The Furman Game. Gameday Activities. 4-5 Today in Jordan-Hare: Auburn vs. Furman 8-9 Anders Senior Feature: Chris Todd 13 A Word From

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1 The Furman Game November 7, 2009 F E A T U R E S 4-5 Today in Jordan-Hare: Auburn vs. Furman 8-9 Anders Senior Feature: Chris Todd 13 A Word From Auburn s Director Of Athletics Jay Jacobs 49 Step Back: Auburn vs. Alabama, Down Through The Years With David Housel 61 Tiger Tracks: The 2009 Walter Gilbert Award 64 Tiger Tracks: The 2009 Cliff Hare/Leah Rawls Atkins Awards 105 Cover Story: The 2009 Homecoming Court Through The Lens (pictorial) 147 University News: Auburn Seeks Solutions To Pesticide Resistance 155 Pop Culture Showdown: Curtis Luper vs. Mario Fannin 177 Know Your NewB: Daren Bates 181 University News: Serving, Learning, Making A Difference At Auburn Gameday Activities In and Around the Stadium 9 a.m. Suites open 10:20 a.m. Tiger Walk Tiger Gear Store opens (West Side - Stadium) Coliseum Ticket Office opens Coca-Cola Tiger Fan Fest opens Tiger Tailgate at Plainsman Park opens 10:30 a.m. Public Gates/Student Gates/ Stadium Box Office opens 11:10 a.m. Spirit March 11:15 a.m. Pep Rally (Corner of Roosevelt and Donahue) Pre-Game 12:13 p.m. Cliff Hare/Leah Rawls Atkins Awards Presentation 12:16 p.m. Flight of the Eagle 12:19 p.m. Band Pre-Game Show 12:27 p.m. Senior Day Recognition 12:31 p.m. AU Rev-Up Video 12:33 p.m. AU takes the field 12:36 p.m. Kickoff Halftime Women s Golf (SEC Champions) Recognition Walter Gilbert Award Presentation Auburn University Marching Band Alumni Band Homecoming Activities

2 Scouting Furman... by Furman Sports Information Dept. Alabama Connections Furman has had a strong recruiting pipeline to Alabama in recent years, and this year s squad reflects it. Among the Paladins projected starters for Saturday s game versus Auburn are four Alabamians, including junior All-Southern Conference rover Max Lerner (Birmingham/Hoover H.S.), junior all-conference wide receiver/return specialist Adam Mims (Birmingham/Spain Park H.S.), senior left guard Tyler Haynes (Birmingham/Vestavia Hills H.S.), and freshman running back Jerry Williams (Prattville/Prattville H.S.). Sophomore free safety Matthew Gordon (Birmingham/Briarwood Christian School) is being redshirted after sustaining a season ending knee injury in the Paladins season opening win over Presbyterian, and sophomore offensive guard David Barrington (Montgomery/Montgomery Academy) is also out for the season with a knee injury. True freshman quarterback Josh Hollingsworth (Hamilton, Ala./Hamilton H.S.) is being redshirted. Forcier Finds The End Zone Sophomore quarterback Chris Forcier (San Diego, Calif.) registered his first substantial action of the season on Saturday against Appalachian State and registered his first touchdown since joining the program this summer following two seasons at UCLA. His 25-yard scoring burst late in the third quarter highlighted an outing that saw him rush six times for 41 yards. He went 0-for-4 passing, but two of his throws in heavy rain were dropped. Touchdown Tersoo Furman running back Tersoo Uhaa (Gainesville, Ga.) has found the end zone in seven of the Paladins eight contests, including a 4-yard scoring run last Saturday against Appalachian State when he rushed 19 times for a career high 104 yards. His previous career high had been 99 yards versus ASU last year in Boone. As a true freshman a year ago he paced Furman with eight rushing touchdowns and now has 15 in his career. Mims On The Charts Furman junior wide receiver Adam Mims (Birmingham, Ala.), the Paladins leading receiver this year with 55 receptions for 613 yards and two touchdowns, continues his advance up the school s career receptions and receiving yards ledger. Last Saturday against Appalachian State he caught five passes for 102 yards, including a career long 72-yard scoring hook-up with Jordan Sorrells in the third quarter, to vault into fourth place on the school s receptions charts. Anderson A Hit At Linebacker Furman sophomore linebacker Kadarron Anderson (Greenwood, S.C.) has proven to be quite a hit literally this year, especially in the Paladins last four games when he has combined for 74 tackles. He currently leads the SoCon and ranks third nationally in tackles, averaging 12.5 per game. In the Paladins win at Western Carolina on Sept. 26 he recorded a then-career high 17 tackles, 14 of which were solos. The following week he notched a game high 14 tackles against league leader Elon en route to earning SoCon Defensive Player of the Week honors, and tallied another career high with 18 stops against Samford. He racked up 14 tackles versus The Citadel two weeks ago and a team leading 11 stops versus Appalachian State. He is in his first season as a starter for the Paladins. Furman Junior Wide Receiver Adam Mims Furman Paladins (4-4, 3-3 SoCon) Head Coach: Bobby Lamb (Furman, 1987) FU Record: (8th season) Career Record: Same Sept. 5 PRESBYTERIAN W, Sept. 12 at Chattanooga W, Sept. 19 at Missouri L, Sept. 26 at Western Carolina W, Oct. 3 ELON L, Oct. 17 SAMFORD (HC) W, Oct. 24 at The Citadel L, Oct. 31 APPALACHIAN STATE L, Nov. 7 at Auburn 12:30 p.m. Nov. 14 at Georgia Southern 1 p.m. Nov. 21 WOFFORD 2 p.m. Furman 2009 Stat Leaders All Times Central Rushing Att. Yds. Avg. TD Tersoo Uhaa Jerry Williams Passing Yards Att. Comp. Yds. TD Jordan Sorrells Chris Forcier Receiving No. Yds. Avg. TD Adam Mims R.J. Webb Tackles Total Solo Asst. Sacks Kadarron Anderson Chris Wiley

3 Scouting Auburn... by Brad Gust Homecoming On The Plains Today s game will mark the 96th observance of Homecoming at Auburn and the 83rd homecoming game for the Tigers. Homecoming at Auburn began in June 1913, but Homecoming festivities were held in connection with the spring commencement exercises until Auburn beat Clemson, 13-0, in Auburn s first Homecoming game that year. Until the first section of Jordan-Hare Stadium was completed in 1939, Auburn sometimes observed Homecoming in Montgomery or Columbus, Ga., since adequate campus facilities were not available. Auburn did not have Homecoming games in 1930 and There was no football team in 1943 because of WWII. Auburn is in Homecoming games. Mississippi State (16 times) has been the most common Homecoming guest. Auburn Homecoming Court At halftime of Saturday s game, the Homecoming Queen will be crowned on the east side of the field. A pool of more than 50 applicants went through two rounds of interviews and cuts before the five finalists were announced. The queen was elected by a vote of the Auburn Tigers (6-3, 3-3 SEC) Head Coach: Gene Chizik (Florida, 1985) AU Record: 6-3 (1st season) Career Record: (3rd season) Sept. 5 LOUISIANA TECH [ESPNU] W, Sept. 12 MISSISSIPPI STATE [FSS] W, Sept. 19 WEST VIRGINIA [ESPN2] W, Sept. 26 BALL STATE [FSS] W, Oct. 3 at Tennessee [ESPN] W, Oct. 10 at Arkansas [ESPN] L, Oct. 17 KENTUCKY [ESPNU] L, Oct. 24 at LSU [ESPN2] L, Oct. 31 OLE MISS [SEC Network] W, Nov. 7 FURMAN (HC) 12:30 p.m. Nov. 14 at Georgia [ESPN/ESPN2] 6 p.m. Nov. 27 ALABAMA [CBS] 1:30 p.m. Auburn 2009 Stat Leaders All Times Central Rushing Att. Yds. Avg. TD Ben Tate Onterio McCalebb Passing Yards Att. Comp. Yds. TD Chris Todd Kodi Burns Receiving No. Yds. Avg. TD Darvin Adams Mario Fannin Tackles Total Solo Asst. Sacks Craig Stevens Josh Bynes Auburn student body on Friday, Nov. 6 and the winner s name is kept in anonymity until the announcement. The five finalists are Grace Anthony, Christian Becraft, Kimmey Henderson, Grace Ann Sooter and Abby Womack. All applicants must be an undergraduate with senior status and maintain a grade point average of 2.5 or better. Each applicant was also nominated by a member of one of the 300 campus organizations. Homecoming Notables Auburn has won 17 straight Homecoming contests, which matches the longest streak in school history ( )... The Tigers average margin of victory in those 17 games is Auburn has scored 25 or more points in 22 of the last 26 Homecoming games, including 30 or more points in 20 of those contests... Auburn is in its last 34 Homecoming games... This will be the fourth Homecoming game to be played on Nov. 7 and first since Auburn-Furman Series Notes Auburn and Furman will meet for the fourth time, although the last meeting was in Auburn also had wins in 1955 and The average score has been , with the Tigers winning by scores of 26-6 (1946), 52-0 (1955) and 41-0 (1956). Auburn Senior Defensive Back Walter McFadden Putting Up Points Auburn ranks 22nd nationally in scoring offense at 31.9 points per game, and more impressively, it took Auburn just six games this season to score more points than it did in all 12 games last season. Auburn scored 208 points last year, and already has 287 this season. Third Down D Getting Stronger Auburn s defense has gotten stronger this season on third-down plays, and now ranks tied for 31st in the nation in opponent third down conversions (34.8 percent). Auburn has held its opponents under 25 percent on third down conversions in three of the last five games, including a season-low 20 percent (3- of-15) by Ole Miss last Saturday. The Rebels were 0-for-6 on third downs in the second half. McFadden s McInterceptions Senior Walter McFadden leads the team with four interceptions this season, which ranks tied for second in the SEC and tied for 25th nationally. McFadden s four picks are tied for the most by an Auburn player in a single season since Junior Rosegreen had six in McFadden returned an interception 29 yards for a score last Saturday against Ole Miss, marking his second career interception return for a touchdown. He had a 93-yarder against Tennessee Tech in

4 Senior Quarterback Chris Todd At A Glance... Height: 6-4 Position: Quarterback Hometown: Elizabethtown, Ky. High School: Elizabethtown Career Numbers: 2,844 Passing Yards / 19 Passing TD s / 56.8 Completion Pct. by Ross Winkler It s safe to say senior quarterback Chris Todd has taken a most unusual path to get where he is now. He has attended three colleges and undergone shoulder surgery before finally earning his spot as the Tigers starting quarterback this season. Todd began his collegiate career far from his Elizabethtown, Kent., home at Texas Tech University in He spent a year and a half on the West Texas plains where he played in five games while redshirting his first year. Obviously going out to Texas, it was a long way from home so that was a different experience, Todd said. I was adjusting to college since it was my first school. I enjoyed it out there and I think I learned a lot. A change of scenery was in order for Todd after he transferred from Texas Tech and enrolled at Hutchinson Community College in Kansas in January of Todd used his time on the football field that fall to hone his skills as a signal caller. Then going to Junior College, that s a whole different world; it s a much different life from where I started out at, Todd said. I think I gained a lot from just being in that experience. Todd then chose to follow recently hired offensive coordinator, Tony Franklin, to Auburn in January of An up-and-down 2008 season saw Todd named the starting quarterback, then split time with fellow QB Kodi Burns before shoulder issues finally took him out of the mix. Todd was forced to have offseason shoulder surgery to repair his AC Joint, a process that allowed him to learn a lot about himself and the new offense that was brought in with Gene Chizik and Gus Malzahn. It was tough not being able to do anything, Todd said. Especially having new coaches, because you want to go out there and prove yourself but you just can t do it. In the spring, I just tried to get as many mental reps as I could. Every single play, I would be tuned in as if I was out there. You go through the reads and the progressions and really try to get the mental aspect down. I also watched as much film as I could, so when I got back out there I d be ready to go. Offensive tackle Lee Ziemba spent the offseason recovering from knee surgery, which provided plenty of time with Todd. 8

5 Presented by Chris and I were rehabbing at the same time so I got to see firsthand how hard he worked in that training room to get his arm back to where it needed to be to compete in the SEC this season, Ziemba said. It s just amazing how hard he worked and I m proud of him because it s the mark of a leader. Todd s ability to battle back from surgery and earn the starting job gave the senior even more respect in the Auburn locker room according to Ziemba. He has a lot of respect, as does every senior in that locker room, Ziemba added. The way Chris worked for the starting job and the way he put forth the effort in two-a-days to win it, as well as the progress he s made as a quarterback this season gives him all the more respect. While Todd s path to be Auburn s quarterback may be an unusual one, off the field he is anything but. He claims many common hobbies that make him a relatively normal college student. I like to play video games I m a gamer, Todd said. I like to play golf or going out and shooting the basketball when I can do that. Ziemba, Todd s former roommate, agrees with Todd as he claims the quarterback to be an average guy but also a valued friend. He s an easy-going guy and a great friend, Ziemba said. He loves to play NBA Live and he s just an all-around great guy. That s not to say that living with Todd didn t allow Ziemba to see a few unusual things about the Kentucky native, including one specific music preference. He loves the song Bleeding Love by Leona Lewis, Ziemba noted. He s a little quirky, but he s cool. As Todd s collegiate career winds down, he has begun to think about the future. Like most college football players, Todd would like a chance to bring his game to the next level. Well, I think everybody playing college football wants to move on to the NFL so that s definitely something I want, Todd said. Earning a spot on an NFL roster is a challenging goal, but Todd has the comfort having already earned a degree in finance to fall back on after his playing days are over. I ve thought about several different options in finance, Todd said. I ve thought about being a financial advisor. My uncle owns a car dealership, so I ve thought about going that route also. No matter the path Todd takes after leaving Auburn, he will have the experience of his success on the Plains and overcoming life s obstacle course to carry him throughout his endeavors. Junior Offensive Tackle Lee Ziemba On Todd... Chris and I were rehabbing at the same time so I got to see firsthand how hard he worked in that training room to get his arm back to where it needed to be to compete in the SEC this season, Ziemba said. It s just amazing how hard he worked and I m proud of him because it s the mark of a leader. 9

6 A Word From Auburn s Director of Athletics Jay Jacobs On behalf of the Auburn Athletic Department, it is my privilege to welcome our alumni back for the 2009 homecoming game and festivities. Many of you frequently return to campus for athletic events, and we appreciate your continued support. For those of you who are back on campus for the first time this year or perhaps in recent years, I encourage you to take time to walk around our beautiful campus and soak in one of the nation s best game-day atmospheres. If you haven t been back in a while, you will see progress all over campus. From the new Student Center and Campus Green on the east side of Jordan-Hare Stadium to The Village student housing and the new arena well under way on the west side of the stadium, there is much to see. Thanks to the support of the Auburn University Board of Trustees, President Gogue and previous administrations, the Auburn Athletic Department has also been aggressively pursuing progress in terms of our facilities over the past five years. Allow me to share a few highlights. The Auburn Arena is well over halfway completed and remains ahead of schedule and under budget. The $85 million facility will not be the biggest basketball facility in the country, but it will certainly be one of the best. The Auburn Arena is already making a difference for our men s and women s basketball programs. It gives Coach Jeff Lebo and Coach Nell Fortner a major asset to promote in recruiting outstanding student-athletes. Just last week, we learned that Auburn will host the first and second rounds of the NCAA Women s Basketball Tournament in That will be a win-win for the women s basketball program and for the community, which will reap the rewards from both a promotional and an economic development point of view. The new arena and all of the facilities improvements that have either been completed or begun will directly impact several of our department s strategic goals, including winning, providing a positive game-day experience and managing our fiscal affairs in a sound manner. The new arena will help us achieve those three goals in three of our sports men s and women s basketball and gymnastics. Construction has begun on a new $6.5 million soccer/track facility. The 21,961- square-foot facility will be located between the track and soccer field and will open next year. The new facility will feature nine coaches offices, locker rooms for each sport, a separate training facility, team rooms and a video room for breaking down game film. More than $5 million in renovations and improvements have been completed at the Auburn Athletic Complex, which is both the hub of Auburn Football and the administrative headquarters of Auburn Athletics. The space that housed the Lovelace Museum, which will be relocated to the new arena, has been renovated into offices that now house the Athletics Business Office, Media Relations and Marketing. The football practice locker room and training room on the bottom floor received a $2 million floor-to-ceiling facelift which gives our current team and training staff the quality facilities they deserve. The improvements have also given a boost to recruiting, which is the lifeblood of the program. In addition, the Head Football Coach s office, the assistant s offices and player meeting rooms have been renovated. Auburn s tennis and golf teams now call home some of the finest facilities in the conference if not the country in the Jack Key Golf Teaching Facility and the City of Auburn/Auburn University Yarbrough Tennis Center. The golf facility was made possible by generous donations from Jack Key, a former Auburn golfer, and Bennie Bray, while the spectacular tennis facility was the fruition of a joint venture between Auburn University and the City of Auburn. We continue to invest in improvements to Jordan-Hare Stadium. Some of the improvements include our $2 million HD videoboard, a renovated home locker room, west-side concourse and restroom renovations and a number of design and aesthetic improvements that make our stadium one of the best and most fan-friendly in the country. Some other facilities improvements in the planning stages include a new training facility for our Olympic sports and a 100-yard, multipurpose indoor practice facility that will benefit football as well as other sports. It is often said that Athletics is the front porch of a major university, calling alumni home for athletic events that allow them to stay collected to their alma mater. That is certainly true at Auburn. As the stewards of your Athletic Department, we will continue to assess each of our facilities twice annually to ensure that our student-athletes needs and our supporters expectations for a great game-day experience are met. Welcome back to The Plains. It is great to be an Auburn Tiger! God Bless and War Eagle! 13

7 November 22, 1997 Alabama vs. No. 13 Auburn / Jordan-Hare Stadium / Attendance: 85,214 Unranked Alabama had the 13th-ranked Tigers on the ropes, leading late in the fourth quarter. After forcing an Auburn punt, the Crimson Tide took over at its 20-yard line. Alabama picked up one first down as the clock dwindled inside two minutes to play. On first down, Auburn linebacker Marcus Washington hit Shaun Alexander for a 1-yard loss. Alexander ran off right tackle for a short 3-yard gain on second down. On third-and-eight, with the clock under a minute, fullback Ed Scissum took a swing-pass from QB Freddie Kitchens at the 36-yard line. Safety Martavius Houston flew in and popped the ball loose and linebacker Quinton Reese recovered for the Tigers with 48 seconds left in the game. Auburn knocked out one first down, moving to the 22-yard line before Dameyune Craig spiked the ball with 21 seconds left to set up the game-winning kick. Jaret Holmes was perfect from 39-yards out as Auburn took an lead. A 57-yard field goal attempt by Alabama was off the mark and the Tigers prevailed to win their first SEC West title and trip to the SEC Championship game. Antwoine Nolan, DB, Sharpsburg, Ga.: Lettered from ; Finished AU career with 18 pass break-ups and 143 tackles. Brad Ware, FS, Powder Springs, Ga.: Lettered ; Had two tackles and one fumble recovery in the game; Named 1996 Freshman All-SEC, 1997 Second-Team All-SEC; Taken in the fourth round of the NFL Draft by the Tennessee Titans. Quinton Reese, LB, Birmingham, Ala.: Lettered from ; Played the 2000 NFL season with the San Diego Chargers; Finished Auburn career with 172 tackles and 14.0 sacks. 49

8 Presented by Random thoughts and musings, all Auburn, on this Homecoming Day, Hard to believe, isn t it, that Auburn once played its Homecoming games in Montgomery at Cramton Bowl? Didn t have a place big or nice enough to play here in Auburn. Hard to believe, isn t it, that some Auburn people didn t want Pat Dye to be Auburn s coach back in 1981 because he had played at Georgia and coached at Alabama. The quiet, usually unspoken, refrain was, We don t want no Alabama man coaching Auburn... Dye s response: I played at Georgia and coached at Alabama. They are your two biggest rivals and I know what it takes to beat both of em... And that he did, that he did. Even harder to believe that it s been 20 years, that s right, 20 years, two decades, since Alabama made its First Time Ever trip to Auburn in Twenty years...we ll be hearing a lot about that in the next several weeks. Hard to believe, too, that tickets to next week s Auburn-Georgia game used to sell for $5.00. After Auburn s epic 9-6 victory here in 1960, the first Auburn-Georgia game played in Auburn, Coach Jordan mused, If Auburn and Georgia keep playing exciting games like this, we ll have to start charging fans $10.00 to see the game... Hard to believe, too, that there was a time when there was only one college football game on television, one game a week, always on Saturday, always on ABC. Now all but one of Auburn s games are on TV, the same for other members of the conference. Is there such a thing as too much television? Time will tell, as it always does. And speaking of Homecoming, it s hard to believe that people once dressed up, really dressed up, to attend football games, coats and ties for men, dresses and suits for women. Remember Homecoming mums, when every woman, young, old and in between, came to the game wearing a big white or yellow mum with orange and blue ribbons and a big A in the middle of the flower? They were on sale at every street corner and intersection at Auburn, the surest sale of the day. And remember when Auburn football programs cost fifty cents? Remember the Hog Pond, the Grille, the Varsity, the Kopper Kettle, Roy s Orange Bowl, the Tiger Cub, the Bootery, compulsory ROTC, the R&W fraternity, panty raids...and Dean Foy s special squad of student leaders and the divide and conquer strategy used to end panty raids? One group would say, Let s go to Dorm J, another Let s go to Dorm 3... One group would go one way, another group another and, drained of its energy and nerve, the panty raid/party would soon be over. Oh, those were the days. Those were the days my friend, we thought they d never end; we d sing and dance forever and a day, we d live the life we d choose, and fight and never lose, for we were young and sure to have our way... Words to that effect from the ole song of the sixties are right, Those were the days... But these are good days, too, equally good, if not better. Let us not forget that either, especially on this Homecoming Day. Students of today will look back just as fondly, just as lovingly, on their days today, the here and now as we old guys look back on our times and our days. That is the natural order, the natural rhythm, of life. Auburn belongs more to them, the students of today, than it does to those of us who remember how good it used to be. We are Auburn s present and past; they are Auburn s present and future. We would all do well on this Homecoming Day, and every day, to note and remember the words of President Ralph B. Draughon that are etched on the historical marker at Ross Square, site of Auburn s first football field, Owing much to the past, Auburn s greater debt is ever to the future. Ever to the future, with a spirit that is not afraid... That is the essence of Auburn and that essence belongs to us all. Have a happy Homecoming, old grads and grads to be. And, of course, War Eagle! War Eagle, Forever