Senior guard Blanche Alverson named Homecoming Queen
Blanche Alverson is used to hearing her name called out over the loudspeaker, but Saturday afternoon proved to be something special.
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Blanche Alverson is used to hearing her name called out over the loudspeaker, but Saturday afternoon proved to be something special.
College football is full of characters, especially in the Southeastern Conference. Johnny "Football" Manziel and Cam Newton, who we all know is Superman, are two of many.
Auburn knows Nell Fortner as the coach who led the 2008-2009 women's basketball team to an SEC championship; the nation knows her as the coach who led the 2000 Olympic women's national team to a gold medal. Now, the San Antonio Sports Hall of Fame knows her as its newest member.
Coming into a new offense as a junior isn't an easy task, but fullback Jay Prosch has shown it isn't impossible.
Auburn entered the game desperate for a win. Texas A&M came into Jordan-Hare Stadium hungry to right the loss it was handed last week against LSU. Unfortunately for the home team, the Aggies got what they wanted, handing the Tigers its worst loss since 1917.
Johnny Football stormed into Jordan-Hare Stadium and did something no Auburn quarterback has done this season. After 30 minutes of play, Manziel has personally accounted for four of the Aggies six touchdowns as the Tigers trail 42-7 going into the locker room.
After yet another tough SEC loss over the weekend, Auburn will host the high-scoring Texas A&M Aggies in the second night game at Jordan-Hare Stadium this season.
Auburn's swimming and diving team continued its dominance Friday, Oct. 12, besting Alabama in 24-of-26 events in the season-opening dual meet at the James E. Martin Aquatic Center.
Championship teams need leaders. That's the way it's always been and the way it will always be. Say what you will about the 2012 Auburn Tigers, but at the end of the day, this season will be de\0x93fined by those that put the team on their backs and exemplify what it means to be hard workers.
Arkansas and Auburn saw this game as one thing: a must-win. But thanks to five Tiger turnovers, it was ultimately the Razorbacks who came out on top, handing Auburn its fourth loss of the season in a 24-7 victory. "The bottom line is that the Auburn fans and the Auburn family, they did not deserve this today," said coach Gene Chizik. "And I apologize to anybody who came to the game to watch it. It was a good football team talent-wise, but we certainly have plenty of opportunities to play much better. We just didn’t get it done. So, it is no excuses, and that is about as simple as I can put it." Auburn's struggle spanned both sides of scrimmage, with the focus being the quarterback switch at halftime that saw Clint Moseley's first playing time of the season. Through the first 30 minutes of play, sophomore quarterback Kiehl Frazier threw for arguably his best game of the year, completing 9-of-14 for 131 yards, but four sacks, zero points and an interception forced the coaching staff to reconsider who should be under center. "We just felt like we needed a spark," Chizik said. "We needed something a little different, and that doesn’t mean that’s the way it is going to stay. We felt like at that time, again, we needed something different, and we did it, and we will go back and re-evaluate it again this week and see where we are. That doesn’t mean the change is permanent. Kiehl handled it well." The Razorbacks got on the board first following a two-yard rush into the endzone by running back Dennis Johnson with 1:02 to play in the first. Arkansas added to its lead midway through the second after kicker Zach Hocker sailed a 27-yard field goal through the uprights. Auburn came into the second half trailing 10-0 hoping a new quarterback would add some much needed offensive inspiration. Arkansas' defensive had another idea. Moseley finished the third quarter completing just 4-of-10 passes for 55 yards and three sacks. However, a 21-yard completion to senior receiver Emory Blake gave the Tigers exactly what they needed: a touchdown. With 33 seconds remaining in the third, Auburn cut the Razorback lead to three and rejuvenated the worried Auburn fans, but it was too little too late. It took quarterback Tyler Wilson and the Arkansas offense just over two minutes to drive 75 yards downfield and extend the lead to 10. Then, just two and a half minutes later, Auburn running back Mike Blakely fumbled the ball on the Auburn 40-yardline. Defensive end Colton Miles-Nash recovered the ball to give the Razorbacks possession with 11 minutes left in the game. “You saw the game," Chizik said. "We had two weeks to prepare, and I really felt like we had two good weeks of practice. I certainly didn’t expect to play like we played today, but the reality of it is, today we did all of the things you can’t do and win, and we know that." The turnover proved to be fatal. Arkansas moved the ball effortlessly, needing just seven plays to put the nail in Auburn's coffin. Johnson's two-yard touchdown rush over left guard was a mirror image of the Razorbacks' first touchdown. Auburn was never able to recover. In a last-ditch effort to produce points, Moseley threw two interceptions, ending Auburn's hopes of a comeback and bringing its record to 1-4, 0-3 SEC. “We understand where we are at," Chizik said. "We have won one game so there has been a sense of urgency in everything that we do. Again, that is why I felt like we had two weeks of practice, and I felt very good about our practices. What I saw out there today was very disappointing in terms of the quality of our practices versus the results of the game today. It wasn’t exactly what I had expected." The Tigers finished the day with 321 total offensive yards. Blake led the team in receiving yards, amassing 118 yards on just 10 catches. Quarterbacks Frazier and Moseley threw for a combined three interceptions and were each dropped for a loss four times. "Offensively, you can’t turn the ball over five times, and this is the result that you get. We missed big opportunities. Eight sacks. Offensively, one of the most poor performances I have seen in a long time, just point blank. Defensively, we started out slow and for three quarters defended the field pretty well, made some big third down stops. Again, when we needed a stop, when we pulled the game to a 10-7 game, we couldn’t quite come up with a stop there. But again, I thought it was all around a team loss. Again, we are going to go back to work, and we are going to continue to figure out how to fix it." Auburn will face another SEC team Oct. 13 at Ole Miss.
Tyler Wilson continued his offensive dominance in the first half of play, leading the Razorbacks to a 10-0 advantage over Auburn after 30 minutes of play. Wilson came out hot, connecting with wide receiver Cobi Hamilton for a 41-yard play to move the chains to the Auburn 34-yardline. Wilson completed his next two passes before the Tigers' defense forced a fourth-and-goal to set up a 26-yard field goal attempt for Arkansas' Zach Hocker. The kick hit off the right upright to leave the game tied 0-0 with 11:05 remaining in the first quarter. Auburn's first drive of the game came up short, moving just 36 yards on nine plays. Sophomore quarterback Kiehl Frazier completed his first three passes, hitting senior wide receiver Emory Blake twice and freshman receiver Ricardo Louis for a total of 23 yards. Arkansas' defense collected its first sack on the game after defensive ends Chris Smith and Trey Flowers found Frazier for a 5-yard loss. Five plays later, on third-and-7, middle linebacker Alonzo Highsmith pushed past the Auburn offensive line to drop Frazier for 11 yards, forcing the Tigers to punt. Punter Steven Clark sailed the ball 44 yards into the in-zone, giving the Razorbacks the ball on their own 20-yardline. Wilson then conducted an 80-yard drive, ending with a 2-yard rush over left guard into the in-zone by running back Dennis Johnson to light up the scoreboard first. Hocker's point after attempt sailed through the uprights, giving Arkansas a 7-0 lead with 1:02 left in the first. The Razorback defense came out strong in the second quarter, collecting its third sack when defensive tackle Robert Thomas dropped Frazier for a loss of 12 yards. The next play saw Frazier's first incompletion of the game. Clark's 35-yard punt gave the ball back to the Razorbacks on their own 19-yardline. The Tiger defense stopped the Arkansas drive after one set of downs, but a fumble by Blake gave the visiting team the ball with 9:01 on the clock. The last score of the half, a 27-yard field goal by Hocker, pushed the Razorback lead to 10 going into the locker room. Wilson completed 14-of-18 for 163 yards, while Frazier was held to 9-of-14 for 131 yards.
Jonathan Wallace holds the promise of production.
The PositivesWe may have won a game that was against a school that has never had a winning season since joining the FBS by only three points, but hey, we lost to the No. 2 team in the country by only two. That has to mean something, right? A 1-3 record going into October isn’t exactly reassuring, but at least Auburn’s displaying signs of improvement. Kiehl Frazier looked like a 5-year-old playing in his first Pop Warner game Sept. 1. He was scared, timid and downright terrified of the 300-pound lineman running straight toward him. Fast forward four weeks and Frazier has begun to show glimpses of why USA Today named him the 2010 National Offensive Player of the Year. I mean did you see that touchdown catch against ULM? Now don’t start calling him the second coming of Cam, but the talent is there. He just has to show it to the nation. Then there’s the defense. Sure, tackling hasn’t exactly been their strong suit, but when it came time to suit up against LSU they actually looked decent (shout out to Corey Lemonier). It may not be much, but it’s a step in the right direction. Let’s just say I’m willing to bet my lucky Auburn hat that we win at least one game in October.The NegativesWe lost to the No. 2 team in the country 12-10, but only managed to beat a Sun Belt team by three. Am I the only one that has a problem with this? Didn’t think so. Then there’s the problem of turnovers. Ah, those pesky turnovers. Here’s lookin’ at you, Frazier. I know you’re new to this and all, but seven interceptions in four games? Or what about that Mississippi State game? You know, the one where you threw three picks and forgot how to hold a football twice? Don’t get me wrong, I think you’re great, but how do you expect to win a game when you keep giving your opponent the ball and perfect field position on a silver platter? Enough about the offense. Let’s talk about tackling, or lack there of. Look, I’ve never played football in the SEC, but I’ve watched my fair share of games, at least enough to know what a tackle looks like. I get it. They’re bigger and faster and much scarier than on TV, but you’re bigger and faster and scarier too. And what better time than next Saturday to prove that to Arkansas, and yourselves?Surprise of the seasonCody Parkey, thank you. Thank you for single-handedly saving our season. Thank you for making nine straight field goals, especially that beauty in overtime against ULM. Thank you for not letting us start 2012 with four straight losses. And most of all, thank you to your parents for giving you great genes. Now I understand Parkey’s talent hasn’t exactly come out of nowhere; he was pretty solid last season. No, it’s not his kicking ability that is this season’s biggest surprise. It’s how he uses that ability to give his team the best chance they possibly have at a win. It was Parkey that made four field goals against Clemson to put Auburn up 19-16 with 12:50 to go in the fourth. It was Parkey that sailed a 23- yard field goal through the uprights to push Auburn past Mississippi State, if only for roughly two and a half minutes. It was Parkey that sealed the Tiger victory over ULM in overtime. And it was Parkey who scared the Bayou nation last Saturday night with his 40 yard field goal to take a one-point lead going into halftime. Thanks again, Cody.
Sophomore wide receiver Quan Bray was arrested Sept. 28 in Carrollton, Ga., for violating his driving permit.
It took Hunter Morris only 136 games to make his name known throughout the minors.
Auburn's last minute drive to steal a miracle upset ended with a fourth-down interception by LSU cornerback Tharold Simon to seal the No. 2 Bayou Bengals' 12-10 victory at Jordan-Hare Stadium.
Zach Mettenberger, welcome to the SEC. Questions surrounded the No. 2 LSU quarterback's ability going into his first SEC and road game as a starter, and, after two quarters, those questions got louder. With thirty minutes of play under his belt, Mettenberger has put up solid numbers, throwing 9-for-11 with 69 yards. Oh yeah, and two fumbles. Auburn's shaky defense has shown major improvement, putting pressure on the inexperienced quarterback to force turnovers at key moments. The first came midway through the first quarter at the Auburn 2-yard line. Junior defensive tackle Jeffrey Whitaker blasted his was through LSU's defense, taking Mettenberger with him. The Bayou Bengal gift quickly went sour when defensive end Sam Montgomery found Tre Mason in the end zone for an LSU safety. The safety was the first against Auburn since 2008 against Mississippi State. LSU pushed the lead to nine on the next drive, thanks to a 2-yard waltz into the in-zone by running back Michael Ford. Four minutes later, Auburn responded. With 1:02 left in the quarter, Mettenberger recorded his second fumble at the hands of junior defensive end Corey Lemonier, the seventh forced fumble of his career. Sophomore defensive lineman Angelo Blackson recovered the football at the LSU 26 to put the Tigers in scoring position. Three downs later, it was 9-6. Cody Parkey sailed the PAT attempt through the uprights, making it a two point game. The only points of the second quarter came with 1:21 remaining. Parkey's 40-yard rocket put Auburn on top for the first time in the game, 10-9. The kick was Parkey's ninth consecutive, the longest Auburn streak since Wes Byrum in 2009-2010. Auburn closed the half with 88 yards on 24 plays, nearly 100 yards less than LSU who collected 103 rushing yards and 78 yards through the air.
It doesn't matter if Auburn wins its next 10 regular season games, the Tigers 0-2 record ranks 2012 in the top 10 worst starts in Auburn football history.
Auburn had no answer to Mississippi State's hard-hitting defense, amassing just 216 total yards of offense in its 28-10 SEC opener defeat at Scott Field in Starkville, Miss.
Auburn should be estatic.