Auburn's Gene Chizik to play linemen Jamar Travis, Andre HarrisBy Evan WoodberySeptember 28, 2009, 5:25AMAUBURN, Ala. -- When Auburn coach Gene Chizik yanked the redshirts off two young linemen Saturday, it was a clear indication of Auburn’s philosophy as it enters a perilous month of October.All hands are needed on deck in games that will magnify even Auburn’s smallest weaknesses."We’re getting to that point in the year where things happen and we’ve got to make tough decisions," Chizik said.Defensive tackle Jamar Travis and offensive lineman Andre Harris, both true freshmen, made their first appearances of the season Saturday in Auburn’s 54-30 victory over Ball State. They will fill reserve roles on the line and also play on special teams, where Auburn has been trying to find the best personnel fits through four games.The Tigers (4-0, 1-0 SEC) venture away from Jordan-Hare Stadium for the first time Saturday. They play Tennessee (2-2, 0-1) at 6:45 p.m. at Neyland Stadium and finish the month with games against SEC opponents Arkansas, Kentucky, LSU and Ole Miss."We know heading into October, it’s going to be a tough month, and we’re going to have to play much better on all levels in every phase of our game to be able to win some games this month," Chizik said.Auburn’s overall depth has been a concern from the start of the season, but the Tigers generally have been able to avoid major injuries. But the lack of bodies has created a predicament for coaches, and the first manifestation has been on the struggling special teams.That’s where players like Travis and Harris come in.Travis made an immediate, albeit unlikely impact, on special teams Saturday when he called for a fair catch on a short kickoff in the fourth quarter. Travis briefly bobbled the ball, but held on."They know the lay of the land," Chizik said. "We talk to them and say, ‘Look, this might not have been our intent from Game 1, but this is where we’re at now.’ ... Numbers-wise, we’re not where we need to be. If somebody can help us win, we’ve got to play him."Auburn enters the heart of its schedule as one of the nation’s top offensive teams.Auburn is third in the nation in total offense (526.3 yards per game), third in scoring offense (45.3 points), fifth in rushing offense (261.3 yards) and sixth in pass efficiency (168.7). But the Tigers lag in other categories, especially special teams.Auburn’s net punting (32.6 yards) is 102nd out of 120 Bowl Subdivision teams. The Tigers are 11th in punt returns (2.9 yards per return). Kickoffs aren’t much better. Auburn is 84th in kickoff returns and 85th in kickoff return defense.Chizik said Auburn would continue its search for a punt returner after the Tigers had more problems with drops and muffs on Saturday."We’ll continue to say the same things every day," he said. "Somebody’s just got to step up to the plate. I mean, we’re spending a lot of time on it, but they’ve got to do it in a game. It’s really, really disappointing right now. We just got out of a team meeting and I told them, ‘It’s very, very disheartening that we spend so much time and we still can’t find somebody to catch a ball.’"Anthony Gulley and Mario Fannin have juggled the responsibilities, but both players have had problems."We’ve discussed everybody from my son, who is 9, to Jamar (Travis), who caught it twice," Chizik joked. "We’re looking for answers right now."
3 Replies
1012 Views