News of the day, 2/18

Hey everyone. It's been a crazy 24 hours in the Montgomery area. A small tornado levied some big damage in Prattville on Sunday afternoon, decimating an area near the middle of town. You can check out our website for the latest information and reaction from a storm that will be remembered around here for a long time.

I'm not one to give co-workers undeserved praise. So believe me when I say our photographers did an outstanding job relaying the scene yesterday and today. Check out those photo galleries: Gallery 1, Gallery 2, Aerial shots (check out the clearly defined lines of destruction)

UPDATE @ 8 p.m.: I talked with former DE Quentin Groves tonight. He's in Atlanta training for the NFL Combine, which begins on Feb. 20 in Indianapolis. Groves' goal is to run a 4.4 in the 40-yard dash. He said the toughest challenge so far has been answering questions from NFL scouts and executives.

``They keep asking me stuff like `Why did you have a bad season?'" Groves said. ``I have to explain the injury. My foot hurt (a lot) every day. It's hard to get a good push that way."

The Auburn women beat South Carolina on Sunday to move to 6-4 in Southeastern Conference games. Auburn already has played three of the four teams ahead of it in the standings, so coach Nell Fortner's team has a real shot at the NCAA Tournament. I believe this team would be the SEC's third-best team (behind LSU and Tennessee) if suspended point guard Whitney Boddie was around. She isn't. Still, the team is pretty good as it is.

The Auburn men won at Ole Miss on Saturday, moving to 3-7 in league play. C/F/G Quan Prowell scored 25 points. Coach Jeff Lebo today sounded pessimistic about F Korvotney Barber's return schedule. He's been out since December with a broken left wrist. Lebo said Barber has participated in some light drills so far, but isn't yet ready to play. The SEC Tournament is three weeks away.

It looks like Auburn's spring practice period will start a few days early. I'm looking forward to seeing the differences between Muschamp's aggressive system and Rhoads' allegedly aggressive system. Pittsburgh, where Rhoads spent the past seven seasons, didn't seem particularly aggressive to me. We'll see.

I'm planning to take a look at the players with the most to prove in spring drills.

Let's start today with a guy I pegged as a sleeper way back in August. He didn't materialized as I had envisioned.

MIKE BLANC
Defensive tackle
6-4, 289, Soph. (in 2008)
Stats: 12 games, six tackles
2007 position on the depth chart: 2nd team behind Pat Sims
2008 position on the depth chart: In competition with Jake Ricks, Zach Clayton, Kyle Coulahan and/or Sen'Derrick Marks for a starting spot.

The situation: Blanc played remarkably well during the early stages of two-a-days, giving coaches the belief that his outstanding spring wasn't a fluke. Then he injured an ankle. His mobility was compromised for at least two weeks. He eventually split time with Zach Clayton behind Pat Sims during the fall, but wasn't a serious factor on the field at any point. Blanc is a power rusher who still is learning about finesse moves and when to use them. Former DC Will Muschamp encouraged his linemen to be more than straight-ahead guys. It's unclear what Rhoads plans to do in terms of DL technique.

Blanc has excellent size and leg drive compared to other players at his position. He lacks Clayton's hands, but provides more power. Those two provide coach Don Dunn with some enticing options.


Questions? Comments? You can email me at: jgtate@gannett.com