All this talk about freshman quarterback Barrett Trotter doesn't bother Kodi Burns one bit.
He knows where he'll be Thursday night: Under center.
Burns, a sophomore who split time at quarterback earlier this season, has been named the Tigers' undisputed top option in advance of the team's game at West Virginia. That move brought clarity into a situation loaded with chaos just a few weeks ago.
It's been a blessing for Burns.
"I'm becoming more vocal on the field and I'm more comfortable on the field knowing that I'm The Guy,"
Burns said. "That role is starting to play a lot bigger in me and I'm starting to feel a lot more comfortable. I think the guys have seen that, too."
Coach Tommy Tuberville on Sunday reiterated his belief that Burns will emerge as a critical element of the team's offensive renaissance. Assistants spent last week re-working Auburn's attack in hopes of eliciting rapid improvement.
The Tigers currently rank 11th among the 12 Southeastern Conference teams in yards gained.
Tuberville, anxious to see better play from his quarterbacks, made some major personnel changes. He benched starter Chris Todd because of shoulder fatigue and summoned Trotter from the scout-team offense.
The 19-year-old freshman was an afterthought 10 days ago.
He's now on the traveling roster. Tuberville said last week that Trotter would be used only if guaranteed a chance to earn steady playing time.
That idea apparently is evolving.
Auburn's coach said Sunday that he's now willing to use the freshman in a spot role. Burns handled similar responsibilities last season while playing behind Brandon Cox.
Still, Tuberville insists Burns is in command.
"Kodi's our guy. We're going to go with him. He's going to get a little bit better every time he plays,"
Tuberville said. "We're not going to take him out just to say 'OK, he's having problems, let's take him out.' Whoever plays the other role is not going to know it all. You can't expect them to. They'll know an abbreviated version."
Burns knows it all.
Teammates said they have noticed a change in the sophomore since his promotion last week. The Tigers have been running some plays from the huddle lately -- a major change from the team's high-paced beginnings -- and Burns has faced that assembly with spirited words at times.
Leadership may be taking hold.
"I can see a little bit of an attitude change,"
tailback Tristan Davis said. "(Vocalizing in the huddle) gave him some kind of control. Now that the game plan has been simplified and everybody knows what's going on, he knows his reads. He's not trying to do too much."
That added confidence, Burns said, comes from the coaches.
Tuberville's insistence that errors will not lead to a immediate substitution provides job security. That's a first for Burns.
"That's a big thing and a hard thing to overcome is to play not to make a mistake,"
he said. "I felt that at times I was doing that, but now I can relax and play my game and be like any other quarterback in the nation. (I) can go out and play comfortably and not have to look over (my) shoulder."
