A guy whose name barely fits on the back of his jersey is a guy who’s fitting into the end zone almost as often as Cam Newton these days.
Auburn sophomore tight end Philip Lutzenkirchen has tallied three receptions the past two games against Georgia and Alabama, and all three have gone for touchdowns. His latest was a 7-yard catch with 11:55 remaining last Friday at Alabama’s Bryant-Denny Stadium, which proved to be the difference in Auburn’s 28-27 win over the Crimson Tide.
“It was just another one of those plays where we rolled out right with Cam, and I hesitate on a block and then release after a couple of seconds,” Lutzenkirchen said. “It works because the defense is usually flowing one way to stop Cam because he’s such a good runner outside the pocket.”
The 6-foot-4, 258-pounder from Marietta will be playing close to home Saturday when the Tigers face South Carolina inside the Georgia Dome at the Southeastern Conference championship. He never got to play at the Dome in high school, because Lassiter High never got past the second round.
Lutzenkirchen has 12 receptions for 119 yards this season, with five going for touchdowns.