Auburn Tigers Football 2011: The Mystery of Kiehl Frazier Is Solved

Yes, Kiehl Frazier will earn playing time this season for the Auburn Tigers. Late in the third quarter I looked onto the field in amazement as I saw Clint Moseley split out wide. I quickly shifted to behind center and couldn’t believe that No. 10 stood tall behind Reese Dismukes awaiting the snap.

What ended up being a one-time trick play that tossed the ball to Moseley so he could complete the pass to McCalebb ended the redshirt season of Kiehl Frazier. Frazier has to be in the game plan moving forward.

The stud quarterback from Springdale, Ark. entered fall camp as a dark horse in the starting quarterback race. The coaches and the fans knew that Frazier had a long way to go in making the leap from high school to college.

Some fans and writers have continuously stated the role that he should and will have on this year’s team. Some even went so far as to predict a starting season for Frazier.

To Frazier’s favor, he has been in the “Malzahn System” since middle school. Malzahn has been recruiting Frazier for quite some time as well, which goes to show that Malzahn understands his strengths and knows what his role can be in his offense.

The one thing that would concern Auburn is his youth. To the credit of Chuckie Keeton, he’s a true freshman as well. Who is Keeton? Keeton is the quarterback for Utah State that made Auburn’s defense look silly time and time again on Saturday.

Youth can win you games. Malzahn went 8-0 at Arkansas with true freshman Mitch Mustain under center. Malzahn has fielded a new quarterback every season in the past six so it would be no surprise to see mediocre offensive production turn into new opportunities.

Kiehl Frazier is not likely to start this coming week against Mississippi State. Frazier may not start a single game this season for the Tigers. One thing that will happen, however, is Frazier will earn more and more time on the field as the season progresses.

Frazier is looked upon to be the future of the Auburn Tigers at quarterback. There is no better time than now to get him acclimated to the game climate and the experience that will be SEC football.

I, for one, called for the redshirt of Kiehl Frazier from day one. I didn’t believe that it would be worth the burning of a year of eligibility to get him on the field just for a quick scenario or one or two plays a game. Frazier is a guy that you want to be developed and to become a leader for three or more years.

My opinion was that Auburn was skilled enough to not need the assistance from the true freshman. I was wrong.

Malzahn made the play and now the interest grows. Malzahn is a planned individual. He has a plan for Frazier this season and it includes game day playing time. Look for the role to continue to expand for Frazier as his future with Auburn is just beginning.

How often Frazier plays is still a mystery, but whether he plays is not. What type of role he plays against the Bulldogs this week will be interesting. I am sure the Auburn Tigers everywhere would like to see his role increased.

Barrett Trotter had a good day for Auburn. Don’t misunderstand this projection as a shot at his performance. But Trotter did miss at least four throws to wide open receivers. Yes there will be miscues and mistakes in the first game, but those miscues against a team like Mississippi State will get you slaughtered.

Trotter can be a consistent and timely leader for Auburn and he has the skills to play pitch and catch nicely. He will be successful in the future if he can maintain poise and hit his easy targets. Frazier still stands to be a part of the equation.

With the mystery solved the Tigers move to another focus. How will the Tigers fair against the Bulldogs from Mississippi State? The hope has to be that the Tigers were overlooking the Aggies from Utah State and projecting to the State game this coming Saturday.

If that isn’t the case it will be a long season.

Look for my Auburn vs. Utah State report card this Monday.