WAR EAGLE EXTRA

The War Eagle Extra is moving

2011-03-14T12:27:00.009-05:00

Big news today for the site: the War Eagle Extra is moving.

Because all of you readers have frequented the War Eagle Extra so often, the Ledger-Enquirer has decided to move the blog to a place where we have full control of the site.

The good news: The new site will look almost exactly the same. In fact, it's practically a mirror image, although we may tinker with design and formatting in the upcoming months. (Suggestions are welcome. Post in the comments section.) Here's the address -- http://www.wareagleextra.com -- so be sure to change your bookmarks. This page will still exist, although it will redirect you to our new page.

(Bonus good news that I forgot to mention: the new site will be more mobile friendly for those of you who check it on your phones. Hopefully this goes off without a hitch, too.)

The bad news: I do believe any Blogspot log-in information for commenting purposes will not carry over to the new site. You'll still be able to comment by entering a username and e-mail address (realtalk: it doesn't have to be authentic), so don't let the new system discourage you.

We're doing this for a couple of reasons. First, the Wordpress site gives us complete control of the blog. Second, it'll be easier to monetize through the eventual sale of ads. You might hear "ads" and "monetize" and be put off, but the newspaper biz ain't pretty right now economically, so every little bit helps. In fact, we're probably long overdue for this anyway. Any future ads, I'm told, will be unobtrusive (read: no pop-ups).

So thank you for frequenting the blog enough that we can even consider making this switch. And be sure to change your bookmarks so you don't miss out on any Auburn coverage. We'll be making the official switch around 5 p.m. ET today.

Long-awaited big inning helps Auburn avoid weekend sweep against Arizona State

2011-03-13T15:41:00.006-05:00

AUBURN, Ala. — Auburn was on the cusp of a big inning all weekend, but because of rotten luck, bad baserunning or poor situational hitting repeatedly failed to strike it big.

The No. 23 Tigers finally broke through in their last chance, scoring four runs in the eighth inning Sunday to rally for a 10-8 win against No. 7 Arizona State and avoid a three-game sweep at Plainsman Park.

“It seemed like every potential big inning we had they just shut us down and we didn’t get the breaks,” Auburn shortstop Casey McElroy said. “It really felt nice to finally have that one inning where we got a couple breaks and the balls fell in.”

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Auburn (11-5) got a monkey off its back in its biggest non-conference test of the season. The Tigers had lost five straight to the Sun Devils in the last two years, despite leading in every game.

“I think it was a real important team win,” Auburn coach John Pawlowski said. “It was just what the doctor ordered today.”

Arizona State (11-3) used a four-run seventh to take an 8-6 lead, chasing Auburn starter Derek Varnadore, who gave up six runs on five hits in six-plus innings.

But The Tigers rallied in the eighth. Jay Gonzalez and Justin Fradejas drew walks to put runners on first and second with two outs for McElroy, who helped kill a potential rally an inning earlier by getting caught in a rundown between third and home.

ASU lefty Mitchell Lambson (3-2) tried to get a fastball past him on the first pitch, but McElroy lined it into the left field corner, just inside the foul line. Gonzalez and Fradejas scored to tie the game at 8.

Dan Gamache batted next, lofting a high fly ball to left that the wind carried to the base of the wall. ASU left fielder Matt Newman jumped and appeared to catch it at the base of the fence, but he lost control of it as he fell to the ground.

McElroy came around to score as the umpires furiously signaled that the play was still alive.

“I thought he caught it,” said Gamache, who was 7-for-14 with 9 RBIs in the series. “I thought it got blown up a little bit and was an easy fly ball, but the wind took it and I got lucky.”

Wes Gilmer added an RBI single to make it 10-8 Auburn. It was the first time the Tigers scored more than two runs in an inning all weekend.

“The first two games we just kind of came up empty-handed, but we were right there until the end,” said McElroy, who was 3-for-5 with three RBIs. “And this game we knew it was going to be another dogfight and this one we just kept believing and coach kept using the word magic.”

Zach Blatt (1-1), who entered the day with an 8.31 ERA in three appearances, pitched two perfect innings to close out the game, a much-needed boost both personally and for a bullpen that struggled to hold leads all weekend.

Auburn returns to action Tuesday in a non-conference game against Alabama in the Capital City Classic at Riverwalk Stadium in Montgomery. First pitch is 8 p.m. ET.

Hard-hitting Arizona State tops Auburn 9-5

2011-03-12T18:01:00.006-06:00

AUBURN, Ala. — The hits keep coming and coming for Arizona State, with no end in sight.

After a 16-hit effort in Friday’s opener, No. 7 Arizona State pounded out 17 hits Saturday in a 9-5 win against No. 23 Auburn at Plainsman Park.

Matt Newman hit two home runs and had four RBIs and Joey DeMichele was 5-for-5 with three doubles and four runs for the Sun Devils (11-2), who have won five straight against the Tigers (10-5) dating back to last year.

“It always seemed like we were pitching with somebody on base,” Auburn coach John Pawlowski said. “So it puts a lot of pressure on your team, puts pressure on the defense, and they’re a quality team and they’re going to find ways to score runs. And they did today.”

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Arizona State took command of a back-and-forth game in the late innings. Deven Marrero hit a sacrifice fly off reliever Andrew Morris (1-1) to break a 5-5 tie in the seventh. Newman followed with an RBI double to make it 7-5.

The Sun Devils tacked on two more in the ninth. Newman, who had one extra-base hit all year, hit his third of the day when he launched a Dillon Ortman offering into the right field bullpen. Xorge Carrillo added an RBI single to push the lead to four.

ASU’s six through nine hitters went 12-for-19 on the afternoon with two homers, six doubles and eight RBIs.

Auburn had a glut of wasted chances. After scoring four runs in the first three innings, it scored only one more time the rest of the game.

Zach Alvord ran through a stop sign at third in the second inning, getting thrown out by a considerable distance at the plate. An inning later, Cullen Wacker whiffed on a squeeze bunt, leaving Wes Gilmer hung out to dry between third and home.

The Tigers twice loaded the bases with one out or less but only managed to score one run in those two innings. They left nine runners on base overall.

“We’ve got to keep talking to them about approach and try to find a way offensively to try to get guys on base and manufacture some runs,” Pawlowski said.

With the conference opener looming next weekend, Pawlowski said he’ll have to re-evaluate the pitching rotation.

Starter Slade Smith lasted only 3 1/3 innings, allowing three runs on seven hits. The right-hander has gotten through the fifth inning only once in four starts this year and has an 8.00 ERA.

“We said that we’ve got to get our guys ready to go,” Pawlowski said. “We may have to make some adjustments.”

The teams conclude the series Sunday at 2 p.m. ET. Derek Varnadore (3-0, 1.17 ERA) takes the mound for Auburn against Arizona State’s Kramer Champlin (2-0, 2.50).

“Our mindset is it’s a one-game championship tomorrow,” Pawlowski said. “We’ve got to come ready to play. And to our program, to our kids in there, even though it’s non-conference, they are competitive and they want to win.”

Ninth-inning rally lifts No. 7 Arizona State to 8-7 win over No. 23 Auburn in weekend opener

2011-03-11T21:53:00.006-06:00

AUBURN, Ala. — Just like last year, Auburn couldn't hold a lead against Arizona State.

The No. 7 Sun Devils rallied from three deficits Friday night for an 8-7 win against the No. 23 Tigers at Plainsman Park to start a three-game series.

Arizona State (10-2) scored twice in the ninth for the win, tying the game on an Xorge Carrillo single and going ahead on a single by Zack MacPhee that took a fortuitous bounce into right field.

"It's real disappointing," Auburn coach John Pawlowski said. "We knew they weren't going away. That's a solid ballclub over there and they play to a high level. We had our chances. It just didn't work out."

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Auburn (10-4) was swept by Arizona State in Tempe, Ariz., last season, despite leading in every game.

The Tigers looked like they would break that streak, taking a 7-6 lead in the eighth after an errant throw on Justin Fradejas' infield single allowed pinch runner Bobby Andrews to score.

But Arizona State (10-2) rallied. Reliever Ethan Wallen walked Austin Barnes to start the ninth. After a bunt moved him to second, Carrillo's RBI single up the middle scored him to tie the game at 7.

Andy Workman batted next and hit a sharp grounder up the middle that got past the pitcher's mound and struck umpire Jay Pierce on the foot. The ball ricocheted to second baseman Justin Hargett, who was ready to fire to first when Pierce ruled the play dead, putting runners and first and second.

Pawlowski argued the call saying the play should have been live, although the umpires were backed up by the rulebook, which says a fair ball that hits an umpire before it passes an infielder other than the pitcher is dead and runners advance one base.

"Sometimes those things happen," Pawlowski said. "It's unfortunate the ball hitting the umpire. That's part of baseball."

After an ASU runner was thrown out at the plate trying to score on a grounder to short, MacPhee hit a grounder into hole between first and second that took a bad hop over Hargett's head and into right field, allowing Workman to score with the winning run.

Wallen (0-1) took the loss, giving up two runs in 2 2/3 innings of relief. Auburn starter Cory Luckie struck out eight, one shy of a career-high, giving up three runs on nine hits in 4 2/3

Arizona State reliever Mitchell Lambson (3-1) earned the win after giving up one run in 2 1/3 innings.

Dan Gamache went 3-for-4 for the Tigers, driving in Auburn's first four runs with a double and triple. Kevin Patterson added a two-run homer in the sixth, his second of the year.

Johnny Ruettiger was 2-for-5 for ASU with three RBIs and Barnes was 3-for-4.

The Tigers and Sun Devils play again today at 4 p.m. ET. Auburn will start Slade Smith (1-0, 7.98 ERA) against Kyle Ottoson (2-0, 3.46).

Four Auburn football players dismissed from team after arrest for robbery, burglary, theft of property

2011-03-11T13:42:00.034-06:00

AUBURN, Ala. — Four Auburn football players — Mike McNeil, Antonio Goodwin, Shaun Kitchens and Dakota Mosley — have been kicked off the team after being arrested early Friday morning on charges of robbery, burglary and theft of property.

The four are currently being held at Lee County Detention Center, each on a $511,000 bond, according to the Auburn Police Department.

(UPDATE: According to the Opelika-Auburn News, Mosley had posted bond.)

They were charged with five counts of robbery in the first degree and one count of burglary in the first degree, Class A felonies under Alabama state law, and one count of theft of property in the third degree, a Class A misdemeanor.

A first-degree burglary conviction in Alabama is punishable by 10 years to life in prison and a $60,000 fine.

Auburn head coach Gene Chizik released a statement saying the four have been "permanently dismissed from the team."

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McNeil, 22, who is from Mobile, Ala., started at safety last season as a junior. He made 56 tackles, including a team-high 14 in Auburn's BCS title game victory against Oregon.

Goodwin, 20, and Kitchens, 19, wide receivers from Atlanta and College Park, Ga., respectively, played mostly on special teams as freshmen. Mosley, 19, a tight end from Little Rock, Ark., redshirted.

According to the Auburn police, officers responded to a robbery report at a residence located on the 2300 block of Wire Road at 12:25 a.m. The five victims present told police three black males entered the residence, with one displaying a hand gun.

Personal property was stolen, although it was not specified. No injuries were reported.

A patrolman responded to the area and observed what he believed to be the suspects' vehicle based on the description he was given. Officers stopped the car and found a pistol and the stolen property before transporting the four to the Lee County Detention Center.

Chizik offered the following statement: “The players arrested in connection with this deeply troubling incident have been permanently dismissed from our football team. While we realize the legal process will run its course and these young men have a right for their case to be heard, playing for Auburn University is an honor and a privilege. It is not a right.

“We hold our student-athletes to a high standard of conduct on and off the field as representatives of Auburn University, and this kind of behavior is not tolerated.

“I am extremely disappointed and embarrassed by the actions of these individuals. I want to personally apologize to all of those who were impacted by this senseless act, including the victims, Auburn University and the Auburn family.”

Auburn athletics director Jay Jacobs stood behind Chizik's actions.

"This type of behavior will not be tolerated at Auburn," he said. "I fully support coach Chizik’s swift and decisive action to dismiss these four student-athletes from our football team effective immediately.”

Teammates expressed shock about the players' arrest. Former left tackle Lee Ziemba called the incident "unfortunate" and "embarrassing" during an appearance on Paul Finebaum's radio show. Former safety Zac Etheridge tweeted: "Prayers going up for those guys. Not like them to do that!!!"

It's the second time in the last month Auburn has dismissed a player because of legal issues. Running back Eric Smith was kicked off the team Feb. 28 after being arrested for third-degree domestic violence. It occurred a year and a half after he was arrested for third-degree assault for knocking a fellow student unconscious at an area hotel.

Commentary: Despite disappointing season, Barbee offers Auburn basketball hope

2011-03-10T17:09:00.007-06:00

My colleague, Seth Emerson, had game story duties today at the SEC tournament. You can read his account here. I wrote a column on the conclusion of Auburn's season instead. Here it is:

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ATLANTA — There was no comeback, no second-half magic, no late-game rally for the Auburn Tigers on Thursday.

Tony Barbee's first season on the Plains came to a predictable conclusion in a 69-51 SEC tournament loss to Georgia, a much bigger, much better team from top to bottom.

But he didn't dwell on it.

"Can't look back," Barbee said, echoing a season-long sentiment. "We've got to look ahead."

Looking back at the wreckage won't help. The Tigers (11-20) finished with their fewest wins since the 1993-94 season, placing fifth in the SEC West, the fifth time in the last seven years they've been one of the bottom two teams in the division.

But here's where things differ from the Jeff Lebo era. There's hope.

It's a word rarely spoken in Auburn basketball circles. Lebo's teams never made the NCAA tournament, coming close only once while treading water until the life raft of a new arena could push the program to the next level.

Barbee's different. In 20 years as a player or coach, he's missed the postseason only twice. He's been schooled by a noted winner, John Calipari. And in his only previous head coaching gig, he took UTEP from 10th to first place in the Conference USA in four short years.

Why would that pattern change now?

Sure, the numbers are bad this season — historically bad, in fact, if you're talking RPI — but look at what Barbee inherited. The team had no seniors. Its best player missed the season with a knee injury. Its top two recruits failed to qualify academically. Going 0-for-the-SEC was in play.

Still, the Tigers never folded. They scrapped their way to four SEC wins (I'm guessing the over paid off on that one), had a competitive surge late in the season during which no deficit was too large and gave their fan base reason to believe better days are ahead.

"They stayed together as teammates and didn't point, didn't blame," Barbee said. "They knew they had a lot of growing to do because of the inexperience. And I talked about the growing pains from Day 1. And you see how we progressed as a team and got gradually better over the course of the season. And that's what we want to try to do every year."

It won't be an instant fix. Auburn needs size and scoring. The Tigers got mauled on the boards Thursday, allowing 18 offensive rebounds. Their signature offensive play this season was the seven-minute scoring drought.

There's also the matter of making the scholarship numbers work, which will probably require some maneuvering Auburn fans like to think only takes place under Nick Saban's watch.

But it's not as though SEC reclamation projects take a long time. Mark Fox took Georgia from 5-11 in the SEC to the cusp of the NCAA tournament in Year 2. Anthony Grant had a similar turnaround at Alabama, turning a 5-11 SEC team into Western Division champs.

Why can't Auburn, which plays in one of the weakest divisions in Division I basketball and will add injured guard Frankie Sullivan, transfers Varez Ward and Noel Johnson and at least three freshman signees to its current group, make a similar jump?

Barbee refuses to sugarcoat the process — "He doesn’t shoot you no crap," forward Kenny Gabriel said. "He doesn’t tell you what you want to hear." — nor will he slow down to let the stragglers play catchup. Losing isn't in his DNA.

"They've got to commit to improving," Barbee said. "If not, they will get left behind."

Georgia ends Auburn's season with 69-51 win in first round of SEC tournament

2011-03-10T13:55:00.007-06:00

ATLANTA — There was no second-half comeback to be had Thursday in the Georgia Dome, where Auburn's season ended with a 69-51 loss to Georgia.

Trey Thompkins had 22 points and 12 rebounds to lead the Bulldogs (21-10), who kept their NCAA tournament hopes alive, advancing to play Alabama tomorrow at 1 p.m. ET.

The Tigers (11-20) finished with their fewest wins since the 1993-94 season.

Georgia opened things up with an 18-4 run in the first half, taking a 34-23 lead into the break. The Bulldogs dominated the glass, grabbing 18 offensive rebounds.

Auburn, which made a habit of overcoming big deficits late in the season, found Thursday's 21-point hole too large to overcome.

Chris Denson, from Columbus, was one of the few bright spots for the Tigers, finishing with a career-high with 21 points off the bench. He went 9-for-10 from the field.

But he had little offensive help. Auburn shot 39 percent but was 2-for-14 from 3-point range.

Earnest Ross, who scored a career-high 30 earlier this year at Georgia, went 1-for-10 from the floor and scored only 4 points. Kenny Gabriel was the team's second-leading scorer with 7.

Halftime from Atlanta: Georgia 34, Auburn 23

2011-03-10T12:48:00.007-06:00

ATLANTA — Auburn will need some second-half magic to keep its season going.

The Tigers trail Georgia 34-23 at halftime in the SEC tournament opener at the Georgia Dome.

The Bulldogs (20-10), who are playing to keep their NCAA tournament hopes alive, used an 18-4 run near the end of the first half. Georgia led by as many as 15.

Center Trey Thompkins has a game-high 14 points to go with 7 rebounds. UGA has a 24-14 rebounding advantage, with 13 offensive rebounds.

Reserve guard Chris Denson, from Columbus, leads Auburn (11-19) with 9 points.

The Tigers shot 39 percent in the first half (11-for-28) but were 0-for-7 from 3-point range.

The game's winner will play Alabama tomorrow at 1 p.m. ET.

Tigers aim to bring momentum into tournament

2011-03-10T00:08:00.003-06:00

I'll be driving to Atlanta this morning for the SEC tournament, which will take place at the Georgia Dome. Auburn, the 5th seed out of the West, plays Georgia, the 4th seed out of the East, at 1 p.m. ET. Here's how today's story starts:

AUBURN, Ala. -- Auburn isn’t a quick-starting team, so it figures that it began playing its best basketball as the season wound down.

The Tigers (11-19, 4-12 SEC), who finished the regular season with their first back-to-back wins in league play, hope to carry that late-season momentum into the SEC tournament, which starts today at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta.

“There’s no question this team has gotten progressively better over the course of the season,” first-year Auburn coach Tony Barbee said. “And right now, we’re playing at our peak.”

Read the full thing here. And follow the blog on Twitter and Facebook.

Here's the full schedule today and tomorrow:

Thursday
Game 1: West No. 5 Auburn vs. East No. 4 Georgia, Game, 1 p.m. ET (SEC Network)
Game 2: East No. 6 South Carolina vs. West No. 3 Ole Miss, 3:30 p.m. ET (SEC Network)
Game 3: East No. 5 Tennessee vs. West No. 4 Arkansas, 7:30 p.m. ET (SEC Network)
Game 4: West No. 6 LSU vs. East No. 3 Vanderbilt, 10 p.m. ET (SEC Network)
Friday
Game 5: Game 1 winner vs. West No. 1 Alabama, 1 p.m. ET (SEC Network)
Game 6: Game 2 winner vs. East No. 2 Kentucky, 3:30 p.m. ET (SEC Network)
Game 7: Game 3 winner vs. East No. 1 Florida, 7:30 p.m. ET (SEC Network)
Game 8: Game 4 winner vs. West No. 2 Mississippi State, 10 p.m .ET (SEC Network)

Auburn-Memphis baseball game canceled

2011-03-09T14:36:00.006-06:00

Auburn's baseball game tonight against Memphis was canceled because of weather. The teams will not make the game up.

Fans holding tickets to Wednesday’s game can exchange them for any other non-conference game, subject to availability.

The No. 23 Tigers (10-3) begin a three-game series against No. 7 Arizona State on Friday at 7 p.m. ET at Plainsman Park.

ESPN draft guru Mel Kiper Jr. sizes up Cam Newton, Nick Fairley after Auburn's pro day

2011-03-09T10:05:00.014-06:00

As usual after Auburn's pro day, we like to hear what the experts had to say about it. Thankfully, ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. did another teleconference today. Here's what he had to say about Cam Newton and Nick Fairley:

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(On Newton's pro day)

"I watched it. And you knew that it was going to be better. You knew it wasn't going to be any worse. Pro days are usually the best scenario. And that's why I questioned it, I went on the record, I wouldn't have thrown at the combine. I thought it was was a mistake before. It was a first guess, as Lee Corso says, not a second guess. I said it on the air, on numerous shows and before the combine even began, that if I was advising Cam Newton, I would have advised him not to throw. I wouldn't have had that media day either. I would have just saved it for that pro day. That's the best opportunity to show accuracy. To show the NFL that, hey, I'm going to wow you over with my physical ability and my ability to make precise throws down the field short, medium and long.

"And he improved. Now, he had some overthrows on the outs, he had some overthrows long, he had some drops. His receiver corps wasn't what he thought it would be going into that workout yesterday, so they had to kind of mix and match there a little bit and pull some guys in late to catch the football. But I think Cam showed well, which a pro day is a great scenario for that. I think he right now is looking at the fourth pick to Cincinnati, seventh pick to San Francisco in that area. Buffalo would be in that mix as well, but I keep hearing maybe not. Carolina could consider him certainly at No. 1. Cam's going to go high."

(On if Fairley measuring up smaller than anticipated affects his draft stock)

"Not at all. In fact, I'd prefer to see somebody at that height, because to me it's all about leverage, it's all about the lowest man wins. And he's got the ability to bat down passes, to be disruptive. He's a quickness guy. He's a guy who beats you with that athleticism and weakness. He does some great things from the interior. It's hard to find pass rushers. And this is a guy who can really get after it.

"He's a guy who is a better pass rusher than (Gerald) McCoy coming out. Ndamukong Suh beats you with power, he was underrated quickness wise. That's why I liked him better than McCoy last year. A lot people liked McCoy better than Suh. I was a Suh guy from Day 1, stayed with it all the way through the draft, because three straight years he dominated. Not one year. Three years. Played four, dominated for three and even showed flashes of brilliance the fourth year. And with Fairley, only one year, really as a starter, only started a few games prior to that. So that's the only thing, that one-year wonder, that one-hit wonder when you're talking about the first or second pick overall that would concern you a little bit with Nick Fairley, other than he was a lights-out player, some lulls in his play sometimes in games, which there usually are for defensive linemen. It wasn't with Suh. That's why he was so great after the fact. He was the No. 1 guy overall for that reason. A lot of other people like McCoy over Suh.

"But for Fairley, if he had played a couple more years at Auburn at that level, he'd had been clear-cut ... one more great year at Auburn, instead of just the one, he'd have been the clear-cut No. 1 guy in this draft."

Kiper also said Fairley could go as high as second, with an outside shot at going No. 1. Worst-case scenario, he said, would be Fairley dropping to eighth. Who has that pick? The Tennessee Titans, who recently hired Tracy Rocker as their defensive line coach.

Kiper also came out with his latest mock draft on ESPN. Here are his top-four picks:

1. Carolina -- QB Blaine Gabbert, Missouri
2. Denver -- DT Nick Fairley, Auburn
3. Buffalo -- DT Marcell Dareus, Alabama
4. Cincinnati -- QB Cam Newton, Auburn

Quarterback Cam Newton answers some questions with solid pro day performance

2011-03-08T19:03:00.020-06:00

It was the Cam Newton show at Auburn's pro day today, with around 125 NFL personnel from every team in attendance to watch the quarterback throw.

He didn't disappoint. Newton threw around 65 passes in an extended session near the end of the workouts. He completed all but 10 of them, a far cry from his 11-for-21 performance at the combine nine days ago.

"He's a very, very proud athlete, and he's a very competitive guy," said George Whitfield Jr., Newton's personal quarterback coach. "If Michael Jordan one night scores 20 points, you best believe the next team that he faces is going to have deal with 45 going in. I think that's the kind of mindset Cam had today."

Despite slightly windy conditions, a far cry from the sterile dome environment in Indianapolis, Newton was sharp, showing zip on his passes and being on target. He went down a roster of passes (perimeter throws, comebacks, out routes, etc), throwing to a group of Auburn receivers he was comfortable with.

"He really came out and attacked this deal," Whitfield said. "I think the coaches and scouts, especially when we went back and asked them if they wanted to hear anything else or see anything else, (Cardinals) coach (Ken) Whisenhunt asked him to throw maybe two balls, (Titans offensive coordinator Chris) Palmer asked to see two more balls, and that was it. I asked them many times and they were good.

"They thought we put together a good game plan. Cam came out and executed the game plan, and that was a bigger deal."

Although head coaches from five teams with five of the first six picks were on hand, none were in a talking mood afterward. However, Buddy Nix, the general manager of the Buffalo Bills, who own the third pick, spoke about Newton.

"I tell you this, workouts are a small piece of the puzzle," he said. "We go by how they play. If the throwing is good, you can tell something about their release, you can tell something about his arm.

"But the only way you can tell how a guy can play quarterback is when he’s being rushed and you’ve got coverage and you’ve got to throw it in a tight spot and you’ve got pressure on you. That’s kind of what we go by. The biggest percentage, anyway. Eighty percent, probably."

Did he learn anything about Newton he didn't already know?

"No," Nix said. "He did good, and I expected him to."

Newton also continued to answer questions from teams about his character.

“They want to know everything," he said. "They want to know who I really am. During this whole process, I’ve done a lot of explaining about who I really am. I’m extremely comfortable with that, because I know this is a multi-million dollar investment, and they have to know who they’re picking.

"Each organization has to do a thorough investigation on who this person really is: what his background is and is he a competitor? It’s just fun and I look forward to talking to team after team about who I really am.”

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Some other quick notes and quotes from Auburn's pro day:

Whitfield was full on analogies. Naturally, he was extremely positive about Newton. "He came out like Secretariat," he said. "He was pawing at the ground, knew it was a big day, wanted it, waiting for the gates to open. The kid went off."

Newton's No. 1 goal was to show consistency. "Every quarterback has tendencies, every athlete has tendencies," Newton said. "And that’s my tendency, to get impatient. And when I get impatient, the throws are erratic. That’s one thing I wanted to focus on: to be comfortable today."

One more Whitfield quote: "We really didn't hit a finish line today. This is just the next game. All he's going to do is continue to get better."

Representatives from all 32 NFL teams were on hand, including the head coach from teams with five of the first six picks in April's NFL draft. Carolina's Ron Rivera, Denver's John Fox (with executive vice president of football operations John Elway in tow), Cincinnati's Marvin Lewis, Whisenhunt and Cleveland's Pat Shurmur were all in attendance.

Newton wouldn't speculate where he'll be taken in April's draft. “That’s not something I’m thinking of right now," he said. "My focus is on me being the best player I can be. Tomorrow is another day for me to work on my craft and become another football player. I’m not going to worry about something I do not have control over, but I do have control over myself. To make this transition a fluid one to the NFL.”

Nick Fairley’s pro day was brief, the kind you’re entitled to have after doing almost everything at the NFL Scouting Combine. But the former Auburn defensive tackle, who is expected to go near the top of Aprils’ NFL Draft, still went through a variety of position drills. “I can just show that I’ve still been working,” said Fairley, who was pleased with his day. “Even though the combine is over with … I’m still training. I wanted to show those guys that I’m still working to get better.”

Fairley measured in at 6-foot-4, 297 pounds (six more than in Indianapolis), then stuck with his combine numbers for the individual drills. He took the field for the first time with his fellow defensive linemen for positional drills late in the day, showing agility and footwork while weaving through cones and pads as scouts watched. “If anybody can tell if a guy can play football running through dummies, he’s better than I am,” Nix said. “But you do see athletic ability. He has great ability, feet, speed and bursts and all of those things. He’s a good player. He makes plays on Saturday, and he’ll make them again on Sundays.”

A number of teams with high picks took an interest in Fairley’s drills. Fox and Elway, whose Broncos pick second, stood among a cluster of scouts watching on. Fairley also spoke with Rivera, whose Panthers own the No. 1 pick. “They’ve been talking to me, but all the teams have been talking to me,” Fairley said. “It would be wonderful if I was able to go there. It doesn’t matter what team I go to — I just want to play football.”

Fairley wanted to wear a red shirt to match his Nike shorts, but the only one he could was Darvin Adams' from the combine. So he wore it, even though it was tight. "After this, I'll just peel it off," Fairley joked.

Asking Auburn’s players which Tiger had the best pro day performance, one name kept coming up: defensive tackle Zach Clayton. Clayton had an excellent all-around day. After weighing in at 6-foot-2, 299 pounds, he ran a 4.68-second 40-yard dash. “That even shocked me,” Clayton said.

He had a 33.5-inch vertical and a 10-foot broad jump, second best on the team to linebacker Craig Stevens’ 10 feet, 2 inches. Clayton, who has been working out at Auburn, finished the workouts by repping 225 pounds 27 times on the bench press, tops on the team. “I think I helped myself out a lot,” Clayton said. “My goal coming into today was just to get my name out there and open a few eyes. I think I accomplished that today.”

Cornerback Demond Washington turned in the fastest 40 time, finishing his second run in 4.30 seconds. He was followed by receiver Terrell Zachery (4.40), safety Zac Etheridge (4.51) and receiver Kodi Burns (4.55).

Adams and defensive end/tight end Gabe McKenzie tied for the best vertical jump at 35 inches.

Ryan Pugh finished second on the bench press with 25 reps of 225 pounds, followed by McKenzie (24) and Mike Blanc (23). Here are the full stats.

Lots of folks in attendance, although the players say they weren't bothered by it. "It is not big deal," Burns said. "We are from the SEC, where you play in front of 80,000 week-in and week-out. These scouts are just people. It is all about performing under pressure."

But, the players' livelihood isn't usually on the line during a game. "A lot if on the line out here," linebacker Josh Bynes said. "One messed up time or drill can make you not get drafted."

Pugh on that subject: "It's almost like it's four years in one day. I don't think it's that intense as far as combining all four years in one day, but it's just a way to fill in the blanks as far as what kind of player you are. They get to interact with you and see how you interact with your teammates, and they want to see you compete. I think I did that today. I think we all did that today."

Bynes, on his expectations on draft day: "It doesn't really matter what they say. All that matters is what happens when the draft comes around, April 28, 29 and 30. You may hear your name called or you might not. The only thing you can do is wait to hear your name called. You may go in the first round or the sixth round, because I have seen that before over the years. So we are going to have to just wait and see what happens."

Running back Mario Fannin didn't do a whole lot of drills Tuesday after an impressive combine at which he ran a 4.38 40-yard dash. He still wanted to get the scouts' attention with some positional work, though. "Hopefully I've grabbed it," he said. "Here at Auburn this past season, I kind of did the third down thing. I feel like I did a great job as far as helping my teammates out in that aspect of the game. I just wanted to also show them that I can do other things, too. I think they saw it today.

Left tackle Lee Ziemba followed up his combine performance by doing some positional drills. He said the feedback from coaches and scouts isn't always instant. "More of a mystery than you think," he said. "It's a waiting game."

Ziemba felt like he's been shuttling between cities constantly since winning the BCS title. "Since Arizona it has been a whirlwind," he said. "It's been living in and out of suitcases and going from on place to another. You've got to do what you've got to do." He can't wait for the draft to get here. "I'm ready to get settled down somewhere and start playing some football. That's what I'm ready for."

It was a long day and, quite honestly, my video was a little lacking, so I'm not going to bother posting it. But if you're interested in seeing some video (with better inside access than me), have a look at this one done by Auburn. Footage of Clayton's bench press is about 7 minutes in, Fairley's position drills are 11 minutes in and Newton's throwing is around the 12-minute mark.

Auburn pro day times and measurements

2011-03-08T15:46:00.004-06:00

Here's the times and measurements for all of Auburn's players at pro day:

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Height and Weight

Darvin Adams 6’ 1.875” 194
Mike Berry 6’ 3.125” 318
Mike Blanc 6’ 2.5” 286
Jorrell Bostrom 6’ 2” 339
Kodi Burns 6’ 0.125” 206
Josh Bynes 6’ 1.625” 240
Wes Byrum 6’ 1.125” 217
Antoine Carter 6’ 3.375” 259
Zach Clayton 6’ 2” 299
Zach Etheridge 5’ 11.25” 201
Nick Fairley --- 297
Mario Fannin --- 229
Michael Goggans 6’ 1.625” 263
Byron Isom 6’ 1.75” 304
Gabe McKenzie 6’ 2.5” 261
Cam Newton --- 244
Ryan Pugh 6’ 1.375” 307
Craig Stevens 6’ 1.875” 230
Chris Todd 6’ 2” 229
Demond Washington 5’ 8.625” 180
Terrell Zachery 5’ 11.25” 205
Lee Ziemba --- 318

40-Yard Dash (Unofficial)

Mike Berry 5.35, 5.57
Mike Blanc 4.94, 4.74
Jorrell Bostrom 5.62, 5.60
Kodi Burns 4.58, 4.55
Josh Bynes 4.70, 4.82
Antoine Carter 4.63, 4.70
Zach Clayton 4.68, 4.71
Zach Etheridge 4.51, 4.51
Michael Goggans 4.60, 4.67
Byron Isom 5.40, 5.51
Gabe McKenzie 4.74, 4.76
Ryan Pugh 5.43, 5.32
Chris Todd 4.88, 4.88
Demond Washington 4.30, 4.43
Terrell Zachery 4.40, 4.42
Lee Ziemba 5.36, 5.38

Bench Press (Repetitions with 225 lbs.)

Mike Berry 21
Mike Blanc 23
Jorrell Bostrom 21
Josh Bynes 21
Zach Clayton 27
Zach Etheridge 14
Michael Goggans 14
Byron Isom 21
Gabe McKenzie 24
Ryan Pugh 25
Craig Stevens 20
Demond Washington 14
Terrell Zachery 11

Standing Long Jump

Darvin Adams 9’ 9”
Mike Berry 8’ 3”
Mike Blanc 9’ 4”
Jorrell Bostrom 8’ 2”
Kodi Burns 9’ 4”
Josh Bynes 9’ 8”
Antoine Carter 9’ 4”
Zach Clayton 10’ 0”
Zach Etheridge 9’ 9”
Mario Fannin 9’ 8.5”
Michael Goggans 9’ 7”
Byron Isom 7’ 11”
Gabe McKenzie 9’ 6”
Ryan Pugh 7’ 10”
Craig Stevens 10’ 2”
Chris Todd 8’ 11.5”
Demond Washington 9’ 9.5”
Terrell Zachery 9’ 7”
Lee Ziemba 8’ 4”

Vertical Jump

Darvin Adams 35”
Mike Berry 26”
Mike Blanc 28.5”
Jorrell Bostrom 26.5
Kodi Burns 32”
Josh Bynes 33”
Antoine Carter 26.5”
Zach Clayton 33.5”
Zach Etheridge 34”
Michael Goggans 32”
Byron Isom 25.5”
Gabe McKenzie 35”
Ryan Pugh 25.5”
Craig Stevens 33.5”
Chris Todd 28.5”
Demond Washington 32.5”
Terrell Zachery 32”
Lee Ziemba 28”

Auburn pro day off and running; Cam Newton and Nick Fairley haven't done anything yet

2011-03-08T14:09:00.012-06:00

Auburn's pro day is in full swing, although there's not too much to report early on.

Quarterback Cam Newton and defensive tackle Nick Fairley haven't done any of the drills yet, obviously content with their times in Indianapolis. Position drills are this afternoon, which I'm sure both will be participating in.

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Here are a few early notes:

Lots of big NFL names out here today. I've seen the following coaches: Carolina's Ron Rivera, Den Denver's John Fox, Cincinnati's Marvin Lewis, Arizona's Ken Whisenhunt and Cleveland's Pat Shurmur. Those teams pick 1st, 2nd, 4th, 5th and 6th, respectively.
Also, Denver executive vice president of football operations John Elway is here. For photographic evidence, look above.
Fastest 40 time goes to Demond Washington, who ran it in 4.30 seconds. I believe Terrell Zachery was second at 4.40.
Best vertical jump is a tie between Darvin Adams and Gabe McKenzie at 35 inches. Not surprised by the former, kind of surprised by the latter.
I'm not a scout and don't pretend to be, but it seems like defensive tackle Zach Clayton is having a pretty good day. Ran a 4.68, was second in the broad jump at 10 feet even and had a good vertical jump (the number I don't have right now).
Craig Stevens had the best broad jump at 10 feet, 2 inches.
Don't have any other official times and measurements yet, but when I do, I'll get them up on the blog.
Also, the bench press is being done in the visitors locker room and only can be attended by NFL personnel and "select media." Guess who that includes? Not the Columbus Ledger-Enquirer, I know that much.

Back with more in a bit.

Auburn pro day, live from Jordan-Hare Stadium

2011-03-08T11:47:00.004-06:00

It's quiet in Jordan-Hare Stadium, site of Auburn's pro day. There will be close to 250 people here watching, counting pro scouts and coaches and media.

If you want to watch, it will be streamed live on ESPN3 right here. The NFL Network will also be doing live cut-ins to the festivities.

We'll be back with updates throughout the day, so check back. Also, follow the blog on Twitter for instant updates.

More Auburn book signings on tap

2011-03-08T00:01:00.008-06:00

It's Auburn's pro day, which you can read plenty more about later today on the blog and even watch on ESPN3 if you so desire.

But first, another bit of self promotion. If you haven't bought your copy of the Ledger-Enquirer's book, "All In: Auburn's Run for the National Championship," there are some good opportunities coming up.

Several players from the Tigers' national championship season will be doing book signings in Montgomery, Hoover and Columbus in the next couple weeks. You can buy a copy of the book at the site and get it signed all in one swoop. What a deal!

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Here's the who, when and where of the upcoming book signings:

March 9, 4-6 p.m. CT: Demond Washington, Byron Isom, Kinnucan's, Montgomery
March 10, 4:30-6:30 p.m. CT: Demond Washington, Tallassee High School Football Stadium (Proceeds from the book sales will benefit Tallassee High School)
March 11, 5:30- 7:30 p.m. CT: Zac Etheridge, Auburn Spirit Store, Riverchase Galleria, Hoover
March 12, Noon-2 p.m. CT: Zac Etheridge, Charles Henderson High School, Troy (Proceeds from the book sales will benefit Charles Henderson High School)
March 12, 10 a.m.-noon CT: Darvin Adams, The Galleria, Hoover
March 12, noon-1 p.m. CT: Byron Isom, The Galleria, Hoover
March 12, 1-3 p.m.: Kodi Burns, The Galleria, Hoover
March 12, 4-6 p.m.: Michael Goggans, The Galleria, Hoover
March 19, 10 a.m.-noon CT: Michael Goggans, Benjamin Russell High School, Alexander City (Proceeds to benefit Benjamin Russell High School)
March 19: 4-6 p.m. ET: Michael Goggans and Byron Isom, Kinnucan's, Columbus

Also, thanks to commenter scottie burns, here's a link to a Facebook page where you can get a copy autographed by Etheridge, Burns, Adams, Goggans, Isom and Washington. It's $44.95 for this copy. (Click on the info tab for ordering instructions.) It is regularly priced at $19.95.

Who's coming to Auburn's pro day?

2011-03-07T15:51:00.008-06:00

A lot of folks. Here's a list of 21 22 players from the Auburn sports information department. It's subject to change:

WR Darvin Adams
OG Mike Berry
DT Mike Blanc
OL Jorrell Bostrom
QB/WR Kodi Burns
LB Josh Bynes
PK Wes Byrum
DE Antoine Carter
DT Zach Clayton
S Zac Etheridge
DT Nick Fairley
RB Mario Fannin
DE Michael Goggans
OG Byron Isom
QB Cam Newton
C Ryan Pugh
LB Craig Stevens
CB Demond Washington
WR Terrell Zachery
OT Lee Ziemba

2009 Seniors

DL/TE Gabe McKenzie
QB Chris Todd

UK's John Calipari thinks Tony Barbee deserves consideration for SEC Coach of the Year

2011-03-07T11:37:00.004-06:00

For the second straight week, Kentucky's John Calipari stumped for Auburn's Tony Barbee, his former protege, to be SEC Coach of the Year.

Calipari was asked on today's SEC's teleconference about the job Barbee has done in his first year with the young, short-handed Tigers, who struggled but managed to get out of last place in the SEC West, finishing the the regular season 11-19 overall and 4-12 in the conference.

"How about this one? They won as many road games in the league as we have," Calipari said. "I think he should have been considered for Coach of the Year, but we all base it on number of wins.

"You want to talk to any coach about what he's done with that team, to keep them into every game they've played, they've had a chance. To be down 20 and to come back and win games or have a chance to win, that's what coaching is. I just think he's done wonders."

Calipari has a reason for talking up Barbee. He coached Barbee when he was a player at UMass from 1989-93. Barbee was also an assistant on Calipari's staff as a GA at UMass (1995-96) and as an assistant at Memphis (2000-06).

Calipari acknowledged the likely candidates for the honor are Florida's Billy Donovan, Alabama's Anthony Grant and Vanderbilt's Kevin Stallings, but -- predictably -- had a strong opinion about his former assistant getting some consideration.

"You've got some haters out there that have got their personal problems that will make jokes about it, but then again they don't know what coaching is," Calipari said. "I think he should be considered."

Auburn enters the SEC tournament as the fifth seed out of the West. It will play Georgia, the East's No. 4 seed, at 1 p.m. ET Thursday at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta.

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Kenny Gabriel named co-SEC Player of the Week

2011-03-07T11:36:00.007-06:00

Auburn forward Kenny Gabriel shared SEC Player of the Week honors, the conference announced Monday.

Gabriel, a 6-foot-8 forward from Charlotte, N.C., averaged 20.0 points and 9.0 rebounds in Auburn's wins against Ole Miss and LSU last week.

He shared the award with Mississippi State's Ravern Johnson.

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Gabriel, a junior, scored a career-high 24 points against Ole Miss to help the Tigers erase a 20-point deficit. He got his first career double-double against an SEC team at LSU, finishing with 16 points and 11 rebounds.

He is the first Auburn player to be named SEC Player of the Week since March 9, 2009, when Korvotney Barber took the honor.

Gabriel is averaging 10.4 points and 5.9 rebounds this season.

ESPN3, NFL Network to show Auburn's pro day

2011-03-07T09:40:00.016-06:00

Auburn pro day is closed to the public tomorrow, but that doesn't mean you can't watch it.

The Tigers pro day, which features Cam Newton, Nick Fairley, Darvin Adams, Lee Ziemba and the rest, will be streamed live on the Internet on ESPN3 and shown on the NFL Network.

Those four and Mario Fannin participated at the NFL Combine at the end of February, but they'll be joined by other NFL hopefuls like Josh Bynes, Ryan Pugh and Zac Etheridge on Tuesday.

The festivities start at 1:30 p.m. ET in Jordan-Hare Stadium.

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Auburn to open against Georgia in SEC tourney

2011-03-06T13:25:00.010-06:00

Auburn will play Georgia in its SEC tournament opener Thursday at 1 p.m. in the Georgia Dome in Atlanta.

The Tigers (11-19, 4-12 SEC) are the Western Division's fifth seed. The Bulldogs (20-10, 9-7) are the Eastern Division's fourth seed.

Georgia won the teams' only meeting this season 81-72 in overtime in Athens, Ga., on Feb. 5.

The winner plays Alabama, the top seed out of the West, Friday at 1 p.m. ET.

The Tigers won two straight to finish the regular season, rallying from 20 down to beat Ole Miss and 15 down to beat LSU. It was their only back-to-back wins in SEC play this season.

"I know this," Barbee said after the LSU win. "There are a lot of teams in the conference that are heading to Atlanta saying, 'I hope we don't match up with that Auburn team.'"

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Here's the SEC tournament schedule (or click here for the full bracket):

Thursday

Game 1: West No. 5 Auburn vs. East No. 4 Georgia, Game, 1 p.m. ET (SEC Network)
Game 2: East No. 6 South Carolina vs. West No. 3 Ole Miss, 3:30 p.m. ET (SEC Network)
Game 3: East No. 5 Tennessee vs. West No. 4 Arkansas, 7:30 p.m. ET (SEC Network)
Game 4: West No. 6 LSU vs. East No. 3 Vanderbilt, 10 p.m. ET (SEC Network)

Friday

Game 5: Game 1 winner vs. West No. 1 Alabama, 1 p.m. ET (SEC Network)
Game 6: Game 2 winner vs. East No. 2 Kentucky, 3:30 p.m. ET (SEC Network)
Game 7: Game 3 winner vs. East No. 1 Florida, 7:30 p.m. ET (SEC Network)
Game 8: Game 4 winner vs. West No. 2 Mississippi State, 10 p.m .ET (SEC Network)

Saturday

Game 9: Game 5 winner vs. Game 6 winner, 1 p.m .ET (ABC)
Game 10: Game 7 winner vs. Game 8 winner, 3:30 p.m. ET (ABC)

Sunday

Championship game: Game 9 winner vs. Game 10 winner, 1 p.m. ET (ABC)

Auburn tops LSU 60-51, earns West's No. 5 seed

2011-03-05T19:49:00.007-06:00

Auburn will go into next week's SEC tournament in Atlanta on a roll.

The Tigers beat LSU 60-51 in Baton Rouge, La., on Saturday to get out of last place, earning the SEC West's No. 5 seed in the conference tournament.

Auburn (11-19, 4-12 SEC) closed the regular season with its first back-to-back victories in league play.

Kenny Gabriel and Earnest Ross both scored 16 points for the Tigers, who used a 23-4 run over a 10-minute stretch in the second half to erase a 15-point deficit.

LSU, which will be the No. 6 seed from the West, fell to 11-20 overall and 3-13 in the SEC.

Auburn will play the No. 4 seed out of the East next Thursday in Atlanta at 1 p.m. ET. If Tennessee beats Kentucky tomorrow, the Tigers' opponent will be Vanderbilt. If Kentucky wins tomorrow, Auburn will play Georgia.

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Clash of Tigers to avoid last place in SEC West

2011-03-05T08:53:00.002-06:00

Auburn and LSU square off tonight to see who won't finish last in the SEC West. Here's how today's story starts:

AUBURN, Ala. -- It has been nearly three months since Auburn played LSU in their conference opener, a miserable performance in which it scored only 6 first-half points in an eventual loss.

It seems like ages ago for the Tigers (10-19, 3-12 SEC), who have shown a competitive streak in the second half of the SEC season.

“I think we’re much better,” Auburn forward Kenny Gabriel said. “We’re all coming along together and playing as one. I think everybody is on the same page.”

Both teams will try to avoid the stigma of finishing in last place when they meet in tonight’s regular-season finale at the Maravich Assembly Center in Baton Rouge, La., at 7.

The winner earns the West’s No. 5 seed in next week’s SEC tournament in Atlanta, matching up against the East’s No. 4 in the first game Thursday. The loser is the sixth seed, going up against the East’s No. 3 in the late game.

Read the full story here. Follow the blog on Twitter and Facebook.

Auburn pitcher/utility player Justin Bryant to undergo arm surgery, will miss rest of season

2011-03-04T16:43:00.011-06:00

Auburn pitcher/utility player Justin Bryant will have surgery on his throwing arm and miss the remainder of the season, the school announced Friday.

Bryant, a senior from Remlap, Ala., started three games in left field and one as a designated hitter this season, batting .182 in 11 at bats with two RBIs. He hit .323 in 99 at bats last year, with 5 home runs and 32 RBIs.

The right-handed reliever pitched in one game this year, striking out two in a four-out save.

Dr. James Andrews will perform the surgery on Bryant during the next week.

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CVCC transfer Derek Varnadore stakes claim to starting job with 'weird' delivery

2011-03-04T00:45:00.006-06:00

Derek Varnadore won't pitch until Sunday for the Tigers in the C of C Classic at College of Charleston this weekend. But I wrote about the right-hander's fast start for today's newspaper. Here's how it starts:

AUBURN, Ala. -- Auburn pitcher Derek Varnadore’s delivery is, in a word, unusual, although his coaches have a hard time describing it.

Tigers coach John Pawlowski said the right-hander throws it a little bit across his body, making it deceptive for hitters to pick it up. Adam Thomas, his coach at Chattahoochee Valley Community College for two years, said it looks like he throws it out of his arm pit.

“It’s kind of -- I don’t want to say herky jerky -- but it’s weird,” Thomas said.

Varnadore, who earned SEC Pitcher of the Week honors after striking out 13 in a shutout of Radford last Sunday, isn’t going to overthink it.

“If it’s working,” he said, “I’m not going to change it.”

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Auburn (6-3) plays New York Tech today at 1 p.m. ET, College of Charleston on Saturday at 1 p.m. and Western Kentucky on Sunday at 11 a.m.

Women's hoops loses to MSU in SEC tournament

2011-03-04T00:34:00.004-06:00

The Auburn women's basketball team was upset in the first round of the SEC tournament Thursday night in Nashville, Tenn., falling to Mississippi State 49-47.

The sixth-seeded Tigers (15-15) blew an 11-point second-half lead. Alli Smalley's potential game-tying jumper at the buzzer glanced off the rim.

Diamber Johnson led 11th-seeded Mississippi State (13-16) with 16 points.

Smalley scored 14 points for the Tigers. Junior forward Chantel Hilliard had 18 points and 11 rebounds.

Auburn is likely to end up in the postsesason WNIT.

Auburn spent nearly $3 million on trip to Glendale, Ariz., for BCS national championship game

2011-03-03T13:33:00.017-06:00

Auburn spent nearly $3 million on its trip to Glendale, Ariz., for the BCS national championship game in January, according to a bowl expense report obtained by the Ledger-Enquirer on Thursday.

The Tigers reported spending $2,901,706 on the nine-day trip that resulted in the school's first national championship since 1957.

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Auburn received a $2,287,600 expense allowance from the SEC for the trip, meaning the school ran a $614,106 deficit overall.

"A lot has to do with travel distance," said Scott Carr, Auburn's Senior Associate AD for External Affairs. "Basically, the reason we ran a deficit with this bowl trip was simply distance. Everybody that we took had to be on an airplane.

"If we had gone to a different bowl that was closer in proximity and could drive, you have a much better chance at a break even. But when you have to do airline charters, that's really where the expenses came in."

The school spent $601,245 for the 473-member traveling party of team and staff to go on the trip for nine days. An additional $362,547 was used to send 435 band members and cheerleaders for four days.

Auburn's official party, made up of faculty and athletics department officials, went for four days at a cost of $80,527, bringing the total travel cost to $1,044,319.

The trip cost $886,718 for meals and lodging, with additional costs for entertainment ($19,648), promotion ($50,335), awards ($31,014) and equipment and supplies ($87,847).

Auburn sold 14,944 of the 17,400 tickets it committed to, absorbing 2,456 tickets for a total cost of $781,825. The absorbed tickets were for a number of people associated with the program, including the band, players' parents, coaches' families and athletic department officials.

Additional bowl money schools receive from the conference is not included in the report. Last year, that payout was around $2.21 million per team.

Carr also expects additional revenue to be added from licensing fees related to winning the national championship, although he did not have an exact figure.

"For the Auburn brand, that exposure being on that national stage, it's hard to put a dollar figure on that," Carr said.

Auburn reported a $150,896 deficit from last year's trip to the Outback Bowl, although that did not include the revenue earned from the conference's second BCS bowl participant. The school spent $1,363,096 on the trip to Tampa, Fla.

Nick Fairley a finalist for NCAA Football '12 cover

2011-03-03T09:55:00.005-06:00

Former Auburn defensive tackle Nick Fairley is one of four finalists to be the cover boy for EA Sports' NCAA Football '12 video game. You can vote online on Facebook.

Fans can vote once a day up until April 4. The winner will be announced April 19.

Fairley's competition incluedes Oklahoma running back DeMarco Murray, Alabama running back Mark Ingram and Washington quarterback Jake Locker.

Recent players to grace the cover (depending on your system) have included Florida's Tim Tebow, Utah's Brian Johnson, USC's Mark Sanchez, Texas' Brian Orakpo and Texas Tech's Michael Crabtree.

Auburn has never had a player on the cover of the EA Sports video game.

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Auburn erases 20-point deficit in 76-73 win against Ole Miss in home finale

2011-03-02T21:54:00.008-06:00

AUBURN, Ala. — For once, a close game went Auburn's way.

After losing back-to-back games on baskets in the final seconds, the Tigers finally prevailed in a nail-biter, rallying from a 20-point deficit to take a late lead — and hold it — in a 76-73 win against Ole Miss at the Auburn Arena on Wednesday.

Kenny Gabriel scored 24 points and Earnest Ross 15 for the Tigers (10-19, 3-12 SEC), who completed the second-biggest comeback in school history. They came back from 22 down to beat Louisville in 1995.

"This team has gotten better," Auburn coach Tony Barbee said. "It's not the same team from the beginning of the year. It's not even the same team from the beginning of the conference season. It's a totally different team."

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It was only the Tigers' second win in league play at the Auburn Arena, but it was perhaps their most exciting one. Auburn out-scored Ole Miss (18-12, 6-9 SEC) 51-32 in the second half, overcoming a career-high 30 points by Rebels guard Dundrecous Nelson, whose potential game-tying halfcourt heave at the final horn was just off target.

"I appreciate them," Barbee said. "They've given me everything they've got. They've given this university everything they've got. It can beat you down, the wins and losses, as a player. They could have folded up tent. But it speaks to their character."

It set off one of few celebrations in the arena this season for the home crowd. Afterward, Barbee doled out high-fives to students over the press table as a couple players rejoiced in the crowd.

"It felt good," Ross said. "Coming out in front of our home crowd, our last home game, to prove to the fans what they can look forward to next year, it's a very big win for us."

Auburn can still steal the West's No. 5 seed in the SEC tournament with a win against LSU in Baton Rouge, La., on Saturday.

Ole Miss, which beat Auburn by 31 points in Oxford two weeks ago, built what seemed like an insurmountable 41-25 lead into halftime thanks to Nelson, a freshman who was making his third career start. He topped his previous career-high of 17 by halftime, making 6 of his 7 3-pointers before the break.

But the Tigers, who shot only 23.1 percent in the first half, broke out of their offensive slump in the second half. Gabriel jumpstarted things with back-to-back 3-pointers in the first minute to cut the lead to 10.

"I don't know if we've seen a game like this out of Kenny since the first exhibition game," Barbee said while laughing. "How long ago was that?"

It was the start of a 29-9 run to open the second half for Auburn, which, following back-to-back driving layups by guard Chris Denson, turned a 16-point deficit into a four-point lead at 54-50 with 9:06 left.

Center Rob Chubb, who has come off the bench since returning from a suspension following his January arrest, played inspired basketball down the stretch. taking advantage of Ole Miss' foul trouble in the post.

The sophomore scored six straight points and added a block on the defensive end to give Auburn a 69-67 lead with 1:33 left. Chubb finished with 11 points and 3 rebounds.

"Chubb was big," Barbee said. "As their big guys got in foul trouble, we had a clear advantage. We ran some stuff to Chubb when it was nip-and-tuck. And he came through."

The Rebels hung close, however. Guard Chris Warren, the SEC"s second-leading scorer, hit a 3 with 21 seconds remaining to pull Ole Miss within 74-73. Warren finished with 12 points but was only 3-for-16 from the field.

Ole Miss forced a jump ball, tying up Denson to get a turnover with 16.8 seconds left, but the Rebels turned it over back to Auburn. Denson broke free up the court before getting fouled.

The freshman, who finished with 11 points, made both free throws to give the Tigers a three-point lead with 2.1 seconds to go that would hold up.

"We've almost made a habit about getting down and coming back," Chubb said. "It's going to be a problem for other teams when we stop getting that dry spell."

Wade Benson resigns as Auburn volleyball coach

2011-03-02T16:13:00.005-06:00

Wade Benson, who guided Auburn to its first NCAA tournament, resigned as the Tigers' volleyball coach Wednesday, the school announced.

“My family and I really enjoyed living in Auburn, and appreciate the opportunities that were given to us,” Benson said. “We took the program to new heights and wish Auburn nothing but the best.”

Benson, 47, went 43-53 in three seasons with the Tigers, turning around the moribund program. Auburn went 21-13 in 2010, making its first-ever appearance in the NCAA tournament.

“We wish Wade and his family the best of luck in their future endeavors,” Auburn athletics director Jay Jacobs said. “I congratulate coach Benson for taking our volleyball team to the NCAA tournament for the first time in Auburn’s history this past season.”

No timetable was given for finding a replacement.

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Mike Pelton hired as Auburn's d-line coach

2011-03-02T10:56:00.018-06:00

Mike Pelton, an All-SEC defensive lineman for Auburn in the mid-'90s, has been hired as the Tigers' new defensive line coach, the school confirmed Wednesday afternoon.

“I’m very excited and humbled to return to Auburn and be a part of what coach (Gene) Chizik and his staff have built during the last two years,” Pelton said. “I look forward to working with a young defensive line and getting them ready to compete next season. Auburn has always had a special place in my heart and it’s been my goal to coach at my alma mater."

Pelton, 39, replaces Tracy Rocker, who joined the Tennessee Titans' staff last month.

Pelton was Chizik's defensive line coach at Iowa State from 2007-08. Before that, he coached at Troy under Larry Blakeney for six years, the last two as co-defensive coordinator.

"He’s a great coach, a tireless worker and an outstanding recruiter who has mentored some very good players, including NFL standouts Demarcus Ware and Osi Umenyiora, both whom are from Auburn," Chizik said. "Mike is very familiar with the state and region, and he knows what it takes to coach and recruit in the Southeastern Conference."

He spent last year at Vanderbilt. After the staff was let go following the season, he joined Louisiana-Lafayette.

A Goshen, Ala., native, Pelton played at Auburn from 1991-94 (picture below). He was a co-captain his senior season, earning All-SEC honors. He was a fifth-round pick by the Kansas City Chiefs in 1995.

He graduated from Auburn in 1995 with a degree in Health & Sports Science. He and his wife, Staci, have three daughters: Myesa, 14; Tyra, 11; and Peyton, 1.

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Report: Dismissed running back Eric Smith was arrested for domestic violence on Feb. 22

2011-03-01T18:24:00.009-06:00

Running back Eric Smith, who was dismissed from the Auburn football team Monday, was arrested for domestic violence following an incident on Feb. 22, according to a report by the Opelika-Auburn News.

Smith was arrested at 11:15 p.m. and charged with third-degree domestic violence, according to an Auburn police report obtained by the paper. It is a Class A misdemeanor.

The report said Smith was sober and did not resist arrest. He was booked at Lee County Detention Center and released the next day on a $500 bond.

It is Smith's second run-in with the law in Auburn. He was arrested for third-degree assault in August of 2009 after police said he knocked a fellow student unconscious during a fight outside an area hotel. The case was resolved when he was granted youthful offender status.

The 20-year-old Smith, who also served an academic suspension for the Outback Bowl at the end of the 2009 season, was dismissed from the team Monday for a violation of team rules.

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Alli Smalley named first-team All-SEC

2011-03-01T09:47:00.008-06:00

Auburn guard Alli Smalley earned first-team All-SEC honors from the conference Tuesday.

The senior, who was a second-team selection as a junior, averaged a team-best 12.1 points a game and shot 40.1 percent on 3-pointers this season.

She ranks ninth all-time in scoring at Auburn with 1,557 points and is the school's record-holder for career 3-pointers with 218.

She was the only Tigers player selected to the All-SEC teams.

Auburn (15-14) plays Mississippi State in the first round of the SEC tournament in Nashville, Tenn., on Thursday at 10 p.m. ET.

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Tuesday links: Wrapping up the NFL Combine

2011-03-01T00:10:00.007-06:00

Defensive tackle Nick Fairley was the last former Auburn player to do his drills at the NFL Combine on Monday. Here's a sampling of stories on how he fared (plus so Cam Newton stuff):

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Chad Reuter of NFLDraftScout.com writes that Fairley and Alabama's Marcell Dareus cemented their status as elite players.

Wes Bunting of Rivals also came away impressed by what he saw in Fairley.

What exactly did Fairley do that was so impressive? Well, his workout numbers were good. He ran a 4.87-second time in the 40-yard dash, which is pretty good a guy his size. He moved well in drills too, showing strong footwork in linebacker and movement drills. Size might be something of a questions. Fairley measured in at 291 pounds, lighter than most tackles (Dareus, by comparison, is 319). I find it hard to believe that an NFL team couldn't get Fairley to whatever weight they want, however. Also, as someone mentioned in the comments section of a previous post, Fairley measured in at 6-foot-3 7/8, so it's not like he's that far off from his listed height at Auburn of 6-foot-5.

Watch the NFL.com guys talk about Fairley vs. Dareus here.

Some sites listed Fairley as one of the winners from the combine.

Others not so much. Sports Illustrated's Peter King, meanwhile, claims to have it on good authority from someone in the know that Fairley won't go No. 1 overall. (Points No. 4 and 5) Then again, this is the draft, so any information circulating right now might be misinformation.

Some interesting stuff on Newton by Peter King, who first reported the "entertainer and icon" line.

King also takes a shot at a mock draft. He has Newton going No. 4 to Cincinnati and Fairley going No. 8 to Tennessee (which would be interesting, considering that's where Tracy Rocker is). It should be noted that there are 59 days to the draft and everything figures to change by then.

Some think Buffalo might be blowing smoke about not wanting Newton at No. 3.

ESPN's John Clayton says Newton's potential is too good to pass up, although he thinks an ideal situation would involve him sitting and watching his first professional season.

ESPN's Bill Williamson takes a look at the defensive players Denver might consider at No. 2, with Fairley among them.

Auburn dismisses running back Eric Smith for undisclosed violation of team rules

2011-02-28T18:36:00.010-06:00

Auburn H-back Eric Smith has been dismissed from the team for a violation of team rules, a school spokesman confirmed tonight. No further details were available.

Smith, who would have been a senior, had a rocky career with the Tigers, marred by an arrest for third-degree assault in August of 2009 after he allegedly knocked a fellow student unconscious with a punch to the back of the head during a fight outside an area hotel.

Smith, who was suspended for one game for the incident, was later granted youthful offender status. He served an academic suspension for the Outback Bowl following the 2009 season but returned to be a key member of the Tigers' 2010 national championship team.

Although he had only one carry and caught 5 passes for 49 yards, he was also one of the team's top blockers, playing in all 14 games and staring five.

Smith finished his career with 182 rushing yards and one touchdown in addition to 25 receptions for 278 yards and another score.

Although he was never a big ballcarrier, Smith's departure further diminishes Auburn's backfield numbers. Mike Dyer and Onterio McCalebb are the only returning scholarship running backs. They'll be joined by incoming freshman Tre Mason this summer. Rising junior Anthony Morgan might also be at tailback.

Auburn might also consider keeping 290-pound redshirt freshman Ladarious Phillips in the backfield. The Tigers experimented with him at defensive tackle before the bowl game.

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Varnadore named SEC Pitcher of the Week

2011-02-28T13:09:00.005-06:00

Auburn's Derek Varnadore was named SEC Pitcher of the Week after a 13-strikeout, two-hit shutout of Radford on Sunday.

The right-hander, who transferred from Chattahoochee Valley Community College, allowed only four baserunners against Radford, none of which advanced past second. His 13 strikeouts were the most by a Tigers pitcher since Chris Bootcheck struck out 15 against West Virginia in 1999.

Varnadore is 2-0 in two starts this year, allowing five hits, three walks and no runs. He's struck out 17 in 16 innings.

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Monday links: Looking back at the 'Cam-bine'

2011-02-28T00:29:00.006-06:00

Another day of NFL combine links, courtesy of whoever wrote something informational from Indianapolis that I could link to. Without further adieu:

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It was Cam Newton's day to perform at the combine and the former Auburn quarterback had mixed reviews.

The good: his workout numbers. Newton ran an unofficial 4.58-second 40-yard dash (officially counted as a 4.59), third fastest among quarterbacks. He had a 35-inch vertical jump (third) and a 10-foot, 6-inch broad jump (tied for first). As Tigers fans well know, he's a physical beast.

But Newton's throwing day wasn't as good as his training session for the media in San Diego earlier this month. He completed 11 of his 21 throws, overthrowing a few. Even Newton said he was a little frustrated.

But onlookers didn't think it was all bad. ESPN's John Clayton wrote that Newton's powerful arm is just what NFL teams are looking for.

What did Cam think of his day? Here's video of him talking about it. And if you're into watching the actual drills he did, click here.

Cam's quarterback coach, George Whitfield, says the quarterback has room to improve.

Nick Fairley arrived and had his turn at the microphone. CBS's Pete Prisco brushes off all the "dirty player" talk and says Fairley is the best player in the draft.

Fairley wants to prove he's more like Ndamukong Suh than Albert Haynesworth.

A full note about Fairley's day in front of the media by Pro Football Weekly (scroll down). Fairley was adamant that he doesn't take plays off.

Some stuff on Fairley in the middle of this Don Banks article from Sports Illustrated. A shoulder injury to his AC joint suffered against Georgia prevented Fairley from bench pressing this weekend. We'll see if he does it at Auburn's Pro Day on March 8. I'd assume he would have to. (Oregon State's Stephen Paea, by the way, repped 225 a combine-record 49 times. Sweet fancy Moses that's a lot.)

Thought it was interesting that Fairley measured up at 6-foot-3, 291 pounds. He was listed as 6-5 and over 300 at Auburn.

Fairley is getting a lot of comparisons to Alabama tackle Marcell Dareus.

The day's big workout winner for Auburn? Running back Mario Fannin, who clocked a 4.38-second 40-yard dash, second best of the running backs and fourth-best for the weekend so far (defensive backs have yet to run). His time was .05 seconds faster than Ben Tate last year. Fannin, who measured in at 5-10, 231 pounds, also had a 37.5-inch vertical jump. Will it be enough to get Fannin drafted? I'm still skeptical. His fumbling problems are an issue that won't go away. But NFL teams love speed, so this figures to at the very least increase his chances of signing a free agent deal somewhere if he goes undrafted.

Did not see a lot out there on Darvin Adams, but SI still listed him as one of the rising receivers. Adams didn't have a great 40 time (mid-4.5s) but did catch the ball well, which is where he'll make his money at the next level.

Up today: Fairley and the defensive linemen take the field for drills.

Auburn women's hoops the sixth seed in SEC tournament, will play Mississippi State

2011-02-27T17:01:00.005-06:00

The SEC women's tournament field is set. Auburn is the sixth seed and will play 11th-seeded Mississippi State on Thursday at 10 p.m. ET in Nashville's Bridgestone Arena.

The Tigers (15-14, 8-8 SEC) wrapped their regular season up with a 76-62 loss to Kentucky on Sunday.

They split the season series with the Bulldogs, winning 45-41 in Starkville and losing 57-45 in Auburn. The winner plays No. 3 Vanderbilt on Friday, also at 10 p.m. ET.

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Here's the full schedule:

Thursday: #9 Arkansas vs. #8 Florida, FSN, 1:00 p.m. ET
Thursday: #10 Alabama vs. #7 LSU, FSN, 3:30 p.m. ET
Thursday: #12 Ole Miss vs. #5 South Carolina, FSN, 7:30 p.m. ET
Thursday: #11 Mississippi State vs. #6 Auburn, FSN, 10:00 p.m. ET
Friday: Winner Game 1 vs. #1 Tennessee, FSN, 1:00 p.m. ET
Friday: Winner Game 2 vs. #2 Kentucky, FSN, 3:30 p.m. ET
Friday: Winner Game 3 vs. #4 Georgia, FSN, 7:30 p.m. ET
Friday: Winner Game 4 vs. #3 Vanderbilt, FSN, 10:00 p.m. ET
Saturday: Game 9, ESPNU, 4:00 p.m. ET
Saturday: Game 10, ESPNU, 6:30 p.m. ET
Sunday: (SEC Championship Game), Game 11, ESPN2, 5:30 p.m. ET

Sunday links: Auburn players at the NFL Combine

2011-02-27T00:21:00.010-06:00

The blog isn't in Indianapolis, but we like to scour the Internet for stories from folks who are. Here's a sampling of stuff about Auburn's players.

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This big show Saturday was Cam Newton, who went through interviews with the media and a few teams. As it is every time Newton talks, everything he said was under the microscope. He clarified his "icon" statement from earlier this month.

Watch video of Newton's opening statement at the podium here. (Honestly, sounded kind of wooden. He's better when he's not reading from a piece of paper.)

Cam takes his turn asking some questions to Arkansas quarterback Ryan Mallett.

Watch Steve Mariucci, Brian Billick and choir boy Michael Irvin talk about character issues and how it affects how teams approach players in the draft here.

While the quarterback charmed quite a few folks, the praise wasn't universal.

The Carolina Panthers have said they might consider Newton with the No. 1 overall pick. Here's a Panthers beat writer's story on Newton by friend of the blog, Joe Person.

A question about attempting a quarterback sneak instead of just taking a knee at the end of the BCS title game reportedly flustered him.

Defensive tackle Nick Fairley had some travel complications that prevented him from getting there for interviews Saturday.

Alabama's Marcell Dareus, a fellow defensive tackle, said he respects Fairley's game, despite the rivalry between the schools.

Here's another article by Person about the history of defensive tackles going No. 1 in the draft and how it's a risky proposition.

Offensive lineman Lee Ziemba finished up his combine Saturday. Had a tough time finding stuff on how Ziemba fared. Only numbers I saw were on the HABOTN. Ziemba ran a 5.47-second time in the 40-yard dash and had a 7-foot, 11-inch broad jump. The leaders among offensive linemen were 4.97 seconds in the 40 (Nate Solder, Colorado) and 9 feet, 6 inches for the broad jump (Jarriel King, South Carolina).

Wide receiver Darvin Adams spoke to reporters Friday, when he said he thinks Auburn supported his decision to turn pro. Adams said he turned pro because he had two good seasons, won a national championship and has to take care of his family.

Not sure if you can spot Mario Fannin in this video, but it's pretty funny. Gorilla suit gags never fail to entertain.

Big workout opportunity for Newton, Adams and Fannin today, when quarterbacks, receivers and running backs go through drills. Fairley and the defensive linemen take the field Monday.

Late Arkansas dunk sinks Auburn in final seconds for second time this week

2011-02-26T14:52:00.009-06:00

AUBURN, Ala. — In erasing a 13-point second-half deficit against Arkansas, Auburn did everything right defensively, contesting shots, stepping into passing lanes and converting turnovers into points.

But when the Tigers needed one last defensive stop, like earlier this week against Alabama, they couldn't get it.

Arkansas forward Delvon Johnson got open after Auburn failed to make a defensive switch, receiving a pass from Julysses Nobles under the hoop and dunking it with 5 seconds remaining to lift the Razorbacks (18-10, 7-7 SEC) to a 57-55 win at the Auburn Arena on Saturday.

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Auburn guard Josh Wallace got a good look at a long 3-pointer from just inside halfcourt at the final horn, but it was too strong, hitting the backboard and rim before bouncing away as the Tigers (9-19, 2-12 SEC) lost in the final seconds for the second time this week.

They lost a heartbreaker at Alabama on Wednesday 51-49 on a tip-in by JaMychal Green with .3 seconds left.

"It's draining," Wallace said. "You want to win. And to come so close and fight so hard, it hurts."

The Tigers did their best to get SEC win No. 3, charging back after being down by 13 early in the second half. Auburn scored seven straight, starting with a 3-pointer by Earnest Ross with 3:49 to play. A Rob Chubb layup cut the lead to two before Kenny Gabriel got open for a layup with 28.1 seconds left to tie the game at 55.

Arkansas held for the final shot, finding an opening when Auburn guard Chris Denson got caught behind Johnson in the post after Gabriel called for a switch after being screened. The feed from Nobles was precise and Johnson had an easy two-handed jam.

"We executed our tails off defensively down the stretch, except for the very last play," Auburn coach Tony Barbee said. "We broke down. ... I told the guys that even though that play happened, we lost this game a long time ago because of the way we started."

The Tigers continued to struggle offensively, finishing with their second-lowest first-half point total this season.

They shot 26 percent in the first half and went into the locker room down 27-20 only by the good fortune of a goaltending call against Arkansas as the clock expired on a Wallace 3-pointer that didn't appear to have a chance at going in. Wallace finished with 9 points and 5 assists.

Auburn missed easy looks all afternoon. Chubb air-balled a hook shot from three feet away. Ross, who finished with 11, missed an uncontested layup after a steal. Gabriel led the team with 13 points but took 16 shots to do so.

"Have we seen that before? Is that something new?" Barbee asked rhetorically. "We have seen it all year long. Offensively, we are what we are."

Still, the Tigers hung close because of effort. They had nine steals, forced 17 turnovers that they converted into into 19 points and matched their SEC-high with five blocks.

Although Arkansas guard Rotnei Clarke, who finished with a game-high 17 points, hit several shots to keep it at bay, Auburn stuck close and gave themselves a chance.

"There is no quit in this team," Barbee said. "That is what we have to be about as our foundation. We are coming at you and if we lose it is because we ran out of time, not because we gave up. Our team has done that all year long. I am proud of them for that."

Auburn's Ward working, waiting on his chance

2011-02-26T02:27:00.006-06:00

Auburn and Arkansas play this afternoon, but I wrote about somebody who won't even be dressing up for the game -- point guard Varez Ward, a transfer from Texas. Here's how the story starts:

AUBURN, Ala. -- Auburn guard Varez Ward has perfected the waiting game.

His college debut was delayed a year for prep school. His first chance to shine was delayed because of a bad attitude. And his opportunity to start has been delayed by a quad tear and transfer from Texas to Auburn, where he won’t be eligible to play until next season.

But patience is exactly what is needed by the Tigers (9-18, 2-11 SEC), who continue to play out the stretch today against Arkansas (17-10, 6-7) at the Auburn Arena starting at 1:47 p.m.

“It’s hard to sit there and watch because I know I can be out there helping out my teammates get wins,” Ward said. “I think I’ll be able to come in and compete.”

With Ward, 6-foot-6 Clemson transfer Noel Johnson and injured guard Frankie Sullivan all joining the rotation next season, there appears to be brighter days on the horizon for Auburn, which needs to win one of its final three league games to avoid its worst conference mark since going 2-16 in 1988-89.

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Auburn hoops invited to play in Hawaiian Diamond Head Classic next December

2011-02-24T14:06:00.007-06:00

The Auburn basketball team will play in the 2011 Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic from Dec. 22-25 next season.

The Tigers are in a field that includes Clemson, Kansas State, Xavier, UTEP, Long Beach State, Southern Illinois and Hawaii.

"This is part of the process in building a national program at Auburn, and it will be a wonderful experience for our players both on the court and off," Tigers head coach Tony Barbee said.

This is Auburn's third trip to the Hawaiian Islands for a tournament. It won the 1998 United Airlines Tip-Off Classic in Honolulu and played in the 1996 Big Island Invitational in Hilo.

Next season's tournament features 12 games in three days at the Stan Sheriff Center on the University of Hawaii Campus. Each team plays in one game per day, with a bracket format.The two teams that remain undefeated throughout will face off in a championship match on Christmas day.

Barbee, who is in his first season with Auburn, previously coached at UTEP.

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D-line coach Clint Hurtt staying at Louisville

2011-02-24T10:57:00.006-06:00

After interviewing with Auburn for its vacant defensive line coach job, Clint Hurtt is staying at Louisville.

Cardinals coach Charlie Strong tweeted today that Hurtt would be staying with the school.

"Big news!! The big hurtt is staying with the cardinals," he tweeted.

Hurtt, who was ESPN's 2011 national recruiter of the year and had ties to South Florida, reportedly interviewed in Auburn on Wednesday for the job, which came open after Tracy Rocker left to join the Tennessee Titans last week.

Auburn is also interested in talking to former Minnesota defensive line coach Tim Cross, according to AuburnUndercover.com. Cross and current Tigers defensive coordinator Ted Roof worked together for a year in 2008 with the Golden Gophers.

Cross, who was not in football last year, previously worked at Minnesota (2007-08, d-line), Syracuse (2005-06, d-line) and Texas (strength coach, 2001-04).

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Lee Ziemba eyes crucial job interview at NFL Scouting Combine

2011-02-24T01:50:00.003-06:00

The NFL Combine starts today in Indianapolis. I caught up with Lee Ziemba, who is one of five former Auburn Tigers who will participate. Here's how today's story starts:

AUBURN, Ala. -- The poking, prodding and endless questions that potential NFL players must endure is nothing new for Lee Ziemba. The former Auburn offensive tackle went through the circus at the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Ala., last month.

He will face Round 2 this week at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis in what is essentially the most important job interview of his life.

“I’ve always been told it’s a very strenuous three days and that it really wears you out,” he said. “But I’m willing to do whatever it takes to get to the next level.”

Ziemba is one of five former Auburn players who will participate in the combine, joining quarterback Cam Newton, defensive tackle Nick Fairley, wide receiver Darvin Adams and running back Mario Fannin.

The weeklong event, which runs from today until March 1 at Lucas Oil Stadium, will feature more than 300 prospects put through a ringer of drills and interviews by scouts, coaches and general managers from every team in the NFL.

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I'll try to keep up with the combine happenings from afar. Here's a link to the NFL's official site, where combine times and workout figures are posted.

Here's the different arrival dates for the players positions, with their interview and workout schedules:

Wednesday - Group 1, (PK, ST, OL), Group 2 (OL), Group 3 (TE). Media interviews are Thursday, on-field drills are on Saturday.

Thursday - Group 4 (QB, WR), Group 5 (QB, WR), Group 6 (RB). Media interviews are on Friday, on-field drills are on Sunday.

Friday – Group 7 (DL), Group 8 (DL), Group 9 (LB). Media interviews are on Saturday, on-field drills are on Monday.

Saturday - Group 10 (DB), Group 11 (DB). Media interviews are on Sunday, on-field drills are on Tuesday.

Tip-in with .3 seconds left crushes Auburn's upset bid in 51-49 loss at Alabama

2011-02-23T22:31:00.012-06:00

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Auburn's three leading rebounders sat on the bench, helpless to do anything, having fouled out far earlier in a slow-paced, foul-plagued game at Coleman Coliseum.

They could only watch as Alabama's JaMychal Green followed up a Tony Mitchell miss with a tip-in with .3 seconds on the clock, helping the Crimson Tide avoid an NCAA tournament résumé-crushing loss in a 51-49 win Wednesday night.

"It's very tough to sit on the sideline and not be able to contribute," Auburn guard Earnest Ross said of his vantage point for the final four minutes. "I wish we could have pulled it out."

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Allen Payne's desperation, fullcourt heave hit the backboard and rim for the Tigers (9-18, 2-11 SEC) but bounced out, although it was later confirmed that the shot would not have counted.

It only added more sting to a game that, had Auburn won, would have been the most gratifying moment of Tony Barbee's long first season on the Plains.

"This loss is on me because I did an awful job of teaching these guys how to win," Barbee said. "Because that's a game even in this environment that as bad as we played, we've got to figure out a way to win. And we lost it, so that's on me."

Alabama (19-8, 11-2 SEC) shook off a 26 percent shooting night — its worst of the season — to avoid a loss that would have devastated its already borderline NCAA tournament credentials.

Despite having already clinched the SEC West, the Crimson Tide entered Wednesday with an RPI of 78. The Tigers, who sit at 270, could have dragged that down considerably.

"I'm still trying to find out how we did it," Alabama coach Anthony Grant said, looking at his team's woeful offensive numbers. ""When you look at the numbers, it equates to a loss. ...

"I told them that this was a near-death experience. You've got to understand how close you came to losing some opportunities that are in front of us."

Auburn started hot, using a 17-2 run to lead by as many as 15 in the first half. The Tigers led for 19:15 in the first half in a building where that usually doesn't happen. Crimson Tide opponents had led for only 48:01 of 580 minutes in the Coleman Coliseum this season.

Alabama, meanwhile, couldn't have struggled more. The Tide went 5-for-22 from the floor (22 percent) but managed to put together a 9-0 run just before the break to go into halftime trailing 31-25.

The Tigers kept it going in the second half, however, taking a 41-29 lead with 11:52 on a 3-pointer in the corner by Ross, who was the team's only double-figure scorer with 10.

But fouls and the usual offensive shortcomings proved to be Auburn's Achilles' heel. The Tigers would score only two points in the next nine minutes.

Meanwhile, the fouls piled up. Auburn had 29 in the game, watching center Rob Chubb foul out with 9:19 left, a questionable call that prompted Barbee to earn his third technical in as many games. Ross picked up his fifth foul minutes later followed by Gabriel and Adrian Forbes, three-fifths of the Tigers' starting lineup and the majority of the team's offense.

"I told my guys that there's a big difference between playing hard and fouling," Barbee said. "They were all fouls and we put them to the foul line way too much when they were struggling to score."

Alabama made 27 of 40 free throws while Auburn was only 10-for-19, helping the Tide erase the 12-point deficit down the stretch.

The Crimson Tide took a 49-47 lead with 28.4 seconds left after Green and Trevor Releford both split a pair of free throws. Auburn's Tony Neysmith answered with a shot off the glass that tied things at 49 with 13 seconds to play.

That set up the final play, with Green, who finished with a game-high 17, darting to the hoop to clean up Mitchell's miss with little resistance.

"Give them credit," Barbee said. "They made the plays down the stretch and we didn't."

Auburn returns to action Saturday at home against Arkansas starting at 1:47 p.m. ET.

Live chat from the first half of Auburn-Alabama

2011-02-23T11:27:00.007-06:00

OK, not a bad try at live chatting during a basketball game. We might try it in the future as well.

Big thanks to Justin, fearless.true and Bellefay1 for carrying the chat. We covered a bit of everything. Check out the replay below.

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&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://www.coveritlive.com/mobile.php/option=com_mobile/task=viewaltcast/altcast_code=2772d4c45b" &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Auburn - Alabama Basketball game in Tuscalusa&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;

Harvey Updyke's new lawyer, friend/landlord talk on Paul Finebaum's radio show

2011-02-22T16:04:00.019-06:00

We got a pretty big look into Harvey Updyke, the accused poisoner of the Toomer's Corner oak trees, today on Paul Finebaum's radio show today. He had Updyke's new attorney, Glennon Threatt, and his best friend, Wayne Barnes, aka FLORIBAMA on TiderInsiders.com, on the show for a lengthy discussion.

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Lots of stuff to go through. Let's do it bullet point style:

First up: Threatt, who is Updyke's fourth defense attorney, previously represented disgraced former mayor of Birmingham Larry Langford in his trial for public corruption.

Threatt: "I can tell you when I first talked to Harvey he sounded very downtrodden. He was very, very disappointed. He has been, in my view, denied some basic civil rights that anyone should get no matter what you're accused of. He spent the night in his car. He has very limited resources. He is exactly the kind of person the law requires to get adequate representation. Now he's facing a hostile crowd that rather than have a jury, he'll probably have a crowd of pitchforks and torches out there waiting for him."

On Updyke living in his car, Threatt said Updyke's landlord (more on him later) was getting pressured from the folks around that area not to let Updyke stay there anymore. "He is not a popular person in that part of the state right now," he said.

Threatt said Updyke is living in his car. He said his client is safe but would like to get him to a safer spot. "I don't think he was at all prepared for the maelstrom of public hatred that he received," Threatt said. "And I'm not saying that it was warranted, but I don't think he anticipated, I don't think anybody anticipated that this story would have the legs that it has on the national level."

What has Updyke told him? "I can tell you that he told me that he told you that he did it," Threatt said. "And he told the police something different. I don't know him well enough to know whether his belief system is consistent with the truth."

Threatt tells us a little bit about Updyke: Said he's a father, husband, retired state trooper who had a severe injury in a high speed chase and now has three fused vertebrae. He's also taking 20 medications.

Threatt said Updyke told him he didn't feel safe in jail. "He didn't. He said he didn't. Again, I wasn't there in the jail with him, but he said he felt threatened and he felt that he was threatened on multiple and repeated instances. That there were slurs that were made and he thought it was a little bit more than people egging him on. He thought that they were getting ready to do something to him. And that's why he responded to the press the way he did." (That last part was in reference to the middle finger to the cameras.)

Wait, the people in jail or the authorities who were running the jail? "By the authorities or other people in the jail. He felt that he was being taunted in a way and he was helpless. The point of jail is to make you feel controlled and helpless and secured in an environment in which you have no control. So when you're a (62)-year-old person who is used to being on the other side of the law ... I mean, one of the last people who ever want to go to jail is a former law enforcement officer."

Updyke's first two lawyers were court-appointed. A third didn't work out. Threatt is No. 4. "It's difficult when you've got people who are being thrust upon you and not people that you picked," he said.

Finebaum plays for Threatt the "Al from Dadeville" tape. Threatt's response: "I think he showed that he lacked consciousness of guilt. But I don't know if that's going to matter. We're not going to be placed in a situation where he's insane. I don't know enough about him to have any reason to believe he's incompetent. The fact that he wasn't aware of the total legal consequences of an act he intended to do, if he's incompetent, he's responsible for it."

He won't enter an insanity plea. Said that's rare and that Updyke certainly wouldn't qualify.

After a commercial break, we get Barnes on the phone. He is Updyke's "best friend," former landlord in Dadeville and a poster on an Alabama message board TiderInsiders.com named FLORIBAMA.

Barnes said he was with Updyke when he was let out of jail. They went to Walmart to get a new cell phone and when he came out, his tires were slashed. at that point, Barnes suggested he not stay in the house he was renting to him in Dadeville. "We just thought it was best that he go somewhere else," Barnes said.

It had to be in the state of Alabama, per court orders. Barnes said Updyke doesn't know anybody in the state, so he's staying in the woods in his car (I believe it's a Kia). Barnes described it as "living in his car by a creek."

"If I thought he was safe, he could stay (in the house) until Doomsday," Barnes said.

Barnes clears some things up. Said Updyke is 62, not 67. He is a retired Texas state trooper, not Alabama. Has four kids. He confirms that Updyke's children have Alabama-themed names. His daughter is Crimson Tyde Updyke. His son is Bear Bryant Updyke. He wanted to name his third daughter Ally Bama Updyke. His wife overruled him, saying "hell no." The child was named Megan.

Barnes said he does have the handle FLORIBAMA on the site TiderInsider.com. Posts on that site showed knowledge of the Spike 80DF poisoning of the Toomer's Corner oaks before the Finebaum call from "Al from Dadeville." Barnes said several people have access to his log-in information. "I've never posted anything negative on the site," Barnes said.

COMMERCIAL BREAK ... and we're back with more from Barnes. Back to the posts on the website "Harvey has admitted to the Auburn police department that he made those posts on TiderInsiders when he was questioned or interviewed," Barnes said.

Barnes said he was working in North Mississippi when he found out about the radio show call from "Al from Dadeville." Talked to Harvey later. He admitted to calling in to the radio show. "I said, 'Man, I don't know why in the world you would do something like that," Barnes said.

Was he concerned he would be caught? "He was very concerned," Barnes said. Also a former law enforcement officer, Barnes told Updyke that they probably had a caller ID system. "I said, you made a very, very poor judgment call to call Paul Finebaum, making those kind of allegations," Barnes said. "He became concerned about it, but it was too late. You couldn't put the bullet back in the gun, so to speak."

Barnes visited Updyke in jail on Friday. Also talked to lawyer in Montgomery (Jerry Blevins) to represent him. He stayed in the area while Updyke was bonded out. Stayed in Lee County area Friday night before returning to lake house in Dadeville on Saturday. There was news media there. They knew he couldn't stay there.

"I won't turn my back on him," Barnes said. "I don't approve of what he's done, if he's done this. But that's neither here nor there. He'll be punished."

To best of Barnes' knowledge, Updyke hadn't been to Alabama-Auburn football game until 2000. He didn't go to any more until 2009 when he moved to Alabama. The two of them went to the Rose Bowl following the 2009 season for the BCS national championship game against Texas.

"There's no question that Harvey's an Alabama fan. There's no question that I'm an Alabama fan," Barnes said. "But there is a difference between a fan and fanatic."

Some background on Updyke, per Barnes: Graduated (not sure where) in 1967, moved to Texas following mother's death in 1969 or '70. Didn't return until two years ago. Barnes said Updyke went to the Bluebonnet bowl in 1970 between Oklahoma and Alabama and ran on the field carrying a box of Tide and a roll of toilet paper.

Barnes' opinion on if Updyke did it: "If you asked me if Harvey called the radio station, I would have said yes. If you ask me if he might have committed this crime, I would say ... I can't imagine him doing it for the simple reason that to the best of my knowledge and belief, this would have been something done at night. I can't imagine with based on Harvey's health him taking the chance and doing something like that.

Barnes said he doesn't have any knowledge that Updyke knew anything about herbicides. "Nothing in his background of our friendship tells me he knew anything about any type of pesticide, herbicide or whatever you want to refer to it as."

Back to the Updyke's treatment in jail: Barnes said they kept him in a cell segregated from the prisoners (possibly a safety issue). But ... "for three days they didn't allow him to have his medication." (This is a point of contention, since he was arrested at 1:26 a.m. Thursday morning and released at 7:30 p.m. Friday, which is 42 hours, not three days). Barnes said they wouldn't let him shower and kept him in a straightjacket for the first 24 hours. "Naturally when he got released, he was a little upset," Barnes said. "As soon as he got in the truck, there's a camera in his face and unfortunately her made an error in judgment and did something he shouldn't have done." (This was a reference to the middle finger he gave the cameras.

OK, Barnes was cut off as they went to commercial. Coming back, there was more from Threatt. He says a possible reason for a straighjacket might be for him to not hurt himself. He couldn't imagine that at 62 he would be a threat to anyone else. He later said that he's dealt with the folks at Lee County jail and they're "very conscious of the standards of care that are required of prisoners." He said they do the best they can to secure the safety of the individual. "They probably had reason to believe that there was some psychological and emotional issues and they did it for Harvey," Threatt said.

Finebaum goes back to Barnes' notion that he didn't think Updyke is capable of doing something like this. Threatt's response: "It would not surprise me at all, and it would not be the first time that somebody took credit for a highly publicized criminal act and they had nothing to do with it. In many instances, when something like this occurs, there are people who call, crackpots and others who try to take credit for something because they believe that credit is something that they want to have. And so it wouldn't surprise me that he took credit for something that he didn't do." (Question from me: didn't he call to brag about this before anyone knew about it?)

Why would he do this? "He is an individual who may have some emotional and psychological problems," Threatt said.

Threatt said moving for a change of venue is a "delicate issue." Said you could end up in some place that could be worse. (Quick comment: not quite sure how that could be the case in this instance.) Said it's hard for defendant's to prove that an entire jurisdiction is unfair.

Threatt said he is doing this case pro bono. "I'm not rich but I've made enough to give back to the community," he said. Threatt has represented "indigent" clients since 1986. Threat said in his last conversation with Updyke, he didn't have his medicine and didn't have the money to go get it. He said he might pay for it out of pocket.

Also, he went to Princeton, so he's not an Auburn or Alabama fan.

"Harvey is a person who needs an aggressive advocate right now and not somebody who is just going to be a judge standing next to him," Threatt said. He said it wouldn't surprise him if there was a tort claim after the criminal proceeding but wouldn't worry about that until down the line. "Once I can ensure his freedom and his liberty, then we'll worry about somebody trying to get money from him down the line," he said.

Two more lawyers ask off Harvey Updyke case

2011-02-22T12:00:00.015-06:00

A third defense attorney has asked to be taken off the case of Harvey Updyke, the man accused of poisoning the oak trees at Toomer's Corner.

Jerry Blevins of Montgomery filed a motion Tuesday to be taken off the case, saying he had "irreconcilable differences" with Updyke. Blevins said he withdrew because of a conflict that arose this past weekend but wouldn't offer specifics.

"I probably can't comment on it any more than just some differences arose that mandated my withdrawal from the case," Blevins said.

Blevins asked the court to delay a March 2 preliminary hearing in District Court of Lee County until Updyke can get new counsel.

He is the third attorney to ask off the case. Jerry Hauser filed a motion Tuesday morning to withdraw, citing a conflict of interest. His wife, Dr. Margaret Fitch-Hauser, is the head of the Department of Communications and Journalism at Auburn University.

Updyke's first appointed attorney, Philip Tyler, was granted a similar removal from the case last Friday because of numerous personal and family ties to the school.

Updyke was released from Lee County Detention Center last Friday on $50,000 bond.

And here's more from an AP story today that outlines some of the treatments taking place on the tree.

Cam Newton will do it all at NFL Combine

2011-02-22T02:26:00.004-06:00

Cam Newton won't hold anything back at the NFL Combine.

The former Auburn quarterback, who received the Davey O'Brien Award on Monday night in Fort Worth, Texas, as the nation's top quarterback, told several outlets that he will throw at the NFL scouting combine, which starts Thursday in Indianapolis.

Newton said he wants "to be transparent" through the NFL draft process.

"I don’t have nothing to hide, and I’m a competitor,” Newton told the Associated Press. “I’m going to go out here and do what I’ve been working on this whole time and preparing for this moment right now.”

Newton, who held a workout for the media earlier this month in San Diego, was previously non-committal about whether or not he would throw at the combine.

Newton has been working with quarterback coach George Whitfield and has been mentored by football Hall of Famer Warren Moon. He realizes how important the interview process is as the combine, particularly considering the questions surrounding his recruitment in college.

“It’s just as important, if not (more) important than the play on the field,” Newton said. “You can’t overlook that by no means. If you don’t sell yourself to an organization, I think you’re going to be skipped in that process and I don’t want to be skipped.”

Newton's draft stock varies depending on the analyst. ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr. currently projects the quarterback to go No. 3 to the Buffalo Bills. Fellow ESPN analyst Todd McShay has Newton going 10th to the Washington Redskins.

Newton is one of five former Auburn players who will participate at the NFL Combine, joining defensive tackle Nick Fairley, offensive lineman Lee Ziemba, and running back Mario Fannin.

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New bats are expected to set new standard in college baseball

2011-02-20T00:48:00.005-06:00

I won't be out at Plainsman Park for the final game of opening weekend for Auburn against UAB. But I did write this lengthy Sunday article for our paper about the new bat standard for the NCAA this year and how it might radically alter the game. Here's how it starts:

AUBURN, Ala. -- The high, deep fly ball looked good off the bat of Casey McElroy, soaring toward left-center field as the Auburn crowd stood in anticipation of the season’s first home run.

Not with college baseball’s less-lively bats. Instead, the ball caromed high off the wall, leaving the Tigers third baseman with a double.

“I think it would have been out (last year),” McElroy said. “I don’t know how far. I knew right when I hit it I had to run.”

Expect more of that this season after the NCAA, concerned by skyrocketing offensive numbers and the injury risk from exceedingly high speeds of batted balls, made its biggest changes to bat standards in more than a decade.

The new bats, which lack the distinctive “ping” associated with the college game, conform to standards similar to the wood bats used in professional baseball, with a smaller sweet spot, less of the “trampoline effect” common in old composite bats and, as a result, decreased speeds.

Coaches and players anticipate a radical change to the game, with fewer slugfests that pass the four-hour mark, an across-the-board drop in home runs and scoring and, as baseball purists love to hear, an added emphasis on pitching and defense.

“I think it’s probably closer to what baseball should be,” Georgia coach David Perno said.

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Auburn men's swimming and diving captures 15th straight SEC title; women place third

2011-02-19T21:32:00.007-06:00

The Auburn men's swimming and diving team won its 15th straight SEC championship Saturday at the Stephen C. O'Connell Center in Gainesville, Fla.

The Tigers beat second-place Florida by 17 points, 799-782. The schools have finished 1-2 in the event each of the last 10 years.

“This is the way this meet is supposed to be,” head coach Brett Hawke said. “The SEC is an extremely tough conference and Florida always gives us a run for our money. We have a tough team and winning the SEC title is a part of who we are. We have a tradition of excellence and this is an amazing team. I couldn’t be more proud of their fight and will to hold on in the end.”

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The Auburn men have won 17 titles in the last 18 years.

The Tigers' women's team, meanwhile, finished third overall with 563 points, behind Georgia and Florida. It was the 15th year in a row they've finished third or better.

Arianna Vanderpool-Wallace was named SEC Female Swimmer of the Year and also was one of two competitors to earn the women’s SEC Commissioner’s Trophy for high points scorer of the meet.

Senior diver Dan Mazzaferro was named SEC Male Diver of the Year and was one of two to take the men’s SEC Commissioner’s Trophy.

Diving coach Jeff Shaffer was named the SEC Men’s Diving Coach of the Year for the fifth-straight year.

Auburn's Top Finishers

Women: 1650 Free - 8. Gardocki (16:10.56); 200 Back - 6. Bos (1:55.99); 100 Free - 1. Vanderpool-Wallace (46.81); 200 Breast - 2. Lawrence (2:10.23); 200 Fly - 13. Roberts (2:00.83); 400 Free Relay - 1. Riordan, Geary, Bos, Vanderpool-Wallace (3:13.03).

Men: 1650 Free - 4. Grothe (14:57.56) 200 Back -2. Owens (1:40.36); 100 Free - 1. Brown (41.92); 200 Breast - t4. Ferguson & Klein (1:57.32); 200 Fly -8. Looney (1:46.64); 400 Free Relay - 1. Brown, Krug, Modrov, Norys (2:49.95).

Here are Auburn's automatic NCAA qualifiers:

MEN

Adam Brown - 50 Free (19.05)
Adam Brown - 100 Free (41.92)
Tony Cox - 100 Back (45.72)
Karl Krug - 50 Free (19.27)
200 free relay: Adam Brown, Marcelo Chierighini, Chris Manning, Karl
Krug (1:16.56)
400 free relay: Adam Brown, Karl Krug, Drew Modrov, Kohlton Norys
(2:49.95)
800 free relay: Kyle Owens, Zane Grothe, Karl Krug, Kohlton Norys
(6:21.79)
200 medley relay: Jared White, Adam Klein, Adam Brown, Kohlton Norys
(1:25.52)
400 Medley Relay: Kyle Owens, Stuart Ferguson, Tony Cox, Adam Brown (3:06.52)

WOMEN

Micah Lawrence - 100 Breast (59.95)
Arianna Vanderpool-Wallace - 50 Free (21.34)
Arianna Vanderpool-Wallace - 100 Free (46.81)
Arianna Vanderpool-Wallace - 100 Fly (51.98)
200 free relay: Hannah Riordan, Arianna Vanderpool-Wallace, Lindsey
Norberg, Olivia Scott (1:28.25)
400 free relay: Hannah Riordan, Caitlin Geary, Emily Bos, Arianna
Vanderpool-Wallace (3:13.03)
200 medley relay: Emily Bos, Lauren Norberg, Olivia Scott, Arianna
Vanderpool-Wallace (1:36.11)

Tigers 'let go of the rope' in 77-60 loss to Vandy

2011-02-19T16:56:00.008-06:00

AUBURN, Ala. — For 26 minutes, Auburn hung with No. 18 Vanderbilt, going back and forth with the SEC East's second-place team in what head coach Tony Barbee likened to a tug of war.

"I thought we let go of the rope in the second half," Barbee said.

The Commodores used a 20-2 run during a seven-minute stretch midway through the second half Saturday in a 77-60 win over the Tigers at the Auburn Arena.

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After showing signs of life during a four-game stretch that saw it earn its only two league victories, Auburn (9-17, 2-10 SEC) took a step backward in the last week, losing to Ole Miss and Vanderbilt by an average of 24 points.

Barbee was particularly irked Saturday by Auburn's 19 turnovers, the second most it has had in an SEC game. Vanderbilt (20-6, 8-4 SEC) didn't press once during the game, instead allowing the Tigers to hurt themselves.

Even guard Earnest Ross, a rare bright spot with 19 points, 10 rebounds and 5 assists, committed 6 turnovers.

"We just made the worst decisions with the basketball I've ever seen in the second half," Barbee said. "We had guys wide open on backdoors, wide open on post-ups. We had guys who had the ball just taken right out of their hands. Just disappointing."

Even worse, it affected Auburn's defense. After shooting only 36 percent in the first half, Vanderbilt made 60 percent of its shots after the break.

"We started to hang our head and let our lack of offense and our lack of toughness in terms of securing the ball and making great decisions, we let it affect our defense," Barbee said.

A little room was all it took for Vanderbilt guard John Jenkins to shake off a slow start. The sophomore, who leads the league in scoring with 19.8 points per game, struggled early, missing his first five shots.

But, like he did when scoring all 21 of his points in the second half of a victory at Georgia earlier this week, he found his shooting touch, scoring 16 of his game-high 22 points in the second half. He finished with five of the Commodores' nine 3-pointers.

Jeffery Taylor added 20 points and Brad Tinsley 16 for Vanderbilt, which reached 20 wins for the sixth time under coach Kevin Stallings.

"Those guys are veteran. They don't panic," Barbee said. "They stay to what they do and they made plays and made shots."

Some frustration boiled over for Auburn by the end. Barbee was on his players throughout the second half, but diverted his scorn to the referees after two ticky-tack fouls on Ross and Kenny Gabriel.

He earned a technical and had to be held back by two assistants from storming onto the court to address the refs.

"Coach is always that competitive," said Gabriel, Auburn's only other player in double figures with 13 points. "He likes us to be more physical than the other team. ... It doesn't surprise me that he acted like that. It looked like he was ready to go out there, but I'm glad he didn't."

Auburn returns to action Wednesday at Alabama, starting at 8 p.m. ET.

Auburn beats Arkansas State 12-5 in opener

2011-02-18T21:37:00.005-06:00

AUBURN, Ala. — Auburn's new-look lineup didn't flash the power it did last year, but it still showed it is still capable of scoring some runs.

The No. 23 Tigers didn't hit a home run but scored four times in the third and seventh innings of a 12-5 win against Arkansas State on Friday in front of a crowd of 4,096, a school record for a season-opener.

"We have to create runs," Auburn head coach John Pawlowski said. "I think that's what our team identity is going to be. And we've got some big, strong guys in the lineup, but we've got to find ways to create some offense."

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Auburn (1-0), which slugged its way to within one game of the Super Regional last year, setting the school record in home runs thanks to MLB draft picks Hunter Morris, Brian Fletcher and Trent Mummey, didn't hit the ball out of the park once Friday.

Instead it showed a versatile offensive game, walking, bunting and stealing its way to 12 runs on 13 hits.

"I think we did some good things with the short game," Pawlowski said. "We put a little pressure on them and slashed a little bit."

Auburn scored in a variety ways. In the third, it was patience. Arkansas State starter Andy Ferguson (0-1) issued four walks and hit a batter. Freshman Zach Alvord made it 4-0 with a two-run single, the only hit of the inning.

Arkansas State (0-1) pulled withing 6-5 in the seventh, but Auburn pulled away with another four-run inning.

With two runners on in the seventh, Justin Bryant put down a bunt that third baseman Claude Johnson threw into right field, allowing two runs to score.

"That's what we worked on all fall," said third baseman Casey McElroy, who went 3-for-4. "We knew with the new (less lively) bats we weren't going to be able to hit the home runs like we did last year. So we worked on small ball and moving runners."

Justin Hargett and Justin Fradejas followed with back-to-back RBI doubles that pushed the lead to 10-5.

Starter Slade Smith (1-0) pitched 5 2/3 innings for the win, allowing four runs on six hits. He faced one over the minimum through three innings, allowing one baserunner on an error.

Creede Simpson was 3-for-3 with four runs scored and a stolen base.

Auburn hosts No. 14 Virginia today at Plainsman Park at 2 p.m. ET. Left-hander Cory Luckie will start for the Tigers.

Updyke released from jail after posting bail

2011-02-18T20:27:00.003-06:00

Harvey Updyke, the man police say poisoned Auburn's Toomer's Corner oak trees, was released from jail Friday night after posting bail, Lee County Sheriff Jay Jones confirmed.

The 62-year-old Updyke, from Dadeville, Ala., was arrested early Thursday morning in connection with the historic trees' poisoning and charged with one count of criminal mischief, a Class C felony.

Bail was set at $50,000, although a local bail bondsman only had to produce a fraction of that for Updyke's release. Jones did not have the exact figure.

He was released from Lee County Detention Center around 7:30 local time, Jones said.

Auburn announces next steps for Toomer's Corner, urges fans not to roll the trees

2011-02-18T17:27:00.009-06:00

Auburn University is mapping out a plan to save the Toomer's Corner oaks and is asking fans not to roll the trees.

A task force has been formed that is designed to save the famed trees. It includes experts in horticulture, agronomy, civil engineering, forestry, chemistry and landscape services.

They've asked fans not to walk in the trees' bedding area, which could further damage the trees. Workers have put up a fence around the bedding area and added a tarp to keep rainwater from going into the roots.

A release by the school said soil removal begins early next week, with soil samples being taken to determine the concentration of herbicide at different depths.

Civil engineers will also install small cylinders to monitor the downward spread of the herbicide Spike 80DF.

Further actions will be based on the results of the initial steps.

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Joint statement by Auburn's Gene Chizik, Alabama's Nick Saban on Toomer's Oaks

2011-02-18T16:19:00.009-06:00

Auburn coach Gene Chizik and Alabama coach Nick Saban issued a joint statement today about the Toomer's Corner oak trees poisoning:

“This is an isolated incident by one individual that is not representative of what the greatest rivalry in college football is all about. The players and coaches at both schools have a tremendous amount of respect for each other on and off the field, and we encourage our fans to show that same amount of respect now and in the future. We will move beyond this regrettable incident and continue to enjoy this great rivalry.”

Chizik also released a statement specifically to Auburn fans:

“It’s unfortunate that an incident like this has occurred, but it was an isolated act by one individual. I encourage the entire Auburn family to continue to show class and dignity moving forward. While the trees at Toomer’s may have been poisoned, the roots and spirit of Auburn will continue to be as strong as they have ever been.”

Looks like the schools are serious about trying to cool off the rivalry a bit. Earlier today, the student presidents of both school issued a joint statement urging the fans to act in a respectful manner.

Here's the full thing:

We are disappointed with the vandalism that has occurred to the famous oak trees at Toomer's Corner on the campus of Auburn University. We share this disappointment with the Auburn and Alabama alumni, students and fans who recognize this as an insult to the longstanding and unparalleled rivalry between our two exceptional schools.

Now more than ever is a time to reflect on what this rivalry means to all the people associated with these two universities. As collegiate students from both Auburn and Alabama prepare to take leadership roles across the state and nation, we collectively welcome our responsibility in shaping the future of our alma maters. We must ensure that the values our universities have imbued in us - values of respect, fairness, empathy and honesty - live on for future generations.

Part of that responsibility is to make certain that the greatest rivalry in college sports goes forward in an atmosphere of honor and mutual respect.

Today, we encourage all students to act in a manner that represents the mission and values of our institutions. By committing ourselves to those values, we may look forward to a future that is marked by commonalities: the preservation of traditions, the pursuit of excellence, and the constant betterment of both Auburn University and The University of Alabama.

War Eagle, and Roll Tide,
Kurt Sasser, SGA President, Auburn University
James Fowler, SGA President, The University of Alabama

Updyke given new court-appointed attorney

2011-02-18T13:51:00.007-06:00

Harvey Updyke, who is accused of poisoning the oak trees at Toomer's Corner in Auburn, was given a new court-appointed attorney Friday.

Lee County District Court Judge Russell K. Bush appointed Jerry W. Hauser to represent Updyke, who was arrested early Thursday morning for criminal mischief in the first degree, a Class C felony. If convicted, he could face a punishment of one to 10 years in prison.

Updyke's original court-appointed attorney, Philip O. Tyler, filed a motion to be taken off the case Thursday, citing a conflict of interest. It was granted Friday.

Tyler is a former part-time professor at Auburn and has represented the university in the past. He also has lived in the city since 1988 and has "numerous personal and family ties" to the school, according to documents filed in court.

Updyke is currently being held on $50,000 bond.

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All of today's stories on the Toomer's oak trees

2011-02-18T00:04:00.014-06:00

It was a full day of tree coverage in the wake of the Toomer's Corner oaks poisoning. Here are the Ledger-Enquirer's stories to fill you in after the arrest of 62-year-old Harvey Almorn Updyke of Dadeville, Ala.

Two are by me, one is by Larry Gierer, who was up in Dadeville yesterday, and another by columnist Richard Hyatt.

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And here are some other links you might find interesting:

Here's the website Auburn has set up for updates about the Toomer's Corner trees.

You can place orders to be in the lottery to get Toomer's Oaks seedlings here.

The War Eagle Reader goes in the way back machine to debunk the notion that Auburn fans rolled Toomer's Corner after the news of Alabama coach Paul "Bear" Bryant's death, as "Al from Dadeville" claimed on Paul Finebaum's radio show last month.

There is a Facebook page for this Saturday's "Tree Hug" at Toomer's Corner. (Must log in to see it.) There were 7,500 who planned to attend as of early Friday morning. Here's another page dedicated to saving Toomer's Corner.

Some interesting artwork. This too.

Courtesy of the city of Auburn, it's Toomer's Cam, a live stream of the corner.

Former Auburn basketball player Tay Waller with perhaps the greatest tweet of the day.

And if you're not following the Toomers Oaks Twitter account, you should.. Plenty of quips. ("Mmmmm... activated charcoal. At this point, I don't care if I OD on the stuff. Bring it.")

Didn't see this until late Thursday night, but Andy Staples of Sports Illustrated, as usual, sums things up nicely in this poignant article about Toomer's Corner.

And lastly, this picture was on the university's web page. It's Toomer's Corner from the 1890's.

Updyke's court-appointed lawyer moves to withdraw as counsel, citing conflict of interest

2011-02-17T16:55:00.006-06:00

The court-appointed attorney of Harvey Updyke, the man accused of poisoning Toomer's Corner oak trees, has moved to withdraw as counsel on the case.

Philip Tyler filed a motion in the District Court of Lee County on Thursday to be taken off the case, citing a "clear conflict" of interest.

Tyler's law firm currently represents Auburn University, the victim in the case. The motion also said Tyler was a former part-time professor at Auburn University and, as a resident in the city since 1988, has "numerous personal and family ties" to the school.

Updyke has been charged with criminal mischief, a Class C feloney, in relation to the tree poisonings but could face additional federal charges. He is being held on $50,000 bond.

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Affidavit: Finebaum call, suspicious phone message to AU professor led police to Updyke

2011-02-17T15:27:00.005-06:00

A call to The Paul Finebaum Show and a suspicious voice message to an Auburn professor led police to arrest 62-year-old Harvey Almorn Updyke in the Toomer's Corner oak trees poisonings, according to an affidavit filed Thursday.

Updyke was arrested early Thursday morning for criminal mischief in the first degree, a Class C felony. He is being held on $50,000 bond and faces one to 10 years in prison if convicted.

A court affidavit revealed that around Jan. 28, Auburn police were made aware of a telephone call to The Paul Finebaum Show by a caller named "Al from Dadeville," who claimed to have poisoned the historic Auburn trees at Toomer's Corner using a herbicide called Spike 80DF. Soil tests confirmed the presence of the substance.

A professor at Auburn's Turfgrass Management and Weed Science also received a suspicious telephone message around Feb. 7 from someone who claimed to have knowledge about the tree's poisoning.

The message was recorded and was consistent with the voice on the radio show, according to the affidavit.

Auburn police obtained telephone records from Auburn University and made a covert call to the number from the suspicious message. The voice that answered was consistent with the voice on the radio show and message. Police came upon Updyke as a suspect after an investigation.

Updyke made an oral statement to police admitting to making the phone calls to the Finebaum Radio Show and the Auburn professor, the affidavit said. He later denied actually poisoning the trees.

Additionally, Lee County District Attorney Robert Treese asked the court to add three conditions towards the $50,000 bond for Updyke: prohibit him from entering the Auburn campus, prohibit him from possessing any firearms, weapons, or any toxic or dangerous chemicals, substances, or herbicdes and mandating he enter an anger management program

Updyke's court-appointed attorney is Philip Tyler. He could not be immediately reached for comment.

More than you wanted to know about Spike 80DF and the poisoning of Toomer's Corner's oak trees

2011-02-17T13:50:00.011-06:00

Stephen Enloe, an assistant professor for Agronomy and Soils at Auburn, became emotional when talking about the poisoned Toomer's Corner oaks Thursday, choking up as he gave a grim prognosis for the trees' survival.

"It's an emotional question," he said, maintaining his composure. "I always want to hold out hope. Based upon the technical experts I have consulted with around the country, the concentration of Spike found within the soil would suggest there's a very low probability."

The Toomer's Corner oak trees are all over the news today, after police say they were poisoned with a herbicide by Harvey Updyke Jr. of Dadeville, Ala.

Several Auburn spokesmen and horticultural experts spoke about the trees' treatment and future today. Enloe is picture on the left. Gary Keever, the school's Professor of Horticulture, is on the right.

Here's more than a sportswriter ever envisioned having to write about poisoned trees:

What is Spike 80DF? It's an herbicide commonly used for total vegetation control. It kills most plants and is used in areas where tree control is needed, such as industrial areas, near electrical or pumping stations and, most commonly, along fence roads. It works by inhibiting photosynthesis, essentially starving the tree.

Enloe said the herbicide is water soluble and has moved into the soil profile beneath the trees, if it was put near the trees in the late fall as "Al from Dadeville" claimed on The Paul Finebaum Show. The trees have not been actively growing this winter, but as the temperature gets warmer, it will take up the herbicide through the roots. The leaves will turn yellow and brown and fall off, but it doesn't mean the tree is dead. Enloe said many species of trees "leaf out" after the initial uptake of Spike, but since the herbicide is in the soil, it will uptake again and repeat the death cycle. This can happen several times before the tree actually dies.

How much stuff was in the soil? Enloe said between .78 parts per million and about 51 parts per million. Evidence exists that the herbicide can be toxic to some species of oaks at 100 parts per billion. So quite a bit. "Every expert I've talked to around the country in mentioning rates up to 51 parts per million, they were very discouraged and did not offer up a lot of hope (for survival) due to the extremely high concentration," Enloe said.

How did Updyke allegedly do it? Good question. "We don’t know if he mixed it up in a Coke can and just knocked it over out there," Enloe said. "We don’t know if he sprinkled for the formulation. We just don’t know." Enloe also didn't know how much was used. "The concentration in the top three inches is extremely hot," he said. "That might suggest it hasn’t moved much farther than that. Hopefully, it hasn’t."

Spike 80DF is not a restricted use product, but it is not widely available. Enloe said you would have to go to an agricultural cooperative or pesticide distributor to purchase it. He also said it is not cheap. "There's some cost involved," he said.

This part was interesting: The label is the law. "So the label is a legally binding document so that anything you do with that herbicide that is not in agreement with what the label directs you to do is a violation of federal law," Enloe said.

Keever said that Spike is a material that has never been used on campus at Auburn. Enloe added that it specifically says on the label not to use near vegetation you don't want to injure. "The detection of the chemical up here is not an accident," Keever said. "It's not there because of anything that might have occurred on campus as a part of routine activity."

How will the trees be affected moving forward? Keever said Spike has a half-life of 12-15 months. It's likely to be in the soil for 3-5 years and can inhibit growth for up to 7 years.

What has the university done so far? First, they've taken additional soil samples to find out the extent of the Spike -- if it has moved into the landscaping or can damage other vegetation. Those samples are expected back in 7-10 days. They have treated the tree beds with liquid charcoal, which is an absorbent that binds to the herbicide and inactivates it. Keever acknowledged the herbicide has likely moved beyond that. He was unsure how far and in what direction.

Why not remove the soil, you say? Keever said that the dense roots and granite curbing around the trees make that very difficult, if not impossible. He said the ground was so dense with roots that it was very difficult to even take soil samples. "There may be ways to remove some of the soil," he said. "A lot of people have offered advice. They are very willing to help to do anything to save the trees to increase the chances of survival." One way was a vacuum to remove the soil out of the root zone, which is still an extreme longshot. Keever said after things settle down, they'll decide a course of action to take.

Can it affect the surrounding trees? Yes. "If it moves into the landscape -- we've got hollies, magnolias, a white oak -- if those root zones come in contact with the herbicide, they'll absorb it just like the live oaks have," Keever said. "And there's a real chance of injury."

What about the water, you might ask hysterically? Tom McCauley of the Department of Risk Management and Safety with a focus on environmental compliance and responsibility said it is extremely unlikely. The soil is dense, making the migration of the herbicide difficult. The uppermost aquifer is five feet below ground. A drinking water well is 150-200 feet below the ground. "Very little chance to impact the groundwater for drinking water purposes," McCauley said.

There is a very, very low risk to humans. "You would have to eat quite a bit of it," Enloe said. "A 150-pound male would have to consume at least two ounces of it to have an adverse affect. If it got in your eyes, if you washed it out immediately, there wouldn’t be problems. If you decided to pack it in your eyes and leave it, you’d have eye injuries. ... Basically, anybody celebrating out there under that tree would have eaten several pounds of dirt to have a negative effect."

Can people go near the trees? Enloe doesn't suggest it. "The less impact below the trees right now would be the best thing for them," he said. "I wouldn't want 100 people stomping around the base of those trees to be honest with you. I don't think that's a good idea." (They've been cordoned off by police barricades to prevent people from getting too close).

What if the trees don't make it? "The soil would be excavated, new soil brought in and an environment created where trees could grow and thrive," Keever said.

That's getting ahead of things for now. Deedie Dowdle, Auburn's Executive Director and a school spokesman, said the school is "hoping for a miracle." She didn't want to speak about limiting the rolling of the oaks "With the president being gone, I certainly don't want to say that we're not going to roll the oaks anymore," she said. "Last night, I don't think we could have stopped it if we wanted to."

Will it prevent future celebrations at Toomer's Corner? "We heard someone say, well, did the Grinch steal Christmas? No," Dowdle said. "The celebrations at Toomer's Corner existed before the rolling of the trees. Not before the trees. But before they rolled the trees they rolled the corner. There will be a lot of things we can do to make those celebrations continue and of course, if the advice is that we not roll the trees to save them, I imagine members of the Auburn family would honor that."

To get information as it happens, Auburn has set up a website for updates and announcements.

Auburn police chief on Toomer's oaks arrest: 'This is a person who obviously has problems'

2011-02-17T12:32:00.008-06:00

AUBURN, Ala. — Auburn police have arrested Harvey Almorn Updyke of Dadeville, Ala., in connection with the Toomer's Corner oak tree poisonings.

The 62-year-old Updyke has been charged with one Class C felony count of criminal mischief and faces one to 10 years in prison if convicted.

He made an initial appearance in court this morning to hear the charges. He is being held on $50,000 bond, Auburn police chief Tommy Dawson said at a morning press conference in front of Samford Hall. As of this morning, he was still incarcerated.

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With help from the FBI, U.S. Marshalls, State of Alabama Department of Agricultural Industries and Tallapoosa County Sheriff's office, the Auburn police arrested Updyke at 1:26 a.m. Thursday morning, only hours after releasing information that the iconic Toomer's Corner oak trees are likely to die after being poisoned with the herbicide Spike 80DF.

Updyke was arrested at the Auburn police department, although Dawson would not say what led the police to the suspect or whether or not he turned himself in.

"This is a person who obviously has problems to do something like this," Dawson said. "We want to use caution and let the justice system take its course."

Dawson said the police received information that the trees were poisoned last month, prompting an investigation.

A caller on The Paul Finebaum Radio Show named "Al from Dadeville" bragged on Jan. 27 that he used Spike 80DF to poison the trees, which are rolled with toilet paper following football victories. He claimed to be an Alabama fan who did it in response to Auburn fans placing a jersey of Tigers quarterback Cam Newton on a statue of former Crimson Tide coach Paul "Bear" Bryant after the Iron Bowl.

Dawson did not confirm whether Updyke was the caller.

He said police are still investigating but do not anticipate any other arrests.

"I do believe he acted alone," Dawson said.

Auburn horticulture experts Gary Keever and Stephen Enloe do not know how long the trees will live.

"I always want to hold out hope," said Enloe, who choked up. "Based upon the technical experts I have consulted with around the country, the concentration of Spike found within the soil would suggest there's a very low probability."

Enloe said the herbicide, which is used primarily to protect pasture fences from being overgrown, has moved into the soil around the area. He said the herbicide is likely to be in the soil for three to five years and can inhibit growth for up to seven years.

Keever said Auburn has never used Spike 80DF and the the amounts found around the Toomer's trees could not have been an accident.

Back with more on this story in a bit. Also check Ledger-Enquirer.com for complete updates.

Arrest made in Toomer's Oak poisonings

2011-02-17T09:32:00.007-06:00

The Auburn police have made an arrest in the Toomer's Corner oak tree poisonings.

Harvey Almorn Updyke, 62, of Silver Hill Road in Dadeville, Ala., was arrested and booked into the Lee County Justice Center early this morning, according to sheriff Jay Jones.

He is being held on $50,000 bond and has been charged with one Class C felony count of criminal mischief. Updyke faces one to 10 years in prison if convicted.

Read the full Toomer's Corner story by the Ledger-Enquirer's Tim Chitwood here.

Auburn hoops clobbered at Ole Miss, 90-59

2011-02-16T20:33:00.009-06:00

Auburn followed up its biggest comeback in 12 years by suffering its worst loss of the season, losing 90-59 to Ole Miss in Oxford, Miss., on Wednesday night.

The Tigers (9-16, 2-9 SEC), who were coming off a 19-point comeback win against Mississippi State only four days ago, allowed more points than they have in a game this season.

The 31-point loss was Auburn's worst since losing by 37 to Pittsburgh on Dec. 4, 2005.

Guard Zach Graham had a career-high 30 points for the Rebels (17-9, 5-6 SEC), making 7 of his 11 3-point shots. Ole Miss shot 56.8 percent form the field and made 13 3-pointers.

Auburn's lone bright spot was freshman guard Chris Denson, a former Shaw standout, who scored a career-high 16 points.

The Tigers return to action Saturday at home against Vanderbilt at 4 p.m. ET.

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Scenes from Toomer's Corner tonight

2011-02-16T18:31:00.010-06:00

Had a chance to go down to Toomer's Corner this evening. There was a small group of students-- probably 40 or 50 -- who had gathered in the wake of news that someone had poisoned Auburn's iconic oak trees downtown.

Matt McMullen, a 15-year-old sophomore at Auburn High School, held a sign that said "Honk for the tree." A steady stream of passing motorist obliged.

"It's just like Auburn's greatest tradition that we have," he said. "I have little siblings that haven't been able to come out and roll the tree and I guess they'll never get to now because they've been poisoned and they're going to die."

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McMullen, who said he's definitely attending Auburn, found it hard to believe that someone would stoop to this level.

"The AU family is just so supportive of everything Auburn does," he said. "I don't think that we'll retaliate back against Alabama. It's just so much more class for us as Auburn fans. Because for an Alabama person to come out here and just poison our trees just because we won a football game, which is a big deal in Auburn, but it's crossing the line to kill such a big Auburn tradition."

Auburn fans starting leaving items at the base of one of the trees, including some roses and a "Get Well Soon" roll of toilet paper.

Stopped by one more time to see what it look like later:

'Al from Dadeville' bragged he poisoned Toomer's Corner trees on The Paul Finebaum Show

2011-02-16T16:55:00.007-06:00

A man who claimed to poison the Toomer's Corner oaks called into The Paul Finebaum Show on Jan. 27 to brag about his deed.

"Al from Dadeville" told Finebaum that he did it in response to Auburn fans putting a Cam Newton jersey on the Paul "Bear" Bryant statue during the Iron Bowl. (Listen to the Finebaum call here.)

"Al" said two weeks later he poisoned the trees at Toomer's Corner, using a herbicide called Spike 80DF, which Auburn police say indeed was used to poison the iconic trees.

"Let me tell you what I did: After the Iron Bowl, I went to Auburn, Ala., because I live 30 miles away, and I poisoned the two Toomer's trees. I put Spike 80 DF on them. They're not dead yet, but they definitely will die."

Finebaum told "Al" that his actions were against the law.

"Do you think I care?" he responded, adding a "Roll Damn Tide" before hanging up.

Auburn University put out a press release Wednesday saying the Toomer's Corner trees were poisoned and are not expected to survive.

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Toomer's Corner oaks poisoned with herbicide; unlikely to survive

2011-02-16T15:38:00.003-06:00

Bizarre story out of Auburn today: an herbicide commonly used to kill trees was deliberately applied in lethal amounts to the soil around the oak trees at Toomer's Corner, according to a university press release today.

There is little chance to save the trees.

Here's an excerpt from the release:

The City of Auburn Police Division is investigating the situation, and the application of this herbicide, known as Spike 80DF, or tebuthiuron, is also governed by state agricultural laws and the Environmental Protection Agency. The university does not use Spike herbicide. There is no reason to suspect any human danger from the herbicide, which manufacturer Dow Chemical says should be applied with proper clothing protection; a typical use of the herbicide is to kill trees along fence lines.

The university learned that a caller to The Paul Finebaum Show, a nationally syndicated radio show based in Birmingham, on Jan. 27, claimed he had applied the herbicide. As a precaution, soil samples were taken the next day and sent to the Alabama State Pesticide Residue Laboratory on campus for analysis. Due to a small fire that occurred in the Alabama lab in December, the tests were sent to the lab at Mississippi State University in Starkville, Miss., to expedite results.

The lowest amount detected was 0.78 parts per million, described by horticulture experts as a "very lethal dose." The highest amount detected was 51 parts per million, or 65 times the lowest dose. Experts believe a normal application by itself would have been enough to kill the trees, which are estimated to be more than 130 years old.

"We are assessing the extent of the damage and proceeding as if we have a chance to save the trees," said Gary Keever, an Auburn University professor of horticulture and a member of Auburn's Tree Preservation Committee. "We are also focused on protecting the other trees and shrubs in Samford Park. At this level the impact could be much greater than just the oaks on the corner, as Spike moves through the soil to a wide area." Additional tests are being completed to determine the movement and extent of the area affected, Keever said.

The trees, which are covered in toilet paper following big athletic victories by the Tigers, are estimated to be more than 130 years old.

"We will take every step we can to save the Toomer's oaks, which have been the home of countless celebrations and a symbol of the Auburn spirit for generations of Auburn students, fans, alumni and the community," said university president Jay Gogue.

Gouge urged calm among the students.

"It is understandable to feel outrage in reaction to a malicious act of vandalism," Gogue said. "However, we should live up to the example we set in becoming national champions and the beliefs expressed in our Auburn Creed. Individuals act alone, not on behalf of anyone or any place, and all universities are vulnerable to and condemn such reprehensible acts."

An investigation is ongoing. Anyone with information can contact the Auburn Police Division at (334) 501-3110 or anonymously by voice or text on the tip line at (334) 246-1391.

Report: NCAA investigators asking questions about Auburn's recruitment in Thibodaux, La.

2011-02-16T15:00:00.002-06:00

Two NCAA investigators interviewed several people in Thibodaux, La., on Monday about Auburn's recruitment of Greg Robinson and Trovon Reed, according to a report by FoxSports.com Wednesday.

Robinson, an offensive lineman, signed with Auburn in February. Reed, a wide receiver, signed with the Tigers in 2010 and redshirted last season.

The FoxSports.com article said the investigators were looking into the players' involvement with Sean Nelson, who is Reed's legal guardian and, according to the report, took both players on visits to Auburn.

Former Thibodaux coach Dennis Lorio, who resigned after last year, said he spoke for 45 minutes to two NCAA investigators, who asked him if he thought Auburn committed NCAA violations in its recruitment of Robinson.

“I can’t say what Auburn did because I don’t know and I wasn’t involved very much,” Lorio told FoxSports Wednesday. “I really don’t know truthfully.”

“My answer is what went on with Greg’s recruitment, you’re going to have ask Trooper Taylor, Greg, his parents and, I believe, Sean Nelson. I don’t have any more answers because I don’t know.”

Auburn, which did not have a comment, has not received a letter of inquiry from the NCAA about the two players.

NCAA investigators also spoke to Robinson for "a couple of hours," according to Lorio, and Robinson's mother.

Lorio told FoxSports in January that several coaches and students saw Robinson show off cash and a new iPhone at school after making an unofficial visit to Auburn last year.

Prior to the BCS title game, Taylor, who was the primary recruiter for both Reed and Robinson, said he did not give money or items during their recruitment.

Nelson, in past interviews, said he has was not paid by anyone associated with Auburn in relation to Reed and Robinson's recruitment.

Tennessee Titans hire Auburn's Tracy Rocker as defensive line coach

2011-02-16T12:15:00.016-06:00

Updated with Rocker quotes.

AUBURN, Ala. — Auburn defensive line coach Tracy Rocker was hired for the same position with the Tennessee Titans on Wednesday, marking the first change to Gene Chizik's coaching staff in the two-plus with the Tigers.

Rocker, 44, was hired by new Titans coach Mike Munchak to replace Jim Washburn, who left the team after 12 years to join the Philadelphia Eagles.

"The last two years have been an unbelievable experience with the opportunity to coach at my alma mater and help the program win a national championship,” Rocker said. "It’s always been a goal of mine to coach in the NFL and this is a tremendous opportunity that I could not pass up.”

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Chizik hired Rocker in January of 2008, a month after taking over the Auburn job.

In two years with the Tigers, Rocker coached Antonio Coleman, a first-team All-SEC pick who led the league in sacks and tackles for a loss, and Nick Fairley, who blossomed under his tutelage, winning the Lombardi Award this season and being name a consensus All-Amereican. Fairley has a chance to be the No. 1 pick in Aprils' NFL Draft.

Rocker is the first departure from Chizik's original nine-member coaching staff.

Offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn was pursued as a head coach by several schools this offseason, including Vanderbilt and Maryland, but received a hefty raise to $1.3 million to stay with the Tigers. Offensive line coach Jeff Grimes interviewed with Texas last month but decided to stay in Auburn.

“We certainly hate to see Tracy leave, but this was an opportunity for him to pursue one of his professional goals," Chizik said. “We’re very appreciative of what he meant to Auburn both as a player and a coach, and we wish Tracy and his family nothing but the best in his new role with the Tennessee Titans."

Rocker was reportedly high on Jeff Fisher's wish list before the coach parted ways with the franchise after 17 years. Fisher's replacement, Munchak, said on WJOX radio Wednesday morning that he had a high opinion of Rocker.

"Obviously, he's done a great job as a player and now he's worked his way up through the ranks in coaching, and he's coming off a national championship at Auburn, so he'd be a great fit for any organization," Munchak said. "We know what it's like to have a great defensive line coach, and he'd fit that bill, so I'm very much interested in him."

An Atlanta native, Rocker starred on Pat Dye's Auburn teams of the mid- to late-80's, earning All-American honors and winning the Outland Trophy and Lombardi Award in 1988. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2004.

"Auburn is a special place because the fans are the greatest in the world," Rocker said. "I’m appreciative for all of their support during my time as a player and as a coach.”

Rocker's previous coaching stops have almost all been at the college level, including West Alabama (1994-96), Troy State (1997-01), Cincinnati (2002), Arkansas (2003-07) and Ole Miss (2008).

He spent part of the summer of 2001 working with the Indianapolis Colts and again in 2006 with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as part of the NFL's Minority Internship Program.

Tracy Rocker talks with Titans about d-line job

2011-02-16T09:45:00.007-06:00

Tracy Rocker has talked to the Tennessee Titans about becoming the NFL team's defensive line coach.

New Titans coach Mike Munchak told WJOX radio in Birmingham this morning that the team had spoken to Rocker and was "real excited about him."

"Obviously, he's done a great job as a player and now he's worked his way up through the ranks in coaching, and he's coming off a national championship at Auburn, so he'd be a great fit for any organization," Munchak said. "We know what it's like to have a great defensive line coach, and he'd fit that bill, so I'm very much interested in him."

Rocker, who won the Outland Trophy and Lombardi Award in 1988 as a player for Auburn, returned to his alma mater as a coach when Gene Chizik initially put together his staff in 2009.

Chizik has yet to lose a member of that original staff.

Tennessee is looking to replace Jim Washburn, who left after 12 seasons for the same job with the Philadelphia Eagles.

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Coaches pick Auburn baseball third in SEC West

2011-02-15T12:57:00.007-06:00

The SEC released the coaches' picks for the 2011 baseball season, and Auburn was picked to finish third in the West.

The Tigers, who won the SEC West last year, were picked behind LSU and Arkansas.

Auburn opens the season on Friday at 7 p.m. ET when it plays host to Arkansas State at Plainsman Park.

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Here's the full coaches' picks (Team, Points, 2010 record/Finish):

Eastern Division

Florida, 66, 22-8/1st
Vanderbilt, 55, 16-12/3rd
S. Carolina, 48, 21-9/2nd
Kentucky, 33, 13-17/4th
Georgia, 26, 5-23/6th
Tennessee, 17, 12-18/5th

Western Division

LSU, 63, 14-16/5th
Arkansas, 49, 18-12/2nd
Auburn, 46, 20-10/1st
Ole Miss, 40, 16-14/3rd
Alabama, 33, 15-15/4th
Miss. State, 17, 6-24/6th

Former Auburn safety Zac Etheridge signing copies of the Ledger-Enquirer's book Saturday

2011-02-15T11:08:00.011-06:00

File this under shameless self promotion: former Tigers safety Zac Etheridge will be signing copies of the Ledger-Enquirer's book about Auburn's BCS national championship run on Saturday at the Kinnucan's in Auburn from 1-3 p.m CT.

It's the perfect opportunity to pick up a copy of "All In: Auburn's Run for the National Championship" for only $19.95. The 160-page coffee table book features my articles from throughout the season and has plenty of photographs.

Autographed copies are available to order on Facebook for fans who cannot make it to the signing.

Kinnucan's, for those who don't know, is at 1199 South Donahue.

Report: Cam Newton signs shoe and apparel deal with Under Armour worth over $1 million

2011-02-14T11:23:00.008-06:00

Former Auburn quarterback Cam Newton reportedly signed a shoe and apparel deal with Under Armour that sources told CNBC's Darren Rovell is the largest deal ever given to an incoming NFL rookie.

The old record was a $1 million deal former USC running back Reggie Bush got in 2006 with adidas. The actual terms of Newton's deal were not released.

Under Amour will have a collection of Newton Auburn items that includes jerseys with his name on the back (a no-no if he were still in college), football training gear and a signature shoe line.

Auburn has been sponsored by Under Armour since 2005.

Newton, who left Auburn after his junior year, is expected to go in the first half of the first round in April's NFL draft.

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Tigers hoops gets 2012 commitment from Shaquille Johnson of Alpharetta, Ga.

2011-02-13T15:52:00.010-06:00

The Auburn basketball team picked up a win and a commitment Saturday night.

The Tigers added a commitment from power forward Shaquille Johnson of Alpharetta, Ga., according to AuburnSports.com and Inside the Auburn Tigers. It's the team's first commitment for 2012.

Johnson, a three-star recruit, had interest from Georgia, Georgia Tech and Clemson, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Rivals ranks him as the No. 128 player nationally.

The athletic 6-foot-5, 195-pound forward, who is considered a strong dunker, is averaging 8 points and 6 rebounds as a junior at Milton High. He plans to sign in the early period in November.

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Historic second-half rally from 19-point deficit lifts Auburn past Mississippi State 65-62

2011-02-12T20:10:00.004-06:00

AUBURN, Ala. — Auburn finally gave the home folks something to cheer about, and all it took was an historic comeback.

The Tigers erased a 19-point deficit in the second half against Mississippi State on Saturday, rallying for a rousing 65-62 win at the Auburn Arena, the team's first at home in SEC play this season.

"The guys didn't pack it in," Auburn coach Tony Barbee said. "And we haven't all year long. But all I've talked about is being mean and nasty and tough, and then come winning time, let's not break down."

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Earnest Ross scored 21 points and Kenny Gabriel 18 for the Tigers (9-15, 2-8 SEC), who had shown a competitive streak the last two weeks on the road but had yet to show that same resilience at home.

They did Saturday. The 19-point comeback was Auburn's biggest since it did likewise in a 73-70 win at LSU during the 1999 SEC championship season.

"Coach told us as long as we believe, we have a chance to win and at least compete in every game," Ross said.

Auburn looked like it would fall to 0-5 at home in conference play, falling behind 51-32 with 11:24 to play thanks to a barrage of 3-pointers by Mississippi State (13-11, 5-5 SEC), which made nine in the game and got 22 points from guard Dee Bost.

The Tigers trailed 58-45 with 4:19 left but scored the next 17 points as the Bulldogs unraveled. MSU forward Kodi Augustus made a jumper but was whistled for a technical foul after some excessive jawing.

The Bulldogs wouldn't score again for four minutes, committing five turnovers and not getting off a field goal attempt.

"Those last five minutes, we just melted down," Mississippi State coach Rick Stansbury said.

Auburn got a lift from its scrappy defense down the stretch. With 3:53 left, Gabriel stole the ball from Bost, took it the length of the floor and elevated for a dunk that brought the nearly packed Auburn Arena crowd to its feet, getting as loud as it has this season.

"It was between that moment and the whole Alabama game," Gabriel said. "We're trying to get the gym like that every night."

A steal and layup by Chris Denson cut the MSU lead to 58-56. Two minutes later, Gabriel drained a 3-pointer from the corner with 1:18 to go, giving Auburn a 59-58 lead, its first since early in the game.

In addition to his 18 points, Gabriel had 5 rebounds, 2 steals and an assist.

"I was disappointed in Kenny's effort for the majority of the game," Barbee said. "I was on him bad. I was taking him out of the game because he wasn't giving us much, but that's the response I want. I don't want you dig a hole and disappear. I want you to respond. And he came on the floor and responded."

Ross, who topped 20 points for the sixth time this season, made two clutch free throws to make it a three-point game with 3.5 seconds left. Bost's halfcourt heave to tie the game at the final horn was too strong.

Auburn welcomed back center Rob Chubb, who missed the last two games after being suspended following his Jan. 30 arrest on four misdemeanors — disorderly conduct, public intoxication, attempting to elude a police officer and resisting arrest.

The sophomore, who apologized to the team for his actions, earned a hearty applause from the crowd and finished with 6 points and 2 rebounds in 16 minutes off the bench.

"Again, disappointed in the decision that he made, but at the same time, he's a college kid," Barbee said. "And most like most college kids do, like most of us did in college, we made dumb decisions. It doesn't mean you throw him under the bus and forget about him."

Denson brings scoring burst off the bench

2011-02-12T00:00:00.000-06:00

Auburn hosts Mississippi State tonight at 7 ET. To advance the game, I wrote a story on freshman Auburn guard Chris Denson, who played at Shaw High in Columbus. Here's how it starts:

AUBURN, Ala. -- His defense wasn’t quite ready, so Auburn freshman guard Chris Denson found playing time sparse the first half of the season.

But given a chance in a blowout at Mississippi State in the middle of January, the left-hander from Shaw High showed he had a skill the offensively challenged Tigers desperately needed: He could score.

“My main mentality was to score, score, score and help my team to win,” Denson said. “Coach always says contribute to the team, so I try to contribute to the team by scoring offensively and doing what I do on defense.”

Denson is starting to establish a foothold at the college level, providing an offensive spark off the bench for the Tigers (8-15, 1-8 SEC), who host Mississippi State (13-10, 5-4) tonight at 7.

The 6-foot-2, 180-pound reserve guard has averaged 8.3 points the past four games, scoring 10 at South Carolina and Georgia.

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Video: Cam Newton works out in San Diego

2011-02-10T21:08:00.004-06:00

Ask for video and several hours later ye shall receive. Here's some video of Cam Newton's workout today.

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Cam Newton draws rave reviews after workout

2011-02-10T15:03:00.010-06:00

I did not attend Cam Newton's workout in front of the media today. Alas, a trip out to San Diego was not in the cards. But plenty of reputable folks who were in attendance today came away impressed from the quarterback's 45-minute workout at Cathedral Catholic High.

Former NFL quarterback Trent Dilfer called Newton's performance "phenomenal." He said, “If scouts saw this they’d have been slobbering," and added this:

"It was really one of the most phenomenal personal workouts I have ever seen. It reinforced everything I had seen on film studying to him this point, but it's even more staggering to see him in person. This is a tremendous physical specimen. He's a dynamic athlete and a beautiful thrower. The thing that took our breath away, you see it on film he's a good thrower, but to see him in person he is so compact. His mechanics are so sound. The ball just jumps off of his hand."

NFL Hall of Fame quarterback Warren Moon was in attendance and also cam away impressed, according to this tweet by Bryan Fischer of CBSSports.com. Moon said Newton is "going to rise as he goes through the draft process" and could go in the top five.

Newton gave this assessment of his day:

"I felt like I had to come out here and get better. As a whole, one of the things (quarterback coach) George (Whitfield) and I had been working on since I stepped in San Diego is me being on balance, me finishing my throws. Of course, me coming out of a spread offense, there was a concern about me coming from under center, and being fluid."

Whether or not the workout has an impact remains to be seen. NFL scouts were not allowed to attend because it was before the combine, which run from Feb. 24-March 1 in Indianapolis. Matt Bowen of the National Football Post tweeted that an NFL scout told him this workout would have no bearing on his grading process and that the entire event made "no sense."

Newton wasn't sure what he'd do at the combine. Fischer tweeted that Newton said his decision to throw will likely be made "in hotel in Indy."

Here's the full ESPN story.

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Tony Barbee expects suspended center Rob Chubb to play before end of season

2011-02-10T14:49:00.009-06:00

Auburn center Rob Chubb remains suspended indefinitely after being arrested and charged with four misdemeanors nearly two weeks ago, but coach Tony Barbee said he expects the sophomore to play before the end of the season.

Chubb, 20, was arrested in the early morning hours of Jan. 30 for public intoxication, disorderly conduct, attempting to elude a police officer and resisting arrest. He was released on $1,800 bond and has an April 7 date in Auburn Municipal Court.

But Barbee didn't close the book on Chubb's Auburn career.

"He'll play at some point again before the year is out," Barbee said.

Barbee said there are athletic department policies for when an athlete is arrested and when alcohol is involved.

"There's a process we have here in the athletic department that I'm trying to figure out. It's new to me," Barbee said. "So that's still taking place. But he's still suspended from all team activities."

Chubb played in 21 games this season, with 16 starts. He averaged 8.1 points and 4.1 rebounds. He's missed the last two games.

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Cam Newton's media workout set for today

2011-02-10T10:40:00.006-06:00

Former Auburn quarterback Cam Newton will hold a workout for the media today at Cathedral Catholic High School in San Diego at 1 p.m. ET.

Newton has been working with a personal quarterback coach, George Whitfield, who told the USA Today that today's workout is intended to "differentiate himself from other big kids, Vince Young and JaMarcus Russell."

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The invitation sent out to various media said this event is intended to "provide a snapshot of Cam's daily training regimen and routine as he prepares for his NFL career."

Just how much he can prove today remains to be seen. As a pre-combine private workout, NFL scouts are not allowed to attend, causing some to say the event is just a "publicity stunt."

Whitfield calls it a showcase.

"The thinking in this camp is bring Cam out two weeks ahead of schedule and let people see how much he's already refined and honed in on all that drop back and where his throwing motion is now and his conditioning," he said. "It'll be an hour-plus workout.''

Newton will be a the NFL scouting combine from Feb. 24 to March 1 in Indianapolis, although he told a panel of NFL network analysts at the Super Bowl he hadn't decided what he's going to do there yet.

Here's a link to his entire interview with the NFL network at the Super Bowl. Interesting part: he said Brett Favre has been a mentor as he makes the adjustment to the next level.

Auburn baseball announces signing class

2011-02-09T10:00:00.008-06:00

The Auburn baseball team added 14 players who will join the team in the fall before the 2012 season.

The class includes 11 high school players and three junior college transfers. They come from four different states.

Auburn begins its 2011 season Feb. 18 at home against Arkansas State at 7 p.m. ET.

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Here's the full list. Read the full bios here:

Name, Ht, Wt, Pos, Yr, B/T, Previous School, Hometown

Cameron Blinka, 6-0, 200, RHP, JR, R/R, Alvin CC, Rosenburg, TX
Grant Bush, 6-4, 190, LHP, FR, L/L, Grissom HS, Huntsville, AL
Justin Camp, 6-2, 220, RHP, FR, R/R, Austin HS, Decatur, AL
Trey Cochran-Gill, 5-10, 175, RHP/OF, FR, R/R, Tallassee HS, Tallassee, AL
Garrett Cooper, 6-6, 210, 1B/RHP, JR, R/R, El Camino CC, Manhattan Beach, CA
J.D. Crowe Jr., 6-0, 195, C, FR, L/R, Oak Mountain HS, Birmingham, AL
Colton Davis, 6-3, 185, OF, FR, R/R, Lake Wales HS, Lake Wales, FL
Clay Holmes, 6-4, 225, RHP, FR, R/R, Slocomb HS, Slocomb, AL
Daniel Koger, 6-6, 170, LHP, FR, L/L, Huntsville HS, Owens Cross Roads, AL
Rocky McCord, 6-2, 175, RHP, FR, R/R, Spanish Fort HS, Mobile, AL
Craig Shirley, 6-4, 225, IF/RHP, FR, R/R, Northview HS, Dothan, AL
Jarred Smith, 5-10, 180, IF/RHP, FR, L/R, Lake Wales HS, Lake Wales, FL
Ryan Tella, 6-0, 175, OF/LHP, SO, L/L, Ohlone College, Fremont, CA
Chase Williamson, 6-2, 190, RHP/IF, FR, R/R, UMS-Wright HS, Saraland, AL

Auburn releases 2011 football schedule

2011-02-08T19:01:00.008-06:00

Auburn officially released its 2011 football schedule, which features seven games at home and five on the road.

The Tigers begin their defense of the national championship at Jordan-Hare Stadium on Sept. 3 against Utah State.

They start conference play the following week at home against Mississippi State on Sept. 10.

Auburn's other non-conference games are at Clemson (Sept. 17) and at home against Florida Atlantic (Sept. 24) and Samford for homecoming (Nov. 19).

The Tigers' SEC slate features a new opponent, Florida (Oct. 15), which rotates onto the schedule for Kentucky. Auburn hasn't played the Gators since 2007.

It also hosts Ole Miss (Oct. 29) and Alabama (Nov. 26) in the Iron Bowl, which is back on a Saturday after two years on Friday.

The Tigers' conference road schedule includes South Carolina (Oct. 1), Arkansas (Oct. 8), LSU (Oct. 22) and Georgia (Nov. 12).

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Here's the full schedule (home games in bold):

Sept. 3: UTAH STATE
Sept. 10: MISSISSIPPI STATE
Sept. 17: at Clemson
Sept. 24: FLORIDA ATLANTIC
Oct. 1: at South Carolina
Oct. 8: at Arkansas
Oct. 15: FLORIDA
Oct. 22: at LSU
Oct. 29: OLE MISS
Nov. 12: at Georgia
Nov. 19: SAMFORD
Nov. 26: ALABAMA

Auburn assistants Trooper Taylor, Tommy Thigpen named among Rivals' top 25 recruiters

2011-02-07T13:25:00.009-06:00

Auburn wide receivers coach Trooper Taylor and safeties coach Tommy Thigpen were named among the nation's top 25 recruiters by Rivals.com on Monday.

It's Taylor's second straight year on the list. He was also named as one of the top 25 recruiters in the SEC by ESPN last month, joining offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn and running backs coach/recruiting coordinator Curtis Luper.

Taylor recruited six Auburn signees this year, all of which rated as four-star prospects -- RB Quan Bray, WR Jaylon Denson, TE Brandon Fulse, OL Greg Robinson, S Robenson Therezie and CB Jeremaine Whitehead.

Thigpen also helped secure six signees -- DT Angelo Blackson, S Erique Florence, LB/WR Kris Frost, LB Justin Garrett, CB Jonathan Rose and S Anthony Swain.

Auburn's recently-signed 2011 recruiting class was ranked second nationally by Scout, third by ESPN and seventh by Rivals.

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Auburn center Rob Chubb was arrested on four misdemeanors prior to suspension

2011-02-07T08:54:00.041-06:00

AUBURN, Ala. — Only hours after the best game of his career, Auburn basketball center Rob Chubb was arrested on four misdemeanor charges near downtown on Jan. 30.

The 20-year-old Chubb, who has been suspended indefinitely by the Tigers, was charged with public intoxication, disorderly conduct, attempting to elude a police officer and resisting arrest.

He was transported to Lee County Detention Center and released later that day on $1,800 bond, Lee County Sheriff Jay Jones said.

Chubb is scheduled to appear in Auburn Municipal Court on April 7.

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Head coach Tony Barbee announced the 6-foot-10, 222-pound sophomore’s suspension for a violation of team rules last Thursday prior to the Tennessee game. Chubb has missed the last two games.

“He’s still suspended at this point,” Barbee said on Monday’s SEC teleconference. “He’s suspended indefinitely for a violation of team rules and he’s still suspended from all activities at this point.”

Chubb was arrested at 1:47 a.m. on Jan. 30 at the corner of Genelda Ave. and Thomas St. after police were called to the scene. Chubb was drunk, according to a copy of an arrest report obtained by the Ledger-Enquirer on Monday, and attempted to elude a police officer.

Police say he also resisted arrest. Injuries were reported for both he and an officer. Chubb had bloody scrapes on his forehead and nose in his police mugshot.

The Peachtree City, Ga., native was one of the Tigers’ few low-post options, averaging 8.1 points and 4.1 rebounds in 21 games this season, including 16 starts.

He scored a career-high 18 points at South Carolina the afternoon before his arrest in what was the Tigers’ only SEC win this season.

“I’m disappointed in Rob,” Barbee said at the time of the suspension. “We were starting to gain a nice rhythm with Rob, and he was starting to gain an offensive threat. Not having that was a big one. Whoever plays in his place has to step up to the opportunity.”

Junior Adrian Forbes and sophomore Ty Armstrong have gotten increased minutes in Chubb’s absence. The duo averaged a combined 6.5 points and 7.5 rebounds against Tennessee and Georgia.

Auburn (8-15, 1-8 SEC) is off until Saturday, when it hosts Mississippi State at 7 p.m. ET.

Cyrus Kouandjio signs with Alabama

2011-02-05T16:49:00.010-06:00

After days of deliberation, Cyrus Kouandjio has picked Alabama over Auburn.

The nation's No. 1 offensive tackle faxed his letter of intent to Alabama on Saturday, ending a brief recruiting struggle between the Iron Bowl rivals in the days following signing day.

"Thanks for all the love and support from the state of Alabama," Kouandjio wrote on his Facebook wall. "love all the new relationships i have made throughout this process. . but at the end of the day. . ima keep the fam together and i must say. . . . ROOLLLLL TTIIIDDDEEE!!!"

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Kouandjio's brother, Arie, recently finished his redshirt freshman season at Alabama. He confirmed the news on his Twitter and Facebook pages as well.

Cyrus, who recently finished his senior season at DeMatha High in Hyattsville, Md., strongly considered the Tigers in the final weeks of the recruiting season. He visited Auburn on the weekend of Jan. 28.

On National Signing Day, he announced on ESPNU that he would sign with Auburn in what was considered a signing day coup for the Tigers. But he had immediate doubts about his decision, which he said he came up with on the spot, and never faxed his letter of intent.

Without Kouandjio, Auburn's 2011 signing class is ranked second by Scout, third by ESPN and seventh by Rivals.

Auburn still landed an offensive line class that recruiting sites rank among the best in the country. It includes the consensus No. 1 center (Reese Dismukes), Scout's No. 1 guard (Christian Westerman) and Rivals' No. 2 guard (Greg Robinson).

Earnest Ross shines with career-high 30, but Auburn still falls to Georgia in overtime, 81-72

2011-02-05T16:29:00.007-06:00

I was on sidebar duty today while Seth Emerson, our Georgia writer from Macon, handled the game story of the Bulldogs' 81-72 overtime win over the Tigers.

My story was on Earnest Ross, who scored a career-high 30 points for Auburn (8-14, 1-8 SEC). Here it is:

ATHENS, Ga. — Earnest Ross is Auburn’s leading scorer but hadn’t played like it the last two weeks, struggling to find his shot and contributing to the Tigers’ offensive woes.

The guard broke out of that slump Saturday, however, scoring a career-high 30 points to lead the Tigers to the brink of an upset in an 81-72 overtime loss to Georgia at the Stegeman Coliseum.

“You don’t expect that every night, but he’s capable of having nights like that,” Auburn coach Tony Barbee said.

Ross, whose previous career-high was 22 against Middle Tennessee in November, made five of Auburn’s nine 3-pointers and finished 12-for-18 from the floor, the highlight of what was the Tigers’ eighth loss in nine SEC games.

“Coach kept telling me to just shoot the ball every chance that I got,” said Ross, who has topped 20 points five times in his college career. “Every opening I had I had a chance to shoot it and hopefully it went in.”

His biggest buckets came at the end of regulation. Ross’ layup with 13.7 seconds left pulled Auburn (8-15) within two. He then stole a lazy Georgia inbounds pass near midcourt, drove it to the hoop and converted it into another layup that tied the game at 67, forcing overtime.

“You can tell (he was hot), because he was going to the hole, getting fouled, finishing at the rim,” Tigers forward Kenny Gabriel said. “When he has games like that, that’s when we can all get going.”

Ross scored all five of the Auburn's points in the extra session, hitting a 3-pointer with 3:13 to play that gave the Tigers their first lead since the first half at 72-71.

Auburn went cold after that, however. Georgia (15-6, 5-4 SEC) scored the final 10 points to pull away and avoid a bracket busting loss.

“I was just trying to play hard and just give us a chance to win the game,” Ross said. “Everybody gets a chance to contribute each thing and if we all could have contributed a little bit more we could have come out with the win.”

The performance was a long time coming for Ross. Despite topping 20 points twice in conference play, the 6-foot-5 guard had struggled with his shot of late.

He scored 15 points at Arkansas and 10 at South Carolina but did it mostly at the free throw line, going a meager 5-for-22 from the field. Ross finished with only 7 points on 3-of-8 shooting in Auburn’s lackluster effort against Tennessee on Thursday.

“It’s no secret that he’s one of the few guys on this team who can get going offensively, and he’s been a little quiet lately,” Barbee said. “And that’s hurt us.”

Nothing was lacking Saturday, however. Ross did a bit of everything, finishing with a team-high seven rebounds and three of Auburn’s 12 steals to nearly give the Tigers their second straight road victory.

“Don’t know what he ate for breakfast or what he did in the warmup line,” Barbee said, “but hopefully he can duplicate it the rest of the way.”

Rally forces overtime, but Auburn still falls to Georgia 81-72

2011-02-05T15:01:00.002-06:00

ATHENS, Ga. — Earnest Ross scored a career-high 30 points and forced overtime with a furious four-point sequence in the final 13 seconds, but Auburn still lost to Georgia 81-72 at the Stegeman Coliseum on Saturday.

The Bulldogs (16-6, 5-4 SEC) got 22 points from Jeremy Price, 20 from Travis Leslie and 16 from Trey Thompkins to avoid a potential bracket busting loss.

Georgia seemed to have the game put away, but Auburn (8-15, 1-8 SEC) rallied to force overtime. Ross made a layup with 13.7 seconds left to cut the Bulldogs' lead to two, then stole the inbounds pass near midcourt and made another layup to tie the game at 67 with 10 seconds remaining.

Georgia's Gerald Robinson missed a runner at the other end and a tip-in by Leslie at the horn was waved off by officials, sending the game to overtime.

The Bulldogs outscored the Tigers 14-5 in the extra session.

Cyrus Kouandjio won't decide until Monday

2011-02-04T16:19:00.006-06:00

The Cyrus Kouandjio saga will continue through the weekend. The No. 1 offensive tackle recruit in the country won't make a decision between Auburn and Alabama until Monday.

"I'm going to go through the weekend, sit down and talk to everybody," he told the Washington Post. "You know, see their opinions on things."

The 6-foot-7, 322-pound Kouandjio, who played at DeMatha High in Hyattsville, Md., has eliminated New Mexico from consideration.

He committed to Auburn during a TV appearance on ESPNU Wednesday but had doubts and did not fax in his letter of intent. His brother, Arie, just finished his redshirt freshman season at Alabama.

Chattahoochee Valley HOF: Former Columbus High standout Ron Yarbrough was half of 'best pair of inside linebackers in Auburn history'

2011-02-04T14:19:00.008-06:00

I wrote a story for today's paper about one of this year's Chattahoochee Valley Sports Hall of Fame inductees, former Columbus High and Auburn standout linebacker Ron Yarbrough.

He played with the Tigers from 1965-69, lettering three times, before a knee injury derailed any potential NFL career. He lives in Montgomery now and was kind enough to drive through Auburn to talk with me last week.

Here's how the story starts:

AUBURN, Ala. -- Ron Yarbrough didn’t shy away from contact on a football field. He relished it, in fact.

Hit ’em hard, hit ’em high and tell ’em about it -- that was his philosophy.

“And I told them if they came back, they’d get the same thing,” he said with a chuckle. “A little bit worse.”

It’s an attitude that helped the former Columbus High and Auburn standout earn a spot in the Chattahoochee Valley Sports Hall of Fame’s class of 2011.

The other members of that class include Dr. Champ Baker Jr., Claude English, Wendell Barr and Joe Harrell. The ceremony will be held at the Columbus Convention and Trade Center on Saturday.

“The people who were selected are really outstanding individuals,” Yarbrough said. “And I’m real honored to be associated with all the people that I know of that have already gone into the hall.”

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Five Auburn players heading to NFL Combine

2011-02-04T10:09:00.003-06:00

The official NFL Combine list is out and five former Auburn players are on it:

WR Darvin Adams
RB Mario Fannin
DT Nick Fairley
QB Cam Newton
OT Lee Ziemba

The annual pre-draft workout will take place Feb. 23 to March 1 in Indianapolis' Lucas Oil Stadium. More than 300 prospects are invited.

The draft takes place April 28-30 in New York City.

Tony Barbee says Tigers played 'scared' in 69-56 loss to Tennessee

2011-02-03T21:47:00.009-06:00

AUBURN, Ala. — Tony Barbee hoped last Saturday's win at South Carolina would be a stepping stone for Auburn as it moved forward to the second half of the SEC season.

Instead, he thought his Tigers looked "timid" and "scared" in a 69-56 loss to Tennessee at the Auburn Arena on Thursday night.

"How could you be scared of another college basketball player, regardless of their reputation or ranking?" Barbee said. "Not everyone did, but a majority of our guys played scared. That's unacceptable."

Playing without suspended forward Rob Chubb, the Tigers (8-14, 1-7 SEC) took a step back from their most complete game of the season — a 79-64 win at South Carolina last Saturday — getting overwhelmed in the paint and on the boards to lose by double digits for the fourth time in SEC play.

"Just to come out flat and almost the total opposite of what we did at South Carolina, the word I would use is disappointed," said freshman forward Allen Payne, who led Auburn with 13 points and 7 rebounds.

The Volunteers (15-7, 5-2 SEC), who played without head coach Bruce Pearl (SEC suspension) and leading scorer Scotty Hopson (sprained ankle), got 15 points apiece from Brian Williams and Cameron Tatum and 14 from Tobias Harris.

Tennessee finished with a 38-24 rebounding advantage and scored 36 of their points in the paint against the undersized Tigers, who have only one win at the midway point of the conference season.

"Even though the record is what it is, I thought we were taking steps all season long," Barbee said. "This was clearly a step back. We played timid and we played intimidated."

Auburn played without Chubb, who was suspended indefinitely for a violation of team rules. Barbee didn't elaborate on the nature of Chubb's suspension other than to say he was "disappointed" in the center, who will not be allowed participate in any team activities.

The 6-foot-10 sophomore only averages 8.1 points and 4.1 rebounds but was coming off the best game of his career at South Carolina, scoring a career-high 18 points. His absence left a big hole in the paint on both ends of the floor Thursday.

"We were starting to gain a nice rhythm with Rob in the hole. He was starting to be an offensive threat," Barbee said. "We missed his presence and what he does offensively and what he does on the defensive end of the floor in terms of being in position."

The Tigers, who don't have anyone else on the roster taller than 6-foot-9, had an especially tough time with the 6-foot-10, 272-pound Williams, who scored 12 points and grabbed 7 rebounds by halftime as the Volunteers built a 37-24 lead.

"When you are afraid of somebody you get tentative," Barbee said. "And we were tentative and they took it right at us."

Tennessee's lead swelled to as many as 22 in the second half as the announced crowd of 6,274 slowly filed their way out of the arena.

Freshman Josh Langford scored 9 points off the bench for the Tigers. Kenny Gabriel and Earnest Ross had 7 apiece.

The Tigers are back in action Saturday at Georgia starting at 1:47 p.m. ET.

Baseball season just around the corner for Tigers

2011-02-03T19:12:00.006-06:00

The baseball season is right around the corner. Auburn, which was the preseason pick to repeat as SEC West champions, has already begun practice, with its season opener Feb. 18 at home against Arkansas State at 7 p.m. ET.

The Tigers are ranked No. 23 in both the preseason NCBWA Division I poll and ESPN/USA Today coaches' poll.

Head coach John Pawlowski, first baseman Kevin Patterson and pitcher Cory Luckie stopped by before Thursday's basketball game to talk to the media. Here's a little bit of what they had to say:

"Obviously know it's time for college baseball when the temperature starts to crash," Pawlowski joked.

Auburn, which led the country in home runs last year, won't be as reliant on the long ball this year, especially after losing Hunter Morris, Brian Fletcher and Trent Mummey to the pros. Pawlowski said they'll be more of a hit-and-run team and do plenty of bunting. "Our offensive game is going to have to evolve and develop as season goes on," Pawlowski said.

Pawlowski said the Tigers will have 17 new players, although most of the lineup will be of guys who got a good number of at bats last season.

Pawlowski gave a tentative lineup: RT Creede Simpson, CF Justin Fradejas, LF is "wide open" with Justin Bryant/Brooks Beisner the frontrunners, 3B Dan Gamache, SS Casey McElroy/Zach Alvord, 2B Justin Hargett, 1B Patterson/Patrick Savage, C Tony Caldwell, DH will be a "revolving door."

Starting rotation is shaping up as Luckie, Slade Smith, then a number of guys for the third spot, including freshman Andrew Morris, long reliever Bradley Hendrix and junior college transfer Will Irvin.

Of the freshmen, Pawlowski said some arms will be key in the bullpen, including Ethan Wallen, Dillon Ortman and Morris. Alvord, an infielder from Alpharetta, Ga., who was one of the Tigers' top recruits, could also be a factor somewhere.

There are new regulations on the metal bats college players can use this year. It'll probably cut down on some of the home runs that have pervaded the college game. Naturally, Patterson and Luckie had different opinions about it. "From the pitching side of it, we love it," Luckie said. "You can really pitch inside with it. You can really attack hitters now. You can really pitch how pitching's meant to be. Guys won't hit a bloop home run."

Patterson can hit the ball a long way, regardless. "I don't think it's going to matter to KP much," Luckie said.

The Tigers surprised a lot of folks by winning the West last season. Pawlowski doesn't want to make it a one-year thing. "We want to go back-to-back to the SEC Tournament," he said.

Signing Day redux: How did Auburn fare?

2011-02-03T06:38:00.008-06:00

It was a hectic signing day that isn't quite over. How did Auburn fare? Well, it depends on what happens with offensive tackle Cyrus Kouandjio. With him, the Tigers have perhaps the best class in the country. Without him, they drop a few spots. Take a look:

Scout rank with Kouandjio: 1 --> without: 2

ESPN rank with Kouandjio: 2 --> without: 3

Rivals rank with Kouandjio: 3 --> without: 7

Either way, Auburn did pretty well for itself. If you missed any particular player's signing, look to the right for a list of links to each player.

Here are the rest of today's newspaper stories summing up the day, with a Gabe Wright story by Chris White, who was on the scene in Columbus:

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And because I didn't see this on our website, here's a breakdown of the class in different cateogries:

Signees: 24

Starters lost: 7 offense, 7 defense, 2 special teams

Top needs: Offensive line, defensive line, secondary, quarterback, running back

Immediate impact players

Gabe Wright, Carver High, Columbus, Ga., DT, 6-3, 273
Auburn lost Lombardi winner Nick Fairley to the NFL draft and seniors Zach Clayton and Mike Blanc to graduation, so there’s room on the depth chart.

Reese Dismukes, Spanish Fort (Ala.) High, C, 6-4, 287
With three-year starter Ryan Pugh departing, Auburn is in need of a center. Dismukes enrolled in January to get a head start on the job.

Jonathan Rose, Leeds (Ala.) High, CB, 6-2, 170
Another early enrollee, Rose is a big, physical corner who could step in at a position that doesn’t have a lot of depth now that Demond Washington is gone.

Tre Mason, Park Vista High, Lake Worth, Fla., RB, 5-10, 190
After Mike Dyer and Onterio McCalebb, there aren’t a lot of running back options. Mason is a play-maker who can be a physical runner too, just like Auburn likes.

Robenson Therezie, Jackson High, Miami, Fla., DB, 5-10, 180
Erique Florence is the higher-ranked safety, but he played quarterback his senior year of high school. Therezie is a hard-hitter who is versatile enough to play cornerback too.

Rest of class

Angelo Blackson, Red Lion Christian Academy, Bear, Del., DT, 6-5, 290
Quan Bray, Troup County High, LaGrange, Ga., ATH/RB, 5-11, 178
Sammie Coates, Leroy (Ala.) High, WR, 6-3, 170
Jaylon Denson, Hoover (Ala.) High, WR, 6-3, 190
Erique Florence, Valley (Ala.) High, S, 6-2, 181
Kiehl Frazier, Shiloh Christian, Springdale, Ark., QB, 6-3, 215
Kris Frost, Butler High, Matthews, N.C., LB, 6-3, 210
Brandon Fulse, Fort Meade (Fla.) High, TE, 6-4, 247
Justin Garrett, Tucker (Ga.) High, OLB, 6-2, 185
Keymiya Harrell, Dallas County High, Plantersville, Ala., DE, 6-5, 235
Chris Landrum, Sweet Water (Ala.) High, LB, 6-2, 215
Jabrian Niles, Davidson High, Mobile, Ala., DE, 6-2, 270
Thomas O’Reilly, Pope High, Marietta, Ga., OL, 6-3, 313
Greg Robinson, Thibodaux (La.) High, OL, 6-5, 296
Devaunte Sigler, B.C. Rain High, Mobile, Ala., DE, 6-4, 250
Anthony Swain, Gadsden City (Ala.) High, S, 6-3, 215
C.J. Uzomah, TE/HB, North Gwinnett High, Suwanee, Ga., 6-5, 230
Christian Westerman, Hamilton High, Chandler, Ariz., OL, 6-5, 288
Jermaine Whitehead, Amanda Elzy High, Greenwood, Miss., 6-0, 183

Breakdown by state:

Alabama 10
Georgia 5
Florida 3
Arkansas 1
Arizona 1
Delaware 1
Louisiana 1
Mississippi 1
North Carolina 1

Star ratings (according to Rivals):

Five star: 1
Four star: 13
Three star: 10

Signing Day video: Gene Chizik talks to the media

2011-02-02T15:55:00.003-06:00

Here's a long video of Auburn head coach Gene Chizik speaking to the media. The post two below this serves somewhat as a table of contents for what he's talking about. Use it if you're looking for something specific. Enjoy.

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Still no letter of intent from OT Cyrus Kouandjio

2011-02-02T15:29:00.006-06:00

Auburn has released a list of signing day bios from Wednesday. Offensive tackle Cyrus Kouandjio is not among them.

The No. 1-ranked offensive tackle in the country, who committed to Auburn on ESPNU earlier in the day, is apparently having second thoughts.

Kouandjio, who had Alabama as a finalist, gave an interview to Scout.com shortly after committing to the Tigers. (Watch it here.) He said he didn't decide until the last second.

"The words just came out," Kouandjio said. "It was Alabama or Auburn and Auburn just came out of my mouth."

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Kouandjjio said there was still "doubts in his mind" about his commitment. He's not bound to any school until he sends in his letter of intent.

His brother, Arie, recently finished his freshman year at Alabama, where he is also an offensive tackle.

"As a parent, the best thing would be for him to follow his brother," Kouandjio's father, Jean-Claude, said. "We know about Alabama. We've been there for a visit. ... But we take it serious and try to support him if that's his decision."

Head coach Gene Chizik isn't allowed to mention unsigned players by name. Asked about what his policy is for pursuing recruits after signing day, he opted not to answer.

'"I’m only going to talk about the ones that we’ve got paperwork in and we've signed," Chizik said.

Live blogging Gene Chizik's press conference

2011-02-02T13:41:00.019-06:00

Auburn coach Gene Chizik has come and gone. Here's what he had to say:

"Great day for Auburn football today."

"We feel like we scratched all the itches." Mentions offensive and defensive lines. Thinks quarterback and secondary will big areas to address as well.

"As we know in this league, offense and defensive lines are where it all starts."

Handed an official sheet of Auburn signees. Cyrus Kouandjio not on it.

Called Columbus' Gabe Wright the "best defensive tackle in the country." Said he was a huge part of the puzzle. "Things get confusing in the end, but I felt like in his heart of hearts, he was Auburn through and through," Chizik said.

On the secondary: "Erique Florence is a huge get. A great student. One heck of a football player." Thinks he'll make a great safety.

Excited about CB Jermaine Whitehead, who has played some offense. "Our idea is the more athletes, the more they've had their hands on the football, then you build in the ability back there to get turnovers."

On LaGrange, Ga., athlete Quan Bray: "Quan is one of the most exciting players in the state of Georgia. He can do it all." Said other teams will have to account for where he is on the field at all times.

Said they'd figure out where to put Kris Frost once he gets here. Could be LB or WR.

Said C.J. Uzomah can be a tight end/H-back. "It's a unique blend for him of size and speed."

Didn't go into details of original misunderstanding with Frost. "We just had to make sure we were all on the same page." Said everybody had to get "on the same page."

On the OL signees and if they could play right away: "We had to do a great job of evaluating ... what is the opportunity they could come in and play young." Thinks every one of these players have ability to help immediately. Said that was the idea with every linemen coming in.

Thinks these young guys will have to contribute immediately. "I think we're to the point now where I feel really good about how we're building the roster."

On Shon Coleman's status: "We're going to wait on that." Said medically they're "going to let time go by and see how he progresses. There's no rush."

Chizik said Coleman is a "medical hardship" right now. Doesn't look like he'll count against this year's numbers

On RB Tre Mason: "Just a kid we really felt like was a great complement and great mix with what we're trying to do" at running back. Thinks he'll be a 200-plus pound running back by the time things are done.

Said he's going to expect Mason to come in and play. Says he does that with all players until determining they're not ready.

Said Devaunte Sigler, Jabrian Niles, Keymiya Harrell and Angelo Blackson are big guys but are also athletic. Can move around on the line. Likes their upside.

On QB Kiehl Frazier: "He is one of the heart and souls in this class." Said he never wavered on his commitment.

On players who haven't signed: "I'm only going to talk about the ones we've got the paperwork on and who have signed."

And that's a wrap.

Last piece of the puzzle: Columbus defensive tackle Gabe Wright picks Auburn over Tennessee

2011-02-02T11:23:00.010-06:00

Auburn rounded out its 2011 class by adding a big signee on the interior line: Columbus' Gabe Wright.

Wright, who ESPN ranks as the No. 3 defensive tackle in the country and No. 26 overall recruit, made his intentions known by taking out a backward hat that said, "Nick Who?" a reference to departing tackle Nick Fairley.

The 6-foot-3, 275-pound Wright is ranked by Rivals as the 13th-ranked tackle and by Scout as the 11th-ranked tackle.

Wright visited Alabama, Clemson and Tennessee last month but saved his trip to Auburn for last, coming to the Plains last weekend.

Wright's Carver High teammate, running back Isaiah Crowell, chose Georgia.

Committed: Feb. 2, 2011
Recruited by: Tracy Rocker, Curtis Luper
Also considered: Tennessee, Alabama, Clemson
Rivals: 141 overall, 13 position, 13 state
Scout: 110 overall, 11 position
ESPN: 26 overall, 3 position

Here's a scouting report by Rivals:

On the Hoof: Wright has a great powerbase and a barrel chest but his arms are shorter than desired for a defensive tackle. He is similar in build to Texas freshman Ashton Dorsey.
Needs Improvement: He has to use his hands to shed blocks and not allow offensive linemen to attach themselves. Wright has added some bad body weight so trimming down will only make him more explosive.
Most Impressive: The key to his game is quickness off the ball and he has a very high motor. He does a nice job of chasing balls outside the box and can catch plays from behind.
Conclusion: If he comes to camp in shape he could see playing time early. Athletic defensive tackles are hard to come by and he is relentless in his pursuit of the ball. Durability at this position is always an issue so staying healthy will be the real key to success for this interior lineman.

And here's a scouting report by Scout's Chad Simmons:

Wright needs to play with better pad level and work on the use of his hands. If his hands are more active and he shows better punch, then he will be able to disengage better. He has the physical tools and athleticism to be an elite 2011 defensive tackle. He is quick enough to be a big defensive end in high school, but he is an interior guy on the next level. He still has a lot of room to improve with a lot of potential.

Signee profile: RB/ATH Quan Bray

2011-02-02T11:19:00.001-06:00

Quan Bray, who ESPN lists as the No. 5 athlete in the country, is the Tigers' latest signee.

The 5-foot-11, 178-pound product from LaGrange, Ga., is an electrifying athlete who could play a variety of roles in Auburn's offense. The play-maker played quarterback, running back and receiver at different points of his prep career.

He ran for about 1,300 yards his senior year at Troup County after having played quarterback at Callaway High the year before.

Bray could also make an impact as a returner on special teams.

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Committed: Jan. 5, 2011
Recruited by: Tracy Rocker, Trooper Taylor
Also considered: Alabama, Georgia, Florida, LSU, Miami
Rivals: 109 overall, 5 position (All-purpose back), 11 state
Scout: 154 overall, 18 position (RB)
ESPN: 40 overall, 5 position (ATH)
Notable: Cousin, Jason Bray, played cornerback for Auburn in late '90s.
Quotable: "Auburn really likes me everywhere. A little kick returner, slot receiver, running back, a little wildcat, just everywhere. That's the type stuff I want to do. Just try and get me matched up, a play-maker. It would be a great fit for me, I could see myself playing in the offense." -- Bray

And here's a scouting report by Scout's Chad Simmons:

Bray is one of those athletes that could excel on either side of the ball on the next level. Some schools like him on offense because of his speed and elusiveness while others like him at corner. He has the feet, speed, quickness, size, and toughness to play either side well. He is more natural on offense, but he can cover as well. Working on his back pedal and balance would be needed on defense. He needs to add strength as well.