AU NOTEBOOK: Breakout game gives Benton confidence

There’s a different DeAngelo Benton walking through the Auburn Athletic Complex these days.

“It’s like he dropped 100 pounds off his back,” wide receivers coach Trooper Taylor said.

Apparently, a breakout game against Furman, which included six catches for 88 yards, was the perfect elixir for the 21-year-old freshman, whose frustration was increasing with every dropped pass and every missed opportunity in the first nine games.

“I just went out with a lot of confidence and played to my ability,” Benton said. “Everything worked out for me.”

The same couldn’t be said for the previous games, when Benton simply couldn’t make his first catch. Though his opportunities have been slim, Benton had a number of chances to officially earn himself a spot on Auburn’s stat sheets, but every pass ended on the ground.

“It was really frustrating, the ones that came to me, I’d drop them,” Benton said. “That’s kind of frustrating when you drop a pass that’s supposed to be caught.”

Benton’s fast friendship with sophomore Darvin Adams made life bearable through his struggles.

Benton and Adams play the same position and competed against each other for the job in August. Adams quickly took a liking to Benton, though, and decided to take the freshman under his wing — even though he’s a year younger than Benton.

“I call him my little big brother,” Adams said. “He looks up to me and I try to teach him the ropes even though I haven’t been in the game that long. I try to teach him the things I know.”

Adams has an SEC-best nine touchdowns and has become Chris Todd’s favorite receiver. It’s been a surprise to most around the college football world, but not to Adams’ “little big brother.”

“When I first met him I knew,” Benton said. “When we first started hanging out I’d seen that when we came to practice, he practiced like he was playing a game so I knew he was going to make a big difference when the season started.”

Tate a semifinalist
Tailback Ben Tate, who has already posted six 100-yard games this season, was named one of 10 finalists for the Doak Walker Award on Thursday.

Tate ranks third in the SEC and 10th in the nation with 114.2 rushing-yards-per-game average. His total of 1,142 yards this season ranks 13th on Auburn’s single-season rushing list, and he ranks fifth in school history with 3,101 career rushing yards.

The other semifinalists are: Donald Buckram (UTEP), Jonathan Dwyer (Georgia Tech), Toby Gerhart (Stanford), Mark Ingram (Alabama), Dion Lewis (Pittsburgh), Ryan Mathews (Fresno State), Jacquizz Rodgers (Oregon State), C.J. Spiller (Clemson) and Ryan Williams (Virginia Tech).

The award, which is given to the nation’s best running back, will be announced Dec. 10.

Wary of the Wildcat
Georgia unleashed a variation of the ever-popular Wildcat offense last week against Tennessee Tech, showcasing the speed of freshman Branden Smith.

The formation, which has since been dubbed the “Wild Dawg” by coach Mark Richt, certainly caught the Golden Eagles off guard, as Smith raced for a 52-yard touchdown.

It’s definitely caught Auburn’s attention, also.

“It’s something that we certainly prepare for because it’s kind of where everybody seems to be going — dabbling with it here and there,” coach Gene Chizik said. “He’s extremely fast and extremely gifted. He poses some problems for you there in that position. We’ve definitely worked it and will continue to work it.”

Change of plans
Richt unveiled a new policy on penalties against Tennessee Tech, pulling out the guilty party immediately after the infraction.

The Bulldogs still committed 11 penalties for 89 yards, which helped maintain their hold on being worst in the nation, with 85 total this season.

“I’m not sure we’ll continue to do that, quite frankly,” he said. “I might have gotten them so tight they couldn’t hold still ... It sends a message, but it also can get guys about as tight as they can get.“

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