just not a very good quarterback. (He says, shuffling his feet, staring down at the floor.) copypasta teh Eagle
AUBURN – Auburn quarterback Kiehl Frazier hears it as he walks around campus. He can’t escape it when he ducks into classrooms.
Auburn fans are disgruntled – with their team, with their quarterback, with everything. The Tigers 1-3 start, the first three-loss September in program history, tasted as sweet as battery acid.
They’ve made little effort to hide their displeasure.
It’s hard for Frazier to disagree. He’s frustrated, too.
“People say this and that,†Frazier said, “but I don’t really take it personally. Winning, that’s the expectation at Auburn. And if you don’t do that, people will be talking about it.
“So, I mean, right now we’re 1-3. So there’s a lot of people off the bandwagon, but if we do what we need to do these next couple games, then people will get back on.â€
Frazier came to Auburn from Shiloh Christian (Ark.) High as the 2010 Gatorade National Player of the Year. Seven interceptions, nine turnovers and two touchdowns through his first four starts have made that a distant memory.
It’s been a learning process for the sophomore quarterback. Pinpointing an answer has proved difficult.
“I definitely didn’t expect to have seven interceptions through four games, but that’s just something I’ve got to work on, decision making,†Frazier said. “That was the first four games that I’ve started, and I know definitely that won’t happen – the next four games, I definitely won’t have seven picks. That’s for sure.â€
Frazier has had time – and ample patience from coaches – to develop.
On the surface, it would seem true freshman Jonathan Wallace is hot on Frazier’s heels. The former Central star entered a game for the first time Saturday against No. 2 LSU, playing the Wildcat quarterback role Frazier held last season.
Auburn coach Gene Chizik said the freshman’s role could expand – with Wallace playing anywhere from zero to 20 snaps – but it won’t change. He’s the No. 3 quarterback, a change-of-pace option who will mostly run the football.
And he’s stuck behind Frazier and backup Clint Moseley.
“The difference is that you're able to really take a guy and work on that small portion of the game, to try to really master that and the comfort level that he's got doing it,†Chizik said, explaining why Wallace will stay in the Wildcat role.
Chizik said he’s pleased with Frazier’s attitude. All season, the sophomore has shown a stand-up-and-take-responsibility perspective.
Sometimes, he takes it too far.
There’s a reason his critics don’t get to him. His standards are higher than anyone else’s could ever be. After laying a dud at Mississippi State – with five turnovers and zero touchdowns – Frazier said he made mistakes on 75 percent of plays.
Chizik said the assertion was preposterous.
It’s been like that every week – the bad outweighing the good in Frazier’s mind, a youngster beating himself up mentally.
“I think he's very tough on himself,†Chizik said. “When you're a quarterback and you're a competitor, you're probably your biggest critic. I think Kiehl knows and he sees that there's a lot of improvement left out there for him as well, but he's a competitor.
“At times he’s doing some better things and at times he’s reverting back to some things that he still needs to improve on. He’s got to get back there, he’s got to set his feet, he’s got to make a decision, throw the ball. There’s obviously a lot of room for improvement as well but he did some nice things too. It’s a journey and it’s one that he’s got to continue to grow.â€
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