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VIDEO: Nick Marshall, Kris Frost, Cameron Artis Payne, and C.J. Uzomah speak to press after 31-7 win

Seniors reflect on last home game

The Auburn Tigers week 13 game against the Samford Bulldogs marked the end of the 2014 home schedule and the last time Auburn's seniors take to Pat-Dye Field. Led by senior quarterback, Nick Marshall, the Tigers won 31-7 to take their record to 8-3. Despite a poor first quarter where he threw a pick and had only two completions for six yards, Marshall ended with 171 yards on 18 completions with one touchdown pass. Senior running backs Cameron Artis-Payne and Corey Grant shared the running back responsibilities for the night. Artis-Payne ran for 129 yards on 24 carries including a seven-yard rush for a score with 0:39 left in the second quarter. Artis-Payne became a member of an elite group including Tre Mason, Bo Jackson, Rudi Johnson and Cam Newton as Auburn players to rush for over 1,400 yards in a season. "I wasn't a part of their recruiting class, and when I got here they treated me like family," said Artis-Payne, "The Auburn Family is really not something we just say, it's real. I appreciate and love all (the seniors) just like they're my brothers so it's hard to see this thing coming to an end." Grant ended the game with only four yards on three carries, but with 8:36 left in the third quarter, Grant caught a 13-yard pass from Marshall to put the tigers up 24-7. Fellow senior Quan Bray had a sizeable impact on the tiger's offense ending with 3 rushes for 45 yards, including a 23-yard handoff for a score with 6:50 left in the second quarter. Bray also tallied 56 yards on 4 receptions and ended with a total of 131 all-purpose yards. Bray became the first Auburn player to complete a rushing touchdown, receiving touchdown and punt return touchdown in the same season. Senior tight end, C.J. Uzomah was very honest after the game about what this last home game meant to him. "It was an emotional feeling, at the Tiger Walk, I saw my mom and I was tearing up," said Uzomah, "It's definitely an emotional feeling knowing that it's the last time I'm going out on Jordan-Hare to play." The Tigers defense, led by seniors Gabe Wright, Jonathan Mincy, Robinson Therezie, and Jermaine Whitehead, gave up a total of 238 yards and forced two turnovers. Mincy ended the night with an interception with 6:10 left in the 4th quarter to go with six tackles. After the game, defensive back Jermaine Whitehead said that his last game in Jordan-Hare was one of the best moments he's experienced considering only a few weeks ago he was benched. "That was one of the most amazing things ever," said Whitehead, "Especially where my career almost went. It's a testament to all the hard work we've put in over the years." Head coach Gus Malzahn spoke about what it means to be able to send his seniors out with a win and the impact that they've had on the team. "I'm very happy for our seniors," said Malzahn, "It's a special group and it's good to send them out on a high note. They've been phenomenal for our program, not just as players, but as individuals." This current class of seniors end their Auburn careers with a 23-6 when defending home field.

Players look to end careers on positive note

Although two consecutive losses put their national title hopes out the window, the seniors are ready to put that behind them and finish their last season on a high note. "The thing about Auburn is we're going to have high expectations and that's just the way it's going to go," said head coach Gus Malzahn. "You're disappointed when you don't reach some of your goals. That's part of it." The tight-knit group of 20 seniors, who will be honored on Pat Dye Field before playing in their last home game for Senior Day, have been through some of the highest of highs and lowest of lows in Auburn football. The majority of the seniors officially committed to Auburn weeks after the 2010 BCS National Championship victory in hopes of winning a crystal ball of their own while playing for the Tigers. After one of the worst seasons in Auburn football history, the 3-9 2012 season, it looked as if that goal would be completely out of reach. But the group responded with the biggest turnaround in college football history on its way to becoming 2013 SEC Champions, while taking down rivals Georgia and Alabama in back-to-back dramatic, unforgettable fashions. Although they came up 13 seconds short last year and a few games short of that goal this season, the seniors said they are ready to lead the team and bounce back for these final two regular season games. "The mindset of our team is to finish 2-0," said quarterback Nick Marshall. "Everyone is still together. We don't have anyone pointing fingers at each other." Malzahn said anytime a team is beat convincingly, such as the 34-7 loss to Georgia, it is important for the coach to solve the issues he needs to solve as a coach and move forward. "We have to be big boys," Malzahn said. "We've got to learn from it and bounce back." According to the coaches, since this group of seniors has seen it all during their time on the Plains, they will be the ones expected to lead the team to a turnaround in the last two games. "Obviously, you look at your seniors and your pivotal positions," said offensive coordinator Rhett Lashlee. "I think we've got plenty of guys (who can lead). From Reese (Dismukes) to Nick (Marshall) to C.J. (Uzomah) to even Quan (Bray) at times. (Cameron Artis-Payne) and Corey (Grant) don't say much, but their play speaks for themselves and the way they carry themselves. You look to all of those older guys who have been there. This is a group that has won 19 games in less than two years, so they know how to win. It's just as a collective whole group, they've got to bounce back." Uzomah said the team's recent struggles are solely the responsibility of the seniors. "The majority of this falls on the seniors," Uzomah said. "It's up to us to raise our level and raise everyone else's." Uzomah said their last game together in Jordan-Hare Stadium will be an emotional time for all of the seniors, but they are looking forward to getting the job done against the Samford Bulldogs. "I wouldn't change my four-year experience here for anything," Uzomah said. "There definitely has been some downs and lows. But there's been highs with last season and even this season. The bond that the seniors and underclassmen have, we are a family. That kind of bond is going to last a lifetime."

Offense doesn't get it done in Auburn's 34-7 loss to Georgia

The Tigers showed promise in their opening drive against the Bulldogs. The march included three straight third down conversions and a 26-yard touchdown run by Cameron Artis-Payne to give the Tigers an early lead. However, that touchdown would be Auburn's only score of the evening as Georgia would go on to win 34-7 in the lowest-scoring performance under head coach Gus Malzahn. "I'm disappointed," Auburn offensive coordinator Rhett Lashlee said," We didn't get it done. Really at every spot, we didn't get it done so we're very disappointed. Obviously as coaches we're disappointed and our players are disappointed that they didn't get it done." The Tigers turned the ball over three times in the game, handing the momentum over to a surging Georgia team on their home field. "At the end of the day, they kicked our tail and that's just the reality of it," Lashlee said. "We didn't get it done and they beat us." The offensive line struggled as the SEC's leading rusher Artis-Payne was held to just 86-yards on 20 carries. Georgia dominated Auburn at the line of scrimmage taking the offense out of its rhythm. "Well, we still lead the league in rushing and we've been running the ball pretty well," Lashlee said. "Saturday we just didn't get it done so we've got to work on fixing that this week." The pass protection wasn't much better for the Tigers as Nick Marshall was under pressure for most of the game in his return to Athens. Marshall completed 11 passes for 112-yards, and interception, finishing with a QBR of 40.6. Now out of the SEC West race, Lashlee and the Tigers will look to their seniors on the offensive side of the ball for leadership as the regular season winds down. "You look at Nick at quarterback, Reese (Dismukes) at center. Those are the first two who come to mind," Lashlee said. "Someone like a Cameron Artis-Payne is not going to say a lot, but I thought his play spoke fine. He played hard and played well. A guy like C.J. (Uzomah) is a senior. You know, you look at your older guys and some of your juniors that have been there. But just as a collective whole as a group, you've got to bounce back. Although disappointed, Lashlee knows that there is still more football to be played. "Like I said, we're going to find a lot about what we're made of and how we respond. Last week was very disappointing and this week was extremely disappointing. It's all about how we respond. As coaches, we've got to respond well if we want our players to respond well. We've still got plenty to play for."

Seniors ready to return to home state in matchup vs. UGA

The last time the Auburn Tigers traveled to Athens, Georgia, was when they were knocked out of the top-25 after losing 45-7 to the Bulldogs in 2011.

Defense looking to end sluggish starts

The Auburn Tigers have done everything they can to put last week's loss behind them and prepare for a tough matchup against Georgia, head coach Gus Malzahn said in Tuesday's press conference. The Tigers aren't concerned with last year's miraculous win over the Bulldogs, but focused on getting off to a better start defensively in Sanford Stadium than they did last week against Texas A&M. The Aggies offense stunned the Tigers' defense that allowed 35 first-half points in a sold-out Jordan-Hare Stadium. "We're going to get better at (tackling and communication)," Malzahn said. "A lot of it, the tackling, is being in the right position in the first place. We got some veteran guys, and I feel like we will finish strong in that area." As the game last Saturday rolled on, the Tigers' defense got more comfortable and held the Aggies to two field goals in the second half. "Once we get into the game, especially the second half, our guys are playing better and settling down," Malzahn said. "We got to get off to a better start defensively." Auburn's defense has to step up this weekend if they don't want another upset. The scheduled return of the Bulldog's star running back Todd Gurley and freshman Nick Chubb and Sony Michel make one of the nation's deepest backfields. "First of all, they got two freshman running backs that are extremely talented, and you can definitely see that," Malzahn said. "They've been effective, and of course when you add Gurley in he is one of the better individual players at any position." Auburn's pass defense suffered against A&M's freshman Kyle Allen as he threw for four first-half touchdowns against the Tigers. Since sophomore Carl Lawson was injured in the offseason, the Tigers have not had anyone step and consistently put pressure on the quarterback. "That's a big factor in our defense is being able to put pressure on a quarterback with just four guys, and at times we've not gotten that done," Malzahn said. "What we got to do is figure out ways to disrupt things and put pressure on the quarterback." The offensively minded Malzahn said it is his job to get the most out the team, including the defense. "I'm confident in the leadership guys we have, but at the same time as a head coach you try to give your team the best chance at being successful," Malzahn said. In other Auburn football news, junior wide receiver D'haquille Williams, who suffered a right knee injury early in the second quarter last week, is unlikely to play Saturday against the Bulldogs, according to Malzahn. "He's week to week right now," Malzahn said. "We'll see how he progresses." Senior wide receiver Quan Bray said when Williams went down it was a big loss for the team, but junior Melvin Ray and senior C.J. Uzomah stepped up for him at times. The Tigers have to do the same thing moving forward. "Other people just got to step up, and I'm sure we got athletes and players to step up and get the job done, and I think we will do that," Bray said.

Fulse seeks more reps at H-back

Shortly after Auburn's loss to Florida State in the national championship game, Brandon Fulse told tight ends coach Scott Fountain he wanted to take on a bigger role for the Tigers in 2014. The senior said he wants to fill Jay Prosch's shoes at H-back. "It was really good to hear that," Fountain said. "What's even better is he took it into the weight room, he took it into spring. I feel like in camp, he's a different guy. He's playing with a different pad level and different energy. He's becoming a good leader for us." Arguably the best fullback in college football last season, Prosch left the Plains for an NFL career with the Texans. According to Fulse, the H-back position is one of the key positions besides quarterback. "This is a big role," Fulse said. "We open up holes for everybody, and we hit our perimeter blocks for running backs, receivers. We mostly do it all; we go out, catch passes, we do it all, protect for the quarterback. We just do it all for this offense." The Fort Meade, Florida, native tries to mimic Prosch by watching his film. "I've been watching some last-year film with Jay Prosch, just trying to get the blocking down on what he does because he's a physical guy," Fulse said. "I'm trying to be as physical as Jay Prosch." Fulse said Prosch gave him some advice before he left Auburn. "The opposition is fresh in the beginning, but they wear off, so just maintain your physicality and play fast all game," Prosch said to Fulse. Offensive coordinator Rhett Lashlee said there are things Fulse has done well, and there are other things he's still working on to get better. "Brandon has been good at the point of attack," Lashlee said. "We've just got to continue to rep him on some things that he just needs to keep accumulating more reps on so he can execute the block better." The senior's first catch this season was a 3-yard touchdown against South Carolina on Saturday, Oct. 25. "I was like, 'No one's ripping it out; I'm not dropping it,'" Fulse said. "Either way, however I had to catch it, I was going to catch it." Lashlee said Fulse and senior C.J. Uzomah give Auburn the best chances playing the H-back position. "We might look at doing some things to help those guys out and try to focus on what they do better, but those are two senior guys we're counting on," Lashlee said. As an older player on the team, Fulse competes with his teammates for the starting job and said he doesn't have any friends on the field during practices. "Off the field all the guys are my friends," Fulse said. "They're my brothers."

Womens Soccer Wins

Auburn has now won three of their last four matches while the team looks to improve their post-season resume. (C.J. Holmes l Sports Writer)

C.J. Uzomah named to John Mackey Award watch list

Auburn coaches got more than they came for during a first round game of the 2008 state playoffs between North Gwinett and Lassiter high schools in Georgia. They were there to watch Lassiter's Philip Lutzenkirchen, future Auburn football star. They got to see Lutzenkirchen haul in nine catches for 112 yards and something extra on the other side of the ball. A sophomore playing for North Gwinett stepped in at wide receiver that night because of injuries and scored three touchdowns to beat Lutzenkirchen and Lassiter 43-21. That high school sophomore was C.J. Uzomah. Lutzenkirchen, who died in a car crash in June, went on to do great things at Auburn after high school, and Uzomah was only a few steps behind him. "I heard from (Auburn) after the season was over, when I was playing basketball," Uzomah said. "I was pretty excited about that. I have some family friends that went here, and they always talked about how great Auburn was." Tigers' tight end Uzomah was one of 33 players named to the John Mackey Award midseason watch list last Monday, Oct. 20. The award is given annually to college football's top tight end. The 6-foot-5, 264-pound senior has six catches for 74 yards and two touchdowns this season. He has 24 catches for 364 yards and six touchdowns in his career. Uzomah attributed much of his football success to Lutzenkirchen at SEC Media Days. "He really opened me up out of my shell," Uzomah said. "He really calmed me down when those bullets were flying. He has been a huge impact on my play, on my development as a football player; The ability to study film, to kind of understand coach Malzahn's lingo, which has helped tremendously. He had a huge impact on me." After catching a nine-yard-touchdown pass from senior quarterback Nick Marshall in Auburn's win against LSU, Uzomah broke out Lutzenkirchen's old touchdown celebration in the end zone, the Lutzie. "That was my attempt at it," Uzomah said. "In my head, it just clicked right when I caught the pass to do it. That was just my tribute to him. He's affected my life and the Auburn community tremendously." The record-breaking tight end is not the only one who helped Uzomah get where he is today. Having strict parents helped him as well, Uzomah said. "I had to do my chores," Uzomah said. "We have an alarm clock, and if it went off before I went home, they would cut back my curfew an hour for the whole week. If I was late from that point on, I just couldn't go out. That helped a lot. It made me accountable." The emphasis on family helped Uzomah decide to come to Auburn. "Auburn is like Suwanee to me," Uzomah said. "It's not too big and not too small. There's an unreal atmosphere with fans and friends. I knew I'd be around good people."

C.J. Uzomah crossing the endzone right before his touchdown tribute dance to Lutzie.

C.J. Uzomah crossing the endzone right before his touchdown tribute dance to Lutzie. (Emily Enfinger | Assistant Photo Editor)

OPINION: Midseason Southeastern Conference award watch

We are past the midway point in the regular season, and it has been an exciting eight weeks to say the least. For the first time, four of the top five teams in the AP Poll are from the SEC West, and the college football playoff race is heating up. The SEC continues to prove to be the nation's best conference, so here are my updated projections for its top performers.

Student recognized with Political Science Leadership Award

Auburn University student Carol Linde was recognized Oct. 7, for earning Auburn's Political Science Leadership Award. The award is given annually to an Auburn student who the department of political science chooses to recognize for their accomplishments in the classroom and community. Linde, a native of Delaware, is a senior in the College of Liberal Arts double majoring in political science and psychology and minoring in English and women's studies. U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers presented Linde with a Congressional Record detailing her many accomplishments and leadership skills at the awarding ceremony, which took place in Room 2222 of the Auburn Student Center at 1:30 p.m. "It is my honor to announce that Ms. Carol Linde is this year's winner of Auburn's Political Science Leadership Award," Rogers said at the ceremony. "A faculty committee selected Carol after careful consideration of her outstanding credentials." Other people who acknowledged Linde at the ceremony included University President Jay Gouge, College of Liberal Arts Dean Joseph Aistrup and department of political science chair Steven Brown. Through this accolade, Linde will have her name listed in the congressional record in Washington, D.C. "When it comes to selection for the award, the political science faculty selects and notifies a number of students from the Honors College," Brown said. "Students who are interested in the award send back information and a resume." According to Brown, one person is then selected from the students who respond to the original inquiry. "It was amazing to see how many faculty members had Carol has their first choice for the award," Brown said. During her time at Auburn, Linde has maintained a 4.0 GPA, is currently on the dean's list and is a member of Auburn's Honors Congress. She has also been recognized with several other awards, including the Sam Long Hutchinson and Sloan Y. Bashinsky, Sr. endowed scholarships. According to Linde, she has gained experience through internships at the state office of Delaware Senator Tom Carper, as well as the state office of U.S. Congressman Mike Rogers. While also maintaining strong academic involvement and success, Linde has worked for Auburn's Miller Writing Center, worked as a peer instructor for students in the Honors College and tutored student athletes. According to Linde, she has also maintained community involvement by working with the East Alabama Food Bank, local preschools' Head Start programs and assisted in working with recycling initiatives on football game days. "Prioritizing my academics and involvement has always been important to me," Linde said. "If I was ever worried about my grades, I pulled back on other things that I was involved with." After graduating from Auburn University in May 2015, Linde said her next goal will be to travel abroad and teach English overseas. "The amount of feedback I've gotten about my award has been amazing," Linde said. "It's really nice to be recognized for my work."

Students finish second at USTA Tennis on Campus Fall Invitational

The United States Tennis Association hosted their annual On Campus Fall Invitational this weekend in Hilton Head Islands, S.C, and the Auburn University club team advanced to the championship match before falling to the defending champion Florida Gators 25-18 Sunday in the Palmetto Dunes Tennis Center. After defeating N.C. State "A" in the tournament semifinals, Mitchell Vegas had the only set win for the Tigers in the final match. Junior captain Christian Lyerly believes his team had an overall positive performance over the weekend and attributes their success to preparation. "The competition was very tough, and we faced our biggest challenges against Georgia, N.C State, and Florida," Lyerly said, "We prepared by getting out on the court and practicing a lot. We played a warm-up tournament last month in Murfreesboro, Tennessee to get a feel for the competition and work on our team chemistry." Auburn caught fire in the tournaments opening rounds and found a rhythm early. "It felt great to be on such a roll," Lyerly said, "We won all of our pool matches handily and everyone was playing very well. We knew it would be tough, but we honestly believed that we had a good shot at the title." The Tigers now look to carry the momentum into their next tournament, and Lyerly believes that the team will be ready next time they take the court. "We're happy we made it to the finals but we hope to go one step further next time," Lyerly said. "We learned what we are good at and what we need to work on and we think we'll be ready to do our best in our next tournament. We look forward to continuing our run of success." The USTA TOC program features more than 37,000 college students competing nationwide in intramural club play. The program gives college students the opportunity to compete on a college team without playing in a varsity program. 48 teams competed in the tournament. Alabama won the Silver Bracket, Ohio University won the Bronze, and Indiana University took home Copper.

Arrest made in weekend hit-and-run after Auburn vs. LSU game

According to Auburn Police Chief, Paul Register, an arrest has been made concerning the hit-and-run case that injured three teenagers this past weekend.

OPINION: Style from a male perspective

I've had someone tell me "Oh, you're so fashionable," or "Your style is awesome," more times than I can remember. It makes me wonder what qualifies as great fashion for men. Is it simply choosing to look presentable while everyone else is dressed as if they were at home on the couch watching football on Saturday? Is it wearing colors that compliment each other well? I don't mean I'm dressed up no matter what, because there are definitely times where Saturday football clothes are necessary. I also started to think about the difference between someone fashionable and someone who doesn't put the amount of effort in to getting dressed. When I look at my closet, I usually pick a pair of pants to wear first. I tend to sway my decision away from jeans unless my other pants are in the laundry because jeans just seem heavy and restricting sometimes. My favorites are my colored chinos, including yellow, red, blue, grey and some others. Although since moving to Auburn from Washington, D.C., I've found wearing pants for the first half of fall semester is unthinkable. The heat is just way too harsh here in Alabama. Once I've put some pants on, I grab a shirt and just look for a color that goes nicely with the pants I'm wearing, unless I've resorted to jeans, then any shirt will work. White is one of my favorite colors for shirts, but I try to avoid it because life has shown me white shirts are not meant to stay clean. After the shirt I'll grab a cardigan or a sweater if it's cold and some shoes to match. I never wear free runs or tennis shoes with pants because I feel if I'm making the effort to get dressed, I'm gong to wear nice shoes to finish the outfit. My advice to anyone who wants to dress a little better is to ditch the ever-so-common khaki shorts with a T-shirt from an event last year and work in some color. I've got nothing against those who wear that combination, it's just very easy to blend in when wearing those clothes. Fashion isn't my area of expertise, nor do I feel I have a better grip on it than anyone else. However, I do feel by putting a bit more thought into getting dressed each morning you can trick people into thinking you have this much sought after fashion sense. Kenny Moss is a photographer for The Plainsman. He can be reached via email at photo@theplainsman.com.

Professors speak about protests in Hong Kong

In Hong Kong Central, China, people fill the streets, blocking traffic and stealing the attention of one of China's most urbanized cities. They don't fight the riot police who have come to drive them away, and they recycle the small amount of trash they've generated in the week-long occupation of Hong Kong's most public areas. The protest is called The Umbrella Revolution, because protestors used umbrellas against tear gas, pepper spray and other crowd breakers used by Hong Kong riot police, while protesting Beijing's communist government. "It's an aging society in an economic downturn," said professor of sociology Ariana Gaetano. "I think young people are probably feeling under so much stress they don't know what their future is going to hold, and their society is hanging all on them to generate the welfare for society. China has been having tens of thousands of protests annually for the last seven or eight years." The movement began as Occupy Central with Love and Peace. The movement is a civil disobedience campaign created by Benny Tai Yiu-Ting, law professor at the University of Hong Kong. The objectives of the campaign were initially to oppose the Chinese electoral process in which candidates are selected by a 1,200-person committee based in Beijing. A student-initiated referendum against Beijing's candidate approval process was the spark that began the protests in September. A New York Times article said the referendum denounced Hong Kong chief executive C.Y. Leung in favor of the Beijing-centric process. One of the rallying cries of the movement is "689," the alleged number of votes incumbent Leung amassed during his 2012 election. "C.Y. Leung is going to be the fall guy, regardless," said Daniel McGowin, Auburn employee who studies Asia and China. "He's already become the focal point of the demands by the students to step down. He's at least trying to engage the students, but he's refusing to step down. If he's not the fall guy from the Chinese perspective, he is from the students perspective." McGowin said the government might try to minimalize the occupation by electing a new chief executive, but protests will likely continue until citizens of Hong Kong are allowed their own free elections in the country. "I think in the end the (people of Hong Kong) will be granted universal suffrage," McGowin said. "Eventually China knows that those 50 years will be up and Hong Kong, by the treaty and by the agreement with Britain, will be folded in. Of course, the Western hope is that China will give in and not turn Hong Kong into a communist state, but China is waging a war of attrition." When the United Kingdom handed over control of Hong Kong to the People's Republic of China in 1997, one of the stipulations was social, economic and political relations would remain unchanged for 50 years. That provision has been in jeopardy since 2006, when Xi Jinping ascended to the head position of the Chinese government, becoming more hard-lined with conservative political policies. "Xi Jinping is definitely hard-nosed," Gaetano said. "This guy has totally turned the tide in China by cracking down on those weaker minorities." As the protests enter their second week, support for the occupation has begun to falter in the face of stalled negotiations and an increasing number of detractors within the civilian population. BBC reported Monday, Oct. 6, there remained approximately more than 1,000 protestors occupying three separate locations. "The Chinese government has been very clever about how they handle this situation, especially regarding its public image," said Ted Becker, political science professor. "They're brutal and ingenious. According to Becker, with elections for the chief executive position not until 2017, it would seem this movement will go the same route.

Auburn police investigating social media threats against Malzahn, Jordan-Hare Stadium

The Auburn Police Department is investigating threatening social media remarks made toward Auburn football head coach Gus Malzahn and Jordan-Hare Stadium this weekend, according to police chief Paul Register. The threats, which were made from the Twitter account @bhayes4420, refer to cutting off Malzahn's head "ISIS-style" as well as setting off C-4 explosive devices inside Jordan-Hare Stadium. The tweets have since been deleted from the account. Register said the police department is currently working to identify the account holder, which he said has a history of rants toward collegiate athletics. "If you look historically, whoever has that Twitter account has a history of these type of rants involving collegiate athletics," Register said. "I don't know that it's been exclusive to Auburn, but it appears to just be someone ranting on Twitter, but we're still looking into it because they are disturbing remarks." Register said he doubted the legitimacy of the threats, but ensured that an investigation is ongoing and stadium safety protocols are always followed. "We check the stadium and we render that stadium safe every time we have an event over there," Register said. "We did that last time and we'll do that next time. I just don't think there's any credibility to that."

Auburn defeats LSU handily as defense plays lights out

On a day full of drama and upsets throughout college football, Auburn came out and took care of business against 16th-ranked LSU. It was never close in Jordan-Hare Stadium, as the Tigers offense gashed the Bayou Bengals for 566 yards of total offense and won handily by a score of 41-7. Defensively, Auburn looked strong, allowing only 142 yards through the air and 138 on the ground. "I'm very excited about our defense," head coach Gus Malzahn said after the game. "They just played outstanding. On third down they were as good as I've seen." Receiver Sammie Coates, who has been nagged all season by a knee injury, had the game of his season and his career, bringing in 4 passes for 144 yards and a TD. Throwing him those passes was Nick Marshall, who also had his best game of the season thus far. Through the air, Marshall completed 14 of his 22 attempts, totaling 207 yards and two touchdowns. Marshall also looked impressive running the ball, racking up 119 yards on 16 attempts with two tds. "Nick played very well," Malzahn said. "He played like one of the better quarterbacks in the entire country." Marshall said that the great week of practice the team had was the main reason were able to play so dominantly tonight. "We just focused the whole week," Marshall said. "What carries over from practive carries over to the game." Runningback Cameron Artis-Payne added 126 yards of his own on 24 carries. Things got going quickly for Auburn. In the first quarter alone, the Tigers gained 247 yards of offense, the most in any quarter under Gus Malzahn. The first touchdown of the night was a 56-yard bomb from Marshall to Coates that Coates pulled down from in between two LSU defenders. That put the Tigers up 10-0, and they kept rolling from there. Less than four minutes later, Marshall raced in from 7 yards out on a to make it 17-0. LSU answered on the next drive, delivering a 1-yard touchdown from Kenny Hilliard. Auburn answered right back on their next drive, going 72 yard on 7 plays, culminating in Marshall finding a wide open C.J Uzomah, putting the Tigers ahead 24-7, just 33 seconds into the second quarter. Marshall would find the endzone again before half's end, going 29 yards up the middle on a quarterback draw, putting Auburn ahead 31-7. The offense continued to look strong in the second half, scoring 10 more points and gaining another 187 yards. In addition to the offense, Ellis Johnson's defense wasn't letting LSU go anywhere. They failed to score after the first quarter, thanks in large part to the play of Auburn's front seven. LSU was 0-13 on third down conversions, and 1-for-4 on fourth down "It was a great performance," said senior cornerback Trovon Reed. "But we've still got stuff to do. We've got to get cleaned up. We've got to continue to get better and better every week." LSU freshman quarterback Brandon Harris was rattled all game long only completing 3 of his 14 pass attempts for a total of 58 yards. Thanks to their dismantling of 6th ranked Texas A&M Saturday, Auburn's matchup with Mississippi State in Starkville next Saturday will most likely be a top-10 matchup. The game time has yet to be announced.

Fourth quarter offense helps fuel 45-17 victory over LA Tech

Although Auburn was leading 24-10 after putting up only 58 total yards of offense in the third quarter, their offense took off in the fourth as Quan Bray helped seal the victory with his 44-yard touchdown pass followed by his 75-yard punt return touchdown. "I just keep faith in the man above, I know he'll take care of us," Bray said. "My teammates feed off one another and we did that tonight." Bray's three touchdowns and 91 receiving yards are career-high performances for the senior. "We talked with the seniors before the season about how this is their year," head coach Gus Malzahn said. "(Bray) really has been raising his level. In a game like this he really made some impact plays to help us win. I'm very happy for him." Cameron Artis-Payne rushed for 116 yards and Nick Marshall ran for 106 to help the team put up 254 total rushing yards. Eight different Auburn players had at least one reception as Auburn had 219 receiving yards and four touchdowns. Even though it was a slow first quarter for Auburn's offense, the Tigers still led Louisiana Tech 7-0 thanks to the defense holding the Bulldogs offense to 35 total yards and because of Montravius Adams' 35-yard interception return that set up Cameron Artis-Payne's five-yard touchdown run on the next play. Auburn's offense showed improvement in the second quarter as Daniel Carlson hit a 25-yarder after missing his first one, Marshall threw a 37-yard touchdown pass to Bray and an 18-yard touchdown to D'haquille Williams, who made the grab with one hand. At the end of the half the Tigers led 24-3, as the defense continued to stop the Bulldogs offense. The lone touchdown in the third quarter came from the Bulldogs' top running threat Kenneth Dixon, as the junior rushed into the endzone for his 37th career touchdown. The fourth quarter put the game out of reach, starting with Marshall's ability to escape two defenders in order to throw a 44-yard touchdown pass to Bray. After Auburn's defense forced another three-and-out, Bray's punt return touchdown made it 38-10. The Bulldogs did not quit then though. They responded in the following drive with a successful drive capped off by another Dixon touchdown run. Then Jeremy Johnson replaced Marshall at quarterback and took advantage of his reps at the end of the game as he found C.J. Uzomah with a 15-yard touchdown pass to make it 45-17. With this homecoming victory and 300th win in Jordan-Hare Stadium, Auburn is now 4-0 heading into their 6 p.m. game next weekend against LSU. "We're still going to continue to go up," Malzahn said. "Obviously we have a very tough game next week at home but we just need to keep improving."

Sophomore sharpshooter hopes to raise the bar in 2015

When it comes to impact freshmen, Auburn enjoyed its fair share of talented recruits last season, but often overlooked were the accomplishments of Katie Frerking, the 6-foot-1, sharpshooting sophomore for the women's basketball team. The Johns Creek, Georgia native is the daughter of Bill and Susan Frerking, and attended Wesleyan High School where she stood out as a three-sport athlete, competing in basketball, softball and track. Although Frerking had many athletic talents, she excelled most on the hardwood. Frerking attributes her growth as an athlete to her father, Bill. "My dad was my first ever basketball coach," Frerking said. "He taught me how to shoot and all the fundamentals, and he was a three-sport athlete just like I was." Throughout her career at Wesleyan, Frerking found many ways to contribute to the success of her team, averaging 20.4 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 2.8 assists per game as a senior. Her production led to four-straight state titles. Frerking was named the 2012 NCSAA National Player of the Year and earned consideration to compete in the 2012 McDonald's All-American Game, leaving her fingerprints all over Wesleyan's record books in the process. Frerking's outstanding high school career, however, did not come without its setbacks. A torn ACL can be a problem for some athletes, but Frerking's high school coach, Jan Azar, felt like it was a blessing is disguise. "Katie tore her ACL in her first varsity basketball game," Azar said. "Although she could not play, her leadership still stood out as a freshman and it was a big part of what we accomplished that year. She was at every practice, she was at every game, and I feel like that trial really helped her discover the true passion she had for the game of basketball." When the time came for her to make a college decision, Frerking had scholarship offers from Richmond, SMU, N.C. State, Pittsburgh, James Madison, Lehigh and Samford, among others, but chose Auburn because of the good vibes she received from the campus and coaches. "When I came on my visit, honestly, I just had a good feeling about it," Frerking said. "The coaches really made me feel like I was a part of the family whether I was committed or not. " Most coaches agree having a motor is an important skill, and coach Terri Williams-Flournoy was looking for that type of player when recruiting Frerking. "I thought Katie was always a player that just played hard," Williams-Flournoy said. "She was passionate about the game and for the way we play, and our style of play; being able to play hard and love the game, she fit right in to our program." Not only did Frerking fit in, she immediately climbed the depth chart, becoming the fifth true freshman to start in a season opener for the women's basketball program in the last 10 years. In her first full season on the Plains, Frerking led the team in three-point shooting percentage, was second on the team in free throw shooting percentage and was also the Tigers' sixth leading scorer. Although Frerking did most of her damage as a marksman, she feels like there are still aspects to her game we have not seen yet. "I never felt like my game was just three-point shooting," Frerking said. "That's one thing I can do, but when I got to Auburn my coaches told me that was one of the main things this team needed, and it was a way I could contribute." Heading into her sophomore campaign, both Frerking and Williams-Flournoy have higher expectations regarding how she can elevate the performance of the team. "Katie's sophomore year will be about becoming more confident offensively," Williams-Flournoy said. "She has to come in with a stronger mindset that as soon as the game starts that she can score."