News of the day, 8/17

Hey everyone. How YOU doin'? Auburn has completed its second practice, which began at 6:45 or so this evening. Information from that event is below.

Auburn's offense, which struggled in the first scrimmage, was better this time around. Tommy Tuberville said the running and passing games were much more efficient and effective. DE Quentin Groves said he could see a major difference in the offensive line's approach. Much tougher.

Since the media wasn't allowed to watch, I can't share any official data. QB Brandon Cox said he threw a 15-yard touchdown pass to WR Rob Dunn, who also caught a 40- or 50-yard pass that didn't end with a touchdown. Tuberville said freshman Chris Slaughter caught several balls. Cox said Slaughter was working with the second- and third-team offense.

Tuberville said he liked what the running backs accomplished. Cox said sophomore Ben Tate scored on some short touchdown runs during a two-minute drill.

Several important players didn't participate: WR Montez Billings (hamstring), TB Carl Stewart (hamstring), LB Bo Harris (shoulder) and OL Leon Hart (ankle). Tuberville said QB Neil Caudle won't need surgery. He'll be back in 4-6 weeks.

Cox said he caught a halfback pass from Mario Fannin. "I caught it," he said. ``I don't know how fast I was after that."

Tuberville said he liked what he saw from the kicking game. He said the team will announce No. 1s at both punter and placekicker today.

The scrimmage lasted 130 plays. The first- and second-team offenses handled most of that work. Freshman Kodi Burns ran the third-team offense during the final two series. Tuberville said Burns wasn't nearly as effective this time. He was creating on the fly last week. Forced to stay in the pocket on Friday, Burns struggled.

Auburn practices today beginning at 10:30. I'll have plenty of reaction from assistant coaches and players during the afternoon.

I recently was talking with a fellow scribe, Huntsville Times ace Phillip Marshall, about how Auburn's defense looks so much better than the offense. It's remarkable. Phillip thinks this could be one of the truly great defenses in recent Auburn history. I'll have to see that to believe it, though I think it's possible.

This defense will be better than last year's edition. There is a lot of power and skill up front, a once-in-a-generation player at middle linebacker (Tray Blackmon) and several excellent players in the secondary. The pieces are there.

Let's assume for a moment that Will Muschamp's defense finishes among the top 10 in points per game and yards per game. Would it be appreciated when paired with an offense that can't score? I'm not ready to dog the offense just yet, but I don't see many playmakers. Rod Smith, Rob Dunn, Chris Slaughter and Mario Fannin look like possibilites (provided Slaughter plays) but none of them have been featured guys before.

I know everyone is smitten with the TEs. Yes, I think Tommy Trott is an outstanding offensive player. I don't list him as a playmaker because, well, it's impossible to make plays when they throw to the TEs twice per game. I wonder if that changes this season.