Cotton Bowl:
Not too much to say here. It was an ugly win, but a win is a win. An 11 win season is nothing to sneer at. That was actually quite an accomplishment considering the lack of big play makers. Also, remember, Auburn was the only team to beat to BCS bowl teams (LSU and Florida). Auburn was also the only team to beat the National Champ Florida Gaytors. I will say this about our bowl game. . . Will Herring was all over the field. The Iron and Cotton bowls to me saw Will playing the most comfortable at linebacker he had been all season. CT will be severely missed. He wasn't the deep threat we all wanted but he caught everything and his leadership is irreplaceable.
As far as the Blackmon/Lester/Sears suspensions, I hate to see it but Tuberville has made it clear he wont tolerate rule breakers. Sears is gone, but Blackmon is young and could have bright future. I think he will be allowed back provided he takes the proper steps to correct his attitude and behavior. On Lester's side, I just think it was grades. He will be a star next year. Kudos to Tubbs for skipping the ice cream cone punishment philosophy.
Bama:
The activities recently by Alabama are disturbing. Granted they got the coach they wanted. That's all fine and dandy. Frankly, Nick Saban doesn't scare me, or any other Auburn fan or player. Players win games, not coaches. Alabama showed just how desperate they are by investing so much money (which could have gone to better the school or give academic scholarships to those who deserve it) in a coach who has proven he isn't long term material. I just think its absurd to pay that much. After all, it is a UNIVERSITY whose goal is to educate. It just seems like the priorities are out of order. Paying Saban 4 million a year is taking a lot from deserving students and new buildings on campus. Also, Saban attitude toward recruiting this year is pretty classless. His philosophy is if they haven't signed, they are fair game. Now that is a true statement, but I have read some articles about the stuff he is telling players. It is pretty ballsy.AU Basketball:
Man. It is great to see some success here. The Bama game the other night was phenomenal. First sellout since 99 when Chris Porter was here. The atmosphere was great. That was the first time seeing the place full so that was a great experience. I haven't seen an AU basketball team play that well in a long time. I have been to about 13 or 14 games this season. The team is very young and athletic. They aren't flashy but they play hard. Against Bama, they could do no wrong. The Florida game, well wasn't so great. It also sold out. Attendance was 11,700 which was the largest crowd since 94. But Auburn didn't play near as well as they did against Bama. I will say that the Officiating was awful. I'm not claiming that it cost us the game, but the poor calls kept us from having chances to make a comeback. But good things are ahead for the program. Maybe a long shot chance to get into the big tourney or at least the NIT.
Recruiting:
I'm sure everyone knows we picked up a big commitment from Lee Ziemba, a 5 star lineman from Arkansas. Also, Enrique Davis reaffirmed his commitment to Auburn and add in the promise from Kodi Burns and Auburn's 2007 class is top 10 material. Expect a few more commitments this week to solidify a strong class. I will post a breakdown on each player after signing day.
That's all for now. 2007 outlook coming soon.
By the way, if you haven't ever checked out theauburner, you should. Those guys are geniuses.
