THE SCOOP
Coach Gus Malzahn said Auburn has issued its response to the SEC after Arkansas’ Bret Bielema complained about game tape that the “the TV copy doesn’t match the film copy” received from Auburn. Bielema reported it to the SEC.
Malzahn said Tuesday “the SEC office is aware of all the details on both sides.”
Malzahn: “(We will) always operate with the utmost integrity in everything we do, and if there’s ever anything I don’t know about that’s brought to my attention, we’ll deal with it in a prompt manner.”
Bielema: “On the TV copy, they have a swinging gate at the beginning of the play, which obviously happened. It was on the TV copy. And when we got the video copy from them today, that exact same play doesn’t show any of the gate. … So, I’m sure it’s just a glitch that they’ll get to the bottom of.”
It’s part of a continuing spat between the coaches.
During SEC media days in July, Bielema had his first run-in with Malzahn after the Auburn coach said he thought Bielema’s concerns for player safety in a no-huddle, hurry-up system were “a joke.” Bielema responded then: “I’m not a comedian.”
SHAW SITS
Another week, another couple of missed practices for South Carolina starting quarterback Connor Shaw. A virus that has nagged him for more than a week kept him out of practice for the second day in a row, and he’s questionable for the Mississippi State game Saturday. Shaw missed most of last week with both a virus and a knee sprain that kept him out of much of the game at Missouri, until he entered late and engineered a miracle comeback in double overtime.
MARSHALL UPDATE
Auburn quarterback Nick Marshall was injured in the second quarter Saturday, but seems set to start Saturday at Arkansas. “He practiced Sunday. … It is day-to-day,” Malzahn said. “I was not aware of (the injury when it happened). After the game obviously things were brought to my attention that he tried to run the guy over. We have to do a better job of educating him on when to get down or get out of bounds. … Any time you have a quarterback that didn’t go through spring and you’re still learning about him. Cam (Newton) was the same way. There were times we had to tell him to get down and stuff like that. There’s no doubt in mind that Nick (Marshall) will learn from it and be better for it next time.”
HE SAID IT
“Kicking is a hero or zero. The week before he had a huge game, but last game he had a little struggle there. I would never want another kicker to miss a field goal, but I’m glad that one gives us a chance now.” — Georgia kicker Marshall Morgan about the miss Saturday by Missouri kicker Andrew Baggett.
“Nobody’s comment will ever make me feel worse than what I did on that field. The negative comments, I don’t pay attention to that. That doesn’t affect me.” — Baggett about the social-media hate spewed at him after his miss, noting that his parents still love him and left him brownies and cinnamon-covered roasted pecans after the game.
BY THE NUMBERS
3 Consecutive games that Auburn's offense has produced total-yardage figures that rank in the top 12 in school history.
