Auburn takes turn into Amen Corner

AUBURN, ALABAMA - Ah, November. The leaves fall, the weather gets chilly and Auburn faces its chief rivals.<br> <br> The Tigers&#39; final games can typically all but wipe away the earlier failures and successes and serve as prelude to a miserable offseason or a pleasant one.<br> <br> They call it ``Amen Corner,&#39;&#39; and it begins Saturday with a visit from No. 20 Mississippi (7-2, 5-0 Southeastern Conference). If Auburn (6-3, 4-1) wins, it&#39;s right back in the league race and the following games with traditional rivals No. 4 Georgia and Alabama get even bigger.<br> <br> ``We do a lot of praying around here in the month of November,&#39;&#39; coach Tommy Tuberville said, ``because we need a lot of luck as well as talent.<br> <br> ``We&#39;re in November and we still have a chance in the league and that&#39;s what you try to strive for. Obviously we wish we had the chance to control our own destiny in November, and we can&#39;t.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> A 31-7 loss at LSU two weeks ago took care of that. Now, Auburn must win its final three games and hope LSU loses to either Alabama, Ole Miss or Arkansas to make the SEC championship game.<br> <br> The Tigers have only sporadically played like a championship-calibre team, looking anything but in three lopsided losses.<br> <br> Auburn showed flashes in victories over Arkansas and Tennessee. In fact, Tuberville points to the first three quarters against the Volunteers as how he&#39;d like his team to play.<br> <br> ``Since then we haven&#39;t gotten back to that mark,&#39;&#39; he said. ``Hopefully we can figure out how to get back to that and play with that kind of intensity and play to our ability.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> Auburn&#39;s past two Novembers have proven one thing: Momentum matters.<br> <br> Last year, Auburn nearly beat Georgia, then upset Alabama and beat Penn State in the Capital One Bowl, all three Top 10 teams. The success and a wealth of returning players helped land the Tigers a preseason No. 6 ranking.<br> <br> Two years ago, the Tigers beat Georgia, got whipped by the Crimson Tide 31-7, then lost at LSU to end their hopes of making the SEC title game. A loss to North Carolina in the Peach Bowl followed, along with a dreary offseason.<br> <br> ``You can just tell things around here have become more exciting,&#39;&#39; receiver Jeris McIntyre said. ``We know that we&#39;ve got an opportunity to go to the SEC championship game. People are trying to pick it up a notch.<br> <br> ``These three games can really determine as a whole how this season will be.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> Tailback Carnell Williams called it ``a win-out situation.&#39;&#39; Auburn can&#39;t afford another loss and desperately wants to avoid another embarrassment on national television like the LSU and Southern Cal games.<br> <br> ``We&#39;re a little more pumped up now and a little more focused,&#39;&#39; Williams said. ``We get a chance to be back in a national atmosphere. We got embarrassed two weeks ago.<br> <br> ``We&#39;re just looking forward to it as a team.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> TIGER TALES: Tuberville declined to offer any more specifics on why he fired Eldon Hawley, the director of football operations. ``It&#39;s a personnel matter, and we dealt with it immediately,&#39;&#39; Tuberville said. ``There&#39;s really not anything else to say about it. This team&#39;s got great leadership, and it&#39;s been no distraction whatsoever.&#39;&#39; ... The Tigers need one more league win to reach five for a fourth consecutive year. The Tigers have only done that once, from 1969-72 under Ralph ``Shug&#39;&#39; Jordan.

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