Auburn Tigers Football 2011: Fall Camp Tiger Tidbits Week 2

The Auburn Tigers played in the second scrimmage in three days this past Saturday. Numerous happenings have occurred on the Plains since we last checked in with Tiger Tidbits last Friday.

Some true freshmen have made their presence felt early in camp and injuries have sidelined a few Tigers. There is no development in the quarterback race as of yet, but it appears to be narrowing to a two-man race for the starting position.

With only three weeks until game day, the Tigers are looking to solidify the final roster spots before game week preparation begins. This staff must find a way to not only develop the young players on the team but also forge leaders from among them. With only three weeks remaining, here is where the Tigers stand on some of the major questions facing the program.

Recruiting

Since fall practice began, the recruiting trail has slowed a bit for the Tigers. After picking up a commitment from defensive lineman Tyler Nero, there hasn’t been much movement on the Plains.

Auburn is in the running for some extremely talented players which attributes to a lot of the lull during the season, as most high profile athletes choose to announce on signing day.

Auburn is looking to continue its strong recruiting push this week as cornerback Geno Smith is set to announce between Auburn and Alabama. Smith made his last stop on the recruiting trail Tuscaloosa which has many pundits pointing to the Crimson Tide as his expected future team. Smith has been very open about his level of comfortability at Auburn, however, and anyone counting out the Tigers has not followed this recruitment very closely.

After Smith, I would expect for the Tigers to hold what they got and maybe receive some scattered commitments, but for most news to slow down until after the season. This staff is known to be relentless recruiters, but they are relentless coaches first.

Quaterback Race

There is no clear-cut indication through two scrimmages that there is a leader in the race is at this point. According to the coaches all three players are still getting reps with the first teams. If games were today, however, the choice would likely be pretty clear.

Malzahn has stated on numerous occasions that he does not want and has not used a multiple quarterback system. Moseley and Trotter are virtually the same style of player so there is no obvious benefit to playing both guys. One will get the starting nod on September 3^rd, and the other will not.

Frazier is the most talented of them all but at this point looks like a deer in the headlights. He is a sharp player and talented athlete but there is not enough time for him to catch the two that have been in the system for three seasons.

Moseley has the stronger physical attributes and as I have stated previously, it would surprise me if Moseley is not listed as the starter sooner than later. There needs to be a decision soon before a game plan is installed and Moseley gives the Tigers the best chance to win.

Offensive Line

The offensive line was all but set during the first week of training. With recent injuries to A.J. Greene and Aubrey Phillips, however, change has become imminent. Greene is expected to be a starter at left tackle while Phillips is expected to provide quality second string reps.

Still, with the injuries have come opportunities, and true freshman Greg Robinson has taken control of the chance to shine. The freshman has been earning rave reviews during camp for his work ethic and tenacity on the field. He has a great mean streak for a lineman as well.

Christian Westerman is another name that will need to be remembered for Tiger fans. After two solid weeks of practice and two solid scrimmages, it looks like Westerman is also ready to make a major impact on the line.

With Robinson, Westerman, and Reese Dismukes, the Tigers have a shot at playing three true freshmen on the line this season. While that isn’t an ideal situation for the Tigers to be in, it may not be a terrible one either. These three guys have the talent to play; it is just a matter of helping them understand the speed and mentality change that comes with college football.

Defensive Line

The interior defensive line may be the biggest concern for Tigers fans this season. With only true sophomores returning with much game experience it looks as if the Tigers will have some issues.

While Jeffrey Whitaker and Kenneth Carter are premier-type players, there has to be some backup and relief for them during the games. Enter Jamar Travis. Travis is a rising junior that most fans have all but forgotten.

Travis is a lunch pail-type defender. He brings his A game every time that he steps on the field. Travis is a hard worker and has likely shown this fall that he can contribute to the success of the Tigers on defense.

Others to watch on the interior are true freshmen Gabe Wright and Angelo Blackson. Wright has been nagged a bit by injury early in camp but Blackson has been fully healthy. Both need to be healthy and come on strong in the remainder of fall camp for Auburn to not have nightmares about run defense this fall.

Freshmen to Watch

As I have covered in some of the content already, there will be a wealth of talented true freshmen on the playing field for the Tigers this fall. Auburn will be looking for solid production and minimal mistakes when the young players take the field.

One freshman that has earned a ton of praise for his scrimmage performances has been Tre Mason. Mason is an incoming halfback who almost didn’t qualify. Once Mason arrived however, he hasn’t looked back. He will play this season but he will likely determine how much.

Angelo Blackson is another freshman progressing well on the defensive side of the ball. There isn’t a doubt that he will make the playing rotation this fall.

Quan Bray is an incoming freshman that has a lot to offer to the Tigers. He has the speed and hands to be an extremely dangerous slot man. He will also use his shiftiness to make plays in the open field and gain extra yards.

Injuries

Auburn has been lucky with very minimal injuries so far this fall. This seems almost too good to be true considering the past that the Tigers have with fall camps and injuries. There are only three players that have any injuries to anyone’s knowledge.

The only player lost for the season is true freshman Kris Frost. Frost was a five-star recruit that projected at both receiver and linebacker. Frost was likely to see time this season as a freshman at linebacker but a shoulder injury and subsequent surgery has forced him into a redshirt situation.

Michael Dyer is one who has made the “banged up” list this fall. Dyer has not participated in either of the scrimmages so far and has also not been in the past few practice sessions. Nothing major appears to be wrong, just some minor camp soreness.

A.J. Greene and Aubrey Phillips are the other two listed injuries for the Tigers. Neither appears to have serious issues; just some minor tweaks that should keep them out of action only momentarily.

Special Teams

There are numerous questions surrounding the Auburn special teams units this coming fall. The Tigers have lost their once extremely reliable kicker from a year ago and will look to improve on their laughable punting attempts last year.

Cody Parkey is likely to be the starter at the placekicker position and Stephen Clark will be the punter. There is not a ton of competition at either position but the Tigers should come out OK. Clark needs major improvement in consistency and Parkey needs work on accuracy.

The bigger issue surrounding the special teams is the return game. Auburn’s kickoffs have not been a problem but their punt returns were some of the worst in college football last year. Finding consistency in the punt return game will go a long way in helping settle a young offense early in the season.

Backup Running Back

Behind the heir apparent stable of backs for Auburn are two very versatile athletes. Anthony Morgan and Tre Mason will be battling for playing time this fall. Morgan has made the move from running back to defensive back this spring and will look to contribute early.

Mason came in shortly before fall camp began and hasn’t looked back since. I would expect that both players will earn some reps this season. Mason is likely the better of the two but Morgan is a smart football player who will help provide leadership to a very young football team.

Neither player has made a major move for the third position but Mason has had some stellar scrimmages based on rumor. I would expect that both will earn carries but Mason will likely see the most playing time by the end of the season.