Maybe not. We weren't the only ones that thought Danzey looked good.
http://www.al.com/auburnfootball/index.ssf/2014/10/devonte_danzey_auburn_steps_up.htmlPrint
Joel A. Erickson | jerickson@al.com By Joel A. Erickson | jerickson@al.com
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on October 07, 2014 at 11:32 PM, updated October 07, 2014 at 11:33 PM
AUBURN, Alabama -- The Auburn offensive line could get its right tackle back against Mississippi State.
Patrick Miller has been practicing some on the left ankle he injured against Louisiana Tech. The big right tackle is still day-to-day, trying to work his way back into the lineup.
If Miller can't make it back by this Saturday's showdown against a tough Mississippi State front four, though, Auburn feels good about another week with Devonte Danzey in the starting lineup.
"We're very proud of Danzey. ... he graded out pretty well for his first start," Auburn coach Gus Malzahn said. "It was good to see him go out there and get some confidence, perform well against a quality opponent."
Danzey, a 6-foot-4, 296-pound junior, is finally coming into his own after a disappointing transition season from junior college to the SEC last season that saw him used in only three games.
When Miller went down 17 snaps into the Louisiana Tech game, Danzey finally had his chance to prove why the Tigers recruited him in the first place.
"The first couple of drives, my adrenaline was running so much," Danzey said. "It felt like every play I was tired, but once I got the rhythm, it was fun."
At least he entered the game next to a familiar face.
Both Danzey and left tackle Shon Coleman spent most of last season on Auburn's second-team offensive line, so getting the communication down on the left side of the line was no real issue.
"I knew all along he could step in and get the job done," Coleman said. "It's been very easy. We worked a lot last year, so the chemistry is there."
The sneaky truth is that Auburn's coaching staff had been talking about ways to get Danzey on the field even before Miller's injury.
Established as the Tigers' sixth offensive lineman, Danzey had played so well in practice that the coaching staff thought about rotating him into the first-team unit.
"He'd been coming around really good," Malzahn said. "We talked about playing him in some previous game even more than he did."
Devonte Danzey confident now that he's playing significant snaps
Auburn left guard Devonte Danzey has impressed in two games of significant action since Patrick Miller went down with an ankle injury.
Now, with Miller potentially on his way back, Danzey again faces some uncertainty in terms of playing time. When the rest of the starting offensive line left the blowout win over LSU last Saturday, Danzey stayed in the game with the second-team unit.
But even if Danzey's out of the starting lineup, Auburn knows he's capable of stepping into the lineup.
"I'm really proud of Devonte Danzey," offensive coordinator Rhett Lashlee said. "We knew he was ready, it was just a matter of the guys in front of him were doing a good job. Been really proud of the way he's stepped in, and we haven't missed a beat and I think he'll get better and better as each week goes on."
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