AuburnTigers.com
    Auburn Football Reports To Tampa For Outback Bowl Tigers attend Outback Steakhouse team welcome dinner and NHL game
    Coach Gene Chizik

    Coach Gene Chizik

    Dec. 26, 2009

    PHOTO GALLERY

    Tampa, Fla. - The Auburn football team officially reported for the Outback Bowl Saturday and participated in the first bowl functions of the week. The Tigers attended the Outback Steakhouse team welcome dinner followed by Team Night at the Tampa Bay Lightning hockey game.

    Auburn (7-5) will meet Northwestern (8-4) in the 2010 Outback Bowl on Jan. 1 in Tampa, Fla. The game will kick off at 10 a.m. CT in Raymond James Stadium and be nationally televised by ESPN.

    "Everybody's here and having a good time tonight," Auburn head coach Gene Chizik said. "We're excited to get started tomorrow with practice. We're here for one reason and that's to win our eighth football game this season. There's a balance to having fun and preparing to win the game and the players know that. Outback put on a great dinner for us tonight and it was a great way to start the week. It was everything you'd expect from Outback."

    Both teams were treated to an all-you-can-eat dinner courtesy of Outback, featuring steak, chicken and ribs.

    "It was an amazing dinner tonight," Tigers' quarterback Chris Todd said. "It's great to get off the plane or get off the road from traveling and have this kind of dinner the first night you're here. We're looking forward to the rest of the week. Coach Chizik made it pretty clear that he wants us to have a good time, but we are here to win a football game. So the practices are back to business, with everybody focused on winning."

    Following the Outback Steakhouse welcome dinner, both teams traveled to the St. Pete Times Forum for an NHL game between the Lightning and the Atlanta Thrashers. For a majority of the players, it was their first time to witness a hockey game in person.

    "I've never been to a hockey game before," Auburn receiver Terrell Zachery said. "It's pretty cool. I'm glad we don't play on ice. I was telling one of the guys ice skating looks like roller blading and that's more my thing."

     

     

    The Tigers will conduct their first bowl practice Sunday morning at the University of Tampa.

    Tickets for the Outback Bowl are $70 and may be purchased through the Auburn Ticket Office via auburntigers.com or by calling 1-800-AUB-1957. The Auburn Ticket Office also has an allotment of club level tickets for $150 each. For the best seats, fans are strongly encouraged to place orders through the Auburn Athletic Department.

    Official Bowl Packages are available through Total Sports Travel, the official Travel management company for Tigers Unlimited and the Auburn Alumni Association. Call 888-367-8781 for your reservation or visit totalsportstravel.com to pre-register.

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