Preseason Waterpark Ride

Interesting discussion yesterday on Twitter. Can Auburn, specifically Gus Malzahn, win Championships without a mobile quarterback?

I believe his resume' at Tulsa says he can. 

In 2007 Paul Smith was the QB for the Golden Hurricane. He had less than 300 yards rushing for the season, and these were his passing stats: 
Gms. Comp.  At.    Pct.  Yards   Yds./Att  TDs     Int      Rating

14

327

544

60.1

5065

9.3

47

19

159.8

Tulsa had the #1 rated overall offense in the country in 2007

I'd love to read your thoughts in the comment section

Many believe that the Auburn defense is the reason the Tigers are sitting at 4-3 instead of 6-1. That could be true, and the first one to admit there is plenty of work to still be done is Will Muschamp, the defensive coordinator at Auburn. 

Below is an interview provided by 247Sports.com and Phillip Marshall




Auburn can win with so called pocket style passer at QB, the defense needs to perform better than it has since 2008/2009. Coach Muschamp is the guy to get things done, it will just take time.

I wrote preseason, expect to be preseason favorites. That is how championship programs are built! We must accept that we will not win the championship every season, but we must become more familiar with championship expectations.

Becoming more acclimated with highly ranked preseason expectations also means we must become more acceptable of seasonal fluctuations of greatness. An ebb and flow exist even in the best programs. Like a ride in a water park, we must understand the ride will have exciting moments, and moments to relax and catch our breath. Lets learn to enjoy the ride.

War Eagle!

All the Good Things

My cute nieces at J & M Bookstore on our summer trip to AU

Today's game was pretty incredible. It isn't everyday that you have a 4OT game. I wish, of course, that we had gotten the W but it didn't happen that way today. I've heard good and bad things today. I have seen a lot of negative headlines and stories. I have seen fans being ridiculous. I have also seen a lot of fans/family who have been very positive. I have seen players who posted very positive messages. Often, those of us who are positive get labeled as "sunshine pumpers." You do not have to call me one. I am self-proclaimed.  I realize that I do not see life the same way as other people, but I am just not going to wake up and gloom and doom about things. I am not nagging or lecturing. We are all wired differently.  If you are unable to see the game in the same way, here are the things that I saw.

-I saw a team that fought, after being two touchdowns down. I believe this team a few weeks ago might have just given up.

-I saw a coaches that adjusted and kept coaching. You can agree or disagree on the coaching, but I think some things just take a little time. 

-I saw special teams that made some pretty incredible and dependable plays

-I saw a really clean game with very few penalties.

-I saw a QB that is one tough kid. Cliche, I know, but he is the future face of AU football. He took hard knocks and kept popping right back up. He made accurate throws, he made good decisions, and he ran if he needed to run. To quote one of my favorite movies, "That's a baaaad white boy." 

-I saw a defense that made some mistakes but refused to just roll over and quit.

-I saw lots of young players that made some big boy plays.

-I saw players support each other and didn't make excuses.

-I saw a team that fought through FOUR overtimes after a game that was very lengthy in regulation. I don't know about you, but I was quite exhausted. I cannot imagine how the players felt. 

-I also saw a Lutz like play in the corner of the endzone. I just had to give that a mention!

Does there need to be improvement? Absolutely. Did I see mistakes? Of course. Were there some dropped balls that should have been caught? Probably. Did the defense make some mistakes? Surely. I fully believe these players will refuse to just quit. I will always be supportive of the players. Maybe its the teacher in me that works with the athletes in their classes. Maybe its the 8u softball coach in me. All I know is those players make a lot of sacrifices for us to have the enjoyment of football. All in all, I see better days for us. It might be this season; it might be next season. I just know that this team is better than they were in August.  I don't know what is going to happen the rest of the games. The road ahead is tough. There are better days ahead though. If you remember, the 2010 team often referred back to the LSU game in 2009. Even though it was a terrible loss, they saw the coaches keep fighting and coaching- and the players followed suit. You know the rest of that story. No matter what, its great to be an Auburn Tiger. 

-Christy

The Last Time...Arkansas

Auburn Basketball Pearl Jam Highlights

Nice Guys Finish 1st

photo courtesy of Wesley Sinor

Nice guys finish last.

That's one of the many myths you hear from naysayers and people who don't put forth the efforts to realize their dreams.

I believe in work, hard work.

That's a small quote from a wonderfully written message known as The Auburn Creed. 

In the case of Butch Thompson, a very nice guy, his hard work over the years has allowed him to finish first. Today October 22nd, 2015 Coach Thompson was named the head baseball coach at Auburn University. 

His new team is happy. His family is happy. Many of the Auburn faithful are happy tonight as Coach Thompson starts his journey to bring Auburn baseball back into prominence nationally. It starts by being competitive in one of the most competitive baseball conferences in America.

It's going to take work, hard work. I am positive Jay Jacobs has found the right man, at the right time, for Auburn baseball.

WAR EAGLE!

AUBURN / ARKANSAS POEM

Sat. October 24, 2015

With all odds against them;

And their backs against the wall,

Our Proud Auburn Tiger football team

Returned from Kentucky standing tall!!

It was definitely time for a turn around!

A time to find their rhythm!

A time to fight! A time to win!

Using the talents they've been given!! 

The sweet taste of victory still lingers!

It is a wonderful taste to savor!

And with the team pulling together;

Winning odds are in their favor!!

The time is ours!  The time is now!!

It is our time of new beginning!!

The pieces are coming together now;

And we plan to keep on winning!!

We've had our share of disappointments;

But it is now our time to shine!!

As we travel on to Arkansas,

We will lay it all on the line!

We might have rain!  It may get sloppy!

But we will put the Hawgs back in their pen!

Once again we will come home victorious!!

Our Tigers are again ready to win!!!

WARRRRRRRRRR EAGLE!!!!!

POETIC TIGER

Rebounding with Auburn Basketball

It's the middle of football season at Auburn University, and for most of the 100+ years of its existence, that would suffice for our coverage of Auburn sports. Not Anymore.

Since the arrival of Bruce Pearl on the Plains, there has been a continual buzz about the basketball program. The reality of it is, Auburn is now a basketball school. So, let's try to get caught up on a few things going on inside Auburn Arena.

After the scrimmage that Coach Pearl just discussed, Junior Guard Tahj Shamsid-Deen was allowed to talk to the media. Among the many items up for discussion were his recovery from shoulder injuries last season. Let's give him a listen.

While prepping this post, we did not want to leave out a very important bit of news that was released October 2nd. Sophomore center Trayvon Reed is still considered a part of this basketball team. In an article by AL.com writer Wesley Sinor, Coach Pearl stated "Tray's doing fine," Pearl said Friday after Auburn's first practice of the 2015-16 season. "We're staying in touch with him. There will be some determination on if and when he'll be back. He's still in our program and we hope to get him back."

In the schedule department, some really good teams are coming to the Auburn Arena like Colorado and Mercer before the Tigers head out to the Honolulu Classic. When the team returns from Hawaii, they will start the SEC part of the schedule.

Date	Game	Location	Time
10/22/15	Pearl Jam #	Auburn, Ala.	7:00 p.m. CT
10/30/15	vs. Brevard College #	Auburn, Ala.	7:00 p.m. CT
11/05/15	vs. Indianapolis #	Auburn, Ala.	6:00 p.m. CT
11/13/15	vs. UAB	Auburn, Ala.	8:30 p.m. CT
ESPN College Hoops Tip-Off Marathon
11/17/15	vs. Colorado	Auburn, Ala.	2:00 p.m. CT
11/20/15	vs. Georgia Southern	Auburn, Ala.	TBA
11/27/15	vs. Northwestern State	Auburn, Ala.	7:30 p.m. CT
12/02/15	at Coastal Carolina	Conway, S.C.	6:00 p.m. CT
12/12/15	at Middle Tennessee State	Nashville, Tenn.	12:00 p.m. CT
12/15/15	vs. Mercer	Auburn, Ala.	8:00 p.m. CT
12/19/15	at Xavier	Cincinnati, Ohio	11:00 a.m. CT
Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic
12/22/15	vs. New Mexico	Honolulu, Hawaii	1:30 p.m. CT
12/23/15	BYU/Harvard	Honolulu, Hawaii	1:30 or 3:30 PM CT
12/25/15	Oklahoma/Northern Iowa/Hawaii/Washington State	Honolulu, Hawaii	TBA
01/02/16	vs. Tennessee	Auburn, Ala.	1:00 p.m. CT
01/05/16	vs. South Carolina *	Auburn, Ala.	6:00 p.m. CT
01/09/16	at Missouri	Columbia, Mo.	8:00 p.m. CT
01/12/16	at Vanderbilt	Nashville, Tenn.	8:00 p.m. CT
01/16/16	vs. Kentucky	Auburn, Ala.	3:00 p.m. CT
01/19/16	vs. Alabama	Auburn, Ala.	8:00 p.m. CT
01/23/16	at Florida	Gainesville, Fla.	7:00 p.m. CT
01/27/16	at Ole Miss	Oxford, Miss.	6:00 p.m. CT
Big 12/SEC Challenge
01/30/16	vs. Oklahoma State	Auburn, Ala.	7:00 p.m. CT
02/02/16	vs. LSU	Auburn, Ala.	6:00 p.m. CT
02/06/16	at Georgia	Athens, Ga.	4:30 p.m. CT
02/09/16	at Tennessee	Knoxville, Tenn.	6:00 p.m. CT
02/13/16	vs. Vanderbilt	Auburn, Ala.	5:00 p.m. CT
02/17/16	at Arkansas	Fayetteville, Ark.	6:00 p.m. CT
02/20/16	vs. Ole Miss	Auburn, Ala.	4:00 p.m. CT
02/24/16	vs. Georgia	Auburn, Ala.	6:00 p.m. CT
02/27/16	at Alabama	Tuscaloosa, Ala.	4:00 p.m. CT
03/01/16	vs. Texas A&M	Auburn, Ala.	8:00 p.m. CT
03/05/16	at Mississippi State	Starkville, Miss.	1:30 p.m. CT
SEC Tournament
03/09/16	SEC Tournament	Nashville, Tenn.	TBA
03/10/16	SEC Tournament	Nashville, Tenn.	TBA
03/11/16	SEC Tournament	Nashville, Tenn.	TBA
03/12/16	SEC Tournament	Nashville, Tenn.	TBA
03/13/16	SEC Tournament	Nashville, Tenn.	TBA

WAR EAGLE!

Sean White: The Baby Faced Gunslinger

Congratulations to Sean White for his winning performance in the game against Kentucky last night. I am sure that you have all viewed his stats of 255 yards passing and no turnovers. He performed with poise in the pocket and reacted well under pressure. I had to remind myself that he is only a "redshirt" freshman. I look forward to watching him play in future games and I feel that he will only get better as he gets more experience. Sean is often compared to Drew Brees, who ironically was engineering a win over the Atlanta Falcons at the same time in New Orleans.

Auburn Girls Soccer and Softball

Here are a few photos from my recent weekend in Auburn. I was able to watch the 2 softball games with the University of North Georgia Nighthawks and the soccer game with the Texas A&M girls. Both teams are very good and hopefully you will all be able to watch them play. 

The Auburn Girls Soccer team defeated Texas A&M 2-0. They have a record of 12-2 and are ranked number 10 in the USA. 

The Auburn Girls Softball team will most likely contend for another World Series birth this season. They defeated the University of North Georgia Nighthawks 9-0 and 15-1. I might add that North Georgia was the Division II champions last season. Clint Myers has done well with this team and I would watch for a new pitcher named Makayla Martin from San Diego. As I mentioned in an earlier post, Auburn does have 12 seniors returning.

Please remember to check the schedules when you are in the Auburn area if you want to see these girls play. 

War Eagle!

     

HUGE SEC Road Win

When Auburn had it's back to the wall, and the odds were against them. In a nationally televised Thursday night game described as a "Program Changer" for the Wildcats. The Tigers took the opening drive and made a statement. Not tonight Kentucky, not tonight!

This young Auburn team had heard all the criticism, felt all the heat. When their backs were against the wall, they performed. In a first half fury that saw the Auburn offense explode with 48 plays, more than half this season, Auburn built a 23-10 halftime lead that they would never relinquish. 

The second half saw a return to the slow down style of offense the Tigers have been using all season, and almost cost them the game. Gus Malzahn and company were content to win a close game, although the outcome was in doubt down the stretch. 

The Auburn defense stood tall when it counted most, and this young team found itself, in a huge road win in Lexington, Kentucky.

Quick Stats	AU	UK
Total Plays	75	77
1st Downs	21	25
3rd down efficiency	11-18	5-13
4th down efficiency	0-0	1-2
Total Yards	405	497
Passing Yards	255	359
Comp-Att	17-28	27-44
Yards per pass	9.1	8.2
Rushing Yards	152	138
Rushing attempts	47	33
Yards per rush	3.2	4.2
Penalties-Yards	5-49	5-37
Turnovers	0	1
Fumbles lost	0	0
Interceptions thrown	0	1
Time of Possession	29:28	30:25

WAR EAGLE!