Auburn QB Nick Marshall, DB Jonathan Mincy Will Not Start vs Arkansas; OG Alex Kozan Out For Season

Gus Malzahn announced today that quarterback Nick Marshall and defensive back Jonathan Mincy will not start the season opener against Arkansas but both will play. He also announced that presumed starting offensive lineman Alex Kozan will be out for the year with a back injury.

Malzahn said he had not yet determined how much of the game either player will sit out. We're willing to guess that as long as they don't get into any more trouble in August, they won't be out for very long.  Marshall was not arrested but was cited for possession of less than an ounce of marijuana a couple of weeks ago. Mincy was arrested and charged with second-degree possession of marijuana, which is a misdemeanor.

Both Marshall and Mincy were named to several preseason All-SEC teams. Kozan is coming off a Freshman All-America season and had been named to the Athlon preseason All-America team and was included on several preseason All-SEC teams.

Marshall will get most of the attention, but the loss of Kozan will likely have a bigger effect on the Tigers. He joins defensive end Carl Lawson as missing the Arkansas game due to injury.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p><a href="https://twitter.com/doc_harper">@doc_harper</a> Yes, much bigger deal. O-line has talented depth, but now is replacing two starters instead of one.</p>&mdash; Chris Fuhrmeister (@ccfuhr) <a href="https://twitter.com/ccfuhr/statuses/495349038019928064">August 1, 2014</a></blockquote>

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