Get ready Auburn Fans the Cam Newton show is starting this Saturday.

In about 597 ways, give or take, Cameron Newton has been asked if he’s prepared to lead Auburn as its starting quarterback since he arrived on campus in January.

He was asked, perhaps, for the final time Tuesday, four days before he will take the field before 87,000 fans Saturday against Arkansas State — roughly 174 times the amount that watched him in his Blinn (Texas) Community College debut last season.

Newton replied with the same confidence and same grateful attitude he’s had since Auburn snagged him away from Mississippi State in the New Year’s Eve coup of a commitment. He then was asked if he was sick of answering questions and just wanted to play football.

His answer to that particular query came as a surprise.

“That’s what you sign up for,” he said. “You never get tired for it. Coach (Gus) Malzahn said the great players and great teams embrace the process and this is part of the process.”

This first stage of the process will end a couple hours before Saturday’s 6 p.m. kickoff, when Newton and his teammates go through Tiger Walk and make it to the locker room.

Getting him there, more than nine months in the making, will only be half the battle, Malzahn said.

What happens for roughly three hours against the Red Wolves will set in motion the entire second half of the process.

“Until you actually get to see somebody in the heat of the battle, there’s some questions that we’ll learn after the first few games after we get to know each other even better going through those times,” Malzahn said. “And he’s got a good handle of the offense, but I really expect him each week to get a better grip and a better grasp as we go.”

A proper analysis of how Newton got to this point would involve breaking up the past nine months into two distinct parts: Before he was named starter and after.

The expectations placed on Newton’s shoulders were higher than any of the signees Auburn brought in with its banner 2010 class. He was once considered the heir apparent to Tim Tebow at Florida and absolutely thrived in his one year at the junior-college level, convincing many that he could step right in at Auburn or Mississippi State and snatch the starting job away from whomever held it.

His legend preceded itself shortly after he committed to the Tigers.

“There were rumors going around,” offensive tackle Lee Ziemba said. “Some people were saying he was 7-foot tall.”

Newton checked in slightly shorter than that, but gave Auburn a quarterback with a defensive end’s body and a wide receiver’s speed. His impact was felt immediately during Auburn’s month of spring practice, as players on both sides of the ball raved about his cannon arm and instant leadership credibility.

Coaches were more tempered in their praise and, at Auburn’s A-Day game, were accused by one prominent media member of “sandbagging” Newton’s portion of the scrimmage. He passed the ball just eight times and only ran with the first-team offense once.

“What we were going to do was rotate our quarterbacks accordingly,” Chizik said. “However that unfolded, it unfolded.”

When spring practice ended, Newton was surprisingly no higher on the depth chart than when he arrived. Two days later, he was named the starter, kicking off the second half of his offseason metamorphosis, one that largely involved garnering the trust of his teammates.

During the summer, when workouts are voluntary, senior tailback Mario Fannin would often catch Newton “pulling sleds” and lifting by himself on Fridays, Saturdays, any days, really.

“You can’t do anything but respect him,” Fannin said. “Just his hard work alone just pretty much sealed the deal for us. And we understood where he was trying to go and we understood where we were trying to go. It just balances everything out.”

He doesn’t have to be friends with everyone on the team, but it’s clear that camaraderie has been established. A glance outside the Auburn Athletic Complex on Tuesday spotted three new motor scooters parked next to the one Newton has been riding since school started — “The Cammy Cam Bike Club,” he called it.

Like Chris Todd’s Chevy Camaro last year, Newton’s motor scooter has been a constant fixture in front of Auburn football’s headquarters all summer and in the final weeks heading into Saturday’s game.

“I’m just trying to learn information that will give me the edge on the field that I can take,” he said. “I’ve been spending a lot of time up here, but I think that’s what’s expected of me being a starter, you can’t just come in when everybody else is here. You’ve got to do what’s expected of you and a little bit more.”

Over the summer, Malzahn added tweaks and attributes to his fast-paced offense that would cater to Newton’s strengths. That likely means more zone reads, more designed runs and more plays that allow Newton to create on the fly.

“Every gameplan will be centered around that in terms of us being a productive offense,” Chizik said. “But he’s done well. We’re proud of what he’s done.”

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Smith, Reed, and Kitchens make H-Back Stacked!

One scan down Auburn’s newly minted depth chart reveals just how diverse an H-Back in Gus Malzahn’s offense needs to be.

On the first team is Eric Smith, a player who sure looks like a bruising running back, but can also catch passes in tight coverage. Behind him is freshman Shaun Kitchens, a linebacker-turned-wide-receiver who will now be asked to play his third position in as many seasons. On the third team, but by no means an afterthought, is highly touted freshman Trovon Reed, a speedy wide receiver who can also return punts and just might be Auburn’s Wildcat triggerman this season.

“They’re all kind of different in their own right, but at that position when they’re in the game, they could all be at very different places,” coach Gene Chizik said. “And I think that’s where it gets interesting.”

Mario Fannin and Smith shared H-back duties in 2009. Fannin’s role typically involved pass-catching out of the backfield or from the slot. Smith, meanwhile, focused on blocking, but was also a dangerous pass-catcher, particularly on third downs.

With Fannin now exclusively at tailback, Malzahn said he’s going to use the abilities of each member of the trio “to its best.”

“That gives us that versatility to do some different things with each one of them,” Malzahn said. “They each have their own talents and skills.”
Smith, obviously, brings the most experience to the position. He won’t be just at the H-back, either, as running backs coach Curtis Luper said Smith could get carries as a running back or a fullback.

“He knows the offense as well as anyone on the field, other than Malzahn I suppose,” Luper said. “He can do a lot of different things. He brings a toughness to the offensive unit, something that we really don’t have in a lot of places.”

Kitchens said he was in no position to oppose yet another position switch. In fact, he embraced it. It’s become his identity.

“I’m big, I’m fast, I’m able to do so many things, and I do,” Kitchens said. “Whatever helps is my job to do.”

Injury report
Chizik said Reed would be a gametime decision Saturday, as he continues to battle back from a bone bruise on his left knee.

“He’s really kind of in a situation where we’re just trying to get a full day’s work and work him into that role,” Chizik said. “Right now, I don’t know if he’s quite there but he’s getting better.”

Malzahn said Tuesday that he expects Reed to play.

Linebacker Eltoro Freeman (turf toe) is “getting close,” Chizik said, and has been “running around” in the past few practices.

Fullback Ladarious Phillips, who was ruled out by Chizik on Tuesday, is probably “a week or so away,” Luper said. Phillips sprained his ankle in a scrimmage in late August and was recently sporting a walking boot.

“You just never know with the type of injury that he has,” Luper said. “He is 300 pounds and it will probably take him a little longer than it would (Onterio) McCalebb to get healthy with a similar injury.”

Luper said Auburn would “have a couple surprises” when it came to filling the void left by the 287-pound Phillips.

Defensive tackle Derrick Lykes (knee) “is not going to be back anytime soon,” Chizik said.

Offensive tackle Roszell Gayden, who is not listed on Auburn’s depth chart, is in good spirits, offensive line coach Jeff Grimes said. Gayden was recruited specifically to compete for the Tigers’ opening at right tackle, but was hampered by a knee injury throughout camp.

All hands on deck
Defensive line coach Tracy Rocker said it at the beginning of camp and repeated it Wednesday.

All of the players under his umbrella should expect to see the field at some point Saturday.

“I don’t know when,” Rocker said. “All I want is that they’re prepared and ready to do what they need to do when they go out there. The biggest thing is to understand that you’re going to make mistakes. Just play hard, and after that we can adjust and overcome the mistakes.”

The lone exception might be junior college transfer Joel Bonomolo, who missed some time in August with an unspecified injury.

“I think that before this year’s over, with ain’t no doubt, he’ll contributing in some form or fashion,” Rocker said.

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For the first time in a long time there was no controversy at QB before the season

QB
2 Cameron Newton (6-6/250/Jr./College Park, Ga.)
14 Barrett Trotter (6-2/211/So./Birmingham, Ala.)

RB
27 Mario Fannin (5-11/228/Sr./Hampton, Ga.)
23 Onterio McCalebb (5-10/171/So./Fort Meade, Ga.)
5 Michael Dyer (5-9/215/Fr./Little Rock, Ark.)

HB
32 Eric Smith (5-10/240/Jr./Seffner, Fla.)
4 Shaun Kitchens (6-3/217/Fr./College Park, Ga.)
1 Trovon Reed (6-0/181/Fr./Thibodaux, La.)

TE/WR
43 Phillip Lutzenkirchen (6-4/258/So./Marietta, Ga.) — OR–

18 Kodi Burns (6-2/207/Sr./Fort Smith, Ark.)
80 Emory Blake (6-1/192/So./Austin, Texas)

WR

With depth no longer an excuse, the Tiger faithful expect better things of Antoine Carter and the Defense

81 Terrell Zachery (6-1/210/Sr./Wadley, Ala.)
9 Quindarius Carr (6-1/186/Jr./Huntsville, Ala.)
3 DeAngelo Benton (6-2/201/So./Bastrop, La.)

WR
89 Darvin Adams (6-3/185/Jr./Kennesaw, Ga.)
82 Jay Wisner (6-2/190/Sr./Bozeman, Mont.)
87 Derek Winter (6-0/208/Jr./Tampa, Fla.)

LT
73 Lee Ziemba (6-8/319/Sr./Rogers, Ark.)
75 Brandon Mosley (6-6/299/Jr./Jefferson, Ga.)

LG
66 Mike Berry (6-3/316/Sr./Antioch, Tenn.)
53 Bart Eddins (6-4/304/Sr./Montgomery, Ala.)

C
50 Ryan Pugh (6-4/297/Sr./Hoover, Ala.)
63 Blake Burgess (6-2/278/RFr./Vestavia Hills, Ala.)

RG
57 Byron Isom (6-3/291/Jr./Jonesboro, Ga.)
76 Jorrell Bostrom (6-3/322/Sr./Nampa, Idaho) –OR–
79 Jared Cooper (6-4/300/Jr./Brewton, Ala.)

RT
77 A.J. Greene (6-5/291/Jr./Madison, Tenn.)
71 John Sullen (6-6/312/So./Auburn, Ala.)

LE
45 Antoine Carter (6-4/256/Sr./Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.)
55 Corey Lemonier (6-4/227/Fr./Hialeah, Fla.)
95 Dee Ford (6-4/240/So./Odenville, Ala.)

DT
98 Zach Clayton (6-3/296/Sr./Opelika, Ala.)
54 Jeffrey Whitaker (6-3/308/Fr./Warner Robins, Ga.)

DT
90 Nick Fairley (6-5/298/Jr./Mobile, Ala.)
93 Mike Blanc (6-4/297/Sr./Pompano Beach, Fla.)

RE
49 Michael Goggans (6-3/261/Sr./Alexander City, Ala.)
94 Nosa Eguae (6-2/258/RFr./Mansfield, Texas)
13 Craig Sanders (6-4/248/Fr./Clio, Ala.)

LLB
46 Craig Stevens (6-4/229/Sr./Tallahassee, Fla.)
21 Eltoro Freeman (5-11/225/Jr./Alexander City, Ala.) –OR–
35 Jonathan Evans (5-11/230/So./Prichard, Ala.)

MLB
17 Josh Bynes (6-2/235/Sr./Lauderdale Lakes, Fla.)
58 Harris Gaston (6-1/231/RFr./Bessemer, Ala.) –OR–
5 Jake Holland (6-0/231/Fr./Pelham, Ala.)

RLB
25 Daren Bates (5-11/203/So./Memphis, Tenn.)
33 Jessel Curry (6-1/214/Fr./Buford, Ga.)
38 Jawara White (6-1/243/Fr./Troy, Ala.)

LC
14 Demond Washington (5-9/182/Sr./Tallassee, Ala.)
22 T’Sharvan Bell (6-0/180/So./Kissimmee, Fla.)

S
4 Zac Etheridge (6-0/213/Sr./Troy, Ala.)
16 Ikeem Means (6-0/204/So./Wetumpka, Ala.)

S
2 Aairon Savage (5-11/200/Sr./Albany, Ga.)
26 Mike McNeil (6-2/208/Jr./Mobile, Ala.)

RC
15 Neiko Thorpe (6-2/186/Jr./Tucker, Ga.)
3 Chris Davis (5-10/182/Fr./Birmingham, Ala.) –OR–
6 Jonathon Mincy (5-10/180/Fr./Decatur, Ga.)

Place-kicker
18 Wes Byrum (6-2/216/Sr./Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.)
36 Cody Parkey (6-0/184/Fr./Jupiter, Fla.)

Punter
17 Ryan Shoemaker (6-0/177/Sr./Birmingham, Ala.)
30 Steven Clark (6-5/232/Fr./Kansas City, Mo.)

Deep snapper
61 Josh Harris (6-1/230/Jr./Carrollton, Ga.)
64 Forrest Hill (6-1/238/Fr./Morrow, Ga.)

Holder
19 Neil Caudle (6-3/198/Sr./Hoover, Ala.)
15 Clint Moseley (6-3/223/RFr./Leroy, Ala.)

Punt returners
9 Quindarius Carr (6-1/186/Jr./Huntsville, Ala.) — OR–
89 Darvin Adams (6-3/185/Jr./Kennesaw, Ga.) –OR–
1 Trovon Reed (6-0/181/Fr./Thibodaux, La.)

Kickoff returners
14 Demond Washington (5-9/182/Sr./Tallassee, Ala.) &
27 Mario Fannin (5-11/228/Sr./Hampton, Ga.)

23 Onterio McCalebb (5-10/171/So./Fort Meade, Ga.) &
15 Neiko Thorpe (6-2/186/Jr./Tucker, Ga.)

As he struggled to find real playing time in 2009, T’Sharvan Bell heard it from just about every coach at Auburn’s practices.

He wasn’t physical enough.

“I took it personally,” Bell said. “I didn’t want anybody thinking I was soft out on the field.”
That all changed during a routine passing drill in camp this month. Wide receiver Emory Blake found out the hard way.

“It was just kind of me and him,” Bell said. “He was headed toward the end zone. I kind of laid out and hit him. Coach said it was a great play.”

So what about all that talk about toughness?

“They don’t tell me that anymore,” he said.

Those coaches are talking to Bell more these days. Gene Chizik said Sunday that Bell, a redshirt sophomore, has so many roles that he might as well be penciled in as a starter for Saturday’s season opener against Arkansas State.

“He’s played as good as anybody out there in the secondary,” Chizik said. “That leaves some good options with him right now.”

Chizik rattled off a number of places where Bell might be seen Saturday.

He’ll be playing in nickel and dime formations while also serving as the first cornerback off the bench. Then there are special teams formations, where he plays on “all of them.”

“It gives fans a chance to know guys who don’t quite play as much and gives fans a chance to know who you are,” Bell said. “Wherever they need me and wherever they want me to go, that’s where I’ll go.”

Bell is by no means a new face in Auburn’s secondary.

After redshirting the 2008 season, Bell saw action in all 13 games last year. A fixture on special teams, Bell filled in where he was needed, picking up nine tackles and an interception during the regular season.

He saw heavy action in the Outback Bowl by default because of Northwestern’s spread offense. He made the most of it. Fans might most remember Bell for being party to a late, questionable roughing the kicker penalty, but Bell was all over the field in pass coverage, picking off two Mike Kafka passes.

“It got me excited,” Bell said. “I never have doubted myself, but I was like: You really can. You really can do this. Now I have to pick it up and keep it going.”

Bell was a quarterback at Osceola High in Kissimmee, Fla., and, similar to what Ryan White is doing this season, played as Auburn’s scout team quarterback from time to time in 2008.

Tommy Tuberville went out of his way to praise Bell before the Tigers’ game against West Virginia for his imitation of former Mountaineers quarterback Pat White.

Those quarterback smarts made the transition to defense easier for Bell than others, cornerbacks coach Phillip Lolley said.

“When a kid like that is over there and he’s played offense and he understands what offensive guys are looking for and been through it, it’s a lot easier when they come over to me and try to understand what we’re trying to defend,” Lolley said. “He’s very smart.”

The knowledge just didn’t translate into the physical prowess Auburn’s coaches demanded.

Outside of the blow he dealt to Blake, Bell had a tough time pinpointing what exactly he’s done to change. He hasn’t altered his body much and there were still road blocks to him landing a starting job this season, as Neiko Thorpe and Demond Washington both locked down jobs relatively early in the spring.

There’s just a new sense of urgency now, Bell said.

“I’m realizing what a blessing it is to be here at Auburn,” he said. “I probably took that for granted a year ago. I’m kind of waking up and seeing the light that this is a great opportunity. I can’t let it pass up.”

That awakening has bred a renewed trust between he and his coaches, the same ones who were telling him to toughen up just a few months ago.

“He’s become a dependable football player, and I couldn’t say that about him this time last year,” defensive coordinator Ted Roof said. “To his credit, he’s just kept his mouth shut and gone to work.”

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Trotter selected #2

For those who have caught the last few Auburn practices, the news Gene Chizik shared Thursday wasn’t a big surprise.

A.J. Greene, Auburn’s new season-opening right tackle, and Barrett Trotter, the Tigers’ backup quarterback, had assumed their duties unofficially days before Chizik made the formal announcement.

But for those who last checked in a year ago, when Trotter was shelved with a torn ACL and Greene just wasn’t playing, the comeback stories for both players might be simply unfathomable.

Even Chizik had to admit he was pleasantly surprised by the turnarounds from both players, especially a long-forgotten player such as Greene.

“I don’t think there’s any question that he’s one of the most improved on our team,” Chizik said.

During the spring, Chizik said he wasn’t even sure whether Greene was ever going to play before his career came to an end.

Greene saw action in just three games in his first three years at Auburn. Both of his appearances in 2009 came when the Tigers led by at least three touchdowns late in the second half.

He began his Auburn career as a defensive lineman, but was buried on the depth chart. He converted to offensive line duties early in the 2008 season but was buried on the depth chart yet again.

“For whatever reason at this point in his life, he decided it was time that he do something,” offensive line coach Jeff Grimes said. “He really stepped up. Different guys come on at different times.”

Greene emerged among a battle of four that was supposed to be a battle of two.

Brandon Mosley and Roszell Gayden were both recruited specifically to compete for the only opening on Auburn’s veteran-heavy offensive line. Greene and Auburn native John Sullen, though, ended as the final two.

Grimes said he noticed something different out of Greene on the first day of fall practice. His teammates said the transformation began during summer workouts.

“I think he realized there was an opportunity there for him,” center Ryan Pugh said. “For A.J. to step up like that, that’s just a tribute to his hard work. Everybody is proud of him. I just hope he gets to enjoy the moment on Saturday and play good, of course.”

Greene separated himself from the pack over the final week, as Sullen nursed a shoulder injury.

“They brought out some great competition in some guys that are here,” Chizik said of the junior-college transfers. “And they’re still competing. We still expect those guys to contribute to our team and play in some way, shape or form, whatever their roles may be. Because this competition never ends.“

Trotter is only a redshirt sophomore, but he was recruited three offensive coordinators ago. He’s yet to take an official snap.

After redshirting the 2008 season, Trotter was thrown into an open quarterback competition with Chris Todd and Kodi Burns. His bid to start ended on the penultimate spring practice, when he tore his ACL during a mock scrimmage.

Trotter spent the entire 2009 season on the sidelines and even traveled with the team. He served a key role as one of Gus Malzahn’s play communicators.

“He got to see the game and see our offense from a different standpoint, working our board and seeing how things go on the sideline,” Malzahn said. “I know that’s really helped him. Our players have a lot of respect for him.”

Malzahn said Trotter was “in the mix until the very end” before Cameron Newton was named the starting quarterback at the end of spring. This was the first true competition for a starting quarterback position that Trotter had lost during his entire career.

He wasn’t prepared to lose another one.

“Once the starter’s been named, that’s the next best thing you shoot for,” Trotter said. “That’s what I’ve been doing. That’s what we’ve all been doing is working hard and trying to get that spot.”
Trotter’s emergence marked another heartbreaking moment for senior Neil Caudle, who came to Auburn as one of the highest touted quarterbacks in the country, but has yet to start a game.

“I had known that Barrett had kind of moved in front of me,” said Caudle, who will see the field as Auburn’s starting holder. “I just continued to work hard and see if I could get the job. It just didn’t work out for me.”

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Yet another award will be shipped out of USC’s trophy room, but it won’t be coming to Auburn.

The Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) ruled Thursday to strip USC of its 2004 National Championship and requested that the school return its Grantland Rice Trophy.

The group did not, however, anoint a new 2004 national champion, instead leaving that spot in the record books completely vacant, a first for the 56-year-old organization.

“We were looking for a consensus opinion,” FWAA president Tim Griffin said. “I guess that didn’t come.”

The organization held a teleconference last week to discuss what action it should take against the Trojans. The group comprised 20 members, past and present, who had a combined 300 years of experience covering college football, Griffin said.

Griffin said a number of writers spoke passionately about awarding the title to Auburn, which went 13-0 in 2004, but was left out of the national championship game because USC and Oklahoma finished ahead of it in the BCS standings. Other writers, though, spoke with the same enthusiasm about awarding the title to Oklahoma, which lost to the Trojans, 55-19, in the national championship, or Utah, which finished the season undefeated after downing Pittsburgh in the Fiesta Bowl.

When it came to vote, the group reached a unanimous decision to strip USC of its title. But when it came to vote for what new team should receive the trophy, there simply were not enough votes for one particular program.

“A couple of members argued pretty vociferously about that we had to give it to somebody just in order not to have a line like they have in the NCAA basketball record books for vacated games,” Griffin said. “In the long term, no team received enough votes or enough support to make a claim for that.”

The FWAA is the first major organization to officially take away hardware from the 2004 Trojans, who, in hindsight, were committing a number of NCAA violations during one of the most impressive runs by any team in the 2000s. The Associated Press ruled in June that it would not strip USC of its title, while the BCS will wait through the appeal process before it makes a decision. New USC athletic director

Pat Haden ordered that the school’s copy of Reggie Bush’s Heisman Trophy be returned, but the Heisman Trophy Trust is still mulling its stance on the issue.

“Had these facts been known, USC would not have been selected for the Award,” Griffin said. “All finalists for FWAA team and individual awards, including the Grantland Rice Award and Trophy, reasonably are presumed to have been in material compliance with certain qualifying standards at the time of award issuance.“

Auburn coach Gene Chizik, the defensive coordinator of the 2004 team, said he respected the decision.

“We can’t control what decisions are made,” Chizik said. “But that was a great team and a great year for us and it always will be here at Auburn.

“That will always be special, that year, and the players. In that regard, things haven’t changed.”

Reed misses practice, should play in opener
Freshman wide receiver Trovon Reed stood on the sidelines while Auburn practiced Thursday, but wide receivers coach Trooper Taylor said the highly touted playmaker will be ready next week against Arkansas State.

Reed missed a few practices early in the fall because of a nagging knee injury — one that stems back to high school when he partially tore his MCL.

“I’m just being smart with him,” Taylor said. “I tell him I’m just getting Seabiscuit to the track.”

One more position battle
Two position battles were resolved before practice Thursday, but the competition between freshman Steven Clark and senior Ryan Shoemaker is still ongoing.

Chizik said he expects to reach a decision in the next couple of days.

“That’s a good competition out there,” he said.

Pugh named to Rimington watch list
Auburn senior Ryan Pugh was one of 37 players named Thursday to the watch list for the Rimington Award, which is given annually to the nation’s best center.

Pugh, who is one of five SEC centers up for the award, has started 31 games during his career, including all 25 games at center over the past two seasons. He was selected to the Associated Press All-

SEC second team following the 2009 season after leading the team with 70 knockdown blocks. He was named a preseason second-team All-SEC selection by the league’s coaches last month.
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The Auburn basketball schedule is out. At least the SEC portion of it, anyway.

The Tigers, which have yet to officially confirm the entire 2010-2011 schedule, will open the conference season against LSU at home on Jan. 8.

All 16 of the Tigers’ SEC games will be on some kind of television. Only two of Auburn’s games will be aired on ESPN/ESPN2, while the rest will either air on Fox Sports Net, ESPNU, CSS or SEC Network affiliates.

The rest of Auburn’s schedule has yet to be finalized, but some games have been announced by opponents on those school’s websites.

Auburn will likely open the brand new Auburn Arena against UNC-Asheville on Nov. 12.

Auburn will serve as the host to the “Global Sports Hoops Showcase,” which will run from Nov. 19-21. The four-team tournament will pit the Tigers against Samford, Campbell and Middle Tennessee State.

The Tigers will face Rutgers in Pittsburgh on Dec. 11 as part of the SEC/Big East event.

Auburn will also host Georgia Southern on Dec. 29.

Jan. 8 LSU, 5 p.m. — FSN
Jan. 11 at Kentucky, 6 p.m. — ESPNU
Jan. 16 Mississippi State, 1 p.m. — FSN
Jan. 20 Florida, 6 p.m. — ESPN or ESPN2
Jan. 22 Alabama,  5 p.m. — CSS
Jan. 25 at Arkansas, 8 p.m. — ESPNU
Jan. 29 at South Carolina, 12:30 p.m. — SEC Network
Feb. 3 Tennessee,  8 p.m. — ESPN or ESPN2
Feb. 5 Georgia, 12:30 p.m. — SEC Network
Feb. 12 at Auburn, 7 p.m. — FSN
Feb. 16 at Ole Miss, 7 p.m. — SEC Network
Feb. 19 Vanderbilt, 3 p.m. — SEC Network
Feb. 23 at Alabama, 7 p.m. — SEC Network
Feb. 26 Arkansas, 12:30 p.m. — SEC Network
March 2 Ole Miss, 7 p.m. — SEC Network
March 5 at LSU, 6 p.m. — FSN

The way Barrett Trotter sees it, the demotion to scout team comes with a promotion.

The only thing that beats not playing is, well, playing.

“If you’re going to be third or fourth on offense, and you’re standing around not doing anything and watching everyone else get reps and throw, I’d much rather be on scout team over there slinging the ball around and having fun,” Trotter said. “That’s what you’re going to be up against in the upcoming years, so it can’t do anything but help you.”

A number of Auburn’s players learned Tuesday that their season would officially begin on the scout team. For obvious reasons, the news was tough to swallow, but the assignment came with a new jersey, a new position for some and a door that has yet to close on their immediate future playing time.

“That’s just where we’re starting today and we’ve made that very clear to everybody,” coach Gene Chizik said. “Today, people had to get used to some new things.”

The group of 25 or so players consisted mainly of freshmen and walk-ons, but also featured plenty of scholarship players, including junior-college defensive end Joel Bonomolo, highly touted freshman linebacker LaDarius Owens and cornerback Ryan White at quarterback.

Other members of the scout team are: OT Eric Mack, OG Ed Christian, OT Andre Harris, TE Dakota Mosley, WR Philip Pierre-Louis, WR Travante Stallworth, DT Jamar Travis, DT Justin Delaine, DB Anthony Morgan, S Ryan Smith, S Mike Slade and DB Demetruce McNeal.

Players such as White and Morgan, who are defensive players on the offensive scout team, will bounce between the scout team and their normal position groups because “we feel like there’s a chance down the road because of injury or because of somebody not being productive” to receive playing time, Chizik said.

Special teams positions, for many, are still very much up for grabs.

“We encourage those guys to win a job on what we call the Big Four,” Chizik said. “They still have opportunities to contribute in their own way, and I think with each guy, everything is a little bit different on where they can contribute to our team, and we made that very clear to them before practice.”

As a walk-on cornerback, Chizik played on the Florida scout team. Safeties coach Tommy Thigpen, a highly recruited linebacker at North Carolina, did not, but maybe wished he did.

“As a young guy, four-, five-star guy, you’re supposed to come in and start right then and you get humbled,” he said. “Then if you try to come in and play, you do special teams, and you lose a year. If I could go back and do it again I would like to redshirt.”

No decisions yet
Backup quarterback? Right tackle? Punter?

“No,” “getting closer” and “same,” Chizik said when asked about the three ongoing position battles.

The only bit of clarity to emerge Tuesday may have been on the offensive line. A.J. Greene worked at right tackle with the first-team during the early portion of practice while John Sullen sported an orange, non-contact jersey. Brandon Mosley and Roszell Gayden worked behind Lee Ziemba at right tackle.

Special teams coordinator Jay Boulware said he wished there was separation between freshman Steven Clark and senior Ryan Shoemaker at punter. Shoemaker gets better distance on his punts, Boulware said, but Clark has shown a quicker release and better hangtime.

Trotter, Neil Caudle and Clint Moseley continue to share reps behind Cameron Newton and wait for an announcement.

“Naturally, you’re going to look for (signs),” Trotter said. “Really, you can’t take much stock into it. It’s not going to get you anywhere but presuming things that might not be true.”

Injury roundup
Freshman fullback Ladarious Phillips was on crutches and sported a walking boot Tuesday.

His status remains “day by day,” Chizik said, because “we just don’t know.”

Linebacker Eltoro Freeman (turf toe) and wide receiver DeAngelo Benton (hand) are both making progress. Freeman donned pads and “ran around today more than he has,” Chizik said, but was still noticeably limping. Benton did not have a brace on his right hand and is “a little more day by day” than the others, Chizik said.

Neither freshman offensive lineman Tunde Fariyuke nor defensive tackle Derrick Lykes wore pads for Tuesday’s practice.

Carr’s the man?

Wide receiver Quindarius Carr would be Auburn’s starting punt returner if the season opener were today, wide receivers coach Trooper Taylor said.

He has 10 days to keep the job.

“He hasn’t put the ball on the ground,” Taylor said. “You’ve got to have the trust factor back there when it comes to that guy. Since last season, he has really continued to work on that.”

Wide receiver Darvin Adams and freshmen Trovon Reed and Johnathon Mincy are still in the mix, Taylor said.

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Even the fast paced Malzahn needs some help.

The pressure to win in the SEC permeates every facet of its respective football programs.

From the round-the-clock recruiting all the way to how landscapers cut the grass on game days, there isn’t a decision made that doesn’t at least consider how it will affect the team’s ability to win more games and win them now.

At Auburn, nowhere is it displayed more than by the homegrown flavor of offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn’s duo of right-hand assistants both of whom have known him since the birth of his fast-paced, no-huddle spread offense.

In graduate assistant Rhett Lashlee, Malzahn has the second player who ever quarterbacked the offense he runs today. In offensive quality control assistant Elijah Drinkwitz, Malzahn has the first brave soul who had to fill his shoes as the offensive coordinator at Springdale (Ark.) High after he infamously joined Houston Nutt at Arkansas.

Together, they’ve helped make life easier for one of the biggest offensive names in college football by simply being themselves — longtime followers and practitioners of Malzahn’s unique take on scoring points.

“Time is of the essence,” Malzahn said. “There’s not time to break people in, especially in a situation like this where we have to find ways to get better each year.”

Auburn received more than 500 applications from high school and college coaches across the country when its offensive quality control position opened during the offseason. If Drinkwitz would have declined when Malzahn originally contacted him to gauge his interest, maybe the 499 others would have had a chance.

Fair? Maybe not on the surface.

It’s all about who you know, a methodology that is certainly not unique to college football.

“I’m sure there are a lot of people who can do this job,” Drinkwitz said. “I think it’s just a great benefit for him to work with people he knows and trusts. I think no matter what you do, you want to work with people you know and trust and they know what you’re about.”

‘No-brainer’ for Lashlee
Lashlee first met Malzahn as a seventh grader. Malzahn, then a first-year coach at Shiloh Christian, was running a pro-style offense. The next year, Malzahn unveiled his patented attack, which helped advance Shiloh Christian to the state championship game and made the school instantly famous as the nation’s top offense.

Lashlee, as an eighth grader running the same offense, was hooked.

“It just kind of exploded,” Lashlee said.

Lashlee played a big part in the eruption. He started at quarterback for Malzahn as a sophomore and led his team to three consecutive title appearances, winning two. On the way, he threw 171 touchdown passes, a national record, and saw Malzahn leave for Springdale High before his senior season.

Lashlee played under Nutt as a walk-on for two seasons before he returned to Springdale as a volunteer quarterbacks coach with Malzahn. He was one of Mitch Mustain’s direct supervisors for Mustain’s junior and senior seasons, the two most offensively successful seasons in school history, before he followed Malzahn to Arkansas as a graduate assistant.

“The way coach is, the way he is with his quarterbacks because of what he expects out of them in his system, he naturally becomes close with them,” Lashlee said. “He’s one of the main reasons why I realized what I wanted to do with my life was coach and impact young guys’ lives.”

Lashlee stayed in Arkansas when Malzahn took over as Tulsa’s offensive coordinator. He was in the process of getting married, so he opted to use his freshly earned marketing degree and take a gig with
VYPE Magazine in northwest Arkansas.

When his phone rang days after Malzahn took a job under Gene Chizik at Auburn, Lashlee barley let Malzahn get the words out of his mouth.

“Not going to Tulsa made no sense logically, but it was the best thing for me and my family at the time and it turns out it was a great blessing,” Lashlee said.

“It was a no-brainer.”

It’s all Drinkwitz knows
Drinkwitz’s path to his current job is an example of networking at its finest.

In 1998, as a sophomore linebacker at Alma High, Drinkwitz accompanied his coach Frank Vines to an Arkansas high school all-star game. That’s where he first met Malzahn, who was serving as one of the game’s offensive coordinators.

Drinkwitz didn’t let Malzahn escape without letting him know just how interested he would be in coaching under him one day. Never mind that Drinkwitz still had a couple years of high school to finish.

“I had a pretty good understanding of what we were doing and how our football program was run,” Drinkwitz said. “But I wanted to learn something new and something different and mesh the philosophies if I ever got the chance to coach on my own.”

Drinkwitz got his first big opportunity with Malzahn in 2004, when he joined his staff at Springdale High as an offensive line assistant. Two years later, Malzahn was at Arkansas and Drinkwitz was in charge of the offense that fans expected to outscore the basketball team.

Drinkwitz didn’t know any better way to put up 425 yards and 38 points per game than by running Malzahn’s offense. He even explained the year-by-year differences just like Malzahn does when talking about how the Auburn offense will look differently with Cameron Newton at quarterback in 2010.

“There (were) a few tweaks and adjustments here and there based on what our personnel was,” he said. “It was probably 95 percent the same.”

Drinkwitz remained the offensive coordinator at Springdale up until Malzahn buzzed him on his cell phone in the spring, the ultimate reward that was 12 years in the making.

“I don’t know how many people applied, I don’t know how many people they talked to,” Drinkwitz said. “All I know is I’m here. I’m thankful for that every day.”

‘Right-hand’ men
Their titles are ambiguous by design, but their tasks are plentiful.

While serving as Trooper Taylor’s “right-hand man” with the wide receivers, Lashlee is near the top of the chain of command with sideline communications. The complexity of Malzahn’s offense and how it’s signaled to the quarterback is well-documented, as it features a numbered tote board on wheels conducted by the backup quarterback.

It’s an operation that can’t go without proper supervision.

“It’s so important to what we do,” Malzahn said. “He has that ability that even if I make a wrong formation because we’re going fast, he’ll make it right. Those things are real valuable.”

Drinkwitz does his work behind the scenes, breaking down film to see how Auburn’s opponents will likely attack Malzahn’s offense and “to kind of predict what they’re going to do within our base system,” Malzahn said.

“I think the fact he’s been an offensive coordinator, even on the high school level, that’s very important,” Malzahn said. “He’s broken down people with this offense and knows what they’re giving you, so that’s very valuable.”

Malzahn’s other quality control assistant, Casey Woods, came to him via a recommendation for Taylor. Woods, whom Malzahn considers his “right-hand man” by helping him grade film and produce film cut-ups, played under Taylor at Tennessee, where he was a three-year letterman from 2005-07.

Hired in 2009, Woods has been a quick learner. He’s had no other choice.

“For what we do, there’s very few people out there that actually already know it, that you don’t have to train,” Malzahn said. “It’s a true team effort. Those guys deserve a whole lot of the credit.”

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Gus Malzahn only knew one way to describe his 290-pound true freshman running back’s style of carrying the football.

“Big,” the offensive coordinator said of Ladarious Phillips. “Very heavy.”

Saturday, Malzahn and the rest of the Auburn team got to see a healthy dose of the freshman from Handley High.

“That’s probably the most reps he’s had,” Malzahn said. “He was dead tired by the end of it … He’s 290 pounds. He doesn’t look like a running back. He looks like a pulling guard.”

That’s what Saturday’s “half scrimmage” was all about, coaches said, narrowing down who’s in and who’s out.

“Again, just trying to make some final decisions on who we think will help and who can’t,” Chizik said. “It was a half scrimmage, so a lot of the players that are freshmen and young guys that we just needed to really continue to evaluate got a chance to play a lot, which was good to see them.”

And now, it’s evaluation time.

“I think after today, we’ll have a real good idea about the guys we’re going to go with,” said Malzahn, who also added nothing in particular stood out since the coaches were focused mostly on “the dirty work.”

With less than two weeks before the opening game against Arkansas State, the window of opportunity to make an impression is closing.

“Obviously, we’re in the two-week time frame right now, so, obviously, we’re going to be very smart about how we proceed from here,” Chizik said.

Malzahn ‘close’ to naming backup QB
Cam Newton gave a very short answer regarding the backup quarterback race.

“That’s not up to me,” Newton said. “That’s Gus Malzahn. I’m just Cam Newton.”

He’s also the starting quarterback.

Another scrimmage came and went without an “official” backup signal-caller.

“(We’re) getting closer,” Malzahn said. “Getting real close.”

All four quarterbacks – Newton, fifth-year senior Neil Caudle, sophomore Barrett Trotter and redshirt freshman Clint Moseley – all saw action, according to Malzahn during Saturday’s scrimmage, with the latter three getting most of the reps with Auburn’s younger players.

“They all got a chance to show what they can do one more time,” Malzahn said. “This is the fourth scrimmage, so it’s good. We’ve got a lot of information. We’ve got a good idea of what we’re doing, so it was good to see.”

Malzahn is steadfast on how comfortable he feels with any of the four quarterbacks having to play if the season started tomorrow.

“As for where we’re at right now, we feel solid about our overall quarterback situation that we have four of them we feel like can go in the game and execute really our entire offense,” the offensive coordinator said. “We’ve got four quality quarterbacks. Cam’s our starter, and if something happens, we’d feel good about putting all of them in. And that’s pretty rare. That’s pretty rare. I’ve never had
it before.”

Etheridge back at full speed
As he was walking off of Pat Dye Field on Saturday, senior safety Zac Etheridge had a thought.

“I was talking to Aairon Savage walking off the field and I was like, ‘Last time I came out here, I didn’t walk off the field,’” he said. “I’m just blessed to walk off the field after a scrimmage at the stadium.”

For the first time in nearly 10 months after a serious neck injury, Etheridge was able to practice fully with his teammates. He said he didn’t have any concerns or hesitations when he took the field for the first time.

“When I was out there, I was just having fun,” Etheridge said. “I didn’t think about it at all. I came in up in some piles a little bit. I didn’t hesitate.”

What right tackle?
When asked who the starting right tackle will be, offensive line coach Jeff Grimes did his best Gus Malzahn.

“You know how I am … I’m going to hold out as long as I can on that deal because I want those guys keep working, keep battling,” Grimes said. “Guys are all getting better, and that’s what is most important. We’d like to settle on a guy as soon as we can, but really it’s not the big priority for me.

“The much bigger priority is getting the best guys ready, and, either way, we’ve got to develop some depth. That’s something we didn’t have last year.”

Former Auburn High standout John Sullen, A.J. Greene and Brandon Mosley have all been working at the right tackle spot this preseason.

Tigers ranked No. 22
After being ranked No. 23 by the coaches in the USA Today poll earlier this month, Auburn moved up one spot in the Associated Press poll, released Saturday.

With 296 points, the Tigers enter the season at No. 22, according to the AP, 90 points ahead of No. 23 Georgia. Auburn is just four points behind No. 21 LSU.

Alabama was voted No. 1 overall, garnering 54 first-place votes, while No. 2 Ohio State received three first-place nods.

In all, six SEC teams are in the Top 25. Florida is ranked fourth, while Arkansas comes in at No. 17. South Carolina and Ole Miss are also receiving votes.