Taking the reins

AUBURN, Ala. | Sean WhiteClick [rl]Here to view this Link. practiced for the first time Tuesday as Auburn's starting quarterback. Gus MalzahnClick [rl]Here to view this Link. liked what he saw from the redshirt freshman.

"He practiced extremely well yesterday," Malzahn said. "He had good energy, good focus. His teammates really responded well to him.

"He's been in our system, this will be his second year, and I think he feels more and more comfortable."

White will play in a college football game for the first time against Mississippi State Saturday. The last game he played in was the Under Armour All-American game more than 20 months ago, where he earned MVP honors.

"He's very accurate and he can run our entire offense," Malzahn said. "We feel very comfortable with calling everything."

Jeremy Johnson, who started the first three games of the season, will serve as White's backup against the Bulldogs.

"Anytime you make quarterback changes it's extremely tough," Malzahn said. "We're just encouraging Jeremy to keep working and we really expect him to. He's got a lot of champion in him and we're going to be there to support him. His teammates have responded too. He's going to keep working hard to improve and we really expect him to do that."

Malzahn said both Jason Smith and Jonathan Wallace, who are still primarily receivers, will also get reps at quarterback in practice this week.

"I don't really want to say exactly wildcat or regular offense," Malzahn said. "I'm probably saying too much by saying both of them are getting reps at quarterback. It could be wildcat."

Tuesday's practice also saw the return of junior cornerback T.J. Davis, who injured his ACL during spring practice and underwent surgery in March.

"T.J. Davis actually practiced yesterday, which is a good sign," Malzahn said. "We do expect it to be a little bit longer before he's completely 100 percent."

Auburn is preparing for a MSU team that is also 0-1 in the SEC, losing at home to LSU in week two. It's a crucial game for both teams.

"We've went about our business that we're still going to be physical and practice hard and our guys have," Malzahn said. "They practiced well Sunday even though it was a short practice and they practiced extremely well with very good energy yesterday.

"They want to get back on the field and play Mississippi State."

Kickoff at Jordan-Hare Stadium is set for 6:30 p.m. CT on ESPN2.