10/18 at 11:44 PM

The last time Clint Moseley started a game was at Birmingham’s Legion Field for the Class 2A high school state championship in 2008.

The Leroy senior completed 15-of-27 passes for 272 yards, two touchdowns and an interception in leading the Bears to a 41-8 win over Sulligent.

This Saturday, Moseley leads Auburn into LSU’s Tiger Stadium, where you could fit the entire population of the town of Sulligent 47 times over.

“It’s not that big of an adjustment,” Moseley said with a smirk. “Sulligent was pretty fast defensively. They had some D-linemen, I think their biggest one was about 220 pounds. So it won’t be that big of an adjustment.”

Auburn head coach Gene Chizik made official Tuesday what conjecture had generally held to be true for about 60 hours prior: The Tigers have a new starting quarterback, and his name is Clint Moseley.

Moseley, a redshirt sophomore, stepped in for junior Barrett Trotter after halftime of the Tigers’ win over Florida on Saturday and completed 4-of-7 passes for 90 yards.

Trotter started the season’s first seven games, completing 54.4 percent of his passes for 1,009 yards, 10 touchdowns and six interceptions, but struggled to a 20-for-50 performance for 226 yards and two touchdowns against three picks over the past three weeks.

“It doesn’t mean Barrett Trotter doesn’t get his chance to win, it just means that we’ve been struggling offensively the last few weeks,” Chizik said. “I don’t think that’s a secret. I feel like we need a spark there.

“I think (Clint’s) earned the right for the opportunity to start.”

That proclamation serves as an important benchmark for Moseley, a player who has endured a redshirt year, two failed campaigns to be the Tigers’ starter and a good deal of self-doubt in his three years at Auburn.

Just two months ago, a red-eyed Moseley took the podium and addressed the media in hushed tones about coming in second to Trotter in this year’s version of Auburn’s quarterback race.

“It’s all surreal at first, because it has been such a rollercoaster for me,” Moseley said. “To finally get what I’ve been working so hard for and what I’ve dreamed of getting, it’s the best feeling.

“At the same time, it carries a lot of responsibility and I know I’ve got to really buckle down and get serious.”

Moseley carries much the same skill set at Trotter, but with a bit more zip in his arm, a bit less in his legs and — at 6-foot-4, 213 pounds — a bit more meat on his bones.

Offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn also likes Moseley’s improvisational skills.

“He has that knack to do things once things break down,” Malzahn said. “He’s got a little bit of the gunslinger in him. He earned the chance to lead the offense, see if you can take this offense a little higher.”

Chizik and Malzahn have never had to deal with musical chairs at quarterback before in their three years at Auburn.

The last time the Tigers switched out their starter in the middle of the season was 2008, when Kodi Burns started the opener, ceded to Chris Todd for five weeks, then started the final six games of the year.

“I feel comfortable with either guy back here, and I know everyone on the offense feels the same way,” tight end Philip Lutzenkirchen said. “The coaches, obviously, felt like Clint was a change-of-pace quarterback against Florida, and they’re sticking with him for the LSU game, and probably the rest of the season.”

Moseley said the main thing he’s been focusing on is staying level-headed.

He’s experienced getting “too low” — losing the job, getting down on himself, seeking out Chizik for guidance on how to get by — and so he’s not going to let himself get “too high” now that things are going well.

“Just playing quarterback, you have to think you’re the best,” Moseley said. “I expected (to play) the whole time, but that’s just because I’m a competitor. I was just going to go in there completely level-headed and even-keeled on whatever happened and I got the best news that I could get.”

There’s also the matter of preparing for LSU’s defense, one of the best in the nation.

And not exactly on the same plane as Sulligent.

“OK, maybe it’s the best defense I might possibly ever face in my first start,” Moseley said. “But that’s why you come to Auburn. That’s why you play SEC, that’s why you have the big dreams.

“What bigger stage could I possibly play on?”

As for Trotter, Moseley knows exactly how he feels.

Moseley said he’d give Trotter his space, give him time to process the decision and be there for him if needed.

“It’s a huge deal. There’s no way to downplay this at the moment,” Moseley said. “To us it’s humongous.”

Malzahn said Trotter should come out of this latest adversity fine.

“Barrett’s a champion. Barrett’s a great competitor,” Malzahn said. “The unfortunate thing for him is all of this is not his fault. He’s a very tough-minded young man. He’s a team guy.”