It's been less than a day since Auburn's thrilling overtime victory against Northwestern in the Outback Bowl and ... wow, it's still a pretty amazing game thinking back about it. I'd be remiss if I didn't mention that the 38-35 final score was extremely close to my 37-34 prediction (of course, my other predictions this year have been awful).

Anyway, here's everything I wrote on the game other than the A1 story that is in the post before this one:

• Game story: Auburn wins a wild, wild, wild game over Northwestern
• Sidebar: Tigers withstand Wildcats' aerial assault
• Notebook: Auburn's Adams wins Outback Bowl MVP
• Gameline: Superlatives from Friday's game

What a crazy game. My heads still spinning a little bit, but here's tomorrow's lede for A1.

TAMPA, Fla. — Gene Chizik's schedule was so packed in the week leading up to Auburn's appearance in the Outback Bowl that the Tigers coach had little opportunity to catch a glimpse of any other bowl games.

After Auburn's wild 38-35 overtime win against Northwestern, he doesn't feel short-changed.

"You will be hard pressed to find one better than that as far as getting your money's worth," Chizik said.

Nobody was sure if they've ever seen a game this crazy. The teams combined for 10 touchdowns and 73 points, breaking 18 Outback Bowl records and tying another 10.

Auburn cornerback Walt McFadden had a 100-yard interception return for a touchdown in the first quarter that turned into a mere footnote.

The Tigers watched a 14-point lead evaporate in just over three minutes at the end, forcing overtime, yet nobody was talking about it afterward.

Northwestern quarterback Mike Kafka shattered an Outback Bowl record by throwing 78 times for 532 yards ... and lost.

Yet all of that was overshadowed by a crazy final drive that featured replays that overturned two crucial calls, two premature celebrations, a missed field goal, a roughing the kicker penalty and a modern-day fumblerooski that Auburn stuffed two yards short of the end zone to preserve the win.

Whew!

"That was the craziest game I've ever seen, heard of, been a part of," Auburn linebacker Craig Stevens said. "Everything."

Greetings from a soggy Raymond James Stadium, site of today's Outback Bowl.

Fact No. 1: it is raining. We got a little wet on the way in and it looks like things have intensified since we got to the press box. It'll probably still be raining during the game, so that will be a factor.

Fact No. 2: The pirate ship beyond the north end zone is pretty massive. Check the post below for a good picture of Auburn's players having a good time on it yesterday. I'd go down there, but, like I mentioned in Fact No. 1, it is raining out.

Fact No. 3: it smells like Outback Steakhouse in the stadium, which makes me hungry. I'm going to seek out some food. But I will be back in a little bit to blog some more as players start trickling out on the field and we get closer to gametime.

Be sure to follow the blog on Twitter for instant updates.

Here's the view from my seat:


9:47 update: Auburn's got a little bit of a different look out there. They've got white shoes and white socks (or at least the kickers do). Normally they've got black shoes. It certainly gives them a bit of a different look.

10:04 update: The rain looks like it's stopping. The sun even made a brief appearance. It returned to being overcast though. My sources in Florida tell me this is how the weather is all the time, so expect it to be that way the rest of the game.

10:13 update: Don't see quarterback Clint Moseley on the field during warmups. No big deal, since Moseley is redshirting this season. He was in Tampa this week. Auburn has three quarterbacks dressed -- Chris Todd, Neil Caudle and Barrett Trotter. Four if you count Kodi Burns.

10:20 update: Nick Fairley was working with the ones during drills in the pre-game in place of Mike Blanc, who was running with the twos. Fairley started the season opener but Blanc started the remaining 11 games.

11:00 update: Moseley is here. He's just not dressed. That makes sense, since he's not going to play.

Hope everyone had a fun and safe New Year's Eve. Because of today's early kickoff, I spent my time last night in the media hospitality room of the hotel. But before that, I wrote an advance for today's game. Here's how it starts:

TAMPA, Fla. — Between them, Auburn coach Gene Chizik and Northwestern’s Pat Fitzgerald have a wealth of defensive experience.

Nearly all of Chizik’s 23 years of coaching have been on the defensive side of the ball, and Fitzgerald, well before he assumed the head job at his alma mater, established himself as one of the best college linebackers of the ’90s.

So there will be a touch of irony today in the Outback Bowl at Raymond James Stadium, where both teams plan to unleash their up-tempo, spread offenses on one another.

“There are two defensive guys sitting up here,” Fitzgerald said during a joint press conference with Chizik earlier this week. “I think we know what gives defenses problems.”

Read the rest here. And follow the blog on Twitter.

Northwestern (8-4, 5-3 Big Ten) vs. Auburn (7-5, 3-5 SEC)

• What: Outback Bowl
• Where: Tampa, Fla.
• When: Friday, 11:00 a.m. ET, ESPN
• Last meeting: Teams have never met

QUARTERBACKS

Auburn's Chris Todd weathered some ups and downs to have a solid overall season. The senior threw for 2,377 yards and a single-season Auburn record 21 touchdowns, all while limiting himself to just six interceptions. Northwestern's Mike Kafka has thrown for more yards (2,898) but fewer touchdowns (12), although the fifth-year senior adds another element with his running ability (he has seven rushing touchdowns). Edge: Push

RUNNING BACKS

Ben Tate has an outside chance of passing Joe Cribbs for fourth on Auburn's all-time rushing list, needing to add 155 yards to his career total of 3,213 to get the job done. Tate has 1,254 rushing yards this year. Northwestern's leading rusher, freshman Arby Fields, has 294 yards. Enough said. Edge: Auburn

RECEIVERS/TIGHT ENDS

The Tigers' 1-2 punch of Darvin Adams and Terrell Zachery is hard to top. Combined, they have 72 catches for 1,321 yards and 15 touchdowns. But the Wildcats match up well. Zeke Markshausen and Andrew Brewer have combined for 128 receptions, 1,566 yards and 10 touchdowns. Auburn might have more big-play potential, but Northwestern has more depth. Edge: Push

OFFENSIVE LINE

Auburn has used the same starting five in all but two games (when Byron Isom served a two-game, team-imposed suspension). The group, led by left tackle Lee Ziemba and center Ryan Pugh, helped pave the way for the SEC's fourth-best rushing offense. Northwestern starts a junior, three sophomores and a redshirt freshman. Edge: Auburn

DEFENSIVE LINE

Antonio Coleman turned into a terror on the line in the second half of the season for Auburn, finishing atop the SEC leaderboard in sacks and tackles for a loss. But Northwestern has been better across the board. Led by defensive end Corey Wootton, who battled back after tearing his ACL and MCL in last year's Alamo Bowl, the Wildcats are poised to break the school record for rushing defense, allowing 123.5 yards per game. Edge: Northwestern

LINEBACKERS

Josh Bynes and Craig Stevens have rarely taken a snap off this season, combining for 183 tackles, 12 tackles for a loss and 2.5 sacks. If Eltoro Freeman is healthy, it gives Auburn a solid starting three. Northwestern's Quentin Davie finished with 81 tackles and a team-best nine tackles for a loss. Nate Williams added 79 tackles. Edge: Push

SECONDARY

Auburn has experienced corners, led by senior Walt McFadden and sophomore Neiko Thorpe, who has played since stepping onto campus. But question marks still exist at safety, where Demond Washington has three games of experience. That's not a problem for Northwestern, which is led by senior Brad Phillips, who has started 33 career games and led the team with 84 tackles this year. He and cornerback Sherrick McManis were both first-team All-Big Ten picks. Edge: Northwestern

KICKERS/PUNTERS

Wes Byrum only missed one field goal this year for Auburn, and Clinton Durst quietly averaged 40.7 yards per punt. Stefan Demos handles both duties for Northwestern. He was 18-for-23 on field goals and averaged a mere 35.3 yards per punt. Edge: Auburn

RETURN GAMES

Washington gave Auburn the spark in the return game it was looking for late in the season. When he was able to secure the ball, he was fantastic, particularly on kickoffs, where he averaged 32.2 yards per return and took one back 99 yards for a touchdown. While the Tigers had five different players return at least one kick more than 30 yards, Northwestern had one: Stephen Simmons, who had a 64-yard return against Wisconsin. Edge: Auburn

COACHES

This is Gene Chizik's first bowl game as a head coach, although he's been involved in plenty of high-profile bowl games (anyone remember the Vince Young national title game against Southern Cal?). Northwestern's Pat Fitzgerald coached the Wildcats to the Alamo Bowl last year but lost to Missouri. In the absence of a bowl track record, we'll go with experience. Edge: Auburn

PREDICTION

Most of these categories were extremely close. The only major edges I came up with were at running back and offensive line. Everything else was close, which is the way I imagine this game ending up. The line started at 7 and has increased to as much as 8 in some places. That seems high to me. I expect each side to do what they do best with plenty of success. Auburn will run it down Northwestern's throat. Northwestern will throw it at will. Both teams will score, but the Tigers will score just a little bit more. Auburn in a wild one, 37-34.

I wrote a story for today's newspaper about cornerback Walt McFadden. Here's how it starts:

TAMPA, Fla. — A wide smile crept across Walt McFadden’s face when a few Auburn beat writers informed the cornerback that he was the first recipient of the “Good Guy” award, an honor meant to recognize a player who is consistently congenial with the media.

His response stopped just short of wishing for world peace.

“I want to thank the world,” he said, stammering a bit. “I want to thank everybody who’s been listening to and reading my comments. I just want to thank everybody.

“I feel like I’m at an awards show.”

It might have been the first time this season the senior struggled to find the right words. McFadden, who will play his final college game Friday in the Outback Bowl against Northwestern, fully embraces his role as a team leader.

Read the rest here. And follow the blog on Twitter.

TAMPA, Fla. — Auburn might have averaged the most plays per game of any team in the SEC, but that’s not fast enough to appease offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn, whose offense is based on speed.

“It’ll get faster, there’s no doubt,” he said “We’re not happy with our pace right now. Our number of plays needs to increase, and that comes with execution and getting first downs, too. We expect it to get quite a bit faster.”

The Tigers ran 842 plays a game this year (70.2 per game), ranking 38th out of 120 Football Bowl Subdivision teams. That’s only a marginal increase from the 810 plays Auburn ran last year with a disjointed offensive coaching staff.

In his two years at Tulsa, Malzahn’s offenses led the nation in number of plays, with 1,097 in 2008 and 1,126 in 2007.

For Malzahn, the magic number is 70 per game, although the higher, the better.

“We do pride ourselves in the number of snaps,” he said. “That’s a big thing for us. We’d like to get 70-plus snaps, and when we don’t reach that and we don’t win, that’s not good. Usually, if we have 70, we like our chances.”

Follow the blog on Twitter. And read some more notes from Wednesday ...

• It was a full day for Auburn's players, who attended an early-morning Fellowship of Christian Athletes breakfast where former NFL coach Tony Dungy, a Tampa resident, was the keynote speaker. “As you’re preparing (for the Outback Bowl), I just ask you to remember one thing,” Dungy said. “In the meetings that you have left, the preparation and concentration, in practice and in that game on New Year’s Day, do everything you can to win. But remember, it’s just a game. It’s not life. Don’t win the game, but lose your soul.”

• Head coach Gene Chizik and a few players visited the West Tampa Boys and Girls Club. He handed out 101 tickets to the Outback Bowl so the kids could attend the game. “It’s really neat when you can come to a Boys and Girls Club and give back to these guys,” Chizik said. “There are so many guys in our football program that grew up around a Boys and Girls Club or a YMCA, so anytime you can visit with those young people and give the community something back, it’s always special.”

• Freshman running back Dontae Aycock, a Tampa native, also spoke to the group of kids. He played basketball at the club when he was younger. “It was good seeing the kids in the club and not out in the streets doing something they’re not supposed to be doing," he said. "They’re here with all their friends playing games and enjoying themselves. It was a good experience for me.”

• Can't remember if I mentioned this before or not, but Auburn will wear blue uniforms Friday while Northwestern will wear white.

• And lastly, a few Auburn players (mostly walk-ons and redshirts) enjoyed a day at Clearwater beach, where there was a tug-of-war competition between the teams' cheerleaders. Apparently, Auburn won the overall competition. Here are a few photos:

I wrote a story for today's newspaper about Northwestern coach Pat Fitzgerald. Here's how it starts:

TAMPA, Fla. — No official line of succession had been planned, but Northwestern’s players already had a sense of how it would unfold.

Pat Fitzgerald, the young, well-spoken, former All-American-turned-linebackers coach would someday take the reins at his alma mater from Randy Walker, the self-described “Johnny off the pickle boat” who returned the Wildcats to respectability in the Big Ten following Gary Barnett’s departure.

Unfortunately, the timetable was accelerated following Walker’s unexpected death of a heart attack at age 52 in the summer of 2006.

“I think what (Walker) set was a precedent for Northwestern and what we’re about,” quarterback Mike Kafka said. “I think Coach Fitz has taken that to the next level and the team to the next level, and I think Coach Walk definitely is still ingrained in our program.”

Read the whole thing here. And follow the blog on Twitter.

I'll be back later today with another update from practice.

TAMPA, Fla. — Only four quarters remain in Auburn quarterback Chris Todd’s winding career, one in which he’s played the scapegoat and the hero, sometimes within a matter of a few weeks.

“People are trying to remind me, but I’m trying to treat it like it’s the next week,” Todd said. “After I’m done I can kind of look back on it and I can really cherish some of the stuff I went through.”

It’s been an unusual career for Todd, one that’s included two transfers, shoulder problems and occasional backlash from the home crowd.

But the senior has made his mark on the Plains regardless. Todd, who is 10-7 as a starter at Auburn, threw 21 touchdowns this year, setting the school’s single-season record, a remarkable feat considering he didn’t enter the quarterback picture until the summer following shoulder surgery last December.

“Everything he went through, he was battle-tested,” offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn said. “He doesn’t get too high or too low. A quarterback at Auburn or a quarterback in the SEC, that’s what you’ve got to do. I think he’s had fun. And he’s gone above and beyond our expectations.”

Todd gained his teammates’ respect for the hours he logged at Auburn’s athletic complex during the offseason, trying to soak in everything he could about Malzahn’s system so he could jump into the quarterback mix once his arm allowed him to. He said he never stayed overnight but conceded that he had napped there a few times.

“Between the workout time that they already require of us, that coupled with the rehab he was doing on his shoulder, and then when the coaching staff got here trying to learn a new offense, that doesn’t leave much time in the day other than to do those things and to go to class,” right tackle Andrew McCain said. “And he’s one of those guys that just really embraced his opportunity.”

Todd grew to appreciate the school’s traditions and history, even if he took his fair share of abuse from Auburn fans.

“Coming through certain situations and working hard and really giving everything you’ve got, that’s all you can do to try to carry on what Auburn’s already done,” he said. “I feel humbled and very grateful to be a part of a program like Auburn.”

Follow the blog on Twitter. And read some more notes and quotes from Tuesday ...

• Auburn went through its third practice in Tampa on Tuesday. After eight practices in Auburn before making the trip south, coaches are trying to keep things fresh. "It's definitely important," defensive coordinator Ted Roof said. "You don't want things to become mundane, same old same old. Although there is a certain amount of that that's going to go on when you have some base things that you believe in. But just to keep it interesting and try to challenge them not only physically, but mentally to keep something fresh, a new angle. I think that's important to keep them mentally focused."

• The Tigers enjoyed a trip to the amusement park Busch Gardens on Monday evening, although roller coasters weren’t high on everybody’s to-do list. McCain said it was the first time left tackle Lee Ziemba had ever been on a roller coaster. “I looked over there and he was sweating, almost to the point of tears because he was so nervous,” McCain said with a laugh. “That was probably the most exciting moment for me was to watch him suffer when the roller coaster took off.”

• Asked if anybody screamed during their roller coaster excursion, linebacker Craig Stevens had this to say: "I think everybody did. We went back and looked at the picture and everybody looked terrified."

• Some Auburn players avoided the roller coasters altogether. “Man, I don’t do all the heights and stuff,” defensive end Antonio Coleman said. “I like to ride in the teacup sand stuff like that. I’m a real slow and gentle guy. I like to coast.”

• Coleman is getting somewhat wistful that his last college game is rapidly approaching. "Coach Roof reminds me of that daily. Yesterday we were in full pads. I was sweating real bad and he was like ‘I see those tears. This is your last inside drill here at Auburn University.’ Then today he gave me another joke. … It’s set in. I mean, you move on to bigger and better things, hopefully."

• Roof had good things to say about senior DT Jake Ricks. "He is such a solid, solid force inside," he said. "When he comes to the practice field and he comes to the game field you're going to get his absolute best. It's good to be able to count on a guy, just like in all sports, to be strong up the middle. He's certainly had a very physical season, had a great year for us. Also, not only on the field but also what he brings to our locker room."

• Ricks, on his future plans: "Who knows? I really don't know right now. I'm going to sit down after this game and have a talk with my parents and see what they think. Hopefully I'm going to get an NFL shot but if that doesn't work out then I'm going to go back to school and finish. We'll see."

• One note on junior college quarterback Cameron Newton. The five-star recruit has apparently eliminated Oklahoma from consideration, leaving his choice between Auburn and Mississippi State. Newton originally planned to announce his intentions on Thursday but has pushed back making his decision public until Saturday at the earliest, according to the subscription recruiting site BulldawgJunction.com.

• Lastly, an itinerary update. Auburn's players have team night at GameWorks, a video game bar near Ybor City. A trip to Clearwater Beach is on the docket for tomorrow, although considering the water temperatures, I can't imagine anybody doing much swimming.

We're currently at an Outback Bowl luncheon at the Tampa Convention Center, where plenty of Tampa-area big hitters are here to eat and socialize in the presence of both teams. There's free food involved, so naturally we sportswriters are here.

ANYWAY, here are some quick notes after Auburn's morning practice:

• Head coach Gene Chizik thought it was another good practice. That makes two good practices so far; one mediocre one; two to go. "I felt like the tempo was up," Chizik said. "It was a little shorter today because of some of the events. We're coming down to the end of the week anyway. This was our Wednesdayish practice for game week. Good work today. I think we're going in the right direction."

• More Chizik practice talk: "We've got to narrow down the focus during the last couple of days. Every practice since our first one has been better. The focus was there today. The focus was there yesterday. We're starting to narrow back down to the mindset that it's game week and we need to get going."

• Linebacker Josh Bynes thinks the defense has been better since the Arkansas game. "We came with a mindset that we're going to come after the other time," he said. "We were tired of hearing everybody saying this defense isn't good. We came up with a great scheme. Our whole mentality is: Three downs. That's all we've been thinking about for the second half of the season. They only get three downs. That's what we've been doing throughout the second half. If you saw the Alabama game, we were shutting them down with no problems."

• The Tigers continued their full itinerary of events, going to Busch Gardens yesterday. Plenty of rollercoasters were enjoyed. "Some guys were scared," Bynes said. "Mike G.[the blog will protect his anonymity] was kind of scared. He was screaming. You didn't hear that from me. There were a lot of guys scared to get on rides, but we had a great time. It was fun."

• Busch Gardens has plenty of animals, too, as these photos prove (the players look extremely cautious in the presence of this serval):

• From a beat writer perspective, we enjoyed a suite at a Tampa Bay Lightning game last night (free of charge!). The Lightning won, we enjoyed some adult beverages and hot dogs. Everybody had a good time. Here are a few photos for those who care. Back with more a little later.

TAMPA, Fla. — Playing a position as coveted as left tackle, junior Lee Ziemba will likely get a good, long look from NFL scouts at some point in the future.

When asked if he had thought about entering the NFL Draft a year early, Ziemba said he hadn’t thought about it.

“I’m focusing on the bowl game right now,” Ziemba said. “That’s something that’s in the future that we’ll have to look at but I’m not focused on that right now. I’m focused on playing Northwestern and beating them.”

The 6-foot-8, 308-pound Ziemba had a bounce-back year after offseason knee surgery. The junior extended his starting streak to 37 games and earned second-team All-SEC honors from the coaches and an honorable mention from the Associated Press.

Ziemba is ranked the 10th-best offensive tackle in the 2011 class by NFLDraftScout.com.

Follow the blog on Twitter. And read some more of these notes ...

• Auburn coaches have had plenty of praise for Northwestern quarterback Mike Kafka, a fifth-year senior who earned second-team All-Big Ten honors. Kafka threw for 2,898 yards and 12 touchdowns this year, completing 65.7 percent of his passes. A mobile quarterback, he added 265 yards and seven touchdowns on the ground. “(Kafka) throws the ball as good as anybody,” Auburn safeties coach Tommy Thigpen said. “We saw (Jevan) Snead against Ole Miss and we thought he had a really quick release. This guy’s release is just as quick as the Snead kid’s. So it’s going to be a challenge for our football team because there’s a lot of route timing, a lot of times he throws the ball to the receivers before they come out of their routes. They’re a really polished football team.”

• Northwestern doesn't remind cornerbacks coach Phillip Lolley of anyone Auburn's faced this year. "Maybe Mississippi State," he said. "They know how to throw the football, I can tell you that. They throw it around pretty good and they run the football through one-back stuff and do a really good job with that. A lot of zone stuff, what I call stretch. They’re able to read out of the quarterbacks throw of the ball and they can run the ball. They don’t mind tucking and running with it so it presents a challenge when you can spread that many people out. I’d say they probably get empty more than anyone we’ve played this year. Probably be their No. 1 set. They spread you out and make you play."

• Auburn has a few more bodies at its disposal in the secondary to try to stop Northwestern's passing game. D'Antoine Hood is looking better after struggling with an ankle injury all season. Safety Drew Cole, who missed the majority of the year with a major ankle injury, is also an option.

• Anthony Gulley is another option. The wide receiver moved to cornerback before the Furman game. Coaches don't know if he'll stay there. "It will probably carry over to the spring," Lolley said. "Right now, we’re just trying to work him there and get as many reps there as we can. I told him it kind of reminds me of Travaris Robinson several years ago. Travaris Robinson, the same type of situation, was a wide receiver and everything and we brought him over and just started working with him. We didn’t know if that move would be permanent or not. It wound up being permanent and he got to play a little bit in the league. We’ll know this spring where we are with it. Right now, he’s picking it up real good."

• Northwestern dedicated its bowl performance to second-year defensive line coach Marty Long, who had emergency surgery earlier this month to remove a growth and will not make the trip to Tampa. The team got some good news Monday: The surgery went well and Long, despite some double vision, has been improving every day. “It breaks our heart that he cannot be here with us, but we’re thinking about him and praying for his speedy recovery,” Wildcats coach Pat Fitzgerald said. “Us not having him here, it’s like not having one of your family here. Our defensive line has done a great job lifting themselves up and working hard. When I walked down to the meeting room yesterday I saw all 18 defensive linemen down there running the meeting. That’s what you’re hoping to see from your seniors.”

• Thigpen agreed with Gene Chizik's contention that practice was better: "Guys flew around a lot better than it was yesterday. Yesterday, we was kind of sluggish and you could tell guys had been off. You could tell guys were a lot more crisp, guys looked a lot more rested, a lot more fresh, a lot more alert. Pleased, we still got a lot of little stuff to correct upon. For the majority of the part, it was a good day."

• Wide receivers coach Trooper Taylor had an opinion on practice too: "They're getting back in the swing of things. Today really looked like a practice we probably would have had at Auburn. I think coach has been trying to emphasize that nothing changes but the address."

• Thigpen used to coach on Urban Meyer's staff back when they were at Bowling Green. He was as shocked as anyone upon hearing the news that Meyer was taking a leave. "We know he was passionate at a young age," Thigpen said. "Urban runs probably a couple miles a day if I can remember. I never thought that he would be resigning at this point in his career. But if I know Urban, take some time off and he'll be back."

• RB Onterio McCalebb said his ankle is 100 percent. I'm sure he made sure to tape it Monday nonetheless.
  

• WR Derek Winter is a Tampa native. Although he hasn't done much this year (his one catch came against Furman), Chizik had good things to say about the sophomore. "This kid works," Chizik said. "He's the epitome of hard work. When you look at Auburn's creed, in there it talks about work, hard work. He is what the creed says and he is what Auburn believes in."

• Lots of good stuff about the similar tempos that Auburn and Northwestern run. I plan to write about that as my game advance. It was funny that Fitzgerald pointed out that both teams are coached by defensive-minded coaches but still have no-huddle offenses.

• Fitzgerald had a good quote about a strong academic school like Northwestern competing against top-notch competition: "To our coaching staff's credit, they have embraced and believe in what we are and what we stand for. We try to develop world-class student athletes and give a world-class student athlete experience. With that comes the expectation that we're going to well in the classroom. With 54 players above a 3.0 and team GPA of 2.98 and win eight football games and go 5-3 in our league shows that you can have that balance. You can have the best of both worlds, but it start and ends with recruiting. We've got to attract the right kind of young man that fits our football program. Our coaching staff has done a tremendous job. Once you have that, it's kind of a vacuum that pulls everybody up. The culture within our locker room is to do the right thing, not just on the field, not just socially, not just in the classroom, but all areas combined, and I'm very proud of that."

• I'll give an enthusiastic thumbs up to Skipper's Smokehouse here in Tampa. It might not look like much (as this photo suggests), but it was some good eatin'. I recommend the shrimp. It's off to a Tampa Bay Lightning game tonight. This Minnesota native is curious to see what an NHL game is like in Florida. I assume the ice will still be frozen.
  

TAMPA, Fla. — Make no mistake: Auburn’s Philip Lutzenkirchen likes playing tight end, a position he’s practiced at all season as Tommy Trott’s backup.

But the versatile freshman has taken a liking to the H-back role he’s filled in at the last few weeks.

“I’ve worked a lot at tight end so I feel pretty comfortable there too, but I like the H-back and being able to motion and kick-out and play in space,” he said.

Lutzenkirchen might get some looks at both positions in Friday’s Outback Bowl against Northwestern. He is one of several options Auburn has at H-back, a position lacking bodies after Eric Smith was ruled academically ineligible and John Douglas and Jason King were suspended for separate DUI incidents.

The freshman has five catches for 66 yards and two touchdowns this season, playing in all 12 games. Although the 6-foot-4, 262-pound Lutzenkirchen is behind Trott on the depth chart at tight end, his ability to run, catch and block make him suited for the H-back spot.

“For that position, we ask a lot — to block, to run different types of routes,” offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn said. “He’s got to do a lot of different things, and Philip has that skill set.”

“It kind of goes back to when we recruited Philip, how did we see him?” Auburn coach Gene Chizik said. “We feel like he’s a versatile enough guy to wear a couple of different hats in this offense. So as time goes on with him and he gets older and matures and he understands everything, we feel sure he’s going to do that.”

What that means in the future is unclear. With Trott graduating, Auburn has a definite need for a traditional tight end, even if Lutzenkirchen is anything but.

“I would imagine they would tweak it a little bit,” he said, “but they’re still going to expect me to be able to do everything that Tommy is this past year.”

Follow the blog on Twitter. And read these other notes from Sunday's practice ...

• Florida coach Urban Meyer spent Sunday evening clarifying his decision to at least temporarily leave his position as the Gators’ head coach to improve his personal health. Chizik knows first-hand the pressures and stress associated with coaching at a big-time SEC school and is aware the toll it can take. “I think everybody is,” he said. “And it’s so competitive that you feel such an allegiance to your university and your players and your coaching staff, and that’s before you even get to the outside pressures of the world. And I’m very cognizant of it and it’s just a tough, tough business and a lot of stress that goes along with it.”

• Auburn enters the Outback Bowl against Northwestern as 7-point favorites. That’s not indicative of much this bowl season. Entering Sunday, underdogs had won outright in six of the nine bowl games. Chizik struggled to find an answer for a reason why underdogs seem to fare well in the postseason. “Anything can happen in these games,” he said. “There’s so much involved in the preparation. Do you over-prepare? Do you under-prepare? Are your kids excited about playing? Sometimes kids expect to be in ‘X’ bowl game and then they go to a different bowl game and their mentality changes because it’s not what they wanted. There’s all kinds of variables in there. ... Every game is individualized and every game is different. So I just think it depends on the team.”

• With Auburn low on bodies in the secondary, Chizik thinks D’Antoine Hood, a Central-Phenix City graduate, could see an increase in playing time against Northwestern’s pass-happy offense. Hood, a sophomore, has battled an ankle injury all season. He played in nine games this year, getting in on four tackles. “He had some nagging injuries all year,” Chizik said. “I feel like the last three or four weeks he’s come on. He’s healthier. And he needs to come on for us. We need his help. We’re hoping in the bowl game he can come out there and give us some plays.”

• Converted wide receiver Anthony Gulley might be another option in the secondary. The wide receiver moved to cornerback as an emergency option before the Furman game. "It's definitely a work in progress with him," Chizik said. "Of course it was a month ago or whatnot, I can't remember how far back exactly we moved him, but he's made significant strides. Is he ready to play in the bowl game? We've got three or four more days to prepare him every day. So I can't say right now. But we think he's making some great strides right now."

• Count defensive coordinator Ted Roof as someone impressed by Northwestern quarterback Mike Kafka. "Kafka has really grown as a passer since last year," Roof said. "He’s turned into a very high-percentage accurate thrower. He was a track guy in high school. He can run."

• The Wildcats don't strike him as an off team in the Big Ten, despite their preference to spread the field. "If you asked that question eight or 10 years ago, I would have said yes," Roof said. "But after being in that league last year, almost every team, with the exception of two or three has some form of spread. They are now more the norm. That league has turned into a spread league."

• I touched on this in my main story for tomorrow, but the players enjoyed a Tampa Bay Lightning hockey game Saturday night. Needless to say, it was a new experience for most of Auburn's players. "It was pretty exciting," cornerback Walt McFadden said. "The big thing was the horn. Every time they scored it was really loud. You always look at the cheerleaders because they're pretty and that was a good thing because they were kind of running up and down the aisles so that was pretty exciting as well."

• McFadden said he wanted to get a horn for the football field. "I wish I could," he said. "I'd blow the horn every time they didn't score a touchdown. Any other play, even if I didn't make the play, I'd push the horn. If I get a horn that big, you're going to know I'm around somewhere."

• Walt offered this other take on the hockey game: "It was kind of funny that we're like, some of the DBs sitting together, these guys are skating backwards. When we first started off to get with coach (Phillip) Lolley running backwards we were falling and these guys are skating backwards."

• After watching the game, linebacker Craig Stevens thinks he picked the right sport. "I'm not ready to play hockey," he said. "If I went out there I would just be going to fight."

• Auburn capped the day with a visit to the St. Joseph’s Children’s Hospital. Here are a few photos:

Here's a short video that highlights some parts of Gene Chizik's session with reporters Sunday. Sorry about the lighting. I don't have a TV quality camera for these things. I'll try a different angle later in the week. Enjoy.

Auburn arrived in Tampa this afternoon. I did late tonight, so I wasn't able to get talk with anybody after what sounds like a delightful Outback Steakhouse meal. Anyway, here's a release about today's arrival from Auburn Sports Information.

I'll have plenty of updates tomorrow once the team starts practicing, so check back.'

TAMPA — The Auburn football team officially reported for the Outback Bowl Saturday and participated in the first bowl functions of the week. The Tigers attended the Outback Steakhouse team welcome dinner followed by Team Night at the Tampa Bay Lightning hockey game.

Auburn (7-5) will meet Northwestern (8-4) in the 2010 Outback Bowl on Jan. 1 in Tampa, Fla. The game will kick off at 10 a.m. CT in Raymond James Stadium and be nationally televised by ESPN.

“Everybody’s here and having a good time tonight,” Auburn head coach Gene Chizik said. “We’re excited to get started tomorrow with practice. We’re here for one reason and that’s to win our eighth football game this season. There’s a balance to having fun and preparing to win the game and the players know that. Outback put on a great dinner for us tonight and it was a great way to start the week. It was everything you’d expect from Outback.”

Both teams were treated to an all-you-can-eat dinner courtesy of Outback, featuring steak, chicken and ribs.

“It was an amazing dinner tonight,” Tigers’ quarterback Chris Todd said. “It’s great to get off the plane or get off the road from traveling and have this kind of dinner the first night you’re here. We’re looking forward to the rest of the week. Coach Chizik made it pretty clear that he wants us to have a good time, but we are here to win a football game. So the practices are back to business, with everybody focused on winning.”

Following the Outback Steakhouse welcome dinner, both teams traveled to the St. Pete Times Forum for an NHL game between the Lightning and the Atlanta Thrashers. For a majority of the players, it was their first time to witness a hockey game in person.

"I've never been to a hockey game before,” Auburn receiver Terrell Zachery said. “It’s pretty cool. I'm glad we don't play on ice. I was telling one of the guys ice skating looks like roller blading and that's more my thing."

The Tigers will conduct their first bowl practice Sunday morning at the University of Tampa.

AUBURN, Ala. — A foggy mist persisted but the rains cleared Sunday, allowing the Auburn football team to move back outside for a full-pad, two-hour workout during its second practice prior to the Outback Bowl.

"Guys got in a couple skirmishes," wide receivers coach Trooper Taylor said. "It sounded like football."

The Tigers coaches used the practice to take an extended look at a group of inexperienced players usually stuck on the scout team. Taylor was particularly impressed by three true freshmen that are redshirting this season — running back Dontae Aycock, tight end Robert Cooper and quarterback Clint Moseley.

"I was really good to see those guys get a chance to compete," Taylor said. "Some of them jumped out."

Auburn hopes to work its freshmen and redshirt players extensively during the first week of pre-bowl practices before shifting its focus toward Northwestern.

"This is a very important time for those guys to get some extra work, learning how to play the game and do fundamental work," defensive line coach Tracy Rocker said. "Today was a great day for those, I call them the 'Young Tigers,' the "Future Tigers." That's what's big about these next couple days. As we get closer and closer, you start limiting, but right now it's important to get some work with those guys."

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• Count Auburn's coaches as those scratching their heads about wide receiver Darvin Adams' omission from the All-SEC teams that were released last week. The sophomore finished with a team-high 48 catches, 855 yards and 10 touchdowns. He was fourth in the SEC in receptions and yards and tied for first in receiving touchdowns. "He’s done a great job for us, I’ll tell you that," offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn said. "He’s been very solid. He’s played hurt and banged up. A lot of times he’s double-teamed and he’s still found ways to get the ball."

• Ole Miss' Shay Hodge and Georgia's A.J. Green were first-team selections on the Associated Press All-SEC team. The second team consisted of Arkansas' Joe Adams, Florida's Riley Cooper and LSU's Brandon LaFell. Joe Adams, who missed part of the season because of a stroke, finished with 28 catches for 553 yards and seven touchdowns, but he had more name recognition than Darvin coming into the season. "You like to know that that's going to motivate him," Tayor said. "You talk to our strength coach and he says, 'Coach, (Darvin's) been lighting it up out there' as far as doing extra work. Whatever it takes to motivate him."

• The SEC barred Taylor from off-campus recruiting for four months as part of Auburn's penalties for secondary recruiting violations committed during the Big Cat Weekend last May, a restriction that was lifted Nov. 30. Taylor, considered one of the Tigers' top recruiters, contributed in different ways. "I was able to be on the phone," he said. "And let me tell you, if you don't have relationships with your recruits and they're not calling you, you're down by seven anyway."

• Taylor took his assistant head coach title to heart during his time off the road, filling in for head coach Gene Chizik when needed. "Given those duties when the head coach is not around and being able to do that gives you experience so when that opportunity comes, you're ready," said Taylor, who has aspirations of being a head coach someday. "Before I would have been on the road, so I wouldn't have had those kind of deals. So I truly believe that everything happens for a reason. And that was a really good experience for me."

• Auburn held an awards banquet for its players Saturday night. Running back Ben Tate was the big winner, voted by the coaches and players as the Team and Offensive MVP. Defensive lineman Antonio Coleman and linebacker Craig Stevens were co-Defensive MVPs. Place-kicker Wes Byrum won the Special Teams MVP. Coleman and quarterback Chris Todd were honored as team captains.

• Malzahn didn't go much into freshman quarterback Tyrik Rollison's suspension, saying it won't drop him too far behind in terms of the race to be next year's starter. "He got a lot of reps during the year so I wouldn’t say much," Malzahn said.

• I'll be writing about this more extensively later, but Malzahn said he got an extra look today at Moseley and Barrett Trotter, two players who have been limited in reps all season. "Those two guys will get quite a few reps before we leave for the bowl site," Malzahn said. "Both of them did a good job tonight. They’re both eager. They’re hard workers, they pay attention to detail and they want to be good so it was fun to coach those guys tonight."

• Malzahn on Trotter: "We got a chance to work with him in the spring. He’s a competitor. He throws a real tight ball. The ball comes out of his hand really well. He’s a decent runner too and has a lot of leadership qualities."

• Malzahn on Moseley: "He’s more confident. He did a great job on the scout team. He watched film and tried to really simulate the other team’s quarterback. A lot of scout team quarterbacks wouldn’t do that. Coach (Ted) Roof was really bragging on him from week to week. He’s a big strong kid and can throw it a long way."

• Rocker said freshman defensive end Nosa Eguae is one guy he's taking a longer look at this December. Eguae injured his foot before the season and ended up redshirting, but he figured to get a decent amount of playing time before the injury. "Once he got injured, we had to get him well," Rocker said. "Our goal was to make sure he was completely well. We did not want to go into a situation where he re-injures himself: Let's get him well because we think he has a bright future. We feel good about it and he did some good work today, and we'll just keep chipping away."

• Rocker, who spoke to the media for the first time in a couple months, said he thought shutting down Alabama's running game and future Heisman Trophy winner Mark Ingram was a big confidence booster for the line. "I think those guys built a sense of confidence that, 'We can do something,'" he said. "We're not far away, we just got to keep adding a few couple more pieces to the puzzle and build some confidence. No doubt, they gained confidence as the year went on. But you have to understand, in our league I would say in September everybody throws the ball and November every runs the ball. We got better and better in the latter part against the run."

• Roof gave a quick scouting report of Northwestern's offense: "Very, very versatile. They spread the entire width of the field. If they stay true to tendency, one-third of the game is going to be played with no backs in the backfield. They spread you out and see what you're in and either run it or throw it depending on what you do. They're very efficient. The quarterbacks do a good job of staying alive, moving around in the pocket and making big plays."

• Bart Eddins is looking at this next month as a chance to make a push for a starting job next year. "I do see it as a chance," he said. "I was talking to my dad about it the other day. He just kind of helps me keep everything in perspective saying, 'Right now, you're working toward next year.' So even in these bowl things even when I want to joke around and those kinds of things, I have to take a kind of serious note because a lot of those other guys can joke around but I can't. I've got to do what I can. I've got to prove what I can, that I can come in and be a positive impact on this offense and not be someone that brings it down or just makes it a mediocre offense because we've got an excellent offense."

• Eddins said he got some advice from right tackle Andrew McCain, who went through a similar experience of having to wait several years for his turn before getting an opportunity at consistent playing time. "I will be ready," Eddins said. "You can bank on that."

• Here's another thing I plan to write about in the next few days while there isn't any access to players (they're finishing up finals). Coleman told us the injury that held him back so much during the year was a partially torn tendon in his wrist. It wasn't torn enough to warrant surgery, but he said the blood flow to the wrist is minimal, making for a slow recovery. "I told the guys: 'When I get this cast off, I'm going to show you guys,'" Coleman said. "When I got the cast off, it was a huge relief." Coleman finished the season with 15.5 tackles for a loss and nine sacks, tops in the SEC in both categories.

• Coleman thinks his decision to come back for his senior season was a good one. "I know I got out there, laid it on the line and I had fun," he said. "I enjoyed every minute of it. This was the best year I've had since I've been here. It was the greatest year I've had here at Auburn -- being around a coaching staff that's family-oriented."

We got late word tonight that Auburn will officially begin Outback Bowl practice on Saturday. Auburn's players will have had a 15-day break since since their last action, the Iron Bowl on Nov. 27.

Students have exams that run through next Tuesday, although none take place on Saturday or Sunday.

Here are the Tigers' practice times through Dec. 22 (all times CT):

• Saturday, Dec. 12: 1:50 p.m.
• Sunday, Dec. 13: 5 p.m.
• Wednesday, Dec. 16: 4:50 p.m.
• Thursday, Dec. 17: 5 p.m.
• Friday, Dec. 18: 2 p.m.
• Saturday, Dec. 19: 2 p.m.
• Monday, Dec. 21: 2 p.m.
• Tuesday, Dec. 22: 9:15 a.m.

Auburn officials took part in an Outback Bowl signing today in Tampa. Here's the university press release:

TAMPA — The Outback Bowl held its bowl contract signing party presented by Walter Energy Thursday, as Auburn head coach Gene Chizik and Northwestern head coach Pat Fitzgerald signed the 2010 Outback Bowl contract. The function, held on the club level at Raymond JamesStadium, included members of the Outback Bowl Committee, both school’s athletic directors along with nearly 1,000 sponsors, fans and supporters.

“It’s exciting to see both Auburn University and Northwestern University coming to the Outback Bowl,” Outback Bowl President/CEO Jim McVay said. “It’s going to be a classic matchup. We look forward to seeing both teams along with their fans and alumni on New Year’s Day.”

Auburn and Northwestern will meet in the 24th annual Outback Bowl on New Year’s Day at 11 a.m. ET in Raymond James Stadium.

“On behalf of our football program, I want to thank everyone associated with the Outback Bowl for selecting Auburn to play in this outstanding bowl game,” Chizik said. “Our players can’t wait to begin bowl practice and I know they are thrilled to be coming to Tampa to play in this bowl game. We look forward to the challenge of facing a very good Northwestern team and hope that the Auburn fans fill the Tampa Bay area later this month.”

In his first season as Auburn’s head coach, Chizik guided the Tigers to a 7-5 record during the regular season. Northwestern concluded its regular season with an 8-4 mark.

“We’re very excited about coming to the Outback Bowl and look forward to the Auburn fans painting Raymond James Stadium orange and blue on New Year’s Day,” Auburn Athletics Director Jay Jacobs said. “I want to thank Jim McVay and the Outback Bowl Committee for their support and can’t wait to arrive on Dec. 26.”

It will be Auburn’s 35th bowl appearance and 12th in the last 15 years. The Tigers have a 19-13-2 record all-time in bowl games.

Unfortunately, I was unable to cover all of the bowl dealings last week, including Sunday's teleconferences with the involved parties (read the post below for more details). But that's in the past and as Mark McGwire would say, I'm not here to talk about it. Let's look forward, shall we? Auburn will play Northwestern in the Outback Bowl (purchase tickets here) on Jan. 1 at an early hour. Let's take a closer look at the matchup.

So just who are the Northwestern Wildcats?

First, the facts. Northwestern is the only private school in the Big (11) Ten. It's a fine academic institution but doesn't necessarily keep up with the conference's big shots in terms of recruiting (for an SEC comparison, think Vanderbilt).

The Wildcats were once the perennial doormats of the conference. From 1979-82, Northwestern set the record for the longest losing streak in Division I history with 34 straight losses. Former Vikings and Cardinals coach Dennis Green was actually the one who broke the streak. And look how svelte Denny was back then.

Things changed under Gary Barnett, who, when he was not belittling female kickers in Colorado, was once a pretty good coach. Barnett did the unthinkable when he led the Wildcats to the Rose Bowl after the 1995 season. Current head coach Pat Fitzgerald was an All-American linebacker on that team, playing along with quarterback Steve Schnur and running back Darnell Autry. It was the team's first Big Ten championship since 1936. The Wildcats ended up losing to a Keyshawn Johnson-led USC squad in the Rose Bowl that year. They would be Big Ten co-champs the following year.

After the 1998 season, Barnett bolted for Colorado, where he faded into oblivion. Northwestern hired Randy Walker from Miami of Ohio (I was a student sports reporter at Wisconsin at the time; Walker humorously referred to himself as "Johnny off the pickle boat" at the Big 10 media day, endearing himself to everyone immediately). Walker brought the spread to Northwestern at a time when Joe Tiller was introducing it to the rest of the conference at Purdue. (This article suggests Walker should really be given a lot of credit for the proliferation of the spread nationwide.) Walker had some good success despite having inferior talent, going 9-4 in 2000 with a trip to the Alamo Bowl, where NU was clobbered by Nebraska.

Walker was 37-46 in seven seasons before he died of a heart attack at age 52 prior to the 2006 season. Fitzgerald, who was a linebackers coach at the time, was promoted to head coach, a move that many thought would happen many years down the line once Walker retired. Fitzgerald was 31 at the time of his hiring, making him the youngest coach in Division I-A by five years. Only Tennessee's Lane Kiffin is currently younger, by about six months. Fitzgerald has since gone 27-22 at Northwestern, leading the Wildcats to 9-4 and 8-4 records the last two years.

Despite Northwestern's recent relative success, it is still 1-7 all-time in bowl games, with its only victory coming in the 1949 Rose Bowl.

Enough of the history lesson, though. How about some info about this year's team (for more, read this full scouting report by the USA Today):

• Northwestern was beaten out by Iowa in last year's bowl pecking order despite having the same record. This year, the athletics department put in a lot of work to be considered for the Outback Bowl, according to this Chicago Tribune article by Teddy Greenstein. The bowl took the 8-4 Wildcats over 9-3 Wisconsin, a team Northwestern beat late in the season.

• The Wildcats have had some weird games this year. They lost at Syracuse 37-34 and to Minnesota 35-24. The Orange finished 4-8. The Gophers limped to a 6-6 finish. But Northwestern finished strong, handing then-No. 4 Iowa its first loss, a 17-10 win in Iowa City. Two weeks later, the Wildcats knocked off then-No. 16 Wisconsin 33-31 in a wild game. They won four of their last five to finish 8-4 overall. It was the first time since 1995 and '96 that the school won eight games in consecutive seasons.
  

• Northwestern's got a weird offense. It's almost entirely pass-based, it's out of the spread and like Auburn, it's up-tempo (read: FAST!), meaning this could be a really entertaining game to watch. Quarterback Mike Kafka, a second-team All-Big Ten selection, has thrown for 2,898 yards this season, topping the 300-yard mark five times. He has 12 touchdowns to seven interceptions. Northwestern is all about quick, high-percentage passes, and Kafka completes them at a 66 percent clip. (He can run it too, with 265 yards and seven scores on the ground.) As a team, the Wildcats are 29th nationally in passing offense, averaging 266.1 yards per game. They'll spread it around too. Zeke Markshausen leads the team with 79 receptions for 774 yards and three touchdowns. Andrew Brewer has 49 catches for 792 yards and seven scores. (As a side note, I'm delighted to have a quarterback named Kafka being pursued by Auburn outside linebacker Eltoro Freeman, a philosophy major.)

• The Wildcats have struggled to run the ball. Their leading rusher, freshman Arby Fields, averages 24.5 yards per game. They're 93rd nationally in rushing offense, averaging 119.9 yards per game. This seems like a perfect matchup for an Auburn defense that has struggled to stop the run.
  

• Northwestern has a decent defense that's ranked 43rd nationally, allowing 344.3 yards per game. The Wildcats are 36th nationally against the run, giving up 123.5 yards a game. Their only first-team All-Big Ten selection is on defense. That would be safety Brad Phillips, who leads the team with 84 tackles. (DB Sherrick McManis was a second-team pick.)

• Place-kicker Stefan Demos was a second-team All-Big Ten selection. He's 18-for-23 this season.

• Northwestern isn't strong on the rest of its special teams. It's 99th nationally in punt and kick returns and 115th in net punting. Of course, that shouldn't be a problem against Auburn.

• As of now, there's not too much analysis of the bowl matchup. (I'm sure there will be more in depth stuff later Monday). But here's what ESPN.com SEC blogger Chris Low had to say about the game from Auburn's perspective. Big Ten blogger Adam Rittenberg chimed in with a Northwestern perspective.