Senior linebacker Lee Ziemba is jumping off the line and into a successful senior season.
"You work all year, every day of the year, and you get 12 opportunities to win a ball game, and you win one of those, it's huge," Ziemba said. "Everything revolves around what you came here to do and to win a ball game is just--you can't describe it. It's that amazing."
After a sidelining injury last Thursday night against Mississippi State, there has been speculation about the senior offensive lineman's playing status.
"I had a little injury Thursday night," Ziemba said. "I can't tell you how many students came up to me and made sure I was alright just walking around campus. It meant so much to me."
Ziemba practiced at full-speed Tuesday and said his knee is fine.
He said he has high hopes for the team this year.
Starting every game since 2007, Ziemba has almost broken Will Herring's school record for most career starts.
But to Ziemba, starting a game isn't as important as finishing it.
Ziemba says he has had to adjust to Cam Newton's scrambling and rushing abilities with a different kind of blocking.
"When you have Cam back there, you need to make sure you stay on your man longer because you never know where Cam is going to be," Ziemba said.
During Ziemba's career, he has had experience with multiple coaching staffs and been on three different offenses.
"From the first year into that second year, we totally changed what we were doing up front," Ziemba said. "Then, of course, from that year to Coach Malzahn\0xAD--when he came, it's totally different there too. It's taken time, but it's almost like changing was the norm."
Ziemba said the 2009 season has been his most memorable.
"I still think last year's football season was the pinnacle," Ziemba said. "This year could be better--the jury's out for that. But right now, it was last year's football season. It was just a blast."
Despite the thousands of fans, Ziemba said he focuses on doing his job to the best of his abilities every Saturday.
"First of all, I try to read the guy I'm blocking," Ziemba said. "'Is he tight on me? Is he wide on me? Is there a guy standing outside of him?' If I see all those things, it makes my job a little bit more clear. From there I look at the secondary. If the safeties are rolled to my side and tight on that cornerback, and we're into the boundary, then I know that that corner has a possibility to come. So there is a lot of things to be looking at out there."
According to Ziemba, the older he gets, the more he ends up studying at home.
However, he said he makes it a point to make time for younger players off the field.
"We try and do as much as we can for the young guys," Ziemba said. "They're full of energy and full of life. It's fun to be around them."
Senior linebacker Josh Bynes said he has noticed a change in Ziemba this season.
"He's getting a little more vocal than he usually is," Bynes said. "Sometimes he'll step out there and say some things, especially on Fridays when we have our team get-togethers before devotion. We see, as a team, that he's growing as a leader on this team, and I'm looking forward to him keeping that going."
Post-Auburn, the NFL hopeful plans on training and ultimately getting drafted.
"It's been my dream since I was a little kid," Ziemba said.
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