Auburn Tigers Football: Winners and Losers from Spring Practice

Spring practice finished without a major groundbreaking discovery for Auburn, where many questions seemed to linger. As the summer workouts approach, finding a leader in the pack of players is a must.

Despite no major decisions being made at key positions, there were some apparent winners and losers for the Tigers. There was some development on both sides of the ball, but there was also an equal level of disappointment for both sides as well.

How the Tigers take the spring lessons and build on them will determine if this team can be in a New Year’s Day bowl or a Christmas day parade. The Tigers will look to build these spring wins into fall wins and focus on the problems that pushed through spring.

Mike Pelton: Winner

The defensive line was a huge strength for the Tigers in 2010. Tracy Rocker was a big piece of the puzzle a year ago and replacing his coaching talents is no small tasks for Auburn in 2011. Mike Pelton enters the season with high expectations and a wealth of young talent.

Looking into the progress that has been made this spring, the defensive line stood out in the final scrimmage. The defensive ends were flying around the backfield and despite experience and a lack of depth, the defensive middle looked quite solid.

Pelton is a winner from spring for a number of reasons. Pelton walked into an excellent situation at Auburn and has been fitting into the mix on the coaching staff. How he continues to develop the front four will go a long way in determining Auburn’s success this fall. So far things are looking good for Pelton and the defensive line  as they come out  winners from spring.

Barrett Trotter: Loser

As accurate as Trotter looked in the A-Day game on Saturday, he still has not seemed to have done enough to separate himself from Moseley and earn the starting nod. Trotter seemed to be the heir apparent for Auburn as he was the backup from the 2010 season, but as the competition lingers the worse it looks for Trotter.

Could Trotter end up the starter by the beginning of the season? Of course he may, and his chances are still 50/50. The question must be raised, if he has been in the system for three years and still can’t separate, will he ever?

Watching the spring game, Trotter clearly made decisions just slightly sooner than Moseley and had some better throws, but there still has to be a hang up that the coaches see, but isn’t as obvious as fans would like.

At this point in the year, anything less than being labeled the starter out of spring is a losing situation for Trotter, as the competition will just get more crowded in the fall, as the Tigers await the arrival of star recruit Kiehl Frazier.

Anthony Morgan: Winner

Anthony Morgan entered Auburn three years ago as an athlete. He had played the running back position in high school, but with a lack of depth at the defensive back position, he shifted positions. Morgan found his way back home this spring and has earned the third spot in the running back rotation as fall approaches.

Despite a tweak to his knee early in the spring session, Morgan ran like a veteran in the spring game. Showing deceptive speed and great field vision, Morgan may become a regular piece of the Auburn offense in 2011.

Morgan was surely to disappear on the depth chart with the talent and experience that the Tigers now have in the defensive backfield but the shift back to running back has given him a second wind. Morgan can look to continue to build his talents and understanding of the intricacies of the Malzahn offense this summer.

Phillip Lutzenkirchen: Winner

Lutz became an internet sensation a year ago with his winning touchdown dance in the Iron Bowl. This spring the Auburn staff shifted Lutz from a traditional blocking back and tight end role into a slot type receiver for 2011.

Lutz has performed at an extremely high level out of the slot position and worked his way into a touchdown in the A-Day game. His development this spring has shown his flexibility in the receiving corps which will open up a lot of different schemes and possibilities for the Tigers.

Last season, Kodi Burns would find himself open in some of the most opportune times; look for Lutz to use his experience and skill set to do the same for the Tigers this year. Lutzenkirchen was a big winner this spring and most likely will be this fall.

Offensive Line: Loser

This was a cumulative effort to earn the spring practice loser label. The offensive line did not look terrible in the spring game, but there were enough missed assignments and enough pressure in the second half of the A-Day game that it seemed the line had continued breakdowns.

The backup line seems to have an obvious drop off, and despite being talented at the positions, the youth really has the opportunity to come back and bite the Tigers. Looking for guys that can rotate in from time to time will help keep the starters fresh but finding that back up is the problem.

Starting a freshman at the center position is another strike against the Tigers. Despite the wealth of talent that Reese Dismukes does have, there were times that he seemed to be standing still and not aggressively attacking defenders. With time, his comfortability will develop and he will make the blocks that the coaches expect.

Until the offensive line has better answers for so many questions, they may be the biggest loser of the spring. There are still too many issues to point to that has this being one of the most important developments in the coming summer months.

Stephen Clark: Winner

The punter that Auburn fans saw just three months ago seems to be a total different player. Clark averaged a ton of hang time in 2010, but during the spring game he not only skied his punts, he averaged over 47 yards a punt.

Last year, field position was not a terrible issue for the Tigers because of the potency of the offense, but this year the punter is likely to be a factor. Clark showed a strong leg and a consistency that he lacked last season.

Clark has all the making of what could be a great career and All-SEC season if he punts how he did Saturday. Clark was a big winner for the Tigers coming out of spring.