My Thoughts From the Stadium (Alabama State)

[abw0004 10,110]

Good morning all,

I hope this finds you all well on this September day.  Another game, another win.  Let's get started shall we?

Toomer's Corner:  I wanted to start out and say everyone involved in the shooting at the McDonald's Saturday night is in my prayers.  I know one of those injured was an Auburn student.  The scary part is I walked right by that group of people minutes before it all happened.  I could tell something was not right so I had my date to the game walk around to get to the car as we usually cut through McDonald's as I am parked feet from there.  I know this morning the shooter was found which was good but still never a good feeling knowing children were at Toomer's rolling he trees.

Home Opener:  As usual the day was a warm one.  Luckily it was a night game so by the time I got to my seat I was already in the shade which was nice.  By gametime though I was a little disappointed that the stadium was not full.  It was not barren, but you could tell the stadium was not full.  I do not really know what is happening as a top 10 match-up in Atlanta did not motivate Auburn fans to attend, and the season home opener did not motivate fans either.  I hope the SEC opener against LSU will get more people to turnout, so we shall see.  By halftime I noticed everyone had cleared out around where the recruits normally sit, with the exception of the recruits and not was not a good sight to see.  Not an impression I would have liked to make.

Hype videos:  Everyone knows on this forum I am a connoisseur of hype videos.  This year did not disappoint.  SPOILER ALERT:  If you wish to see the videos yourself, do not read this section.  By far the best video this year was the inspiration video Auburn plays after our team takes the field.  Mr. Takeo Spikes was the narrator and man did he deliver.  The whole stadium was ready to run through a wall after his video.  I just wish the ASU band knew when to stop playing as they played right through the video and they are pointed right at my section so it was hard to hear what he was saying.  For those going this weekend, you are in for a treat!

Injuries:  These games always scare me to death.  It is just a good way for a starter to get injured.  I always think back to Joshua Holsey in 2015.  We sure had a scare with Darrell Williams.  It just isn't worth it to me for any starter to play for a long time.  Even if that makes the score less of a blowout.

Welcome Back!: Speaking of injures, welcome back Mr. Hastings and Mr. Stove.  I noticed in the warm-ups Hastings was in full uniform, but I kept thinking "There is no way he will play.  Dinson dressed out for the 2016 season and didn't play either."  Next thing I see is Hastings running a fly for a deep ball.  The last time I got that excited just to see him and Eli out there was when Carl Lawson returned for Ole Miss in 2015.  

Freshmen:  Do we have a bright future or what?  Our freshmen receivers are really something.  I had the perfect angle on Anthony Schwartz's touchdown and initially Stidham overthrew him, but Anthony turned the NOS on and hit a new gear to catch that thing.  It was good to see him, Harold Joiner, and THE WORM get their first touchdowns.  Saturday will be a special day in their lives that will be forever remembered.  One cool moment was when Worm got his touchdown, Deshaun Davis went up to him and was congratulating him for about 2 minutes.  So happy to see how close this team really is.

Back-ups:  Malik Willis worries me with his progress.  He still has time to improve, but if Stidham goes down we are in trouble.  Bo Nix is going to make a strong push next year for the starting position.  Outside of that our defensive side of the ball did really well.  Our line held up well, and our secondary may be stronger next year than our defensive line.  Joiner needs more looks for the wildcat in my opinion.  It will also great to see Devan Barrett get that touchdown.  He has faced a lot of adversity, and I was so happy to see him get the scoop and score.

LSU WEEK:  This is a big one for us!  For those that do not know the history, whenever Auburn travels to LSU, typically it is a 3:30 PM game.  LSU always makes sure we are on the side that is in the direct sun.  They also never permit us to bring our cooling benches.  This is why you see our players cramp often in that game.  Now it is our turn to return the favor.  This is why I am glad it is a 3:30 PM game.  Bring it on!  Auburn is also asking all fans to wear ORANGE to this game.  Please spread the word.

See you on Saturday!  

[WarNole 141]

Thanks for the post.  LSU will be a tough close game.

[kd4au 1,145]

1 hour ago, abw0004 said:

I do not really know what is happening as a top 10 match-up in Atlanta did not motivate Auburn fans to attend, and the season home opener did not motivate fans either

It's probably because every game is on TV, so people just turn out for the bigger games. JMO hope we have a full house come Saturday.

[I_M4_AU 7,788]

Regarding Backups:  Did you miss the 4th qtr when Cord was the QB?  I thought he ran the offense pretty good, at least good enough for an honorable mention.  I know it was against ASU, but the man has some wheels and looked like he has potential. 

Regarding LSU:  Sitting in the sun for the afternoon games at Tiger Stadium is called home field advantage, every visiting team sits there.  We know that going in, we just need to deal with it.  I really want this game from LSU, especially after last year.  Looking forward to seeing how the offense performs against their defense, so I’ll be looking forward to your report next week.

[abw0004 10,110]

18 minutes ago, I_M4_AU said:

Regarding Backups:  Did you miss the 4th qtr when Cord was the QB?  I thought he ran the offense pretty good, at least good enough for an honorable mention.  I know it was against ASU, but the man has some wheels and looked like he has potential. 

Thanks for pointing this out.  I actually did forget.  Honestly I would put Cord above Malik as of today.

[McLoofus 35,182]

6 minutes ago, abw0004 said:

Thanks for pointing this out.  I actually did forget.  Honestly I would put Cord above Malik as of today.

I think a lot of folks agree with you.

I halfway predicted Cord to start next season, but I didn't predict him looking better than Willis this early. 

[kd4au 1,145]

24 minutes ago, McLoofus said:

I think a lot of folks agree with you.

I halfway predicted Cord to start next season, but I didn't predict him looking better than Willis this early. 

 

31 minutes ago, abw0004 said:

Thanks for pointing this out.  I actually did forget.  Honestly I would put Cord above Malik as of today.

We all knew Willis would be a project and the kid has shown some flashes of being a really good player. For what ever reason he is not very consistent. I thought CCL would have had him playing better by now. Willis has tons of potential but at this point that is all it is.

[McLoofus 35,182]

5 minutes ago, kd4au said:

We all knew Willis would be a project and the kid has shown some flashes of being a really good player. For what ever reason he is not very consistent. I thought CCL would have had him playing better by now. Willis has tons of potential but at this point that is all it is.

Word around the campfire is that it's 100% on Malik. 

[kd4au 1,145]

2 minutes ago, McLoofus said:

Word around the campfire is that it's 100% on Malik. 

He has talent, sure wish he could get his head straight and put it to good use.

[McLoofus 35,182]

3 minutes ago, kd4au said:

He has talent, sure wish he could get his head straight and put it to good use.

You and me both. 

[homersapien 11,357]

1 hour ago, I_M4_AU said:

.....Regarding LSU:  Sitting in the sun for the afternoon games at Tiger Stadium is called home field advantage, every visiting team sits there.  We know that going in, we just need to deal with it.  I really want this game from LSU, especially after last year.  Looking forward to seeing how the offense performs against their defense, so I’ll be looking forward to your report next week.

And isn't the same true for us?  Never got the "they make us sit in the sun" line of argument.

I'd like to know more about the restrictions on cooling benches though, if anyone could enlighten me.  Presumably they keep this policy for all visitors?

My question is why??   Seems unethical to prevent visiting teams from coping with the heat. 

Does LSU use them?

[AUsince72 11,084]

4 minutes ago, homersapien said:

And isn't the same true for us?  Never got the "they make us sit in the sun" line of argument.

I'd like to know more about the restrictions on cooling benches though, if anyone could enlighten me.  Presumably they keep this policy for all visitors?

My question is why??   Seems unethical to prevent visiting teams from coping with the heat. 

Does LSU use them?

I like it myself.  Let'm suffer!!!

Matter of fact, Auburn should allow a ravenous Tiger to freely roam the opposing sideline.

HAHA....I crack myself up!!!

[I_M4_AU 7,788]

4 minutes ago, homersapien said:

And isn't the same true for us?  Never got the "they make us sit in the sun" line of argument.

I'd like to know more about the restrictions on cooling benches though, if anyone could enlighten me.  Presumably they keep this policy for all visitors?

My question is why??   Seems unethical to prevent visiting teams from coping with the heat. 

Does LSU use them?

It should be the same for us, I’m sure we take full advantage of the home field advantage. 

I would think, for health reasons, that restricting cooling fans/benches is a slippery slop.  I don’t know the answer here.

[homersapien 11,357]

4 minutes ago, AUsince72 said:

I like it myself.  Let'm suffer!!!

Matter of fact, Auburn should allow a ravenous Tiger to freely roam the opposing sideline.

HAHA....I crack myself up!!!

Careful, I think they are the ones with the Tiger.  All we have is Aubie. 

Well, and an eagle or two.

[AUsince72 11,084]

27 minutes ago, homersapien said:

Careful, I think they are the ones with the Tiger.  All we have is Aubie. 

Well, and an eagle or two.

Actually a crazed Aubie attacking their players would be quite entertaining 

[homersapien 11,357]

3 minutes ago, AUsince72 said:

Actually a crazed Aubie attacking their players would be quite entertaining 

That's hard for me to picture.

Now Clemson's tiger mascot, that's easy to imagine.  That thing is like an evil clown.

[doc4aday 1,887]

5 hours ago, abw0004 said:

Good morning all,

I hope this finds you all well on this September day.  Another game, another win.  Let's get started shall we?

Toomer's Corner:  I wanted to start out and say everyone involved in the shooting at the McDonald's Saturday night is in my prayers.  I know one of those injured was an Auburn student.  The scary part is I walked right by that group of people minutes before it all happened.  I could tell something was not right so I had my date to the game walk around to get to the car as we usually cut through McDonald's as I am parked feet from there.  I know this morning the shooter was found which was good but still never a good feeling knowing children were at Toomer's rolling he trees.

Home Opener:  As usual the day was a warm one.  Luckily it was a night game so by the time I got to my seat I was already in the shade which was nice.  By gametime though I was a little disappointed that the stadium was not full.  It was not barren, but you could tell the stadium was not full.  I do not really know what is happening as a top 10 match-up in Atlanta did not motivate Auburn fans to attend, and the season home opener did not motivate fans either.  I hope the SEC opener against LSU will get more people to turnout, so we shall see.  By halftime I noticed everyone had cleared out around where the recruits normally sit, with the exception of the recruits and not was not a good sight to see.  Not an impression I would have liked to make.

Hype videos:  Everyone knows on this forum I am a connoisseur of hype videos.  This year did not disappoint.  SPOILER ALERT:  If you wish to see the videos yourself, do not read this section.  By far the best video this year was the inspiration video Auburn plays after our team takes the field.  Mr. Takeo Spikes was the narrator and man did he deliver.  The whole stadium was ready to run through a wall after his video.  I just wish the ASU band knew when to stop playing as they played right through the video and they are pointed right at my section so it was hard to hear what he was saying.  For those going this weekend, you are in for a treat!

Injuries:  These games always scare me to death.  It is just a good way for a starter to get injured.  I always think back to Joshua Holsey in 2015.  We sure had a scare with Darrell Williams.  It just isn't worth it to me for any starter to play for a long time.  Even if that makes the score less of a blowout.

Welcome Back!: Speaking of injures, welcome back Mr. Hastings and Mr. Stove.  I noticed in the warm-ups Hastings was in full uniform, but I kept thinking "There is no way he will play.  Dinson dressed out for the 2016 season and didn't play either."  Next thing I see is Hastings running a fly for a deep ball.  The last time I got that excited just to see him and Eli out there was when Carl Lawson returned for Ole Miss in 2015.  

Freshmen:  Do we have a bright future or what?  Our freshmen receivers are really something.  I had the perfect angle on Anthony Schwartz's touchdown and initially Stidham overthrew him, but Anthony turned the NOS on and hit a new gear to catch that thing.  It was good to see him, Harold Joiner, and THE WORM get their first touchdowns.  Saturday will be a special day in their lives that will be forever remembered.  One cool moment was when Worm got his touchdown, Deshaun Davis went up to him and was congratulating him for about 2 minutes.  So happy to see how close this team really is.

Back-ups:  Malik Willis worries me with his progress.  He still has time to improve, but if Stidham goes down we are in trouble.  Bo Nix is going to make a strong push next year for the starting position.  Outside of that our defensive side of the ball did really well.  Our line held up well, and our secondary may be stronger next year than our defensive line.  Joiner needs more looks for the wildcat in my opinion.  It will also great to see Devan Barrett get that touchdown.  He has faced a lot of adversity, and I was so happy to see him get the scoop and score.

LSU WEEK:  This is a big one for us!  For those that do not know the history, whenever Auburn travels to LSU, typically it is a 3:30 PM game.  LSU always makes sure we are on the side that is in the direct sun.  They also never permit us to bring our cooling benches.  This is why you see our players cramp often in that game.  Now it is our turn to return the favor.  This is why I am glad it is a 3:30 PM game.  Bring it on!  Auburn is also asking all fans to wear ORANGE to this game.  Please spread the word.

See you on Saturday!  

There should be some type of SEC rule about making sure that visiting teams must be allowed cooling benches. To deny this should forfeit that particular game if the home teams break this rule. You are putting players in harms way without having these to help prevent heat strokes and worse.  Heat is a problem early on in the season, and teams need to have all legal tools to help players stay  safe.

[doc4aday 1,887]

3 hours ago, I_M4_AU said:

Regarding Backups:  Did you miss the 4th qtr when Cord was the QB?  I thought he ran the offense pretty good, at least good enough for an honorable mention.  I know it was against ASU, but the man has some wheels and looked like he has potential. 

Regarding LSU:  Sitting in the sun for the afternoon games at Tiger Stadium is called home field advantage, every visiting team sits there.  We know that going in, we just need to deal with it.  I really want this game from LSU, especially after last year.  Looking forward to seeing how the offense performs against their defense, so I’ll be looking forward to your report next week.

There should be an SEC or maybe NCAA rule that ALL TEAMS must be allowed cooling benches and to deny this, should come at a punitive price tuff enough so that no team no matter how stupid they may be, will comply.  I am an old retired MD many years ago and understand heat issues.

[Mike4AU 1,739]

There is a simple solution to the no cooling fans for the visiting team at Tiger Stadium. Next time we go there make it known to LSU, SEC and NCAA that we are bringing cooling fans and generators and will be using them for player safety...and dare anyone to try to stop us.  I am quite serious. That is a bona fide player safety problem. 

Allen Greene,  if you are reading this, go ahead and tell everyone that is what is going to happen. 

[AidiAU 1,270]

2 hours ago, McLoofus said:

Word around the campfire is that it's 100% on Malik. 

I was wondering what his work ethic was like. This seems to be a strength for Stidham. 

38 minutes ago, homersapien said:

That's hard for me to picture.

Now Clemson's tiger mascot, that's easy to imagine.  That thing is like an evil clown.

See meth. Stop meth. 

[homersapien 11,357]

Well, they clearly don't allow cooling/heating equipment for visitors:

http://www.lsusports.net/fls/5200/assets/docs/fb/pdf/18visitingguide.pdf   (page 7)

This is just not right.  Not only is it poor sportsmanship, it's medically dangerous.

[doc4aday 1,887]

20 minutes ago, Mike4AU said:

There is a simple solution to the no cooling fans for the visiting team at Tiger Stadium. Next time we go there make it known to LSU, SEC and NCAA that we are bringing cooling fans and generators and will be using them for player safety...and dare anyone to try to stop us.  I am quite serious. That is a bona fide player safety problem. 

Allen Greene,  if you are reading this, go ahead and tell everyone that is what is going to happen. 

This needs to be treated with the same disdain for head to head contact. Heat can seriously injure a player. You are dead on right with take on this.

[doc4aday 1,887]

5 hours ago, homersapien said:

Well, they clearly don't allow cooling/heating equipment for visitors:

http://www.lsusports.net/fls/5200/assets/docs/fb/pdf/18visitingguide.pdf   (page 7)

This is just not right.  Not only is it poor sportsmanship, it's medically dangerous.

SEC & NCAA needs to overturn this asap. We should return the favor this one game and restrict LSU to only bread and water on the sideline. Well, maybe some month old rancid corn dogs and kool aid laced with miralax to promote healthy cramps! (just kidding of course...all players need to treated appropriately no matter which school it is)

[stoic-one 1,543]

I'm unclear as to the logic behind their prohibition on this, it is most definitely a player safety issue.

Anyone know WHY they don't allow them?

[triangletiger 1,599]

16 minutes ago, stoic-one said:

I'm unclear as to the logic behind their prohibition on this, it is most definitely a player safety issue.

Anyone know WHY they don't allow them?

Just a guess, but it may have to do with the electrical loading/power consumption requirements for these types of equipment.  Of course, if the team was supplying their own power via generators or batteries, it would eliminate that concern.