By Jon Johnson
It was great to see Spencer Pybus, the former Northview standout, being honored as the Special Teams Player of the Week for Auburn following his performance in the opener against Louisiana-Monroe.
Early last week, there was speculation Pybus would be redshirted during his freshman season.
However, Pybus was on the field Saturday night on the special teams, and obviously did extremely well.
Pybus recovered a fumble on the kickoff to begin the second half, and also recorded a tackle on special teams during the game.
During his senior year in high school, Pybus didn’t get a whole lot of attention from college recruiters despite playing very well at linebacker.
Auburn has given him a chance, and Pybus certainly looks like he will be a good fit for the Tigers.
Good job, Spencer.
Posted by Jon Johnson on 08/31 at 10:32 PM
(0)
Comments |
Permalink
By Jon Johnson
I spent Tuesday morning at Auburn, chatting part of the time with Jackson Timmerman, a former Rehobeth player who will be among those signaling in plays from the sidelines in the Tigers’ new spread offense. The story on Timmerman appears in the Thursday edition.
It’s good to see a kid like Timmerman do well and have a chance to fulfill a dream of playing for Auburn. He’s an excellent student, majoring in Physics, and hopes to be a doctor one day. To tough it out as a walk-on player takes a lot of heart and determination. I’m glad to see it has worked out for him.
I listened in on some other interviews as players were paraded in for the media.
Of course both quarterback, Kodi Burns and Chris Todd, were asked who they thought the starter would be. And both genuinely seemed like they didn’t know. I believe both Todd and Burns will get plenty of playing time Saturday night, and I’ve got the feeling both are OK with sharing the duties in this offense.
Big defensive end Antonio Coleman was asked about the QB situation, and he said he really didn’t care which one started. What’s he’s concerned with is the defense, and he appears chomping at the bit to hit someone in game competition.
I believe all the players have become bored with all the preseason work. They’re ready to get it going.
I’m ready for the season as well.
Posted by Jon Johnson on 08/27 at 10:19 PM
(0)
Comments |
Permalink
By Jon Johnson
It seems like every day when Collin Mickle’s daily notebook arrives in our system following an Auburn practice, there’s yet another report of a Tiger missing in action due to an injury.
Not that there’s been major injuries this preseason, with the exception of Aairon Savage going down with a season-ending knee injury, but there’s definitely been a lot of bumps and bruises hampering players this preseason.
My theory? Here’s thinking Auburn’s really been holding some extremely physical practices - those lay-it-on-the-line practices in trying to separate the men from the boys. There’s seemingly been more practice scuffles than in recent years, which again signals to me some real battles in the trenches.
While injuries can obviously result when players are going at it full speed, I do believe it certainly better prepares the players for the rugged wars ahead in the SEC.
Auburn will ease up in the coming days with opener creeping closer. But come opening night against Louisiana-Monroe, they’ll be able to unleash their fury on an opponent.
They should be chomping at the bit for that.
Posted by Jon Johnson on 08/21 at 07:30 PM
(0)
Comments |
Permalink
By Jon Johnson
OK, so my first attempt at ranking the college football teams is there for all to see in Sunday’s Aug. 17 print edition.
I was asked to be a voter on the AP Top 25 football poll this season, and glady accepted the opportunity. It means having to research some teams I have little interest in, but it’s also a duty I take serious and I’m looking forward to.
My top pick was Georgia, as it was for 21 others of the total 65 voters. The selections were due Aug. 1, before injuries and suspensions hit the Bulldogs. Still, I believe Georgia deserves to start the season in the No. 1 slot based on the way it finished the season a year ago. With that said, Georgia has an unbelievably tough schedule and it will be remarkable if the Bulldogs hold onto the top slot. But if they do some how, some way, go through the regular slate unblemished, there’s no doubt who the top Dawg should be.
I put Auburn at No. 9 because I really believe this team will put a lot of points on the scoreboard this season with its new offense, and I believe the defense is good enough to get the job done despite an inexperienced secondary. But mostly, I believe Auburn can keep a top 10 ranking because of a favorable schedule, which includes home games against LSU, Tennessee, Arkansas and Georgia.
I put Alabama at No. 24 because I do believe the Tide will be a Top 25 team this year despite a rugged schedule. I believe Alabama will pull some upsets this year we may not see coming, but due to lack of depth, we may also see Bama get upset a time or two.
My Top 25 picks will appear in the print edition each week.
Posted by Jon Johnson on 08/17 at 06:54 PM
(0)
Comments |
Permalink
By Jon Johnson
Auburn’s secondary certainly took a hit this week, first with freshman Deron Furr leaving the team, then Aairon Savage going down with a season-ending knee injury.
Of course nobody knows what kind of an impact Furr may have made in the coming days, months or years, but he was a tremendous athlete that had the skills to be special. It will be interesting to see where he lands. I’m sure he’ll be looking for another shot at quarterback, the position he was a star at during his high school days in Columbus.
What’s much more of a loss right now for Auburn, however, was Savage going down. An already thin secondary experience-wise needed the leadership of Savage.
Others will have to step up, and that includes freshmen. Had Furr stuck around, he’d have a chance to compete for early playing time.
Now the door is open for others. It will be interesting to see who comes through.
Posted by Jon Johnson on 08/06 at 09:45 PM
(0)
Comments |
Permalink
