Auburn's Groves trying to build on big second half

AUBURN, Ala. - Quentin Groves lingered in Florida&#39;s backfield for a quick chat with quarterback Chris Leak.<br> <br> ``I was just like, &#39;I&#39;m going to be back here all day,&#39;&#39;&#39; the Auburn defensive end said of that third-quarter encounter.<br> <br> At least Leak was warned. Groves wound up with three second-half sacks, forced a key fumble in the fourth quarter and was held in the end zone for a safety in the eighth-ranked Tigers&#39; 27-17 victory.<br> <br> Groves&#39; big half came at a good time for both him and Auburn, which trailed at halftime and had given up big play after big play to the Gators.<br> <br> He had only one sack in his previous four games and was admittedly ``really down on myself.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> Now, his six sacks rank tied for the Southeastern Conference lead with Florida&#39;s Derrick Harvey and LSU&#39;s Tyson Jackson and matches last season&#39;s totals.<br> <br> ``Quentin&#39;s a guy that has really played pretty solid for us, but this was the first game in my opinion that he has made some critical plays for us on third down,&#39;&#39; defensive coordinator Will Muschamp said. ``He made big plays in big situations, and that&#39;s what we&#39;re expecting.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> Coach Tommy Tuberville gave the defense a good talking-to at halftime. Groves gave himself a lecture, too.<br> <br> ``I challenged myself: &#39;Q, you&#39;ve got to step up. You haven&#39;t really made any plays this year,&#39;&#39;&#39; said Groves, the SEC&#39;s defensive player of the week. ``That&#39;s my philosophy from now on.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> The 6-foot-3, 254-pounder had four sacks against Kentucky as a redshirt freshman two years ago, but is in his first season as a fulltime starter. Groves is hoping to build on his performance against the Gators entering Saturday&#39;s game against Tulane.<br> <br> ``When you show up big like that in a bigtime game, it opens eyes,&#39;&#39; said Groves, whose 19.5 sacks ranks fourth on Auburn&#39;s career list. ``I think that&#39;s what it does for me. I&#39;m not going to just bask in it.<br> <br> ``I still have to get better in a lot of things. I&#39;m not ready to just sit down and say, &#39;You&#39;re the greatest defensive lineman that ever walked the earth,&#39; because I&#39;m not.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> Groves had three particularly big plays against the Gators. In the first half, Leak rolled out in the end zone with Groves in hot pursuit. Florida guard Jim Tartt wound up on top of him on the ground and was called for holding, giving the Tigers a safety.<br> <br> The colorful Groves had this account of the play:<br> <br> ``Leak was bootlegging and I was about to sack him. The next thing I knew a guy who&#39;s 300 pounds was on my back. (I was thinking), &#39;That&#39;s got to be illegal some way.&#39;&#39;&#39;<br> <br> Then, Groves sacked Leak and the ball was knocked loose deep in Auburn territory in the fourth quarter with the Gators in position for a go-ahead field goal down 18-17. Tray Blackmon recovered.<br> <br> Groves also pressured Leak into an interception which Eric Brock returned 26 yards to set up a critical field goal late in the game.<br> <br> Tim Duckworth has faced Groves enough in practice not to be surprised by his performance.<br> <br> ``He keeps going, no matter what,&#39;&#39; the Auburn guard said. ``He&#39;s one of those guys when I go against him, I can hit him and hit him as hard as I can but he keeps coming back for more. That&#39;s how I know he&#39;s tough, because I&#39;ll be trying to knock the daylights out of him.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> Eavesdropping on Duckwworth&#39;s comments, Groves offers some helpful advice. ``Tell him I&#39;m the greatest person you&#39;ll ever meet,&#39;&#39; he suggests.<br> <br> A few minutes later, Groves gives a more serious description of his personality, and why he&#39;s always cracking jokes when it comes time to media interviews that other players regard as a chore.<br> <br> ``I never take anything too seriously,&#39;&#39; Groves said. ``I just take the approach to get through the day smiling. Never frown because your smile might wake up somebody else.&#39;&#39;

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