QB Kodi Burns: practices making passes. Auburn’s season begins Aug. 30. PLAINSMAN ARCHIVE
Auburn is counting down the days till its 2008 season opener Aug. 30, against Louisiana-Monroe. With two talented quarterbacks, a new offensive coordinator and a new defensive coordinator, there’s a lot to look forward to.
“In summer practice, we had a lot of guys that really stepped up across the board,” said junior quarterback Chris Todd. “We have a really good rotation going, and I’m excited about the talent we’ve got out there.”
Auburn was picked to win the SEC Western Division title by the league’s media at the 2008 SEC Media Days. Junior defensive lineman Sen’Derrick Marks, who was named to the preseason All-SEC first team, said that based on history, the prediction didn’t hold much weight.
“Our key goal is to win the West and go on to win the championship in Atlanta,” Marks said. “But other than that, I don’t think being picked to win the Western Division puts pressure on us. I don’t think it changes how people look at our game plan or how we are playing, so we are just going out there to play our game. We’re glad we are ranked that high, but predictions don’t mean anything for the football team personally.”
This will be the first season of Auburn running the spread offense, led by offensive coordinator Tony Franklin.
“I think the spread offense really allows you to use all the athletes you have,” Todd said. “We have some great receivers to make plays with. I think the guys are really adjusting to it, and it helps to have some good athletes to do that with. I think it’s coming along well.”
Todd is used to running this offense. The transfer player was praised by head coach Tommy Tuberville as being like a coach on the field to the other quarterbacks.
“Chris has a lot of quarterback savvy,” Tuberville said. “Both Chris and Kodi are good leaders, and that’s what it’s going take. Both are going to be around a few more years. It’s going to be good to watch the system grow around these two.”
During spring practice, defensive coordinator, Paul Rhoads, settled in and brought new enthusiasm for the game.
“I think coach Paul Rhoads is a very good fit for what we are doing here,” Tuberville said. “He understands techniques and fundamentals. He is a very good motivator. He has a tough act to follow from the defense last year.”
The defense is set to hold its strong position from last year. According to Marks, the strength of the defense will lie in the experience of its returning players.
“On all the positions that we lost a person, we had a guy that had a lot of experience last year to step in,” Marks said. “We didn’t lose much. I think that is going to be the strong point of our team — the defense. We didn’t lose too many guys last year, so we’ve got a lot of guys coming back. I don’t think we’ll have a weak point in the team overall, at all.”
