Auburn Football: Recapping the Tigers' Spring Game

Auburn head coach Gene Chizik is heading into a crucial season on the Plains, and fans got to see how the 2012 Tigers were progressing on Saturday at Auburn's annual A-Day spring game.

The biggest question heading into the game was the ongoing quarterback battle among sophomore Kiehl Frazier, junior Clint Moseley and freshman Zeke Pike.

All three quarterbacks performed well, but it was clear that Frazier has a lead.

Frazier completed seven of nine passes for 92 yards and added 21 rushing yards on five carries. He made some good throws on the run also hit a couple of receivers on deep out routes from the pocket to solidify his spot as the leader in the clubhouse.

Contact with quarterbacks was off-limits, but in real game action Frazier would have had much more than 21 rushing yards. On one play, he was whistled down when he was touched sprinting past a safety. Had the play not been stopped, Frazier would probably have taken it about 70 yards for a touchdown.

Moseley wasn't bad either—5-of-6 for 62 yards—but it was clear Frazier had control of the offense and the trust of the coaches.

Head coach Gene Chizik was non-committal about his quarterbacks in the postgame press conference, saying, "I'll never put a timeline on it, but we're not ready to pull the trigger anytime soon that I see."

Two seasons ago Chizik said the same thing about Cam Newton, and he was announced as the starting quarterback a couple of weeks after the end of spring practice. I expect the same timetable for an announcement on Auburn's starting quarterback this year.

With three defensive linemen out, the youngsters on Auburn's defense had the chance to make an impression this spring. Defensive ends Dee Ford and LaDarius Owens did just that.

Ford finished the day with four tackles, two tackles for loss and one sack en route to the game's defensive MVP honors. Owens added four more tackles, two more tackles for loss and two sacks of his own on the afternoon.

Defense was a sore spot for the Tigers last season, and the turnaround starts up front. If the backups can get this kind of production, that will push the starters and create a healthy competition that should have an impact throughout Brian VanGorder's defense.

Mike Blakely led all rushers with 65 yards and a touchdown on five carries, but starter Onterio McCalebb and backup Tre Mason barely saw the field. Blakely's performance was impressive, but don't read too much into it.

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