Auburn notes: Eltoro Freeman stays home

Linebacker Eltoro Freeman, who has struggled to adjust from junior-college football to FBS ball and played just two series against Tennessee last week, did not make the trip for Saturday’s game because of “personal reasons,” Gene Chizik said.

Chizik said Freeman is still a member of the football team.

“We’ll take that day by day,” Chizik said. “We’re working through some personal issues. We’ll work that as the days go on.”

With Freeman’s absence and freshman Harris Gaston not making the trip for a second consecutive week because of an unspecified injury, Auburn dressed just four scholarship linebackers for Saturday’s game. That total includes true freshman Jonathan Evans, who has played few meaningful snaps at the position thus far.

Earlier in the week, defensive coordinator Ted Roof said Freeman “just needs to keep working” through his early-season struggles.

“There is no learning curve, or time for you to season,” Roof said. “You’ve got to come play.”

Sophomore Adam Herring started in Freeman’s place.

McFadden hurt
Senior cornerback Walt McFadden’s biggest play of the game ended up being his last.

Following his interception of Ryan Mallett in the second quarter, McFadden was slow to get up before limping to the sidelines. He spent the entire second half on the sidelines, waving a towel and shouting out words of encouragement to the Tigers’ beat-up defense.

Chizik said McFadden, like all of Auburn’s injured players, is “day by day.”

Isom back
Offensive guard Byron Isom, who missed two games while serving a suspension, returned Saturday and resumed his role as the Tigers’ starting right guard.
He played the majority of the game, relinquishing his position only when the game was out of reach.

Before Saturday, Chizik repeatedly said that if Isom returned, he’d “have done everything he needs to do to be in an Auburn uniform.”

McCalebb dinged up
Tailback Onterio McCalebb missed part of the first quarter Saturday after getting hit hard on a kickoff return.

He returned in the second quarter and didn’t show any signs of being injured. He was made available for interviews after the game also — a telling sign that his injuries are minor.

“He’s dinged up anyway,” Chizik said. “I’ve got to give him a lot of credit. He’s fought through a lot of pain as he’s played the last couple of weeks.”

Gulley a no-show
Freshman punt returner Anthony Gulley did not make the trip to Arkansas.

Gulley was knocked out of last week’s game in the first quarter after being “dinged up,” Chizik said.

Philip-Pierre Louis filled the void at punt returner again for the Tigers. He allowed three of Arkansas’ four punts to roll to a stop before returning one for 15 yards, juking by a number of would-be tacklers.

No Wildcat
After running two Wildcat plays on the very first drive of the game, Auburn didn’t run the formation again until late in the fourth quarter.

Kodi Burns rarely saw the field and did not have a pass thrown in his direction when he was.

Offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn said there was a reason behind it, but did not go into specifics.

“He played wide receiver some, but he wasn’t at the Wildcat much,” Malzahn said. “There are some reasons for that. That was our plan coming in.”

Bad time for a fumble
Though the Tigers scored 20 points in Saturday’s third quarter, they could have had more.

After driving 67 yards on the first offensive possession in the second half, Ben Tate and Chris Todd botched a handoff exchange at the 3-yard line. Arkansas’ Jake Bequette fell on top of it and the Razorbacks turned the momentum into a 95-yard scoring drive.

Todd blamed himself for the fumble.

“It’s one of the tougher ones,” Todd said. “We have to get that, especially with us being that close and in that stage of the game.”

By The Numbers
7 – Auburn penalties in the first half.
6 – Clinton Durst punts in the first half
5 – Auburn first downs in the first half
248 – Tigers’ yards of offense in the third quarter