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Following its win over Baylor to open the season, the Auburn Tigers will now be without a key defensive contributor for some time.
Defensive back Champ Anthony will be sidelined after suffering a broken thumb in Friday’s matchup against the Bears, head coach Hugh Freeze announced on Monday. Freeze did not indicate how long Anthony, a team captain, will be out, but he did confirm the injury required surgery.
"Unfortunately, Champ (Anthony) suffered a broken thumb that will require surgery, so he will miss some time," Freeze said.
The injury is the latest serious injury for Anthony, who suffered a season-ending leg injury last season after a big hit in the Arkansas game.
On Friday, the junior was instrumental to the Tigers’ success against Baylor, posting several pass breakups and many well-defended routes, including a crucial defensive stop in the endzone that eventually led to a Baylor turnover on downs.
He finished the season-opener with two tackles and one pass breakup.
The Tigers’ depth has been the story of the year, so it’ll be the next man up to try and fill Anthony's shoes, though Anthony’s production will surely be hard to replicate and sorely missed. Freeze on Monday commented on who could replace Anthony while he recovers.
Eric Winters was named as an option.
“I really don’t know on who’s starting and who’s not, but as far as more time, I think it is reasonable to expect that for sure," Freeze said. "I think the opportunity is there for several guys. That was my challenge this morning: go have a great week. Those of you who didn’t get the number of snaps that you’d hoped, go have a great week and make this a different week. Eric (Winters) played a lot of snaps, but it’s a reasonable assumption to say if Champ (Anthony) is down that his snaps go even go up more.”
Auburn will continue its season with a matchup against Ball State this Saturday, in the Tigers’ home opener. The game will be played at 6:30 p.m. CST and televised on ESPN.
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