Auburn notebook: Loss brings Tigers down to earth

AUBURN — An ugly loss on the nationally televised opening act to a college football Saturday was more than enough to sway voters’ opinions on the previously undefeated Tigers.

Auburn dropped out of both the Associated Press and ESPN/USA Today coaches’ polls Sunday. The Tigers received 55 voter points in the AP poll and 73 in the coaches’ poll, making them 27th and 26th, respectively, if the polls went beyond 25 teams.

The lack of a number next to Auburn’s name might be a good thing, as coach Gene Chizik said the added national attention this past week may have had a hand in the Tigers’ woeful performance against Arkansas.

“I don’t know how well at 5-0 we handled all the outside stuff,” Chizik said. “Certainly none of those are excuses. We as coaches have to get them ready to play, and they weren’t.”

A number of players talked about a different attitude at Sunday’s brief, one-hour practice in the wake of what many labeled a “wake-up call” at Arkansas.

“I think that gave us a little reality check,” linebacker Craig Stevens said. “Everybody went out there today seeing that we weren’t invincible out there. I feel like everybody’s back focused like we were in the beginning of the season. I think that’s going to pay off in the end.”

According to Pollspeak.com, 19 of the 60 AP voters had the Tigers in their top 25. Tom Hart of CBS College Sports Network had the Tigers ranked 15th — the highest of any voter.

In the one poll that does factor into BCS rankings, Auburn made the cut, coming in at No. 24 in the Harris poll.
The first BCS standings of the 2009 season will be released today.

Injury roundup: Chizik said senior cornerback Walt McFadden, who missed the entire second half Saturday with an apparent knee injury, is his traditional “day by day,” but offered that the staff does not think it’s “anything catastrophic.”

McFadden appeared to injure himself late in the first half, when he intercepted a Ryan Mallett pass near the end zone.

Defensive end Antonio Coleman wore bags of ice on his right wrist and knee to interviews Sunday. He’s worn a cast on his wrist the past two games and will likely have it on for Saturday’s game against Kentucky.

“Those are the only two things kind of holding me back,” Coleman said. “I wouldn’t say holding me back because I’m still playing in every game and giving my best effort.”

Punt returner Anthony Gulley, who didn’t make the trip to Fayetteville on Saturday, could be back for the Kentucky game, Chizik said. Gulley was “dinged up” in the first quarter last week against Tennessee.

Linebacker Eltoro Freeman’s status with the team remains up in the air. Chizik said Freeman, who didn’t make the trip to Arkansas because of “personal reasons,” is still “working through” those issues and remains “day by day.”