Auburn OL Connor Lew talks about taking over starting role

Following an injury to Avery Jones, Connor Lew will be taking over at center. Lew discussed the adjustment and taking on the challenge.

Author:
Daniel Locke
Publish date:
Oct 27, 2023 4:30 PM EDT

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Auburn Tigers

Auburn center Avery Jones went down with an injury against Ole Miss. Freshman Connor Lew stepped in and will start at the position.

Lew, a native of Kennesaw, Ga., talked about the role he is stepping in to, preparation for it and more.

Lew was pleased with the way he played when he came in against Ole Miss.

"Obviously you want to win, but from what I've heard around the building and from my teammates and just watching it, I feel like I played pretty good," Lew said.

Lew mentioned that it has not hit him yet that he is about to make his first collegiate start.

"When I run through the tunnel and step out on the field for the first time it's probably going to hit me," Lew said. "I'm just treating this week like I do every week, as normal as possible."

Lew talked about how getting to play against Ole Miss was beneficial to preparing for the rest of the season.

"Once you get your feet wet for the first time, you can build off of it going forward," Lew said. "It's not guessing what it's like to be in an SEC game."

Lew acknowledged that Auburn is still together as a team despite the losing streak.

"Everybody in that locker room is a competitor and we all want to win games," Lew said. "In some ways, it's definitely brought us closer and we've realized that we need to play for each other."

Lew will have a lot on his plate this week, but it is nothing that he is not sure he can handle.