AUBURN FOOTBALL ILLUSTRATED THE WESTERN KENTUCKY GAME September 24, 2005 4 Today 8 Cover 13 49 56 61 64 139 147 151 188 in Jordan-Hare Auburn vs. Western Kentucky Story Ben Obomanu Down Through The Years With David Housel Where Are They Now? Benji Roland Senior Profile Anthony Mix Tiger Tracks David Marsh, 2005 Walter Gilbert Award Winner Tiger Tracks Cliff Hare/Leah Rawls Atkins Award Winners University News AU Program Makes Italy Its Classroom Olympic Sports Feature Sophomores, Juniors Buoy AU Gymnastics Tiger Flashback Auburn Band To Celebrate 50th Anniversary Of WAR EAGLE Fight Song University News Sciences Center Enhances AU Learning Experience Game-Day Activities in and around Jordan-Hare 9:30 a.m. Tiger Team Village (Coliseum Lawn) Featuring: WKKR Tailgate Show (9:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. Main Stage) Auburn Network Tiger Tailgate Show (11:30 a.m. 1:30 p.m. Main Stage) Verizon Autograph Tent featuring: Tiger Paws (11:30 a.m. 12:15 p.m.) Baseball (12:15 p.m. 1 p.m.) Sponsor Sampling, Inflatable Games and More! 9:30 a.m. Coliseum Ticket Office opens (second floor) Western Kentucky, South Carolina and Ole Miss tickets available 10:30 a.m. ALUM Tent open (Corner of Duncan and Roosevelt) 11:20 a.m. Tiger Walk (Donahue Dr.) 11:30 a.m. Stadium Gates open 12:25 p.m. Spirit March featuring the Marching Band, Cheerleaders, Tiger Paws and Aubie (Donahue Dr.) 1:06 p.m. Dixie Youth World Series Presentation 1:08 p.m. Flight of the Eagle 1:10 p.m. Band Pre-Game Show 1:20 p.m. Senior Day Recognition 1:26 p.m. AU Rev-Up Video 1:30 p.m. Kickoff First Timeout Recognition of former AU Greats: Jason Campbell, Carlos Rogers, Marcus Washington Second Timeout Marquis Daniels Recognition Halftime Walter Gilbert Award Presentation Auburn University Band and Alumni Band Homecoming Activities Hare/Atkins Award Presentations AU Emergency Relief Fund, visit: develop.auburn.edu
by Brad Gust Auburn plays its final nonconference regular-season game when the Tigers entertain Western Kentucky today for Homecoming. Auburn has played Western Kentucky just once previously, earning a 48-3 victory on Sept. 27, 2003 at Jordan-Hare Stadium. WKU Quick Hitters Western Kentucky is ranked No. 1 in the Sports Network s I-AA College Football Poll... Among Division I-AA teams, the Hilltoppers are ranked third in the nation in rushing defense (31.0), fourth in rushing offense (322.0) and is eighth in total offense (502.0)... Senior Lerron Moore is ranked third in Division I-AA averaging 150.0 yards rushing per game... Sophomore placekicker Chris James was the I- AA National Special Teams Player of the Arts), Jennifer Jones (Journalism), Mandy Boudreaux (Secondary Education/ Spanish), Jessica Bryant (Public Relations) and Savannah Duncan (Human Development and Family Studies). 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 13 straight Homecoming contests... The Tigers average margin of victory in those 13 games is +24.2... Auburn has scored 25 or more points in 18 of the last 22 Homecoming games, including 30 or more points in 16 of those contests... Auburn is 27-2-1 in its last 30 Homecoming games... This is the earliest Homecoming date ever for Junior RB Kenny Irons led the AU rushing attack last week vs. Ball State with 147 yards and two touchdowns on 11 carries. Week after booting three field goals, including the game winner as time expired, in a 23-21 victory over Eastern Kentucky Sept. 10... Senior offensive lineman Erik Losey and senior cornerback Antonio Thomas were both named to preseason All-America first teams... Auburn defensive ends coach Terry Price coached the defensive line and was the strength coach at Western Kentucky in 1994. Auburn Homecoming Court At halftime of today s game, the Homecoming Queen will be crowned on the east side of the field. A pool of over 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 student body and the winner s name has been kept in anonymity until today. The five finalists are: Mary Beth Stegall (Secondary Education/English Language Auburn the previous earliest date was Sept. 29 in 1934... This will be the first Homecoming game in which Western Kentucky will be the Tigers opponent. Running Wild After struggling with the rushing game through the first two games of the season, Auburn broke through in a big way last Saturday vs. Ball State. After totaling 168 yards through the first two games, the Tigers ran for 390 yards on just 35 carries for an average of 11.1 yards per rush vs. Ball State. Auburn had seven rushing touchdowns vs. the Cardinals, which tied for second-most in a game in Auburn history behind an eight-td performance vs. UT-Chattanooga in 1995. Five Auburn players had at least 49 yards rushing vs. the Cardinals. Kenny Irons led the way with 147 yards and two touchdowns on 11 carries, while Brad Lester added 91 yards and two scores on just seven attempts. Tre Smith (52 yards), Carl Stewart (51) and Tristan Davis (49) also had one rushing touchdown each, giving the Tigers five running backs with at least one score each for just the second time in school history. How much of an impact did the performance vs. Ball State have? Prior to the game, Auburn was ranked 100th nationally in rushing average. Now, the Tigers are 35th. Turning Up The D The Auburn defense has been impressive the last two weeks, holding the opposition to just three points and 427 yards (213.5 yards per game). The last time Auburn allowed just three points over a twogame span was in 1996 when the Tigers opened the season with shutouts against UAB (29-0) and Fresno State (62-0). Auburn has not allowed a touchdown in its last 10 quarters. Through games played Sept. 17, the Auburn defense is ranked fifth nationally
in scoring defense (8.7), 11th in total defense (246.7) and 13th in pass defense (142.3). Out For A Long Drive The fact that Auburn scored touchdowns on every possession last Saturday vs. Ball State is impressive. The fact that six of those drives covered at least 68 yards is even more impressive. The Tigers sustained drives that covered 88, 80 (twice), 73, 70 and 68 yards, while four of those drives consisted of at least nine plays. Seeing Red The red zone has been good to Auburn this season, both offensively and defensively. The Tiger offense has moved inside the opponents 20-yard-line 10 times this season, and nine of those possessions ended with touchdowns. Defensively, opponents have entered the red zone seven times this year and managed just one touchdown. Tiger opponents have also booted four field goals, but average just 2.7 points per trip into the red zone, while Auburn averages 6.3 points per trip. Many Happy Returns The kick return game has been solid for Auburn this season, both on kicks and punts. The Tigers lead the nation in kickoff returns, averaging 37.4 yards per return. Auburn had just two chances to return kicks vs. Ball State last Saturday and made the most of them. Devin Aromashodu, who ranks eighth nationally averaging 34.8 yards per kick return, brought back the opening kick 52 yards, while Brad Lester returned a third-quarter kickoff 93 yards for a touchdown. Meanwhile, Tre Smith leads the SEC, averaging 13.0 yards per punt return. Smith returned two punts for 36 yards vs. Ball State and now ranks sixth in Auburn history with 483 punt return yards. Senior LB Antarrious Williams helps lead an Auburn defense which is ranked fifth nationally in scoring defense, 11th in total defense, and 13th in pass defense. (2-1, 1-0 SEC) Head Coach: Tommy Tuberville (Southern Arkansas, 1976) AU Record: 53-25 (7th season) Career Record: 78-45 (11th season) Sept. 3 GEORGIA TECH [ESPN] L, 14-23 Sept. 10 MISSISSIPPI STATE [JP] W, 28-0 Sept. 17 BALL STATE W, 63-3 Sept. 24 WESTERN KENTUCKY (HC) 1:30 p.m. Oct. 1 SOUTH CAROLINA TBA Oct. 15 at Arkansas TBA Oct. 22 at LSU TBA Oct. 29 OLE MISS TBA Nov. 5 at Kentucky TBA Nov. 12 at Georgia TBA Nov. 19 ALABAMA TBA Auburn 2005 Stat Leaders All Times Central Rushing Att. Yds. Avg. TD Kenny Irons 25 181 7.2 2 Brad Lester 13 125 9.6 3 Passing Yards Att. Comp. Yds. TD Brandon Cox 81 50 715 5 Blake Field 3 1 11 0 Receiving No. Yds. Avg. TD Ben Obomanu 12 138 11.5 2 Courtney Taylor 7 96 13.7 0 Tackles Total Solo Asst. Sacks Will Herring 20 11 9 0.5 Antarrious Williams 19 13 6 0.0 (2-0) Head Coach: David Elson (Butler, 1994) WKU Record: 20-7 (3rd season) Career Record: same Sept. 1 WEST VIRGINIA TECH W, 63-3 Sept. 10 EASTERN KENTUCKY W, 23-21 Sept. 24 at Auburn 1:30 p.m. Oct. 1 at Indiana State 1 p.m. Oct. 8 at Illinois State 2:30 p.m. Oct. 15 MISSOURI STATE (HC) 4 p.m. Oct. 22 at Western Illinois 4:05 p.m. Oct. 27 SOUTHERN ILLINOIS [ESPNU] 5 p.m. Nov. 5 NORTHERN IOWA 4 p.m. Nov. 12 at Youngstown State 12 p.m. Nov. 19 at Florida International 5 p.m. WKU 2005 Stat Leaders All Times Central Rushing Att. Yds. Avg. TD Lerron Moore 36 300 8.3 3 G.J. Wooldridge 8 79 9.9 1 Passing Yards Att. Comp. Yds. TD Justin Haddix 28 19 360 2 Blake Ladson 1 0 0 0 Receiving No. Yds. Avg. TD Maurice Perkins 4 78 19.5 0 Jamison Link 4 48 12.0 0 Tackles Total Solo Asst. Sacks Andre Lewis 13 2 11 0.0 Jenkins Reese 9 2 7 0.0
by Hank Hager The Rev. Chette Williams, Auburn s team Chaplain, knows there s just something special about senior wide receiver Ben Obomanu, but he wants to be careful with what he says about the Selma, Ala., native. It s not that Williams doesn t have anything but good things to say about Obomanu. After all, someone of Obomanu s stature and character is to be celebrated. I don t think I ve ever met an individual quite like Ben Obomanu, Williams Rather, Obomanu has experienced things on and off the field that have made him a better person. Obomanu is an accomplished wide receiver on a nationally-ranked football team. He participates in the community and is a staple with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA). And among the many more accomplishments that he has undoubtedly earned, Obomanu graduated in just three years, earning a degree in finance in May. Out of all the guys on our team, I think Ben is someone very special, Auburn senior linebacker Travis Williams said. Besides football, he s going to do something with his life. His mom did a great job raising him. He s just a very well-mannered guy. He s always got a future in something, because of the way he carries himself and he is very well spoken. said. And I know that may get me in trouble with some of the other players, but he s special. If I had to say one word about Ben or put it in a small sentence, it s not possible, really. Then again, when he tries hard, Williams can find a few words. He s contagious. His personality, his leadership; he has taken our (Fellowship of Christian Athletes ) Huddle to a whole other level. I love him like a son. What else can you say about him? It s not just Williams who echoes those kinds of sentiments about Obomanu. Whether it s an administrator, advisor, teammate or coach, it is nearly assured they will speak in almost mythical terms of Obomanu. It s not that he s too good to be true. And the positive comments don t stop there. Virgil Starks, who is the senior associate athletic director for student support services, made sure to signify how much of an accomplishment it is to graduate in three years. Obomanu, along with nose guard T.J. Jackson and wide receiver Lee Guess, showed what it takes to be successful in the classroom and on the field. When you look at the maturation process of any student-athlete, you have to look at the foundation they had when they arrived at their environment, Starks said. Ben Obomanu came to us with a great set of skills and an understanding of what it takes to be a top athlete and a top student-athlete. Graduating with that degree in three years was important to Obomanu. Not only did he take full class loads throughout school, but he made sure to stay in and study when he could have been celebrating Auburn victories. In addition, he was pushed by his mother, Brenda Obomanu, who is a sixthgrade special education teacher in Selma. She s always instilled in me the value of academics, Obomanu said. She played a vital role in my decision to come to Auburn, knowing that she could come here to every game, banquets and everything else that is special. I wanted to make her proud of me, too. Regardless of what happens on the football field, my mom is still going to be there. Regardless of what happens in any part of life, she s going to be there. It is Obomanu who recognizes the importance of earning a degree, much less in three years. He knows what it means and what it takes to become a model citizen. I knew coming into college that I was-
Up Close with Ben Obomanu If you weren t playing football, what would you be doing? I d be a lawyer right now. I d probably be in law school somewhere. I would just like to have all that legal work, have my own office and be my own boss sometimes. Do you have any pregame rituals? The only pregame ritual I have is prayer and meditation. I pray to get myself prepared spiritually and meditate to play the game in my head. I always try to envision myself having a pretty good game. What will you miss most about Auburn? Probably my teammates. I ve built a relationship with a lot of these guys the last four years. Once you have a relationship with someone for four years, you begin to think of him as a brother. helping him achieve his goals while at Auburn. Probably when I leave Auburn, when all is said and done... I m not going to have that father figure for me again, Obomanu said. I m pretty sure Chette and I will stay close, but as far as seeing him every day... I won t have that with him. A discussion of Obomanu without mentioning his football achievements would be incomplete. The epitome of a senior leader, Obomanu is looked up to for what he does in the locker room and on the field. He is quiet, there s no doubt about that. And he does have the talent, evidenced by his place in the record books while at Auburn. Entering Auburn s game with Western Kentucky, Obomanu is tied for third in program history with 15 career touchdown receptions. He s 16th with 1,094 receiving yards and 17th with 76 receptions. Obomanu has had times during his career at Auburn. There is the much publicized 2003 Ole Miss game in which he dropped a key pass where he virtually had a clear path to the end zone. Had he caught it, the Tigers most likely would have gone on to win the game instead of losing, 24-20. Never mind that. Obomanu hasn t reflected back. He s taken it as motivation. How else could he? Now, he s worked hard and his place in the Auburn record books is definite. I think it took a strong will (to improve), junior wide receiver Courtney Taylor said in regards to Obomanu and the 2003 Ole Miss game. He matured from that point on, but at the same time, you play receiver, you re going to drop balls. I don t care what anybody says. And yet, while Obomanu s playing ability can bring the Tigers success on the field, he knows the good and bad happen for a reason. The way I think about it, everything you go through is a growing experience, he said. God sets us up to go through things so later on, you can handle other situations in life. My whole experience at Auburn has really set me up for things later in life. I ve learned to handle the ups and downs of college football and most importantly, I can translate and bring football over into my real life. n t going to just be a football player. I knew I was going to be a student-athlete, Obomanu said. Being a student-athlete requires that you be in different clubs and different things outside of football. There is Chette Williams, whom Obomanu has called a father figure since he arrived prior to the 2002 season. Back then, Obomanu was entering college and was getting ready to embrace becoming a college football player and everything that comes with it. What he has since done is become an active member of the FCA, a religious organization, and run with it. Players and fans alike realize what kind of a role he s played with FCA, what he s done in the community and how he s handled himself in the public eye. Plainly put, Obomanu is a role model. To have a leader like him as a senior for these young guys to want to be like, it s ideal, Williams said. We are very blessed to have somebody like Ben for these younger players to strive to be like. It helps us a lot because we can say, This is how we want you to be, then point to Ben Obomanu. Obomanu gives credit to Williams for
Auburn University will be having not one, but two great celebrations over the next few months. The first, as you have seen on the video board, is the Centennial Celebration of Men s Basketball at Auburn. While we have not yet achieved our hopes, dreams and goals, we have had our moments, and those moments and our hope for the future will be celebrated over the next few months, starting with the first home basketball game in November. In celebrating our basketball program, we will be honoring the past, defining the present and inspiring the future. Under the able leadership of John Searby, Head Coach Jeff Lebo s outstanding Director of Basketball Operations, the basketball centennial celebration should equal or surpass the Centennial Celebration of football 13 years ago. John and his committee, ably assisted by Chuck Gallina, Jeremy Roberts, Dave Rosenblatt and others, are currently searching for Auburn s oldest living players and compiling a comprehensive list of our former basketball players, their addresses, phone numbers and what they are doing now. In addition to videos, displays and historical presentations, players will be recognized and featured at each home game and an all-time team will be selected. Retro jerseys will be featured from time to time during the season. Retro-jerseys, not retro-uniforms, is the correct term. Players in this day and time would not be caught dead in the short shorts of olden days olden days of 15 or 20 years ago when two of our all-time greats, Chuck Person and Charles Barkley, led us to our most sustained success on the national stage. It s still hard to fathom how times have changed. It is almost beyond belief to think that Shug Jordan, our winningest football coach with 176 victories, was, for many years, also our winingest basketball coach. When he played back in the early 1930s, he could have been known as the Pete Maravich of his day wonder how many readers of this column in this day don t even know who Pete Maravich was!! As we all know, women and football came to Auburn in the same year, 1892. We have been celebrating football seven or eight times a year for 113 years make that 112 since we did not have football for one year during World War II, 1943 the time has now come to celebrate not just women, but Women s Athletics at Auburn. Women s athletics officially became part of the Auburn Athletic Department in 1972 with the advent of Title IX, but women have been competing in athletics for a long time, dating back to the 1920s, and had been competing well, bringing fame and acclaim to Auburn and to its people. Dr. Jane Moore (one of Auburn s everlasting treasures), Latisha Durroh, my wife Susan, and one of the most talented group of women ever assembled at Auburn are planning and organizing this celebration and what a celebration it will be. There is much to celebrate: national championships, conference championships, record-breaking individual performances and Final Four appearances. You name it, and Auburn, most likely, has cause to celebrate it. The women s program has been that good. We are fortunate to have Susan Nunnelly and Sandra Newkirk, two of the women who helped shepherd the women s program from intramural status to varsity status, to help guide the celebration and ensure its historical accuracy. The celebration will be Jan. 27-29. Both groups, men s basketball and the women s committee, want this to be the most comprehensive celebrations in Auburn s athletic history. Notices have been sent to all known former players, coaches, managers, trainers and others who have been a part of either group. If you or someone you know has not been contacted, please contact, or have them contact, John, Jane or Latisha at the Auburn Athletic Department. If that doesn t work, just call or contact me (Houseda@Auburn.edu) and I will get the information to the right place. Noted in Passing: There has been good response to our request for your choices as to the 10 greatest plays, 10 greatest games and 10 greatest players to play here in Jordan- Hare. The 1968 Homecoming upset of Miami is getting lots of support as the greatest game. The sack of the Florida State quarterback in the 1990 game that took them out of field goal range is getting a lot of support, as is Shayne Wasden s game-winning catch against the Gators in 1989. The list of greatest players is as long as it is glorious. Get your votes to me at the above email address or mail them to me at the Athletic Department, P.O. Box 351, Auburn, Ala. 36830. All votes must be in by Wednesday before the Georgia game. Results will be in the Alabama program.
by Ryan Schulz rowing up as a boy in Eastman, Ga., Benji Roland never thought he would Gsee the day when he would don another color other than the black and red of the Georgia Bulldogs. Roland s childhood dream to play for Georgia could have come to fruition if it wasn t for a school 160 miles west of his hometown that caught his eye. I had offers from Georgia and other schools, but the small-town atmosphere of Auburn really made me feel at home, said Roland, who helped anchor the Tigers defense as a nose guard from 1985-88. I really liked the program coach Pat Dye was building here at Auburn and the reputation that he had for putting defensive linemen in the pros was a selling factor. Roland may have been satisfied with his decision to attend Auburn, but the natives of his hometown of Eastman (population 5,440) were not too happy with a local product selecting arch-rival Auburn over Georgia. I caught a lot of flack for choosing Auburn by being a Georgia fan and living in a small community that was all Georgia-based, said Roland. The thing that people who were upset with me didn t understand was that I was going to have to spend the next four or five years there and I was comfortable at Auburn. I wouldn t trade anything that I experienced at Auburn and I d do it all again if I had to make that choice. For the last 14 years Roland has called Auburn home with his wife, Stacy, and three children, Mitchell (11), Hunter (9) and Grayson (8). In Auburn, Roland has worked as a specialty rep for the pharmaceutical company Bristol-Myers Squibb for the last 10 years. I m from a small hometown in Georgia and I like the small-town atmosphere of Auburn, Roland said. The school system is phenomenal here, which helped when we decided to have kids. Also, the city support and university support is incredible. While at Auburn, Roland made Georgia fans cringe every time his name was credited with another tackle. Roland struck fear in the heart of opposing offenses as a four-year letterman at nose guard, earning All-SEC and All-American honors in 1988 as a senior. During Roland s junior and senior campaigns, the Tigers won back-to-back SEC Championships and played in two Sugar Bowls. In his time at Auburn, Roland was a cornerstone on a stifling defense, which posted seven shutouts in his four years. Roland was a vital part of the 1988 defense which secured three consecutive shutouts, a feat that has only been accomplished twice by Auburn since 1937. The defense, which included the likes of Tracy Rocker, Ron Stallworth, Greg Staples and Quentin Riggins, led the nation in total defense along with rushing and scoring defense. The Tigers surrendered 63.2 yards per game on the ground that season, which still stands as a school record. We developed a comfort zone, former teammate and defensive tackle Ron Stallworth said of his playing days with Roland. It is like someone you work with every day you become more comfortable the more you are around them. We knew Benji would be there every day and would be ready to play. He always played at a high level and brought the right mindset to every practice and game. Following his playing days at Auburn, Roland spent the 1989 and 1990 seasons in the NFL with the Minnesota Vikings, Atlanta Falcons and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The NFL was a good experience, but it s strictly a business at the next level, Roland said. It hurt at Auburn when you lost, but in the pros, some of the guys were like, Yeah we lost, but we re getting paid. That attitude was hard for me to accept coming from an established program and winning program like I did at Auburn. The adjustment of winning and losing in the NFL was hard to swallow. Following his tenure in the NFL, Roland moved back to Auburn where he finished his degree in child and family development and worked as a student assistant under Dye. Following his stint as a student assistant, Roland latched on as a graduate assistant with head coach Terry Bowden s staff. I always had a passion to coach and I still do, Roland said. But you always want to coach at your alma mater. I had other opportunities to go other places, but it got to the point where I was having some job opportunities, but the pay wasn t that great and they were at smaller institutions. I didn t want to pick up and move when my wife was pregnant with our first child and then move again the next year, so I got out of coaching. Even though his playing and coaching days are over, his support of the University has never wavered. I m a season ticket holder, so I m at almost every home game and some away games, Roland commented. I do stay involved with athletics. I m a Lettermen Lounge member. I try to stay as involved as I can. Although he is no longer traveling the path to become a football coach at the Division I level, Roland is still involved with coaching his children. Just recently, Roland was a coach for his oldest son, Mitchell, whose baseball team finished runner-up at the Dixie Youth Baseball World Series held in Auburn. Now that his playing days are over, Roland has had the opportunity to enjoy more time with his family. I try to spend time with my family doing what they enjoy, Roland said. I ve had opportunities to advance in pharmaceuticals, but the main thing is that I don t want to leave Auburn.