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MONday, JULy 21, 2014 OPELIKa-aUBURN NEWS u www.oanow.com
MLBLa Stella, Wood lead
Braves’ win over Phillies.
PAGE 4B
CyclingNorway’s Kristoff wins Tour stage; Nibali leads.
PAGE 2B
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Prep AthleticsBritish OPen
Auburn Football
WRs should provide plenty of options in 2014By Alex [email protected]
While a lot of attention has surrounded senior quarterback Nick Marshall this off-season, from upgrading his completion percentage to his recent marijuana citation, much of the improvement in Auburn’s pass-ing game will be determined by several rela-tive unknowns.
Outside of a few big plays, Auburn’s receiv-ers were mostly overlooked commodities last season, with sophomore speedster Sam-mie Coates the lone standout after leading the team with 42 catches for 902 receiving yards and seven touchdowns.
Coates’ production last season accounted for about a third of the Tigers’ total receiv-ing output, including 37 percent of the Ti-gers’ total receiving yards, 35 percent of the touchdowns and 24 percent of the 173 total catches doled out.
If the passing game is going to allow Au-burn’s offense to become more balanced after the Tigers’ one-dimensional ground
game led the nation a year ago running near-ly 70 percent of the time, it’s going to take several other playmakers to come through, especially if returning starting quarterback Marshall misses any playing time due to his currently unresolved citation.
“We feel like we have some receivers that can stretch the field and make some plays,” Auburn head coach Gus Malzahn said last Monday on the first day of SEC Media Days in Hoover. “We worked extremely hard to get more balanced (in the offseason). Hopefully that will carry over to the fall.”
ACC Football
Winston: ‘I learned from my mistakes’The Associated Press
GREENSBORO, N.C. — Ja-meis Winston wants to look to the season ahead as the Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback for reigning national champion Florida State. He also knows he has to answer questions about his off-field conduct.
“I understand the spot-light,” Winston said Sun-day on the first of the At-
lantic Coast Conference’s two-day preseason kickoff event. “I understand what it is to be a leader and I’m bettering myself every single day to hold myself to that standard that every-one views me as, you know? Because I’m on a pedestal.
Other players don’t get the privilege of being on that pedestal.”
Winston was investigated for sexual assault during last season. A prosecutor in Tallahassee, Florida, de-cided in December not to charge him due to a lack of evidence and gaps in the accuser’s story.
Then in April, he was cit-ed for walking out of a su-permarket without paying
for crab legs and crawfish.He did not address spe-
cifics of the incident Sun-day during an hour-long interview session that had about 60 reporters crowded around his table. Instead, he focused on working to become a better leader and player with the support of family, teammates and coaches.
McIlroy wins British Open for 3rd majorThe Associated Press
HOYLAKE, England — Walking off the 18th green as the British Open champion, Rory McIlroy kept gazing at all the greats on golf’s oldest trophy.
On the claret jug, his name is etched in silver below Phil Mick-elson.
In the record book, he is listed behind Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods as the youngest to get three legs of the career Grand Slam.
And over four days at Royal Liverpool, he had no equal.
“I’m immensely proud of myself,” McIlroy said after his two-shot victory Sunday that was never really in doubt. “To sit here, 25 years of age, and win my third major champion-ship and be three-quarters of the way to a career Grand Slam ... yeah, I never dreamed of be-ing at this point in my career so quickly.”
He had to work a little hard-er than he wanted for this one.
Staked to a six-shot lead go-ing into the final round, McIlroy turned back every challenge. He made two key birdies around the turn, and delivered a majes-
tic drive at just the right mo-
ment to close with a 1-under 71 and complete his wire-to-wire victory.
In another major lacking ten-sion over the final hour, what brought The Open to life was the potential of its champion.
After nearly two years of tur-moil, McIlroy looked like the kid who shattered scoring records to win the 2011 U.S. Open at Con-gressional, and who won the PGA Championship at Kiawah Island by a record eight shots a year later.
Boy Wonder is back. Or maybe he’s just getting started again.
McIlroy won by two shots over Sergio Garcia and Rickie Fowler to become the first start-to-fin-ish winner since Woods at St. Andrews in 2005. Even with one major left this year, the Northern Irishman already is looking ahead to Augusta Na-tional next April for a shot at the slam.
“I’ve really found my passion again for golf,” McIlroy said. “Not that it ever dwindled, but it’s what I think about when I get up in the morning. It’s what I think
a b o u t
when I go to bed. I just want to be the best golfer that I can be. And I know if I can do that, then tro-phies like this are within my capa-bility.”
McIlroy put an end to this major with a power-ful drive down the fairway at the par-5 16th, set-ting up a two-putt birdie to restore his lead to three shots. He finished with two pars, tapping in for par on the 18th green.
The hard part was trying not to cry when his mother, Rosie, came onto the green with tears streaming down her face. She was not at the other two majors. Before leaving, McIlroy turned and applauded the fans in the horseshoe arena who were witness to another master-piece.
This could have been an-other romp except for a shaky stretch early for Mc-Ilroy, and solid efforts from Garcia and Fowler.
GoLf» For the full British Open leaderboard see Page 3B.
onLinE» For more Auburn University news, read Alex Byington’s AUBlog at oAnoW.CoM/SPoRtS and follow him on Twitter @AUBlog.
nCAA» For more college football coverage see Page 5B.
ALBerT CeSAre/[email protected]
Auburn High’s John David Hart (52) celebrates withtyus Flakes (25) during a game against Carver-Montgomery on oct. 4 at Cramton Bowl.
Area coaches, athletes to participate in All-Star Week
By MiKe [email protected]
Sixteen athletes and four coaches will represent the area at the 18th annual Alabama All-Star Sports Week, which runs from Monday-Friday in Montgomery.
The All-Star Sports Week in-cludes in-state All-Star games between teams from the north-ern and southern part of the state in football, baseball, softball and volleyball, as well as boys and girls soccer and basketball.
Four area football players and one coach will compete when the All-Star game kicks off at 7 p.m. Thursday from Cramton Bowl.
Auburn offensive lineman John David Hart, Smiths Station linebacker Anfernee Moffett, Tallassee defensive back Alfred Rivers and BTW defensive line-man Tyrell Williams join Tallas-see coach Mike Battles Jr., on the South roster.The ASSOCIATed PreSS
Rory Mcilroy holds the Claret Jug trophy after winning the British open championship at the Royal liverpool golf club on Sunday.
Two-shoT viCTory
See MCILROY, Page 6B
The ASSOCIATed PreSS
Florida State’s Jameis Winston answers a question during a news conference at the Atlantic Coast Conference Football kickoff on Sunday. See WINSTON, Page 5B
See ALL-STAR, Page 7B
ALBerT CeSAre/[email protected]
Auburn wide receiver Quan Bray (4) celebrates after scoring a touchdown during A-Day on April 19. See OPTIONS, Page 5B
