News of the day, 9/18

Hey everyone. Practice ended around 10:15 a.m. Several players were made available afterward, though quarterbacks now are off-limits after Sunday. Interesting decision. That's one way to deflect speculation.

I forgot to post my AP poll vote on Monday. I have listed that below.

Thanks for your role in making this the HOTTEST Auburn blog on the 'net.

CB Jae Wilhite (hamstring) said today that he's 95% and plans to play against New Mexico State this weekend. Auburn will need him. The Aggies play a frenetic, pass-ish attack that will require frequent substitutions throughout the secondary. More bodies means more options. For the Pat Lee (aka Pee Lee) fans out there, he'll probably fall behind Wilhite. Still, since he's now the No. 1 nickel back, he'll start.

OL Jason Bosley said that today's practice was Auburn's best of the season. He thinks the team has turned a corner as far as accepting weaknesses and working harder to fix those weaknesses. I'd say it's almost impossible for this team to be arrogant right now.


Your weekly "Tuesdays with Tommy" segment can be found here around 1:40 p.m. Check back then.

*On the QBs: "We haven't decided who will be starting. Both will play. We're not going to have a two-quarterback system where they're in and out on every play."

*On how Kodi Burns affects the offensive line: "Most of the blocking is the same. Kodi running it is just like a tailback running."

*On Rob Dunn's punt returns: "That's been a highlight for us. Last year, he was a little apprehensive on what we were doing and how we were doing it."

*On Brandon Cox: "We have not given up on Brandon Cox. He could be at full tilt this weekend."

*On teammates picking sides in the QB battle: "There's no division. They're not taking sides. Everybody wants to win."

*On getting better: "This is going to be a good football team -- whether it's next week or four weeks from now."

*On the injuries: "Crying over spilled milk never solved any problems."

*On the team's problems: "We've been beating ourselves. That's what's hurt the most."

*On what AU is going to do about that: "We'll make some changes. We're not really satisfied in a lot of areas."

*On the team's attitude: "If we keep the same attitude and work ethic, we'll win games this year."

*On NMSU's offense: "It's a little unusual."

*On the effect NMSU's offense will have on AU's defense: "It'll be a long night for our defense. No matter what happens, they'll be on the field for a long time."

*On his mental state: "It's been an awfully long two weeks."

Here are your top defensive producers from the Mississippi State game, followed by your overall top defensive producers. Players are given points for doing significant things correctly. They are docked points for missing assignments, missing tackles, penalties or loafing:

FROM MSU GAME:
DT Pat Sims -- 19
SS Zac Etheridge -- 19
CB Jerraud Powers -- 17
LB Chris Evans -- 15
DT Sen'Derrick Marks -- 14
DE Antonio Coleman -- 14
CB Pat Lee -- 13

OVERALL:
Evans -- 72
DE Quentin Groves -- 65
Coleman -- 65
Sims -- 55
Etheridge -- 46
Powers -- 39

Here are your team defensive goals for the MSU game:

Win: NO, 19-14
Allow 13 pts or less: **YES, 12
Allow 3.3 yards per carry or less: NO, 4.3
Allow 5.0 yards per pass or less: YES, 1.9
Create at least 3 turnovers: NO, 0
Allow no big plays (defined as 15+ rush or 20+ pass): NO on run (1); YES on pass (0)
Allow no TDs inside "red area": NO
Force opponent to convert less than 30% on 3rd down: NO, 44%

Also, MSU's YAC (yards after catch) number was 87

**=Seven of MSU's points came on an interception return for touchdown.

In the interest of full disclosure: Here is my AP poll ballot from this week. My ballot and those of all AP poll voters are posted each week.

1. LSU
2. Southern Cal
3. Oklahoma
4. West Virginia
5. Cal
6. Penn State
7. Florida
8. Texas
9. Oregon
10. Wisconsin
11. Ohio State
12. Missouri
13. South Carolina
14. South Florida
15. Hawaii
16. Texas A&M
17. Rutgers
18. Virginia Tech
19. Georgia
20. Kentucky
21. Louisville
22. Clemson
23. Alabama
24. Boston College
25. Air Force


-----NON-AUBURN MATERIAL-----
On a personal note: I'm having some issues with my sweet Samsung HD LCD. There is some kind of lag or synchronization problem when playing Guitar Hero 2 on XBox 360. I'm always a fraction of a second late on notes. I never had this problem on my old SDTV. I tried hooking up the XBox to another LCD (an LG 42" 720 LCD) and there was no lag. I still have three weeks to return my Samsung to Best Buy. I may end up doing just that. Not having Guitar Hero 2 (and 3 in a few months) would be a deal-braker.