Geez, you think they would learn. Last week that DB from Arkansas was spouting off that Reed wasn't that special and Reed burned him for 183 yards, setting a school record. The next day that DB publicly ate his words and apologized. Let's see if Josh can do it again this week! Here is the whole article: ยป More From Today's Mobile Register Sports News Rosegreen isn't intimidated by Reed Auburn freshman DB says he's going to challenge LSU's star receiver 11/28/01 By NEAL McCREADY Sports Reporter AUBURN -- Junior Rosegreen stayed in Auburn over the Thanksgiving holidays. Instead of going home to Fort Lauderdale, Fla., for a little turkey and dressing, the Auburn cor nerback caught up on some schoolwork and studied film of LSU's talented wide receiver corps. Specifically, Rosegreen ate, drank and slept Josh Reed. "I feel like a lot of (defensive backs) are scared of him because he's All-American and all-world," Rosegreen said. "His name is out there and they're scared to challenge him. But if you challenge him, good things happen. Get in his face, talk a little smack, play your game." Rosegreen, remember, is the same freshman who talked smack the week of Auburn's game against then-No. 1 Florida. Perhaps his intimidation had nothing to do with Rex Grossman's four-interception performance but Rosegreen proved that week that he is not majoring in political correctness. Rather, he is proving quite proficient at providing bulletin board material for opponents. "I've been studying (Reed) since last Monday, so I'm just concentrating on what he doesn't like and strengths and weaknesses," Rosegreen said. "He's not a Jabar Gaffney. He's not a Fred Gibson. But he's a playmaker. He makes big plays. They throw hitches and let him catch it and try to run (defensive backs) over. But we have to play our game and play physical. "I just try to get in the receiver's head personally. If you get in their head, you've won the battle. Then they're going to try to do too much. Once you get them like that, you've won them." Rosegreen has 18 tackles this season but no interceptions yet. Reed's statistics are a good bit more eye-popping -- the Biletnikoff Award finalist has 80 catches for 1,494 yards and 6 touchdowns. The 149.4-yards-per-game average leads the nation and his eight receptions-per-game average leads the SEC and is third nationally. Last Friday, in LSU's 41-38 win over Arkansas, Reed hauled in 183 receiving yards, breaking the all-time LSU mark and rising to fifth on the all-time SEC charts, trailing Vanderbilt's Boo Mitchell, Kentucky's Craig Yeast, Arkansas' Anthony Lucas and Tennessee's Joey Kent. Still, Rosegreen is confident that there will be no more record breaking when No. 22 LSU (7-3, 4-3 in the SEC) and No. 25 Auburn (7-3, 5-2) square off in Baton Rouge, La., Saturday (6:45 p.m., ESPN) with a berth to next week's SEC Championship Game on the line. "I'll just go out and get in his face and let him know that I'm going to be here all night," Rosegreen said of Reed. "I know he's a great player and I call myself a pretty good player. I'm not great yet. That's why I practice hard, to be great. As long as I'm doing what I'm doing, I have an opportunity and a chance to be a real good corner." Rosegreen played high school football against Pittsburgh's Antonio Bryant and Miami's Andre Johnson, three of the top wide receivers to come out of the Florida high school ranks. "That's why it's not that big of a shock to me to play at this level," Rosegreen said. "That's why you play this game. Com ing out of Florida, you've got some good players. Florida and Georgia, that's where the talent is. I can't forget about Texas and Nebraska. They've got all the big dogs like O-linemen and the D-linemen. Pretty much Florida and Georgia and Texas have the best athletes." Auburn coach Tommy Tuberville is a good bit more reverent than Rosegreen when it comes to LSU's receiving corps, which includes freshman Michael Clayton (40 catches for 677 yards), Jerel Myers (35 catches) and tight end Robert Royal (16). Still, it's Reed that Auburn must contain. "He's a tough wide receiver," Tuberville said. "He runs routes really well and he knows how to get open. When (Reed) catches the ball, he's like a tank. You can stick an arm out but he's not coming down. If you get it to him a lot of times, he's going to make you pay."
