ATLANTA – Auburn coach Gene Chizik was fielding questions from the media after the Tigers’ Tuesday practice in the Georgia Dome when a reporter changed the subject from Saturday’s Chick-fil-A Bowl to former Auburn quarterback Cam Newton.
Chizik was asked if he were maybe just a little bit surprised with Newton’s success as a rookie quarterback with the Carolina Panthers.
“No. I'm not surprised,” Chizik said. “Anybody who wanted my opinion last year, that's the opinion I gave them. He's a star. And anybody who thought differently…they have their own opinion. I was around him every day, I watched him every day, and I'm not one bit surprised. As the years go on, and he learns more about the league, and learns more about the defenses, you're going to see more of the same.”
Tuesday, December 27, 2011
Monday, December 26, 2011
Mason likes the Georgia Dome
AUBURN - Auburn held its first practice in the Georgia Dome Monday in preparation for Saturday night's Chick-fil-A Bowl game with Virginia.
Afterward, several of Auburn's players met with the media, including freshman running back Tre Mason.
Here's what Mason had to say:
Talk about playing in this game.
"It's exciting. It's a great opportunity I was given, so I'm just going
to do what I've got to do to win.
What do you think of the Georgia Dome?
"I like the turf. The turf is a fast track."
Does that give you and Onterio McCalebb an advantage?
"I feel like it is. It'll be an advantage for us. We're a couple of
fast guys. This will actually help us get to be where we need to be,
which is the end zone, a lot faster.
Has Onterio been helpful?
"He's helped me greatly. He's like a brother. What I didn't really
understand, he corrected me on it. He's got me to where I understand
the entire offense."
Are you ready to run between the tackles?
"I've been ready. I've been ready since high school to run between the
tackle. That's what I'm here to do."
Are you big enough?
"I think it really takes a lot of heart, and not being afraid to run
between the tackles. Some running backs may be shy between the
tackles, but I’m not. It's not a size thing at all."
Talk about the work you got during the regular season.
"A lot of reps. It was Mike (Dyer) and I. We were getting an equal amount of
reps, and we just kept each other going because you never know when
somebody might go down."
How has Quan Bray fit in?
"He's perfect. He's versatile. He could play every position on the
field if you wanted him to. He could play defense, too. He's just a
great athlete."
Talk about your freshman year?
"It was good to get your feet wet and learn some of this offense. I
can't wait until next year and really play a lot."
Afterward, several of Auburn's players met with the media, including freshman running back Tre Mason.
Here's what Mason had to say:
Talk about playing in this game.
"It's exciting. It's a great opportunity I was given, so I'm just going
to do what I've got to do to win.
What do you think of the Georgia Dome?
"I like the turf. The turf is a fast track."
Does that give you and Onterio McCalebb an advantage?
"I feel like it is. It'll be an advantage for us. We're a couple of
fast guys. This will actually help us get to be where we need to be,
which is the end zone, a lot faster.
Has Onterio been helpful?
"He's helped me greatly. He's like a brother. What I didn't really
understand, he corrected me on it. He's got me to where I understand
the entire offense."
Are you ready to run between the tackles?
"I've been ready. I've been ready since high school to run between the
tackle. That's what I'm here to do."
Are you big enough?
"I think it really takes a lot of heart, and not being afraid to run
between the tackles. Some running backs may be shy between the
tackles, but I’m not. It's not a size thing at all."
Talk about the work you got during the regular season.
"A lot of reps. It was Mike (Dyer) and I. We were getting an equal amount of
reps, and we just kept each other going because you never know when
somebody might go down."
How has Quan Bray fit in?
"He's perfect. He's versatile. He could play every position on the
field if you wanted him to. He could play defense, too. He's just a
great athlete."
Talk about your freshman year?
"It was good to get your feet wet and learn some of this offense. I
can't wait until next year and really play a lot."
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
Coordinators unlikely to be hired before bowl game
AUBURN – Auburn coach Gene Chizik concedes it will likely be after the Tigers’ Dec. 31 Chick-fil-A Bowl game with Virginia before he hires an offensive or defensive coordinator.
“Again, without boxing myself in the corner with the timeline, that’s certainly a very good possibility, yes,” Chizik said Wednesday.
Chizik must replace offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn, who will be leaving after the bowl game to become the head coach at Arkansas State, and defensive coordinator Ted Roof, who left two weeks ago to take the defensive coordinator’s job at Central Florida.
Although Chizik said he’d like to hire coaches who he knew would stay for several years, he said hiring coaches who are a good fit for Auburn is more important than continuity.
“I think you hire the best guy,” he said. “Obviously, continuity is something you would really, really like to have. The real unfortunate reality is if you hire really good ones, there are a lot of people who want them. But I want to hire the best fit and the best person for Auburn. Obviously, continuity would be a big deal but the most important thing is that it be the right fit, in terms of being on the same page and the same philosophies. That’s the most important thing.”
“Again, without boxing myself in the corner with the timeline, that’s certainly a very good possibility, yes,” Chizik said Wednesday.
Chizik must replace offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn, who will be leaving after the bowl game to become the head coach at Arkansas State, and defensive coordinator Ted Roof, who left two weeks ago to take the defensive coordinator’s job at Central Florida.
Although Chizik said he’d like to hire coaches who he knew would stay for several years, he said hiring coaches who are a good fit for Auburn is more important than continuity.
“I think you hire the best guy,” he said. “Obviously, continuity is something you would really, really like to have. The real unfortunate reality is if you hire really good ones, there are a lot of people who want them. But I want to hire the best fit and the best person for Auburn. Obviously, continuity would be a big deal but the most important thing is that it be the right fit, in terms of being on the same page and the same philosophies. That’s the most important thing.”
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
Jermaine Whitehead, philosopher, offers something to chew on
Auburn freshman cornerback Jermaine Whitehead has an interesting view on how a defense is supposed to work.
“A defense is like a picture... or it's like a pie,” Whitehead explains. “You don't want a piece out of the pie. You want the whole pie. That's how the defense is."
“A defense is like a picture... or it's like a pie,” Whitehead explains. “You don't want a piece out of the pie. You want the whole pie. That's how the defense is."
Monday, December 19, 2011
Chizik talks with media after Monday practice
AUBURN - Auburn coach Gene Chizik met with the media following Monday night's practice for the Dec. 31 Chick-fil-A Bowl game. Here's what he had to say.
“We had a really good practice tonight. Again, I thought it was uptempo. Went back to a lot of teaching tonight. Had a pretty good full-padded practice (Saturday) and got after it pretty good. Anyway, we had a great practice. Again, we’re going to go pads tomorrow, and get back after some fundamentals and continue to try and grow in that area. We expect fully to have two more good practices before we get out of here.”
How much game plan is in?
“Piece by piece we’re starting to get there. We’ve got two more days and then we’re going to have four when we get there. We’ll have enough time to get in what we need. Piece by piece, we’ve definitely done that.”
Talk about how T'Sharvan Bell seems to have a good attitude about going through the re-hab on his knee.
“I think outstanding. I think he has done a really, really good job. You know part of the process of rehabbing from injuries is how you mentally go through it. I don’t think there’s any question he has approached this well. So I think that’s half the battle, but he’s in great spirits as you guys know. I think his rehab is really right on time. Again, I don’t see any reason to believe he’s not going to have a great positive attitude moving forward because he has certainly done that the last couple weeks.”
What have you seen from the young guys in bowl practice?
“I feel like we’ve gotten better. I feel like a lot of the young guys who actually played a good bit during the year, you give them a little bit of time off and they come back a little more veteran like, but I think they’ve gotten better.”
What's the key to your success in bowl games?
“I think you have to be really smart in how you proceed in terms of how you’re practicing, how much you’re practicing, how little you’re practicing. Some guys can take it to the other extreme and by the time your team plays they’re tired and beat down. We’re trying to get them to a place where we’re physically and mentally ready, but we’re not overcooked, so to speak. I think we’ve done a good job over the years of managing the time we have with them. And give them the right amount of walk throughs, meeting time and on the field practice time.”
“We had a really good practice tonight. Again, I thought it was uptempo. Went back to a lot of teaching tonight. Had a pretty good full-padded practice (Saturday) and got after it pretty good. Anyway, we had a great practice. Again, we’re going to go pads tomorrow, and get back after some fundamentals and continue to try and grow in that area. We expect fully to have two more good practices before we get out of here.”
How much game plan is in?
“Piece by piece we’re starting to get there. We’ve got two more days and then we’re going to have four when we get there. We’ll have enough time to get in what we need. Piece by piece, we’ve definitely done that.”
Talk about how T'Sharvan Bell seems to have a good attitude about going through the re-hab on his knee.
“I think outstanding. I think he has done a really, really good job. You know part of the process of rehabbing from injuries is how you mentally go through it. I don’t think there’s any question he has approached this well. So I think that’s half the battle, but he’s in great spirits as you guys know. I think his rehab is really right on time. Again, I don’t see any reason to believe he’s not going to have a great positive attitude moving forward because he has certainly done that the last couple weeks.”
What have you seen from the young guys in bowl practice?
“I feel like we’ve gotten better. I feel like a lot of the young guys who actually played a good bit during the year, you give them a little bit of time off and they come back a little more veteran like, but I think they’ve gotten better.”
What's the key to your success in bowl games?
“I think you have to be really smart in how you proceed in terms of how you’re practicing, how much you’re practicing, how little you’re practicing. Some guys can take it to the other extreme and by the time your team plays they’re tired and beat down. We’re trying to get them to a place where we’re physically and mentally ready, but we’re not overcooked, so to speak. I think we’ve done a good job over the years of managing the time we have with them. And give them the right amount of walk throughs, meeting time and on the field practice time.”
Saturday, December 17, 2011
Trotter's status for next year uncertain
By Charles Bennett
AUBURN – With Clint Moseley established as Auburn’s No. 1 quarterback, and freshman Kyle Frazier getting equal reps with Moseley, redshirt junior Barrett Trotter seems to be the odd man out.
Auburn coach Gene Chizik said Saturday has had some discussion with Trotter about his future with the program, but nothing definitive.
“We've talked on the surface where's he's at, the details of that I'm not going into it,” Chizik said. “We'll talk more when the season ends.”
Trotter started the first seven games this season for the Tigers (7-5). He completed 81 of 149 passes (54.4 percent) for 1,009 yards, 10 touchdowns and six interceptions.
Moseley has completed 65 of 104 passes (62.5 percent) for 794 yards, five touchdowns and three interceptions.
AUBURN – With Clint Moseley established as Auburn’s No. 1 quarterback, and freshman Kyle Frazier getting equal reps with Moseley, redshirt junior Barrett Trotter seems to be the odd man out.
Auburn coach Gene Chizik said Saturday has had some discussion with Trotter about his future with the program, but nothing definitive.
“We've talked on the surface where's he's at, the details of that I'm not going into it,” Chizik said. “We'll talk more when the season ends.”
Trotter started the first seven games this season for the Tigers (7-5). He completed 81 of 149 passes (54.4 percent) for 1,009 yards, 10 touchdowns and six interceptions.
Moseley has completed 65 of 104 passes (62.5 percent) for 794 yards, five touchdowns and three interceptions.
Friday, December 16, 2011
Auburn hands out awards
AUBURN - The Auburn football team held its annual awards dinner Friday night. Listed below are the winners.
Awards Voted on by Players
Offensive MVP — Emory Blake
Defensive MVP — Neiko Thorpe
Special Teams MVP — Steven Clark
Team MVP — Philip Lutzenkirchen
Awards Voted on by Coaches
Special Teams Points Leader — Cody Parkey
Outstanding Offensive Newcomer — Reese Dismukes
Outstanding Defensive Newcomer — Jermaine Whitehead
Offensive Scout Team Player of the Year — Corey Grant
Defensive Scout Team Player of the Year — Daniel Pond
Academic Eye of the Tiger — Eltoro Freeman
Strength and Conditioning MVP — Jared Cooper, Corey Grant
Awards Voted on by Players
Offensive MVP — Emory Blake
Defensive MVP — Neiko Thorpe
Special Teams MVP — Steven Clark
Team MVP — Philip Lutzenkirchen
Awards Voted on by Coaches
Special Teams Points Leader — Cody Parkey
Outstanding Offensive Newcomer — Reese Dismukes
Outstanding Defensive Newcomer — Jermaine Whitehead
Offensive Scout Team Player of the Year — Corey Grant
Defensive Scout Team Player of the Year — Daniel Pond
Academic Eye of the Tiger — Eltoro Freeman
Strength and Conditioning MVP — Jared Cooper, Corey Grant
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