Vaya con Dios, A.J.

Honestly, if he hadn’t chosen to go pro, I would have wondered what he was thinking.

‘You know, Mike, Bobby Lowder really acts like the Auburn Tigers are his professional football franchise.’

Somehow, we’re supposed to believe that the Bobby Lowder of this story…

With the Auburn football job open in December 1992, Mike Lude, then the university’s athletic director, interviewed a stellar group of candidates: North Carolina’s Mack Brown, Southern California’s Larry Smith and West Virginia’s Don Nehlen.

But Lude and the hiring committee were most impressed by a long-shot candidate, Terry Bowden, the little-known coach at Samford in Birmingham, Ala.

Years later, Lude found out why Bowden, who ultimately won the job, was so prepared for the interview. Bowden told him that the Auburn superbooster Bobby Lowder, who had sat in on other candidates’ interviews, had prepped Bowden in his hotel room the night before his meeting with Auburn officials…

has morphed into a quasi-radioactive figure who is barely known by the people running Auburn’s football program.

“In my two years there, Mr. Lowder has done some great things for Auburn, but there hasn’t been that much contact,” Chizik said. “I’m very appreciative of all he’s done for Auburn University. Just don’t see him much. He is busy with a lot of things going on in the business world.”

…

Athletic Director Jay Jacobs, who has avoided the news media in the week before the championship game, did not return a call seeking comment. The Auburn assistant coach Trooper Taylor said he only knew Lowder’s name.

“I’ve never even met him,” Taylor said. “I couldn’t even tell you what he looks like or any of that. I’ve seen buildings with his name on it, but I don’t know him at all.”

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J’accuse!

George O’Leary gives us the low down on the post-game hijinks at the Liberty Bowl:

UCF coach George O’Leary said a Georgia football player shoved a Knight, sparking a brief altercation seconds after the Liberty Bowl ended.

A clip of ESPN coverage of the game posted on YouTube showed UCF sophomore defensive end Troy Davis punching Georgia sophomore running back Washaun Ealey seconds after the No. 25 Knights (11-3) beat Georgia (6-7) 10-6 in the bowl game Dec. 31. Davis was pushed back into the camera frame as his teammates were running toward midfield to celebrate the win, indicating someone may have shoved the Knight backward before he raised his arm and connected with Ealey’s helmet.

“I checked with my coaches on that,” O’Leary said. “Exactly what happened was this: The game ended. We were coming on the field and most of the Georgia kids ran off the field. No. 3 [Ealey], who basically had a tough game and was very mouthy during the game, came running toward Troy and shoved him in the head. And that’s why you see the film of him going backward.

“Now Troy made the mistake punching him back, hitting him. It’s always the second one in that gets caught.”

O’Leary said UCF assistant coaches Brent Key and Jim Panagos stepped in to quickly end the scuffle.

“Pretty much our coaches were right there,” O’Leary said. “Coach Key and Coach Panagos. And they got between it. Holding that kid [Ealey] back, who still wanted to start trouble.”

There’s your finishing touch on a stellar season, Dawg fans.