Auburn ready to get into game prep.

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Tigers turn focus to Georgia Tech

Auburn ready to shift gears and get into game-week mode of preparation

Sunday, August 28, 2005

By EVAN WOODBERY

Sports Reporter

AUBURN -- The camp began in the hard crabgrass of the intramural fields and ended back at the plush turf fields adjacent to the university's athletics complex.

During the three-week preseason, Auburn's football coaches used the grueling practices to get players ready mentally and physically for the 2005 season. Beginning today, all the focus will be on one game.

The transition from a two-a- days mentality to a game-week mindset should be relatively painless for the Tigers, since coaches have allowed players to get their legs back over the last week. Scout teams were assembled on Thursday and Friday, when preparation began turning to Saturday's opener against Georgia Tech.

Auburn will practice today. There will be meetings on Monday, but no practices. Tuesday is the first regular season press conference for coach Tommy Tuberville, with practice later in the afternoon. By Thursday, practice is usually light and Friday is reserved for a walk-through. On Saturday, at 7:45 p.m., they finally play.

If this preseason season has seemed longer than most, it's because this one has been. The Tigers started practice a week earlier than most schools, partly because class started earlier and Auburn had to sneak in a few two-a-days before school began.

The Tigers will look ahead to Georgia Tech this week. But before full attention turns to the first game, it's worth looking back at the preseason camp's stars and the question marks that still remain.

Pleasant surprises-- Brandon Cox ended spring practice on a somewhat sour note. He had easily won the starting quarterback job, but the offense wasn't gelling quite right.

Fall practice, on the other hand, has been phenomenal. He's had two solid public scrimmages and always looked in command of the offense.

Although Cox has missed parts of several practices with a sore throwing shoulder, the quarterback position is no longer the major area of concern many thought it would be after the departure of Jason Campbell.

-- Sen'Derrick Marks might not even play this year, but he certainly caught the attention of his coaches with a strong preseason camp. The under-recruited true freshman defensive tackle from Vigor played well in drills and in scrimmages. He's still probably destined for a redshirt, but he's put himself in a good position for next year.

Just as expected-- Senior middle linebacker Travis Williams emerged as the leader of the defense with an outstanding camp. He seemed to be involved in just about every tackle during the two scrimmages and was constantly singled out for praise by defensive coordinator David Gibbs.

-- A bad game or two could change this considerably, but a post-camp review of the defense offers little reason for panic about the transition from Gene Chizik to Gibbs. The defense is loaded with veterans and the schemes haven't changed dramatically since Gibbs arrived.

Work in progress-- All the worry about the secondary could turn out to be much ado about nothing, but Auburn's defensive backs will have to prove that on the field. Cornerback David Irons, the best cover man in the unit, has never played major college football. Safety Eric Brock is also untested. Veterans Will Herring and Montae Pitts haven't always been reliable.

-- The same concerns apply to the backfield. Scrimmage numbers can be deceiving, but no running back stood out in the practice games. Tre Smith hasn't even had a chance to go through one of those because of an injury. The running backs will enter Jordan-Hare Stadium on Saturday night as a thoroughly untested unit.