Gene Chizik

Northwestern and Auburn will meet for the first time, playing in the Outback Bowl in Tampa, Fla., on New Year's Day. Both teams finished the regular season with statement games. Northwestern (8-4) upset No. 24 Wisconsin 33-31, prompting the fans to storm the field. Auburn (7-5) led No. 1 Alabama until the final two minutes before losing 26-21. Northwestern is seeking its first postseason win since the 1949 Rose Bowl. Auburn will finish Gene Chizik's first season as head coach in a New Year's Day game after ending last season with a losing record and sitting out the postseason. The Tigers haven't played in ... Read Full Story

Auburn football recruiting has taken a hit because of secondary NCAA rules violations during its "Big Cat Weekend" last May. Auburn was temporarily barred from contacting a half-dozen recruits who participated in the event. Assistant coach Trooper Taylor was banned from off-campus recruiting until the end of last month. Other coaches received reprimands. Auburn released the penalties Thursday night in response to open-records requests from media outlets. Coach Gene Chizik said the football program is moving on. The penalties stemmed from a recruiting event in May where recruits participated in the school tradition of toilet-papering Toomer's Corner. Members of the media were on hand. ... Read Full Story

Auburn strong safety Zac Etheridge was released from the hospital Monday, two days after suffering a neck injury against Mississippi. Coach Gene Chizik said Monday that Auburn's medical staff is confident he will make a complete recovery. Chizik did not release details of the nature of Etheridge's injury and the junior is expected to miss the rest of the season. Etheridge was hurt Saturday when he collided headfirst with teammate Antonio Coleman early in the game while they were trying to tackle Ole Miss running back Rodney Scott. He was strapped to a backboard before being taken off the field and gave a thumbs ... Read Full Story

The Auburn Tigers insist it's not the same. Sure, the Tigers' offense is struggling, the quarterback play is getting criticized and the team is under heavy fire for its play after a strong start. Just like last year. The difference, the players say, is the team is not divided after following a 5-0 start with three consecutive losses. "This is not last year's team," Auburn defensive end Antonio Coleman said. "It's a whole different team, a whole different scenario. We won't let it go downhill. It's not going to be like last year. We're going to keep our heads up and go out there ... Read Full Story

Toward the end of the third quarter, Auburn scored three touchdowns in about five minutes. That wasn't enough to prevent a swift fall from the Top 25 — or to give coach Gene Chizik much solace. The Tigers were held in check by an improving Arkansas defense, and their unbeaten run ended Saturday with a 44-23 loss to the Razorbacks. By Sunday afternoon, Auburn was unranked again after debuting at No. 17 in the previous poll. "If we're looking for warm and fuzzies ... They didn't quit," Chizik said Sunday. "Nobody quit. Everybody kept playing but it was too little too late. To me, ... Read Full Story