Looking ahead to Auburn

[theman123]

auburn will be a great litmus test of usf football

wats litmus mean???

[E.T.]

Love the sig. theman123  ;D

[flsportsfan83]

Why can the man have that as a sig. But I cant have a quote from bullzfan for life?

Andy saiud USF students are to dumb to get into UF or FSU and that quote was deleted from my profile.

[crambone]

wats litmus mean???

Don't remember Chemisty?

Litmus is a tree from which Litmus Paper is made.  It is a simple test to determine if a solution is acidic or basic.  Acid turns blue litmus red, while a base turns it blue.  (AR/BB)

Smazza was using a metaphor to say that this will be the test to see how far we've come.

[I Bleed Awesomeness]

auburn will be a great litmus test of usf football

how many people other than me think smazza used a thesaurus to find a cool sounding synonym to the word "decisive"?

[Mama_Bull]

In depth look at possible players USF will meet on the field at Auburn.

Spring practice important for AU's Cox, quarterbacks

Collin Mickle

Staff Writer

Tuesday, February 20, 2007

Editor’s note: This is the first in a series of position-by-position previews of the Auburn University football team heading into spring practice, which begins next Tuesday.

By now, Auburn University quarterback Brandon Cox knows all about spring practice.

After the longest college career this side of the movie "Old School," Cox will be a senior this season. His performance in 2007 will determine his legacy as an Auburn quarterback.

For now, that legacy is up in the air.

Cox will be in his third year as AU’s starter this season. But which Cox will show up in ’07?

The 2005 Brandon Cox looked like a star in the making. Protected by an experienced offensive line and throwing to a top-notch group of receivers, Cox threw for 2,398 yards and 15 touchdowns.

But he took a big step back in 2006. Cox was plagued by injuries all season, a problem made worse by AU’s season-long struggles in pass protection. His numbers dipped across the board, though he still managed 2,198 yards and 14 touchdowns.

But he also threw nine interceptions, including four in an ugly home loss to Georgia.

Cox is expected to be healthy at the start of spring practice next Tuesday. He can use spring practice to prove 2006 was a fluke caused by his injuries.

Meanwhile, for the third consecutive spring, the real position battle will be for the backup spot.

Junior Blake Field has been Cox’s backup the last two seasons. But Field played sparingly in 2006, and coaches say he still has to improve the mental aspect of his game.

Field is a solid passer, but he still displays a tendency to throw the ball into coverage in practice. That could cost him this spring.

Redshirt freshmen Neil Caudle and Steven Ensminger spent the fall learning AU’s offense. Both should be considerably improved from the 2006 preseason, when they were clearly unprepared for the speed of AU’s defense in practice.

One of the biggest questions of spring practice will be just how much the two freshmen have improved since last August.

Ensminger was slowed in practice by a back injury. Caudle, who had an injury-prone high school career, stayed healthy. That could give Caudle an edge over his fellow freshman.

All three reserve quarterbacks are expected to see plenty of practice time with the first- and second-team offense. The competition won’t be finished in spring practice: It will resume in August and likely continue throughout the preseason.

But the player who leaves spring in second place on the depth chart will have a big advantage.

cmickle@oanow.com | 737-2561

Details Box

Quarterbacks

1. Brandon Cox, Sr. - A two-year starter, he won’t have to compete for his position this spring. But he’ll need to improve after an inconsistent, injury-plagued 2006.

2. Blake Field, Jr. - Field has been the No. 2 quarterback the last two years, but the coaching staff seemed hesitant to put him into games last season.

3. Neil Caudle, rFr. - Offensive coordinator Al Borges loves Caudle’s mental and physical ability; he will push Field for the backup spot.

4. Steven Ensminger, rFr. - Slowed by back injuries last fall, Ensminger is healthy now. Like Caudle, he’ll get a shot at the No. 2 job.

http://www.oanow.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=OAN%2FMGArticle%2FOAN_BasicArticle&c=MGArticle&cid=1149193290633&path=%21sports%21index.html

AU Running Backs Preview

Lester hopes to fill AU void

Collin Mickle

Staff Writer

Wednesday, February 21, 2007

Editor’s note: This is the second in a series of position-by-position previews of the Auburn University football team heading into spring practice, which begins Tuesday.

The Kenny Irons era is over at Auburn.

Is the Brad Lester era about to begin?

Lester, a junior tailback, is Auburn’s top returning rusher. He ran for 510 yards and a team-best nine touchdowns last season behind Irons, AU’s starter the last two years.

But will he continue his steady climb up the depth chart and become the Tigers’ next No. 1 back?

Answering that question will be Lester’s top priority during spring practice. He shook the "injury-prone" label last season, playing in all 12 regular-season games. But can he handle the pounding that’s part of a starting tailback’s job description for an entire season?

Lester, who missed AU’s Cotton Bowl win thanks to a one-game suspension, will have plenty of competition for the No. 1 job. Irons and fellow senior Tre Smith may have moved on, but talented youngsters Ben Tate and Mario Fannin are ready to move into bigger roles.

Tate, who played in nine games as a true freshman, will work at tailback and the "F-back" position, the hybrid fullback-tailback spot former AU star Ronnie Brown played in 2004.

The 5-foot-11 Tate has bulked up a bit from the 204 pounds he weighed at the start of 2006, but he hasn’t lost any of his surprising speed. If Lester struggles or is injured, Auburn’s coaches won’t hesitate to turn to Tate.

The coaches also wouldn’t mind getting a good look at redshirt freshman Mario Fannin. The speedy Fannin spent his first year on the scout team, where he wowed AU’s veteran defenders with his athleticism. He spent a few practices at wide receiver, but his Auburn future is at tailback.

There’s no doubt Fannin will play a big role this season as long as he can pick up the offense and stay healthy.

And then there’s true freshman Enrique Davis, who won’t arrive at AU until June. Davis, one of the biggest names in AU’s newest signing class, will have a chance to compete for playing time in the fall. There’s a chance Davis could play as a true freshman, though the Tigers have enough talent and depth that he’s not a necessity.

Depth is a problem at fullback, where senior Carl Stewart is the only experienced returning player.

Stewart played the F-back and the traditional fullback positions last year and has made huge strides as a blocker and receiver. He won’t have much competition this spring.

Senior walk-on Danny Perry is the only other fullback at the roster at the moment, though freshman John Douglas will contend for playing time when he arrives in June. AU’s other fullbacks - junior Mike McLaughlin and walk-ons Steven Gowland and Andrew Turman - won’t be with the team in the spring.

McLaughlin, who played sparingly last season, is likely to retire from football. He has had at least four surgeries since his senior season of high school and has not been cleared to practice after the latest procedure.

If injuries force McLaughlin to give up football, he’ll remain on scholarship, but won’t count against Auburn’s 85 scholarship limit.

Gowland and Turman have left the team.

cmickle@oanow.com | 737-2561

http://www.oanow.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=OAN%2FMGArticle%2FOAN_BasicArticle&c=MGArticle&cid=1149193309432&path=%21sports%21index.html

I read this article in the paper this morning, and the following is in the paper but not shown in online article:

"RB Depth Chart

1.  Brad Lester, Jr. - Back from a one-game suspension, Lester will try to use spring practice to prove he can handle a starter's workload.

2.  Ben Tate, So. - Had a few big games against low-level competition as a true freshman; he'll get a long look at the "F-back" position.

3.  Mario Fannin, rFr. - Incredible athlete impressed teammates in practice last year; he's sure to play a role in 2007.

Fullbacks:

1.  Car Stewart, Sr. - Stewart, who mostly plays the "F-back" position, came on strong at the end of '07.

2.  Danny Perry, Sr. - The walk-on, an Auburn High graduate, is the only other experienced fullback on the roster at the moment."

autigers.com, AUTigers.com/Football Forum

[E.T.]

Thanx Mama ... keep it coming.

We'll be pressuring Cox all day !

Go BULLS !!!

[E.T.]

AUBURN TIGERS

Spring Practice Begins - February 27

Spring Game - April 17

The early spring buzz....Auburn always likes to start nice and early to make sure everyone is healthy for the fall. There's always pressure on everyone in the SEC, but two years removed from the unbeaten SEC title year, and with Mr. Saban being picked up over in Tuscaloosa, the stakes have impossibly been raised even higher for Tommy Tuberville and his team. The defense was one of the best in the nation last year and gets seven starters back, while the offense gets most of the key skill players back, and has replacements for RB Kenny Irons. However ...

The big spring question is....Will the offense be more consistent? Auburn suffered a textbook case of not being able to turn it on after turning it off. You can't blame Tuberville and his staff for limiting a banged up Irons and not pushing the offense during a light midseason stretch against Tulane, Ole Miss and Arkansas State, but the offense was off in the 37-15 loss to Georgia to ruin any national title dreams and struggled against Alabama and Nebraska to close out the year. Consistency could be a problem early on with four starters lost off the offensive line, so ...

The most important position to watch is....Quarterback. It's time Brandon Cox went from being a decent caretaker to a top playmaker. Oh sure, he's been efficient and solid against the mediocre, but he's hardly been special against the better teams. The veteran line didn't give him a whole bunch of help last season, and the inexperienced new group of starters isn't likely to be much better in pass protection for a while. That means Cox has to be sharp with his reads, has to get the ball out of his hands in a hurry, and has to be the reason Auburn wins and not just along for the ride.

Spring attitude....Hope for the SEC title, be prepared for much less. It's dangerous to underestimate what Tuberville and Auburn can do, but with so many replacements needed on the offensive line and so much more needed from Cox and the passing game, if the defense isn't lights out, a division title might be tough. The scheduling gods send the Tigers to Florida and Georgia from the East to go along with dates at Arkansas and LSU. At least the Alabama game is at home.

2007 Auburn schedule

Kansas State

South Florida

Mississippi State

New Mexico State

at Florida

Vanderbilt

at Arkansas

at LSU

Mississippi

Tennessee Tech

at Georgia

Alabama

[dabullsfan]

I don't know.  We play Auburn early enough in the year that we just might be able to pull it off.  Nobody thought we could win at WV last year either.

[smazza]

wv was overated last year as they are every year