Auburn's Cox now speaking up more

AUBURN, Ala. - Courtney Taylor can pinpoint the game maybe even the specific play when Brandon Cox ceased being just a rookie starting quarterback and became Auburn&#39;s unquestioned offensive leader.<br> <br> It was a 31-30 victory at Georgia when Cox connected over the middle with Devin Aromashodu for a 63-yard gain on fourth-and-11. John Vaughn followed with a chip-shot field goal to win it.<br> <br> ``Georgia played us neck and neck that game, and both teams played their best games,&#39;&#39; said Taylor, Auburn&#39;s top returning receiver. ``Brandon was a huge part of that, making good reads, audibling at the line of scrimmage to get us out of bad plays, and the fourth-and-whatever throw to Devin Aromashodu.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> Cox seldom seemed uncomfortable or tentative on the field last season at least after a shaky opening performance against Georgia Tech despite coming in with little experience. Successfully stepping into the role of vocal leader was a more gradual process.<br> <br> ``Most kids are a little reserved about taking the bull by the horns with regard to leadership if they haven&#39;t had success,&#39;&#39; Auburn offensive coordinator Al Borges said. ``Now that he&#39;s had some success, he has gained the respect that it requires to be a good leader.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> Cox helped guide the Tigers to a 9-3 record in his first season replacing Jason Campbell. His 2,324 passing yards was the fourth-best single-season total in school history and he was the Southeastern Conference&#39;s No. 2-rated passer.<br> <br> Now, he&#39;s not just passing in summer drills. He&#39;s also talking, leading and coaxing more than this time last year, coaches and teammates say.<br> <br> ``Brandon&#39;s a low-profile type guy,&#39;&#39; Auburn coach Tommy Tuberville said. ``He&#39;s not a real cocky type guy. But we want our quarterbacks to be a little bit more verbal than he was last year.<br> <br> ``But I understand, last year he was learning. He was around a lot more experienced players. But now people look up to him as a guy that can get it done, because he got it done last year most of the time. I&#39;m looking for Brandon to grow as much away from the snap as I am during the play.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> The pristine performance against No. 9 Georgia, Taylor says, helped give Cox&#39;s teammates the faith that if they kept the game close he could pull it out in the end.<br> <br> Cox completed 16 of 28 passes for 279 yards against the Bulldogs in perhaps his best game of the season.<br> <br> But he wasn&#39;t happy with how he finished the season, passing for just 137 yards in a Capital One Bowl loss to Wisconsin.<br> <br> ``I improved a lot throughout the season,&#39;&#39; Cox said. ``The only game I didn&#39;t improve from the last game, was the Wisconsin game.<br> <br> ``I just want to continue that steady climb.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> The 22-year-old junior only seemed like an overnight star. Cox sat out the 2002 season with health problems and was redshirted the following year before finally replacing Campbell, a first-round NFL draft pick by the Washington Redskins.<br> <br> ``It&#39;s been a long road,&#39;&#39; Cox said. ``There&#39;s been a lot of ups and downs. It has been fun learning from the older guys, learning from Jason and becoming what I am now, and hopefully improving a lot more.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> Now, he&#39;s one of a handful of proven starting quarterbacks in the SEC including LSU&#39;s JaMarcus Russell and Florida&#39;s Chris Leak. Instead of being the new guy, he&#39;s got a different issue: overcoming the departure of his two biggest protectors, tackles Marcus McNeill and Troy Reddick, and three leading receivers.<br> <br> It&#39;s a vastly different position from a year ago, when Cox was one of the team&#39;s big question marks following a 13-0 season.<br> <br> ``I don&#39;t think there&#39;s as much pressure this year as there was last year,&#39;&#39; he said.<br> <br> Borges, however, calls last season ``step one.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> ``He&#39;s proven already that you can win with him,&#39;&#39; Borges said. ``The way that he&#39;ll be remembered is by winning championships. That has to be his next step, to me.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> (Copyright 2006 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

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