Link sAUsage -- April 12, 2012

We feared the worst when pitcher Will Kendall left Saturday's game against Alabama with an elbow injury, and the worst has come to fruition. Kendall will miss the remainder of the season after surgery on his injured left elbow. Jon Luke Jacobs will take his spot in the weekend rotation.

Mike Dyer admits that he made some mistakes while he was at Auburn. After reading his testimony from the Antonio Goodwin trial, we probably don't need to file this in the department of breaking news.

After a few positive updates on the Toomer's Oaks, it appears that we all may have gotten our hopes up too soon. As always, go to hell, Harvey Updyke.

While the prospect of A-Day is exciting, that excitement tends to wear off pretty quickly.

You've probably read plenty of A-Day previews from folks close to the action. Here's an A-Day preview from across the pond.

In a countdown of the SEC's top 150 players going into 2012, Auburn kicker Cody Parkey lands at No. 140.

Texas A&M has shown that it doesn't really care about tradition -- letting the rivalry with Texas die, moving to a conference with which it has no history, etc. -- so it shouldn't be a surprise that the Aggies are considering tearing down their 85-year-old stadium, Kyle Field.

The fifth-ranked Auburn equestrian team begins competition at the National Championships in Waco, Texas, today. The Tigers are looking to defend their 2011 national title.

Link sAUsage -- Feb. 27, 2012

It was a busy weekend for Auburn athletics. Let's take a look at what happened:

Auburn's two representatives at the NFL Combine turned in impressive workouts on Saturday. 

Auburn held its Junior Day over the weekend, and the Tigers picked up a commitment from in-state, 4-star wide receiver Earnest Robinson. Auburn and its coaching staff came off as very impressive to many of the prospects in attendance.

Who might benefit from the college football kickoff rules? Hmm. Looking at that list of qualifications, Auburn just might be the team that benefits the most.

In case you missed it over on his home site, College and Magnolia contributor Ross Collings analyzes some of the biggest questions Auburn has going into spring football practice.

Link sAUsage -- Feb. 24, 2012

The Nell Fortner Farewell Tour began Thursday night, and Auburn tipped it off with a bang. The Tigers put an absolute beat-down on Alabama, scoring an 81-40 victory. We know the Alabama women's basketball program is bad, but we didn't know that it's this bad. If you don't know why every Auburn fan should love Fortner, this will help you out.

The NCAA approved football rule changes aimed at protecting player safety. Among the new rules: kickoffs will be moved from the 30-yard line to the 35, and kickoff touchbacks will be moved from the 20 to the 25. (Touchbacks on punts, fumbles and interceptions will still come out to the 20.) If Cody Parkey can find a way to kick the ball a mile into the air, instead of a mile downfield, Auburn could be pinning opposing teams inside their own 5 all season long.

It's been a little over three weeks since National Signing Day, so it's obviously time to start thinking about recruiting again. Auburn hosts some of the top players in the country at Junior Day this weekend. The Tigers expect around 60 prospects to show up.

An update on some injured Auburn basketball players: Kenny Gabriel is still recovering from his lower back injury suffered against Florida but is expected to play against Arkansas on Saturday. Chris Denson's knee seems to be fine, and he'll definitely be in the lineup. Josh Langford is still experiencing concussion symptoms and isn't expected to play against the Hogs.

The 14th-ranked men's tennis team is in Montgomery for the Blue-Gray Classic. Live results for today's, Saturday's and Sunday's matches can be found here, here and here.

Fresh off its second-best-ever performance, No. 15 Auburn gymnastics heads to Lexington, Ky., tonight to take on Kentucky and Pitt in a tri-meet.

The second-ranked men's golf team will be in Palm Desert, Calif., this weekend for the University of Wyoming Desert Intercollegiate. The No. 3 women's team begins play at the Sugar Bowl Invitational in New Orleans on Sunday.

The top-ranked equestrian team makes its first road trip of the season, heading to Blythewood, S.C., to take on No. 5 South Carolina on Saturday.

 

Link sAUsage -- Feb. 20, 2012

Harvey Updyke's attorney says stuff that will likely make your blood boil. Updyke's trial for allegedly poisoning the Toomer's oaks is set to begin on March 5. Just remeber, despite what those in Tuscaloosa will try to tell you, THIS IS ALABAMA FOOTBALL.

In other Auburn/legal-related news, the attorney for former Auburn DB Mike McNeil has argued to suppress evidence in McNeil's upcoming armed robbery case. That trial, too, is tentatively set to begin March 5.

Birmingham News columnist Jon Soloman takes a look at the state of college basketbal in Alabama. Unsuprisingly, the results aren't pretty.

What kind of non-conference opponents have SEC teams scheduled in 2012? A few teams will be plying against some real competition -- like Auburn opening against Clemson in Atlanta -- but there are plenty of cupcakes to satisfy the conference's sweet tooth.

If you didn't realize that this past weekend was a pretty big athletic event on the Plains, we aren't really sure why you're reading an Auburn sports blog. But in case you missed any of the results, here's a recap of the All In Weekend:

The Auburn men's basketball team recorded it's biggest win of the Tony Barbee era, upsetting No. 23 Mississippi State at Auburn Arena. Hopefully, the team can use that win as a springboard to a strong finish and build momentum going into next season.

Gymnastics lost at home to No. 2 Florida, but the 17th-ranked Tigers achieved the second-best score in school history.

Men's swimming and diving won its 16th consecutive SEC title and the conference championships in Knoxville. The Auburn women placed a solid fourth.

The top-ranked equestrian team fell to No. 3 Georgia. The teams actually tied, but Georgia won by virtue of more raw points. A tie that is really a loss? That reminds us of the 1994 Auburn-Georgia football game.

Softball had a stellar weekend, beating No. 15 Oklahoma State on Friday and Virginia Tech and No. 23 Georgia Tech on Sunday. The Tigers are now 8-0 and already have recorded two no-hitters on the young season. 

Baseball started strong with a 5-2 win over Missouri on Friday, but the bad Tigers swept Games 2 and 3 on Sunday, knocking the good Tigers to 1-2 on the year. On the bright side, Auburn's Derek Varnadore was named SEBaseball.com's pitcher of the week thanks to his 11 K, one run performance on Friday.

Men's tennis went 1-2 at the ITA Indoor Championships in Charlottesville, Va. The Tigers defeated Baylor but lost to Virginia and Texas.

Women's basketball dropped to 3-11 in SEC play after a 16-point loss at LSU.