Second scrimmage

My view from the sideline of Auburn's second spring scrimmage, 3/11

• I said earlier that QB Brandon Cox has more on his throws ths spring, and I saw more evidence of that on Saturday. His deep ball, in particular, doesn't hang like it did during the 2005 season. He hit 19 of 30 for 161 yards. His lone interception was a fluke deal. I think Cox is going to be a surprise in the fall.
• TB Tre Smith put up some good numbers during the scrimmage (83 rush, 55 receiving) but fumbled twice. He doesn't have the talent to play in this system if he makes errors. I hate it for him, Tre is one of my favorite players and a truly excellent person, but Eddie Gran will not tolerate fumbles. If anything, Smith hurt his overall case Saturday.
• TB Ben Tate again looked good. I especially liked the flair he showed after a failed sweep play. DB Zach Gilbert ran Tate out of bounds and held on a little longer than he should have. After Tate popped up, he lauched the ball into Gilbert's back. It takes cojones to make a stand against a veteran player -- I don't care who it is.
• S Steve Gandy finished with a lot of tackles, but he didn't have a good scrimmage. Late in the day, he missed two tackles badly by not wrapping his arms around the ballcarrier. He sometimes thinks a hard pop will be enough. DC Will Muschamp was furious over Gandy's missed plays. Gandy is better than Eric Brock. Still, Brock plays more evenly. It'll be interesting to see how Muschamp values these different styles in the fall.
• OLB Tray Blackmon also didn't have a good scrimmage. He didn't play with that same recklessness that impresed everyone last week. Blackmon and Merrill Johnson were battling for playing time on the weak side, though Johnson now is out for the spring with an injury to his left ankle. Maybe the injury gave Blackmon a sense of security. Whatever the case, Blackmon didn't play well Saturday.
• DTs Pat Sims and Tez Doolittle played well during the first half, but tailed off late in the scrimmage. Fitness is the reason. The prevailing thought was that the "heat" made it difficult for the tackles, but those DEs didn't have a problem with it. They racked up 11 sacks. Plus, it was 78 degrees during the scrimmage. That's not hot!
• The OL spent 20-30 minutes after practice doing a "mirror drill", where pairs of players put their hands behind their back and practice shuffling themselves from side to side. It helps lateral agility. It also helps tire the heck out of anyone who attempts to do this drill more than a few times. Coach Hugh Nall had them going over and over again. The problem was on the outside. Oscar Gonzalez and Antwoin Daniels had tough days. OT Andrew McCain also had problems, but he's new to the position. I thought the inside guys played at least adequately. Nall doesn't distingush like that, though. Either the line plays well or it doesn't -- end of story.