weight loss, baseball and football

The weigh-in for the "biggest loser" at work was last Tuesday, August 7.  I lost a total of 28 pounds.  My goal was 27 or 10% and I was able to meet that.  Despite the big loss, I did not win the contest.  A co-worker of mine lost 27 pounds but started at 181.  He lost 15% in about 9 weeks!! That is a crazy amount.  I told him he looked sick and to use the winnings to buy a lot of food.  I took that week off from my strict diet and working out to rest.  I started back this week doing Crossfit.  I do really like the workouts but I don't think I can afford the $150/month fee.  I have payed for this month so I'm going to finish it out, but not sure yet for the following months. 

Football is just around the corner.  Fall practice has started and it is only about 2 weeks til kickoff.  Already the media is going crazy printing stories that are half true and full of misquotes and falsities.  It amazes me that "journalists" can write this stuff just to make headlines and get hits on their blogs.  It is sickening and has the potential to ruin lives and careers.  It really puts a damper on the season and college football in general. 

In baseball, the Braves are currently 4.5 games back in the East and are 3 games up in the wild card.  They have the 2nd best record in the NL since the All-Star break and have the best ERA.  They are playing their best ball right now and hopefully can keep it up through the rest of the season.

I have a 5k fun run coming up on August 25 at Veteran's Park supporting Kenya relief.  It is a great charity to support and you can learn more and donate at www.kenyarelief.org.  Please come out and join me and Erika in raising money for this village.  Also, you can make fun of me and how slow I can jog/walk a 5k. 

The Biggest Loser

I believe it was in an earlier post that I had mentioned I was about to partake in my own version of The Biggest Loser at work.  It has been six weeks and I have lost around 18-20 pounds (depending on when I weigh).  I have been exercising about 5-6 times a week including running and lifting and have been trying to eat a really good high protein, low carb diet.  I have started to see results already and it gives me additional motivation moving forward.  We have about 3 weeks left until the final weigh-in and even if I don't win, I really like the way I look and feel.  I'm going to continue to do this after the contest and train to run a triathlon sprint ( a mini-triathlon) for next summer.  Yes, it will take me that long to train, what, with 3 kids and a full-time job.  They are opening a CrossFit in Gardendale in August and I would really like to join.  I like the way the workouts are formatted in a circuit-type regimen and I feel it will best suit meeting my goals.

The Braves are continuing on their quest of making the playoffs and are chasing the Nationals, of all teams, in the NL East.  They play 4 games against them this weekend and played a heck of a game last night.  Down 9-0, the Braves scored 4 in the 6th, 4 in the 8th and 2 in the ninth to take a 10-9 lead.  Kimbrell came on to pitch the bot of the 9th and gave up a homerun that tied the game.  It was only his 2nd blown save all year and first time he's given up a run in a long time.  The Braves then scored on a bloop single in the top of the 11th and won.  It was a great season changer and momentum builder.  They are only 2.5 games out of first and if they can sweep, the Braves will be in first.  It's a tall order because the Nats are good, but it can be done.

Auburn starts fall practice August 1 and the first game is Sept 1.  A couple of recruiting notes:  big time LB recruit Reuben Foster switched his verbal from bama to AU last week.  This could be a huge get for auburn if Fosters ends up signing in Feb.  On some sites, he is the #1 LB recruit in the nation and #2 overall.  A big-time RB from Memphis also verbally committed this past week.  He is a tall back and can catch really well out of the backfield.  Auburn is hosting a number of big recruits this weekend and hopefully can grab some more commitments.  I believe the numbers say AU can sign 21 this year and they have 17 so if all commits sign, AU needs 4 more.  It is really shaping up to be a great class.

After the weigh-in I will post and tell you who won and what percentage he/she lost.  Hopefully, it will be me :)

Update

Been a while since I last posted and alot has gone on:

Addi has been competing in pageants and having a great time along with doing rather well.  She has done one dance recital and is going to do another one next Saturday.  She also just finished up her first year of softball.  I don't think that I will have to worry about her wanting to that again.  We are now going to probably concentrate on dance and might try another sport if she wants. 

Colt is going to take swimming lessons in a couple weeks and is already doing well without them.  This will help out tremendously in trying to keep an eye on Weston at the pool and beach.  He is completely potty-trained and is doing really well with that - even at night!

Weston is as rowdy as ever and so much fun!  He loves to play and fight and wrestle and hit and bite and kick.  He plays really well with his older siblings and wants to be a part of everything they are doing.

Erika's store is doing really well.  The summer months are typically the slowest and are a source of anxiety.  Just the unknown of how much dance wear people are going to need is stressful.  Many dance studios now offer summer classes so hopefully this will keep the customers coming. 

At work, a group of us are doing a version of the "Biggest Loser" where, over two months, we try and lose as much weight as possible and measure % body weight lost.  We are putting in a few dollars to make it a little more motivating.  It starts June 5 and goes to around August 7.  Dieting stinks, but doing it for a possible cash prize will make it worth it.

The Braves have had an up and down season so far.  They started off losing 4 in a row and then winning most of their games over the next month.  Here lately they have been terrible in all aspects, but especially pitching.  Before last night, they had lost 8 in a row and had gone from being 2 up in the division to being 4 down.  A bunch of the young pitchers have really struggled and Chipper, McCann and Freeman being hurt does not help at all.  Hopefully they can right the ship and not miss out on the postseason again.

We are going to the beach as a family at the end of June and it can't get here fast enough.  I'm trying to talk Erika into getting a lake place but she is balking at the idea.  I mean, other than not being able to afford it and me having to keep up the place, what's the problem?  Anyway, til next time

Finally, a post

I finally have a minute to sit and type out a post.  It seems to have been forever since I last posted and since Erika uses the computer for her business, I don't ever have time to post. 

First thing, Addi was in a pageant a few weeks ago.  This pageant was actually four in one (which means anyone has the chance to win 4 different crowns) and was held in Cullman.  Addi won supreme in two of them (which means she was the overall winner of multiple age groups) and won princess in the other two (which means she won just her age group).  She had a great time and came home with alot of prizes and some money too!  As long as she has fun doing it, we will continue to let her, but as soon as she doesn't want to, we will stop.  I desperately don't want this to become an episode on Toddlers and Tiaras.

Erika's business is really taking off.  She has gotten into renting and selling pageant dresses and little did I know, but it is very popular!  The dance-wear is doing really well, too, and I think the more the word gets out about her store, the more business she will do. 

College football season has officially ended with signing day this past Wednesday.  Auburn had a really good class this year, although not as good as the last two.  Auburn fans have been spoiled the last two years with top 5 recruiting classes so the thinking is that it would continue.  It really is amazing the ability bama has at getting a top 1-3 class year in and year out, especially with Saban's reputation for greyshirting players.  Even though a highly ranked class does not necessarily translate to a championship team, it does not hurt.  Bama has kindof bucked that trend winning two of the last three MNC's.  Auburn filled their needs with another great class of OL's and big additions at WR and defense.  Auburn is slowly filling their numbers and I believe will be competitive sooner rather than later. 

One note on greyshirting:  Saban is a master at manipulating the recruiting numbers to make sure he gets the best players on scholarship.  Take the sad stories of Justin Taylor and Darius Philon.  Both had been bama commits early in the process and then, with about two weeks to go until signing day, were told that they were going to have to walk on to the team, pay their way the first year and then they could sign/get a scholarship the next year (greyshirting).  First off, that sucks.  You promised him a spot and wanted him but then a better player comes along so you have to find room so you drop the other player.  Secondly, you expect players to remain committed to you (yet you continue to recruit players that have verbally committed elsewhere), but if you decide to "greyshirt" a player, that's ok.  Sorry bud, no it's not.  It's hypocritical and scummy.  But, I guess if college football is a business, then that's what you have to do.  If you are more concerned with winning football games and making your team the best no matter who you run over in the process, then congratulations sir, you have done a great job.  Yes, you are the best coach in America, but it's hard for me to respect you when you do kids that way.  Don't blame it on the 25 restriction because everyone has to follow this rule.  I know every team probably does this in some form, but bama is the one I see and read about the most because I live in Birmingham. 

Anyway, off my soapbox.  Baseball is starting soon and the Braves will have a new look and as soon as I get an idea about how the team is shaping up, I'll post a baseball preview. 

Hope y'all have a great weekend.

Catching up

It is my first post in over a month and much has happened. To start with the oldest, bama and lsu were selected to play in the national champ game. If you want to see my view of this click here: http://drivelforyou.blogspot.com/2011/11/bama-review-and-playoff-plea.html. 

Mike Dyer has been dismissed from the team for unspecified reasons.  Most people seem to think it was due to smoking pot, but I have heard grumblings all year about his attitude.  It was also said that Dyer was with the infamous 4 that got arrested before the season started earlier in the night.  He was, I heard, trying to talk them out of it, but that shows you the type of company he keeps.  Thugs come to mind.  He got mad at the way Chizik handled the situation (aka suspending the players); he thought they players didn't get a chance to tell their side of the story.  Um... maybe it's just me, but if you hold up someone at gunpoint, you have no side.  Anyway, he has a list of things he has to accomplish before he can be let back on the team and one of them (again, something I heard), was to complete 12 hours of credit this summer.  That is not impossible to do, but for a football player that is not known to be a great student it can be really tough.  Some seem to think Dyer will not be back next year, possibly transferring to a lower tier school.  That would be a really big shame, but no one player is bigger than the team so if he can't or won't do it, see ya!  Auburn has two 5-star running backs eligible next year and a four-star coming along with Tre Mason and possibly O Mac so that is one position where AU is ok.  I really do hope Dyer is back, but won't cry if he's not. 

Speaking of RB's coming in next year, a 5-star recruit TJ Yeldon from Daphne (a known bama stronghold) that has been committed to AU for 6 months, all of a sudden decommitted and committed to bama on the night before the dead period began.  It seems really really fishy and with all the crap that went on last year with Calloway and Cyrus K. it's hard not to think something is up.  I won't really comment on it, but I think that they way it went down was really shady. 

In the midst of all this, AU lost both coordinators.  Ted Roof "left" and took a DC job with O'Leary (his mentor) at UCF.  Malzahn decided that he probably should have taken a job last year when he was extremely popular and took the head coaching job at Arkansas St.  He is from Arkansas and going home was too much of a pull.  Alot of chatter about a sinking ship and such about AU, but that is not the case.  AU has incredible talent coming back next year and will have a great recruiting class as well.  Whoever inherits the coordinating jobs will get a wealth of talent and a year experience.  AU only loses 15 seniors and only 7 of those are scholarship.  7 scholarship players!  What a change from last year when AU lost 36 players plus 4 more after the arrests.  Chizik will be coaching the defense for the bowl game, and hopefully in the next few days, AU will hire some good coaches to fill the slots and finish the recruiting period really strong. 

Enough of football.  Today, my two boys had surgery.  Colt had his tonsils and adenoids removed and West had his tonsils and adenoids removed along with ear tubes placed.  They both did really well.  Colt and I are at home and he has already eaten really well and wanted to go play.  West had to spend the night, and on last check, he had eaten all his food and was working on a parfait and laughing like crazy.  So very thankful they are doing so well and hopefully will continue to do so.

Hopefully, I will have a Chick-fil-a/Virginia preview (dont hold your breath) and an update about the boys soon.  I am off work until next tuesday so I am going to enjoy the time off. 

Bama review and a playoff plea

The game was never in doubt; not even before kickoff did I think that AU could ultimately win the game. I knew that it could happen, I mean, AU would have to play a complete game and bama would have to play really poorly, but I knew that the better team would probably win. Having said that, it still doesn't lessen the feeling that losing causes.

Auburn had their chances to draw close even in the third quarter. Auburn took the opening kick in the 2nd half to the house to make it a 10 point game and then had the ball at midfield looking to make it a one score game. That is when the wheels fell off and has as a rule for all the losses this year. Auburn was facing a 4th and short and went for it and ran Dyer-cat. I don't know what Malzahn sees in that play, but it never and I mean never works. So, obviously, AU didn't get it and bama goes down and promptly scores essentially putting the game out of reach.

I sincerely hope that AU uses the bowl practices to groom Frazier to play next year. If Trotter or Moseley starts next year, I might have to boycott the football team. Trotter cannot throw and has no confidence and Moseley is the biggest baby I have ever seen. If there is any pressure at all he either folds like a deck of cards or throws an off balance throw that is no where near an AU receiver. He did that on the pick six yesterday. He was feeling a little pressure to his left, but the guard came over and rode him out of the play, but instead of stepping up in the pocket and making a throw, Moseley winced and threw an off-balance throw that sailed over Blake's head.

AU has been absolutely pathetic at QB this year and I'm hoping that either Frazier or Pike can come in and play much better. It really can't get much worse. I thought AU played well, but gave bama way too much, especially Richardson. He had a good game, but so has every other running back against AU. I mean, a freshman RB from Samford had over 100 yards. AU played weak on the ends and at corner and never challenged anyone. Au played scared and it showed up ugly in the 4th quarter.

Now, about bama. They may be one of the best two teams in the nation, but I firmly believe that if you cannot win your own division much less your conference, you should not play for the national title. The BCS is way too flawed and I really hope that a playoff will be looked at more seriously because of this. bama had their chance and lost. At home. So, they basically get rewarded for losing to LSU. They get to sit at home while LSU plays an extra game against a very improved and motivated UGA team. Doesn't seem right does it? People will say that a playoff will ruin the regular season making the games less meaningful. That is absolute crap. Don't tell me that there will less intensity when AU plays LSU or UGA or bama or when bama plays UT or LSU or AU. Also, you are playing for a chance at home field and everyone knows that home field in college football is huge. You lose, you may still make the playoff, but you will have to travel the first round. Also, there is no guarantee that you make the playoff if you lose even just one game. Look at Stanford. They were 4th and got beat and dropped to 9th. If that was the last game of the year, they would miss the playoffs after being in a position to host their first round game just the previous week. Also, every other division/sports use a playoff. Settle it on the field, not with some pencil-necked sports writer with an agenda and a vote. If you aren't a media darling like bama or Oklahoma or OSU then you have not shot unless you go undefeated. So far, only LSU has been able to do that this year.

Why is it fair or right to say bama is the best if they beat LSU in the natty after LSU already beat them on bama's home field earlier? Shouldn't they have a rubber match? So LSU has to beat bama twice to be champs, but bama only has to win once after they already lost to them? Just plain dumb. Please, please get a playoff. That is the only way we will know who deserves to be the champs. I know, just because you win one game doesn't mean you are the overall best, because anyone can win on any given day. But leaving it up to voters who are as biased and uninformed as me and you just can't be the best way.

Samford Preview

Auburn's Homecoming game today is Samford University out of Birmingham, AL. It also marks a homecoming for the current Samford head coach and former Auburn player and Heisman winner Pat Sullivan. Sullivan played for the Tigers from 68-71 and won the Heisman Trophy his senior year. He will be honored during the game today along with many of his teammates from the '71 team.

AU comes limping into this game after a shellacking at the hands of the Bulldogs. Auburn is looking for answers from both sides of the ball especially offensively. Defensively, everyone knew that AU would struggle this year, but offensively AU shouldn't be having this many problems. The line isn't blocking, the QB isn't looking to any other receivers besides Lutz and Blake and I believe Malazahn is being hamstrung. You say he isn't? Compare this year to '09 when the QB's were similar and the players were similar and AU put up big numbers and Chris "I can't run a lick" Todd broke records. I think Chizik is making Malzahn slow down the offense to help the defense. Add that to the fact that AU doesn't have a QB worth a poop right now and that equals a pretty pathetic offense.

On another note, rumors are swirling again that Malzahn is on top of the list for the head coaching job at UNC. Chizik says he hasn't been contacted but I think it's just a matter of time. Malzahn will be looking to leave for a good head coaching gig and to run his offense freely. UNC's AD was at Tulsa when Malzahn was there so I think it's probably a done deal. Chizik says he has a plan for when Malzahn does leave and I have no doubt he will hire someone that will do a great job. I think we will probably get a preview of our new Off Coord. today. His name is Rhett Lashlee and he is O coord at Samford. He was a GA under Malzahn last year and runs an offense very similar to Malzahn's. Of course Chris Morris from Clemson would be a great addition if he wanted to leave. Whatever happens, the new O coord will be loaded with talent and should do really well.

On to the game today: AU will roll but it may be closer than you think. I'm just not convinced this AU team can put anyone away early, even the FCS Samford team. Samford is very similar to AU in that they are very young and have played that way. AU will win and hopefully give some guys some rest to get ready for bama.

Throwing up and UGAly game

The title of this post is kind-of fitting. Early Wednesday morning my wife Erika woke up puking. Having three small children, if momma is sick, daddy aint going to work. Come to find out, my two oldest kids ended up getting sick a few hours later. Erika, ever the trooper, worked in her store for most of the day despite feeling nauseated and not being able to eat or drink anything all day. Let's just say that I couldn't do that. Ever. After cleaning up a two-year-old's vomit all day, I went to work the next day. I felt fine and was making plans to keep the kids on Friday afternoon after I got home. Erika and Addi were going to the American Girl Doll Store in Atlanta that morning and weren't going to be home til that night.

Thursday night about 10:30, I woke up to a raging case of diarrhea and vomiting that lasted all night into the morning and occurred about once an hour. Needless to say, I was out of commission all day Friday. Usually I can get over a stomach virus in about 12 hours but this one really kicked my butt. I felt miserable all day Friday and ended up losing 14 pounds in one day! Thus the reason why no Georgia preview.

This all lead up to the debaucle that was the Auburn Tigers "playing" against Georgia on Saturday. It started off poorly but AU hanging in there. After AU recovered the fumble at midfield and then promptly gave it right back, I believe that is when the team lost confidence and therefore the game.

There is, I believe, a lack of confidence in the huddle and that starts with the QB. I did not see the penalties and the fumbles and the missed blocking assignments last year. I know, an older, more experienced and better team, but the basics are not being done this year. Also, what is going on with the play calling? Is this all that Malzahn is comfortable allowing this team to run? AU tries to run a bubble screen and there is no blocking whatsoever from any receiver. Jay Wisner cannot block. If there is any pressure on Moseley at all, he folds. Why don't they roll him out every now and then? And why, if Keihl Frazier is the QB of the future, did they not put him in during the second half Saturday to get some experience? Did the coaches actually think that AU could come back from 38-7 down?

I know this team is young and learning, but good grief! AU took a step back this weekend and that was after a week off! What did they do? Defense, tackling, missed assignments, getting beat on coverage over and over and over. I'm so sick of the safeties getting beat every deep ball. Neiko Thorpe cannot cover. At all. Chris Davis took a few steps back Saturday. Darren Bates cannot play assignment football. All he wants to do is go blow someone up. Hey, how about play your lane, shed a blocker for once and make a play. Or at least slow the ball carrier up so someone else can make a play. I truly believe it is coaching and it's disappointing because Chizik is a defensive coach. Roof's technique has failed us three years now and it's time for a change. The only semblance of a good defense was last year and that was for only two and a half games at the end. When you have Bynes, Fairley and a senior laden D-line, you don't have to be a good coach to be successful. It's past time AU got a defense worth a crap.

Overall, AU is still in good shape. They should beat Samford this weekend and will in all liklihood get throttled by bama to end the regular season and then make a decent bowl game (Chick-fil-a most likely, maybe Outback). 7-5 is not bad considering most pundets had AU not going bowling at all and 7-5 as a miracle season. Looking back, maybe it was a miracle season. I'm sure I'll look back in a few years and realize how successful this team really was, but for now, it is frustrating. All I can do is cheer them on no matter what.

Ole Miss reax

This week has been crazy thus the late post. Auburn played a complete game in the 2nd half to pull away and beat the Rebel Black Bears 41-23 last Sat night in JHS. Auburn started really hot and got out to a 14-0 lead, but two turnovers and shotty run defense allowed Ole Miss to tie the game at 17 heading to half. Auburn came out with a vengence in the 2nd half and scored 24 straight points before giving up a meaningless touchdown with 1 second left. Funny thing, Ole Miss got an offensive penalty with less than a minute to go. By rule, 10 seconds were supposed to be taken off the clock, but Penn Wagers (the head ref) did not do that, thus allowing Ole Miss to have time to run another play and score against our 2nd string. I hate giving up late meaningless TD's but oh well, such is life.

Auburn played well in the 2nd half but the first half effort was not up to par. Auburn made too many mistakes and the D-line was getting pushed around. That cannot happen! Our D-line has underperformed for the most part this year and has been a big disappointment overall. I know they are still young, but I have not seen them play a complete game even against inferior opponents like FAU. Hopefully, they will continue to improve and play lights out the last three games. Moseley played really well going 12-15 for 160 yards and four touchdowns. Auburn has to have that kind of effort from now on to have a chance to win at least two out of the next three.

Auburn has this week off to rest and heal to get ready to play the Dawgs in Athens. This will be a hard fought game and will really test the meddle of this group. I think they have a great shot at winning, but will have to play all four quarters. Georgia will be looking to win to probably win the East this year and keep Mark Richt around for a little while longer.

Ole Miss preview

Auburn takes the field this weekend back in the friendly confines of Jordan-Hare Stadium to take on the Rebel Black Bears of Mississippi. Auburn is coming off one of its worst defeats in recent memory against arguably the best team in the nation. Ole Miss is limping in as well, sporting a 2-5 record, but is coming off a gutsy performance against Arky last week. Ole Miss led 17-0 at one point before Arky came back and won by 5.

Houston Nutt is still the coach at UM despite not being able to win consistently. Most say this game and the egg bowl will be his defining games this year and will likely decide his future as the coach of the Rebels and probably as an SEC coach. Miss has plenty of playmakers but has been hampered by the injury bug. Look for all the stops to be pulled and Ole Miss to play with nothing to lose. Miss has only won one SEC game since 2009 and that was Kentucky. Nutt usually pulls one out that he isn't supposed to and I hope that this isn't this weekend.

Auburn needs to regroup and decide how the rest of the year is going to play out. They have a chance to land a pretty good bowl game with a win Saturday almost guaranteeing them 7 wins. A month of extra practice is so critical at this point with all the young players, that Saturday is very important. I am interested to see how Moseley does with more time to throw the ball and not running for his life. Dyer has to get some carries and the line has to block and the receivers have to get open and catch the ball. Sounds elementary, right? Well, if that happens Saturday, AU wins. If not, it will be close. AU's defense has played better and I expect them to rebound this weekend.

Prediction: Look for AU to bounce back nicely from last weeks beatdown. I do expect UM to play well and possibly way over their heads for a while. If AU can withstand the initial barrage and stay close, I think they win. The key will be if AU can get ahead early, I believe UM will pack it in and AU should win going away. Eliminate stupid penalties and the big play and AU gets bowl eligible and looks forward to a much needed and deserved off week. A 3-2 record during this brutal stretch (not to mention hardest in the nation) with the nation's youngest and most inexperienced team would be a HUGE testament to this coaching staff in what a phenomenal job they have done. Losing 32+ players last year hurt so much more than I thought, but this team/staff has never once complained nor given excuses. They have practiced hard and gotten better and will be great sooner rather than later. Now that I'm off my soapbox:

AU 24 UM 16

LSU reax

Domination. That's all there was to it. LSU was not overlooking AU for bama or anyone else. That's why they are the #1 team in the nation. They take of business and punish you for mistakes. As much as I hate to say it, LSU played like I want AU to play: intense, fast, brutal. I did admire the way AU continued to play tough and not quit, despite being down 45-3 in the 4th. That was close to being AU's worst beatdown ever, but the good news is, AU will learn and get better from this.

Likes: Clint Moseley did really well despite being pressured EVERY single time he stepped back to pass. In his first start, he only made a few bad throws and had one BAD interecption. Against an elite group like this, that will kill you.

Cody Parkey hit his only field goal attempt and had two really good kickoffs out of three.

Running backs did pretty well even though they were running against what seemed like 15 guys at times. Lutz blocked well on the edge as did the receivers for the most part. When McCalebb got outside, he was able to make some good yardage (didnt happen much, tho).

D-line played hard and were overmatched but never quit. Despite being outweighed by about 30-40 pounds, I thought they held their own. However, LSU had 4.8 yards per carry so that won't get it done.

Dislikes: O-line. They got whipped in every aspect of the game. Many times, LSU had guys coming unblocked into the backfield. No, these were not safety blitzes. This was a tackle coming through unblocked; a missed assignment. A.J. Green, playing left tackle, the QB's blindside, got beat multiple times and Moseley rarely had time to set his feet much less make a decent throw. Very dissapointed in their play. I really thought these guys had taken a step forward and now they are about 3 back. Multiple injuries and playing freshmen and sophomores doesn't help, but these guys have to get better. It all starts in the trenches.

Punting was atrocious. Clark had his worst game of the year having 4 out 7 punts go for less than 30 yards. Most times these were not trying to pin LSU deep, either. HAVE to have a good game from him EVERY time, especially if this offense is going to continue to struggle.

DB's - young and inexperienced will get you beat by a good team. A great team will destroy you and that's what happened. Randle is an All-American and he showed why Saturday, running by the AU secondary at will. Good thing is, they will get better and learn from this (hopefully).

Overall, I'm not terribly dissapointed with the team even though it was an epic beatdown. AU played the possible national champions and held their own for a half. Take away the stupid, very avoidable and correctable penalites and AU may force LSU to punt sooner and possibly kept them from scoring their first TD. Also, take away the two big plays for TD's in the first half and AU has the lead. I know, that's alot of take aways but you know what I mean.

Everyone said that AU would probably go winless in October possibly winning one. Well, AU is 2-2 with a good chance to go 3-2 after this Saturday. As of this week, AU has the toughest schedule in the nation and the three losses have all come on the road against the #1, #6 and #8 teams. That is not bad at all. How many 3 loss teams can say that?

Ole Miss is this weekend and after the showing they put on against Arkansas, anything can happen. I expect AU to bury this loss and come out playing better, just like they have after the other losses. AU has a chance to play for a good New Year's bowl, but two big games loom with UM and UGA (I know bama is last, but barring a miracle, that's an L) to determine how the rest of the season goes.

LSU preview

"The Honey Badger doesn't give a s*** because he is too high."

Auburn travels to Baton Rouge, or the threshold of hell as some like to say, to take on the #1 team in the nation. A few of LSU's players made some headlines this week by getting themselves stupidly suspended for smoking some reefer. The Honey Badger himself Tyrann Mathieu, Spencer Ware and another CB were caught smoking synthetic marijuanna and have been suspended for this weekend's game vs AU. I'll bet you my left kidney that they will all be available to play in Tuscaloosa in two weeks, though.

Even with these three starters out, AU's chances of a win are slim at best. AU will have to play their best game of the year and will have to be able to consistently move the ball and control the line of scrimmage. This is a tall order against an LSU team that is dominate on the line on both sides of the ball.

Clint Moseley will be making his first start of the season in a very tough environment. Death Valley will be one of the loudest places he will have ever been to and to make his first start there can be an eye-opening experience. He will have to make plays and manage the game extremely well in order for AU to have a chance. AU must be able to pass block and Moseley has to find an open receiver and be able to complete it. The receivers HAVE to get open and then catch the flippin ball.

Mike Dyer will get alot of carries this game and the line must block for him in order, not only to open up the passing game, but also move the chains and control time of possession. The offense will need to be clicking and that is not something that has happened since the first half of the Clemson game.

The defense has been playing really well lately but against some pretty bad offenses, sans Arkansas. AU usually does a good job stopping power running teams and I believe that the defense will play well Saturday. Again, the D-line must put constant pressure on the QB's and force some bad throws. AU must win the turnover battle.

Special teams need to continue doing what they have been doing. Clark needs to flip field position with monster punts and high hang times and Parkey needs to continue to get touchbacks and hit field goals. Kick coverage needs to be spot on, get to the returner and tackle quickly.

All these things need to happen and then AU still only has a chance to win. This is probably going to be the toughest game AU will play all year. I know, bama is coming, but AU plays them at home so it drops below playing in BR, where AU hasn't won since Clinton was in office.

AU will keep it close, but LSU has too many athletes and is too deep on defense to lose this game. Playing in BR, albeit not at night woo hoo, will be hugely in favor of the home team.

Prediction: AU - 17 LSU - 28

Florida Reax and Jury Duty

Sorry about the late post this week but I have been doing my civic duty and have been stuck at jury duty all week. Sitting, reading, sitting some more, playing on the phone, sitting. Yeah, loads of fun. It has been nice being able to sleep past 0500 in the morning and being able to take my daughter to school in the mornings; however, it is pretty boring just sitting all day. I was called to be chosen for questioning for a jury three times only to be unchosen at the last minute. Oh well, it was my first experience at jury duty and I'm sure not my last.

Now, on to the Florida game. I also say a win is a win and I would take it no matter what (sort of like the 3-2 MSU game a few years back), but I'm not real sure what to make of it. Auburn looked great at times and awful at times. Trotter started the game slow, as usual, and really never got it going. Auburn would move the ball some, but a holding or a false start or a terribly thrown ball would cause AU to have to punt. Auburn got some huge breaks in this game, mainly that Demps could not go and Brantley was hurt and out. Two of Florida's best players kept out of the lineup definitely helped Auburn's chances, but not to the point of making it completely one-sided. Auburn was without their two best receivers, Blake and Reed, and had Cooper leave with a hurt leg.

Auburn scored first on a free play, UF jumped offsides, with Trotter hitting Benton in the endzone on a great throw and catch. This happened after Rainey muffed a punt at his own 30 yard line. Over the next quarter, Auburn gave UF 30-45 yards of additional yards by two facemasks and a late hit that led to two UF field goals. Auburn led 7-6 at half, but neither team really had anything going for it. Auburn looked really bad for most of the first half and needed a boost of some sort. Chizik decided to start Moseley in the 2nd half to provide just that spark.

Auburn, despite the multiple 15 yard penalties, played really really well on defense. Limiting UF to only 6 points and holding them with only 1 third down conversion was awesome, especially compared to how they played earlier in the year. Tackling was much better and T. Bell intercepted an underthrown ball on the 2nd play.

Moseley came out in the 2nd half and started off with two runs and then a badly overthrown ball to a wide open receiver. He did complete a safe pass to Lutz on a thrid and long but the team seemed to respond to the new QB and the spark was there. Auburn defense held strong and McCalebb scored a TD on the first play of the 4th quarter. Auburn was up 14-6 and after trading several punts, Auburn had the ball on inside their own 20 with about 5 minutes left. Of course, they couldn't get a first down to run out the clock, so they had to punt. And for the fourth time, Rainey dropped another punt and Auburn recovered and was able to kick a field goal with 38 seconds left to go up 17-6. That is how the game finished. Auburn is now 5-2 and 3-1 in the SEC. Who would've thought AU would be 2-1 so far in October? I didn't think is was very probable.

This young team is getting better, but they have experienced the injury bug pretty harshly. Blake and Reed are still questionable for LSU and Jared Cooper and Ladarious Owens are out for the year. Auburn has 3 upperclassmen (juniors or seniors) on defense! That's all. The whole defensive line is sophomores and freshmen. Unreal that AU has had any success at all! Remember, Dyer, 3 now 4/5 OL and the new starting QB are only sophomores along with Blake, Reed and Stallworth. Lutz, McCalleb, Benton and Trotter are the only juniors getting any playing time. There is only one senior on the entire offense and two on the entire defense. This team will get better and better and will be great sooner rather than later. However, this year, they need to grow and get better and learn how to play. I expect this team to play well and play hard, but probably won't beat the more elite teams (mainly LSU and UA).

LSU preview coming soon

Florida preview and a little redemtion

Let me first start off by stating again what I have gone on and on about since this first came to light almost a year ago. Auburn is innocent of any wrong doing. Hear that media, bloggers and fans world-wide? INNOCENT!! Not only of the Newton recruitment, but also of anything else the NCAA could find including the HBO 4 and any other recruitment. When the NCAA investigates, it usually finds something. Auburn was clean throughout. That is a huge testament to the compliance department at Auburn and of how Chizik runs this program. So, as a parting shot, put that in your pipe and smoke it! Anyone who cannot accept this is either delusional or so filled with hatred toward AU that he/she will not ever accept it, no matter how many letters the NCAA sends. Some may say, if you were innocent all along, why all the happiness and "told you so's?" The answer is, because all of you naysayers and prophets of doom have made it where we AU fans feel the need to rub it in your face. There, I said it.

Ok, got that off my chest, on to UF. UF is fast, very fast. They have two huge playmakers in Rainey and Demps and will use them with dump screens and crossing routes over and over and over until AU stops them. Then, they will run them some more. Bad news is, AU has been terrible at stopping them. The good news mixed with bad is that UF has been forced into using a true freshman at QB due to injury. However, AU is notorious for making these guys look like a Heisman contender (see Tyler Wilson last year and Chuckie Keaton this).

AU needs to get back to the game plan that worked so well with USCe. Pressure the crap out of the QB and tackle immediately after the receiver catches the ball. UF will rely on big plays to score and move the ball so containing the two playmakers will be key. UF's offense has struggled in the last two games (granted, they were against the two best defenses in the country) and are looking to open things up. If AU can put some pressure on the QB, hopefully it will cause Brissett to force some things and maybe cause some turnovers. AU must win the turnover battle.

On offense, Trotter needs to be more of a manager and not a playmaker. Stop trying to throw the ball a hundred miles an hour and for goodness sake, throw the ball away if you need to. UF's defense has been really good this year, except against the run. That bodes well for AU because that is what they want to do. Trotter needs to make some completions early on to open up the running game because UF will implement the same plan that Arky did; stack the line and force AU to throw. Trotter has to make those throws and make smart decisions in order for AU to move the ball and succeed. Also, the receivers have to catch the ball! I know, sounds elementary doesn't it? They are SEC receivers on scholarship so that is what is required of them.

UF will move the ball early and score early (Weis has the first two drives scripted. see bama game), so if AU can weather that storm and either get a turnover or stop them or score with them, I believe AU has a great shot of winning. Trotter will continue to struggle but will make enough plays and the defense will come up big when it counts. Playing Saturday night in JHS is a big advantage and I am so jealous of those that are going. Scream loud and let them know you support them no matter what!

Prediction: AU 24 UF 20

Arkansas reax

AU took some lumps Saturday night in Fayetteville as the Tigers dropped their first SEC game in over two years to the Razorbacks. Despite the score, AU was in this game until around the end of the third quarter. AU was driving to tie the game and, I believe, had a penalty that forced them to punt. AU downed the punt at the 8 yard line and still were in pretty good shape until Lemonier lost containment on the edge and Adams ran for a 92 yard touchdown. By the way, that was the longest touchdown play given up by AU, ever. After that, AU was never able to get any kind of offensive threat going and Arky kicked a field goal to make it a three score game and out of reach for any kind of comeback.

Likes:
Special teams stepped it up once again. Jay Boulwere deserves every bit of money/raise he got this year. This unit has been amazing and has kept us in games more than any other. Despite the 11 yard shank early in the game, Clark had a 40 yard average on his punts and the majority were downed inside the 20 and Arkansas returned exactly zero! Parkey continued his booming on kickoffs and had two of three for touchbacks. Mason almost had a huge error when he muffed one kickoff and let it lie there as the ref looked at him (live ball my man!). Also, D. Benton kicked a punt and although it was ruled he was blocked into the ball, it could have just as easily been ruled a live ball. Bray did well fielding the ball on punts and Mason hit the line hard on kick returns.

AU did really well running the ball and the O-line did a pretty good job blocking for the most part. Dyer was his usual tough self and often dragged a couple of defenders for extra yards.

I thought the defense played pretty dang good considering the opponent and given the fact the offense left the defense with a short field multiple times. AU held Arky to 33 yards less than their average for the season and kept UA from hitting big plays, sans the Adams run. Also, this was the first time AU held Arky under 300 yards passing since Houston Nutt was roaming the sidelines for the Hawgs.

Dislikes:
Penalties! I haven't had to mention that this year, but Saturday AU had 11 for 105 yards. WTC? Multiple drive killing holding calls and another (ANOTHER!!!!!!!) unsportsmanlike penalty. Coach, please get these guys under control with that. I understand emotions run high and these are kids, but still. Those penalties kill and AU isn't good enough to overcome those.

Dropped balls/WR play - Trotter was 6 of 19 and 7 of those were dropped balls and his only interception went through D. Benton's hands. Usually sure handed Lutzenkirchen dropped two! This was supposed to be Benton's time to shine in the wake of Blake's injury, but he did not have a very good game at all. He dropped at least two (that I can remember) and kicked the ball on a punt after it hit the ground. Blocking on the edge was not great and really has to improve if AU is going to be successful running the ball.

Linebacker play against the pass - AU is just slow at LB. Run stopping was fantastic (again, sans Adams run), but against the pass, AU LB's cannot keep up with TE's and RB's. They just can't. It is frustrating b/c all a team has to do is run screens and drags across the middle and they get 6-9 yards every time.

QB play - ok, we all know Trotter has not played really well the last 3 games. Saturday, it came to a head for me. Granted, he had many dropped balls but the general hesitancy and lack of scrambling ability is killing me. I know Frazier threw two picks, but he is a freshman and I expect him to make mistakes like throwing into double coverage. I don't expect that with a fourth year junior that's been in the system 3 years. Yes, this is his first year to start but he should be better and getting better with each game and Trotter is not. Frazier does add an ability to run that Trotter does not so teams will have to account for that. I am almost to the point of letting Frazier get more involved and implementing more of the playbook for him. Let's face it; Trotter is not a top tier QB. I knew that from the start, but I didn't think that the whole offensive scheme would change. AU was running the ball, down by 3 scores with 10 min left probably because of the lack of the passing game.

The question now is, is it time to start Frazier and work on next year? I wouldn't mind that, but knowing Chizik and Malzahn, that's not going to happen right now. They didn't do it with Todd in 2009 and putting Frazier in for his first start against UF and then @ LSU would not be wise. Those decisions are why they make the mega bucks.

If Trotter continues to digress, I do expect to see at least a change to Moseley, however, he is comprable to Trotter, i.e. not a threat to run. Time will only tell.

Last minute Arkansas preview

AU takes on the Razorbacks today in a game that I really don't know what to expect. Like last week, this game could go either way, but I think one of two things will happen. Either AU wins a close game that comes down to the wire or Arky will blow it out.

AU needs to have a similar game plan against the Hawgs that they did against USCe; stop the run and pressure the QB. If given enough time, UA QB Wilson will pick AU apart and rack up major yards. It is, as usual, up to the D line to step it up and play lights out to give AU a chance. Jake Holland is going to have to play the game of his life in calling defenses and recognizing UA's formations, defending tight ends and running backs and tackling well. Arky has big tall receivers that can run and catch and will be a huge task for anyone to cover. Alabama actually had the right approach to defending them: give up the underneath stuff and tackle as soon as the receivers catch the ball and put major pressure on the QB. Need the defense to create some turnovers and get off the field on third downs to give us a chance to win.

On offense, Barrett Trotter HAS to be productive and throw the ball down the field. If you thought it was tough in the previous games, AU is without (probably) leading WR Emory Blake and playmaker Trovon Reed. Someone will have to step up and make some plays for the receiving corp. The gameplan will be give the ball to Dyer and let him run til his legs fall off. Arky has not been good against the run this year giving up over 300 yards rushing to TAM last week. AU has to be able to move the chains and have long sustaining drives that end in touchdowns, not field goals. This not only keeps UA's offense on the sidelines, but scoring TD's will help keep pace with Arky's ability to score.

If the offense that played against MSU and the defense that played against USCe shows up together, AU will win. If not, who knows? I feel that AU will play well, but stopping Garcia is one thing, Wilson a complete something else. He showed last year how dangerous he was against a suspect pass defense. Being on the road in a place where AU tradionally doesn't play very well will be tough for this young team. However, I do believe AU will get back on track on offense and keep it close for a while, but in the end Arky makes a few more big plays.

Prediction: AU - 30 Arky - 45
like I said, it will be a close AU win or an Arky blow out. Here's hoping I'm wrong for the 2nd week in a row.

USCe reax

Well, well, the team we all hoped would show up, in fact, did. I was very very pleased overall with how the team played Saturday considering it was AU's first SEC road game and against a top 10 team with three (possibly more) first round picks. The defense came to play and play they did. AU was able to get pressure on the QB most of the day and not allow Lattimore to run freely. And the offense did just enough to win the game. I really didn't think our D-line would be able to stop Lattimore, but once again, I am so glad my prognostication skills are terrible.

Likes:
D-line played really well. Getting constant pressure on Garcia forcing him to make ill-advised throws and rush into making decisions he obviously wasn't comfortable making. Also, getting some sacks was huge! Many of them set up long 2nd and 3rd downs where AU could rush the ends and play the pass. Getting turnovers really helped keep USCe's defense on the field and allowed the O to run as many plays as they did. Tackling was soooooo much better. AU wrapped up and made the plays when needed. There were only a couple of instances where I can remember not tackling well (a huge improvement).

Mike Dyer - what can I say. The man is a beast and one of the best backs in the SEC if not the nation. He is underrated and overlooked when compared to his counterpart in Tuscaloosa but he is a very important component to the offense. He rushed 41 times Saturday and most times, the play calls were exactly the same. He really stepped it up.

And on that same note, the O-line rush blocked awesome!

Special teams were awesome yet again. Clark had 5 of his 7 punts downed at the 11 yard line or back. That is incredible and making USCe start that deep was huge for the defense. Of course Parkey kicking the crap out of the ball for touchbacks and nailing the field goal was big.

The never say die attitude of this team is amazing. After an interception, Lutz chased the guy down and stripped him of the ball and recovered. Also, being down, late in the game, on the road and Trotter leading the team down the field for the game winning score was a sight to see. This after he threw an interception in the endzone on the previous possession.

Dislikes:
The O-line must pass block better. As good as they were rush blocking, it was almost that bad pass blocking. Trotter was running for his life many times.

On that note, Trotter must stay in the pocket and deliver the ball sooner/better. There were many times one guy would get semi-free and Trotter would bail and start running out of the pocket. And for some reason, he cannot throw well on the run. He took way too many sacks that put AU in a huge hole, especially when they were in position to score. It seems like he is hesitant to throw the ball either because he is scared he will throw an interception or the receivers aren't open. I believe it's the former. Hopefully, he will gain more confidence and be able to deliver the ball and take some pressure off Dyer and the running game.

Parkey missing an extra point is completely unacceptable (he knows it too) and almost came back to hurt them.

Turnovers, especially in the redzone killed them. Two interceptions in the endzone and one right after AU recovered a fumble cannot happen if AU wants to win consistently.

Like I said, I am so proud and pleased with the overall effort and result of Saturday. I think the young team is starting to understand what it takes to play in the SEC and how to be successful.

This week, AU travels to Fayetteville to play the Razorbacks in what promises to be a possibly high-scoring definitly crazy game. It always is. Preview to come soon.

South Carolina preview

Hopefully, we will be seeing this alot on Saturday.

AU begins its October murderer's row with a trip to Gamecock country in Columbia, South Carolina. Auburn has been struggling all year stopping the run and they face a huge test in future all everything Marcus Lattimore. Auburn had really good success last year defending him, but this year, AU's D-line has not shown it can slow down FAU's rushing attack, much less Lattimore. AU comes in a 10 point dog and it could possibly be alot more.

Keys to the game:
AU has to show some life on defense, aka, getting off the field on the third downs, slowing down the run and pressuring the QB. If AU cannot do these things at least the majority of the time, you can forget about a chance to win; I just hope it wont be a 60-point beatdown. Losing Dee Ford for the season hurts, but it was at a deep position so it's not as devastating a loss. Ford was playing pretty well, though, and is one of the more experienced defensemen AU has.

My armchair QB is coming out again, but oh well, here it goes. I think for AU to have a chance, based on the previous four games, they will have to put 9 guys in the box. AU has to make Garcia beat them through the air. Garcia has a tendency to make mistakes and force throws which lead to turnovers. The key is to get pressure on him. If he has all day to throw, he will pick AU apart, especially having an All-American in Alshon Jeffrey. Au has to disguise what they are doing on defense and send man blitzes from everywhere. The zone or "gap" blitzes have not worked at all this year and have been picked up even by FAU. It might not be a bad idea to employ a Joe Lee Dunn blitz scheme this week; just send a bunch of people from a bunch of different places all the time. It is a high risk high reward defense, but I don't know if we have a choice at this point.

On offense, AU just has to get in a rhythm and keep it going. Give Dyer the ball a bunch and block for him. Don't make Trotter win the game for you but allow him to make some plays down the field. And for goodness' sake, let him run some on the read-option. He has to in order for this offense to be consistently successful.

I believe AU will be able to move the ball on USCe and score some points. The question lies, as usual, with the defense. Will AU's defense show up and play lights out? Or will Lattimore and Jeffrey have a field day? This game is hard to read because it could be a USCe blowout or AU could win going away. I think AU plays well, but based on what I've seen so far this year, AU cannot consistently stop anybody. I think AU plays hard and keeps it close for a while, but in the end, with it being on the road, USCe will be too strong and pull out the victory.

Prediction: AU - 31 USCe - 41

FAU reax

So FAU rolled into JHS with the worst offense in the nation and one of the worst defenses in the nation and AU only won by 16. All week, Chizik talked about working on us and working on defense and tackling. You would think that AU wouldn't really have to study too much film on FAU in order to stop them, right? I mean, they only had one first down last week against Michigan ST. ONE!!!! Oh, by the way, they had 19 against AU. They were 3-23 on third down all year and they were 5-14 last night (which isn't too terrible on defense).

It all started badly when on the first play, Trotter threw a pick and FAU, with a short field, kicked a field goal to go up 3-0. The offense did respond scoring a TD but were only up 10-6 at half. The second half was a bit better, intercepting FAU three times returing one of those for a TD.

The defense played sloppy most of the time: running past the play, giving up too much yardage on pass plays, not getting ANY pressure on the QB except for a few times and more missed tackles (though not as many as last week).

The offense looked completely out of rhythm with a lack of tenacity. It really looked like the players didn't want to be out there and were just going through the motions. The O-line got no push and Dyer only had around 60 yards rushing. Did I mention this was against one of the worst defenses in the nation.

The only bright spot was the play of a few freshmen, Therezie and Frazier. Therezie tackled really well and was in position to make plays while he was in the game. Frazier played well and ran the ball really hard and made nice cuts to avoid tacklers.

Now for the couch QB's 2 cents. It looked as if Malzahn is either running vanilla plays or is running only half the offense. Everytime AU runs the read-option we hand the ball off to Dyer or McCalebb (except a couple times). And everytime, the DE crashes down and takes the RB and leaves the QB wide open. Why, oh why is Trotter not running more? Is it because he can't, he's not fast enough or the coaches have no faith in him to run? I don't know, but he HAS to be a threat to run in order for this offense to work. Otherwise, you get the offense that was on display during the Clemson game and last night. That ain't gonna cut it the next 4 weeks. I think that if the coaches don't think Trotter can run, then put in Frazier and let him run the offense. Don't get me wrong, I think Barrett is a fine QB and does alot of things well, but if AU is only running half the offense because of him, then he can't run it! I would rather Frazier get in, get some reps and experience and you might get more production. Trotter may know the offense but executing it is something completely different. All I'm saying is I think AU has reached a ceiling with Trotter and may not get much more than they already have.

This will probably not happen because it reeks of desperation. But, I think this may be where AU is in terms of having a productive offense. Have you seen Trotter throw it between 7 and 15 yards much? Me either. Why? Why does he hold the ball and take sacks after the O-line gives him a good 5 seconds to throw? Is it because the receivers aren't open or because Trotter is unsure? I think the latter.

AU is about to go head first into the brutal part of their schedule playing four ranked SEC teams with three on the road and all looking for revenge. AU better figure this out and get it together, otherwise, Samford may be the next and only victory AU gets to enjoy this year.

FAU preview

There isn't much to say here other than the worst team in the nation comes to JHS at the best possible time. AU needs a game to recoup and learn who they are and learn how badly they want to be a decent team this year. All the pieces are there, except experience.

I practice anesthesia and I relate this young team to my training early in my career. I can read all about providing anesthesia to patients in books and watch film on it and go to seminars and watch others do it, but until I actually get in the OR and do a case, I am not going to be very good. Even after doing many cases for many weeks or months, I'm still not going to be very good until I have done it over and over and over. It takes time and being placed in various situations to be able to predict what's likely going to happen and then how to respond. After doing this for many years, I know (most of the time) what to look for and how to respond to any situation. In a sense, that is what this team is, especially on defense. They have played three games together and are still learning how to respond and play. Until they get more reps, the players may get confused and their reaction time will be slower thus bad angles, poor coverage, etc. This doesn't even take into consider the multiple looks that an offense may run.

The point of my rant is to give it time. I believe we will see this young team play better and better and be pretty good by the end of the year. They will not quit and that is what I like about them and this coaching staff. Now, this does not excuse the poor tackling that they have exhibited so that should have been and needs to be corrected immediately if this team is going to succeed.

As far as the game goes, AU will score at will and have no problem beating FAU. What I want to see is if AU can consistently force FAU to punt and put pressure on the QB and stop the run. 3rd down conversions have to improve! I know it won't tell us much because of how bad FAU is, but if AU cannot do this consistently against FAU, there is no way they can against any other team, much less the brutal SEC schedule that is coming.

Prediction: AU 56 FAU 16