Alabama authorities closed in on the attic of a Montgomery home late Monday, believing they had trapped the man accused of killing three people and wounding three others near Auburn University.
Three people, including two former Auburn University football players, were killed late Saturday and three others were wounded in a shooting in an off-campus apartment complex in Auburn, Alabama, police said Sunday.
After a long weekend of fact-finding (and misinformation-farming) for my Sports Illustrated mock draft, which was put to bed Sunday, here are the 10 things I feel good about 10 days before the first round of the draft:
COLLEGE PARK, Md. -- The recruiting saga for Olney (Md.) Good Counsel wide receiver Stefon Diggs is finally over as he announced his decision on Friday evening in front of media and a raucous crowd at a local pub in College Park on the campus of the University of Maryland.
On New Year's Eve, husband and wife Tripp and Jessica Johnson will be wearing orange and blue and cheering their team in the Chick-fil-A Bowl -- from opposite sides of the stadium.
When it comes to having extreme bias regarding the importance of the Iron Bowl, the annual battle for bragging rights in the state of Alabama, I readily throw myself on the mercy of the court and plead not guilty by reason of insanity.
Monday, Nick Saban voiced his displeasure at Alabama's local press corps for daring to discuss topics beyond his team's upcoming game against Tennessee.
• Clemson 56, Maryland 45: Sammy Watkins earned a starting job at Clemson after his third practice. After his seventh game, Watkins already looks like an all-time great. The freshman broke C.J. Spiller's school record Saturday with 335 all-purpose yards (33 rushing, 105 receiving, 207 kickoff return), and he help the Tigers rally for a comeback win recent Clemson teams wouldn't have been able to engineer.
It is one of our most cherished rights in American jurisprudence, guaranteed by the Sixth Amendment to the Constitution. When charged with a crime, one has the right to be judged by an impartial jury of one's peers.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- Will Muschamp drove north to Atlanta in December 2000 to visit his buddy, watch a major college program practice and possibly borrow some ideas that would help him in his job as defensive coordinator at Division II Valdosta State. What Muschamp didn't expect was a life-changing moment.
Remember when the Auburn Tigers were the Chicago Cubs of college football? Lovable when they lost and tortured when they won.
For a while, it happened only every few years or so. Now, there rarely is a month, week or day that passes without a big-time program in college football sprinting deep into scandal while daring the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) to tackle it.
So did anything happen while I was gone?
Alabama stories in the SI Vault
If we were to follow the logic that the best college football teams produce the most NFL draft picks, we would be left to deduce that the 2010 season did not go according to plan. Apparently in some parallel universe -- or at least one without NCAA investigators -- USC and North Carolina were meant to play for last season's national championship, while Auburn and Oregon were meant to play in the Music City or Las Vegas bowls.
The Carolina Panthers selected Auburn University quarterback Cam Newton as the first pick of the 2011 NFL draft on Thursday.
There's a different feel to this draft. It's somewhere between indifference and total confusion. Last week, co-hosting the Sirius NFL Radio "Opening Drive'' show with Bob Papa, we had only two callers on hold midway through the show, at 9 a.m. "That's how it's been like almost every morning,'' Papa told me off the air. "Last year before the draft, the lines were jammed every day. Now, not so much.''
AUBURN, Ala. -- The logo is everywhere on Auburn's campus. On banners lining College St., the main thoroughfare into campus; on the exterior wall of famous Toomer's drugstore; on offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn's polo shirt as he sat in his office last Friday; and, the next day, painted on the 50-yard line of Jordan-Hare Stadium for the Tigers' spring game.
Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s winless streak reached 100 races last week at Texas Motor Speedway. While his rut is NASCAR's most notable, considering his popularity and the venue this week -- he has won five of his 18 Cup races at Talladega -- it is not the series' longest among regulars. Bobby Labonte (259) and Martin Truex Jr. (138) are well ahead ... or would that be behind?
With the NFL Combine since passed, the next phase of talent evaluation -- Pro Days -- kicks into high gear on Tuesday. This week, contingents from all 32 NFL teams will visit SEC West programs Auburn, Alabama, Arkansas and Mississippi State to work out draft-eligible players.
All Cam, all the time. A lot of thoughts today about the ability, future and football focus of Auburn quarterback Cam Newton, a big part of Monday's column and who could end up being the first quarterback taken in April's draft.
Hundreds of Auburn University fans rallied Saturday under their beloved oak trees, hoping against hope that the trees poisoned -- allegedly by a disgruntled University of Alabama fan -- might yet be saved.
You can debate all you want about which college football rivalry is the biggest. The truth is, it's whichever one your team is involved in. But the higher the stakes in a given game, the bigger the rivalry becomes to the rest of us, and for the past two years, none has loomed larger than Alabama-Auburn.
updated: Thu Feb 17 2011 18:28:00
Auburn University Police announced the arrest of a suspect in the poisoning of 130-year-old oak trees on its campus.
A 62-year-old man man was arrested early Thursday and faces criminal mischief charges for allegedly applying a herbicide commonly used to kill trees and brush to landmark 130-year-old live oaks on the edge of the Auburn University campus in east-central Alabama, police said.
Someone put a toxic knife in the hearts of Auburn University football fans who learned Wednesday that the landmark live oaks at Toomer's Corner have been deliberately poisoned and may not survive.
With the notable exception of No. 1 overall recruit Jadeveon Clowney, the 2011 recruiting class is finally in the books. Some prospects are already enrolled in college classes, while others are still planning for prom. But almost all of them will be on a college campus in the fall.
Two years ago, Ole Miss coach Houston Nutt defended signing 37 players to national letters-of-intent with a statement he probably intended as a joke.
On Sunday afternoon, as Butler lost to UW-Milwaukee for the second time this season, there was a lot of Twitter banter about how the Bulldogs' at-large hopes were dead. This came on the heels of Saturday night's 140-character declarations of Gonzaga's demise after the Zags dropped their second straight road game against modest opposition.
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Another season is in the books and another SEC school took home the crystal trophy. Suffice it to say, the conference of sundresses and slacks is gradually destroying my long-held beliefs about cyclical conference strength. One could justifiably argue the league had a down year this season (5-5 in bowls, a terribly mediocre East Division) -- and yet there Mike Slive was on the podium again Monday night.
GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Something was missing Monday night.
GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Football games are so rarely what you expect them to be. This was the thought as Auburn's Cam Newton lined up for a play with 10 seconds left and the Tigers tied with Oregon at the odd score of 19-19. This game had been nothing at all like we thought, but maybe we should have known that. This is the nature of football. This is the nature of matchups. Football games are almost never what you think.
Auburn football stories in the SI Vault
PARADISE VALLEY, Ariz. -- How fast must Auburn's defense move to match the pace of Oregon's ripsaw offense? Grab your cell phone. You're about to find out.
SCOTTSADALE, Ariz. -- Oregon's offense is easily the most recognizable in the country -- the breakneck tempo, LaMichael James, the mysterious play-calling cards. But what exactly is the Ducks' defensive identity?
As a huge fan of college football, I waited all year for the crowning of a national champion.
As you may have heard, a historic blizzard crippled New York City earlier this week. I didn't leave my Brooklyn apartment for two days. Once I did, I arrived at our midtown offices to find 50th Street shut down while snowplows tried to dig out evidence that it still existed. All the while, I kept reminding myself of the light at the end of the tunnel: Within a few days, I'd be in sunny Southern California for the Rose Bowl.
Auburn and Oregon stories in the SI Vault
NEW YORK -- There have been more memorable Heisman acceptance speeches, Nile Kinnick's eloquent and foreboding address with the nation on the brink of war in 1939 and John Cappelletti's tribute to his leukemia-stricken brother, among them. But in the trophy's 76-year history, it's unlikely any speech included a moment with a bigger buildup.
NEW YORK -- It began with the usual, feel-good moment: The newly announced Heisman Trophy winner smiling, hugging his mother, ascending nervously to the stage to accept his prize. But then, shortly into his acceptance speech, Cam Newton uttered a line that in any other year would have gone completely unnoticed.
Auburn quarterback Cam Newton won the 2010 Heisman Trophy on Saturday night, his on-field heroics enough to overcome off-the-field questions about his role in a purported pay-for-play scheme.
Until a conference foe takes the crown from Virginia Tech, when I mention the ACC, I intend to refer to the league as the VTC. The Hokies proved once again Saturday that they own the conference, winning their fourth title in seven seasons in the league by beating Florida State on Saturday in the conference title game (RECAP | BOX).
Auburn University quarterback Cam Newton is eligible to compete, the NCAA said Wednesday after probing an alleged pay-for-play scheme involving Mississippi State University.
It's having that fight in you to keep going. Even when you can't get there, just keep running. -- Auburn defensive end Antoine Carter
Auburn-Alabama stories in the SI Vault
Nebraska hired Bo Pelini to bring pride back to its sullen program, and three years in, he's right on the cusp. The Huskers came within a second of winning the Big 12 last season, and will likely get another title shot next month. They'll be an immediate contender upon joining the Big Ten.
AUBURN, Ala. -- The posters were everywhere Saturday. When Cam Newton entered the stadium to a cheering throng. When Newton led Auburn back from a two-touchdown deficit to a 49-31 win against Georgia. When Aubie, the Tigers' mascot, donned a preacher's robe and quoted Newton: "When God be blessin, the devil be messin'." When a smiling Newton conducted the band after the win. When Newton Jordan-Hare Jumped into the student section to celebrate.
For some fans, tailgating is something to do before a football game.
The Cam Newton story, like Cam Newton himself, is impossible to believe and even harder to corral. It is too big for defenders to stop. It moves too fast for people to track down. And it is threatening to swallow this college football season whole.
BATON ROUGE, La. -- He had called a fourth-down play that required his quarterback to pitch to his tailback, who in turn pitched to a tight end blazing around the corner. Three plays later, that tailback crashed into the end zone to give his team the lead in a game no one believed he could win. Naturally, he was about to go for two.
The 2010 college football season began under a cloud of NCAA-related scandals. Is it about to end in a cataclysmic thunderstorm?
Following this week's TCU-Utah game, there will likely be four undefeated teams in college football. Only two can go to Glendale, yet all of them -- Oregon, Auburn, Boise State and TCU/Utah -- deserve that opportunity. If only there were a way for all four to play each other.
Auburn football stories in the SI Vault
AUBURN, Ala. -- As Cam Newton stood on top of the brick façade at the front of the Auburn student section in the South end zone of Jordan-Hare Stadium, engaging in his now-weekly celebration of another monstrous performance and another SEC victory, the scoreboard above him flashed the remnants of what might have seemed like a one-sided blowout.
The breakout player of the 2010 college football season was discussing his reciprocal arrangement with the crowd at Jordan-Hare Stadium. "You give and you get," Auburn quarterback Cam Newton was explaining earlier this week. "You feed the crowd, and the crowd gives you this type of energy that [makes you] feel like you can do anything. I learned that from the great [Tim] Tebow."
As much as we love to criticize the pollsters, there's a valid argument to be made that voters are more "nuanced" today than, say, 10 years ago. It used to be, one team loses, the next team moves up a spot. Rinse and repeat. Today's voters tend to react more fluidly -- albeit not always to our liking -- based on context, schedule strength and other factors.
It certainly wasn't subtle. But an in-your-face signal that he was officially throwing his hat into the ring was exactly what Patrick Peterson needed.
Week 2 of the college season was more subdued than last weekend, with several blowout losses to major programs across the nation. It was a week that saw outstanding performances by several defensive linemen, both well-known players and prospects rising up boards. (* Denotes underclassman)
STARKVILLE, Miss. -- The joyful noise crept underneath the opening under the locker room door late Thursday night. When it hit the open air, it burst forth and shattered the silence at Scott Field.
The walls of Tommy Tuberville's new office in the Texas Tech football complex have only a few links to the coach's past. There are pictures of former players: Ray Lewis, from Tuberville's days as Miami's defensive coordinator, and ex-Auburn players Ronnie Brown, Jason Campbell and Carnell "Cadillac" Williams; the two coach of the year awards he won after the Tigers' undefeated season in 2004; and the faux Golf Digest cover he received after lobbying for someone to crown his 13-0 team national champions.
When the final 2010 recruiting class rankings are announced late Wednesday, you'll likely see four familiar names -- Florida, Texas, Alabama and Oklahoma -- sitting at or near the top. It makes sense -- they happen to be the four most recent BCS Championship Game participants.
Welcome to my seventh annual ranking of this year's bowl games, No. 1 through 34, in order of anticipated entertainment value. Much like the bowl business itself, these rankings are based only marginally on the teams' actual merits. They also take into consideration star quality, fan appeal, evenness of matchup, aesthetic appeal of the two teams' colors and whether or not any NCIS reruns will be airing at the same time.
AUBURN, Ala. -- After he raised one finger and ran past the only corner of Jordan-Hare Stadium painted crimson to a Million Dollar Band serenade of Don't Stop Believin', Nick Saban arrived in the Alabama locker room. With his panting, smiling players huddled around, Saban delivered the following message.
Just after 9 a.m. on a humid Friday in late September, the trustees of Auburn University gather in a campus hotel conference room for their first meeting of the new school year. Even this early in the day there's a bit of electricity in the air. It is football season, it's a home-game weekend, and expectations are running high.
Football Insiders: Check out Peter King's Monday Morning Quarterback.
The 10 storylines to watch this Saturday:
From his home in Austin, Texas, Chad Morris watches every Auburn game, just as he did for Tulsa the past two seasons and Arkansas the year before that.
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