March 10, 2007

Auburn, Ala. - The Auburn football team conducted its second scrimmage of the spring with a 140-play session at Jordan-Hare Stadium Saturday.

Head Coach Tommy Tuberville after practice noted that he was pleased with the scrimmage, giving an advantage to the defensive side of the ball.

"We did a little bit better than last week," Tuberville said. "We still aren't mentally tough enough on offense to make any drives, and we're making way too many mistakes. It wasn't one of Brandon's (Cox) better days. Our offensive line still hasn't improved enough to keep any consistent drives going. The running backs ran hard, and I thought the tight ends did well."

On the ground, junior Tristan Davis led the way with 79 yards on 20 attempts, while Brad Lester rushed 18 times for 67 yards. Sophomore Ben Tate added 48 yards on 15 carries with an 8-yard touchdown run, while senior Carl Stewart rushed seven times for 37 yards and a score from 4 yards.

Senior quarterback Brandon Cox connected on 10-of-22 attempts for 110 yards. Redshirt freshman Neil Caudle was 6-for-10 with 163 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. Caudle hit Luster Lewis on a 64-yard touchdown and followed with a 22-yard toss to John Cubelic for the second score. Redshirt freshman Steven Ensminger was 7-for-17 with 129 yards and one interception.

Tuberville praised junior wide receiver Rod Smith who had a team-high four catches for 57 yards.

"Rod Smith continues to improve," Tuberville said. "He's about the only receiver we have that can catch a ball right now. The rest are too inconsistent to even think about throwing the ball to. We have a lot of work to do on offense, but we've made a little progress from last week. We have some guys that are growing up, and that's what it's going to take."

Sophomore tight end Tommy Trott added three catches for 55 yards, while Cox, Caudle and Ensminger distributed the wealth as 13 players finished with one reception each.

Also catching the eye of Tuberville was junior center Jason Bosley and redshirt freshman Bart Eddins.

"(Jason) Bosley is starting to really play well," Tuberville said. "I've enjoyed watching him improve. He really works hard at it. We have a lot of young guys like Bart Eddins on the offensive line that are starting to show some improvement."

On the defensive side of the ball three players recorded double-digit tackle totals, including a team-best 11 by junior linebacker Chris Evans. Sophomore safety Aairon Savage and redshirt freshman linebacker Craig Stevens each added 10 stops, respectively.

"Defensively, we are so much further ahead than the offense that it's not even funny," Tuberville said. "Our defensive guys looked a lot tougher physically and mentally, and that's why we're doing so much better defensively. We gave up some plays today, but we've got a bunch of guys hurt. I'm excited about what we're doing on defense. We're playing with speed, and we're playing with mental toughness. That's what it takes."

Redshirt freshman Zac Etheridge and junior Octavious Balkcom each had eight stops, while senior Josh Thompson and redshirt freshman Mike Blanc added seven apiece.

Sophomore linebacker Patrick Trahan led all defenders with 2.5 tackles for loss, while Thompson posted 2.0 TFLs. Six players each tallied one sack each.

Redshirt freshman placekicker Ross Gornall, led the kicking game with a perfect 4-for-4 on field goals, connecting from 45, 37, 31 and 44 yards.

"Our kicking game is improving," Tuberville said. "Ross Gornall is obviously leading in field goals. He had a great day today, and he's looking pretty good overall."

The Tigers will take Sunday and Monday off before returning to the practice fields Tuesday morning at 9:15 a.m. CT.

"Overall it was a good day," Tuberville said. "We've got some work to do next week. It looks like we're going to take a day off next week and practice once the week after A-Day. If we don't get enough of our injured players back, we are going to have to do that. We wouldn't have enough players to make it through another physical week like we had last week."

Auburn's annual A-Day game is slated for Sat., March 17 at 1 p.m. at Jordan-Hare Stadium.

PLAYER QUOTES ** Brandon Cox, QB On the offense... "We improved in some areas today and I thought we ran the ball well. There was more defensive pressure out there and I know the defense added a lot since last week which confused some of the younger guys. Overall we did a pretty good job."

On his mobility.... "I am finally healthy and it feels good to be able to move around and avoid some pressure."

** Rod Smith, WR On helping the younger guys... "We have a lot of young guys this year who are inexperienced. Once they learn the playbook better and get more action on the field, we will have a more talented offense."

On being consistent... "I try to be productive every day and do as much as possible as often as I can. I just want to help bring these younger guys along and take them under my wing and help show them the offense."

** Eric Brock, SS On the scrimmage... "We started out real fast on defense. We played pretty hard. Toward the end the offense kind of wore down on us a little bit. Overall, I think the defense played pretty well. The young guys came in and had a good day. We have to look at the film and try to make some corrections."

On the upcoming week of practice... "Right now, I think we are right on course. We all have to step up including myself. The seniors have to step us and carry the team. We have to learn to step up into our roles right now and become better leaders. I think we are doing a good job with that right now."

** Josh Thompson, NG On the scrimmage... "It was a long scrimmage. We got a lot of things done. We ran a lot of new fronts. The offense ran a lot of plays they hadn't put in yet or we hadn't seed yet. It was a good day overall. We got a little tired there at the end, but it was a pretty good scrimmage."

On the defense... "I think we are doing pretty good. We have some guys beat up. Sen'Derrick (Marks) and (Jonathan) Wilhite are out, and once we get them back in, we'll be fine. We'll have a little more depth. We'll get some good reps and got a good look at how the defense is going to be."

** Patrick Trahan, LB On the scrimmage... "It was a real physical scrimmage. We learned a lot on both sides, but the defense didn't really play as we wanted to. Still, we went out there and had a great scrimmage. I think it went well all-in-all."

On the defense's performance this spring... "Right now, I think we are starting to come together. The first scrimmage I think we were just a bunch of athletes. We have a lot of speed out there, but now I think we are coming together as a team and making plays as a team."

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