Strong finish for Opelika native Doolittle

Defensive coordinator Paul Rhoads called Tez Doolittle, “The jewel of the season.”

And in his final home game of what has been an up-and-down six years, Doolittle had a gem of a game, despite Auburn coming up short against Georgia.

Doolittle said it was tough walking out of Jordan-Hare for the final time, especially doing so on a bittersweet note.

“I’m going to miss playing here,” Doolittle said. “(It was) my last time playing in Jordan-Hare, so it’s tough — but life goes on.”

The former Opelika Bulldog made the most of his final home game.

He tallied two tackles for a loss and had three total tackles. He also knocked down a Matt Stafford pass at the line of scrimmage.

But Doolittle’s biggest highlight of the day came on special teams, when he blocked a first-quarter field goal attempt

“They had an extra man to the left so it was a move to the right for us,” Doolittle said. “I just came off hard, got like a three-inch (vertical leap) and blocked it.”

While Doolittle’s final home game ended on a sour note, it wasn’t even a certainty whether the 23-year-old would get to play this year.

After redshirting in 2003, Doolittle saw spot time the next three seasons, but was expected to be a factor on the defensive line as a fifth-year senior in 2007.

However, Doolittle ruptured his Achilles during the spring and missed the entire season after surgery.

Fortunately for Doolittle, he was granted the very rare sixth year of eligibility by the NCAA, allowing him to play in ’08.

“He took advantage of his treatment time and got himself healthy,” Rhoads said. “He’s been the jewel of the season because we didn’t count on him. In the spring we didn’t know we’d have him and in the summer we didn’t count on having him until probably midway through because he was still limping.

“His production and his level of play has been a very bright spot for our football team.”

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