AU NOTEBOOK: Wildcats cramming for Malzahn exam

TAMPA, Fla. — Northwestern senior safety Brad Phillips has spent a lot of time in the film room the last three weeks.

“Too many than I want to say,” he said.

It’s taken that long for him, and the rest of the Wildcat defense, to get a grasp on Auburn offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn’s Wide World of Fun offense.

But all those hours in front of game film is worth it.

“It’s a lot of hard work, especially for our seniors,” Phillips said. “This is something we want to do and something our team has a goal of starting in the beginning of last year winter when we came out of the Alamo Bowl with a sour taste in our mouth.

“I feel like our guys are committed and making the right decisions and putting the time in we need to come out on top.”

And for as much time as the defense has put into figuring out Auburn’s offense, the Northwestern offensive players have sure heard all about it.

“I’ve heard from my roommates,” Northwestern quarterback Mike Kafka said. “I’ve heard they run a whole bunch of different stuff. I’m sure they’ll have some new wrinkles in.”

And that’s something Kafka said is exciting not only as a fan, but a football player.

“In a bowl game, you know it’s always fun to watch because you don’t know (what’s coming),” he said. “It’s the last game and there’s really nothing to hold back.”

And that goes for defenses, too, as Kafka isn’t sure what to expect from the Tigers in that department either.

“They’re very sound — very sound defense,” he said. “They’re a very talented team. They bring some pressure – they’ve got some man stuff. So we’re excited to see what they’ve got for us.

“I’m sure they will have a different plan than what they’ve shown on film. So we’re anticipating something, we don’t know what, but we’ll find out on Friday.”

Talk to me later about it
Junior offensive tackle Lee Ziemba said Monday that he hasn’t even thought about the possibility of foregoing his senior season and entering the NFL Draft one year early.

“I’m focusing on the bowl game right now,” he said. “That’s something that’s in the future that we’ll have to look at but I’m not focused on that right now. I’m focused on playing Northwestern and beating them.”

Most scouting sites do not project where a junior would land in the draft unless it is a big-name, marquee player. Ziemba is currently ranked as the 10th best tackle in the class of
2011, according to CBSSports.com.

Ziemba was named second-team All-SEC by the leagues’ coaches and received honorable mention from the Associated Press this season.

Join the club

Safeties coach Tommy Thigpen said he was shocked just like everyone else with the news that Florida coach Urban Meyer would take an indefinite leave of absence as Florida’s head coach.

Thigpen spent two years as Meyer’s cornerbacks and special teams coach at Bowling Green in 2001 and 2002 and was recently rumored to have interviewed for the vacant safeties coach position with the Gators.

“He was passionate at a young age,” Thigpen said. “Urban runs probably a couple miles a day if I can remember. I never thought that he would be resigning at this point in his career, but if I know Urban, he’ll take some time off and he’ll be back.”

We’re talking ‘bout practice
Auburn’s second of five practices certainly had better weather Monday, and the efficiency and crispness followed suit, coach Gene Chizik said.

“I thought the focus was much better,” Chizik said. “They got our message and it was really just trying to get our team refocused after a couple of days off. I feel like we did that today.”

Auburn will practice again this morning before heading to a team luncheon. The Tigers will spend the night at Gameworks in Ybor City.

The Tigers and Wildcats spent Monday afternoon at Busch Gardens. Coaches and families were also invited and they certainly didn’t pass up the opportunity.

“They’re going to have to dynamite me out of there,“ wide receivers coach Trooper Taylor said hours before the trip. “The receivers are going to meet as a group and we’re going to see who can ride the most roller coasters. The money’s on me, I’m telling you.“

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Mike Szvetitz contributed to this report.