Auburn « Kenny Smith | A remarkable thing happens …

Auburn

Iron Bowl

The set up: Auburn had lost two straight to Alabama. The Tide came into the game favored, hosting the second ranked Tigers. Alabama brought a 20-game home winning streak, but Auburn was 6-1 all time in Tuscaloosa.

The result: The Tigers won 28-27, in the largest come-from-behind win in school history, to finish their regular season a perfect 12-0. (Speaking of memories, check out these.)

Saved below are my stream of consciousness Twitter feelings of the game. The bold comments are after-the-fact thoughts.

Wrapped up my Pick’Em picks. Tie-breaker: Who will score the most points? Auburn. The least? Alabama.

Bryant-Denny: Do not make Cam Newton angry. You wouldn’t like Cam Newton when he’s … On second thought, go ahead.

Students, you just sort of expect that. Goes with the pageantry of the game. From the stadium people? I’ll assume those are adults who should know better, but are stooping to the lowest common denominator. Think the Auburn people didn’t notice? Nice of them to run Thamel’s piece, no?

What I want: A good, clean, healthy game. And crushed Alabama egos.

And the paradigm shifts again. Bama fan: that means a systematic arrangement or certain fine-tuned standards.

Called it at kickoff. My, how our emotions swayed between here and there.

Did you notice when Uncle Verne said “worst fears” there was Cam? Yep.

Verne’s definition was right until he said it was a small degree of distaste. (Doesn’t apply to my three vetted Alabama friends.)

Yes, that show prep of reading any comment on an al.com page was top quality.

Oh Gary, you crack me up. “Neither picture shows it, but he fouled him.”

Still don’t see that pass interference.

Nicky is scared of Demond and Onterrio. He should be.

Can’t count jokes in 3, 2, 1….

My favorite: People talk about Bama’s championship inflation, but today proves they really just can’t count.

Did Gary Danielson just whooo? Really?

I’m not a fan.

I love me a good afternoon coverage bust.

Seriously, it is an interesting experiment in human psychology almost as good as the “I got it … I got it … YOU GOT IT!” stuff in baseball. No? Not buying it?

There is no cheering in the pressbox, but Gary Danielson is getting breathless. And Chizik better challenge his line again.

No doubt they are the engine that make the Gus Bus go this year, but the O-line was getting abused for a good long while in this game. But they once again pulled it together. Never bad-mouth an offensive line. Regret is a powerful thing.

Whooo! Timeout called! Moral victories, down 14-0, are no fun.

The only thing fun about being down 14-0 is knowing you aren’t down by 21.

Auburn, you’re getting screwed.

I stomped around a family yard playing with the younger kids yesterday in a more demonstrative fashion and I did not get penalized. Denmark smells.

Greg McElroy runs, yells, stomps, is not flagged. Investigate that, Slive.

This would be a good time to have adjustments in place, Tigers.

Antoine Carter! You so crazy! What hustle, Auburn man!

Though the turnover netted nothing on the scoreboard, I think we can safely call this a turning point in the game. There are many guys on this team who exemplify the things we’d like to see as the best of us. You have to include this play and Carter’s hustle as a tremendous example. He stayed in the camera shot the whole way. Watch him run and it is clear. He wanted that ball.

0-24. Stop or no, that’s still trending the wrong way.

Kodi Burns, we saw him at Barbecue House a few days ago. He had breakfast covered in awesome sauce.

Nice to see him make some good grabs today. And in clutch portions of the game. He’s certainly earned that.

You can tell that ref is on the take. He looked TERRIFIED calling that penalty against Alabama.

TOUCHDOWN AUBURN! Cam Newton to Emory Blake! Now we can play a football game.

Was it just me or did 7-24 feel oddly like the game was already winding up for Alabama? I mean even in the moment, everything else just seemed inevitable. And I’m not that blindly optimistic a person, either.

Can’t scream “BALL! BALLBALLBALL! BALL!” loud enough.

Nick Fairley gentle placed Greg McElroy on the ground, apologized for dripping his perspiration on the quarterback, inquired about his family’s holiday and recorded a fair play public service announcement. And still no one could find the ball. This was perhaps the most anxious moment of the game to me.

You don’t want to oversell it, but the first drive to start the second half is more than a little critical.

Right here I’m thinking about Chizik’s quote from earlier in the year, the one about chalk flying at halftime.

Alabama fans don’t have to ready Moby Dick, Blackberry just spoiled the end for them. Interesting commercial, though.

TOUCHDOWN AUBURN! Cameron Newton to Terrell Zachery for 70 yards!

Is it possible for a team leading 24-7 to start the second half as tight as Alabama has? Wow. Take advantage, Tigers.

That’s a different team than you saw in the first 15 minutes. It was like we all subconsciously decided to together cross into an alternate universe where Alabama stunk it up on the field or something. Did we do that? Was the Million Dollar Band that boring?

Funny how this defense can go from toothless to “Ewww, they tackle too hard” as the breeze blows.

Aside from the big plays that slip through, the ones they are so desperately trying to prevent, I no longer have qualms about the Tigers defense. As I’ve said here before, it is what it is. People whining about tackling should really try a new sport. Football is a violent game. All of the tackles you see here are perfectly within the confine of the rules. Don’t like the rules? Change the rules.

Seriously, the ref calls a penalty and his voice quakes. It’s like he’s afraid of someone in the light stands or something.

Cam Newton is smiling again.

I can’t help it, but it makes me think of Jules Winnfield’s analysis of Ezekiel 25:17.

I’m cheering so hard for Mario Fannin.

The guy has done everything he’s been asked to do since he arrived on campus. He’s never stirred up anything. He’s working on his second degree. He deserves a lot of success. I just wish he could have scored here.

TOUCHDOWN AUBURN! Cameron Newton!

Eltoro Freeman is a bad, bad man.

Of course he glowered at the guys in Crimson after a big stop. I was afraid he’d get flagged for affecting a meanie face. Mean defense!

The Auburn defense — the maligned, can’t play, can’t cover, tackles too hard defense — holds the supposed juggernaut again.

I’ll go all in with them: they never stop.

Cameron Newton likes play fakes and thinks Ramma Jamma is stupid.

TOUCHDOWN AUBURN! Newton to Philip Lutzenkirchen! 28-27. @PhillyLutz43, a 6-4 bowl of Justin Bieber is a scoring machine!

Bracing for the “Yall hurt Julio!” complaints. #heplaysfootball

Game of inch. Yes, inch

Row Tahd is Latin for “incredible spot.”

I’m just going to assume that when SkyNet takes over football will survive. I only hope the officiating is then conducted by the machines. Maybe it’ll be a little better.

Come on McElroy, get up. I don’t need to see Saban spank McCarron again. (Seriously, Greg, hope you can walk it off.)

Hurry back, number 12.

Woozy is double-plus ungood. The positive was that Saban said after the game he was OK. Glad to hear it.

@ikepigott I second @TWAY_Kris. Can’t we all agree these little arguments are ridiculous and not worth the feigned moral outrage?

Ike, who is my friend and a good guy despite his Alabama fetish, is suggesting people are cheering that McElroy got hurt. I don’t disbelieve Ike, because he has a terrific degree of credibility, but my experience is similar to Kris’ who saw no cheering about this. No one in my stream was happy about the injury.

This devolves to the circular and straw man argument, of which most everyone has been guilty, about the class of any given fan base that isn’t yours. Let’s just leave trailers and tractors and Walmart and Volkswagens hanging from trees out of what has become a terrific game. And, keep our eyes firmly on the ball, a very bright young man with a big future ahead of him is hurt. If this is too reasonable for you, let me know.

Cam over the top! Getting ready for Toomer’s!

I find it remarkable that a team of potential perfect destiny is coming down to a punt.

If the 24-point comeback was to preserve an undefeated season, this punt — on a night when no one seems to be kicking well — is what must defend it. Just a bizarre development in the game.

I find it remarkable that a team of potential perfect destiny is coming down to another improbable defensive stand.

Turned out to be not so improbable. But even as I’d felt comfortable about the outcome since 7-24, this was a fine opportunity to feel a little uneasy.

T’Sharvan Bell is your MVP if he catches that ball.

He just seemed to be in some key places throughout the game.

Tonight we rename the joint Chizik-Tuberville Stadium!

Twelve and oh. Twelve and OH! TWELVE! AND! OH! War Damn Eagle!

Love ya, Rod, and I miss ya, Jim.

Good Lord willing we’ll never have to see anything like V-E day. V-A Day at Toomer’s is plenty ecstatic.

I don’t know why I was thinking this as I walked up College Street. I’m not really comparing these two things. That would just be silly. But think about it: you see pictures from that day in New York and elsewhere, but you don’t know what it sounded like, which is a separate and lost experience. I know what relief and joy and exultation at Toomer’s sounds like from blocks away and that, I think, is enough. Plus, I like V-A Day. I’m coining a phrase. Make this happen, TWER.

49 degrees and feeling fine. Hey all you Tigers in west Auburn, make a quick and safe trip down 82. We need you at Toomer’s!

Police are trying to clear the corner and the bank sign says 48-degrees, but no one is leaving. The family reunion continues.

Here’s Toomer’s Corner in a nutshell, for the uninitiated. Toilet paper materializes from nowhere. If you didn’t bring any, or the bathrooms from the nearby establishments have all been locked, you will find an enterprising young man who will sell you a roll or three for a modest profit. You pull off a tail, throw that over your shoulder and heave the roll into the storied oaks that shade the corner of campus where downtown and the university meet.

(I’m not a big proponent of rolling the corner for every little thing. We’re overdoing it at risk of the trees’ health, which have toilet paper, cement over their soil, downtown congestion and a recent drunken driver to overcome. I wouldn’t mind if we could come up with a consensus for when a victory is “big enough.” I don’t roll the trees much anymore for those reasons, though I did throw a few tonight. I don’t begrudge anyone the chance to roll the tree.)

When friends or family come to games I make sure to take them. They should visit because this isn’t about rolling the trees, but about the spirit of the moment. I’ve been under the trees when they were lit on fire. I’ve been under the trees in rain and under cold fire hoses — because some idiot lit them on fire. I’ve climbed the stones and been beaned with the industrial strength rolls. I stood next to a police officer who had to rescue the street signs after a raucous celebration. I’ve watched people shimmy all the way up the light poles.

I don’t recall having ever witnessed a frantic moment at Toomer’s Corner. If there’s a more inclusive, family friendly celebration of something as silly and fleeting as a football game, I don’t know what it is. People jostle for position, but give up toilet paper to strangers. Kids always seem to win if there is a tie over a roll. People, shoulder-to-shoulder and chest-to-back are patient and help each other with pictures and walking through the crowd. I gave three or four rolls to kids to throw tonight. I taught one little girl and two young ladies how to throw their rolls tonight. You see a lot of this sort of thing all around.

Tonight a guy was stumbling a bit and I placed my hand on his shoulder. He turned and said “What’s up?” as if he suspected I was trying to start something.

“I’m just making sure you don’t stumble into my wife,” I said. He smiled, I smiled. He went on his way.

It isn’t unique to this place, but it is one of my favorite parts of Auburn: where strangers know each other, calm in the face of exultation, proud to be in a great place.

Alabama / Auburn / football / video / weekend — Comments Off
20
Nov 10

We coming — Iron Bowl week

Tigers and Tide are both off today, but they’ll play for pride next Friday. Undefeated Auburn will be on the road, looking to snap Alabama’s two-game winning streak in the series.

I like Auburn’s chances.

Via, The War Eagle Reader.

Auburn / football / iPhone / photo / video / weekend — 1 Comment
13
Nov 10

Georgia at Auburn

The South’s Oldest Rivalry, a bitter, bitter affair some years. This turned out to be one of those years. On the line for Georgia, the possibility to turn around a bad season (their worst in more than a decade) by beating second-ranked Auburn. For Auburn, a win meant a trip to Atlanta for the SEC Championship. The Tigers were looking to snap a four-game losing streak against the Bulldogs. And, of course, there’s all of that Cameron Newton controversy.

I’m generally staying out of that debate (aside for expressing my disbelief at the poor quality of reporting that emerged in the first two days of the story) mostly out of a fundamental human decency. I’m not covering the story and I don’t know anymore than anyone else. The thing will turn out however it turns out. Neither of your basic resolutions will do anyone much of any good, but the chips will fall where they may. I hope, hope, hope Auburn comes down on the right side of this because the alternative will be more than unpalatable. In the meantime, it is entertaining to watch people play a game.

So here are pictures, video and my Twitter impressions, such as they are, preserved forever. After-the-fact thoughts are in bold.

Nastinchka called my sweater retro. Just because I’ve been wearing it to #Auburn games for 15 years … I see her point.

@AUHD is showing an overhead shot of Tiger Walk. That might be of 1989 proportions out there. Did it seem bigger than normal to anyone else?

Oh it is ON. Curtis Luper wore a bow tie! Surrender now, Georgia. You can hide a lot of weapons in a bow tie.

Not kidding: @AUHD plays Nothin’ But A Good Time, Cam Newton appears on the screen. Students develop a UGA bloodlust.

Hope you brought your tickets, Tiger fans. Receiving reports that upper deck seats are going for $400.

Hunker down, it is a fine day at Jordan-Hare for housebreaking Bulldogs.

Cam Newton is the announced starter. (Not that there was much doubt, but I included it and this for posterity. It might not count at all in a few years — who knows? — but it counted on a beautiful fall Saturday. They announced him last in the lineup. It would have been cooler if they’d just mentioned it like any other game.)

Praying for the souls of the poor puppy dawgs.

This place will be Beyond Thunderdome in an hour.

We’re all going deaf tonite. Riotous may not describe Jordan-Hare.

Buzzed by Nova – he flew just a few feet over us – and by two fighters. Now: football!

Touchdown Auburn! Cam Newton, Mike Dyer, TZach, Newton and that’s an 80-yard drive in 2:24. 7-0.

Georgia quarterback Aaron Murray looks terrified. Not that you blame him. By far the biggest road game in his short career, but he settled in nicely.

Georgia converts a fourth and one for a score. 7-7.

So UGA has a running back of some talent, AJ Green, a flustered QB and … that’s about it right now.

That’s a statue of liberty. Good grief. And, sadly, a holding penalty. Thing of beauty, everywhere except the holding call. And, sure, this is Georgia and you can’t leave anything out, but you have to think “If this is what Gus is showing Alabama, what is he hiding?” And then you smile.

Flag, flag, interception, flag. Think it may be getting to the offense?

That stiff arm? Worth every penny. I only made the one joke. It looked more like a stiff arm than a head slap until I saw it on television. And I’m sure this was borne of frustration, if not the jawing and the extracurriculars that were already creeping into the game.

Freshman punter buries one inside the five. Four guys can’t down it. One of those days. Truly, this was the one place in the game where I fretted. If the ball isn’t going to bounce your way you need to find the signal as soon as possible, and this looked like a bad omen.

See number 8? He should be covered.

Murray to Green. 7-21. Down two scores? Not a bother. If Auburn had fallen back three scores I would have been squeamish.

Newton to Darvin Adams, inside the five. Easy enough.

TOUCHDOWN AUBURN! Onterrio McCalebb around left end for the score. 14-21. Simply because of this. You know Auburn will score. And have you ever seen a team, of any vintage at any level, that seems to chew up yardage so quickly? It isn’t just a function of falling forward for three yards, but these guys are eating down and distance like a lineman at the victory dinner.

Somewhere Eric Zeier is a little sad at Aaron Murray.

Nick Fairley has a bad arm or shoulder, but he’s battling.

Tigers force a punt. Big stop for the defense.

When the defense has everything else, there’s always Emory Blake. It isn’t quite catchy enough for a t-shirt, but close.

@phillylutz43!

TOUCHDOWN AUBURN! 21-21 after @wesbyrum‘s PAT. Glory glory.

Hey Georgia? Where is your Herschel Walker? Our Bo Jackson is right here.

That’s Mr. Means if your nasty.

The Redcoat band has a lady who twirls four (FOUR!) flaming batons. Apparently the band plays music, too!

She threw flaming batons high into the night sky, doing splits as she caught them. How did you pay for college?

Sweet halftime vignette from @AUHD.

And now we kick around some mangy red and black puppies.

@wesbyrum gives Auburn the perfect onside kick. Tigers recover, but Josh Bynes is hurt.

Not Bynes, but Chris Davis. He walks off under his own power.

Terrell Zachery on the reverse for 30 yards.

TOUCHDOWN AUBURN! Onterrio McCalebb finds the end zone, @wesbyrum makes the lead 28-21.

Nosa Eguae is not a dawg person.

UGA marches down to score. 28-28. That guy is good. And only a freshman? Oh goodie.

@AUHD I still say you need a Fyffe “Touchdown Auburn!” button to go with Ric Smith’s call. One guy can sit by the Fyffe button. When McCalebb or whomever scores, he presses the button. A good, blaring Fyffe bite plays as the crowd roars. We’ve already built an atmosphere that makes the screen and the audio the other 12th man, so why not add a bit of nostalgia? If they can’t staff it I’ll volunteer to be the guy that presses that button. Help me out here, Internet.

TOUCHDOWN AUBURN! McCalebb with his third score of the night. 35-28.

Mike Dyer breaks Bo Jackson’s freshman rushing record.

They flash Mike Dyer’s record on the screen and Bo floats over, hugs him and raises his arm in victory. It probably wouldn’t have mattered much what else happened, because this was the coolest moment of the night. In one of those odd bits of timing that only sport can seem to inspire, Jackson happened to be on the sideline celebrating the 25th anniversary of his Heisman when one of his individual records fell and he had that great moment with Dyer. I’d say he’ll probably re-live that moment for ever, but I think we all will.

Man it is loud in here.

It just so happens that AJ Green is good.

BIG stand for the defense, holding UGA to a field goal. 35-31. And now the band strikes up their crazed rebel call. Love that fanfare. They need their own smoke effect for when they do this. And perhaps a trebuchet to launch something into the visitor’s section.

TOUCHDOWN AUBURN! Newton to Lutzenkirchen makes it a two score game. 42-31.

Nick Fairley for dawg catcher!

OH: Why are we so CLASSY!?!?!

The band and students sing Lean On Me, the unofficial theme for the 2010 Tigers.

TOUCHDOWN AUBURN! Newton over top. 49-31.

Dee Ford has your exclamation point.

Georgia has clearly gotten under the skin of the Auburn defenders. Tigers need to focus on the game. OK, look. Nick Fairley’s spear into Aaron Murray’s back earlier in the game was reprehensible and helped gift UGa a field goal. As for the rest of his reputation, the guy is playing within the framework of the existing rules. Don’t like it? Get the rules changed. If he doesn’t abide by your new rules, I’ll call that reprehensible too. Clearly, the scuffle at the end of the game was a regrettable moment for all sides. Players taking swings at opponents is first patently stupid (your target is wearing pads) and they should be punished accordingly. Georgia: going after Fairley (which is pretty clear in the replay) and storming the field en masse doesn’t make you innocent of anything.

Similarly, the booing of the Georgia player hobbling off and then falling to the ground on command from the sideline was pretty bad. Could he have hopped off? Sure, it did seem like it. What he did, though, is also within the framework of the rules. Cynical, perhaps, but get over it. Besides ….

Final 49-31. The Tigers are 11 and oh! Western division champs!

Hey Bama! Hey Bama! …

Watching the seniors bask in their moment as their fellow students take up the S-E-C chant. They deserve it.

Proud for those seniors. They’ve been a strong and special bunch throughout and they deserve their moment.

Kudos again to @AUHD for the season highlights in the post-game. Great feature.

Rolling Toomer’s.

And finally:

Auburn / Monday / photo / video — Comments Off
8
Nov 10

Delicious

Ever wonder where this came from?

Turns out that line is from Bob Riley, Alabama’s governor.

A spokesman for Riley said he assumed the exchange would wind up in the presidential memoir. It seems Bush never let Riley forget it.

“Throughout the rest of his presidency, President Bush in speaking with Governor Riley would often remind the governor of that conversation they had about Michael Brown,” said spokesman Jeff Emerson.

Riley has long argued that FEMA’s response in Alabama was adequate.

But since hurricanes are big, magnificent things that bring destruction across many states, and apparently Louisiana didn’t figure into the presidential briefing or the statement he made before the press … we’ll just call that an oversight. I’m sure more of them will be revealed in George Bush’s book, which will no doubt lead to hagiography and criticism.

I’ll just wait until the Huffington Post review comes out to see if it’s true that Bush has a weather machine floating off the coast of Africa or whether he purposefully destroyed the levees. I’m guessing that isn’t in the book.

In real life we gave a tour of campus to The Yankee’s parents:

They had Toomer’s lemonade, and pronounced it delicious. While it was cold Saturday it was beautiful yesterday and will be beautiful for the rest of their visit.

We had an early Thanksgiving dinner with them last night, and we all pronounced it delicious. My mother-in-law made the turkey, and she cooked a great bird. My family is full of terrific cooks, but it wasn’t until The Yankee made one four or five years ago that I knew a turkey could be juicy.

Our realtor came over. That’s service. Three months in and he’s still stopping by. This time for the food. He brought dessert.

And though it is still a few weeks before the actual Thanksgiving, I could live on that cake alone between now and then.

Auburn / football / photo / Twitter / video / weekend — Comments Off
6
Nov 10

Chattanooga at Auburn (Homecoming)

War Eagle and laissez les bons temps roulez! Auburn dispatched their homecoming foe with expected ease, 62-24. No one was seriously hurt, it seemed. We all shivered because the thermometers which said 40-degrees were surely lying. And LSU beat Bama. Perfect, perfect day of football.

Here are my Twitter memories, because I don’t want them to disappear one day, as recounted from the south end zone where we spent a great deal of time in an over-worked scoreboard. Wendy’s parents loaned us their seats so we could be down in the lower bowl with the in-laws. Wendy’s parents, like Wendy, are awesome. So here’s the stream of frozen consciousness. Parenthetical additions from after the fact are in bold. Enjoy and War Eagle!

At Tiger Walk. Cam Newton looks unphased.

Hanging out in Jordan-Hare with my in-laws who are taking in their first college football game (in the South). They’ve been to Rutgers games, but that doesn’t really count, now does it?

No Daren Bates, no DeAngelo Benton today. They are in jersey, but no pads during warmups.

Eltoro Freeman and Corey Lemonier are announced as defensive starters. Interesting even at homecoming.

Touchdown Auburn. Two plays, 30 seconds and it was Newton to Adams for the 30 yard score. 7-0.

Chattanooga punts against the most vanilla defense you’ve seen since A-Day. Carr muffed the return. Tigers are on the march again. Here’s Quindarius Carr scrambling to recover the ball

Touchdown Auburn. Newton to Adams for the 20 yard score. 14-0. This is getting ugly in a hurry.

The Alumni Band, sounding crisp, has already struck up Hey Baby. Seems a bit early for that, with 9:33 to go in the first quarter.

Cam Newton just jogged for a first down. Chattanooga’s defense is not LSU. See that bit with him playing ball with the local elementary school kids on television? It looked almost like that.

Newton slips and falls for a first down. Kenny Rogers on the tackle. It’s funny because that story is the only thing that can slow this guy down.

I know it is Chattanooga, but that 18 second (yes) scramble by Cam Newton was absurd.

Newton to Burns to the goalline and then Newton keeps for the score. 21-0.

Touchdown Auburn. Newton to Adams (I need macros…) for the score. @wesbyrum’s PAT was no good. 27-0. Byrum, now Auburn’s all-time leading scorer, is having another great year. Before this miss he’d hit something like 104 in a row.

Chattanooga crosses midfield for the first time, aided by a pass interference penalty.

After one quarter Chattanooga has 48 total yards. Auburn has 56 yards rushing, 193 yards passing, 249 total. 27-0.

Also, it is cold and windy and the hot chocolate smells delicious.

Touchdown Auburn. Newton to Zachery for the 80-yard score. 34-0.

Chattanooga returns a kickoff 99 yards for the score. And then the guy got a celebration penalty. Hey Moc, it is 34-7.

Touchdown Auburn. McCalebb goes around the end and down the sideline 49 or so yards. 41-7.

So after the most backyardtastic-we-forgot-Dyer-can-play series we shank a punt and get a formation penalty. Georgia much?

My mother-in-law: If they come around selling blankies I’m buying one. The thermometer lies, it is cold on the Plain.

The Auburn Band is now soliciting your donations for a band complex.

Chattanooga scores on a 4th and 6. 41-14.

Touchdown Auburn. Mike Dyer carries 37 yards on the draw. 48-14.

Chattanooga may be on the verge of a record, having now mishandled three kickoffs and returning a fourth for a 99-yard score.

At the half, Chattanooga has 133 total yards. Auburn has 167 yards rushing and 317 yards passing, totaling 484 yards. Chattanooga is in the Southern Conference, with Samford, whom Auburn plays next year. Not looking forward to that.

Just saw a guy wearing a Grandpa To Be button. Too cool.

It is four dollars for a packet of cocoa powder. That’s an awesome profit margin on a cold day at Jordan-Hare.

They lowered the price to $3, but still. At kickoff it was $4.

Remember two weeks ago when we were out here sweating? Sigh. Did I mention it is cold?

Chattanooga marches down on the Program defense. 48-21. Because you need a program to identify some of the Auburn men now playing, but good for them to get on the field. They deserve a nice reward and an afternoon in the sun. Meanwhile, where I’m sitting in the shade …

They announced this as a sellout. To Ric Smith’s credit he said it with a straight face.

Touchdown Auburn. Mario Fannin carries in for the score. 55-21. Fannin is wrapping up the ball nicely. I hope he gets a chance to run over Georgia next week.

Clearly there is still some work that needs to be done in preparing next year’s secondary.

Saw a four-year-old boy wearing an “I’m taller than Saban” shirt. Heh.

Chattanooga kicks a figgie. 55-24. Anthony Morgan, who’s battled injuries all season, has a nice kickoff return. Mario Fannin scores. 62-24. It isn’t that close, by the way. Auburn’s first team defense came off the field in the first quarter. There are assistant coaches scouring the student body for intramural players at this point.

These are 10-and-oh Tigers!

And be honest: no one would have suggested that in December 2008.

Neil Caudle scrambles inside the 10 … And then takes a knee. Wish he could have scored, he’s a deserving kid.

Hunker down you hairy dogs, you’re next and these Tigers are due!

Rolling Toomer’s with The Yankee and the in laws.