Auburn sustained its first major scare of the preseason Monday when starting cornerback Aairon Savage suffered a knee injury in the final minutes of the Tigers’ third practice.
Savage had deep coverage during an 11-on-11 drill Monday.
On his final play, he leapt to break up a deep pass from quarterback Kodi Burns, landed awkwardly on his right knee and immediately feel to the ground, screaming in pain.
Auburn medical staffers gathered around the junior, stabilized his knee and carted him off the field within minutes. Head coach Tommy
Tuberville said it was too early to judge the seriousness of the injury.
“They said he just came down wrong, twisted it a little bit,” Tuberville said. “They said he had a little pain down there. You don’t want to speculate good or bad.”
Tuberville said Savage would be examined at East Alabama Medical Center if Auburn team doctors believed the injury was serious.
Safety Zac Etheridge didn’t see Savage’s injury, but admitted he’s hoping for the best.
“It was hard to see a guy like Aairon go down, who worked hard every day and has been bothered by a lot of injuries,” Etheridge said. “I’m pretty sure he’ll get well and be back tomorrow or something.”
Savage, who played safety last season, moved to cornerback before the start of spring practice. He won the starting job in spring practice after a competition with fellow junior Walter McFadden.
Even before Savage’s injury, the defensive secondary was a worrisome spot for AU. Only five returning defensive backs — Savage, Etheridge, McFadden, Jerraud Powers and Mike McNeil — had significant experience.
Defensive coordinator Paul Rhoads said at the start of spring practice that a few of AU’s eight true freshman defensive backs were likely to play as rookies, noting that the youngsters were “extremely aware” of the opportunity for early playing time. That group includes former
Central standout D’Antoine Hood.
Etheridge said several rookies stepped up before Savage’s injury.
“The young guys, they’ve improved a lot,” Etheridge said. “They made a lot of plays today on the ball. It’s just exciting to see those guys play today and make plays like that.”
Tuberville said Savage’s injury won’t force AU’s hand when it comes to playing time for the freshmen.
“We were going to have to play some young guys anyway,” he said. “We can’t afford to lose anybody, especially a guy with that experience.”
cmickle@oanow.com | 737-2561
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