Auburn football notes: T'Sharvan Bell responds well to criticism

Coaches told him point-blank that he wasn’t physical enough

By ANDY BITTER

abitter@ledger-enquirer.com

AUBURN, Ala. — Cornerback T’Sharvan Bell isn’t a starter in the Auburn secondary, but the third-year sophomore might as well be.

“He’s right on the brink,” Auburn head coach Gene Chizik said. “The way he’s played so far in the first month, you might as well pencil him in and say he’s a starter as well. He’s played as good as anybody out there in the secondary.”

Bell is the Tigers’ utility man at cornerback, the backup to starters Demond Washington and Neiko Thorpe, able to play on the left or right side and whenever Auburn uses its nickel and dime packages.

“Wherever they need me and wherever they want me to go, that’s where I’ll go,” Bell said.

He wasn’t much of an option last year. Coaches told him point-blank that he wasn’t physical enough.

“I took it personally,” he said. “I didn’t want anybody thinking I was soft out on the field.”

Bell made nine tackles in limited playing time during the regular season but had a breakout performance in the Outback Bowl against Northwestern as part of the Tigers’ patched-together secondary, intercepting two passes.

Bell carried that into the offseason, working on being more consistent and gaining the coaches’ trust in the process.

“He’s become a dependable football player, and I couldn’t say that about him this time last year,” defensive coordinator Ted Roof said. “To his credit, he’s just kept his mouth shut and gone to work.”

No buyer’s remorse

When offensive line coach Jeff Grimes named A.J. Greene the starter at right tackle a week ago, he asked the junior if he is ready. Although Greene responded that he needed to get better, Grimes didn’t sense a lack of confidence.

“I said, ‘Do you have any question if you’re ready to play?’” Grimes said. “He said, ‘No, coach, I don’t.’ And I said, ‘Good, neither do I.’

“He got this big smile on his face. To me, it just said that he had the right attitude. He felt like he needed to keep getting better, but he felt confident. I think he’ll play that way.”

Quick turnaround

Auburn doesn’t have long after the Arkansas State game before it plays at Mississippi State on Thursday in its SEC opener. But Chizik said the Tigers are game-planning ahead.

“The quick turnaround obviously is challenging, but we’re focused on one game at a time,” Chizik said. “And when we hit that week, all our efforts will go into planning and preparing for them, which will be a tough game for us.”

It’s the only time this year the Tigers have a short week. Their Iron Bowl matchup against Alabama is on a Friday but follows a bye week.

Mississippi State is in the same situation next week. The Bulldogs open their season Saturday night at home against Memphis.

First contact

A good portion of Auburn’s freshman class will make its college debut Saturday. Eight true freshmen are on the two-deep on defense, two are on offense and several players will be expected to contribute on various special teams.

Chizik thinks the physicality of the game will be an eye-opener.

“I don’t think that you can really imagine it until you get down to game day and see it and do it,” he said. “I really believe even the speed of game day changes from the speed of practice.

“Especially down there for offensive and defensive linemen, that’s just a whole new world. In high school, they’re used to being bigger than everybody, and now they’re, in many cases, smaller than everybody. It’s a complete learning experience, and it’s an on-the-job deal. No other way you can get used to it.”