Articles written by Blake Larsen

Long road to recovery ends for veteran Doolittle

wpolley — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 22:44:00 -0400

Doolittle

For most people, the prospect of grueling workouts and getting knocked around by offensive linemen all while rehabbing a torn tendon may not sound like a lot of fun.

Tez Doolittle is not “most people.”

This offseason, Doolittle was granted a sixth year of eligibility from the NCAA after missing the entire 2007 season because of a torn Achilles tendon in preseason practice.

After watching his performance Saturday, it is clear he is making the most of his opportunity.

“I had too much fun out there,” an enthusiastic Doolittle said in last Saturday’s post-game press conference.

Doolittle registered three tackles versus ULM, including one tackle for loss and a couple big stops in key situations.

“I had a fourth down stop,” Doolittle said. “I think Josh Bynes had us lined up wrong, I was in the wrong technique. But I just shot the gap, and he was right there.”

Auburn defensive line coach Don Dunn described the play in a more metaphoric manner.

“Coach Dunn said I looked like a blind dog in a meathouse,” Doolittle said.

Auburn defensive coordinator Paul Rhoads emphasized the importance of that tackle.

Southern Miss comes to Auburn

wpolley — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 22:07:00 -0400

Golden Eagle offense to challenge Tiger defense

Putting a shutout on ULM behind them, the Auburn Tigers (1-0, 0-0 SEC) are set to take on yet another spread offense when they host Southern Mississippi (1-0, 0-0 Conf. USA) Saturday.

Gerald McGrawth, No. 24, and C.J. Bailey, No. 20: wrap up Boise State’s Ian Johnson Sept. 27, 2007. Boise State took care of Southern Miss 38-16 in Hattiesburg, Miss. McGrawth led the team with 139 total tackles in 2007. COURTESY KING PHOTOGRAPHY

However, the Golden Eagles’ spread attack is coming off a 51-21 drubbing of Louisiana-Lafayette, a game in which the offense racked up 633 total yards (a new school record).

Auburn head coach Tommy Tuberville said the Tigers have already started watching tape of the Eagles’ opener.

“They’re a quick, no-huddle offense,” Tuberville said. “They have two real good running backs and a good, steady quarterback.”

Fedora

Southern Miss’ biggest change this off-season was at the head coaching position, a job that had been filled for 18 seasons by Jeff Bower, with the hire of former Oklahoma State offensive coordinator Larry Fedora.

The change seems to have only boosted the Golden Eagles’ offensive strategy, as Southern Miss rolled up 427 yards rushing and 206 yards passing in their season opener.

Much of the tremendous offensive production can be credited to star junior running back Damion Fletcher.

Fletcher ran for a career high 222 yards and two touchdowns, while his backup junior walk-on Bubba Kirksey tacked on an additional 110 yards.

Woe is Auburn: a look at the sky before it starts falling

wpolley — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 22:36:00 -0400

A Look into our Magic Crystal Ball

Well, I hate to say it, but Auburn football has officially received the kiss of death for the 2008-2009 season.

No, we haven’t lost all of our starters to injury or been put on probation.

Lee Corso has picked us to win the SEC.

With that in mind, let’s take a look into the grim future lurking on the horizon this season.

Those with high expectations for this year may want to avert their eyes from this column.

We start the year off against Louisiana Monroe, a juggernaut from the Sun Belt conference.

Well, actually they have averaged just five wins a season over the last five years, but that didn’t stop them from embarrassing Alabama so badly that Nick Saban related the loss to Pearl Harbor.

And if a Forbes cover-coach can’t handle them, what chance do we have?

Fortunately we have a couple out-of-conference cupcakes before the train completely derails.

Tennessee-Martin is a D-IAA school who will be our homecoming game, and Southern Miss should be easy enough to handle.

La Monroe brings quality depth, experience to Auburn

wpolley — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 21:21:00 -0400

Louisiana Monroe’s special teams unit: blocks a field goal attempt by Alabama’s Lee Tiffin. The Warhawks went on to defeat the Crimson Tide 21-14 in one of the biggest upsets in college football last season. Contributed by ULM AthleticsThe Auburn Tigers will open their 2008-2009 football season against an opponent that should be all too familiar to people from Alabama, particularly Alabama fans.

Louisiana Monroe, who finished last season with a 6-6 record in the Sun Belt Conference, shocked the college football world when they upset the Crimson Tide 21-14 in Tuscaloosa.

With the element of surprise no longer a factor, Coach Charlie Weatherbie’s Warhawks will travel to Auburn to face the No. 11 ranked Tigers in a 6 p.m. showdown to start the season.

“Louisiana Monroe is extremely well-coached,” said Auburn offensive coordinator Tony Franklin after Sunday’s practice.

Before coming to Auburn, Franklin coached at Troy, which is in the Sun Belt Conference with ULM.

“They play hard, run hard and are very strong,” Franklin said. “They believe they will come in here and win. They have a tremendous amount of pride.”

Summer jobs mean green

wpolley — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 01:00:00 -0400

Jessica Fewell: a sophomore in psychology, works at Stamp in downtown Auburn. Many students apply for summer jobs to make some extra money during the summer. JD Schein / ASSISTANT PHOTO EDITOR

Firecrackers on the Fourth of July, laying out by the pool and relaxing at home, spending time with family in 90 degree weather. Sounds like summer, right?

Unfortunately, for many Auburn students, starting a summer job has also forced its way into that relaxing summer schedule.

The lifestyle of an Auburn student certainly isn’t cheap. Books and tuition are just the beginning of the spending; once going out to dinner and hitting up the bars with friends is factored in to the equation, it’s easy to find yourself in a financial bind at the end of spring semester.

Sometimes, that means sacrificing a good chunk of your vacation time spent away from the books, and taking on a good-paying job instead.

Kelly Young, a junior in public relations, said she plans on working multiple jobs this summer.

“I will be working 20 hours a week for a non-paying internship at a PR firm in Atlanta,” Young said. “I will also be working at J. Crew, as well as baby-sitting.”

Shock campaigning has mixed reviews

wpolley — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 01:00:00 -0400

A common trend for organizations looking to impact college students’ opinions on serious political and social issues has been to use forms of shock advertising and campaigning.

Organizations and clubs promoting everything from abortion awareness and religion to gay rights and bringing home the troops have been all over the concourse and the campus in general, spreading their word through what is often considered “in your face” type campaigns.

Drink Up: new water alternative

wpolley — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 03:38:47 -0400

Thomas Coleman: sophomore in pre-building science, drinks a Vitamin Water for refreshment. Vitamin Water is just one of the many brands that sell flavored, vitamin-enriched water. The popularity of this water has led to a decrease in soft drink sales. Pete Riley / PHOTO

Water.

It makes up 75 percent of your muscle tissue, 83 percent of your blood and 25 percent of your body fat. And now it even provides a tasty alternative to a typically chalky multivitamin at breakfast.

Vitamin-enriched water, created by brands such as VitaminWater and Life Water, is the latest health craze that has taken over the United States, and experts say it is the source of the decline in soft drink sales.

The water itself is made up of vapor distilled water, electrolytes, sweetener and several different vitamins including Vitamins C, B3, B5, B12 and E.

VitaminWater, which is owned by Coca-Cola, adds different flavors and ingredients depending on the purpose and flavor of each type of water.

The new alternative to tap or purified water is excitingly welcomed by some students.

Slicing Up White vs. Wheat

wpolley — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 01:00:00 -0400

James Waldrop: a graduate student in exercise physiology, attempts to pick out a loaf of bread among the numerous choices available on the grocery store shelves. Kyle Cooper / ASSISTANT PHOTO EDITOR

Have you made the drastic diet change of buying whole wheat bread instead of white? If you haven’t yet, you may want to consider it.

According to an article by Nicky Pilkington, a writer for healthguidance.org, people who eat white bread instead of the whole grain wheat variety are missing out on a total of 30 nutrients.

Thirty nutrients that, Pilkington says, could have a considerable effect on your life.

“The nutritional difference is immense and has measurable impact on our health,” he said.

The impact, Pilkington said, is beneficial in several aspects of personal health.

Fantasy sport gains major leagues of fans

wpolley — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 01:00:00 -0400

Is my pitching rotation strong enough? Will my best batter be on the disabled list to start the season? Should I trade off that veteran aging catcher for a younger guy from the minors?

The aforementioned questions and many other similar thoughts are currently racing through the minds of fantasy baseball owners across the U.S.

Ever since the creation of the Strat-O-Matic baseball game that allowed players to use trading cards to track stats manually, baseball fans have embraced the concept of owning a ball club.

Many struggle to find motivation after spring break

wpolley — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 03:14:44 -0400

There are few things more disheartening to college students than the sound of a blaring alarm clock the first day back to classes after spring break.

Unfortunately, Auburn students met that reality this past Monday, an alarm that signals the end of sandy beaches, spending time with family and a week-long break from the books.

So how do students plan on getting back into the grind of studying and waking up early?

For Bradley White, a senior in criminology, it’s all about getting some much needed rest, as well as taking a break from the bars.