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(02/24/15 3:06am)
The NFL announced the list of 323 former college football players invited to this year's NFL Combine starting February 17th.
Among Auburn's exiting players, seven have been selected to attend the Combine, including Nick Marshall, Cameron Artis-Payne, Sammie Coates, Reese Dismukes, Gabe Wright, Jermaine Whitehead and Angelo Blackson.
Former Auburn quarterback Nick Marshall, who amassed 4508 passing yards, 1866 rushing yards and ended with a career starter record of 19-7, is expected to switch from quarterback to cornerback in the NFL.
Cameron Artis-Payne, the SEC's latest leading rusher with 1608 yards, will be tested along side Georgia's Todd Gurley and Heisman runner-up Melvin Gordon.
In addition to Artis-Payne and Marshall, the Tiger's former wide-out Sammie Coates will look to improve his draft stock. Coates' 6-feet-2-inch, 200-plus pound frame coupled with blazing speed could go far in impressing scouts in an especially pass-heavy league.
Former Auburn center and Rimington Award winner Reese Dismukes is the only offensive lineman invited to the Combine despite underclassman Patrick Miller deciding to leave early and declare for the draft.
A pair of former Tiger defensive linemen, Gabe Wright and Angelo Blackson, has also been invited to the Combine along with 10 other SEC defensive linemen.
Jermaine Whitehead stands alone as the only Auburn defensive back among 54 players to get the nod from the Combine.
For the players that were not selected to attend the Combine, such as Patrick Miller or C.J. Uzomah, the importance of their pro days becomes that much more magnified if they want to impress scouts.
(02/24/15 1:28am)
The Auburn men's tennis team stayed home for a doubleheader against Mercer and came out victorious in both meetings.
The Tigers won both matches against the bears by a score of 6-1.
Sophomore Maxime Hinnisdaels helped lead the Tigers by winning his first singles match 6-1 6-1, and his second singles match 6-1 6-3. Although he was unable to finish his first doubles match, Hinnisdaels won his second doubles match 6-2.
After the match Hinnisdaels said he thought he played well, but those types of matches are about focus more than anything else.
"I feel like I took care of business," Hinnisdaels said. "I feel like I didn't spend too much unnecessary time on the court, and I didn't expend too much energy. I did what I had to do, and won the points I had to win."
Hinnisdaels' doubles partner, Joseph Van Dooren, also had a solid day. In the first match Van Dooren won singles 6-2 6-2, while in the second match he won 6-3 6-1 in addition to a doubles victory.
Van Dooren said despite the scoreboard showed little to no signs of him struggling, it took him some time to get into the match.
"In the first match I started really slowly," Van Dooren said. "I still have to find my rhythm because we played outside this week, and then we played the match indoors. Then, the second set I was playing better and better. But then my second match I played really well."
Despite winning both matches, head coach Eric Shore said the team came out sloppy and although there were moments of good tennis, he still wants to see much more.
"I thought we were slow out of the gates in doubles first match," Shore said. "I thought we played better in singles and picked it up. And then coming back, I thought we were better in doubles the second time around. And then I thought in singles we weren't as sharp the second time around. So we're a little inconsistent. This team is better than they were last year. They gave us a good battle here today."
Next on The tigers schedule is a doubleheader against UAB on Feb. 6. The Tigers now move to 5-1 on the season with their lone loss coming from Ohio State.
(01/26/15 2:59am)
The Auburn men's tennis team entered this weekend's ITA Kick-off Weekend ranked 39th nationally looking to get quality wins in their section which included No. 5 Ohios State, No. 41 Tulsa and No. 47 Purdue.
The Tigers lost their first match against the Ohio State Buckeyes 4-1.
Despite winning no matches, senior Lukas Ollert managed to take his singles match to three sets and was winning before the match was called. The score at the time of the stoppage was 7-5, 4-6.
Sophomore Maxime Hinnisdaels also made it to three sets before play had been stopped with a score was 6-2, 4-6, 3-1.
Despite the loss to the Buckeyes, Auburn won their second match against Purdue 4-1.
The only Tiger loss went to sophomore Petar Tomic by a score of 6-1, 6-3.
Victories went to Auburn's Ollert, junior Marko Krickovic and sophomore Donte Saleh.
The Tigers' next game will be Saturday, Jan. 31, as they take on Mercer in a double header at home.
(01/26/15 2:45am)
The Auburn women's tennis team finished their ITA Kickoff Weekend tournament on Sunday, Jan. 25, against Georgia. Their first match against Wake Forest saw the Tigers win 4-0.
In the first match against the Demon Deacons, the Tigers won all three doubles matches and either won or were winning all matches in session at the time when the match was called.
Senior Emily Flickinger won her match by a score of 6-2, 3-6, 6-3. Flickenger and her doubles partner Pleun Burgmans won their doubles match 6-4.
Freshman Andie Dikosavljevic won her singles match 6-1, 6-1.
The Tigers' second match against Georgia Auburn lost by a score of 4-0 to the No. 10 ranked Bulldogs.
The third ranked doubles team of Flickinger and Burgmans fell by score of 6-4 to Georgia's pair of Lauren Herring and Ellen Perez.
The Tigers had three singles matches require a third set. Flickinger lost to UGA's Perez 6-3, 6-7, 6-3.
Sophomore Reka Muller also lost in three sets at the three spot in singles by a score of 6-4, 3-6, 6-2.
Although Dikosavljevic was unable to finish her match, before stepping off the court, her score was 0-6, 7-6, 4-4.
The Tigers next matchup will be against Texas Tech Saturday, Jan. 31, in Lubbock, Texas.
(02/24/15 12:58am)
The Auburn men's tennis team began their spring season versus the Citadel Bulldogs on Sunday, Jan. 18.
The Tigers won both matches against the Southern Conference team 7-0.
One of the key performers for the Tigers included senior captain Lukas Ollert, who won all four of his matches, including two doubles matches and two singles matches.
After the match Ollert said although the Citadel isn't the same as playing Georgia, he thinks these earlier, less competitive matches are desperately important.
"We get a lot of confidence by winning theses matches," Ollert said. "We can try new stuff and some of the stuff from practice. If it works out, then we know we can use it against the good opponents."
Lukas won his first singles match 6-2 6-4 and his second singles match 6-2 6-0.
Junior Marko Krickovic went undefeated, as well. His two wins in singles were some of the more dominate tennis played as he won the first 6-1 6-1 and the second 6-0 6-2.
Krickovic said after the match he felt he improved as the day went on and said most of his focus was on staying aggressive.
"I worked on stepping in more," Krickovic said. "I think the second match was actually really good. The first one was OK too, but the guy was just playing different."
Although most of the Auburn players won handily, senior Petar Tomic had a couple of close matches. He won his second tennis match by a score of 7-5 6-4, but his first singles match was the only three set match of the day.
Tomic pulled out the win 3-6 6-4 7-6.
"The thing is, when it's your first match of the season, guys are a little tight," said tennis head coach Eric Shore. "You need to play through that and the focus is a factor. That'll help you down the road when you're playing the tougher matches."
The Tigers are past the season opener unscathed, but the competition will be upped at the Ohio State ITA Kickoff tournament from Jan. 23-25.
(02/24/15 1:04am)
Auburn's women's tennis team finished their first pair of matches of the spring season with wins.
The first match against Middle Tennessee State finished with a score of 4-1 with two matches unfinished because the Tigers clinched.
Junior Pleun Burgmans won her court one match 6-1, 6-4, despite leading 5-0 in the second set. After her match, Burgmans said her opponent started to play better while she regressed slightly in the second set.
"She started to make a lot more balls," Burgmans said. "After 5-0 every second or third ball was a mistake, so I just had to adapt a little bit as she was making more balls."
Emily Flickenger, a senior and second court singles, had one of the four matches that went to three sets against MTSU. Unfortunately, she was unable to finish her match because the team had already clinched the win, but she walked off the court with a score of 6-7, 6-4, 6-6.
Afterwards, Flickenger said she was happy to have not given up a loss.
"Honestly, I was just focusing on trying not to lose 6-1 in the third and crawling back," Flickenger said. "So I climbed my way out of that one."
The second match against Alabama A&M wasn't nearly as close. The Tigers came out with a win by score of 4-0.
After the matches, head coach Lauren Longbotham Meisner said she felt that the MTSU match was invaluable experience for her girls and expects the Blue Raiders to be ranked fairly soon.
"It's a good start off for us before the ITA kickoff," Meisner said. "We wanted to play a good team. They were good from top to bottom and made us work. It was a good test."
Meisner also said the three set matches against MTSU are an early test and something they need, even though three set matches aren't the ideal situation to be in.
"You've got to make sure that from the very beginning you're ready to fight," Meisner said. "We're not a team that we can get our matches easy. Every one we have to show up for. Obviously, you don't want to be in three sets, but if you have to, you'll take it."
Junior Paula DeMan, who won in three sets against MTSU with a score of 7-5, 5-7, 6-3, served as another big time performer to clinch the match for the Tigers.
Despite a close match with MTSU, the Tigers never lost a doubles match against either team.
(02/24/15 1:02am)
The Auburn women's tennis team is set to begin its spring season this weekend with matches against Middle Tennessee State and Alabama A&M respectively.
The Tigers are starting the season ranked 28th, according to Intercollegiate Tennis Association rankings.
In addition to a strong starting ranking, the Tigers' own junior Pleun Burgmans is ranked 36th nationally.
Burgmans and her doubles partner, senior Emily Flickenger, are currently ranked third among women's doubles teams in the nation.
The only other senior member of the team is Jen Pfeifler who is looking to improve upon a fall semester in which she went 8-1 including a tournament win at the United States Tennis Association Clay Court Championships with freshman partner Mary Katherine Lewis.
Over the next month, the women's team will be playing numerous out of conference matches to prepare for conference play, which starts Feb. 2. Some the major out of conference opponents include Wake Forest, Texas Tech, and Washington.
(02/24/15 1:01am)
The Auburn men's tennis team is getting set to start their spring season Sunday, Jan. 18, against The Citadel.
Auburn starts the season ranked 42nd nationally, but their goals are far higher. Head coach Eric Shore said although they had a solid fall season, his team's goals are still in front of them.
"Our first goal is to make Sweet Sixteen," Shore said, "But to do that you've got to make the tournament first, and last year we made it. But the last half of the season we didn't do a very good job at all. We ran out of gas."
The Sweet Sixteen, which occurs in the NCAA tournament starting May 8, is two rounds further that the mark set by last year's team.
Team captain and senior Lukas Ollert said the team has been practicing well, and despite having team goals, he has set some major goals for himself.
"My individual goal is to be top 10 in college at singles and to make the [NCAA] tournament in doubles," Ollert said.
Last year, Ollert made it to the second round of the singles championship.
Shore also said although he's proud of the team's fall success, he doesn't want them to grow complacent.
"It's encouraging that we had such a good fall, but it doesn't do you a whole lot of good now," Shore said. "It is what it is and now we have to start over basically, and that's what I'm trying to convey to these guys."
The first matchup against The Citadel marks the first meeting between the two schools. It could serve as a good match to get the guys back into form after vacation.
The team is set to play in an Intercollegiate Tennis Association kickoff at Ohio State Jan. 24-25.
Some players to watch for are Ollert, sophomore Maxime Hinnisdaels and junior Marko Krickovic, all of whom Shore said he believes are good enough to make the NCAA Championships in singles.
(12/24/14 3:38am)
Despite sophomore guard Tahj Shamsid-Deen leaving the game with five fouls with a little less than three minutes to go in the game, Auburn's men's basketball team (6-5) pulled out a nail-bitter against Texas-Southern (2-9) by a score of 61-60.
Senior guard KT Harrell led all Tigers in scoring with 14 points including two three pointers.
Junior Cinmeon Bowers ended the game with 13 points and 15 rebounds, five of which came on the offensive end. This marks Bowers' seventh double-double of the season.
In addition to Bowers' and Harrell's offensive presence, senior guard Antoine Mason and graduate student K.C. Ross-Miller put up 13 and 11 points respectively. Ross-Miller also had four assists in a game where he saw extended minutes most likely because of foul trouble by Shamsid-Deen.
Despite shooting only 35.7 percent from the field, the Tigers grab a great win to follow up the double overtime victory over Xavier last Saturday, December 13.
Auburn's next matchup is scheduled for December 29 against Middle Tennessee State.
(12/07/14 1:00pm)
Football, basketball and baseball have been the United States' most popular sports for as long as anyone can remember.
Tennis is not as popular as those sports, so many college sports teams travel outside the States to find talent for tennis, soccer or swimming.
In particular, men's tennis in the SEC is made up of approximately 40 percent foreign-born athletes. Every SEC team has at least one foreign player except for the University of Alabama, according to team websites.
Two-thirds of Auburn's team this season is composed of European players, according to Auburn's roster.
The top Southeast high school players primarily come from Georgia and Florida. Between Alabama and Auburn, there's only one home-state player.
Tennis head coach Eric Shore said they're just tennis players to him, but it can be hard to find American tennis talent.
"There's only so many Americans to go around at this level," Shore said. "There's probably about 30 or 40 guys that come out a year that can play D-I tennis at this level."
Shore said the other options for teams are to try and compete with the second tier of American players, which Shore said is like "beating your head against the wall," or you can go international.
Junior Marko Krickovic of Munich said the opportunity to play sports and get a college education isn't available back home.
"One of the reasons so many Europeans come is because they don't have college sports," Krickovic said. "So usually you have the decision to either turn pro, you go to college in Europe and don't play sports or you come to college here."
In addition, sophomore Maxime Hinnisdaels of Belgium said there are still a large number of top-tier foreign players who retain their amateur status because there is such a small amount of European players from each country that get picked for international tournaments. such as the Fed Cup.
"The other guys that are still really good, if they have enough money, they will try [going pro], but if they don't, they have an issue because they want to play tennis." Hinnisdaels said. "But then college tennis opens up, and those guys are probably better than (Americans) that didn't make it through United States Tennis Association."
Coach Shore said although the American players he's found have been great competitors, he's seen that there's a different approach to tennis in European countries as well.
"The American kids understand 'team' more because they play more team sports growing up as a whole," Shore said. "But on the other side, the international kids grow up faster because their parents don't go to every tournament with them. They don't tell them how great they are. They don't do everything for them."
Of the last 10 winners of the singles NCAA title, seven of them have been international players.
Two of the three American titles were won by the University of Southern California's Steve Johnson, who is currently ranked 37th in the world, according to the Association of Tennis Professionals rankings.
The Tigers start the team match portion of their schedule in January, and the team is confident they will improve upon a season in which they finished 42nd in the nation.
(12/01/14 2:05am)
Ellis Johnson's tenure as Auburn defensive coordinator has come to an end, per a release from Auburn Sunday night.
Johnson's replacement will be tasked with fixing a defense that allowed 30 points or more in the Tigers' final six SEC games this season.
Auburn has a history of hiring former head coaches as defensive coordinator. Its last three, Johnson, Ted Roof and Brian Van Gorder, were a combined 9-65 at their most recent head coaching position.
We as the sports staff of The Auburn Plainsman have compiled a list of potential replacements for Auburn's defensive coordinator. All but one of the names on our list is a former head coach who is currently without a job or could be without a job due to varying circumstances.\0x200B
Will Muschamp (former Florida head coach, 28-22 overall record)
Even though his stint at Florida was unsuccessful, Muschamp is definitely the main candidate for this position in the eyes of the fans.
Muschamp began his coaching career as a linebacker's coach under Nick Saban at LSU, and was quickly promoted to defensive coordinator. In his second year as coordinator, LSU led the nation in scoring defense and total defense, and the Bayou Bengals won the BCS National Championship.
He then followed Saban to the Miami Dolphins as his defensive coordinator for a season, but returned to the college game as Auburn's defensive coordinator.
In his two seasons at Auburn, Muschamp's defenses were top 10 nationally in total defense and led the SEC. He was a fan favorite also, as his energy was contagious to players and fans.
Muschamp then was hired as the defensive coordinator at Texas, where he became one of the hottest head coach prospects in the country. After three seasons, he was hired as the head coach at Florida.
Muschamp would be a home run hire for Auburn. One of the main problems for Auburn's defense has been its lack of discipline, something that Muschamp's fiery personality will be able to solve. Also, he's a proven commodity as an SEC coordinator, with success at multiple programs.
By: Andrew Monson | Sports Writer
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Bo Pelini (Former Nebraska head coach, 67-27 overall record)
In a stunning move by the Nebraska front office, head coach Bo Pelini was fired on Sunday after seven seasons with the team.
Pelini leaves Nebraska with a 67-27 overall record and had won at least nine games every season. It was a move that angered players and fans of Nebraska but could be seen as a blessing for Auburn.
When Pelini was hired as defensive coordinator for the Cornhuskers in 2003, he improved a defense that was ranked 55th nationally the year before to 11th and led the country in turnover margin.
In 2004, he was a co-defensive coordinator for the Oklahoma Sooners team that went to the BCS National Championship game against the USC Trojans and was the sixth-ranked rushing defense and 11th-ranked scoring defense.
Pelini earned the Nebraska job as a defensive coordinator came during his tenure with the LSU Tigers. For each of his three years as defensive coordinator LSU was ranked third in overall defense and even managed to win the 2008 BCS National Championship game with a 38-24 victory over the Ohio State Buckeyes.
By: Pierce Quinn | Sports Writer
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Manny Diaz (Defensive coordinator, Louisiana Tech)
Manny Diaz has 14 years of Division I coaching experience and has led his defenses to 12 bowl game appearances.
As defensive coordinator at Louisiana Tech this year, the Bulldogs have improved with a ranking of No. 29 in the nation in total defense this year, a year after they allowed an average of 408 yards per game.
Diaz previously coached as defensive coordinator at Texas from 2011-2013, and during his first season he led the Longhorns to become the top defense in the Big 12, as they ranked No. 1 in the conference in total defense, rushing defense and pass defense.
Diaz was also the defensive coordinator for Mississippi State in 2010, which ranked No. 22 in the nation in scoring defense. The Bulldogs allowed only 19.9 points per game in 2010, which showed when they lost only 19-14 to the 2010 Auburn national championship team. That team also ranked nationally as No. 15 in red-zone defense, No. 17 in nationally in rushing defense and No. 17 in tackles for loss, which was another major turnaround after Mississippi State finished No. 71 in scoring defense and No. 89 in tackles for loss the season before he arrived in Starkville, Mississippi.
Although Diaz may not be the biggest name on Auburn's short list of potential defensive coordinator candidates, he has had plenty of success turning around big programs that have had defensive struggles before he got there.
By: Kyle Van Fechtmann | Assistant Sports Editor
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Bill Clark (6-6 in 2014 season as head coach at UAB, 11-4 in 2013 season as head coach at Jacksonville State)
The possibility of Auburn hiring UAB head coach Bill Clark to take charge of the Tigers' defense remains an option if concerns surrounding UAB football shut the program down.
During his first year as head coach at UAB, Clark led the Blazers to a 6-6 season, and made his team eligible for bowl competition for the third time in school history. The Blazers are one of eight Conference USA teams to win at least six games in the 2014 season.
Before that, he guided Jacksonville State to a record-setting 11-4 season as its head coach in 2013. It was the most victories for the Gamecocks since 1992.
Prior to Jacksonville State, Clark was assistant head coach and the defensive coordinator at South Alabama.
Clark was the high school football head coach for nine years at Prattville High School, where his last two teams won a pair of Class 6A State Championships.
Depending on the future of UAB's football program or how long it takes for the school to give Clark a contract extension, Auburn could find the missing piece to its coaching staff in his 20 years of coaching experience.
By: Derek Thompson | Sports Writer
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Gene Chizik (38-38 as head coach)
Gene Chizik's tenure as Auburn head coach was well documented. His questionable hiring was well documented too, but the firing of defensive coordinator Ellis Johnson leaves a spot on the Auburn coaching staff.
Before disregarding the former head coach, remember his success as a defensive coordinator for both Auburn (2002-2004) and Texas (2005-2006).
As Auburn defensive coordinator, Chizik's defenses gave up an average of 15.13 points per game. In 2004, after major contributions to the undefeated season, Chizik was awarded the Broyles Award, given to the nation's best assistant coach.
Everyone remembers the 2010 National Championship Chizik celebrated with the Tigers, but it should be noted that he also played a major role in Texas' 2005 National Championship win over USC.
Chizik also coached three different winners of the Thorpe Award, an award given to the nations best defensive back; Carlos Rodger (AU), Michael Huff (UT), and Arron Ross (UT).
However, Auburn fans are unlikely to forget Chizik's fall from dominance.
In his last two seasons as Auburn's head coach, Chizik amassed an 11-14 record including a winless conference record in 2012.
It also would be interesting to see how Auburn fans would react if the team signs on a defensive coordinator that still hasn't finished his head coach contract.
The former head coach is currently bringing home $209, 457.84 a month, according to Auburn's payroll.
Chizik may not be on many Auburn fan's wish list, but if worst comes to worst, at least there's another proven defense coordinator living in the Auburn city limits.
By: Patrick Lucas | Sports Reporter
(11/29/14 7:00pm)
It's no secret that this season has been a relative disappointment for most Auburn fans, but most of the issues faced by the tigers have been self-inflicted. Compared to last year, Auburn has been inconsistent, undisciplined, and at times, lifeless. Don't get me wrong; I give Auburn more than a legitimate shot at beating in state rival Alabama this Saturday, but things will need to improve if the tigers want to remain relevant come the 4th quarter.
(11/23/14 7:30pm)
(11/23/14 4:27am)
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.
(11/18/14 3:32am)
Auburn's women's basketball team improved to 2-0 with their 92-42 victory over Grambling State.
The team was led by junior center Tra'Cee Tanner who led all scorers with 31 points shooting 77 percent from the field (14-18).
Head coach Terri Williams-Flournoy mentioned Tanner's solid play on the inside but made it a point to complement auburn's guard-play.
"I thought our guards just did a really good job of getting the ball inside," said Williams-Flournoy, "And that was one of our goals to dominate the paint. I believe we had 74 points in the paint."
Despite her dominate performance; Tanner said that the game plan was to get the ball into the paint, but not necessarily to her.
"We've been working on getting the ball inside a lot this week and that was our main focus," said Tanner, "But not only passing into the post, also penetrating to the basket for the guards."
Sophomore guard, Brandy Montgomery, led the tigers in passing with seven assists on the night. When asked about her play, Montgomery also mentioned the team's game plan and how it helped spread the floor.
"I just went with the game plan to get the ball inside or try to get the paint," said Montgomery, "After we got inside we saw that it opened it up for us to move around the perimeter."
Coach Wiliiams-Flournoy was later asked about her freshman contributors who accounted for 30 percent of the shots taken in the game.
"One thing we've noticed is that our freshman aren't shy about shooting the ball," said Williams-Flournoy, "I thought our freshmen actually did a very good job of playing defense, and as you know most highschoolers coming in, defense usually isn't the first priority on their list."
The tiger's next game is scheduled for Thursday, November 20, against Florida Gulf Coast. The game will be their last at home before a pair of away games at Virginia and at Winthrop.
(11/14/14 7:00pm)
Friday, Nov. 7 marked the beginning of the Bruce Pearl era of Auburn basketball as the team took on West Alabama.
The team, despite lacking depth in some areas, is looking to improve on last year's 14-16 record.
One of the positions Pearl has tried to fill is point guard, often manned by former leading scorer Chris Denson and Tahj Shamsid-Deen, a player Pearl said he would like to see off the ball more often.
Patrick Keim, true freshman and preferred walk-on for the Tigers, will be one of the players vying for the open position.
In high school, Keim was a two-time 6A state champion, three-time team captain and is the winningest player in Birmingham's Mountain Brook High School history, among other awards.
When asked about his game, Keim was very upfront about his skills and what he believes he can provide the team with.
"You know, if anything, I believe I bring a competitive mentality on defense," Keim said. "In high school, we played a press defense, so I believe I can bring some sort of knowledge and experience, at least, to practice."
Mountain Brook High School head coach Bucky McMillan coached Keim from 9th-12th grade, and said Keim's defense will set him apart from the rest of the competition.
"What I think separates Patrick is that he can go in there and guard SEC guards right now," McMillan said. "That's the thing that most freshmen can't do."
McMillan, former Division I basketball player at Birmingham Southern, also said despite Keim being a freshman and possibly not getting much playing time, his defense will be one of the most valuable assets he can bring to the team.
"That's the thing that he'll always be able to bring: instant defense," McMillan said. "What a steal for a place like Auburn, because even if he's not the starting point guard, he'll be giving their point guard a lot better look in practice because he'll actually be able to guard him."
Keim said the transition from high school to college athletics was difficult like he expected.
"There's a lot less room for error," Keim said. "You can get away with reaching in or taking a few bad shots in high school, but now it's a lot more disciplined. There were a lot of things that once I started to play, I saw that I needed to improve."
(11/09/14 8:05pm)
Auburn University's doubles pair of Emily Flickinger (Sr.) and Pleun Burgmans (Jr.) competed in the National Indoor Intercollegiate Championships in Flushing, NY this weekend. The men's team also sent senior Lukas Ollert to compete in the singles draw.
While Ollert lost both his first main draw match against the first seed Sebastian Stiefelmeyer (Louisville) and his first consolation match against four seed Julian Lenz (Baylor), the Flickinger/Burgmans pair made it to the finals of the main draw.
After a first round bye, the doubles team won three straight to make it to the finals. Their toughest test came in a 6-4 4-6 (10-8) win over Ashley Dai and Kate Vialle, a doubles team from North Carolina.
Their next win came in the quarterfinals against Lina Lileikite and Stephanie Wagner from Miami. The tigers won 7-6 (4) 6-2 before entering a semifinal match against Kelsey Laurente and Viktoriya Lushkova.
Flickinger and Pleun pasted the pair from Oklahoma State with a score of 6-3 6-3.
In the finals, the girls faced the unseeded team of Catherine Harrison and Kyle McPhillips from UCLA.
Despite a very successful tournament overall, the pair lost 2-6 3-6.
This tournament marks the last scheduled play for both the men's and women's teams for the remainder of the calendar year. The next scheduled match is a women's match against Middle Tennessee State on January 17.
(11/06/14 7:00pm)
Eight games into his first season, Roc Thomas is starting to show why he was a top-five running back recruit in most major rankings.
Although he wasn't utilized early in the season, Thomas' increased role in Auburn's offense is apparent. His emergence as a pivotal part of Auburn's attack came in the 38-23 loss against Mississippi State.
Thomas said he thought he played well, but was disappointed to come out with the loss.
Head coach Gus Malzahn spoke about the freshman's performance against Mississippi State on his weekly Tiger Talk radio segment Sunday, Oct. 12.
"Roc did an outstanding job," Malzahn said. "We made that determination that we're going to go ahead and turn him loose against Mississippi State. He did some very good things. He's a natural runner, and you see that."
Thomas, who averaged 2.6 rushes per game before Mississippi State, has been handed the ball 17 times since, and he will most likely have more, despite rolling his ankle in the win against Ole Miss.
Thomas said his increased familiarity with the offense has been a factor in his new role.
"It was just a matter of being prepared for it," Thomas said. "I feel a lot more comfortable now. It was kind of like when I played in high school, just being that senior and getting all the carries. I'm not getting all the carries, (but) I just know what to do."
Thomas' teammates said they've taken notice of the freshman's skills and realize he can be a very dangerous runner. Fellow running back and starter Cameron Artis-Payne said he appreciates the freshman's skills.
"He's definitely a different kind of running back than me," Artis-Payne said. "And it worked for us."
Malzahn said Thomas' role will continue to increase and they were waiting for him to get familiar with the offense.
"We just felt like it was about time," Malzahn said. "We felt confident. We felt Roc was comfortable."
Despite exiting the game in the second quarter against Ole Miss, Thomas is expected to be healthy against Texas A&M, whose rush defense is statistically one of the worst in the SEC.
(11/04/14 8:59pm)
Auburn's star quarterback Nick Marshall has been announced as a semifinalist for the Davey O'Brien Award. The award is meant to honor the nation's top quarterback.
Marshall is one of 16 finalists for the award, and one of four quarterbacks from the SEC. In addition to Marshall, the SEC semifinalists include: Bo Wallace (Ole Miss), Blake Sims (Alabama), and Dak Prescott (Mississippi State).
Marshall has thrown for 1357 yards in eight games which gives him an average of 169.6 yards per game. He has 13 passing touchdowns to only four interceptions on the year.
On the ground, Marshall has 631 yards on 95 attempts; which gives him an average of 6.6 yards per rush. He has 9 rushing touchdowns on the year.
This weekend the 7-1 tigers will take on a Texas A&M team whose defense ranks 73rd among FBS schools in passing yards allowed per game (236.4 yards/games) according to ncaa.com. The Aggies also ranks 62nd among FBS schools in yards allowed per completion (12.08 yards/completion).
Texas A&M's red zone defense is ranked 118th among the 125 ranked FBS schools. Marshall will look to exploit a questionable defense this weekend and may be able to boost his chances at taking home the O'Brien trophy this season.
The full list of semifinalists is:
Nick Marshall
Blake Sims (Alabama)
J.T. Barrett (Ohio State)
Shane Carden (East Carolina)
Rakeem Cato (Marshall)
Connor Cook (Michigan State)
Everett Golson (Notre Dame)
Clint Trickett (West Virginia)
Bo Wallace (Ole Miss)
Brett Hundley (UCLA)
Marcus Mariota (Oregon)
Trevone Boykin (TCU)
Bryce Petty (Baylor)
Dak Prescott (Mississippi State)
Jake Waters (Kansas State)
Jameis Winston (Florida State)
(10/31/14 3:30am)
The Auburn men's basketball team's schedule kicks off at home on November 7th against West Alabama.
In an attempt to garner hype for a season that some have said will be the start of a new era in Auburn Basketball, the basketball staff decided to open practice to students and fans for a night dubbed "The Pearl Jam."
Thousands of students piled into the stadium to see the new players head basketball coach Bruce Pearl has assembled, but many of the students I talked to were waiting to see the coach himself.
"I'm excited, mainly to see the passion that Bruce Pearl will bring to the program," junior Jonathan Burson said.
Pearl's enthusiasm was apparent as he came out dressed up as head football coach Gus Malzahn and announced to the crowd that all season tickets have been sold for the upcoming season.
Coach Pearl also made it a point to let the students know that the team would need them this season.
"Together," Pearl said, "I think that we have the opportunity to become relevant in the world of college basketball right away."
In addition to letting the students see the new team, the event was used to teach new cheers for the student section. Pearl even renamed the Auburn student section after a short hype video, dubbing it "The Jungle."
"The university is committed and we are committed to making you guys the best student section in the nation," Pearl said.
Pearl did have issue with one cheer that attempted to use phone alarms to annoy the other team.
"I don't think we will do that one," said Pearl jokingly, "It may be against NCAA rules, and you know how careful I am about NCAA rules."
At the end of the event, and before Pearl gathered the team and students onto the floor for a picture, the new coach spoke about his expectations for the team and where he would like to be at the end of the season.
"I believe with all my heart that Auburn basketball can be one of the top five programs in the SEC every single year, and together we are going to do that," Pearl said.
After the event, one student shared with me his thoughts on the upcoming season.
"The only thing Auburn basketball has been known for is Charles Barkely," senior Eliot Skinner said. "It's about time the basketball program had something else to really get excited about."
With a relatively large turnout tonight, and with their West Alabama exhibition selling out, the basketball program seems to have a good start to the Bruce Pearl era. However, like all other sports, winning will be the only way to sustain the hype.