27 items found for your search. If no results were found please broaden your search.
(12/19/12 4:41pm)
The Montgomery man accused of shooting and killing three men at an Auburn apartment complex in June has been denied bond by a Lee County judge.Though he granted a $300,000 bond for Leonard's non-capital charges, Lee County Circuit Court Judge Jacob Walker III denied bond for Desmonte Leonard saying his defense did not present a good enough case for him to be released on his capital murder charges.Leonard will remain in custody at the Montgomery County jail.The defense, led by attorney Susan James, argued the denial of bond was unconstitutional, and said that the state's evidence against Leonard was not strong enough to deny bond under Alabama case law. The Lee County District Attorney’s Office said Leonard should not be released.Leonard, 23, pleaded not guilty to capital murder, attempted murder and assault charges for his alleged role in a shooting during a party at University Heights Apartments on June 9. Former Auburn University football players Ladarious Phillips and Ed Christian were killed as was Opelika resident DeMario Pitts. Current Auburn football player Eric Mack and Roanoke natives Xavier Moss and John Robertson were injured and survived.
(12/04/12 9:15pm)
Gus Malzahn will be announced as the next head football coach at Auburn at a 8 p.m. press conference tonight. The Arkansas State head coach was the offensive coordinator who helped bring Auburn a national championship in 2010.
Athletics Director Jay Jacobs said in a statement Tuesday afternoon that Malzahn was the runaway selection of the school's search committee, made up of Mac Crawford, Bo Jackson and Pat Sullivan.
"Coach Malzahn was the clear, unanimous choice of our search committee, and I am pleased that Dr. Gogue has accepted our recommendation," Jacobs said. "This is a great day for Auburn football and Auburn University."
Malzahn released a statement saying, "This is a homecoming for me and I look forward to being reunited with the Auburn family."
Auburn President Jay Gogue, who hinted earlier Tuesday in Montgomery that a decision may have already been made, said he was pleased to welcome Malzahn back to Auburn and thanked the search committee.
"They are each distinguished graduates of this great institution, and I'm grateful for their ongoing commitment," he said. "I appreciate them working so closely with Jay Jacobs as a team -- a very good team."
At Auburn, Malzahn worked with Chris Todd as quarterback in 2009 to break the school's passing touchdowns record. In 2010, he saw numerous offensive records rewritten with Cam Newton before seeing a step back in 2011. After the 2011 Chick-fil-A Bowl win over Virginia, Malzahn left for Jonesboro, Ark., where this year he led the Red Wolves to a top-20 ranking nationally.
Malzahn is fresh off leading his Arkansas State team to a 9-3 record and a Sun Belt title in his first year as a head coach. Arkansas State hired Malzahn last year after first-year coach Hugh Freeze left for Ole Miss.
Malzahn was a successful high school coach in northwest Arkansas at Shiloh Christian High School and Springdale High School before being hired by Houston Nutt as Arkansas' offensive coordinator for the 2006 season. He went to Tulsa the following year, where his offense led the nation in yards in 2007 and 2008.
Al.com reported Alabama defensive coordinator Kirby Smart was told Auburn had chosen Malzahn. AStateNation.com first reported Malzahn would be Arkansas State's new coach last year and again broke the news Tuesday afternoon.
Malzahn replaces Gene Chizik, who is also a former Auburn coordinator who helped with a perfect season.
(11/29/12 7:57pm)
The man who is accused of and confessed to poisoning the Toomer's oaks has returned to Louisiana after a Lee County judge released him Wednesday under certain bond conditions.
(11/25/12 9:36pm)
The Auburn Athletic Complex was a solemn, silent place on Sunday when players were informed of the impending departure of their head coach.
Thousand-yard rusher Tre Mason noted how heartbroken many of the players are.
“It was a rough day for everybody. There’s going to be a lot of tears shed because there’s a lot of relationships that may be put on hold or come to and end today,” said Mason. “I have nothing negative to say about coach Chizik because he’s done a lot for me and for this program. I wish him the best of luck in his future.”
Mason went into the Iron Bowl on Saturday needing 80 yards to reach 1,000 for the season. Auburn retook possession with 11 seconds remaining when Chizik told Mason he would get him the mark with one more carry.
“It just shows you what kind of guy he is. He sticks to his word, and he told me, ’we’re going to go ahead and get you 1000 yards,’” Mason said. “We were in the last seconds of the game, and everybody gave their all. Everybody’s pushing me in my back, trying to get me those extra yards.”
Jeffrey Whitaker said he thinks what the next coach needs to do to be successful is follow a lot of the game plan that Chizik followed. But he also said the players could see the dismissal coming.
“When you go through a season 3-9, you kind of see the writing on the wall, but at the same time everybody just wants to stick with each other,” Whitaker said. “At the end of the day, we kind of recruited each other, so we’re very aware of each other, and we just want to stick with each other.”
Phillip Lutzenkirchen said he knows Chizik is disappointed in himself.
“He’s very hard on himself, and he knew as commander-in-chief of this program that three wins wasn’t going to cut it either,” Lutzenkirchen said. “It was an emotional meeting. I think we did what he deserved and gave him a standing ovation.”
Lutzenkirchen echoed a common theme from the year’s post-game press conferences, saying that although the coaches will the ones taking the majority of the blame, it’s the players who are on the field.
“Coach Chizik is going to take all the blame for it, but at the same time, we’re the ones playing the game, and we’re the ones out there. We’re giving our best effort, but our best effort wasn’t good enough,” he said. "It’s tough. There’s a lot of mixed emotions going on, but it’s what Auburn has to do right now, and we just have to look forward.
“There’s so much love for coach Chizik from this team,” he continued. “Would we have loved to see him get another year, another opportunity? Yes, but at the same time we understand where Jay Jacobs is coming from.”
(11/25/12 7:45pm)
Auburn informed Gene Chizik today that he would not be returning as head football coach next year. The Tigers, two years removed from winning the BCS National Championship, wrapped up a 3-9 (0-8 SEC) season in Tuscaloosa on Saturday, falling 49-0 to SEC Championship-bound Alabama.
(11/25/12 1:03am)
The Auburn Tigers suffered what coach Gene Chizik called an "embarrassing" loss at the hands of cross-state rivals Alabama by a score of 49-0, ending their 2012 campaign with a 3-9 mark and the school's first ever 0-8 SEC season, raising speculation to a fever pitch around Chizik and his staff.
(11/24/12 10:38pm)
It took Nick Saban's Crimson Tide just under 30 minutes of game time to cover the five touchdown Vegas spread, and Alabama leads Auburn at the half 42-0.
(11/17/12 8:32pm)
Auburn's offensive efficiency headlined the first half against Alabama A&M as the Tigers scored five touchdowns on five possessions and lead 35-0 with thirty minutes to play.
Running backs Tre Mason and Onterio McCalebb had running space nearly every time they touched the ball, and together had 17 carries for 222 yards and three touchdowns.
Mason scored on Auburn's first possession, his 19-yard scamper the culmination of a 10-play drive that covered 66 yards, all but nine of which were on the ground. McCalebb matched Mason with a 19-yarder of his own that made it 14-0 Auburn late in the first quarter. After another short A&M possession, the Tigers went up 21-0 on a 86-yard Mason run.
Scores from fullback Jay Prosch and receiver Sammie Coates in the second quarter extended Auburn's lead to 35-0.
A&M's defense seemed to have no answers for Auburn's offensive line and running game, and Auburn continued to pound away with handoffs and pitches to its two backs.
Freshman quarterback Jonathan Wallace went 7-for-12 passing for 127 yards and the TD, with the bulk of his yards (70) coming from DeAngelo Benton. With Wallace taking the snaps, Auburn went 4-of-4 on third downs and has not yet punted.
Defensively for Auburn, the side has looked strong, holding A&M to just 120 yards and no points in the first half. The Bulldogs were just 1-for-6 on third downs and never threatened the red zone. A spot that needs work in the second half is young cornerback Joshua Holsey who has been picked on a few times by A&M quarterback Deaunte Mason. Mason is 9-of-13 for 105 yards and dropped a pass on a trick play that was A&M's best chance at getting inside Auburn's 20.
Mason (nine carries for 165 yards) and McCalebb (eight for 57) will look to be featured even more in the second half.
(10/17/12 10:35am)
Auburn's "come here once and fall in love" atmosphere has been discovered by newcomers for generations. Jason Crane jumped on the bandwagon after his summer visit and is already planning a return.
(10/15/12 10:30am)
An iconic Auburn landmark of more than 50 years will soon appear much di\0x93fferent to drivers coming into downtown from South College Street, though its name will still be a part of its replacement.
(10/13/12 8:36pm)
Auburn's fourth quarter woes on both sides of the ball continued as Ole Miss scored 24 of the game's final 27 points to win 41-20, dropping the Tigers to 0-4 in the SEC for the first time since 1980.
The Tigers turned in a mercurial performance that, at times, showcased a powerful running game and precise passing, complemented by a defense that tightened up when it needed to. However, it was also one that more often than not left fans from the Plains feeling something was lacking, especially once the fourth quarter rolled around. Auburn was outscored 17-0 in the fourth quarter and gained only four total yards of offense, bringing the season scoring in the final frame to a remarkable 62-3.
The Tigers have lost a conference-high six straight SEC games, with five of those losses being by 17 or more points.
"We had some unique things happen in the fourth quarter and failed to capitalize on a couple of opportunities," said Auburn coach Gene Chizik after the game. "But the guys played hard down to the end and never quit."
Auburn quickly fell into a 14-0 hole after a methodical nine-play, 80-yard drive was capped off by a 25-yard touchdown on a trick pass from former Rebel quarterback Randall Mackey, to current quarterback Bo Wallace.
Auburn's next drive was finished two plays after it began as a Tunde Fariyike snap soared over Clint Moseley's head and into the end zone, where it was recovered by Ole Miss' C.J. Johnson for a score and a 14-0 lead.
Auburn struck back with a long, run-heavy drive that ate nearly seven minutes off the clock and went 74 yards in 13 plays. Tre Mason was the star of the drive and punched it in from a yard out to pull Auburn within seven.
Ole Miss head coach Hugh Freeze decided to gamble on Ole Miss' next drive, going for a fourth and one from just inside his own 50. Auburn defensive back Jermaine Whitehead made a huge play, stopping Mackey at the line of scrimmage, putting the ball back in Moseley's hands in great field position.
The Auburn drive stalled, however, and they were forced to punt, downing it at the six-yard-line.
The swing in field position helped Auburn immensely and on its first play from scrimmage after receiving the ball back, Moseley aired it out to receiver Sammie Coates for a 42-yard pick-up to the Ole Miss six. Tre Mason scored his second touchdown on the next play, and Auburn tied it at 14-14.
On the ensuing kickoff Auburn kicker Cody Parkey recovered his own on-side kick, briefly stunning the Vaught-Hemingway Stadium crowd. The offense then had a big drive stall after reaching the Rebel red zone, due to a false start and a five-yard loss by Onterio McCalebb. The team settled for a field goal to take a 17-14 lead with a minute to go in the half. Moseley went into halftime 8-8, passing for 90 yards with no sacks.
Ole Miss ran the show from that point on.
A quick drive nearly put the ball in the end zone before Freeze decided to take a field goal as the first-half clock expired, tying the game at 17 as the Oxford crowd of 57,068 prepared to watch its homecoming festivities.
Ole Miss came out of the gate for the second half on a tear and marched 73 yards in just four plays to retake the lead at 24-17 and didn't look back. Though Auburn held its own for the rest of the third quarter, the offense only managed a 31-yard field goal by Parkey, and it was 24-20 as the teams geared up for the fourth quarter - which was again Auburn's undoing.
After an Ole Miss field goal early in the fourth that made it 27-20, the teams swapped possession before an 11-yard Ole Miss punt whimpered out-of-bounds inside its own 40, seemingly giving the Auburn offense at least three points. After an initially confusing moment following the punt, the officials - who were mostly invisible all game - called an offside penalty on an unidentified Auburn defender and allowed a re-kick. There was a 40-yard difference following the re-kick, and Auburn was backed up to its own 20.
From there, the offense didn't muster much and the implosion culminated with what is sure to be an Ole Miss fan favorite video for years to come. Running back Jeff Scott - who ran all over Auburn all day - broke a short checkdown pass on third and 19 for a 55-yard touchdown, after nearly everyone in the stadium thought he was down short of the first down markers. A review showed the call of a touchdown was correct and the Rebels' fans made the stadium the loudest it had been all day. After the game, Whitehead said though there are no excuses for that kind of play, he felt maybe the players let up because they were worried about receiving a flag for roughness after the play.
The 34-20 score proved overwhelming at the end for the Auburn offense, and a Moseley interception led to a Wallace touchdown run, sealing the win at 41-20. Wallace became the first quarterback in Ole Miss history to throw, receive and rush for a touchdown in the same game, bringing back bittersweet memories of Cam Newton's Oxford performance two seasons ago.
Moseley's second half was abysmal, even before comparing it to his perfect first half. He finished the half 3-10 for 22 yards, with two sacks and an interception.
Auburn is 1-5 for the first time since 1998. Perhaps a streak of sunlight in the storm surrounding Chizik's program is the fact that Auburn never seems to stay down too long. Dating back to Pat Dye's hire over thirty years ago, Auburn has followed up a losing season with a nine-win season no more than two years later.
(10/03/12 1:05am)
The trials of former Auburn football players Dakota Mosley, Michael McNeil and Shaun Kitchens were postponed again as the court is waiting for further test results on evidence said attorneys for the accused men.
(09/23/12 11:17am)
Lee County joined in with much of the rest of the state in voting overwhelmingly to approve an amendment to the Alabama constitution that would move $437 million dollars from the state trust fund to its general fund over three years. This would amount to approximately $145 million per year.
(09/19/12 11:11am)
Auburn's spirit will continue to be felt in a dozen statewide prisons after a $50,000 grant for the school's prison education project was awarded Aug. 30.
(09/16/12 10:28am)
Many people leave high school and home for college and immediately want to leave all their old friends behind.
(09/12/12 11:09am)
While Auburn's fall sports teams are kicking their seasons into high gear and facing opponents from around the country, two Auburn professors are fighting a more global enemy.
(09/08/12 11:46pm)
In nearly every interview after the game, players and coaches were talking about missed opportunities and mental lapses.
(09/08/12 11:35am)
Auburn last lost its season opener in 2005, falling at home to Reggie Ball and the Yellow Jackets of Georgia Tech 23-14, snapping a 15-game winning streak. The Tigers stayed home the next week and bounced back against Mississippi State 28-0.
(09/05/12 11:38am)
Auburn city officials are putting in motion a $1.3 million plan to liven up the area around the downtown parking deck and its neighbors.
(08/28/12 6:03pm)
Auburn police want the public's help with identifying a man who allegedly damaged the Gay Street parking deck's gate arm on Aug. 11.