Chattin': Ala. at Auburn

Please enjoy.

In this spot was a chat. Now it's gone.

Feel free to continue discussing Auburn's 58-57 win against Alabama.

Looking at: Ala @ AU men

ALABAMA at AUBURN

WHEN: Today, 3 p.m. CST

Where: Beard-Eaves Memorial Coliseum, Auburn

Records: UA (13-7, 3-3 SEC); AU (10-11, 1-5)

On the air: TV — SEC Network; Radio — WLWI-FM 92.3 and WMSP-AM 740 in Montgomery

Tickets: $20.

Probable starters:
AUBURN --
F Lucas Hargrove (6-6, 218), 13.1 ppg
G DeWayne Reed (6-1, 175), 16.4 ppg
F Johnnie Lett (6-8, 210) 2.3 ppg
G Frankie Sullivan (6-1, 195), 13.5 ppg
G Tay Waller (6-2, 193), 12.1 ppg

ALABAMA --
F JaMychal Green (6-9, 220), 14.8 ppg
F Tony Mitchell (6-6, 185), 9.2 ppg
F Chris Hines (6-8, 220) 3.3 ppg
G Mikhail Torrance (6-5, 210), 15.2 ppg
G Anthony Brock (5-9, 165), 5.6 ppg

NOTABLE:
Auburn has won three straight in the series and five of the last six, narrowing the series record to 84-56 in favor of Alabama ... Alabama has held seven of its last eight opponents to under 40 percent from the field ... Alabama is coming off one of its better shooting performances in conference play, hitting 46.7 percent from the field against LSU on Wednesday ... Mikhail Torrance recorded his first career double-double on Wednesday with 10 points and 10 assists.

Photo credit: Todd Van Emst/Auburn University

Questions? Comments? Post directly to the blog below or email me at jgtate@gannett.com

Gymnastics scores big win

Hey everyone. You know I'm not a gymnastics fiend by any means, but Auburn accomplished something unusually notable last night.

The Tigers beat defending national champion Georgia for the first time in 64 meets Friday night.

I'd tell you more, but I don't know that much about gymnastics. We're fortunate, then, that Opelika-Auburn News ace Andrew Gribble know his flips, dismounts, rotations and point values.

Congratulations to Auburn coach Jeff Thompson, a 1986 Kentucky graduate.

Photo credit: Todd Van Emst/Auburn University

Questions? Comments? Post directly to the blog below or email me at jgtate@gannett.com.

Looking at: Cam Newton

Hey everyone. The Hardcore HOTTIES® probably have read this, but I ran a feature about Cameron Newton, Auburn's five-star quarterback, in today's editions of the Montgomery Advertiser.

It starts like this:
AUBURN -- Cameron Newton spent the first 19 years of his life hearing people rave about his greatness and the dominating player he'd someday become.

The adulation disappeared on Friday, Nov. 22, 2008.

It ends like this:
"... he could be a guy Auburn fans remember forever."

Please have a read.

Aairon Savage gets some good news

Hey everyone. The Albany (Ga.) Herald is reporting that Auburn safety Aairon Savage, who has missed the past two seasons because of injury, has been granted a sixth year of eligibility.

Recall that Savage's most recent season-ending injury involved an Achilles tendon, which is notoriously fickle about being repaired. If he's healthy, he'll challenge for a top spot at cornerback.

Radio Appearance Forthcoming

Hey everyone. I'm expecting to participate in my weekly segment on SuperSport 930 out of Jackson, Miss., in a bit. That extravaganza will begin around 9:07 a.m. CST.

We will discuss Auburn ... and other stuff.

Be there or be rectangular.

Another expert chimes in

Hey everyone. I spent some time earlier today on the HABOTN Hotline® with Chad Simmons, who is Scout.com's Southeastern recruiting manager.

My people inside the Scout organization said he was the go-to guy.

And he was.

Here is some of what he had to say. You can read more in tomorrow's editions of the Advertiser, which will feature a story on quarterback Cam Newton.

• On how Newton's signing affected Auburn's recruiting allure: ``It definitely didn't hurt. Everyone thought he was going to Mississippi State because he had such a long-standing relationship with Dan Mullen. So Auburn kind of stole him away and that was something of a surprise to everyone. It created momentum. All those kids, the recruits, they know Cam Newton. They know what kind of player he is. Signing him created a buzz. The offensive recruits think to themselves: Let's go to Auburn and play with a kid like that."
  
  
• On how Marcus Lattimore choosing Auburn would push the Tigers' reputation even higher: ``I'd say him committing to Auburn would push that class right up there near the top. Anybody who gets Lattimore, whether it's Auburn or South Carolina, will be better immediately. He's an awesome player, the total package of on-the-field ability and off-the-field presence. I say that, but I like Michael Dyer almost as much. They're both as good as it gets."
  
  
• On where Auburn would rank with Lattimore and Whitaker on board: ``That's hard to say because you never know what happens on Signing Day. There's always some surprises. If Auburn holds everyone they have right now and add those two, I'd say they're in the 2, 3, 4 range." (Auburn currently is No. 5 in the Scout.com rankings.)
  
  
• On the Tigers' class in general right now: ``It's a very good class. It's the best I've seen from Auburn. You know about the four- and five-star guys, but they have some great sleepers, too. Kenneth Carter is one. Dakota Mosley is a lot better than people think. I'm not sure he'll stay at tight end at Auburn, but he'll be good anywhere they put him. Considering it's their first full recruiting year, having to build a lot of relationships from scratch, they've done a really nice job. It's a huge success."

ALSO OF NOTE:


• Simmons spoke last night with DT Jeffrey Whitaker and believes Auburn remains the leader despite Whitaker's trip to Georgia last week. ``I sense that he'll pick Auburn, though he hasn't told me that," he said.
  
  
• Simmons believes OL James Stone will sign with Tennessee.
  
  
• He made his final assessments and adjustments yesterday, which included bumping S Demetruce McNeal from the nation's No. 70 safety to No. 31: ``Teams are going to regret not going after him because he'll be an excellent college player. Auburn offered him as a sophomore and locked him up. He had an outstanding senior season," he said.
  

Seastrunk headed for Oregon

Hey everyone. Texas tailback Lache Seastrunk, who once was thought to be one of Auburn's top targets, today announced plans to play at Oregon.

Seastrunk attended Big Cat Weekend last summer. He endeared himself to the Auburn-hearted by taking a swipe at Alabama coach Nick Saban during the trip. He mugged for an Opelika-Auburn News cameraman who filmed BCW festivities at Toomer's Corner, pointing at LaDarius Owens and saying: ``Tell Nick Saban he's S.O.L."

Anyway, Auburn seemed to cool on Seastrunk after Arkansas tailback Michael Dyer committed in early November. It appears the Tigers believe South Carolina tailback Marcus Lattimore will collaborate more effectively with Dyer.

Just thought you might like to know ... the rest of the story.

Photo credit: Scott Gaulin/Temple (Texas) Daily Telegram

Questions? Comments? Post directly to the blog below or email me at jgtate@gannett.com.

Talking more with: Demetruce McNeal

Hey everyone. I gave myself a short cooling-off period after being criticized for providing too much content, so I hope this post isn't arriving too quickly.

I wrote a story in today's editions about two of the Tigers' early commitments, Demetruce McNeal and LaDarius Owens, and how they helped get the ball rolling.

My conversation with McNeal traveled well beyond what you read in the story.

So here's some other stuff we discussed.

• On what drew him to Auburn: ``I committed to Auburn because they needed help at safety and that's what I want to play. They came to me a while back, said I was their guy and that's how it went down."
  
  
• On if it was tough to buy into what Auburn was selling: ``Not at all. I knew a lot of these coaches before now. Coach Trooper Taylor, I knew him going to back to Tennessee. I knew Thigpen when he was at North Carolina. When Auburn hired these coaches after the coaching change, I knew we were up the way up. I had no doubt about it. I saw the group of coaches they had and it was simple -- if they wanted me, I was there. And that's what happened."
  
  
• On his lack of high-school stats, which includes one career interception: ``I know! People won't throw at me. I had two passes thrown my way all year. They didn't catch either one, of course, but teams just don't throw much anymore. You see a lot of Wing-T in Atlanta. That makes me play up more, give that run support. Some (college) teams saw what I was doing and wanted me to play linebacker, but that's not me. I'm a safety. I want to have that chance to play pass defense. I want to be a complete safety."
  
  
• On if Daren Bates' development affected McNeal's decision: ``Yeah, I saw how they worked him and that was a good thing for me. They'll play the guy who shows he can play -- not who is older."
  
  
• On Auburn's overall recruiting effort: ``I've been shocked lately. They keep adding great players. We all know about Cameron Newton. He's the best quarterback out there as far as I know. When they got him, I think that really added a lot. I was like: Wow. Now we're picking up guys who are de-committing from other schools. They're all coming to Auburn."
  
  
• On which recruits he communicates with: ``I talk with (Antonio) Goodwin and (Jonathon) Mincy at least every week, I'd say. I know we're going after the DT from Warner Robins (Jeffrey Whitaker), but I haven't talked with him yet. We've been talking about giving him a call, seeing what's up. You'd be crazy not to take an Auburn offer right now."
  
  
• On any awkwardness involving his brother, DeMarco, not having an Auburn offer: ``Nah, he's got some really good offers. He had an Auburn offer back during the summer, but they pulled it back. He's looking at South Carolina and West Virginia right now. You never know who might pop up. I've been doing what I can to help him get some scholarships. He's a good player."

Calling around on Cam Newton: First and Last Part

Hey everyone. I am working on a story about Cam Newton, Auburn's 5-star quarterback who signed last month. He played sparingly during two seasons at Florida. He played all the time at Blinn (Texas) College.

I've been talking with the Southwest Junior College Football Conference coaches who schemed against Newton last fall.

Here's what Donnie Bigby, head coach at Northeastern Oklahoma, had to say.

Newton's numbers in Blinn's 55-42 win against NEO:
17-29, 302 yards, 2 TDs

*OF NOTE -- Newton was suspended for the first quarter.

Bigby on Newton: ``He's the most athletic and skilled quarterback I've seen since Michael Bishop. (Bishop, who later starred at Kansas State, played at Blinn in 1996.) You could tell he had tons and tons of potential. I'm talking about raw talent you just don't see at this level."

Bigby on what NEO did to match up with Newton: ``He's such a big kid. He looks like a defensive lineman, to be honest. I think he'd be a tough matchup on his own -- if he was the only guy on his team. The thing is that he had a great supporting cast last season. We couldn't just worry about him, but he created a lot of problems."