A little perspective...

So I haven't had much to add lately, especially with the deteriorating season that Auburn has had (not to mention the upswing a certain rival has experienced). Between what I've said to my friends, foes, co-workers and family...I'm kind of spent to be honest.

Tommy Tuberville is our coach, and I hope I say the same thing a year from now when I'm getting ready to head over to Athens. While change is most likely imminent in some form or fashion on the Plains, I know that these guys haven't stopped working and haven't stopped wanting to win. Unfortunately, not much has gone right for Auburn this season while the breaks and bounces have gone seemingly everyone else's way. There have been games where I have been ready to say goodbye to Tubs, and I do believe that there is a lot of truth in the words of Steve Spurrier when he spoke of 10 years being too long at one job.

I have a lot more to offer, I promise, but I want to watch what transpires over the next 17 days before getting too ahead of ourselves. I will write on the West Virginia trip and the Clemson trip soon - just need a little more time to put my thoughts together. In the meantime, read up on the Auburn-Georgia rivalry as penned by Barrett Sallee - another former media relations student worker at Auburn.

Enjoy.

http://cfn.scout.com/2/811152.html

Auburn vs. Georgia Still Has Meaning
		By Barrett Sallee CollegeFootballNews.com Posted Nov 12, 2008 Despite the fact that conference title aspirations have fallen by the wayside for both teams, the 112th edition of the “Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry” still has importance for both Auburn and Georgia.
Questions or comments? E-mail me Barrett Sallee When the Auburn Tigers and the Georgia Bulldogs take the field Saturday morning at Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn, neither team will be fighting for what they wanted to be fighting for. However, despite mutually disappointing seasons for differing reasons, both teams enter the “Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry” with plenty to play for. For Georgia: The Bulldogs, who entered fall practice as pre-season #1 and with National Championship aspirations, find themselves 8-2, eliminated from the SEC East race, and on the tail end of a grueling 4-game road trip. The defense is coming off of a narrow escape from Kentucky, where the Bulldogs gave up 38 points to the Wildcats, who hadn’t scored more than 27 against an FBS team this season. The Bulldogs now find themselves fighting for bowl positioning with LSU and South Carolina. Not exactly the place where they planned on being, after all of the hype before the season. However, with wins in rivalry games against Auburn and Georgia Tech, the Bulldogs would post their 5th 10-win season over the last 6 years, and likely wind up spending New Years in Florida. Of course, it wouldn’t be in Miami at the BCS Championship Game, but Orlando and Tampa aren’t bad substitutes. In addition to on-the-field purposes, pride will also be on the line. Georgia has won the last two meetings in this rivalry. A win this weekend would give the Bulldogs their first 3-game winning streak over the Tigers since 1980-82 and would bring them to within two games of the Tigers in the series record, which the Tigers currently lead 53-50-8. For Auburn: The Auburn Tigers enter the game coming off of a 37-20 win over UT-Martin, a win that broke the Tigers 4-game losing streak. However, in that game, the Tigers and Skyhawks were tied mid-way through the 3rd quarter, and it took two long touchdown runs from QB Kodi Burns to finally put the game away. The Tigers need to pull an upset over either Georgia or Alabama just to attain bowl eligibility – something that Auburn desperately needs, even if it’s only for the bowl practices. In a season that’s been nothing short of a gross disappointment for the pre-season SEC West favorites, a victory over either of their two biggest rivals would cool down the presumably hot seat in Tommy Tuberville’s office. Perception doesn’t equate reality, and Tuberville’s job status isn’t as perilous as some like to think, but a win vs. Georgia would go a long way in reassuring both the players and the fans. Pride is also on the line for the Tigers, who have been blown out in the last two meetings with the Bulldogs. Last season, the Tigers held a 20-17 lead midway through the 3rd quarter, only to falter late in the game, walking out of Sanford Stadium with a 45-20 loss. The Auburn players and fans haven’t forgotten the second half of that game, and subsequent celebration by Georgia players on the sideline to a rather unflattering song piped through the PA system. In a season that can be salvaged by extending the Iron Bowl streak to 7, beating Georgia runs a close second for this year’s edition of the Auburn Tigers. Familiarity Auburn and Georgia are about as intertwined as two teams from the same conference can be. 25 players on the current Tiger roster hail from the Peach State. Auburn OL Coach Hugh Nall won a National Championship as a member of the Georgia Bulldogs, Georgia OL Coach Stacy Searels was an All-American at Auburn, Georgia coaching legend Vince Dooley went to Auburn, Auburn coaching legend Pat Dye played for Georgia, and both Mark Richt and Tommy Tuberville were part of group of five coaches who travelled to various military bases in the Middle East this past offseason. To make a long story short, these two programs are VERY familiar with each other, and familiarity breeds content. This truly is one of the best and most underrated rivalries in college football. While it’s not “the biggest” game for either school, it is one that both sides use as a barometer to measure the success of their respective seasons. When toe meets leather on the Plains shortly after 11:30am local time, the varying disappointments on both squads will be forgotten, and the two squads will be battling for the most important title in college football. Bragging rights.

X marks the spot for win

X marks the spot for win 11/8/2008 6:47:08 AM Daily Journal

BY CHRIS RUSHING
Special to the Journal

BALDWYN - Baldwyn head coach Jimmy Dillinger planned for his team to have a fast start, and senior Xzadrian Shelley obliged in their Class 2A playoff tussle with Coahoma County on Friday.

Shelley was the star of a first quarter peppered with big plays. In the period, he had 73 rushing yards, one a 35-yard touchdown, and took the opening kickoff 86 yards to paydirt as the Bearcats (10-1) opened with a 28-6 lead en route to their 55-18 triumph over the visiting Red Panthers (4-6).

Shelley added another two scores in the second quarter, breaking several tackles on his gains of 8 and 18 yards. On the 8-yarder, Shelley dragged Byron Gadsden into the endzone from the CCHS 11. He finished with 108 yards on just eight totes - all in the first half.

"We came out and just made some plays, and we were told in the locker room before the game to set the tone," Shelley said. "I think we did that part."

"A lot of times this year, he has done that for us and gotten that spark to get us going," Dillinger said. "We talked about getting the momentum in a hurry. If they kicked to him, we were hoping he'd put it in the end zone. It was a good play."

Baldwyn signal caller Tanner Gaines made up for a couple of miscues carrying the football with a pair of touchdown strikes to Buck Beene (6 yards) and Jaymel Tyes (27 yards), completing his first six attempts for 79 yards to four different receivers.

"Tanner has come along real well the last four games, and his arm has really helped us to establish the run," Dillinger said. "The run also helps him. Jaymel had a big night, too."

DeAngelo Boyd outraced the Baldwyn secondary to notch the first points in three games on the stingy Bearcat defense, narrowing the gap to 21-6 with his 75-yard reception from the Panthers' do-it-all Fabian Johnson. Boyd added a late score with a 50-yard reception from Byron Gadsden with 6:01 remaining in the contest to provide the final margin.

"We were worried about their quarterback, and (Boyd) is a great receiver," Dillinger added. "Coming out like we did sure helped us. When you get breaks like that early, it can help break a team."

The visitors were able to only gain 50 total yards aside from Boyd's score on 18 plays in the first two quarters. The Baldwyn senior duo of Perez Welch and Keyon Perkins notched a sack each to pace the defense.

Tyes also had a 56-yard score with 5 minutes, 4 seconds left in the opening period. He capped the Baldwyn scoring on the night with his 2-yard scamper with 7:28 remaining in the third quarter.

The senior had an interception and 26-yard return on defense to set up his final touchdown and finished with 71 yards on only four carries on the evening.

The Bearcats, who have outscored their last three opponents 167-18, advance to the second round and will host Ackerman, a winner against South Delta, next Friday.

http://www.djournal.com/pages/story.asp?ID=281708&pub=1&div=Sports

Panthers step up, beat county rivals on their turf

11/1/2008 6:28:46 AM
Daily Journal

BY CHRIS RUSHING
Special to the Journal

ABERDEEN - Senior Evan Lackey and junior William Ezell ignored the records when Amory faced cross-county rival Aberdeen on Friday night.

The pair paced the Panthers’ offense and defense as the visitors proved that you can truly toss out the records in the 71st meeting between the Division 2-3A foes. For the 41st time in the storied A-Game, the Amory squad left victorious – this one by a 22-21 final.

“When you beat your county rival, you shut them out in the second half, you count on players who you didn’t think you’d have to count on … this feels great,” Amory skipper Pat Byrd said. “We dug ourselves a hole in the first half, and I told the kids we were going to fill that hole up with dirt and dig ourselves out. That’s what we did tonight.”

Lackey rushed nine times for 84 yards – including a timely 8-yard gain on fourth down – on the final Amory drive to get his teammates to the host’s 1. Senior Stephen Otey rolled into the end zone to cap the 87-yard drive, and Mark Creekmore provided the final margin with his successful point-after attempt as Aberdeen (8-2, 4-2) fell for the second time in three weeks.

Lackey steps up
“Evan ran the ball harder than I’ve ever seen him run,” Otey stated. “I’m just lucky to have gotten the chance to score.”

“Somebody had to step up, and I’m a senior and had to lead my team to a victory,” Lackey said. “This feels real good since they beat the wheels off us last year. This year, we were able to take it to them.”

Ezell pulled down an errant Marcus Hinton screen pass and raced down to the Bulldogs’ 23 with four ticks remaining in the first half to give the Panthers (5-5, 4-2 Division 2-3A) one last shot at the end zone.

It was just enough time for Otey to connect with Josh Andress as the half expired. Andress beat several Bulldog secondary members for the ball, and Lackey provided what proved to be the winning margin with a successful 2-point conversion rush.

“We made a bad mistake before halftime, and we let them get back in the ball game,” Aberdeen head coach Chris Duncan said. “Amory played a great ballgame, but we made a lot of mistakes. We knew we couldn’t make mistakes like those in a close game like this.”

For much of the first half, the Amory defense stymied Aberdeen’s star running back, Jamerson Love, holding the 1,000-yard rusher to just 32 yards on his first six carries.

After the Panthers narrowed the deficit to 14-7 with an Otey 14-yard scoring strike to Lashad White, Love returned the ensuing kick 57 yards and danced into the end zone from 38 yards out on a shovel pass from Marcus Hinton on the Bulldogs’ next snap with 1 minute, 20 seconds remaining before intermission.

Love’s score sandwiched a pair of Panther touchdowns in the half’s final 1:43.

Ezell rises up
Ezell prevented another touchdown early in the fourth quarter when Love took another shovel pass and appeared to have the outside sideline. Ezell tripped up Love at the Panthers’ 13. It was as close to the end zone as the Bulldogs would get as the 82-yard, 11:30 drive resulted in no points after Ezell blocked Antonio Crayton’s 30-yard field goal attempt.

Lackey finished with 145 yards, outdueling his counterpart in Love (63 yards) on the ground. Otey completed 8-of-17 for 102 yards, with four of his completions netting first-down yardage.

Hinton had a solid game, finding his target 18-of-24 times for 206 yards with three scores and the costly interception.

“We’re getting hot at the right time,” Byrd exclaimed, leaving the field after his team won its fourth game in five weeks.

Both squads will open up the state playoffs away from home after the outcome of their contest coupled with Louisville’s loss to Winona.

Box score:
Amory 22, Aberdeen 21
Amory 0 15 0 7 - 22
Aberdeen 7 14 0 0 - 21

First Quarter
ABD – Rashad Pargo 14 pass from Marcus Hinton (Antonio Crayton kick), 7:09

Second Quarter
ABD – Erik Buchanan 6 pass from Hinton (Crayton kick), 9:10
AMR – Lashad White 14 pass from Stephen Otey (Mark Creekmore kick), 1:43
ABD – Jemerson Love 38 pass from Hinton (Crayton kick), 1:20
AMR – Josh Andress 23 pass from Otey (Evan Lackey rush), 0:00

Fourth Quarter
AMR – Otey 1 rush (Creekmore kick), 2:54
Records: Aberdeen 8-2 (4-2), Amory 5-5 (4-2)

http://www.djournal.com/pages/story.asp?ID=281392&pub=1&div=Sports