Gus Malzahn only knew one way to describe his 290-pound true freshman running back’s style of carrying the football.

“Big,” the offensive coordinator said of Ladarious Phillips. “Very heavy.”

Saturday, Malzahn and the rest of the Auburn team got to see a healthy dose of the freshman from Handley High.

“That’s probably the most reps he’s had,” Malzahn said. “He was dead tired by the end of it ... He’s 290 pounds. He doesn’t look like a running back. He looks like a pulling guard.”

That’s what Saturday’s “half scrimmage” was all about, coaches said, narrowing down who’s in and who’s out.

“Again, just trying to make some final decisions on who we think will help and who can’t,” Chizik said. “It was a half scrimmage, so a lot of the players that are freshmen and young guys that we just needed to really continue to evaluate got a chance to play a lot, which was good to see them.”
And now, it’s evaluation time.

“I think after today, we’ll have a real good idea about the guys we’re going to go with,” said Malzahn, who also added nothing in particular stood out since the coaches were focused mostly on “the dirty work.”

With less than two weeks before the opening game against Arkansas State, the window of opportunity to make an impression is closing.

“Obviously, we’re in the two-week time frame right now, so, obviously, we’re going to be very smart about how we proceed from here,” Chizik said.

Malzahn ‘close’ to naming backup QB
Cam Newton gave a very short answer regarding the backup quarterback race.

“That’s not up to me,” Newton said. “That’s Gus Malzahn. I’m just Cam Newton.”

He’s also the starting quarterback.

Another scrimmage came and went without an “official” backup signal-caller.

“(We’re) getting closer,” Malzahn said. “Getting real close.”

All four quarterbacks – Newton, fifth-year senior Neil Caudle, sophomore Barrett Trotter and redshirt freshman Clint Moseley – all saw action, according to Malzahn during Saturday’s scrimmage, with the latter three getting most of the reps with Auburn’s younger players.

“They all got a chance to show what they can do one more time,” Malzahn said. “This is the fourth scrimmage, so it’s good. We’ve got a lot of information. We’ve got a good idea of what we’re doing, so it was good to see.”

Malzahn is steadfast on how comfortable he feels with any of the four quarterbacks having to play if the season started tomorrow.

“As for where we’re at right now, we feel solid about our overall quarterback situation that we have four of them we feel like can go in the game and execute really our entire offense,” the offensive coordinator said. “We’ve got four quality quarterbacks. Cam’s our starter, and if something happens, we’d feel good about putting all of them in. And that’s pretty rare. That’s pretty rare. I’ve never had it before.”

Etheridge back at full speed
As he was walking off of Pat Dye Field on Saturday, senior safety Zac Etheridge had a thought.

“I was talking to Aairon Savage walking off the field and I was like, ‘Last time I came out here, I didn’t walk off the field,’” he said. “I’m just blessed to walk off the field after a scrimmage at the stadium.”

For the first time in nearly 10 months after a serious neck injury, Etheridge was able to practice fully with his teammates. He said he didn’t have any concerns or hesitations when he took the field for the first time.

“When I was out there, I was just having fun,” Etheridge said. “I didn’t think about it at all. I came in up in some piles a little bit. I didn’t hesitate.”

What right tackle?
When asked who the starting right tackle will be, offensive line coach Jeff Grimes did his best Gus Malzahn.

“You know how I am … I’m going to hold out as long as I can on that deal because I want those guys keep working, keep battling,” Grimes said. “Guys are all getting better, and that’s what is most important. We’d like to settle on a guy as soon as we can, but really it’s not the big priority for me.

“The much bigger priority is getting the best guys ready, and, either way, we’ve got to develop some depth. That’s something we didn’t have last year.”

Former Auburn High standout John Sullen, A.J. Greene and Brandon Mosley have all been working at the right tackle spot this preseason.

Tigers ranked No. 22
After being ranked No. 23 by the coaches in the USA Today poll earlier this month, Auburn moved up one spot in the Associated Press poll, released Saturday.

With 296 points, the Tigers enter the season at No. 22, according to the AP, 90 points ahead of No. 23 Georgia. Auburn is just four points behind No. 21 LSU.
Alabama was voted No. 1 overall, garnering 54 first-place votes, while No. 2 Ohio State received three first-place nods.

In all, six SEC teams are in the Top 25. Florida is ranked fourth, while Arkansas comes in at No. 17. South Carolina and Ole Miss are also receiving votes.