News Flash: Auburn sticking with Todd
By Tom Dienhart, Yahoo! Sports Oct 27, 1:15 pm EDT
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Return to OriginalWith Auburn senior quarterback Chris Todd struggling, some fans are calling for junior backup Neil Caudle to start. But no change is planned, even after last week’s 31-10 loss at LSU.
“We’re not going to make a change this week,” Auburn coach Gene Chizik told reporters. “After going back and looking at it, obviously we would have loved for the offensive production as a whole to be better than it was.
“We still think Chris gives us the best chance to win. And it’s not that our offense has not done it, but we are obviously against competition in this league that’s at a higher level.”
Todd is rated No. 5 in the SEC, completing 55.9 percent of his passes for 1,490 yards with 12 touchdowns and three interceptions. Caudle came in for Todd at LSU and completed 3 of 5 passes for 34 yards and a touchdown.
The Tigers have lost three in a row after opening with five consecutive wins. During the skid, Auburn hasn’t scored more than 23 points in a game and Todd has completed 33 of 66 passes for 260 yards with no touchdowns and one interception.
Things won’t get much easier for Auburn, which has games remaining against Ole Miss, at Georgia and against Alabama.
Gators’ red-zone woes
The Florida offense is sputtering, and a big issue is lack of productivity in the red zone.
The Gators have had the ball in the red zone 25 times during SEC play and have scored 19 times (76 percent). But only seven of those scores have been touchdowns.
“We watched every red-zone snap of the year,” Florida coach Urban Meyer told reporters. “We have to hold to the plan.”
Florida’s red-zone offense ranks eighth in the SEC, scoring on 28 of 35 chances (80 percent) with 16 touchdowns and 12 field goals.
Florida typically has its red-zone packages installed by mid-week but has moved that up with a game against Georgia looming.
“Sometimes we’re making a call that’s not on the call sheet and that’s my fault,” Meyer said. “We’re going to stick to the call sheet. We’re going to do a better job on the call sheet, not just do it on Wednesday but do it earlier than that. … We already have some [plays] on paper that we’re going to start working.”
Decker done for season
Minnesota receiver Eric Decker is out for the rest of the season with a foot injury.
Decker, a senior captain and Biletnikoff Award candidate, ranks fourth in the Big Ten in receptions per game (6.25), with 50 catches for 758 yards and five touchdowns.
According to Minnesota coach Tim Brewster, Decker may need surgery to fix the arch he sprained in a loss at Ohio State last week.
Minnesota’s next leading receiver is tight end Nick Tow-Arnett, who has 19 catches for 251 yards.
Michigan dismisses Cissoko
Michigan cornerback Boubacar Cissoko has been dismissed for a violation of team rules, according to a report in the Detroit Free Press. The university later confirmed the dismissal.
“He missed class, missed workouts,” Cissoko’s high school coach, Thomas Wilcher of Detroit Cass Tech, told the Free Press. “Now he’s got to make something, because he blew it.”
The sophomore had 16 tackles, an interception and two pass breakups this season. He was suspended three weeks ago and was reinstated late last week and played in a loss to Penn State.
Sources have told TheWolverine.com that Cissoko likely will transfer.
Two BC players transfer
Boston College running back Josh Haden and quarterback Justin Tuggle have opted to transfer.
Haden was the No. 2 back before suffering an injury against North Carolina State. He ran 58 times for 213 yards with a touchdown. Tuggle started the first three games, completing 13 of 37 passes for 229 yards with four touchdowns. But he fell to third on the depth chart.
True freshman, Dave Shinskie, a 25-year-old former minor-league baseball player, has emerged as BC’s quarterback. True freshman Montel Harris has taken over at running back for a 5-3 Eagle team that’s seeking a bowl bid.
Georgia Tech loses Taylor
Georgia Tech sophomore safety Cooper Taylor has been lost for the year due to a heart abnormality.
Taylor became ill during the Miami game and blacked out on the sideline. He has been diagnosed with Wolff-Parkinson-White Syndrome. Yellow Jackets coach Paul Johnson said Taylor will apply for a medical redshirt.
