News of the day, 10/4

Hey everyone. Not much going on. Ever since the "Worst-Kept Secret In The World" debacle from a three weeks ago (Kodi Burns replacing Brandon Cox), game-week information seeps out much more slowly.

DE Antonio Coleman was saying that he believes Quentin Groves will be back for the Arkansas game next week. The follow-up scan on Groves' dislocated toes confirmed that he suffered no structural damage. Those toes will be sore for a while. It'll be a matter of when the pain subsides enough for Groves to feel somewhat comfortable on the field. He was on the practice field Wednesday working one-on-one with a trainer. At least he's out there.

It sounds like LB Merrill Johnson is getting pretty close. He has missed a month after suffering a shoulder injury against Kansas State. DC Will Muschamp said he's particularly careful with shoulders because they are so susceptible to re-injury. My guess is that Johnson returns against Arkansas.

Thanks for surfing in to see the HOTTEST Auburn blog on the 'net.

Small recruiting note: Auburn commitment Reggie Hunt, a tailback at Daphne High, will be on ESPN2 tonight. Daphne and Foley are playing on national television beginning at 8 CDT. Also of note is Foley WR Julio Jones. The Tigers want him badly. So does everyone else.

Wes Byrum’s 43-yard field goal on the final play of Auburn’s 20-17 upset victory at Florida last weekend has earned Auburn the "Pontiac Game Changing Performance" Award. The announcement was made on ESPN Thursday night. Auburn won the award with 62 percent of the votes cast.

The game was tied when Byrum was called upon to attempt the winning field goal with three seconds left. His first kick was nullified by a quick timeout call by UF coach Urban Meyer. Byrum calmly knocked through a second attempt to win the game.

Auburn will receive a $5,000 contribution from Pontiac toward the school's general scholarship fund. The Tigers now are eligible for the "Pontiac Game Changing Performance of the Year" Award, which carries an additional $100,000.