what a week!

This past week has been a whirlwind of excitement as far as the football season has been concerned.  The #4 Auburn Tigers hosted the #6 LSU Tigers in probably the biggest game at JHS since the 89 Iron Bowl.  Auburn won the game 24-17 but the score was not indicative of how dominating Auburn was in this game.  Auburn had many chances to put the game away early, but penalties and a fumble (by none other than mister fumble himself - Fannin) allowed LSU to stay in this game.  Some high and lowlights from the game:  Auburn is up 10-3 late in the 2nd quarter with LSU driving down deep into Auburn territory.  With about 20 seconds left and no timeouts for LSU, Les Miles calls for a rollout from his QB to the right.  Daren Bates has a clear shot at Russell and if he tackles him, LSU has no chance to run another play.  Of course, even with the horrible call, Bates misses the tackle and Russell runs into the endzone untouched.  At that point I was thinking, "Here we go with the luck of Miles."  In the third, Auburn has the ball at the LSU 49 and Cam runs a QB draw.  He goes up the middle and then cuts right.  He gets tripped up after about a 5 yard gain but stays on his feet.  He then makes two people miss and at about the 15, All-American Patrick Peterson has the angle on Newton.  Cam excellarates (sp?) and outruns him to the 5 where Peterson jumps on his back and rides him into the endzone.  It was a freaking awesome Heisman moment!  After that LSU punts and Auburn gets it back and is gashing the LSU defense.  That is until Fannin does his thing around midfield and we completely lose momentum.  Lsu scores in the 4th on a trick halfback pass to tie it.  Auburn gets the ball back and the offense runs the read speed sweep.  The whole defense broke on Cam but he handed it to Onterio McCalebb.  He then proceeds to run past everybody including Peterson for 70 yards and a TD.  This puts Auburn up for good and solidifies them as the top SEC team and one of the top teams in the country. Auburn ends up being #3 in the AP, coach's and harris polls.  they are #1 in the BCS, though.  Thats right, I said #1 IN THE BCS!!!! first time Auburn has been first in any poll since 1985.  very exciting but knowing there are 4 tough games left, plus a possible SEC championship.  Auburn plays on the road this weekend at Ole Miss.  Ole Miss would love nothing more than to ruin this season but I believe Auburn will be ready to play.  No doubt, Auburn could easily lose this weekend but I think they will take care of business.  It will be fun, tho.
This past Sunday we went to the Harpersville pumpkin patch.  It was so much fun.  They had vendors, a huge haystack to climb on, a huge bin of cotton to play in, a western shootout, a civil war reenactment, hayrides, pony rides, and a huge patch with innumerous amounts of pumpkins still on the vine.  Everyone had a great time.  It was well worth the time it took to get out there.  Halloween is this weekend and I am so ready for it to be over.  I am not a big fan of spending a ton of money on a costume that will be worn for about an hour.  But, the kids enjoy it so I can tolerate it. Im out of time right now, but in my next post, I am going to write about the Romans book I am reading by Boice.  Very good and insightful stuff!

Ready for cooler weather

It has been really hot lately.  not like it was this summer but upper 80's at the end of October?  puhlease! im so ready for it to feel like football season.  it doesnt have to drop into the 30's but a nice upper 60's to 70's would be good.  i think ive got one more grass cut in me and i also have to trim the shrubs one more time before winter so that is a relief. 
everything went really well at Weston's doctor visit this past week.  He is 90th percentile in height and 75th in weight.  so, yeah, he is bigger than my other two were at that age.  he did get some shots, 4 of them! he was sore and a little fussy but not like i thought, so the nights were not as bad as they could have been.  he is still sleeping good and only waking up really one time a night. the second time is around 445 to 5 but i am usually up for work by then so it isnt a big deal to me.  to my wife? yeah, probably.  but she is a warrior and a saint so she deals.
There was a big game this weekend in Jordan-Hare Stadium featuring the Razorbacks of Ar-kansas and the Tigers of Auburn.  I dont know if you heard, but there was over 1000 yards of offense and 108 points scored.  SEC defense?  not hardly.  this was more of a basketball game.  i thought cam newton was going to start shooting some three pointers in the fourth.  The game's final score was Auburn 65 Arkansas 43.  yes, i said 65!!  it was the most points we have ever scored on an SEC opponent (prev record 63 vs Fla in 1970 I believe).  We were so dominant on offense that we only had to punt twice the whole game.  we scored on every possession but two.  and the first one there was a phantom holding call that negated a huge third down conversion.  The whole talk (other than Cam being superman) was the terrible calls by the refs.  yes, there were very bad calls against both teams.  alot of talk has been Auburn got home cooking and maybe so, but like i said before, there were some for both teams.  arky had a third down inside auburn's 10 yard line and mallett floated a pass into the endzone.  the DB (i cant rememeber who, maybe demond washington) had great coverage and the pass went over the receiver's head.  low and behold there comes the flag for pass interference.  so, instead of a field goal attempt, arky got first down inside the 5.  totally killed the mo and it was a four possibly and 7 point difference.  yes, the goal-line fumble and the fumble returned for a TD were suspect but not as obvious as the previous two i mentioned.  all in all this was a great offense, terrible defense game.  also, the first BCS standings came out this past sunday.  Auburn debuted at #4.  this means almost nothing right now.  auburn still has to win most of the games left (a loss to LSU wouldnt be a complete failure, explanation later), but we need to win out to have a chance at a NC.  Our defense has to has to HAS TO step and play much better to give us a chance to make a run.  now, our starting safety and one of our starting DB's is out.  awesome! that just means one of our freshmen will have to play great.  alright, this is why you came to auburn!
The reason i say a loss to LSU wouldnt be a complete failure is this: 1) they are a top 6 team and losing to them isnt as bad as say Kentucky or 3) Auburn would have to win the rest including Alabama to get the tie breaker and Lsu would have to lose at least two.  difficult but could happen.  just win this weekend and we wont have to worry about that this week anyway.  It is a huge game with huge implications but I believe this team wont get caught up in the drama.  they have proven all season that they can handle the pressure and remain humble and just show up and play.  this is a special team that have gotten the breaks that teams need to get to win close ballgames.  Just think of all the breaks bama got last year: TWO blocked field goals against UT, LSU's four best players getting injured during the game, Texas best player (QB) getting hurt on the first drive.  Teams need these breaks to win those ballgames.  It looks like auburn is getting its share this year. hopefully we can ride this thing all the way.  if not, its ok. they are fun to watch and i will be proud of them and will enjoy this season.  til next time, War Eagle!

New week, new fun

This past weekend my wife and I had a yard sale.  Let me tell you how much I hate a yard sale, especially when I have to work one.  We made a little bit of cash but not near enough to make it worth my getting up early, putting up signs all over Gardendale, dragging the stuff out of the garage and into the driveway at 730 am just so someone can show up 30 min early and ask why is the yard sale not happening?  yeah, im bitter, but you know what?  I dont care.  I would basically give the crap away if i thought that somebody would take it for me.  I really dont want it and you really dont either so why bother?  anywho, i was hoping to make a little more cash than we did, but o well, heres to next time right? 
my daughter told me the other day that her job was to spend money.  I wonder where she heard that?  maybe mom?  also, my middle child, Colt, said boobies for the first time today.  yeah, i was so impressed.  he is definitely my boy!  and Weston is about to roll over.  he turns 8 weeks tomorrow and has his check up at the doctor.  he will probably get some shots so fussiness will be in order tomorrow night.  whoopie!  the kids are good; growing and fighting.  i really couldnt ask for anything more.
i have started to read a book that a friend from work lent me by James Boice.  It is basically an expository read on the book of Romans.  I have only read the preface and the first chapter but so far, it is excellent.  really challenging my walk with Christ and how i live my life.  i recommend it to anyone.
This past weekend the Auburn Tigers squeaked past a pesky Wildcat team from Lexington, KY.  Auburn dominated the first half in unorthodox fashion.  usually Auburn falls behind only to play lights out in the second half.  this weekend was the reverse.  Auburn ran on Kentucky and ran and passed and then ran some more.  Cam Newton showed why he was the #1 JUCO prospect by accounting for all 4 of Auburn's touchdowns in the first half and also rushing for over 100 yards.  then, in the second half, Auburn shut it down.  It looked like Tubbs of old.  and just like any overmatched but scrappy team (esp from the SEC) if you let them think they have a chance, they will come back.  and so they did.  the game was tied 34-34 with 722 to go in the game.  KY had just kicked a field goal and kicked off to Auburn.  Auburn tried to run a reverse on the kickoff with a KY defender inbetween them.  stupid, stupid, stupid.  the ball was fumbled and luckily we recovered at the 7.  needing to go 93 yards to score a TD or about 63 for field goal range was a tall order.  Cam Newton showed that he was the go to guy and basically took over and ran the ball just about every play.  there was an ENORMOUS third down pass play to Darvin Adams that kept the drive alive (on the third play of the drive i might add).  Wes Byrum kicked his 52 field goal to place him numero uno on Auburn's all time made list.  congrats! Auburn gave up 34 points and looked bad doing it.  This break but dont shatter defense has got to go.  we allow teams to catch the ball 4 yards out and then try to tackle them.  the problem is, we dont tackle well and they end up getting 7-12 yards.  i understand dont give up the big play but not every circumstance requires this method.  this week we play arkansas and they will absolutely eat us for lunch if we dont make some adjustments.  we only got 1 quarterback hurry and no sacks this last game.  we have to pressure mallett or he will pick us apart and do it easily.  one thing of note, KY did alot of 3 step drop passes.  this makes it hard to pressure the qb.  even with this, we still played 10 yards off the receivers.  drives me crazy!  mallett likes to drop back big and throw big deep balls, so hopefully we will have time to get to him.  we have to get a few turnovers and some good special teams play.  no giving up big kickoff returns or fumbling punts.  Im not so sure they can stop our offense.  it should be a high scoring affair and fun to watch (if youre not a fan of auburn or arky), otherwise it could be nerve racking.  o and 1 more thing.  there was this upset this past weekend im not sure if you heard about it or not.  something about the #1 team finally losing?  yeah, bama lost but dont worry, they are still good and will still probably win the rest (except auburn of course).  it was just nice to see them finally lose a game for the first time in 3 years and to not have to hear anyone say that mcelroy (howdy doody) hasnt lost a game since middle school ever again.
until next time, have a great week

getting down to the nitty gritty

being a dad has its good and bad days.  mostly good and the bad are still worth it, but the last week or so, my kids have really pushed me to the edge.  the two oldest who are 31/2 and 19 months like to fight now.  and they dont hold anything back.  my oldest, Addi, bit Colt on the face the other day leaving perfect teeth marks on his cheek.  he also likes to close fist hit.  he hit me in the nose last week and brought tears to my eyes.  thats pretty hardcore.  this past weekend I took the whole fam down to the Lovliest Village for the football game vs. La Monroe.  It was a good atmosphere but without the huge crowd.  it was a beautiful day with temps in the low 80's and I took Addi into the game.  She had a blast!  however, the one thing i wanted her to see was the eagle flying over the stadium at the beginning of the game.  of course, right beforehand, she had to go to the bathroom.  i thought maybe i can make it there and back in time but of course not.  the line to get into the seats from the tunnel was outrageously long.  seriously people, get to the game more than 10 min before kickoff.  but whatever, she still had a great time.  we left about midway thru the 2nd quarter which is about 1 quarter longer than i thought she would.  all in all in was a great time had by all and we will try it again homecoming weekend, Nov. 6.
now, about the game.  auburn dominated like they were supposed to and the backup guys got plenty of work in game-type situations and the starters got to rest for the greuling October schedule.  we play kentucky away this weekend followed by arkansas at home, lsu at home and ole mis away.  my gut tells me that we will be 3-1 or 2-2 after these four games but my heart says we will be 4-0.  if we come away 4-0 this month and 9-0 overall, we will more than likely (barring a complete meltdown against the bulldogs of georgia) be undefeated going into the bama game.  that will be unprecidented and will go a long way in not only deciding the West but also the National Champion picture.  Winning all those games will be a tall order and this team is not as good as the 04 team, but this team shows tons of potential and heart and play really really well together.  also, having cam newton as your quarterback doesnt hurt.  til next time.

It's finally fall!

the temp outside has finally made the turn to fall. it has gone from being 99 degrees to 79 in about a week. so awesome! my family is doing good. the kids are doing well and the newest is a little over 6 weeks old. he is holding his head up and smiling now. otherwise, it's the typical pooping, crying and eating.

the auburn tigers are 4-0 going into a nonconference game this weekend against the Warhawks of ULM. This shouldnt be a big test for the team other than getting the team to mentally show up for this one. It may be harder than most people think. auburn has just finished a really tough stretch of games and are about to start a really tough stretch. we just finished playing clemson and south carolina in two really tough and close games. auburn fell down 17-0 in the first half against clemson and came storming back in the second half to take the game in overtime 27-24. auburn scored 24 straight points to take the lead but clemson scored a touchdown to tie it up. auburn was only able to muster a field goal in the first overtime and had clemson at 4th and 5 on their posession. the center false snapped the ball and clemson had to kick 5 yards further back. they had a freshman kicker and he missed it! auburn escaped with the win! the next week, USC (east) came to town and auburn once again fell behind in this game. it was 20-7 with about 4 min left in the first half and auburn drove down and scored a touchdown to make it 20-14 at half. auburn had two fumbles on their side of the field and it led to 13 usc points. but once again, we came out at halftime and blitzed them. auburn owned the line of scrimmage in the second half and most of the first half as well. usc came into the game leading the SEC in rushing defense by only giving up 59.7 yards a game. auburn rushed for 334! cam newton led the way with 176 yards rusing and 3 tds and 16-21 passing for 158 yards and 2 tds! there has also been heisman talk for newton but its a long season. i say, if we are still undefeated or have 1 loss and he has a great game against lsu and bama (good defenses) then go ahead and talk about it, but until then, lets focus on winning games. auburn has looked pretty good but really bad at times too. our coverage defense it not good at all and that worries me against a team like arkansas. we also dont cover screens and draws well either. we have to have to have to be able to cover those or teams that arent very good on offense like lsu will kill us. and.....speaking of other teams, the other team in the state played arkansas this past weekend. they got spanked all game until the 4th quarter and then ryan mallett choked his guts up. he threw two interceptions on two drives that could have put the game away and the last one he tried to throw out of bounds but didnt quite make it. what a loser. they play florida this weekend so maybe the gators will be mad about getting embarrassed last year and put it to em. o well, here's hoping. till next time i have a minute