STEVEN M. SIPPLE / Lincoln Journal Star | Posted: Sunday, December 17, 2006 6:00 pm
Forty-three days between games might sound like an eternity to Auburn football fans. It sounds like a respite to Tigers quarterback Brandon Cox, who was slowed by a variety of injuries during much of the regular season.
“I’m as healthy as I was for the first game,” Cox said late last week. “It was a long season. Since the Louisiana State game (Sept. 16), I’ve been hurt. It feels good to go out there to practice and be healthy again.”
Auburn, which last played Nov. 18, is preparing to face Nebraska in the Cotton Bowl on Jan. 1 in Dallas. The 10th-ranked Tigers (10-2) are motivated in part by atoning for last year’s 24-10 loss to underdog Wisconsin in the Capital One Bowl, a defeat Cox describes as being “embarrassing and disappointing all around.”
A junior from Trussville, Ala. (population 12,900), Cox is “one of the toughest guys I’ve ever seen,” Auburn head coach Tommy Tuberville said. Obviously, Cox’s return to full strength bodes well for an Auburn squad that seems determined to become the fourth in school history to win 11 games.
The 6-foot-2, 200-pound Cox, in a 7-3 win against LSU on Sept. 16, sprained his left knee and ankle.
“Those injuries did affect me a whole lot, especially in the next two games,” he said, referring to wins against Buffalo (38-7) and South Carolina (24-17). “I really had no mobility. A lot of people don’t understand that throwing has a lot to do with your legs. I couldn’t get much on my throws. It definitely limited what we could do.”
In an Oct. 28 win at Mississippi, Cox suffered a broken bursa sac on his right knee, leading to frequent swelling. Nevertheless, Cox said he never seriously considered asking out of a game.
“I was in pain, but I wasn’t going to let it affect me,” he said. “Looking back, it might have been better to sit out a couple of games. But I’m the starter. I know the offense. A lot was riding on me to get the job done.”
At the controls of a West Coast offense, Cox this season has completed 153 of 250 passes (61.2 percent) for 2,087 yards and 13 touchdowns, with nine interceptions. Six of the interceptions occurred in the last three games, including four in a 37-15 home loss to Georgia Nov. 11. A left-handed thrower, Cox finished the regular season with a 6-for-14, 137-yard effort in a 22-15 triumph over heated rival Alabama.
“He throws a nice ball, a very catchable ball, and has good control of the offense,” said Nebraska defensive coordinator Kevin Cosgrove. “It’s a typical West Coast offense. A lot of movements, a lot of motions, a lot of players involved. They attack you where they see a weakness.”
Cox’s playing style reminds Nebraska defensive end Jay Moore of Pittsburgh left-handed quarterback Tyler Palko, “in the way (Cox) throws and handles himself back there in the pocket,” Moore said.
Cox will help see to it that Auburn handles itself better in the Cotton Bowl than it did in last year’s Capital One Bowl. The Tigers were down 17-0 at halftime and wound up allowing 548 total yards and managing only 236.
Auburn players were reminded of the loss throughout the offseason, as the Tigers’ strength and conditioning coach Kevin Yoxall showed up for workouts wearing a Capitol One Bowl badge as a motivational ploy.
“We’re doing all we can to make sure it doesn’t happen again,” said Cox, noting the importance of winning an 11th game for the seniors as well as the possibility of finishing in the national top five.
Cox said Nebraska’s defense offers a significant challenge.
“They have a lot of big athletes — coach Borges compared them to Georgia,” said the quarterback, referring to Auburn offensive coordinator Al Borges. “They can beat you playing base defenses and using their talent. We can’t afford to go out and play like we did last year against Wisconsin, or we won’t have a very good chance to win.”
Reach Steven M. Sipple at 473-7440 or ssipple@journalstar.com.