Alabama def. Auburn, 73-61
 Hey everyone. Alabama beat the Tigers today in a sloppy game. The two teams combined for 33 turnovers and 31 missed threes. We now believe Auburn will go into the SEC Tournament as a 5 seed, which means it'll be a 6:30 CST game in Cashville against Florida. I talked with coach Jeff Lebo privately after the game. He offered little in terms of his job security, simply saying 100 percent of his effort is being directed toward the SEC Tournament. He's planning to discuss everything else with Jay Jacobs after the season. In this space earlier was a Campfire®. Thanks to E-Bro, Cincy, riskman, Jet, j-z, stupup, AUFan365 and DMiller for going the distance.
Schedule update
We will be holding a Campfire® -- with newly increased chat-room capacity -- from today's Auburn @ Alabama men's game. Please join me for some fun and games. Should be a hoot. See you then.
Radio Appearance Forthcoming
Nell Fortner keeps 'em going
 Hey everyone. Just a quick note to let you know that the Auburn waxed Florida in the first round of the SEC Tournament this afternoon. The final score was 74-61. This is welcome news inside the locker room. The Gators beat the Tigers in double overtime a few months ago and players were more than a little salty. So now they're less salty. Guard Alli Smalley, a favorite of our own WarEagleGirl, led the way with 29 points today. Forward Jordan Greenleaf added 15 points. Auburn plays second-seeded Kentucky tomorrow at 1:30 p.m. Photo credit: Todd Van Emst/Auburn UniversityQuestions? Comments? Post directly to the blog below or email me at jgtate@gannett.com.
Auburn def. MSU, 89-80, in the last BEMC game
 Hey everyone. Auburn beat MSU, 89-80. In this spot was a live chat. It has ended. Thanks to cincy, nelsodt (who never spoke), PatDyesLiver, wildncrazy and wakerider for either going the distance or almost going the distance. Thanks for a great Campfire®!
More with Trooper Taylor
 Hey everyone. My chat with Trooper Taylor spanned 15 minutes on Monday, but I only shared a portion of that event with you yesterday. The news was Big Cat Weekend and his comments regarding that enterprise were timely. Today? Let's see what Taylor had to say about a few more general topics: - Explain how you affect which wideouts Auburn recruits: ``Every one of them comes through me. I evaluate and approve every single receiver we recruit. There are no ifs ands or buts. Just like if it's my area and I'm looking at a d-lineman, he isn't going to get an offer unless Tracy Rocker says so.
The ultimate guy is Chiz. If there's a question after that, we go to the coordinators. Sometimes it's about if they'll play offense or defense. Coach Chiz solves all those problems. He takes suggestions from the coordinators.
If the kid doesn't fit with me, I don't care if he's a five-star guy. It doesn't matter. I'm not going to coach a kid who doesn't understand and doesn't respect our values and the way we do things."
- What do you look for in a wideout? ``I like play-makers. If he makes plays in high school, I like him. I'll be conscientious of who he's playing against. If he's playing against guys who run 5-flat and he's running a 4.8, he'll look fast because he's playing at a certain level.
I won't take a guy because he's too small. I won't take a guy because he's too big. I take guys who make plays. We want guys who are versatile. We like guys who can run reverses, who can throw the football, who can catch the tunnel.
We're not the typical group that says: He has to catch the fade or he has to catch the slant. We talk about finding the most versatile receivers in the county. We don't want to lock our guys in. A lot of places will put a kid in one spot and then the defense is able to take him away. All he knows is that one spot.
They don't move them around. It's like war -- if you know where the enemy is, you can blow him up. Our guys learn concepts. Where you are in the formation tells you which route to run. We change it up."
- Becoming versatile ... is that more of a physical or mental thing? ``It's both. I'm always looking for fear -- guys that slide or avoid the hit. If he won't bite when he's a puppy, he probably won't bite as a big dog. Those are the things I look for. I need tough guys. I need play-makers. He won't quit. I like big blocks. I like guys who give it all in whatever they're doing. Those kinds of guys make the transition to our system much faster than a guy who just runs great routes and is quick.
- You all are always signing high-school quarterbacks to be wideouts. Why? ``That's usually because he's the best athlete. They cut out the middle man and direct-snap to the best athlete. That's what Trovon (Reed) did in high school. He was versatile. That experience pays off when you get here -- you have a lot of skills.
- But that makes the learning curve pretty steep, right? ``It does, but when you play quarterback you understand protections and the routes and the coverages. They had to manage the whole deal rather than being locked in as a receiver and you only worry about the guy over top of you.
The kids who were quarterbacks coming in, it's a terminology thing. They usually understand the concepts right off."
- How is this offense changing from 2009 to 2010? ``We've already made quite a few adjustments. I can't get into those with the newspaper (laughter) but this season is going to be a lot different. We were teaching last year. Now we know the whole thing and now we can break it down by parts. We can really work on some smaller stuff, itty-bitty adjustments that they wouldn't have even understood time time last year.
We're also spending more time explaining to them why we call what we call. If they adjusted this way, this is our answer. They need to think with us. There's power in knowledge. That's going to be a big difference."
- What are you expecting from Kodi Burns in 2010? ``I don't think his role will change. I think he'll do the exact same thing. He brings so much to the table with his smarts. He can throw the football. He can give you those tough yards in the Wildcat. He blocks, too. I don't think his "slash" deal will change.
He went from quarterback, taking maybe five or 10 yards at a time, he started running 10 times that. He lost some of his explosiveness later in the year because he wasn't used to it.
This signing class -- they're talented, but they're here to help us build some depth right now. There was a major drop-off from first team to second team last year. The other teams we played, there wasn't a major drop-off. That's where you close the gap -- when your second guy is right there with the first guy."
Photo credit: Todd Van Emst/Auburn UniversityQuestions? Comments? Post directly to the blog below or email me at jgtate@gannett.com.
More on Big Cat Weekend
 Hey everyone. Here is the story I wrote for today's editions of the Montgomery Advertiser that deals with BCW. It provides some additional nuggets of information that you don't know right now ... but you will know once you read it. Clicking is free. Clicking always is free, so I recommend it in this case. I'll have more nuggets from Trooper Taylor at some point today. I'm currently working on a story that will provide a proper send-off for The Beav, which plays host to its final men's game tomorrow night. I'm sure you're excited. Have a nice morning. Photo credit: Todd Van Emst/Auburn UniversityQuestions? Comments? Post directly to the blog below or email me at jgtate@gannett.com.
Trooper Taylor discusses Big Cat Weekend II
 Hey everyone. Just finished a nice little chat with Trooper Taylor about recruiting and the Tigers' plans for a second Big Cat Weekend. - On his goals for the event: ``We want to carry the momentum over from last year. It was tailored for the top players in the country. You didn't want to bring just anybody. We wanted the top players to come and meet each other and build a relationship. It wasn't about who could run a 40 or who could jump high or how much they weighed. It was about relationships and the family atmosphere.
It took a life of its own. Everywhere we go, people ask: Can we come to the Big Cat? You can't just tell a few kids. They all talk, they all know about it."
- On how the first BCW changed things for the 2011 recruits: ``They've been asking us about it, when it's going to be, who's going to be there. It's almost like having another tradition. It's viral. It spreads. That's something we're really proud of. Getting them interested is a big step. Auburn is different; once you come and see it, it's hard to forget it. By the time they leave here, they know exactly what we're talking about."
- On if Auburn will cap the number of participants: ``Nah. We don't want it to get so big that we can't be personable. If the top 150 wanted to come, we sure wouldn't turn them down. If I've got receivers I like and there are five of them, I want all five of them here. We want it to be fun. We want it to be a good time. We want them to get to know about Auburn. We also want them to meet each other and get to know each other."
- On his expectations after getting hit with secondary violations last year: ``The whole point is to get the kids here, to get them on campus and get to know them. If some of the pageantry is taken away, that's fine. We always want to respect the rules. That's never something we're going to take lightly. At the same time, you want to be on the cutting edge. You don't want to be in the box; you want to be on the outside."
Photo credit: Todd Van Emst/Auburn UniversityQuestions? Comments? Post directly to the blog below or email me at jgtate@gannett.com.
Big Cat Weekend rides again
 Hey everyone. Auburn will reprise its Big Cat Weekend extravaganza in May. What is Big Cat Weekend? Surely you jest. It's only a glitzy enterprise that involves a slew of top recruits making mass unofficial visits. Auburn created the event in 2009, which led to some strikes and gutters. Strikes: Several of those attendees signed with Auburn. Gutterballs: Several coaches committed secondary violations during BCW. I am here at the Athletic Complex. I will be talking with people about this situation within the hour. As always, I'll pass along what they say. Have a nice day.
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Hey everyone. Alabama beat the Tigers today in a sloppy game.
