Meet the Newcomers: Auburn Women's Basketball

Coach Flo and her staff had an excellent year recruiting, and we would love to introduce to you, the fresh faces of Auburn Women's Basketball. Here is Part 1 of the series from Auburn University.

WAR EAGLE!

FastPhysical | Auburn Defense

Loveliest Village

My mom, nieces and I decided to take a quick trip to Auburn to visit. The girls have never been on a 'regular' day so we decided to take them.  We had been told about the amount of construction but it was amazing to see the amount in person.  The first and most obvious upgrades are the renovations of Toomer's Corner and downtown. This is one of the only places where it looks normal. The girls decided they were 'holding up' the War Eagle here. 

The new trees are plugging along. They are small but the wee trees are getting there. I have two live oaks in my backyard. They will grow pretty fast.  There is quite a large amount of construction in 'town' so to get from one place to the other, it takes a little longer. Sidewalks are blocked off, so you can't even walk from one place to the other normally. However, it is to make it look a lot better.  As you can see, there are nice little ironwork fences around the trees. It looks a whole lot better than the parade barricades that were there after the damage. 

One of my favorite places on campus has long been the Samford lawn. Almost EVERY sidewalk has construction fencing around it There are some small areas that you can walk and small areas of the lawn that are not fenced off. It was a Sunday afternoon, and pre-finals week, so it was very quiet on campus. As we took a walk toward Toomer's Corner, on Samford lawn, we came upon a couple where there was an OBVIOUS pre-proposal business going on. The fella had done a good job. He had candles on the cooler, rose petals spread around. My mom and I quickly tried to get the girls away from them. As we walked, there were a couple of girls in the bushes. They told us, "He's about to propose!" It seems he wanted them to get some photos of it, but it turned out to be harder than he'd bargained for since everything was blocked off. The girls did manage a picture and she did say yes. What a spectacular event it was to witness. It was very precious to see it. We tried to move on, but after, they called us over to say hello. It was good because Emma and Ella were asking why someone was singing! He had also gotten some singers involved. It was lovely. It made me really miss the fun of college and the excitement of starting my life. I love Auburn!

Continuing on, we wanted a picture of the sign. It's so crowded and congested on game day, it is almost impossible.  You can mostly get the great picture of the sign with Samford in the background but you still see the fencing a little. Samford is also getting a new roof. On the left side of the building is scaffolding. 

We had already walked to the stadium but walked back over to it. While we were walking, we passed some Camp War Eagle folks. The girls were ecstatic. They asked lots of questions about them. Then we got to the stadium. If you haven't seen this scoreboard, there are not words. It's big. I don't know what else to say. 

As you can see, there is a little construction going on outside the stadium. I am not exactly sure what they were doing. The Pat Sullivan statue is roped off, but I believe it is because they were working above it and didn't want anything falling on anyone. We did watch someone on the top of the light pole (ON TOP OF THE STADIUM). I am not afraid of heights really, but that is really, really high. 

We spent a while hunting this one down. We couldn't remember the last name so it took us a while to find it. Ella has it in her mind that she is going to vet school at Auburn, so she has claimed this as her hall. 

We did all the Auburn things. We ate at Momma Goldberg's, even though we have one in Mobile. We got lemonade at Toomer's Drugstore. We visited the bookstore, J & M, and Tiger Rags. I decide to write this blog in case you miss Auburn as much as me. So much of of childhood family memories are there. We always 'tailgated' with my grandparents when my sister and I were kids. Once, every year, we would all go to a game together- my grandparents, my parents, my aunt and uncle, and my sister and I.  We would visit the eagle in his cage. We would go to Anders since my dad worked there while he was in college. Yes, there is a lot of construction. Some might think it is hiding the full beauty of Auburn but it really isn't hiding it. The beauty is there always. The beauty is in the change. It's in the work and in the mess. All progress takes sacrifice.

 I am so glad we got to visit during the work and see the wonderful changes on our Loveliest Village on the Plains. 

WAR EAGLE!

Scoreboard Update

Here are several photos of Auburn's new scoreboard that I took on my walk around the Auburn campus today. As you can see, the new scoreboard is huge and will enhance the stadium experience. Toomer's Corner is still under construction and the roof is being replaced on Samford Hall. Despite the construction going on around the Auburn campus today, there were still a lot of people taking photos at Samford Hall and touring the campus.

Auburn's Gus Malzahn at ESPN Car Wash

#Prayers4Players

Prayer circle

Good morning from Southeastern Alabama. I have something special I want to share with all of you. 

There is a special group of people I am blessed to call my friends. They are prayer warriors, but not the kind you'd think.

As I write this we are inside 50 days until our next football season starts. Our group known as #Prayers4Players, has and will continue to pray for the many athletes across our country. High School, college, and professional. Baseball, football, Volleyball, Softball, and Gymnastics are all included. Indeed, we will pray for players of any sport. 

We don't pray for wins and losses. 

We pray for their overall health. 

We pray that each athlete will become a child of God. We pray that their grades, if they are in school, will be at the forefront of their achievements.  We also pray for their safe travels to and from each event.

The best thing about our group? You can join in on the fun. All you have to do is tweet to @tatershell and mention the hashtag #Prayers4Players, and we will happily add you to our group. 

There is not a fee, there are not any requirements to join.  There will not be any paperwork to fill out.

Your faith affiliation is not going to be asked, you only need to pray.

Please join in on the fun.

God bless.

What Must Auburn Do: Arkansas

2015 AUBURN Football Schedule

Date	Game	Location	Time
09/05/15	vs. Louisville	Atlanta	2:30 p.m. CT
09/12/15	vs. Jacksonville State	Auburn	11:00 a.m. CT
09/19/15	at LSU	Baton Rouge	2:30 p.m. CT
09/26/15	vs. Mississippi State	Auburn	TBA
10/03/15	vs. San Jose State (HC)	Auburn	TBA
10/15/15	at Kentucky	Lexington	6:00 p.m. CT
10/24/15	at Arkansas	Fayetteville	TBA
10/31/15	vs. Ole Miss	Auburn	TBA
11/07/15	at Texas A&M	College Station	TBA
11/14/15	vs. Georgia	Auburn	TBA
11/21/15	vs. Idaho	Auburn	TBA
11/28/15	vs. Alabama	Auburn	TBA

This for me will be the most interesting game of the season to this point. Certainly, as interesting as the LSU game, in terms of importance, and storyline. A win here should give this team all the confidence needed to make the rest of the schedule seem less daunting. 

The story lines will range from Hurry-Up-No-Huddle vs. the tortoise, to social media spyglass usage to judge a recruits character. The game however will come down to who can execute, and who wants it most. 

Arkansas was much better defensively last season, especially later into their season. Auburn did not see the same execution defensively that the Hogs were able to muster against other SEC foes. The Tigers handled Arkansas 45-21 in the first game of the season for both schools in 2014. For the season however, the Hogs only allowed 19.2 points per game. 

Arkansas was able to improve dramatically mainly due to holding opposing teams to less than 40% on 3rd down, and under 23% on 4th down tries. 

Auburn can overcome these strengths by accomplishing a couple things. 

First, eliminating long distance 3rd down yardages. Auburn must consistently convert 3rd downs into new sets of downs. This will keep drives alive, and tire the Hogs defensively.

Second, Auburn must have some big plays offensively, breaking the will of the Arkansas faithful, thus keeping the fans from spurring on their hometown heroes. 

Lastly, Auburn must win on Special Team play. Last season Arkansas held their opponents to under 50% on FG tries. Auburn has a dependable kicker, although on the road, kicking takes on a whole new set of challenges. 

Gone are the Tigers two return men. Quan Bray finished 2nd in the country in Punt Return last year. Who will fill those shoes? Corey Grant handled most of the Kick Off duties, that speed, and the dependable hands that "Tail Lights" possesses will be missed. These are two crucial areas when you go on the road and play. Auburn must be very solid in Special Teams play.

The Hogs will be much improved. I have every confidence that Auburn will be better. It will be closer than many of us like, but Muschamp's defense will win the day with 5 sacks, mostly when Arkansas has to pass more to catch up to the Tigers scoring.

Call it Auburn 38 Arkansas 31

WAR EAGLE!

Cam Newton 2010 Highlights

When the season is finished, the world see Jeremy Johnson highlight videos that look an awful lot like this. 



 

Coach Bruce Pearl Speaks at PGA Tour Camp

One on one with Melissa Kim: Rod Bramblett

SEC Media Days: Auburn's Jonathan Jones

SEC Media Days: Auburn's Jeremy Johnson

Auburn Visits Schmid Elemntary

Auburn University Loves Schmid Elementary

Welcome To The Auburn Family: Melissa Luellen

What "War Eagle" Means to the Auburn Family

What Must Auburn Do: Kentucky

Artist unknown

Yes, I know I skipped over San Jose State. I wrote about them last season, and don't think this year will be any different.It will be a fun way to open the month of October, and enjoy the cooler weather.

Now it's time to look at traveling to Lexington, KY and taking the tail off of the Wildcats. Lets do this.

October 15, 2015
Thursday night on ESPNU.

This trip to play the Kentucky Wildcats will be much different than our last visit to Commonwealth Stadium. In 2010 Kentucky had Auburn on the ropes, and only a heroic drive by the Tiger offense kept that game from being a road loss.

Under head coach Mark Stoops, Kentucky's offense has looked to improve each season. From 2012 when the Wildcats averaged just 17.9 points per game, they have steadily increased that average to 20.5 in 2013, and 29.2 last season. 

Predicted by many to be middle of the pack in the SEC East, this Kentucky squad has an explosive Sophomore RB named Stanley "Boom" Williams who has been named to the Paul Hornung Award watch list. The P.H.A. is for college footballs most versatile player.

Auburn's visit to Kentucky will be a big time event. Thursday night with a national audience, and the brand new Commonwealth Stadium will be on full display. Here's a video showing the new amenities:

During a recent function Coach Stoops was asked how much better his team would be this season vs. last season. Stoops answered: "Significantly better. As you should be when you enter the 3rd year of your program, you expect it to be better." Here is a LINK to that video.

The Wildcats will return their starting QB, Patrick Towels, and all but one offensive lineman. They have a strongish set of receivers, with a true stud Freshman at Tight End. The potential to reach Bowl eligibility is certainly there. The ability to go toe to toe with the elite of the SEC is not, however.

If our Tigers can play up to their potential, this game should be close for 3 quarters, as Auburn pulls away in the 4th.

Lets call it Auburn 38 Kentucky 27

WAR EAGLE!

Auburn 2015 Hype Video - Long