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Day 4 of fall practice has come and gone, and while there's a long way to go before the depth chart for Washington State is set, we may be seeing some cream rise to the top. On to the relevant news, notes, tweets and links.
Auburn OC Rhett Lashlee says coaches nowhere near to picking a starting quarterback.
— John Zenor (@jzenor) August 6, 2013
Auburn OC Rhett Lashlee says the next four or five days will be important for the QB race with full pads and scrimmage coming up
— Jason Caldwell (@ITATJason) August 6, 2013
Saw some handoffs: Wallace/Marshall working with CAP, Mason, Grant; Frazier/Johnson with Barber, Ford, Lymon
— Joel A. Erickson (@JoelAEricksonAU) August 5, 2013
Briefly, Jonathan Wallace split out during ST portion to check out Ryan White's handiwork on holding for kicks
— Joel A. Erickson (@JoelAEricksonAU) August 5, 2013
Jonathan Wallace may be atop QB depth chart for the moment. He worked a drill with C Reese Dismukes, RBs Tre Mason and Cameron Artis-Payne.
— Ryan Wood (@AUBlog) August 5, 2013
The coaches may not be willing to comment publicly, but we can make educated guesses based on practice trends. So, Nick Marshall and Jonathan Wallace were working with the top-tier running backs, while Kiehl Frazier and Jeremy Johnson were working with the second group. As College and Mag Twitter follower @autgr4life pointed out, this could be purely coincidence. Frazier and Wallace alternated with first- and second-team offensive players during spring practice, and that could be the case here.
If Marshall and Wallace are indeed the top two candidates for the starting job, the race could come down to whether or not Marshall gets a complete grasp of the offense before Week 1. Ryan Wood of the Opelika-Auburn News thinks Wallace is on top right now, but if he was observing Ryan White holding for kicks, that could be an indicator that he'll be in the backup role (which often includes the holding job).
Johnson named Kris Frost and Cassanova McKinzy as guys who are having good fall camps so far.
— The Auburn Plainsman (@TheAUPlainsman) August 5, 2013
#Auburn DC Ellis Johnson on 'stars' Justin Garrett and Robenson Therezie: "I don't know how many more talented kids we've got, physically."
— Justin Hokanson (@JHokanson) August 6, 2013
Caught glimpse of 1st D: Ford-Carter (E); Wright-Blackson (T); Frost-McKinzy (LB); Davis-Mincy (CB); Whitehead-Holsey (S); Garrett (star).
— Ryan Wood (@AUBlog) August 5, 2013
Back from practice, will have a practice report up soon. Saw Auburn working on Dime with two Stars -- Garrett, Therezie
— Joel A. Erickson (@JoelAEricksonAU) August 5, 2013
The first-string defense appears to be the same as it was at the end of spring practice. Justin Garrett certainly looked like one of the best defensive players on the field on A-Day, and Ellis Johnson appears to hold that sentiment, too. And if Robenson Therezie also looks like on of the best defensive players, that two-star dime package may get more use than otherwise intended.
Johnson on the pass rush: "We're going to have to find some guys who can bring that to the table."
— Joel A. Erickson (@JoelAEricksonAU) August 6, 2013
#Auburn DC Ellis Johnson on Carl Lawson and Elijah Daniel: "I think they'll be really good players. They've shown some impressive things."
— Justin Hokanson (@JHokanson) August 6, 2013
Johnson said the three freshman DLs are going to be "really good players," but didn't put a timeline on when they'll crack the depth chart.
— Ryan Wood (@AUBlog) August 6, 2013
Johnson said Ken Carter played some at left defensive end today, behind Dee Ford. Some younger DEs got a shot on the right side.
— Ryan Wood (@AUBlog) August 6, 2013
While Dee Ford should be fine, the rest of the returning defensive ends haven't done much to prove themselves on the field. The faster Carl Lawson and Elijah Daniel can force their way into significant playing time, the better off Auburn's pass rush will be.
Demetruce McNeal had an infection and a minor surgical procedure, so he's day-to-day, Johnson said.
— Joel A. Erickson (@JoelAEricksonAU) August 6, 2013
Well, that explains that.
Lashlee asked what he's seen out of WRs. He paused. "Umm... a little bit of inconsistency." Lashlee did say Quan Bray is leading the way.
— Ryan Wood (@AUBlog) August 6, 2013
No surprise there. Depending on how the quarterback race comes along, wide receiver should be the weakest position on the team this year. Hopefully, we'll have some other players step up along with Quan Bray -- hey, how about Trovon Reed, who say's he knows it's time for him to step up.
First-team OL appears to be Robinson-Kozan-Dismukes-Slade-Young. Been pretty consistent in media viewings.
— Ryan Wood (@AUBlog) August 5, 2013
Nice to see Avery Young has come back from his injury and is working with the first unit. He was solid early last season before going down with injury. Have to wonder if Jordan Diamond can move his way into the first team at some point.
Lashlee says Tre Mason is durable enough for 20 carries a game, but he feels like they have three guys capable of carrying the load
— Jason Caldwell (@ITATJason) August 6, 2013
Rhett Lashlee says Corey Grant, Johnathan Ford and "maybe some of our wideouts" candidates to run speed sweep, Onterio McCalebb's old job
— Auburn Gold Mine (@AUGoldMine) August 6, 2013
Running game is shaking up as expected. Tre Mason and Cameron Artis-Payne should both get plenty of carries, and it wouldn't be shocking if CAP was the feature back at some point during the season. He's a beast. As for the speed back role, Corey Grant is probably the favorite, but it appears to be up in the air.
Auburn RB Cameron Artis-Payne says he's gained 10 pounds but gotten faster under strength coach Ryan Russell.
— John Zenor (@jzenor) August 6, 2013
Yeah, CAP's a beast.
Aug. 5 video links
The defense working the dime package with two stars (Marcello)
Marshall and Wallace working with the top running backs (Erickson)
O-line works with blocking sleds (Black)