111006 UT CHATANOOGA AUBURN

Auburn's Gus Malzahn and Trooper Taylor congratulate quarterback Cam Newton (2) on a TD in the second quarter Saturday November 6, 2010 at Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn, Ala. (The Birmingham News, Hal Yeager)

(HAL YEAGER)

Trooper Taylor has been in the coaching ranks for more than a quarter-century. The former Auburn assistant, who is now the cornerbacks coach and assistant head coach at Arkansas State, can't recall ever seeing what he witnessed during Auburn's season opener against Clemson during the weekend.

"Not three," Taylor told AL.com, referring to the number of quarterbacks Auburn used in Week 1. "I've seen a team use two, but I could tell you it's difficult, though (preparing for that)."

Auburn utilized three quarterbacks in its season-opening 19-13 loss to Clemson, rotating Sean White, Jeremy Johnson and John Franklin III from series to series and sometimes from play to play. The Tigers also fielded all three in one formation and ran another play with two of the three on the field.

It produced mixed results, as White finished the game 10 of 21 passing for 140 yards and an interception, while Johnson was 4 of 6 for 38 yards, an interception and a fumble, and Franklin completed 1 of 1 pass attempts for minus-3 yards. None of the three graded out well, according to Pro Football Focus, with White receiving the highest mark at 64.5.

It also produced a conundrum for Taylor's current team, Arkansas State, which will take on Auburn this Saturday at Jordan-Hare Stadium. The Red Wolves, which lost their season opener to Toledo last Friday, are heading into this weekend's game expecting to see all three quarterbacks take the field at some point for Auburn and are preparing accordingly.

"When you got to prepare for three, you're not spending enough time on others," said Taylor, who is in his third year at Arkansas State. "What (Gus Malzahn is) doing, he knows that it's going to put stress on a defense when they're preparing for it. Trust me, whether that guy plays a quarterback one play or two plays, you got to prepare for it as a defense, otherwise you're going to get caught and you don't want to get caught.... Don't think we won't be up here burning the midnight oil, trying to find a way because it is difficult to prepare for all three of them because it's three different offenses when they come in.

"It's not the same, so now instead of getting multiple reps on one guy, you have to divide your reps up between the three, and he may start a different one. It's like a box of chocolates: you don't know what you're going to get, but you better be prepared for all three."

Taylor said that preparing for three quarterbacks is both "frustrating" and "tough on defensive coordinators," adding that it's important this week that Arkansas State's defense is "on its P's and Q's" when gameplanning for all three signal-callers -- especially because each of Auburn's three quarterbacks brings something different to the table.

All that despite the fact that Malzahn's decision to use all three against Clemson -- which he said after the game was "the plan" going into the matchup -- resulted in an oftentimes quizzical offense for Auburn. The Tigers produced just 13 points, with the only touchdown coming in the final minutes on a direct snap to running back Kerryon Johnson, and just 262 yards of total offense, which made for the eighth-worst offensive output in Malzahn's 11-year career as a head coach or offensive coordinator.

Taylor, who spent four years as Auburn's receivers coach from 2009-12, has three years of experience coaching alongside Malzahn when Malzahn was the Tigers' offensive coordinator from 2009-11. The two were part of Auburn's coaching staff when the Tigers won the national championship in 2010 and set program scoring records on the offensive side of the ball.

The former Auburn assistant is confident Malzahn will get Auburn's offense straightened out this season, whether it's with three quarterbacks or two or one.

"Gus has a plan now, and he always does," Taylor said. "Everybody was saying all this, but Gus is at his best when people think he's at his worst. Write that down.... When everybody thinks he's at his worst, he is at his best. Trust me. He won't sleep. He won't eat. He won't speak. He won't do anything other than football until he gets it exactly the way he wants it."

The biggest benefit for Malzahn, in Taylor's eyes, is the fact Auburn opens the season with five straight home games. The friendly atmosphere can provide a more conducive environment for Malzhan to break in the quarterbacks and work out the kinks offensively.

"The guy will find a way to win," Taylor said. "Trust me. Write it down. He will figure it out or he'll die trying. He might not eat, but he will try to find a way. He's got the right guys around him, he's got the right players and they're in a good situation.... He'll have a plan."