Live Blog: Auburn A-Day

Barrett Sallee brings you live coverage of the Auburn A-Day Game. Kickoff at 2:00 p.m. ET. Click refresh on your browser every few minutes for up-to-date info.

Hello and welcome to live coverage of the 2009 Auburn A-Day Game presented by the U.S. Navy. Kickoff is set for 2:00 p.m. ET. Click refresh on your browser every few minutes once the game starts for up-to-date coverage. If you have questions you'd like me to answer during the game, e-mail me at and I'll do my best to answer them.

New head coach Gene Chizik's team has suffered through numerous injuries this season. So much so, that he is incorporating a funky scoring system for today's game.

Scoring for the offense will be as follows: touchdown, 6 pts.; field goal, 3 pts.; explosive play (15+ yard play), 2 pts.; three consecutive first downs, 2 pts.; PAT, 1 pt.

The defense will score points based on seven scenarios: touchdown, 7 pts.; turnover (Unless TD), 5 pts; sack, 4 pts; blocked field goal,3 pts; three and out, 2 pts; tackle for loss, 2 pts; blocked PAT, 1 pt.

Got it? Good. Now let's tee it up...

Pregame
It's an overcast day here on the plains. The sun is trying to make an appearance, but no dice yet. Auburn's special teams are out on the field warming up. Coach Chizik stressed the importance of kickoffs in the spring, and not one kickoff has made it to the end zone thus far. QB Barrett Trotter is out of this one, and for 2009, after tearing his ACL on Thursday in practice. Here's a shot of our vantage point up here in the press box. We will have shots of the game once they kickoff.



Getting set for kickoff. Pre-game introductions underway. Wes Byrum hit a 45-yard field goal with the entire team standing around him yelling and screaming. Quite impressive. Here's a shot of new offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn shortly before kickoff.



First Quarter
Kodi Burns in at quarterback to start it off. Ben Tate broke off a 10-yard to start if off, and just scampered 46 yards, untouched, straight up-the-middle for a touchdown. Touchdown drive of five plays and 76 yards to start if off. Burns was 2-for-2 on the drive for 8 yards. It appeared that the unit was essentially the first stringers. Tate has said for a while that he is faster than people give him credit for, and he proved it there. He was running away from the secondary.



Neil Caudle in to start off the next drive, and promptly completes two short passes, before getting sacked. The no-huddle style run by Malzahn's offense is not the same as Tony Franklin ran last season. The linemen line up in a semi-huddle, with the backs and receivers out. It's not as sporadic and disjointed as the offense looked prior to plays last year.



Kodi Burns with a 41-yard pass down the middle to Mario Fannin. It was, however, hardly a strike. It was into double coverage and should have been intercepted by Brandon Evans, who tipped it to Fannin. After a 15-yard facemask penalty on Evans, Tate takes it in from nine yards out. Tate ran right, and cut back to the middle of the field. Again, he wasn't touched.

End of the first quarter, Offense 16 - Defense 4.

Second Quarter
Neil Caudle sacked twice on a three and out. He's not getting any time. On top of getting no protection, he got a bad snap on that drive. Michael Goggans got him once, and the team got him the second time.

First play from scrimmage, Terrell Zachery takes it 70-yards on a reverse for a touchdown. He tight-roped the final 10 after running by the safety. The new offense appears to based around the big play, and Auburn certainly is doing that today.



Neil Caudle completed one pass on his next drive, but still isn't getting any help. Darvin Adams dropped a pass that was right in his hands that would have extended the drive.

Caudle is out with the first team now, completed a pass to Fannin, and then ran out of time.

Halftime score, Offense 23 - Defense 16. If you took the halftime under, you're a winner!

Halftime stat leaders:
Kodi Burns - 3-5, 48 yards
Ben Tate - Four carries, 72 yards and two touchdowns
Mario Fannin - Two catches for 50 yards
Matthew Sample - Five tackles
Michael Goggans - One sack and two tackles-for-losses

Third Quarter
Burns back in a quarterback. Justin Albert in at running back, and promptly pops off a 16-yard gain on the zone read. Auburn's running backs are getting into space, just like Malzahn intends. Burns went deep down the middle on third down to Derek Winter, who had a step. Pretty pass, but Winter had to lay out and couldn't hang on. Burns definitely has a cannon, but his accuracy has been the problem. It wasn't on that pass. It was perfectly placed over the defense where only Winter could catch it.

Neil Caudle back in with Onterio McCalebb at running back, and McCalebb takes it 70 yards on the first play, straight up the middle for a touchdown. The offense certainly looks more potent than last year.



Caudle stays in at quarterback, and is airing it out. He starts with a 21-yard completion to Darvin Adams, overthrew Adams for a sure touchdown, then completes a 45-yard pass to Quindarius Carr, before hitting Fannin on a 4-yard touchdown pass. Very impressive work from Caudle, showing off his arm on consecutive plays that drive.



Burns under center, and can't get the offense going. A decent scramble was negated by a holding call. An incompletion and a small gain on the ground from Burns, ends the drive.

End of the third quarter, Offense 43 - Defense 22

Fourth Quarter
Mario Fannin is quite impressive. Caudle found him just short of the first down on the near sideline on a third down play. Fannin spun past two defenders and gained another 15 yards. On the very next play, Caudle connects with Darvin Adams on a corner route for a 34-yard touchdown. Caudle is showing why he is leading the quarterback race now that he's with the first unit. He couldn't have placed that pass any better.



Backups in for a series. Brent Poole under center and Michel Alexander at running back. Alexander quickly pops off a 20-yard run down the far sideline. Drive stalls when Poole and Alexander fumble the exchange. Defense recovers.

Burns back in under center with the first teamers. Fannin breaks off a 16-yard run down the left sideline. Poole returns to take the snaps mid-drive as the game begins to wind down. Wes Byrum with a 46-yard field goal attempt that sails through the uprights.



Reserves still in as the clock winds to zero. Byrum in again to attempt a 51-yard field goal falls just short of the cross bar as time expires.

Final score, Offense 57, Defense 31

The question mark coming into the game was the progress of Auburn's offense under Malzahn, and it certainly appears to be an upgrade from the past two seasons. The first team will be able to move the ball in the SEC. The real question mark is depth. The second team offense didn't move the ball all that much no matter who was taking the snaps. Big plays ruled the day, which is just what Malzahn came in to do.

Auburn's defense was banged up, and it showed a bit when they were tested down the middle on deep and intermediate passing routes.

It was a better showing than I expected from Auburn and first-year coach Gene Chizik. This team certainly appears serious. As the players file out and prepare for the on-field autograph session, assistant coach Trooper Taylor has his receivers and tight ends running suicides on the other end of the field. A lot of people questioned the hire of Chizik, but he and his staff promised to work hard, and it showed today.

Final stat leaders: Neal Caudle - 11-for-16, 161 yards, two touchdowns
Kodi Burns - 3-for-8, 48 yards
Onterio McCalebb - Two carries, 75 yards, one touchdown
Ben Tate - Four carries, 72 yards, two touchdowns
Darvin Adams - Four catches, 103 yards, one touchdown
Mario Fannin - Four catches, 71 yards, one touchdown
Matthew Sample - Six tackles
Michael Goggans - One sack, two tackles-for-losses

Barrett Sallee covers the SEC for www.CollegeFootballNews.com. He can be reached at