TIGERS TURN TO LESTER AT TAILBACK
By Bradley Handwerger
DAILY Sports Writer
bhandwerger@decaturdaily.com · 340-2462
AUBURN  For the third time in six games, Auburn will have a new starting tailback.
When Auburn (4-1, 2-0 Southeastern Conference) plays at Arkansas (2-3, 0-2) on Saturday at 6 p.m., the Tigers will turn to Brad Lester  the Auburn back who has done the most lately.
Lester, who averages a touchdown every 9.2 carries and has a 6.7-yard-per-carry average, led the team with 52 yards in the Tigers' last game Oct. 1 against South Carolina.
That earned Lester the chance over Kenny Irons, who started the last three games and picked up only 27 yards on 11 carries against the Game*******s.
"He's gotten a lot of touchdowns in the few times he's touched the ball," Auburn head coach Tommy Tuberville said. "He's going to be an exciting player for us."
During the team's off-week last week, Lester began scrimmaging with the first-team offense. However, he didn't find out he had the starting job until assistant coach Eddie Gran, who oversees Auburn's running backs, delivered the news.
"As I was walking on the practice field, he pulled me to the side and he said he was going to give me the chance to compete for the No. 1 back until someone takes it from me," Lester said.
For what it's worth, Irons said he isn't the least bit upset with the decision.
"I like to see that," said Irons, who has a close friendship with Lester. "Me and Brad, we're always one and two, two and one to begin with. We're two great backs. We're a threat either way, no matter if he's coming off the bench, or I'm coming off the bench."
Lester said the only difference between this week and the South Carolina game, where he carried the ball 13 times and Irons ran 11 times, is the asterisk by who's starting.
"We've got to work together," Lester said. "Even though I'm the No. 1 back right now, we'll probably get the same amount of carries. I don't think it's going to be that much of a difference other than who's starting."
Irons said the situation reminds him of last season with Carnell Williams and Ronnie Brown.
"Carnell, he'd come out, and Ronnie would get the playing time," Irons said. "It's no problem."
Tuberville agreed.
"One being the starter over the other doesn't make a lot of difference, as we saw with Ronnie and Carnell," he said.
Even so, the media darling heading into the 2005 season was Irons  not the unheralded Lester and certainly not fan-favorite Tre Smith.
Irons impressed anyone who watched Auburn's fall drills. He spun, slipped and all but tight-roped his way for positive yards throughout camp. But he couldn't pick up blocking schemes.
So Smith started against Georgia Tech and Mississippi State to begin the season. He never broke out as expected, rushing for 55 yards against Georgia Tech and gaining only 7 yards on five carries against Mississippi State.
Irons took over in the third game and delivered, rushing for more than 100 yards in two straight contests. He seemed to claim ownership of the position ... until now.
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