Quindarius Carr can laugh about it and smile now.

Nearly nine months have passed since he infamously slipped during an attempted body bump at the Outback Bowl, which, of course, found its way onto SportsCenter’s “Not Top 10.”

He just wants his 2010 season to be remembered for more than a muffed-up celebration.

“I want to be known as a playmaker, as far as wideout, punt returner, whatever it is,” Carr said. “It doesn’t matter to me. I just want to make plays and help my team.”

Punt returner promises to be where Carr can make the most noise in 2010, as he’s apparently seized the job from the likes of Darvin Adams, Johnathon Mincy and Trovon Reed. As of Thursday, Carr was wide receivers coach Trooper Taylor’s top choice, but decisions on that part of the field have been known to change as late as the Thursday before a game.

Carr’s confident enough that he doesn’t see anyone but himself returning punts Saturday against Arkansas State.

“After as many reps as I’ve been getting since last year, I think I’m more prepared for the job now,” Carr said. “I’m very confident I can get the job done this year. Something I’m looking forward to.”
Carr, a junior, wants to be heard from as a wide receiver, too.

He redshirted his freshman year and saw sparse, but consistent playing time in 2008, catching six passes for 63 yards. Last year, he only caught two passes, but both were for big gains. He hauled in a 32-yard pass against Arkansas midway through the season and then reeled in a 46-yard touchdown pass in the first half of the Outback Bowl.

That momentum carried over into this spring’s A-Day game, where he caught a 70-yard touchdown pass and finished with four catches for 152 yards to pick up the game’s Offensive MVP honors.

“It meant a lot to me, getting my confidence back and being out there with my teammates just meant a whole lot,” Carr said. “From then on, I’ve not been looking back.”
Taylor said Carr has proven “every time he’s in the game he can make a play.” Carr, of course, is looking for more opportunities to prove himself.

“Everybody waits for their chance,” Carr said. “Whenever the opportunity presents itself, you got to take advantage of it. I don’t think it was confidence, just a matter of waiting for my chance.”

Zoom zoom
As far as Cameron Newton’s concerned, the joke is on everyone else at Auburn who doesn’t get to class without the aid of two motorized wheels.

Now that class is in session, students and anyone else on Auburn’s campus can spot the Tigers’ starting quarterback zipping around on a motor scooter.

“Everybody is looking like, ‘Oh, who is that? Oh, it’s Cam. Ahh!’” he said. “But it’s funny when they’re looking at you and I’m laughing, riding by them, going to class and they’re late.”

Newton said he was surprised by the lack of motor scooters on Auburn’s campus. He said this is the first place he’s been where he’s not fighting traffic with other bikes.

He hasn’t exactly influenced Kodi Burns to purchase one.

“I wanted one back in the day ... when I was in the fifth grade,” Burns joked.

Coach Gene Chizik is well aware of Newton’s favorite form of transportation from class to class. He’s not losing sleep over it.

“I’m going to hope that he’s very cautious when he proceeds on that moped, which I’m sure he is,” Chizik said. “We trust him. He’s got to drive carefully.”

Reed on the mend
With a bag of ice wrapped around his knee, freshman wide receiver Trovon Reed said he should be ready for Saturday’s game.

That he was able to tell that to reporters Sunday typically indicates his injury isn’t considered severe.

“I hope I will, but if not I’ll cheer my team on,” Reed said. “I’ll be the biggest cheerleader on the sideline if I’m not.”

Reed said he injured the knee while diving for a pass in practice last week. Earlier in camp, he missed a few days because of recurring soreness from the knee he injured in high school. The two injuries are not related, he said.

“I was just worrying about the ball, and I let all my body weight fall on my knee and bruised my knee cap,” he said. “I’ll be all right, though.”

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