Combined Reports
(Dec. 28, 2009)

NEW ORLEANS, La. – Less than 24 hours after an announced resignation, Florida head football coach Urban Meyer switched and said he would instead take an indefinite leave of absence  during a press conference on Sunday and that he would coach Florida in the Sugar Bowl. He said he expected to be back for the 2010 season.

"I do in my gut think that will happen."

Meyer said chest pains that began four years ago led him to the decision to take a leave of absence.

"It’s something that started four years ago," Meyer said. "The chest pains became significant two years ago. It was a stress related. I was very concerned."

Meyer admitted that he was aware of the sudden death of former Wake Forest basketball coach Skip Prosser, who died in 2007 from an apparent heart attack.

"There was a great basketball coach at Wake Forest who lost his life," Meyer said. "I became very alarmed at that. I was advised (by doctors) that I have to get this right or it could lead to damage."

Meyer said he has suffered from chest pains all season.

AD Jeremy Foley, speaking at the same press conference, said Meyer called him from the practice field this morning after having the change of heart.

Offensive coordinator Steve Adazzio then will coach the Gators until Meyer is ready to return.

Tigers practice, visit children’s hospital

TAMPA, Fla. - Auburn began its Outback Bowl week practice with a two hour session at the University of Tampa, just west of the downtown area Sunday. The Tigers worked on individual and position drills, finishing the workout with team periods against the scout team.

Auburn head coach Gene Chizik noted after practice that the Tigers were a bit rusty, as it marked the Tigers’ first session in five days.

"It’s the first day and we were a little rusty," Chizik said. "You could tell they’ve had four days off. The effort was good but I just thought we were sloppy. We obviously need the next four days, so we’ll get back to work tomorrow and we’ll try to get some of these things shored up. Overall the effort was good, but again, you can just tell we’ve had some time off and we have to get back into the rhythm of practice."

Auburn will face a high-powered Northwestern offense that was second in the Big Ten and 29th nationally with 266.1 yards passing per game. The Wildcats average 386 yards of total offense and 25.2 points per game.

"The bottom line is you still have to stop the run to win the football game," said Tigers’ defensive coordinator Ted Roof. "They’d love to be able to run the ball which allows them to keep people off balance. So, it all goes back to the starting point of what we try to do every week and that’s to make teams one dimensional and to be able to limit the run. But when you do that, this offense spreads you out all over the place, so there are challenges with that as well."

After practice Chizik along with seniors Antonio Coleman, Andrew McCain, Walt McFadden, Chris Todd and Terrell Zachery visited St. Joseph Children’s Hospital in Tampa.

"I think it was a really good for us to be able to see some kids that may have some issues or are going through some things that are really tough," Chizik said. "Seeing the children’s faces light up when the players walk in, and then to see the players react to that, I’m not sure that our players didn’t get more out of it than the kids do. It was a really good day for everybody."

Chizik and the Tiger players passed out AU hats, bowl posters and pennants. Northwestern head coach Pat Fitzgerald and Wildcat players were also part of the visit with the Auburn contingent.

"It was a lot of fun getting to visit with the kids," McFadden said. "You could tell it meant a lot to them and it meant a lot to me and the players too. We are very thankful to be able to come visit them and make them happy. Being able to give back to the community and show our love and that we are humble men is important."

The 2010 Outback Bowl will kick off at 10 a.m. CT on New Year’s Day in Raymond James Stadium and be nationally televised by ESPN.

Tide back to work

TUSCALOOSA – Alabama returned to the practice field Sunday night to continue preparations for the upcoming BCS National Championship Game against the Texas Longhorns.

Alabama began the second portion of its bowl preparations with a two-hour practice in full pad inside the Hank Crisp Indoor Facility.  The Crimson Tide will hold five practices this week before departing on Friday, Jan. 1, 2010, for its NCAA-leading 58th bowl game.

The Crimson Tide held five practices last week before taking a three-day holiday break.  The team returned to campus today to begin another five-day practice session.

No. 1 Alabama (13-0, 8-0 SEC) and No. 2 Texas (13-0, 8-0 Big 12) will meet in the BCS National Championship Game on Thursday, Jan. 7, 2010 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif.  The game will be nationally televised by ABC Sports.