Search for receiving star is Dunn

In an installment of “Inside Auburn” last week, I asked the three most daunting questions that faced the Tigers heading into preseason practice, and gave solutions to each.

This week, I will go over answers to three more questions that face Auburn heading into the first game week.

Answer:The recently emerging Robert Dunn is not yet the “clear cut” solution to take Taylor’s place, but the junior has impressed coaches in practice and made big plays in the team’s most recent preseason scrimmage.

The 6-foot-0, 175-pound native of Augusta, Ga., hooked up with quarterback Brandon Cox twice: once for a 15-yard touchdown and then for a 30- or 40-yard bomb.

Receivers coach Greg Knox said Dunn is the unquestionable starter at the W position on Auburn’s offense, which is the slot receiver. It seems as if Cox and Dunn are beginning to develop a good chemistry.

Defensive coordinator Will Muschamp talked about Dunn’s touchdown catch from Cox during Friday’s scrimmage.

“We had as good a coverage as we could have. Robert went up and made a great play, and Brandon put it in the right spot,” Muschamp said.

Dunn and junior Rod Smith will most likely be the heirs to Taylor, who caught the most passes in Auburn’s history and is fourth in receiving yards.

Smith was first on the team with four touchdown catches last season, but he hasn’t drawn the amount of praise that Dunn has up to this point.

Answer: Linebackers Merrill Johnson and sophomore sensation Tray Blackmon will step in for Herring and Dede.

It won’t be easy, though. Herring led the team with 72 tackles, and Dede was second with 59. Herring had 9.5 tackles for lost yardage, two interceptions and two forced fumbles.

Blackmon was suspended for seven games last season for off-field incidents. If anything tells you how talented he is, it’s the next sentence: In the six games he played in, he started four of them, racking up 18 tackles and 2.5 tackles for lost yardage.

Coaches raved about Blackmon’s hard hits in the first scrimmage. Even he said he had a couple of crunching tackles.

Johnson started six games last season. He ranked 10th on the team with 33 tackles but had three tackles behind the line of scrimmage and three quarterback hurries in 2006.

Redshirt freshman Craig Stevens fills the spot that Johnson had last year: the newcomer who may not start every game but will have considerable playing time.

True freshman Bo Harris may be another one of those guys who fills that third linebacker spot.

Question: Who fills in for the recently injured kickoff returner Tristan Davis?

Answer: Davis had surgery for a broken toe last week. He will miss another six weeks.

The 5-foot-10, 210-pound Davis led the Southeastern Conference and was 15th nationally, averaging 27 yards on returns last season.

Running backs Brad Lester and Mario Fannin will be the top two kickoff returners heading into the season opener.

Lester and Fannin have good quickness, and they both have small, tightly wound bodies that are difficult to tackle. They should step up nicely, filling the void left by Davis.

Cornerback Pat Lee, running back Ben Tate and defensive back Walter McFadden are the backups.