What's it like to travel with Auburn football? Senior writer Jeff Shearer is giving fans a look behind the curtain this season as he tags along with the team for road games in a new series called "Truckin' with the Tigers."
Next up in the series is a trip to Fayetteville, Arkansas where the Tigers will meet up with the Razorbacks on Saturday at 11 a.m. CT (CBS). SATURDAY: DIRECTOR OF SPORTS NUTRITIONNinety minutes after arriving at their team hotel in northwest Arkansas Friday afternoon, the Tigers gathered for dinner.
Director of sports nutrition Lauren Silvio, a member of Auburn's advance team, sent Auburn's menu to the hotel before arriving Thursday, to make sure the Tigers would be properly fueled for Saturday's game.
"The menu has a huge variety," said Silvio, in her sixth season at Auburn. "A lot of different protein options and starches, vegetables, fruit and salad. We have an ice cream sundae bar for dessert."
Director of sports nutrition Lauren Silvio serves snacks Friday night
When it's time to eat, seniors go through the line first, followed by juniors, sophomores, freshmen and then coaches.
Following positional meetings and a team meeting, Silvio and her team serve up a snack 90 minutes before lights out at 10 p.m.
"Sandwiches, we have burgers, a burrito bar," she said. "We have some different bagged snacks, salty snacks like SunChips, beef jerky and nuts for hydration with them drinking a lot of fluids. We have some desserts like cookies."
With an 11 a.m. CT kick on Saturday, consuming carbohydrates and hydrating are the goals on Friday, Silvio says.
"We push hydration all week long," she said. "Especially on a Friday night, you want to have a larger meal because you're going to wake up and have an early pregame meal, so they're probably not going to eat as much Saturday morning because they're not as hungry that early in the morning.
"Making sure they're getting a good, solid dinner the night before and having that evening snack, taking items to their rooms, and then having the pregame meal the next morning, those are the most important things."
Silvio emphasizes to student-athletes the importance of including a lean protein source and vegetables, what she calls "some color on the plate," in their Friday dinner.
"Carbs the night before are really important because that's your main source of fuel," she said.
For Saturday's breakfast, Silvio encourages the Tigers to continue hydrating while choosing among options that include scrambled eggs, omelets, hash browns, grits, oatmeal and fruit, along with more traditional pregame offerings like steak and pasta.
"If anyone wants to have spaghetti for breakfast," she said. "There aren't as many takers on that early in the morning but it is an option. Making sure they are eating something in the morning."
When the Tigers arrive at Reynolds Razorback Stadium at 9 a.m., two hours before kickoff, smoothies are waiting for them on tables outside Auburn's locker room.
"Because they do eat less those early morning pregame meals, we're making sure they get they're getting that last little bit of carbs to top off before they go out and start warming up," she said.
To someone who doesn't play college football, it may sound like a lot, but Silvio says the intake matches student-athletes' energy output, with even smaller skill position players requiring between 3,500 and 5,500 calories per day.
"Your big guys need 6,000, 6,500 a day to maintain their weight," she said. "For someone who is practicing three or four times a week, and lifting three times a week, calorie consumption throughout the week is the key to making sure they have the energy to go out on the field and perform at a high level."FRIDAY: PREP WITH ANDY BURCHAM
"There's some Rod Bramblett influence here as well."
— Jeff Shearer (@jeff_shearer) October 15, 2021
🗣@aburcham04 shows us the spotting boards he'll use Saturday on @AUSportsNetwork to call the @AuburnFootball game at Arkansas. pic.twitter.com/Jv0O3W9M4Q
Ever since the era of leather helmets, football coaches and players have vowed to "take them one game at a time" by focusing exclusively on the next opponent.
Broadcasters, on the other hand, are under no such constraints.
Andy Burcham, the voice of the Auburn Tigers, began preparing his spotting board for the Arkansas game last week, a few days before the Tigers played Georgia.
"I start on the spotting boards 10 days out, getting names and numbers in for the game that's two games away," said Burcham, in his third season calling Auburn football play-by-play. "The Monday before the game is when I start with all the notes and stats."
An essential piece of Burcham's carry-on luggage, Andy estimates he spends 12 to 14 hours preparing for each game, with a goal to complete the boards by Wednesday of game week, so he can get started on the next one.
"I'm not sure I could do it without it, quite frankly," he said. "This is absolutely integral, and we do the same thing for basketball."
Voice of the Auburn Tigers Andy Burcham with his spotting boards on Friday's flight