Looking at Arkansas
Hey everyone. I did some "research" for my Saturday story about this BIG GAME. Sharing is caring. STATISTICAL COMPARISONSSCORING OFFENSE
- AUB -- 41.4 (2)
- ARK -- 35.8 (4)
SCORING DEFENSE
- AUB -- 23.8 (8)
- ARK -- 29.0 (12)
OFF. YARDS
- AUB -- 512.8 (2)
- ARK -- 441.0 (4)
DEF. YARDS
- AUB -- 344.2 (9)
- ARK -- 404.5 (12)
RUSHING OFFENSE
- AUB -- 253.8 (2)
- ARK -- 111.8 (11)
PASSING OFFENSE
- AUB -- 259.0 (2)
- ARK -- 329.2 (1)
RUSHING DEFENSE
- AUB -- 153.4 (10)
- ARK -- 121.0 (7)
PASSING DEFENSE
- AUB -- 190.8 (9)
- ARK -- 283.5 (12)
OTHER ITEMS OF NOTE- AU RED ZONE DEFENSE: 16-for-17 (94.1%): 9 TDs, 7 FGs.
- AU RED ZONE OFFENSE: 19-for-20 (95%): 14 TDs, 5 FGs.
- AU TURNOVER MARGIN: +8 (best in SEC)
- Nine Arkansas players have caught a touchdown pass this season.
- Two of the Razorbacks' top three wideouts (Joe Adams and Jarius Wright) are shorter than 6-0.
- Texas A&M ran 93 plays in a 42-17 loss to Arkansas last week.
- Texas A&M had eight drives that ended inside the ARK 40.
- DE DeQuinta Jones, coveted Auburn recruit earlier this year, is now a reserve player for the Razorbacks.
First Post: Wednesday of Week Six
 Hey everyone. Thanks for watching my video, which was posted last night. There was a lot of funny stuff going on. Antonio Coleman is far less quotable than he once was, but he hasn't lost any authority among teammates. When he tells a man to shut him mouth, that man shuts his mouth. I told you all about Mario Fannin's letter jacket thing earlier this year. Since it's a bit chilly at night now, No. 27 again is flossing at all times. I could tell Kodi Burns got a kick out of it -- the same way you might get a kick out of your dad wearing a pocket protector. OK, maybe that's just my family. I'm flying to Tulsa, Okla., on Thursday for the Auburn/Arkansas game. My peeps live in Tulsa. This may or may not preclude me from participating in Thursday Night Live. Internet access is spotty at my parents' house. Here's the Auburn situation at this moment: TODAY'S STORIESPREVIOUS STORIESTHE VIDEO VAULTTODAY'S SCHEDULENot much going on. I'll probably do the Arkansas Scouting Report this afternoon ... to familiarize you with the team you're hexing right now. Here's what the next few days look like. All times are CDT: Wed., Oct. 7, 4:30 p.m. Thu., Oct. 8, 4:30 (Tiger Talk at 7 p.m.) Fri., Oct. 9, OFF Sat., Oct. 10, at Arkansas, 11 a.m. (ESPN)Sun., Oct. 11, 4:30 p.m. Mon., Oct. 12, OFF Tue., Oct. 13, 4:30 p.m. (Chizik presser at 11:30 a.m.; some players available between 1 and 2 p.m.) Wed., Oct. 14, 4:30 p.m. Thu., Oct. 15, 4:30 p.m. (Tiger Talk at 7 p.m.) Fri., Oct. 16, OFF Sat., Oct. 17, vs. Kentucky, 6:30 p.m. (ESPNU)Also, please pick up the Advertiser's print edition if you live around here! Our fine Auburn coverage is only one element of our award-winning product.
"Late" Night Chatter
Hey everyone. Evening interviews have ended. Here's the poop. THE FIVE THINGS- Gus Malzahn is not anxious about going back to northwest Arkansas: ``I got a chance last year to do that (with Tulsa), so I felt that and all the distractions that come with that with friends and family asking for this and that. This is more of a business trip and the fact that I had that experience last year I think will definitely help this year."
- Malzahn on Auburn's need to beef up red-zone production after problems at Tennessee: ``I think it's what you focus on and we need to work that much harder. We had a couple opportunities and we're very fortunate our defense was playing extremely well. We've got to find a way to score touchdowns. It was great to get some points, our kicker did a wonderful job, but as an offense we've got to find a way to score touchdowns when our defense gives us opportunities."
- K Wes Byrum on his 2008 struggles: ``There wasn't really a low point, it was just after missing a couple, it just got tough. Overall, the team wasn't doing well and I wasn't helping at all on my end of it by putting points up on the board when we were struggling. It just got really tough as the season went on to keep missing as we were all struggling as a team."
 - Kodi Burns on last season's loss against Arkansas, which was the first without Tony Franklin: ``The whole year was a disappointment. That game in particular, we had several opportunities to get in the end zone and for whatever reason it didn't happen. That just showed the turmoil and the stress the whole team was under. We couldn't even score on four downs from the 3-yard line. We have another chance this year. Everybody is excited about that."
- Mario Fannin on Malzahn's attitude this week: ``He's more intense. He's more energetic, and you can tell it's a matter of he wants everything to be perfect. So we understand that and we've got some guys from Arkansas."
BONUS QUOTE- Malzahn, who was jazzed about the team's last Tuesday practice, on today's workout: ``It probably wasn’t up to what last week was. We’ve got to come out tomorrow and Thursday and really focus in. At the same time, we threw a lot at them. Arkansas gives you a lot of different looks and we want to make sure we’re prepared."
Photo credit: Todd Van Emst/Auburn UniversityQuestions? Comments? Post directly to the blog below or email me at jgtate@gannett.com.
BLOGGIN FOR YOUR NOGGIN: Gene Chizik speaks
 Welcome to Gene Chizik's weekly press conference, which we chronicle and discuss at length here. - He has arrived.
- ``This going to be a very exciting and very challenging week for us."
- On Arkansas' offense being like Auburn's 2002 version: ``A lot of the same concepts. They're really, really good. It's reminiscent of the ones he had at Louisville and what he has here. A lot of similarities to the things he's always done."
- On Ryan Mallett: ``I was in Texas when he was in high school and we knew all about him. He has a cannon for an arm. He's what makes it go in the passing game. He makes a world of difference in that offense. Very efficient, very good."
- On Nosa Eguae: ``Day by day. I know know exactly where he is right now."
- On if he could play: ``You get into that area where, as the season goes on, you ask if it's worth it. We're still in that window where if he can play, we'd love for him to play."
- More on Petrino: ``He's been this way everywhere he's been. He's always had an explosive, high-power offense and he hasn't changed."
- On this being a shootout game: ``I don't think it changes your approach. You have to execute better than they execute. He's not going to re-invent the wheel. He's going to do what they do."
- On morning games: ``This is uncharted waters for us. That shouldn't have an effect one way or the other. They're playing at 11, too. Those things shouldn't matter."
- On Wes Byrum's effect on the offense: ``If he continues to kick like he's been kicking, it's a lot of pressure off. You feel like if you get anywhere near the 30 or 35 yard line, you have a chance to score point. It's big to have that in your back pocket and feel good about it. We have felt good about it."
- On kickers: ``They're kind of in their own world, but they're definitely part of this team."
- On why Malzahn's offense wears on defenses: ``When you get to the no-huddle world, it's not as physical. This is really the opposite. This is faster tempo, but we're still trying to run the ball downhill and be physical with it. We said, from Day One, that's what we needed to be. This is maybe a little bit different because we have that mindset when the tempo gets pretty quick. You can't sub. Defenses can't line up and they get tired."
- On Ben Tate: ``I think Ben has bought into the downhill, physical (stuff). He's showed that he's got some speed. He can hit the corner. When we've had to get tough yards, though, he has shown he can forge ahead and get those yards. He's got to be able to run for those tough yards and he's done that."
- How to get a better pass rush: ``That's tough. You do what you do each week. You can do some things schematically, trying to pass rush based on where the center's going, where the back is going. It does get challenging when you're going against the scout team a lot. We try to do as much good-on-good as we can. We've got to challenge our guys this week."
- On Arkansas' artificial turf: ``I don't see that as an issue."
- On the way Auburn's schedule has worked: ``I'm very happy for our football team and I'm very happy for our coaches. You can't be sitting any better than being 5-0. What is very clear is that we have a long road ahead of us. We're just getting started. There's a lot of great football left to play. There has been a lot of change in (the players') lives over the last 9 or 10 months and it's good that they've had some success. 5-0 is better than the alternative."
- On Mike McNeil: ``He has made a good bit of progress. At what point do you say enough's enough and move on and take it to the next season. It's too hard to say. Three weeks from now, the conversation may be different. I don't want him to go out at play at 85 percent. You'd be throwing him in with only a couple days of practice. I don't want to throw a kid in there if he's not at his best."
- On Bates' emergence in relation to McNeil: ``It's nice to see a young guy come in and help us out. That's a position where we don't have a lot of depth. I don't think that has made it any easier. We have to have all hands on deck. Daren's gotten better every week. We've seen a definitive difference."
- On Bates' hitting: ``He didn't have any of that until started coaching him. It's just built into Daren to be aggressive and a physical guy. As the season wears on, you'll see him become more physical. He's one of those guys who's got it."
- On Bates' recruitment: ``We did our homework on him. We wanted him play basketball. We had some in-depth conversation with his high-school coach. It was my belief that he was being under-recruited -- just by watching his body and watching him play basketball. It has paid off."
- That's a wrap.
Photo credit: Todd Van Emst/Auburn UniversityQuestions? Comments? Post directly to the blog below or email me at jgtate@gannett.com.
First Post: Tuesday of Week Six
Hey everyone. Welcome to the middle of a difficult travel period for hacks and fans alike. The trip to Knoxville was tiring, particularly Saturday's trek, but at least I was behind the wheel. Covering games at Arkansas means we must put our lives in the hands of pilots, ticket agents and airport administrators. I'm not as trusting as I once was. You? I think this game will be much tougher challenge for Auburn. Had Jonathan Crompton been able to complete just regular passes last weekend, that game would have been much different. Arkansas' quarterback, Ryan Mallett, will be able to complete his passes Saturday. This will be a real test for Auburn's defense. They're aware of it and all, but I'm not sure how they're going to fix the problems that have been around since two-a-days. Auburn will need a serious pass rush, tight coverage and the ability to thoughtfully adjust coverage responsibilities in real-time. Here's the Auburn situation at this moment: TODAY'S STORIESPREVIOUS STORIESTHE VIDEO VAULTTODAY'S SCHEDULEShould be a fun one. I'll be BLOGGIN for your NOGGIN during Chizik's chat at 11:30 p.m. Then I'll grab a bite to eat and return for players around 1 p.m. I think two players were available during the same period last week, so I'm keeping expectations low. Then we'll have a second interview session after practice. I'll be summarizing player interviews and I'll be doing a video ... tonight. Here's what the next few days look like. All times are CDT: Tue., Oct. 6, 4:30 p.m. (Chizik presser at 11:30 a.m.; some players available between 1 and 2 p.m.) Wed., Oct. 7, 4:30 p.m. Thu., Oct. 8, 4:30 (Tiger Talk at 7 p.m.) Fri., Oct. 9, OFF Sat., Oct. 10, at Arkansas, 11 a.m. (ESPN)Sun., Oct. 11, 4:30 p.m. Mon., Oct. 12, OFF Tue., Oct. 13, 4:30 p.m. (Chizik presser at 11:30 a.m.; some players available between 1 and 2 p.m.) Also, please pick up the Advertiser's print edition if you live around here! Our fine Auburn coverage is only one element of our award-winning product.
Byrum and McCalebb get some love
 Hey everyone. Kicker Wes Byrum, who hit four of his five field-goal attempts at Tennessee, and tailback Onterio McCalebb have been named Southeastern Conference Players of the Week. From the SEC regarding Byrum: • Accounted for 14 of Auburn’s points, including four field goals and two point-after attempts, in a 26-22 win at Tennessee.
• His four field goals are a career-high, connecting from 29, 43, 19 and 22 yards.
• The 22-yarder with 39 seconds remaining iced Tigers’ first road win of season.
• Four field goals are the most fin a game by an Auburn kicker since 2004.
• His lone miss was 46-yarder with 1:30 in first half—his first miss on season after nailing first nine attempts. From the SEC regarding McCalebb: • McCalebb accumulated a game-high 204 all-purpose yards in Auburn’s 26-22 win at Tennessee.
• Among his all-purpose yards were 51 yards rushing, 62 yards receiving, 91 yards on kickoff returns.
• His 52 yard kickoff return with 4:19 remaining in game set up game clinching field goal with :39 left.
• His 204 all-purpose yards were a career-best and team season high.
Photo credit: Todd Van Emst/Auburn University
Players speak, 10/4
Hey everyone. Here is a smattering of comments players who were interviewed this evening. They seemed tired. Of course, they didn't arrive on campus until 3 a.m. Maybe that had something to do with it. - TB Ben Tate said he is taking the Tigers' five OL starters (and other selected players like Eric Smith) out to dinner on Monday night. ``I always told them before if I ran for 150 or 200 yards in certain games, but I never got to it. This time I just told them if I hit about the 130 mark that I would take them out to eat."
- The crew won't be dining on haute cuisine. It's Golden Corral night. ``They all like to eat … that’s too much money."
- Ted Roof on the defense's fourth-quarter performance: ``In the fourth quarter, when you start managing the game, which the situation dictates, they moved the ball and scored some points through the air. The last play, that’s something doesn’t leave a great taste in your mouth. You have to go back to work. The good news is all those mistakes are correctable, and we’ve got to get them eliminated before we go to Arkansas."
- LB Adam Herring, who played high-school ball in Fayetteville, on his return to Arkansas: ``That period of my life, it was half my sophomore year and my junior and senior year of high school. So that's where I really developed some friendships and graduated from high school there. It's a big part of my home. I've moved around quite a bit, but I was there two-and-a-half years."
- Kodi Burns on the rankings: ``I had no idea that we're ranked. We just really weren't getting that much respect. That's something that we've all realized on this team and something that we all really stopped worrying about it. We leave it up to those guys who make those decisions. We just go out there and play football, and we're 5-0 at this point and hopefully we'll be 6-0 next week."
Gene Chizik speaks, 10/4
Hey everyone. We're making a small change here. I'll open with a TOP FIVE element of the weekly breakdown. Those are the FIVE things you really need to know about what Gene Chizik said. After that, it's small stuff that may or may not interest you. So here we go: THE FIVE THINGS- On Auburn breaking into the polls: ``The higher the better and all that good stuff. We've only played five games. At this point, it's somewhat insignificant. It only matters where you are in the end of December. All that stuff helps recruiting, but we don't pay a lot of attention to it."
- On coaching against Bobby Petrino, with whom Chizik served as an Auburn coordinator in 2002: ``He remembers me for x number of months. A large portion of that, we weren't going against each other, but I was around him enough to know he's one of the best in the country."
 - On Auburn's defense surrendering 200+ yards during the fourth quarter against Tennessee: ``When you know your opponent has to score three times to win, you just don't want to give the game away for doing some silly things. Most of the night, I thought we played much better defense that we had previously. The fourth quarter got away from us a little bit. We're not looking at numbers and statistics and all those things."
- On Eric Smith: ``He's a guy we've got a lot of trust in. He can play two or three (positions) and he plays them well. Our goal is to never take a guy like that and play him on more than two special teams, but he could play on all of them."
- Chizik said he'll continue to consider using Philip Pierre-Louis on punt returns, but not on offense. Asked if PPL's repaired knee was the sticking point, the coach said: ``That really hasn't been his issue."
THE OTHER STUFF- On what he learned about his team at Tennessee: ``It was more verification than anything. The verification was similar to what we learned at home -- that we'll play hard for 60 minutes. It was neat to see there wasn't much a difference in the way we responded. I don't know that there were many revolutionary things we learned. It was more verification."
- On Auburn's defensive performance: ``I don't know if it was our best or not, but we took some strides in the right direction. I still think we are a work in progress, no question. We have to continue to get better on the defensive side of the ball if we're going to continue to win in October."
- More on Petrino: ``He's very, very precise. He knows exactly what he wants. He coaches those guys in minute details. He knows how to run the ball. He knows how to throw the ball. He knows what to expect from you defensively."
- On OL Bart Eddins, who earned his first career start Saturday: ``Really proud of Bart. He's really overcome some health issues. He played with the Saturday night. They didn't just go away. I was proud that he was able to step up and help our football team win."
- On why Barrett Trotter travels with the varsity: ``We want to keep him around the offense. He does some things with signaling. That's his role on the road."
- On S Daren Bates: ``He's gotten better every week. He's still so far away from his potential. He's more relaxed. You're a product of what you continually do. The reps are starting to pile up for him."
Photo credit: Todd Van Emst/Auburn UniversityQuestions? Comments? Post directly to the blog below or email me at jgtate@gannett.com.
Auburn Poll Rundown
Hey everyone. Auburn (5-0) has made its season debut in the Sunday polls. In the AP Poll:
- Auburn is No. 17.
- Kansas, which is 4-0, is one spot ahead.
- Brigham Young, which is 4-1, is one spot behind.
In the USA Today/ESPN poll:
- Auburn is No. 19, sandwiched between Missouri (4-0) and BYU (4-1).
In the Harris Interactive poll:
- Auburn is No. 19, sandwiched between Ole Miss (3-1) and Oklahoma (3-2).
Check out the full polls here.
Here's how I ranked 'em on my AP ballot:
1. Florida
2. Alabama
3. Texas
4. LSU
5. Boise State
6. Virginia Tech
7. Ohio State
8. Cincinnati
9. TCU
10. Miami Florida
11. Southern Cal
12. Penn State
13. Oklahoma State
14. BYU
15. Oklahoma
16. Mississippi
17. Iowa
18. Kansas
19. Auburn
20. Georgia Tech
21. Oregon
22. Georgia
23. South Florida
24. Wisconsin
25. South Carolina
Auburn @ Arkansas will be early
Better get those alarm clocks ready. Auburn's Oct. 10 game at Arkansas will air on ESPNHD beginning at 11 a.m. CDT. Here's the rest of your SEC schedule: - Auburn at Arkansas (ESPN) – 11 a.m. CT
- Vanderbilt at Army (CBS College Sports) – 11 a.m. CT
- Georgia at Tennessee (SEC Network) – 11:21 a.m. CT
- Houston at Mississippi State (ESPNU) – 11:30 a.m. CT
- Kentucky at South Carolina (FS South) – 11:30 a.m. CT
- Alabama at Ole Miss (CBS) – 2:30 p.m. CT
- Florida at LSU (CBS) – 7 p.m. CT
Sunday Morning Chatter
 Hey everyone. I'm sure you're in a fine mood this morning. And why not? Auburn is 5-0 and just beat Tennessee for the fifth consecutive time. All in all, I thought Auburn was pretty strong last night. Josh Moon, our fine columnist, is not very high on Ted Roof's defense. I don't think that's necessarily legit criticism. The Tigers are thin. The Tigers don't have a lot of flash on that side of the ball. I still think this offense will do enough work to overcome in many situations. Is this set-up enough to beat Alabama or LSU? We'll see. Next up for the team: Arkansas. Next up for me: Driving back to Auburn. I'll be BLOGGIN' FOR YOUR NOGGIN around 4:30 p.m. with full commentary from Chizik. See you then.
AU @ Tennessee: AUBURN WINS, 26-22
 We're watching and discussing the Tigers game at Tennessee. - Auburn's first possession: PUNT.
- Tennessee's first possession: PUNT.
- Auburn's second possession: FIELD GOAL. Byrum 19 FG. Drive covered 54 yards in 6 plays.
- Tennessee's second possession: PUNT.
- Auburn's third possession: PUNT.
- Tennessee's third possession: PUNT.
- Auburn's fourth possession: TOUCHDOWN. Terrell Zachery 10 pass from Chris Todd. PAT good. Drive covered 70 yards in 8 plays.
- Tennessee's fourth possession: TOUCHDOWN. Montario Hardesty 31 pass from Jonathan Crompton. PAT good. Drive covered 62 yards in 7 plays.
- Tennessee's fifth possession: FIELD GOAL. 26 FG. Drive covers 72 yards in 18 plays.
- Auburn's sixth possession: FIELD GOAL. Wes Byrum 22 FG.
- Tennessee's sixth possession: TOUCHDOWN. Pass from some guy to some guy as time expired.
AU @ Tennessee: 1st Half
 We are watching and discussing Auburn's game at Tennessee. - Tennessee's first possession: MISSED FIELD GOAL.
- Auburn's first possession: PUNT.
- Tennessee's second possession: PUNT.
- Auburn's second possession: FIELD GOAL. Wes Byrum 29 FG. Drive covered 44 yards in 10 plays.
- Tennessee's third possession:FUMBLE. Lost.
- Auburn's third possession: FIELD GOAL. Wes Byrum 43 FG. Drive covered 6 yards in 3 plays.
- Tennessee's fourth possession: PUNT.
- Auburn's fourth possession: PUNT.
- Tennessee's fifth possession: PUNT.
- Auburn's fifth possession: PUNT.
- Tennessee's sixth possession: PUNT.
- Auburn's sixth possession: TOUCHDOWN. Ben Tate 11 run. PAT is good. Drive covered 87 yards in 9 plays.
- Tennessee's seventh possession: PUNT.
- Auburn's seventh possession: MISSED FIELD GOAL.
- Tennessee's eighth possession: TOUCHDOWN. Montario Hardesty 1 run. PAT blocked. Drive covered 71 yards in 7 plays.
- Auburn's eighth possession:
Welcome to Neyland Stadium
 Hey everyone. I have arrived at Neyland Stadium, where your Auburn Tigers soon will face off against the Tennessee Volunteers. We watched Tiger Walk from nearby. The lack of a band and cheerleaders didn't dilute the ferocity I expected. There was plenty of Auburn support in the area ... for those who were concerned about that. I'm headed down to the field now in an attempt to see Eddie Gran. Talk to you in a bit.
GAMEDAY: The Tennessee Game
 Hey everyone. I'll soon be on my way to Knoxville for the epic battle between Tennessee and your Auburn Tigers. Toe meets leather at 6:45 p.m. CDT on ESPNHD. I'm heading up through Bammerham, Fort Payne, that weird area in Georgia where the mortuary dumped cadavers in a pit, Chattanooga, Ooltewah and, finally, Knoxville. I'll wave as I pass by your home. I'll check back once I arrive at HABOTN's Tennessee Headquarters in west Knoxville.
First Post: Friday of Week Five
Hey everyone. Swell campfire last night. I love that we can get such great participate without a lot of notice. Thursday nights are alright for Campfiring®! I'm pretty bummed about not being able to get to Knoxville until tomorrow. I wish the UT-bound HOTTIES could have convened for some casual dining on the river. So it goes. Calhoun's will be missed. Or Ye Olde Steakhouse. Or wherever Scottie was going to suggest. Here's the Auburn situation at this moment: TODAY'S STORIESPREVIOUS STORIESTHE VIDEO VAULTTODAY'S SCHEDULENot much going on today. I'll be taking call-ins tonight, chilling with Wifey this afternoon. May go to the Catholic-ACA game to see Fr. Troncale, college football fan. He's always fun. Not much else to report. I'll be headin' up to Knoxville tomorrow morning. Here's what the next few days look like. All times are CDT: Fri., Oct. 2, OFF Sat., Oct. 3, at Tennessee, 6:45 p.m. (ESPN)Sun., Oct. 4, 5 p.m. Mon., Oct. 5, OFF Tue., Oct. 6, 4:30 p.m. (Chizik presser at 11:30 a.m.; some players available at 11:50 a.m.) Wed., Oct. 7, 4:30 p.m. Thu., Oct. 8, 4:30 (Tiger Talk at 7 p.m.) Fri., Oct. 9, OFF Sat., Oct. 10, at Arkansas, time TBA (network TBA)Also, please pick up the Advertiser's print edition if you live around here! Our fine Auburn coverage is only one element of our award-winning product.
Radio Appearance Forthcoming
All we have are the embers
 Hey everyone. Thanks for a wildly successful Campfire® on Thursday night. We had a total of 377 particpants during the 90-minute session. That's great!
Topics included: Iowa, corn, maize, Junior Rosegreen, peyote, The Strutting Duck, Bill Stewart vs. Monte Kiffin cage match, Dontae Aycock, Tyrik Rollison and much more. Big up to those who went the distance: JD, Jhag, Eddie, E-Bro, RK, WilsonsTailgate, Freep, THT, Emmett and FSJ.
Thursday Night LIVE
 Hey everyone. We're listening to Tiger Talk, coach Gene Chizik's weekly radio show, and watching Colorado @ West Virgina on ESPN. Please stand and sing. 
COLORADO -- 24 WEST VIRGINIA -- 35FinalTIGER TALK TIDBITS- Kevin from Panama City wants to know how Onterio McCalebb is doing: ``He's fine. He's practicing and the whole deal. We didn't want to chance anything with him. We just played him in the first half. He's good to go."
- Mark from Alex City wants to know why the Wildcat offense isn't named after Auburn: ``Gus has been calling it the Wildcat ever since high school."
- On Gus vs. Monte Kiffin: ``Monte is one of the best at his trade in America. He's proved that year in and year out. He hasn't changed -- he's as good as it gets. Gus has done a great job wherever he's been. It should be fun."
- Roy from Atmore wants to know if Auburn is going to throw a hail mary: ``We'll run it and throw it. We'll do a little of both."
- Tommy on the road wants to know about the defense and why Auburn defenders don't seem to handle their job each play. Oh, and they don't tackle well: We didn't play (the zone read) very well. We worked it in practice this week and we feel much better defending it. There have been some glaring open-field misses. We'll be a better tackling team over time. We've got a lot of young guys out there. We've got to be better at tackling. You see them get better as the weeks go on."
- Michael from Muscle Shoals, who is at work, wants to thank CGC for hiring Trooper Taylor .. and if he has a Trooper Towel: ``That's a great question. You're 100 percent right, man. His enthusiasm is very infectious. We're so happy he's here. He has done a phenomenal job of coaching our receivers. He's been great for Auburn. He's been good for our players. I have a whole closet full of his towels."
- Mike from Montgomery wants to know about PPL and ... he actually thinks Chizik will discuss recruits: ``Phillip has worked hard to get back into the mix. He's worked hard at it. He's made progress. This week, I think, he picked his game up. If he keeps working, he'll have a chance to work his way into the lineup."
- Benjamin in Chelsea wants to know what administrators can do to keep good coaches employed at Auburn: ``My first objective what you said -- I want to keep these coaches around. Jay Jacobs, he understands that fully. There are opportunities out there that are going to show up. They want to be head coaches. They want to be coordinators. They want to follow the same path I took. To the best of my ability, though, I'm going to keep this staff in tact."
- Christy from Haleyville ... had no question. She wants Auburn to whup Tennessee.
- Clyde wants CGC to know how much he loves CGC ... and Auburn. ``Thanks for a lot of great comments."
- Jonathan in Tuscaloosa wants to know about Jay Wisner and Tommy Trott and how important their blocking has been to the Tigers' early-season success: ``I am so glad you said that. It's awesome that you've noticed that. (Wisner) threw a huge block on one of those screen passes. These guys have done a good job of blocking downfield each game. They show up. Tommy is a really good football player. He's been through a lot of ups and down with injuries."
- Donald from Birmingham, who thinks Chizik is a class act, wants to know how CGC gets the team mentally prepared to play on the road ... and he wants to know if CGC scabs ideas from Tommy Tuberville: ``Playing on the road, to be honest with you, it's really unique. These are uncharted waters. We're trying to prepare as usual. We don't change what we do. You can overcome all the things that aren't good. There are going to be some bad times and there won't be 87,000 of your fans behind you. I believe it's about how you prepare during the week. I don't know that there's techniques. It's preparation and the mental aspects. I need to know where we are coming out of this road game ... and so do all of our coaches."
- Steve in Birmingham wants to know why the defense is "awful". Steve's elderly mother thought Auburn was playing with tear-away jerseys. Steve also reports that Ted Roof "does nothing for me": ``There are a lot of places where we're not as good as we want to be. Ted has done a great job. He's done a good job eveywhere he's been as a coordinator."
- Lisa from Montgomery wants to know where fans can meet the team in Knoxville: ``We're probably going to get in tomorrow. We'll keep it on central time. We'll get in around 5:30ish. That's the plan."
- William from Birmingham wants to know about Gabe McKenzie's defensive career: ``He'll play a little bit of defense. He's doing a good job of learning both (offense and defense). We felt like last week would be a good week to get him some defensive snaps. He did a good job."
- Randy from Clanton wants to know: ... nothing. No question.
- Shawn from Arab wants to know about how Malzahn's offense will work against Kiffin: ``That's a great defense we're playing against. They're really, really well-coached. To move the ball against this defense, we'll have to play our best game of the year -- by far."
- Jeremy from somewhere wants to know about Neil Caudle, who he believed was awesome against Ball State: ``I was really proud of Neil. he has gotten better every week. He has a comfort level with this offense. He's comfortable with the offense. He needs to keep coming on."
- On keys to this game: ``Turnovers and penalties. There's going to be a lot of noise when our offense is out there. We can't turn it over. We need to get some turnovers. And we need the kicking game."
- "War Eagle."
- That's a wrap.
First Post: Thursday of Week Five
Hey everyone. Are you aware that Iowa fans believe their team should be ranked higher than No. 22? Oh, you aren't? Well, I guess you need to read the HIBOTN more often. First day of October is upon us. I like warm weather. This is the time of year I dream of living in Belize and covering Auburn via closed-circuit television and satellite phone. Daytime highs below 80 are considered cold in my world. So it goes. I thought the Craig Sanders switch was intriguing. I'm sure you felt the same way. Auburn now challenges Alabama for in-state kids. I'm sure you're intrigued by that as well. Here's the Auburn situation at this moment: TODAY'S STORIESPREVIOUS STORIESTHE VIDEO VAULTTODAY'S SCHEDULEMy goal is to do a Tiger Talk/ESPN doubleheader here. We have a soccer game tonight and, since I missed dinner with the girls last night, I really should hang out with them a bit. That may or may not happen. We'll definitely have a Campfire®, I just can't say for certain when it will begin. Here's what the next few days look like. All times are CDT: Thu., Oct. 1, 4:30 p.m. (Tiger Talk at 7 p.m.) Fri., Oct. 2, OFF Sat., Oct. 3, at Tennessee, 6:45 p.m. (ESPN)Sun., Oct. 4, 5 p.m. Mon., Oct. 5, OFF Tue., Oct. 6, 4:30 p.m. (Chizik presser at 11:30 a.m.; some players available at 11:50 a.m.) Wed., Oct. 7, 4:30 p.m. Thu., Oct. 8, 4:30 (Tiger Talk at 7 p.m.) Fri., Oct. 9, OFF Sat., Oct. 10, at Arkansas, time TBA (network TBA)Also, please pick up the Advertiser's print edition if you live around here! Our fine Auburn coverage is only one element of our award-winning product.
|
|
