that."

• Cam Newton almost chose MSU last offseason. Chizik doesn't think he'll be affected by that. "That's in the past," he said.

• Cam's areas of improvement: progressions, cadence, count.

• Chizik thinks Cam has handled the expectations great."Nobody's got a higher expectation of him than him. He puts a high level of pressure on himself. That's just the way he is because he's such a competitor."

• On the defense. "We've got to be much better." Thinks Auburn has a better idea of what it's up against this week. Said last week was kind of a "guessing game" with Arkansas State's new offensive coordinator.

• There are freshmen who could pay this week. Fourteen got in the first game.

• Ladarious Phillips (ankle) is still trying to get healthy. Doesn't know if he'll be ready this week.

• Said Starkville is traditionally a tough place to play, plus MSU is playing at a level that Chizik said he hasn't seen in 10 years. "I think our players know that. The message is clear. I think the magnitude is huge and our players are aware of that."

• "This would be a great win that gives you some confidence and things that you need to carry on."

• Just said 15 freshmen going on the road playing a game. Assume the new one is WR Trovon Reed.

• P Ryan Shoemaker did what the coaches wanted him to, despite not getting much distance. Lots of one-step punts with high hang time. "He gave us a chance to get down there and cover."

That's a wrap. I'll be back with more after player interviews.

Cam Newton's impressive debut caught the eye of the SEC. The quarterback was named the league's Offensive Player of the Week after a five-touchdown effort in a 52-26 win against Arkansas State in the opener.

Newton ran for 171 yards and two touchdowns and completed 9 of 14 passes for 186 yards and three touchdowns. His 357 total offensive yards and five touchdowns were SEC highs in the first week.

Newton is the first Auburn player to be named SEC Offensive Player of the Week since Kenny Irons earned the award in 2006, and the first Tiger quarterback to receive the honor since Jason Campbell in 2004.

The 6-foot-6, 250-pound junior college transfer broke Auburn's single-game quarterback rushing record of 160 set by Phil Gargis in 1974.

Newton's rushing total was the most in a debut by a Tigers player since Rudi Johnson went for 174 against Wyoming in 2000.

Running back Mike Dyer also got a nod from the SEC as an honorable mention. The freshman ran 14 times for 95 yards and a touchdown in his debut.

Here's a new video from pre- and post-practice interviews. It's got defensive coordinator Ted Roof, linebacker Josh Bynes, center Ryan Pugh and running backs Mario Fannin and Mike Dyer. Enjoy.

Back with a full day of press conference news tomorrow instead of the usual Tuesday, so check back.

With Auburn facing a short turnaround for a Thursday night game at Mississippi State, head coach Gene Chizik was asked if the publicity gained from being ESPN’s marquee game is worth the trouble.

“I’ll tell you after it’s over,” he joked.

On Sunday, No. 22 Auburn (1-0) began the first of four days of preparation for Mississippi State (1-0), which has an equally short turnaround after thumping Memphis 49-7 in its opener Saturday.

Auburn’s last Thursday night game was a 34-17 loss at West Virginia in 2008, Tommy Tuberville’s final season. The Tigers haven’t played after a short week with their current staff.

“You’ve got to be smart in how you proceed,” Chizik said. “You can’t do too much, yet you can’t do too little.”

It helps that the game is so early in the year. The Tigers were able to work on some things for the MSU game during the summer and two-a-days.

“It’s going to be mental,” defensive end Antoine Carter said. “It’s going to be a quick turnaround so you’ve got to learn fast, study more and try to get things in as fast as you can.”

Monday will be the most physical practice of the week, far enough away from the previous game and far enough in advance of the following one.

"We are going to be smart, but at the same time you've got to get your work done," defensive coordinator Ted Roof said. "So we've got to do that, because this is going to be a physical ballgame. There's a fine line between getting yourself ready to play a physical ballgame and putting in physical work and being smart so we're as fresh as we can be Thursday."

The payoff of a Thursday game is usually worth it, especially from a recruiting standpoint. The game is a showcase, one of two on the night and the only one televised by ESPN.

Chizik doesn’t think the extra attention will change the team’s approach.

“It’s got to be a very business-like nature,” he said. “They need to understand that everybody’s watching and it’s going to be an exciting time, but you’ve got to prepare like every other week.”

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Lots of stuff to cover, so settle in. Here are some more notes and quotes:

• Chizik did not divulge any further details about linebacker Craig Stevens’ team-imposed suspension. The All-SEC senior did not play in the opener. It’s not clear how long he’ll be out or whether or not he’ll be allowed to practice in upcoming weeks.

• Must be a touchy subject. One reporter tried to ask Roof about what adjustments need to be made without Stevens in the lineup and he wouldn't even give an answer. "Any questions regarding Craig, go through coach Chizik," he said. "I'm not going to answer that."

• Carter at least talked about Stevens, albeit vaguely. "He's handling it pretty well. He don't let you see him sweat so you can't really tell. You don't know what to expect. From the looks of it he's handling it pretty well."

• Fellow linebacker Josh Bynes thinks Auburn’s new-found depth at the position will help while Stevens is gone. Junior Eltoro Freeman (6 tackles) and sophomore Jonathan Evans (4 tackles) rotated series in Stevens’ absence. “It’s no worry at all,” Bynes said. “I feel like the linebackers we got now are able to step up at any point. They have to go with the flow, regardless of who’s out there and who’s not.”

• Saturday night was the first time most people have seen quarterback Cam Newton show off his running ability. It’s old news for Auburn’s players. “I’ve seen in a number of times,” center Ryan Pugh said. “Y’all have only seen it one game.”

• Newton ran for 171 yards in the opener, breaking the 36-year-old school record by a quarterback of 160 set by Phil Gargis against Georgia. It’s an element Auburn hasn’t had for a while. Although he had an accurate arm, Chris Todd, the team’s quarterback for most of the previous two years, wasn’t fleet-footed. He finished with minus-116 rushing yards last year, a figure that includes sack yardage. Pugh, for one, welcomes the change. “It puts stress on the defense and causes them to change what they do a little bit,” he said. “It’s nice for us guys up front because we really haven’t had a running threat at quarterback in three years. It’s nice to have somebody who can make you look really good up front.”

• At least two of Auburn's touchdowns came on busted plays. Newton's 71-yard touchdown jaunt was one. His final touchdown pass to Mario Fannin on a dump off was too. Both were made possible by Newton's mobility. "Some of the offense last night was offense by accident, which involved him, which again that's the chance you take defensively," Chizik said. "If you decide to blitz or do some things, if there is one opening and you're playing man coverage and your back is turned and he breaks the pocket, he can run through it for a long ways."

• My story for tomorrow's paper is on the running back situation between Fannin, Mike Dyer and Onterio McCalebb and if there is a changing of the guard. Without spoiling much, all you need to know is that Fannin got three carries yesterday, Dyer 14 and McCalebb nine. Fannin also didn't get a carry after he fumbled in the third quarter. "It's just kind of how the game unfolded," Chizik said. "I wouldn't read anything into that."

• Chizik on Dyer's night: "I thought Michael did well. I thought he protected the football, there were a couple of runs in there where they were really, really trying to claw after the ball and try to punch it out and strip it out. He really protected the ball well. I thought when he saw an opening or a seam in the defense, he hit it downhill and made some physical type yards. Wasn't a lot of indecision, when he saw something, bang, he hit it. When he felt he needed to bounce it outside, he hit that pretty quick, too. I thought he did well for his first night."

• Fannin thought he had the ball secured enough when he fumbled. He didn't. "That's just football," he said. "You have to have a short memory and you keep going forward. That's just part of the game. Sometimes it happens and sometimes it doesn't. You've just got to make sure when it does happen that you've got to correct it."

• Fannin didn't know what to think about his No. 1 back status. "I mean, that's the coaches' call," he said. "That's something I can't really control, but hopefully that does go up, so you've just got to sit back. The coaches know what they're doing. You've just got to put your trust in them and just keep pressing forward and cheer your teammates on."

• Dyer thought it was good to get his first college game out of the way. "I can go out there and I know I can compete with these guys on a high level," he said. "And I'm back in the rhythm of playing football. I got a good understanding of how things work and how fast the pace is."

• Dyer got to know South Carolina RB Marcus Lattimore pretty well during the recruiting process. Lattimore, who chose the Gamecocks just before signing day, ran for 54 yards and two touchdowns in his debut. Dyer had 14 carries for 95 yards and a score. "He did pretty good for himself," Dyer said. "I figured I'd try to come out there and do the same."

• Dyer, by the way, said he prefers to go by Mike. Adjust accordingly.

• Chizik said WR Trovon Reed (bruised kneecap) is “doing better.” It’s unsure if the freshman will play at MSU. He was held out of the opener. ... Freshman DE Craig Sanders had three tackles on special teams in the opener, catching Chizik’s eye. “His hustle I’m hoping is very contagious to our team,” he said.

• Chizik didn’t know if the CB Chris Davis would be available after the freshman limped off the field with an ankle injury Saturday night. “That one really is probably going to be day-by-day,” Chizik said. “I don’t know. He’s sore.”

• It was a big game for Aairon Savage, Zac Etheridge and Mike McNeil, who returned from injuries for the first time. Chizik thinks they got better as the game wore on. "I think even if you talk to them, they would say they were a little bit rusty," he said. "But they're going to get better."

• Chizik continued to give out kudos to WR/PR Quindarius Carr. "You know, he did some nice things in two-a-days, but we want to see him do it on game day," he said. "And for him being back there for the first time as a punt returner, not just catching the ball but making decisions. He saved one ball that could have been downed on the 1- or 2-yard line. Those things just didn't occur last year, and I think we're making progress."

• Offensive tackle Brandon Mosley played some at tight end and tackle in the opener. He wore No. 84 so he wouldn't have to report every time he came into the game as a traditional tight end/eligible receiver. "He's able to help our football team in two different ways and that's something we need him to do," Chizik said.

• Roof spoke at length about the defense. To sum up his thoughts: the unit needs to be more consistent, tackler better and get off blocks more, especially on the perimeter. "Whether there were 10 people doing it right, there was one guy that was inevitably ... when that happens, it seemed like that one guy is always found," Roof said. "We've got to make sure we're operating in a more efficient manner."

• The short turnaround raises the sense of urgency to improve. "You know the old adage that you make the biggest jump than your first and second week?" Roof said. "Well, we've got a half week, so we've got to make three weeks worth of jump in a half week. We've got to do that."

• One bright spot on D: the Tigers allowed only 43 rushing yards. The reason? The team was more physical inside. "Any time you do that you're going to have a chance to win football games," Roof said. "And we did do a better job but it's got to get better, though, because the team we're playing this week led the SEC in rushing last year. Was ninth in the country and put up a bunch of yards and a bunch of points against Memphis."

• Bynes agreed: "To win in the SEC, you got to be able to stop the run. At the end of the day, when it comes down to Georgia, Alabama, games like that at the end of the season, it’s all about the running game. You have to be able to stop the run to win this league, period. I feel like if we can stop the run, we’ll win a lot of games."

• Roof and Chizik were extremely complimentary of Mississippi State's offense. Chizik said it is "tremendous looking." Roof thinks the Bulldogs are going to be one of the more physical offenses Auburn will play. "I mean, it looks like night and day compared to when we played them a year ago," Chizik said.

• The Bulldogs' two quarterbacks -- Tyler Russell and Chris Relf -- complicates making a defensive game plan. "It's not just one offense you're preparing for; you're preparing for a couple different offenses," Roof said. "With (Relf) being 6-4, 240 and being fast and a good runner, he's really improved as a thrower. The other quarterback threw for a bunch of yards and they threw for an 80 percent completion rate. One's quarterback rating was 298 and the other's was 200. Those things are off the charts. We've got our work cut out for us because you've got to play games with getting enough in the box and being able to stop the runs and the gap-scheme runs and at the same time not letting it go over your head. That's the challenge and when you do play coverage you've got to have guys get off blocks and make tackles."

• Don't think you can judge everything these teams will do based on the first week. "They didn't do everything the first week, just like we didn't," Roof said.

• It gets lost in the shuffle, but Auburn was only 3-5 in the SEC last year. It's not a forgotten fact among the players. "If we want to get to where we want to go -- and that’s the SEC championship -- we have to win SEC games period," Bynes said. "I believe we won two my sophomore year and three last year. That ain’t going to get us nowhere but back to the Outback Bowl. That’s a great bowl, but that’s not where we want to be. We want to be sitting right there in the national championship. We have to win all these SEC games. We got to go out there and beat Mississippi State, LSU, Arkansas....Those are important games. Those are games you have to win to get to that big ship, and that’s exactly what Alabama and Florida have been doing, and we have to do the same thing."

• There will be cowbells in Starkville on Thursday. Oh, there will be cowbells. Chizik doesn't seem concerned. "In my opinion, every place is really, really loud in the league and every place has its challenges," he said. "We don't really think of that any different, really, with the noise factor. We'll just prepare like we always do." Chizik said the team usually has a day where it pipes in noise to simulate playing on the road.

• MSU fans apparently followed the cowbell rules in the opener. "I’m glad they put those rules on them, they used to ring them every three seconds," Bynes said. Asked if he thinks the fans will follow the rules Thursday, he quickly said. "Nahh."

OK, things started a little late, but we typed it all anyway. Here's what Gene Chizik said:

• "Obviously it was great to get a win. We've got a lot of work to do to get ready for a very tough conference game this Thursday against Mississippi State."

• Re: MSU: "We just know we have to play better all around to win the game."

• Team has to be creative with how its schedules practice with the short turnaround. "You've got to be smart with how you proceed. You can't do too much. You can't do too little."

• On CB Chris Davis, who left with an injury. Going to be day-by-day. "I don't know. He's sore."

• On playing a Thursday night game: "It's challenging, no question. Today, what do you do? How much do you meet?"

• Doesn't think the cowbells will be an issue. "Every place is very loud in the league." Every week, the team does some "noise days" to get prepared.

• On the Thursday night game. "I think it's huge. All of our recruits will be aware of it."

• On it being a showcase game. "They need to be ready. Not tonight. But it's got to be a very business-like nature. You've got to prepare like every other week."

• Does not want to go into any of the details of the Craig Stevens situation. Won't even tell us when this particular situation sprang up.

• Guys who played well: Quindarius Carr. "I don't like to go out on a limb and talk about guys. But he helped our football team last night, if you take a look at punt returners." Said Carr's efforts gave the Tigers 10 yards difference in field position every time.
  

• "Craig Sanders was all over the place on special teams. I'm hoping it's very contagious for our team."Also complimented Emory Blake for his special teams play.

• Brandon Mosley played some tackle and tight end. Might do some in future.

• On the big plays the defense gave up. "There were some things we hadn't seen on film before. ... We've got a lot of work to do."

• Said Eltoro Freeman played OK. "Like everyone else, he's got a lot of work to do."

• MSU's offense is like "night and day"compared to the one Auburn saw last year.

• On Cam Newton's improvisation, proud for a number of reasons. 1) protected football, 2) made good decisions, 3) managed the offense. "Some of the offense last night was offense by accident," Chizik said.

• MSU's improvement: "I think there's no question. He's done a very nice job there. They're a different football team today than they were a year ago."

• Didn't expect to only give Mario Fannin three carries. It's just how the game developed.

• WR Trovon Reed is doing better. We're hoping he's going to be more healthy. Keep an eye on that.

• On RB Michael Dyer. 1) Protected the football, 2) hit seams with no indecision. "I thought he did well for his first night."

And that's a wrap. Back with more after tonight's interviews.