Taking stock, 11/11

Hey everyone. Hello again and welcome to our (semi) weekly stock report, which is a light-hearted look at what's happening with Auburn's football program. The Furman game was at least somewhat entertaining, for reasons we'll discuss below, and that means we have some market movement.

I hope you sold PPL before it was de-listed.

UB Eric Smith: That's U.B. for utility back. He has been a subtle-yet-substantive element of the Tigers' attack this season. Smith, aka Piston Hurricane (from "Punch-Out" fame), has been a beast on third down as a receiver. He also showed surprising quickness as a tailback last week, though maybe Furman had something to do with that.


KR Philip Pierre-Louis: Surely that's a wrap, right? He initially was scared of the ball against Furman, then decided to field a punt while running backward. He fumbled. The Paladins recovered. PPL also had a negative return. Think Worldcom with this stock: Here today, gone tomorrow.


WR D'Angelo Benton: His stock was dropping last week after all but disappearing from the Tigers' enterprise, but he caught six balls against Furman. And he looked good doing it. Was it all a mirage? Benton surely didn't think so, proclaiming afterward that he will become an offensive fixture before long. I'm not sure about that, but I'm certain Benton has some skills.


LB Adam Herring: The guy must be cursed. He's useless last season, endures painful surgery during the offseason, falls into a plum role earlier this season and now he's again injured. Gene Chizik said it's the same problem, too. Auburn desperately needs Herring as (at the very least) a fall-back option in case of injury. That apparently won't happen. Chizik said freshman Jonathan Evans is the No. 4 guy right now.


S Demond Washington: He has closing speed and can become fearless when needed. Say that for him. With Zac Etheridge out for the season, Washington, a cornerback by trade, has made the move to strong safety and looked good against Furman. Yeah, it was Furman. I was impressed with Washington's acceleration and direct approach toward tackling. Georgia will find ways to test him this weekend, but he may be up for the big challenges. He has a lot of guile -- and some skill.


WR Travante Stallworth: He was knocked from the Furman game with what looked like a knee injury and, honestly, things don't look good. Chizik, as always, was evasive when asked about the freshman's status. Anecdotal information suggests Stallworth is headed for surgery, which robs Auburn of another up-and-coming playmaker. I think he has star potential, though some people I trust think he'll settle in as an average wideout. We shall see.