Auburn football notes: Craig Stevens, Jonathon Mincy miss opener due to suspensions

Chizik remains mum on infractions and length of suspensions

By ANDY BITTER

abitter@ledger-enquirer.com

AUBURN, Ala. — Auburn played its season opener against Arkansas State without starting outside linebacker Craig Stevens and reserve freshman cornerback Jonathon Mincy, who were suspended by head coach Gene Chizik.

Stevens, who had started 26 straight games, was a scratch from the starting lineup and did not appear on the sidelines with his teammates during the game.

“As I’ve said many times, we hold our guys to a certain standard of excellence,” Chizik said. “And that’s on the field, that’s off the field. And if they’re not living up to that certain standard right now, then I’ve got tough decisions that I have to make.”

Junior Eltoro Freeman started in Stevens’ place, with sophomore Jonathan Evans and true freshman Jessel Curry rotating in.

Rumors had swirled for days that Stevens faced some sort of disciplinary measure, although Auburn remained mum until after the game. Chizik did not say how long Stevens or Mincy would be out or whether they would be allowed to practice.

“As I said last year and I’ve said many times, as long as those guys are wearing the Auburn uniform, they’re doing right,” Chizik said. “And if you see him again and he’s dressed out in an Auburn uniform, he will have proved to us that he’s lived up to our standards.”

Stevens, a preseason second-team All-SEC pick, is one of the Tigers’ top defenders, on the watch list for the Butkus and Bronko Nagurski awards. The 6-foot-3, 229-pound Tallahasse, Fla., product was Auburn’s co-defensive MVP last year after finishing second on the team with 95 tackles. He also had eight tackles for a loss and two sacks.

Mincy, a 5-10, 180-pound cornerback from Decatur, Ga., was listed on the two-deep as a backup cornerback, along with fellow freshman Chris Davis.

Back with a bang

Safeties Zac Etheridge (neck), Aairon Savage (knee, Achilles’) and Mike McNeil (leg) made their return to the field Saturday night after missing all or part of last season with injuries.

Savage, who started along with Etheridge, made a good first impression, making five of his seven tackles in the first quarter, including an open field stop on wide receiver Lucious Henderson on third down of Arkansas State’s first drive, which resulted in a punt.

“Every time he came off, I was like, ‘Dang boy, you’re around the ball,’” Etheridge said. “And he was just being Aairon like he was when he left. He ain’t lost a step.”

Etheridge finished with four tackles. McNeil had two.

Happy returns

Quindarius Carr gave Auburn’s long-suffering punt return gave some life. The junior returned five punts for 47 yards Saturday.

He took the first on a hop and split two defenders, getting up field for 11 yards. The second return was his longest, going 18 yards up the middle. The last of the first half went for nine.

Auburn tried a series of punt returners last season but couldn’t find anyone who could consistently catch the ball. The Tigers averaged 4.5 yards per return last season, ranking 113th out of 120 teams in the Football Bowl Subdivision.

Carr averaged 9.2 yards per return.

“We have worked so hard at trying to find a punt returner,” Chizik said. “And he did a good job.”

First time

Twelve true freshmen got their first taste of college action Saturday night: RB Michael Dyer, HB Shaun Kitchens, WR Antonio Goodwin, DT Jeffrey Whitaker and Kenneth Carter, DE Corey Lemonier and Craig Sanders, LB Jessel Curry, S Demetruce McNeal and Ryan Smith, Davis and PK Cody Parkey.

Parkey took over kickoff duties for Wes Byrum after Auburn’s third touchdown. He made a tackle after his first kickoff.

Wide receiver Trovon Reed, one of the top recruits in the class, dressed but did not get in the game because of a bruised knee cap.

Defensive end Nosa Eguae, a redshirt freshman who missed last year with a foot injury, and offensive tackle Brandon Mosley, also played for the first time. Mosley worked some at right tackle and as a tight end in one package.

Uni watch

Auburn wore white shoes with white socks in its season opener, an old-school look that hearkened back to the Bo Jackson era.

The Tigers have traditionally worn black shoes and socks with their blue uniforms in recent years, although they wore white shoes for the Outback Bowl last January against Northwestern.

Quick hits

D.J. Khaled’s “All I Do is Win” won this year’s fan voting for the team’s introduction song. ... A few players did not dress out but were on the sideline during the game: DL Derrick Lykes, who was on crutches, TE Dakota Mosley, TE Robert Cooper, OL Eric Mack, LB Jawara White and FB Ladarious Phillips. ... Defensive tackle Mike Blanc blocked the extra point after Arkansas State’s first touchdown. The Tigers blocked four kicks last year.