10/24 at 11:32 PM

Clint Moseley is beaten and bruised.

Auburn’s sophomore quarterback has a weeklong appointment with the trainer’s table and a standing reservation for an ice water bath after taking a series of hard shots in the Tigers’ loss to LSU on Saturday.

“It’s been awhile since I’ve been hit like that,” Moseley said. “It’s actually been 20 years, since I’ve never been hit that hard that many times.”

But he’s not broken.

After a first start out of which Moseley said he could take “nothing positive,” he at least knows that he took a licking and kept on ticking, physically and mentally.

“That was a learning situation,” Moseley said. “To go through that and come out alive, basically — I don’t want to be that dramatic — but mentally fine, I was able to keep my composure the whole time. Obviously, I wanted to do perfect the whole day. But for me personally, it’s good to know I’m able to handle something so big.

“It’s good to get the toughest start out of the way first.”

Moseley weathered his first “learning situation” at one of the toughest venues in the country against the top-ranked team in the country.

On top of that, Auburn’s uneven pass protection made it so that the sophomore saw some combination of white, purple and gold in his face for most of the day.

LSU sacked Moseley six times, the most sacks Auburn has given up since a loss to Arkansas in 2006 and the most times a Tigers quarterback has gone down in a game since Jason Campbell was sacked seven times in a loss to Georgia Tech in 2003.

The pass protection Saturday, in the words of Auburn head coach Gene Chizik, was “anemic.”

Still, Moseley completed 12-of-20 passes for 145 yards and an interception.

Not the most outstanding debut ever, but enough to give Auburn its healthiest passing attack since its 30-14 win over Florida Atlantic on Sept. 24.

“When we gave Clint time to throw, he made some throws,” Chizik said. “I think he made some throws at times when he didn’t have time.”

When Moseley had a pocket, he had time to survey the field, pick out Philip Lutzenkirchen for a 16-yard gain on third-and-10 and get Auburn out of dodge at its own 4-yard line.

When Moseley didn’t have a pocket, he scrambled left, faced down an LSU defender, then pulled up right before hitting the line of scrimmage to loft a 30-yard pass to DeAngelo Benton for a first down in LSU territory.

That drive ended in two straight sacks.

“When we went three-and-out and gave up a sack, he’d come to the O-line and say, ‘Come on y’all, we can do it, we can do it. I still trust you guys. Give me a little time,’” right guard John Sullen said. “He’s a very patient guy. But when it comes down to it, we’ve just got to protect better.”

Moseley didn’t want to dwell on the sacks. He didn’t even want to dwell on the good throws he made.

The thing that stuck out most to him was his worst throw: the pick-6 to Ron Brooks in which he stared down Benton on an out route, Brooks read his eyes, broke on the ball and took it 28 yards to the house.

“That’s something I’ve just never got to do again,” Moseley said. “It’s pretty simple. I just can’t make that mistake.

“I’ve got to see him.”

Moseley will get the chance to keep honing his craft this week and — if he keeps giving Auburn coaches more glimpses of his potential — for more weeks to come.

The bumps and bruises will go away. The experience that accompanied them will not.

“It’s going to get easier from here. There’s no doubt,” Moseley said. “(Things) slowed down gradually Saturday, but I do realize they could slow down a little more.

“I think I’ll be a lot better this Saturday than I was last Saturday.”