AU FOOTBALL NOTEBOOK: Quarterbacks get taste of contact

The reward ended up outweighing the risk, coach Gene Chizik determined, so Auburn’s quarterbacks shed their orange, non-contact jerseys in the second half of Saturday’s scrimmage.

“You’ve got to be able to gauge when you’re trying to measure two or three close guys in a battle right now, what’s going to separate them,” Chizik said. “And two-hand tag is hard to separate them.”

The decision did not result in whimpers from the three competing quarterbacks.

“It didn’t bother me at all,” Burns said. “Actually, going live as a quarterback, you should look forward to that. That way guys can’t say, ‘Hey, I got you down, I sacked you.’ When you’re live, they have to really get you.”

With the race for quarterback at a virtual deadlock, offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn said he needs every little bit of information before he narrows the field — something he previously said he wanted to do as soon as possible.

“When you’re truly competing, we want our quarterbacks to have that hard edge, too,” Malzahn said as a smile crept across his face. “I’m able to evaluate a lot clearer when you do that. So I like the fact we did that.”

Too fast
Ben Tate exhibited a bit of frustration after Saturday’s scrimmage.

Auburn’s offense was moving as fast as advertised, he said, and the defense couldn’t keep up. Chizik opted to tap the brakes, so the unit could catch their breath and reorganize.

“I feel like it’s a competition. If you’re keeping score, let us go,” Tate said. “He was giving them an advantage right there. I was getting mad there at the end once we lost. I was like ‘That’s not fair.’

“You could see the guys on defense; they weren’t even set. Coach was holding us back.”

The offense’s speed drew rave reviews from players on both sides of the ball.

“They knew that we were tired,” cornerback Walter McFadden said. “They told us just to push through it, push through it, because in practice we only go like four plays and then the next group comes in, but today we went up against a good offense.”

Auburn’s assistants, who were also getting their first taste of Malzahn’s speed-crazed offense in a live atmosphere, reacted similarly, if not more gushingly.

“Lemme tell you, Malzahn’s a genius, fellas,” wide receivers coach Trooper Taylor said. “Write it down. I’m telling you, he is the real deal, folks. I made the right decision, I can promise you that. I’m excited. I’m more excited than them probably (pointing toward a wide receiver).

“I’m geeked about being in this offense.“

Auburn lands two commitments
Auburn landed its second and third commitments Saturday on opposite sides of the ball.

Pelham linebacker Jake Holland and Atlanta wide receiver Shaun Kitchens announced their allegiance to Auburn’s Class of 2010, according to AuburnSports.com.

Holland, a 6-foot-1, 228-pounder who runs a 4.56 40-yard dash, picked Auburn over Ole Miss, Stanford, UCLA, Vanderbilt, Colorado, Kansas State, Duke and UAB. Kitchens, a 6-foot-3, 211-pounder, chose the Tigers over a number of other offers including Michigan State, West Virginia, Georgia Tech, Ole Miss, Mississippi State, South Carolina, Kentucky, Duke, Maryland and N.C. State, according to the Web site.

Holland and Kitchens are Auburn’s first two commitments since Florida kicker Cody Parkey committed in November 2008.

Coulahan leaves team
Offensive lineman Kyle Coulahan has left the team, Chizik said Saturday. It is uncertain if or when he will return.

“Kyle is facing some academic issues,” Chizik said. “At this time, right now, he’s decided that’s where he’s going to place his focus. We had a great conversation and that’s kind of where he feels like he needs to go and I was a good listener.”

Coulahan rarely saw the field in his two years at Auburn, but his departure further decimates an already depleted Auburn offensive line. The Tigers now have eight scholarship linemen on their spring roster with just two incoming freshmen on the way.

Fannin still on the mend
From all indications, H-back Mario Fannin did not see the field Saturday, as he continues to nurse a “turned” right ankle.

“Mario’s a little banged up right now,” Chizik said, “so we’re being really smart with him.”

Blip blap
Taylor, always affable with reporters, offered up another “Trooper-ism” after Saturday’s scrimmage.

In response to his wide receivers’ physicality during running plays, Taylor used a unique phrase in describing their unwillingness to levy cheap shots on their own teammates.

“We’re being smart,” Taylor said. “If a guy’s not looking at you, we’re not taking cheap shots. In a game, that’s a blip blap, but out here, that’s your buddy, so we’re not going to do that.”

Defined by Taylor, a “blip blap” is “when you hit him, he goes ’blip’ and then the next thing you hear when he hits the ground is ’blap.’”

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