With a week to go before games start to count, coach Jeff Lebo said his team is behind schedule.

An influx of new players mixed with a couple key, early injuries will usually do that.

Lebo’s focus over the first two-and-a-half weeks of practice has been on defense, taking it back to its “simplistic principles,” as he likes to call it. So, in turn, the aforementioned circumstances have resulted in a lack of progress on the offensive side of the ball.

“We don’t have much in offensively,” Lebo said. “We haven’t focused much offensively to date.”

The Tigers will have a chance to work out a few kinks tonight when they host Division II Morehouse College at Beard-Eaves-Memorial Coliseum. The exhibition game’s tipoff is set for 6 p.m., and admission is free.

Injuries just aren’t decimating the Tigers’ football team, as Auburn will likely be without senior Rasheem Barrett and will definitely be without freshman guard Frankie Sullivan. Lebo said preseason coaches All-SEC second-teamer Korvotney Barber, whom he said last week was hurt, is OK and will start tonight.

Barrett (groin) participated in practice Wednesday and worked partially on some of the team’s drills, Lebo said. Sullivan, meanwhile, has not practiced since he suffered a high ankle sprain. Lebo said Sullivan’s status for next week’s season opener against Missouri State is up in the air, depending on the timetable of his recovery.

“It sets him back a lot. He was doing very well,” Lebo said. “We’ll have to go back and teach him some of the plays and he’ll have to get back in shape and comfortable again.”

Comfort with his team, though, won’t come with a large margin of victory over the Maroon Tigers.

Lebo said that it’s tough to pull much, if any, momentum from an exhibition game. A loss, though it certainly isn’t desired, wouldn’t be demoralizing by any means, Lebo said. He said he plans to use all of his players at a variety of positions.

“Heck, we’ve lost one of these before,” Lebo said, referring to the Auburn’s 83-81 exhibition loss to EA Sports Southeast before the 2003-04 season — one season before Lebo replaced Cliff Ellis.

The Tigers have never faced Morehouse. They don’t have any film on the Maroon Tigers either, which will force Auburn to make adjustments on the fly.

“I have no earthly idea what they’re going to do,” Lebo said. “Not knowing what they’re going to do can make you really look bad.”

| 737-2561