AU FOOTBALL: Gulley tries out 2 new spots

Anthony Gulley had never played cornerback for Auburn before practice this week.

But it’s a position he might have to get used to over the season’s final three games.

The 5-foot-9, 176-pound freshman out of Brantley, who is listed as a wide receiver on the depth chart, was one of a myriad of replacement players the Tigers tried out on defense in the second half of their 63-31 win over Furman on Saturday.

And while defensive coordinator Ted Roof said Gulley is an emergency option right now, coach Gene Chizik also said that could change over the next few weeks with Auburn’s defense becoming even thinner after Zac Etheridge’s injury.

“Obviously, Gulley is more of a receiver for us at this point,” Chizik said. “But that doesn’t mean he won’t be a defensive back down the road, or even this week.”

Gulley said he played a number of positions — including cornerback — at Class 1A Brantley, but he’s still making the transition to a college secondary.

“They were trying to get me to back up Walt (McFadden), to give him some time off,” Gulley said. “I’ll remain on defense, I think.
Because we still have no depth on defense.

“It’s OK with me. Whatever I need to do to help us win, I’ll do it.”

Roof said Gulley’s performance wasn’t bad for a first time, even with an abbreviated playbook.

“You’ve gotta be very simple with what you call, and we were,” Roof said. “Where we are depth-wise, you’ve gotta try some different things and give some guys some opportunities.”

If the Tigers didn’t have a crowded backfield, they might want to look at Gulley at running back, too.

Gulley was Auburn’s leading rusher Saturday, rushing five times for 77 yards and the first two scores of his Auburn career — including a 50-yard breakout down the home sideline — all in the second half.

Chizik said it was the first time the freshman had seen snaps in the backfield all season. Even counting practice.

“Now, we’ll all look like, ‘What are we thinking about,’ since he ran a touchdown,” Chizik said. “Really and truly, we’re just trying to survive until the end of the game. It was great to see him do that, he’s a good football
player.”

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