Auburn redshirt sophomore quarterback Clint Moseley had five minutes to prepare himself for the Tigers’ game against Florida last week.
This week, he has a bit more time.
Moseley will make his first start for Auburn this Saturday in Death Valley after filling in at quarterback for redshirt junior Barrett Trotter in the second half against the Gators on Oct. 15.
Moseley said he was surprised when he was told five minutes before leaving the locker room that he was starting the half.
“It was probably a good thing,” Moseley said. “I didn’t really get a chance to think about it.”
Trotter was 2-of-8 for 33 yards and a touchdown before he was pulled. An admittedly nervous Moseley went 4-of-7 for 90 yards, leading the energized Auburn squad to a 17-6 win.
“The game was a little fast for me at first,” Moseley said. “I wish I had a few plays back. I made mistakes, too many mistakes for the standards and expectations of the offense, but I felt like I gave us a good opportunity of winning.”
This will be the Leroy, Ala., native’s first start since winning Alabama’s Mr. Football and a third straight state championship for Leroy High School his senior year. Moseley said he feels like he’s carrying the banner for his modest hometown.
“It’s just such a big deal to them,” Moseley said. “Not necessarily the fact that I’m just playing and getting a little publicity. It’s the fact that I’m not letting the fact that I’m a small school guy affect [my career] and overcoming that.”
Moseley was redshirted his freshman year. As a sophomore, he sat in waiting as former Auburn quarterback Cam Newton emerged as a Heisman winner and No. 1 NFL draft pick.
Moseley was finally ready to take the reins this season. Obviously distraught, he was asked how he felt in the first press conference after Trotter was named the starter.
“Worst disappointment of my life,” Moseley said. “Period.”
Moseley is known as an emotional person and said it took him two days to get out of his “daze” after hearing the news.
“I was just kind of blank for two days,” Moseley said. “I wouldn’t even say upset or mad. I was just here, you know? I didn’t know what to think. I couldn’t grasp anything. I was just really confused.”
After those two days, he sought advice from Auburn coach Gene Chizik on where he should go from there.
“When he left my office that day, I felt like he was a little more comfortable with where he was at; a little more comfortable in his own skin,” Chizik said. “I felt like it was a productive meeting, and again, I’ve seen him over the past few weeks improve.”
Now that he’s the starter, Moseley faces an LSU team that has already gobbled up two new starting quarterbacks two games in a row. Freshman Jacoby Brissett of Florida and senior Matt Simms of Tennessee were both intercepted twice in lopsided wins for the Bayou Bengals.
LSU coach Les Miles said he won’t underestimate Moseley’s inexperience.
“We always anticipate the changes that the opponent makes are for the best,” Miles said. “We will see their best effort and best play.”
It might be Moseley’s first start, but he has a veteran outlook on this daunting match up.
“It couldn’t get any better,” Moseley said. “Aggressive defense. No. 1 team in the country. All the hype coming up into it. It’s Death Valley and everything. Yeah, it’s a little nerve-racking, but at the same time, how could you draw it up better? That’s just the most dramatic situation you could think of. That’s awesome. That’s what we play the game for.”
 
 
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