Auburn’s thin secondary took a hit with the news that starting cornerback Aairon Savage will miss the season after undergoing suffering for a torn ACL that occurred on a play in Monday’s practice. He had surgery Wednesday.
“(Dr. James Andrews) said it looked good for him,” coach Tommy Tuberville said. “Not for the rest of the season, but (he has) an opportunity to heal well. That was good news.”
Savage, who played safety last season and finished with 26 tackles, moved to cornerback before the start of spring practice and won the job after a competition with fellow junior Walter McFadden.
Savage, who started 11 games as a freshman and then missed six games last year with shoulder and ankle injuries, is eligible for a medical redshirt and could return in 2009 with two years remaining. He had more career starts (14) than any other member of the secondary. He should be ready for the start of next season.
"You hate it," Tuberville said. "You especially hate it for a guy that's worked as hard as Aairon, but he'll be fine.”
This spotlights Auburn’s lack of depth in the defensive backfield as only five returning defensive backs — Savage, Zac Etheridge, McFadden, Jerraud Powers (the likely other starting cornerback) and Mike McNeil — had significant experience.
Powers is now the only Auburn cornerback who has started a college game.Defensive coordinator Paul Rhoads said at the start of spring practice that a few of the Tigers’ eight true freshman defensive backs were likely to play significant roles this year. A few to watch are D'Antoine Hood and Neiko Thorpe.
``There's no bigger burden on any corner or DB just because Aairon is down right now with an injured knee,' Rhoads said. ``If everybody in jerseys out here doesn't feel the need to step up, then we're not in the position that we think we are.'
One of the true freshmen who won’t be competing for the job is safety DeRon Furr, who left the team.
Auburn’s over/under for wins in the 2008 season is 9. Bet on the Tigers at WagerWeb.com
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