---

Men's golf starts season at Carpet Capital Collegiate tournament

By Max Newfield / Staff Writer | October 2

The Auburn Men's golf team teed off their season with a number 11 ranking in the GolfWeek/Sagarin poll.The Tigers were awarded the ranking Sept. 22 after finishing fourth in their first tournament of the season, the Carpet Capital Collegiate in Dalton, Ga.At the Carpet Capital Collegiate, Auburn beat Alabama and Georgia, the number three and four teams in the nation, respectively.

Knight Runs Past the Competition

By Max Newfield / Staff Writer | October 1

Auburn University junior Holly Knight was named the Southeastern Conference cross country athlete of the week for the week of Sept.

Volleyball Falls to LSU, Prepares for Ole Miss

By Nick Van Der Linden / ASSOCIATE SPORTS EDITOR | October 1

The Auburn Volleyball (9-5, 1-2 SEC) team played at home for the first time in three weeks as they faced the Louisiana State University Tigers (8-4, 2-1 SEC), losing the match 3-0 (25-22, 25-20, 26-24).Auburn led in every set, but were unable to hold a strong LSU attack which scored four points in the last two sets to eventually win the game."Our crowd was phenomenal and they were very encouraging throughout the match," said head coach Wade Benson.

Auburn Ultimate Looks to Host Tournament in Auburn

By Abby Albright / Sports Editor | October 1

The Auburn Ultimate Frisbee Club's fall season has flown into gear.Team captain, Gamble Ruff, a senior in electrical engineering, said the team hopes to travel to two fall tournaments.Ultimate frisbee is a spring sport, but the Auburn Ultimate team conditions through the off season to prepare for the competition.Ruff played in a pick-up Ultimate league in high school and said that experience prepared him to play at Auburn and to lead a team."Gambell is our captain and he knows everything there is to know (about Ultimate)," said team member Trace Pridgen, a sophomore in aerospace engineering.

The History of Jordan-Hare Stadium and Pat Dye Field

By Theadoris Morris/ Staff Writer | October 1

With sellout crowds almost reaching 90,000, Jordan-Hare Stadium has undergone numerous transformations and improvements to welcome home its fans.Nicknamed "The Jungle" by former head coach Tommy Tuberville in August 2001, Jordan-Hare Stadium is ranked as the eighth largest on-campus stadium and the 12 largest stadium in the National Collegiate Athletic Association, according to the Auburn Tigers Web site."The stadium gives Auburn national prestige and respect," said John Varner, library assistant at Ralph Brown Draughon library.The Auburn Stadium, its name from 1939-1949, was dedicated on Nov.

Equestrian Saddles Up to Face South Carolina

By Mary-Glenn Smith/ Staff Writer | October 1

The Auburn equestrian team will ride against South Carolina in a head-to-head meeting at the Auburn Equestrian Center Oct.

Auburn Soccer Prepares to Take on Razorbacks

By Justin Ward/ Staff Writer | October 1

This Friday night the Auburn Tigers soccer team will take on the Arkansas Razorbacks for its first home SEC game.Auburn has outscored opponents 11-5 and lost just once this year while playing in the familiar confines of the Auburn Soccer Complex."We're excited to be home again after being on the road for two weeks," said senior forward Becca Howell.Senior forward Caitlin King shared Howell's enthusiasm for returning home to face Arkansas and Louisiana State University."It's huge just like any sport you have to win your home games and win some road games," said head coach Karen Hoppa.

Why 'Water' Water?

By Mary-Glenn Smith/ Staff Writer | October 1

Why do they water the pool? This question has most likely gone through minds of anyone who has ever visited or walked by the Auburn outdoor pool just outside the Student Activities Center and noticed the large amounts of water being sprayed into the pool at both ends.It makes perfect sense to have a sprinkler system set up on a lawn to keep the grass and flowers hydrated and help them grow, but why water something like a pool that already has 600,000 gallons of water in it?The answer to that question actually makes sense, believe it or not."It's to cool off the water," said pool supervisor Megan Hampton.

Cardinals Fall to Tigers, 54-30

By Abby Albright / Sports Editor | October 1

Senior quarterback Chris Todd led the Tigers (4-0) to their fourth victory of the season, beating Ball State University (0-4) 54-30.Todd threw five touchdown passes, one more than last week, tying for the school single-game record set by Daniel Cobb in 2001 against Louisiana Tech."I'm really proud of Chris again," said head coach Gene Chizik.

Soccer Tastes Victory, Then Defeat

By Patrick Dever / Assistant Sports Editor | October 1

The Auburn Women's soccer team (4-3-3, 1-1-0) split its first two SEC games of the season last weekend with a win against Mississippi State University (8-1-0, 0-1-0) and a loss to the University of Mississippi (7-2-0, 1-0-0).The Tigers beat the Bulldogs on a rainy Friday night, 5-1.Head coach Karen Hoppa said the field was a mess Friday night."It was so wet we had to tell our backs that they couldn't pass the ball and had to clear it every time," Hoppa said.Hoppa said they are not used to playing such a direct style of play."The game wasn't pretty, but the girls adjusted well to playing long ball," Hoppa said.Auburn took the 1-0 lead on a goal headed in by senior forward Stephanie Fransoso in the 27th minute.The Tigers would not relinquish the lead the rest of the night.Sophomore Katy Frierson scored her third goal of the season four minutes after Fransoso's to give Auburn a 2-0 lead.The shutout didn't last much longer as Mississippi State put a goal by freshman goalkeeper Amy Howard in the 32nd minute.Scoring was put on hold for the rest of the first half as the Tigers out-shot the Bulldogs 13-6.It didn't take Auburn long to extend its lead in the second half.Sophomore defender Julie King scored her first goal of the season in the 54th minute.Senior forward Caitlin King and junior defender Heather Havron assisted on Julie's goal that put Auburn up 3-1.Julie said she was glad to put the team up by another goal."It was really exciting to get the goal, and it was cool that my sister got the assist after Heather's (Havron) corner kick," Julie said.Senior midfielder Becca Howell netted a goal from the top of the six-yard box late in the 63rd minute.Senior midfielder Chelsea Yauch ended the scoring two minutes later assisted by Howell.Auburn stayed in Mississippi for the weekend to face Ole Miss Sunday.The game went into double overtime and ended on an Ole Miss penalty kick in the 105th minute.Hoppa said the Rebels had a significant advantage by having their game rained out Friday night."Soccer is not like baseball where you can play everyday," Hoppa said.

Tigers to Travel to Rocky Top

By Nick Van Der Linden / ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR | October 1

The Auburn Tigers (4-0) hit the road for the first time this season to take on the University of Tennessee Volunteers (2-2).Saturday's game marks the first time since 2004 that the Tigers will travel to Knoxville.The Tigers come off a 54-30 win over Ball State University in a game once again delayed by rain.Auburn ranks third in the nation in scoring offense (45.3) and is tied for third in total offense with 526.3 yards per game.Head coach Gene Chizik said he was happy with the win, but not happy with the way it was won.

Tigers Ball on Ball State

By Patrick Dever / Assistant Sports Editor | September 28

The Auburn Tigers (4-0, 1-0 SEC) defeated the Ball State Cardinals (0-4,1-0) 54-30."It was great to get our fourth win tonight," said Auburn head coach Gene Chizik.For the second straight week, the football game was delayed, this time 28 minutes, by inclement weather in the Auburn area.

Auburn Volleyball team unable to hold LSU

By Nick Van Der Linden / ASSOCIATE SPORTS EDITOR | September 25

The Auburn Volleyball team (9-5, 1-2 SEC) lost to the Louisiana State Tigers (8-4, 2-1 SEC) in its first home game in three weeks.The Auburn Tiger defense was not able to hold the LSU offense, losing 3-0 (25-22, 25-20, 26-24).Freshman Sarah Bullock led the Auburn offense with 16 kills, 18.0 points and a .484 attack percentage.

Auburn Football Gets a Facelift for Fans

By Nick Van Der Linden / ASSOCIATE SPORTS EDITOR | September 25

After the first three games of this football season, fans might have noticed several improvements in and around Jordan-Hare Stadium.Tiger gamedays will now feature GuestAssist, Tiger Alley and Tailgate guys, which have been incorporated for a more fan-friendly experience.Auburn is the first NCAA school to implement GuestAssist, which is currently used by a number of major sports franchises and facilities throughout North America.GuestAssist provides instant two-way text messaging based communication between fans and event staff, allowing for improved management of safety, security and guest services.Auburn fans will now be able to express their concerns or requests via their mobile phone to the command and control center at Jordan-Hare.

Chizik credits fans with momentum in win over WVU

By Abby Albright / Sports Editor | September 24

After the Tiger Walk and before the eagle flew, the sky grew dark and grey over Jordan-Hare Stadium Saturday before Auburn football took on West Virginia.During the pre-game warm ups, the sky over the student section was dark and threatening, while the sky over the Haley Center remained a much brighter grey.The ominous clouds rolled in and it started to heavily rain over the stadium and the game was delayed because of the severe weather

AU plays to draw vs. No. 1 UNC

By Lindsey Grubbs/ Staff Writer | September 24

Auburn University women's soccer team tied in overtime to last year's national champions, University of North Carolina, after a double-overtime loss to Duke University in the Duke Nike Cup Tournament at Durham, N.C.The first game of the tournament began Friday against Duke University when Auburn lost 2-1."We played really well," said head coach Karen Hoppa.

Soccer travels to Miss. State

By Lindsey Grubbs/ Staff Writer | September 24

Auburn University women's soccer team travels to Starkville, Miss., for the beginning of its SEC conference play against undefeated Mississippi State Friday.After playing the top teams in the country and playing the No.1 ranked University of North Carolina to a tie in double overtime, head coach Karen Hoopa said the team has already grown a lot since the beginning of the season."We didn't realize how good we can be until today (after the draw against UNC)," Hoppa said.

Tigers attack Cardinals

By Nick Van Der Linden / ASSOCIATE SPORTS EDITOR | September 24

After a 41-30 win over West Virginia last weekend, the Tigers (3-0) will play host to a struggling Ball State (0-3) this Saturday in Jordan-Hare Stadium.The last time Ball State came to Jordan-Hare Stadium it gave up a touchdown on every possession of the game, losing 63-3 in 2005.Because of this, head coach Gene Chizik and his coaching staff will have a new challenge this week, keeping their team motivated.Ball State, who went 12-0 last year in the regular season, winning the Mid-American Conference Western Division Title, has seen a complete turnaround since the end of last season since coach Brady Hoke left for San Diego State and quarterback Nate Davis left early for the NFL.So far this season, the Cardinals have lost to North Texas and Army, two teams that had a combined 4-20 record last season, as well as New Hampshire, a football championship subdivision school.Auburn and Ball State have met twice previously this decade, with the Tigers winning twice at home, 30-0 in 2001 and 63-3 in 2005.So far, Auburn has never lost to any current members of the Mid-American Conference, with six previous games against MAC schools, with wins against Akron, Buffalo, Northern Illinois and Western Michigan.The Tigers worked on alignments and tackling, two of their main problems on defense after last Saturday's game.The defense's biggest problem last Saturday was missed tackles."We would blitz a guy and come off the edge," Chizik said in Sunday's teleconference.