AURainman 6 Posted October 26, 2004 Share Posted October 26, 2004 High Character High characterAuburn wide receiver Ben Obomanu faced the music last season after dropping a potential game-winning touchdown against Ole Miss, and his coaches and teammates have been singing his praises ever since. Tuesday, October 26, 2004 CHARLES GOLDBERG News staff writer AUBURN -- The disappointment of dropping a game-winning touchdown pass in front of 85,000 adoring fans or the glare of unforgiving television lights could have blinded Ben Obomanu that day. It didn't. He didn't even blink. Obomanu, the Auburn wide receiver who let certain victory slip through his hands against Ole Miss in the closing seconds last year, won over his teammates that football Saturday by the way he conducted himself in the face of adversity. Standing on a podium in front of dozens of tape recorders and made to stare in the eyes of TV cameras, Obomanu took responsibility for the game, answered all sorts of questions, and didn't dodge a thing. Those who saw Obomanu's performance, or the teammates who heard about it, now talk of his character as much as the 16 catches for 230 yards and six touchdowns he has this season. Now, Obomanu and his No. 3-ranked Tigers can exact revenge on Ole Miss at 6:45 p.m. Saturday in Oxford, Miss. That's Obomanu's birthday. Auburn (8-0 overall, 5-0 in the Southeastern Conference) can win a trip to the SEC title game with a victory over the 3-4 Rebels, thanks to the improved play of Obomanu and his wide receiver buddies. That's on the field. Auburn center Jeremy Ingle is still impressed with Obomanu for his off-the-field performance when he met the press last season. "I didn't really want to say anything to him because if I had dropped it, I wouldn't have wanted to talk with anybody," Ingle said. "I wouldn't have answered your questions, I can tell you that." Obomanu did. "I had a choice," Obomanu remembered. "I was like, `Why wouldn't I?' A lot of guys would love to ask questions, to get on TV, whether it was good or bad. I was asked to come in there, so I openly said yes. That's the same thing that goes on anytime I'm asked to do something - I try to abide by it." Now Obomanu has teamed with Courtney Taylor and Devin Aromashodu to form one of the most potent receiving groups in the SEC. The trio have combined for 54 catches, 1,019 yards and 11 touchdowns. They'll be looking to add to those numbers against the 11th-worst passing defense in the SEC on Saturday. "Being able to play in this system and the success we've had - it builds a lot more confidence," Obomanu said. "We've caught passes, scored some touchdowns and won some big games," Obomanu added. "It's a situation where you build off the motivation and build off the other games." Still, Obomanu said he was sure to hear about the drop this week. "`People are going to start badgering you with questions about it,'" Obomanu said, recounting a recent warning. "When a situation like that happens, you've got to deal with the good side and the bad side." `It hurts real bad': Last year's game came down to the final 37 seconds. Down 24-20, Obomanu had brought Auburn to the cusp of victory. He had a 68-yard TD reception early in the game, and a 51-yard pass-and-catch would help Auburn to the 3-yard line in the closing moments. Jason Campbell then dropped back and looked for a receiver. The play began to break down. Obomanu broke off his pass route and came open. Campbell made a perfect desperation pass. Obomanu didn't catch it. Campbell had one more chance, but the ball, Jeris McIntyre and an Ole Miss defender all arrived at the same place at the same time, and the ball bounced away again. The final script was written with two failed drives: Auburn drove to the Ole Miss 15 and 3 in the fourth quarter, and came away with nothing. "It hurts when you put your team in a situation to win the game, and they call on you to win the game, and you don't do that," Obomanu said after the game. "It hurts real bad." Head coach Tommy Tuberville didn't blame Obomanu. "If it hadn't been for him, we would have never been down there. Somebody else needs to make a play every once in a while, too," Tuberville said. Lost in the game was perhaps a signal of better things to come for Auburn: Campbell finished that game with better stats than highly publicized quarterback Eli Manning. Campbell then finished last season strong and finds himself one of the finalists for this season's Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award. Now, Auburn has a chance to beat Ole Miss and win a spot in the SEC title game. "Everything happens for a reason," Obomanu said that night. E-mail: cgoldberg@bhamnews.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoJtrueAUman 4 Posted October 26, 2004 Share Posted October 26, 2004 I hope he has a happy 21st B-Day with a big game against the rebs. WAR DAMN EAGLE BEAT OM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quietfan 233 Posted October 26, 2004 Share Posted October 26, 2004 Clinching a trip to Atlanta would make a great birthday present! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jared52 4,354 Posted October 26, 2004 Share Posted October 26, 2004 I was there... right behind the play. It was heartbreaking. But more heartbreaking then the drop was this punk student standing by the exit tunnel shouting at Ben to make the catch. I though Hobbs was going to rip that students head off. I though I would too. The way our guys supported Ben after that game makes me proud to be an Auburn Tiger. Ben is the consummate Auburn man and I hope to see him playing on Sundays. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tigerwalkin 2 Posted October 26, 2004 Share Posted October 26, 2004 You should have decked that punk in the nose Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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