Auburn Football 2011: A Few Facts, Innuendo, Speculation and Scholarships

As fall camp moves toward opening day, the Auburn Tigers continue to improve in 2011. The defending BCS Champions hold the longest winning streak in college football. Currently 15 games have passed without a loss for the Plainsmen. How many games can this team extend that streak to in 2011?

Quarterback

There is much talk about the quarterback position in the media. Many are claiming there is no current leader in that particular competition.

 This is not exactly the case; Gus Malzahn is the obvious example of a benefactor of this contest so far. He has three really great possibilities for this position. It is a situation that he has never benefited from during his college career.

Contrary to reports from some, for the two contenders that are veterans in the Malzahn system, it is not anything physical that will win the day. In these two contenders Malzahn is looking for the mental toughness and refusal to lose that made Cameron Newton unbeatable in 2010.

While both Clint Moseley and Barrett Trotter have shown leadership and great potential in running the offense, it will be the mental set of one of these candidates that will create separation.

If one of them is to win out, they will simply have to seize the moment. Both are very good, but one will have to ascend to be great before winning the day.

Young Keihl Frazier has the mental toughness and will to win on a level that is at least the equal of Cameron Newton. He will never quit and will never be beaten until the clock has run out. For him to win the day, he will have to grasp the technical aspects of the offense to a higher degree.

This seems the easier path, since he ran a very similar offense in high school, but this is not the case. He has a huge amount of small, but very important, details to grasp before being ready to lead a team in SEC play. His physical abilities are simply not matched by any field general in the SEC.

All three contenders have thrown multiple touchdowns in the scrimmages so far. Trotter and Moseley have largely split time with the first receivers while Frazier has doubled the touches quarterbacking the second receiver squad.

It is obvious that the staff is giving Frazier every opportunity to absorb the knowledge needed to take this position. The only question that remains is if the young man can reach the tipping point before the team is forced into game preparation mode.

Even if Trotter or Moseley wins the nod on opening day, it is expected that Frazier will play from day one. It is very unlikely he will see a red shirt season unless injury strikes and forces the issue.

As mentioned above, it is not a physical durability or proficiency question with Trotter or Moseley. Do not be led down the rabbit hole of assuming there is an advantage for either there. It is the ever-important, intangible will to win and never quit that will separate the two.

Receivers

It is hard to imagine a receiving corps that has improved in physical ability as much as the 2011 Tigers have. The only concern for this group in 2011 is their perimeter blocking ability.

While this is the largest concern, it is obvious that they are doing fine there, as perimeter blocking has opened many long runs in both scrimmages so far. While it is hard to tell until this group faces true SEC competition, they look to be a much-improved unit from 2010.

Running Back

Mike Dyer and Onterio McCalebb are well known entities. There is little doubt that they are the top running back duo in the SEC going into 2011. Dyer was held from practice and scrimmage due to being bruised and battered in the last week. McCalebb saw limited action in an effort to keep him healthy.

Auburn will take the field with the most potent running back combination in the SEC in 2011. The big news for this position is in the backups for these players. Tre Mason has absolutely proven to be electric when running the ball.

He has made long runs from between the tackles as well as on the perimeter in both scrimmages so far. While no one expects him to challenge Dyer, he will certainly be a great backup to give Dyer a breather during 2011. He will see more playing time as he learns the required blocking schemes for a running back in Malzahn’s system.

Anthony Morgan has also proven to be a viable option to spell the starters. While his improvement has been overshadowed by the phenomenal performance of Tre Mason, he has shown solid improvement and potential. He will likely see a lot of action in out-of-conference games to reduce the wear and tear on the starters.

H-Back

There is little solid information on this group other than rumors of exceptional ability and breathtaking play. While there is an absolute wealth of talent at this position, and it goes several players deep, fans will likely have to wait for the season to witness, what is expected to be, an expanded role.

From the little information that has leaked out, and the rumors that abound, it appears this position will be expected to absorb many of the touches vacated by Cameron Newton. This position will have to produce if Auburn’s offense is to remain at the level they achieved in 2010.

Defensive Tackle

Exceptional development appears to be the theme of all of the information leaking out about players in this position. While Auburn starts the season largely inexperienced but majorly talented in this area, it seems Coach Pelton has created an atmosphere where these players have made large strides.

Defensive End

This group started fall practice as a solid unit, and nothing has changed that perception. There has simply been no disappointing scuttlebutt about this unit. It appears there will be a few legitimate ALL SEC performers in this group this season.

Linebacker

Not a lot of information has leaked out about this position. What little has leaked leads some to believe that Auburn might be looking at playing some 4-2-5 sets along with the basic 4-3-4 sets that have been common the last two years.

While not a certainty, it appears that ElToro Freeman and Daren Bates might be the two players being looked at to cover the roles in this new defensive strategy. They have the speed and range to cover the extra area.

What makes this possible is the incredible depth and quickness of the Auburn defensive ends this season along with some very physical safeties. This set should help against teams that depend on the pass. Just the thought of attempting this set shows incredible confidence in the staff toward the Auburn defensive line.

There will still be plenty of the 4-3 set fans have become accustomed to over the last two seasons, but there does seem to be the possibility of a little change for 2011.

Overall, this is a very solid area for the Auburn team with plenty of ability and experience across the board.

Offensive Line

It appears that center Blake Burgess (Sophomore) is a leading candidate for receiving a scholarship along with team mates Ikeem Means (Junior), Davis Hooper (Senior), Nathan Taylor (Senior), Chris Brooks (Senior) and Chris Humphries (Senior), Ashton Richardson(Senior) and Aubrey Phillips (Red Shirt Freshman).  

It is very rare for an underclassman to be considered for a scholarship. Only walk on seniors that have demonstrated their contribution for multiple years are usually considered for this honor.

Aubrey Phillips was a former scholarship player who had medical issues that prevented him from retaining his scholarship. This was expected in his case. Ikeem Means is another over achiever that has earned this honor as an underclassman.

Coach Grimes is a stickler for attention to detail. This characteristic has led to an offensive line where the first two units are largely interchangeable without any noticeable let down in performance. Some believe this unit could actually be more effective than the 2010 group as a whole.

Defensive Back

One of the goals of any coaching staff is to get the best players on the field. The quality of players in the defensive back corps this season has led to some possible scheme changes to allow for more playing time.

There has been talk of a modified dime formation similar to that utilized by Nebraska to take advantage of a dominant defensive line and exceptional ability in the defensive back ranks. This has been particularly effective in controlling pass heavy offenses like those of South Carolina and Arkansas.

While much of this is simply early experimentation and speculation, it is certainly worth thinking about as the season approaches. Auburn fans need not worry about any large steps backward in 2011.