Auburn Football 2012: Latest News, Updates and More from Spring Practice

Auburn had a very successful 8-5 season last year, especially when you consider the amount of players they lost and the competition they play every week.

This season, they won't look to just be competitive, they want to win the SEC West and once again compete for the SEC championship.

The Tigers return 18 starters and are one of the more talented teams in the country. However, several questions must be addressed before they kick off the season.

For example, who's going to play quarterback? Will the defense be better? How will the coaching changes affect the team? These are just some of the issues the team is facing.

Nevertheless, that's what spring practice is for. The Tigers took the field on March 21 in preparation for their spring game on April 14.

Stay tuned for all the latest news, updates and more involving your Auburn Tigers this spring.

Quarterback Comp Is Still on

While Auburn looked very good as a unit during the spring game, majority of the focus was on the quarterback position. (You can read a recap of the game here) Auburn came into the game with many options at the position, but nobody had separated themselves from the pack.

Kiehl Frazier may have changed that as he completed seven of nine passes, threw for 92 yards and scored the only touchdown of the game in the first half. He looked very confident in the pocket and was able to use his athleticism to avoid defenders when pressured. While he may have looked the best over the spring game, head coach Gene Chizik says a decision has yet to be made.

"I'll never put a timeline on it, but we're not ready to pull the trigger any time soon that I see," Chizik said via The Ledger Enquirer. 

The quarterback competition may still be on, but we know who's winning as the Tigers head into the fall.

Auburn Is Still Going to Run Despite Struggles

The Auburn Tigers want to run the ball this season, but in practice so far haven't exactly looked like they're capable of doing so. The talent without question is on the roster, but the players are struggling to make progress.

"We were going to run the football regardless," Auburn coach Gene Chizik said. "Again, overall, trying to establish a mentality of us trying to run the ball."

Running backs Corey Grant and Tre Mason are beginning to make names for themselves throughout the spring, but there isn't depth behind those two runners.

"As far as running the football, we've got to get them to go more north-south," Chizik said.

While Grant has received a lot of the attention, Mason is the back who rushed for over 60 yards and scored a touchdown in the bowl victory over Virginia. According to Auburn running backs coach Curtis Luper, he's in even better shape and has the ability to be the X-factor for this offense.

"Tre has had a good spring. He's 200 pounds, he's getting the ball, he's downhill," Luper said. "He has the ability to light it up on Saturdays."

Auburn Not Physical Enough

The Tigers put on the pads earlier this weekend but didn't impress head coach Gene Chizik. In the SEC you must be a physical team, and that's not what he saw from his team early on.

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"The effort was good most of the day -- the physicality was OK at best," Chizik said. "It wasn't a problem; it's just something that needs to be brought to their attention to be better Wednesday."

"It's not that they don't want to do it; there are just a lot of thought processes going on. What we're looking for is, if you're going to make that mistake, make sure you make it playing a physical brand of football. The physicality of the game is the number one thing."

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Auburn did shuffle coaches during the offseason, so players may be struggling to get a grasp of everything so quickly. Although Chizik doesn't want to hear excuses, he wants his team to be physical and ready to go.

"We're trying to develop a physical mentality that we need," Chizik said, "but we're a ways off."

Injuries, Injuries and More Injuries

The Tigers have been practicing for only a week as they prepare for the spring game that takes place on April 14. But the injuries are something that they can't ignore early on.

Defensive tackle Gabe Wright is out for the entire spring practice after injuring himself this weekend. He was a leader expected to become a starter alongside Kenneth Carter on the defensive line, although Carter is also expected to miss the entire spring with an injury.

Quarterback Kiehl Frazier will also receive the majority of the reps since last year's starter Clint Moseley is sidelined with “inflammation of the rotator cuff."

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“It’s frustrating, but what can I do but just rehab,” said Moseley, who is receiving treatment three times a day. “I can do everything but really drive the ball. I can’t put much on it. I can do the footwork stuff and the handoffs. I’m trying to come back as soon as I can.”

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Auburn was already a young team, but it appears they're getting much younger in spring practice with all of these injuries early on.

Updates

This slideshow will continued to be updated with the latest news, quotes, position battles and more throughout spring practice. Stay tuned for everything involving your Auburn Tigers.