Auburn Football Leads Coaches' All-SEC Team With 14 Selections

July 20, 2006

Auburn also led the conference with seven first team selections 

AUBURN - The Auburn football team leads the Southeastern Conference with 14 players selected to the 2006 Coaches' Preseason All-SEC Team, the league announced Thursday. Of the 14 Tigers, seven were named to the first team, which also leads all conference teams.

Seniors Cole Bennett, Tim Duckworth and Kenny Irons comprise Auburn's players named First-Team All-SEC on offense. Duckworth, an offensive guard from Taylorsville, Miss., was named to the Coaches' and Associated Press All-SEC Second Teams last season after playing in 10 games.

Irons, meanwhile, earned unanimous first-team status on both 2005 postseason teams after rushing for 1,293 yards and 13 touchdowns last season. He averaged 5.1 yards per carry last season.

Lastly, Bennett earned the preseason honor after playing in all 12 games a year ago, starting in four. The tight end from Dalton, Ga., caught nine passes for 107 yards.

Comprising the first-team defense for Auburn are seniors Will Herring and David Irons and junior Quentin Groves. Herring, who moves to linebacker after playing safety the past three seasons, led the team with 69 tackles and was named to the Coaches' and AP All-SEC Second-Team last season. The Opelika native has played in 40 career games, starting the last 36 straight.

Irons, a Dacula, Ga., native, played in his first season with Auburn in 2005 and led the team with 11 pass deflections. The cornerback made 48 tackles, including 36 solo and was named to the AP All-SEC Second-Team.

Groves, meanwhile, posted six sacks and eight tackles for loss last season at defensive end. He finished with 21 tackles while playing in all 12 games.

The final first-teamer for the Tigers is senior punter Kody Bliss. The Brentwood, Tenn., native is third in Auburn history with a 43.3-yard per punt average and is sixth with 6,712 total punt yards. Last season, he earned Coaches' and AP All-SEC First-Team honors after averaging 44.9 yards per kick, including 45.8 yards during SEC play.

The Tigers have three players named to the second team, all coming on the offensive line. Seniors Ben Grubbs, Jonathan Palmer and Joe Cope have all been recognized by the SEC. Grubbs played in all 12 games last season, while Palmer and Cope both played in 11.

Rounding out Auburn's offensive recognition is junior quarterback Brandon Cox, who was voted to the third-team. Cox passed for 2,324 yards and 15 touchdowns in 11 games last season.

Defensively, seniors Marquies Gunn and Karibi Dede were named to the third team. Gunn played in and started all 12 games last season, finishing with 12.5 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks. Dede also started all 12 games, posting 42 tackles, including 4.5 for loss.

Auburn's last honor goes to senior kicker John Vaughn, who was named to the third team for special teams. He is 30 for 45 on field goals all-time after finishing 2005 12 of 20.

The 2006 season marks the third year of the Coaches' Preseason All-SEC Team. The All-SEC Team is released prior to SEC Media Days, which will be held July 26-28 in Hoover, Ala.

Auburn opens the 2006 season Sept. 2 against Washington State at Jordan-Hare Stadium. The game starts at 6:45 p.m. CT., and will be televised on ESPN2.