QB race goes into another week

AUBURN - The quarterback race goes on, but the end is at least in sight.

Freshman quarterback Jonathan Wallace/Todd Van Emst phoo

Auburn coach Gene Chizik, openly unhappy with the way his quarterbacks practiced Friday, said they were better but didn't sing their praises after Saturday's situational scrimmage at Jordan-Hare Stadium either. He said depth chart decisions will likely be made next week.

"Today was a day where there wasn't a great opportunity," Chizik said Saturday. "We got to see some things in situations we wanted to see. I thought they were better in that regard. No one has separated himself."

Chizik was asked if it was possible he could go into the Sept. 1 season-opener against Clemson without naming a starter.

"We are going to have to do a thorough evaluation of this past week and probably into next week as well," Chizik said. "We are going to definitely name a starter before gameday."

Sophomore Kiehl Frazier once again got virtually all the first-team snaps. With junior Clint Moseley still recovering from shoulder issues, freshman Jonathan Wallace got a number of second-team snaps. Most of Mosley's work came late.

Chizik left no doubt Friday night that he was unhappy. And Frazier heard him loud and clear.

"The coaches felt like we took a step back yesterday," Frazier said. "We tried to come out here with a little more intensity today and try to get the stuff fixed. I felt like we got a lot better today. We did a lot better than we did yesterday.

"I'm not sure exactly what he wants, but I'm pleased with us. He's the one that makes the decisions, so we have to come out here and do better."

Moseley said his arm continues to improve. The longer there is no starter, he said, the better the chance that he can at least have a chance to compete.

"It's definitely good for me," Moseley said. "The more time I get, the higher the chances are of my arm coming around. I really, really hope to get in there and get going. It's definitely feeling better from where it was. It's just sometimes I can't warm it up as many times. Once it's hot, I need to keep it hot. I'm trying to get where I'm fine all the way around."

Moseley said he didn't know what Chizik had said Friday night until he heard about it from a spectator Saturday.

"Obviously, he's the main guy," Moseley said. "We have to care what he says. He's not just some blogger or something. What he says really matters. Obviously, that's not something you want to hear, but it's something that should definitely motivate us."

Players will be off from practice and meetings Sunday and Monday, returning to the field Tuesday. Frazier said he and his teammates welcome the break.

"The monotony gets kind of tough for us," Frazier said. "Everybody is beat up. That's kind of what they are looking for. They are looking for us to push through it when it gets tough. That's what we are trying to do right now."