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SOCCER
Coach Hoppa took the Auburn Tigers to the Sweet 16 last season, the best finish in school history. Could 2016 be even better? You bet it could. There's a ton of returning talent on this squad, and AU_Jonesy previews it for us.
GOLF
A few Auburn golfers are still going in the U.S. Amateur Championship. Ben Schlottman is in the Match Play portion, while Matt Gilchrest is in a 23-man playoff for the final eight spots.
FOOTBALL
If, somehow, you missed it, here's the Auburn Motivational Video that came out yesterday. It is amazing. I call this one "Motivational" rather than "Hype," because to me the hype videos are all about faster music, more cuts of big plays, etc. This one is just a "get your blood going and ready for football." It's a subtle distinction but one is designed to get you excited about the team itself and the other is just designed to make you want to run through a wall you're so ready for football.
AL.com continues their running back features with freshman Malik Miller, today. Miller has a big chance to take on a big role this season as a true freshman with the departure of so many other running backs over the offseason.
OK, so, there's a bit to unpack about the defensive players' comments about how hard (or not) it is to catch John Franklin III. Montravius Adams joked it's not that hard and then said he was just playing. Devaroe Lawrence said "I mean, it ain't difficult" and then described exactly why he feels that way. I take it to mean JF3 is fast, but the defensive line feels that it knows how to pursue and take down mobile QBs. I hope that's true because mobile QBs have given us fits over the last few seasons.
When Jamel Dean went down with an injury last week, Auburn's cornerback depth took a big blow. However, Dean wasn't an absolute lock to be the starter. He was in a battle with another redshirt freshman in Javaris Davis. Davis, according to three of the Tigers' wide receivers, is the fastest player on the team. Back in the Spring, he was the fastest with a blazing 40 yard dash time of 4.18 (if you believe the machines that day).
Here's a good story for you about offensive line coach Herb Hand and Gus Malzahn. I still believe Herb Hand was the most important hire during the offseason. What he and Gus did at Tulsa as Co-OCs was amazing. Hopefully, they can work that magic at Auburn this year.