The Tigers started to specifically prepare for Bobby Petrino's Cardinals during the latter stages of Week 3, which culminated in another Saturday scrimmage at Jordan-Hare Stadium.
"We’re really still trying to figure out how ready some of those guys are to really help us the first game," Auburn head coach Gus Malzahn said, per Evan McCullers of the Auburn Plainsman. "Our coaches really strained our guys, taxed our guys. We've got to be ready."
Auburn will push ahead with its Louisville prep this week and start to nail down spots on the opening-day depth chart, as several key positions are still without clear-cut leaders.
Here's a recap of the major notes and quotes from the third week of fall camp on the Plains:
Muschamp's mantra: More consistency
Now that the Tigers are past the midway point in fall camp, Will Muschamp says he can see fatigue affecting his defense.
That fatigue has led to inconsistencies, and those inconsistencies have led to frustration for the passionate assistant coach.
"You get in this portion of camp and everybody's still a little tired and a little sore and they've got to push through it," Muschamp said last Thursday, per James Crepea of AL.com. "That's where your leadership's got to show up. We're just not consistently doing that well enough at this time."
One particular area that drew the ire of Muschamp was at inside linebacker, where the defensive coordinator is also the position coach. Even with the return of seniors Cassanova McKinzy and Kris Frost to the position, as well as the move inside for fellow senior Justin Garrett, Muschamp is demanding better communication.
"We know each day Coach Muschamp tells us that 'if you just keep the communication going and make sure you know where everybody is at all times, it'll get easier for you all around,' which is extremely true," Frost said, per Crepea. "Right now we're trying to go from a defense that didn't do a great job in communicating in the past to getting better each and every day."
Muschamp is constantly rotating his starting lineups during camp, as the best players from a practice get to line up with the first-team defense the next day.
That competition puts some starting jobs up in the air with less than two weeks to go until Auburn's season opener against Louisville, and Muschamp is just fine with that.
"We play at 2:30, right?" Muschamp said, per Brandon Marcello of AL.com. "2:28. We can tell them [the starting lineup] right before kickoff so they don't get nervous. Freshmen get nervous. You tell them as late as you can."
Robinson responds as running back race continues
As noted in the Week 2 Stock Report, running backs coach Tim Horton told reporters that JUCO record-holder Jovon Robinson was surprisingly behind sophomores Roc Thomas and Peyton Barber in the battle to become Auburn's new No. 1 running back.
Last week, Robinson rebounded from his slow start and had a solid set of practices in the eyes of Malzahn.
"He has had a better week," Malzahn said last Wednesday, per Marcello. "He had a couple hiccups early but he's had a better week, week and a half. He's done a solid job and really come on. And he needed to because the other two had really solid fall camps."
Marcello also wrote last week that Malzahn appears to be favoring a running back-by-committee approach heading into the start of the 2015 season.
"You got three guys that you feel you can line up and run your whole offense," Malzahn said. "Hopefully we'll have a little bit more information before the first game, but right now I think we're in a good spot—at least going into the season. It may be by committee early, we'll see."
Auburn has tried the by-committee system for the early portions of its first two seasons under Malzahn.
Cameron Artis-Payne followed up Tre Mason's SEC-leading season in 2013 with a conference-topping campaign of his own last year, but he didn't emerge as the go-to guy until the third or fourth game. And it took Mason a few more weeks to take over in 2013.
With freshman running back Kerryon Johnson battling injuries during fall camp, according to Wesley Sinor of AL.com, this looks more like a three-way competition that won't be resolved until Auburn hits the SEC schedule.
Sorting out the interior line
Auburn will head into the 2015 season with plenty of depth on the offensive line. However, that depth makes for a couple of big questions about the starting lineup heading into the Chick-fil-A Kickoff against Louisville a week from Saturday.
The Tigers' biggest concern up front is the replacement for Reese Dismukes, who started at center for Auburn each of the four seasons and was last year's Rimington Trophy winner. The battle to replace the All-American is between Ole Miss transfer Austin Golson, the presumed favorite, and senior Xavier Dampeer.
As Tom Green of the Opelika-Auburn News wrote last week, Golson has SEC starting experience—at guard—but former JUCO transfer Dampeer has had more practice time at center after backing up Dismukes all of last season.
"Xavier had a very good spring and has had a good fall camp," Malzahn said, per Green. "Both of those guys are very solid guys. That makes you feel very good going into the season."
Left guard is also a complicated battle for Auburn. Alex Kozan was a freshman All-American at the position before missing all of last season due to back surgery, and Devonte Danzey was his replacement for seven games.
According to Green, Malzahn said both Kozan and Danzey have received equal first-team reps in fall camp.
While Kozan is expected to win the job again, senior right tackle Avery Young said Danzey is in a "tough battle" with the 2013 starter.
"Alex Kozan is a great player. He came from a little injury situation he had, but it’s football," Young said, per Green. "There’s nothing handed to you—regardless of who you are... Regardless of how everything plays itself out, whoever gets that spot will have to earn it. No matter what it takes."
Quick hits
- D'haquille Williams moved up to the second string during practices last week, per Crepea. The senior receiver had to start at the bottom of the depth chart in his return from a "discipline issue."
- Tray Matthews, who is expected to start at safety this season, returned from a hamstring injury but is not yet back to full speed.
- According to Marcello, the battle between true freshman Ian Shannon and JUCO transfer Kevin Phillips for the starting job at punter could end as early as this coming week.
- Outside linebackers coach Lance Thompson will coach from the press box this season, while Muschamp, defensive line coach Rodney Garner and defensive backs coach Travaris Robinson will be on the field.
- Green reports wide receivers Marcus Davis and Jason Smith are the front-runners to win the punt return job.
Justin Ferguson is a college football writer at Bleacher Report. You can follow him on Twitter @JFergusonBR.
Read more Auburn Football news on BleacherReport.com
from Bleacher Report - Auburn Football http://ble.ac/1h99qG7
via IFTTT
No comments:
Post a Comment