Frustration, determination

AUBURN - For junior quarterback Clint Moseley, the frustration won't go away. He feels it in his gut at practice, at night when he goes to bed.

Sophomore quarterback Clint Moseley

The strong right arm that helped him carry Leroy High School to three state championships, that got him the starting job at Auburn as a redshirt freshman last season has betrayed him.

The trouble started last spring with pain in his right shoulder. He couldn't cut loose and throw for most of spring practices. Eight practices into preseason camp, he still can't. Meanwhile, the race with sophomore Kiehl Frazier to be the starter against Clemson on Sept. 1 moves ever closer to a conclusion.

Moseley, who completed just one pass in Wednesday's scrimmage, a screen, readily admits it's all hard to swallow.

"Probably as frustrating as you can imagine," Moseley said. "It's just right there. I'm learning the offense. I'm getting into it. I'm trying to be a better leader, all these things. The one thing I've always been able to do is the one thing I can't do right now. It's frustrating, but it's therapy, therapy, therapy. That's the only thing I have to do. It will come around."

Moseley said he "threw through the pain" in 7-on-7 work before the scrimmage. It was the first time in several days he had done that.

How close is he to being given the go-ahead to truly compete for the job? Moseley said he didn't know. He was headed to see team doctor Mike Goodlett and trainer Clark Pearson.

What Moseley already knew was that time was running short.

"There's no question," Moseley said. "Then it starts being an issue of being able to get the offense ready. I need to come back as soon as I can, but at the same time I'm still learning the offense. I'm doing everything but making every, single physical throw. Obviously, I'd like to get back as soon as possible."

Even as he watched most of spring practice from the sideline, he expected to be back by now, throwing long and short.

"I had an MRI," Moseley said. "I've had X-rays and everything. They say no tears. The big man himself, Dr. (James) Andrews came in and looked at it. He said it was good. That's when I felt really good about it. He just said it's inflamed, tendonitis and I have to take care of it. It's just therapy, therapy and therapy. Obviously, I'm not going to be able to throw as much as I normally would before I get back. It's just aggravating."

Frazier did not meet with reporters after the scrimmage.