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<H1 ALIGN=CENTER><FONT COLOR="#000040">A Closer Look at Jayson Bray</FONT> </H1>

<H3 ALIGN=CENTER><FONT COLOR="#FF8000"><I>Defensive Back</I></FONT></H3>

<H3 ALIGN=CENTER>by Matt Spuiell</H3>

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<P><FONT SIZE=6>C</FONT>oming out of LaGrange High School in Georgia, Jayson Bray had many factors to consider when choosing a college to continue his football career. Early playing time would be a plus. He thought about the school's tradition also. And of course, compatibility with the coaches would be a key. But what hooked Bray to "the loveliest village on the plains" was the proximity to his family -- in particular, his mother Deborah.

<P>"That was one of the main reasons I came here, to be close to her," Bray said of his mother. "It was close to home, about 30 minutes, so I knew she could come see me play."

<P>His opportunities weren't limited to Auburn. Tennessee, Florida, Georgia, and most SEC teams were after him, with Florida making a strong push. He played receiver in high school, and played it well, but it was defense where he dominated, and the opportunity to play early on defense made Auburn seem all the better.

<P>Plus, with Auburn going 11-0 Bray's senior year in high school, the opportunity to play for a rising program was too sweet to pass up, he said. He signed with the Tigers in 1994, but after failing to qualify, attended a prep school in Virginia to get his grades in order. He re-signed in 1995, and has been a fixture in the Auburn defensive backfield at cornerback ever since.
During his stay in Virginia, the time away from home was almost unbearable, Bray said. Coming to Auburn was like coming home.

<P>Bray played mostly special teams and was a reserve defensive back his first year here. His first game was a home opener against Ole Miss, where he saw a lot of unexpected action.

<P>"We were beating them pretty bad, so I got to play for most of the second half," Bray said.

<P>The whole "playing in front of 85,000 people" thing caught up with him that day, and he found himself looking off into the crowd instead of the field. No words could have prepared him for the feelings he experienced.

<P>"I was mesmerized," Bray said. "It was by far the biggest crowd I had ever seen. We had some big crowds in high school, but nothing like that. I kind of got caught up in it."

<P>Eight games later, he got his first collegiate interception against Northeast Louisiana. Jayson Bray had finally arrived at Auburn.

<P>"It was the best feeling," Bray said. "That right there is what you work hard for."

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<P>The next season, Bray made his first start. He's started off and on since then. This season, he leads the team with five broken up passes. Although he has not started a game, he has broken up more passes than the four starters in the defensive backfield combined.

<P>When the senior corner lines up against Tennessee today, he will experience a range of emotions. Last season, Bray had one of his top games against the Vols in the SEC Championship game, registering a season-high five stops with two pass deflections and a 77-yard interception return to set up an Auburn touchdown. But, Tennessee came away with the win, edging Auburn 30-29.

<P>He knows how tough a cornerback's job is against the Vols. The position is difficult when facing the likes of a Peyton Manning, and Bray is thankful he doesn't have to face him today. Still, the Vols have talented receivers to keep Bray's hands full. Peerless Price and Jeremaine Copeland make for one of the most feared tandems in the conference, maybe the country.

<P>"They're tough," Bray said. "They have good size and great speed. You can't be loafing at all with them, because they can catch it and beat you running, or they can go deep and burn you." Not that Bray is one to loaf.

<P>"I have only one speed -- full speed," he said. "I just try to stay as consistent as I can."

<P>The task of covering Copeland and Price is scary enough, but Bray may need to keep an eye on someone else -- Jamal Lewis. The bruising 6-foot, 220-pound sophomore tailback left Bray with a broken wrist on one tackle in last season's game. But Bray is not scared. In his mind, he shouldn't be out there if he is scared.

<P>"I get butterflies before the game. A lot of people do," Bray said. "It's one thing to be nervous, but it's not O.K. to be scared."

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<P>And through all the tough competition and experiences Bray has become an Auburn man, even though he's still a mama's boy at heart.

<P>"I talk to her every day. She's my heart," said Bray, who's also very close to his maternal grandmother, Viola Partridge. "They come to every home game. Most of the time, she comes down every Sunday and we go out to eat dinner."
Bray said his mother will sometimes cook dinner for him and his friends, with close to 15 or 20 players chowing down on a homecooked Sunday dinner. And, after some games Bray and his family will have cookouts.

<P>"I'm real picky about what I eat," Bray said. "I don't like chicken wings or seafood. But I love my mom's or my grandmom's cooking."

<P>Bray also wants his future wife to be just like, well, you know who.
"That's my ideal girl," he said. "If she's anything like my mom, I'd probably marry her."

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<FONT COLOR="#FFFFFF">Question &amp; Answer with Jayson:

<P>You're on a game show, and you've just won $300. Do you keep the $300 or go for what's behind Door #1?

<P>"I go for what's behind Door #1. I'm a gambler. I like to take risks."

<P>Who's the toughest quarterback you ever faced?

<P>"Probably Danny Wuerffel. It's neck and neck between him and Peyton Manning, but I'd have to say Wuerffel because he's so smart."

<P>Who's the toughest receiver you ever faced?

<p>"Jacquez Green from Florida. He was so quick. You could probably take your pick between him and Peerless Price (Tennessee), Marcus Nash (Tennessee), and Reidel Anthony (Florida). They're all good."

<P>What's your favorite card game?

<P>"Tunk."

<P>Who do you hang out with on the team?

<P>"Larry Casher, Karsten Bailey, he's my roommate. Antwoine Nolan and Brad Ware, they live next door. Ryan Taylor, Demontray Carter. I hang out with a lot of them."

<P>What scares you most?

<P>"Getting shot down by girls. I have a fear of rejection."

<P>What was your favorite cartoon as a kid?

<P>"Either Tom and Jerry, or Popeye."

<P>Where do you think you'd be if you weren't playing football?

<P>"I think I'd be playing baseball somewhere. I played all my life. I wanted to try out here, but I broke my wrist in the Tennessee game at the end of last season."
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</BODY>
</HTML>
	<HTML>
	<HEAD>
	<TITLE></TITLE>
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	<H1 ALIGN=CENTER><FONT COLOR="#000040">A Closer Look at Jayson Bray</FONT> </H1>

	<H3 ALIGN=CENTER><FONT COLOR="#FF8000"><I>Defensive Back</I></FONT></H3>

	<H3 ALIGN=CENTER>by Matt Spuiell</H3>

	<TABLE ALIGN=RIGHT CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0>
	<TR>
	<TD><IMG SRC="pic/bray01_bw.jpg" ALT="Jayson Bray" WIDTH=149 HEIGHT=193 BORDER=2 ALIGN=RIGHT>
	</TD>
	</TR>
	<TR>
	<TD><B><FONT SIZE=2></FONT></B>
	<HR>
	</TD>
	</TR>
	</TABLE>

	<P><FONT SIZE=6>C</FONT>oming out of LaGrange High School in Georgia, Jayson Bray had many factors to consider when choosing a college to continue his football career. Early playing time would be a plus. He thought about the school's tradition also. And of course, compatibility with the coaches would be a key. But what hooked Bray to "the loveliest village on the plains" was the proximity to his family -- in particular, his mother Deborah.

	<P>"That was one of the main reasons I came here, to be close to her," Bray said of his mother. "It was close to home, about 30 minutes, so I knew she could come see me play."

	<P>His opportunities weren't limited to Auburn. Tennessee, Florida, Georgia, and most SEC teams were after him, with Florida making a strong push. He played receiver in high school, and played it well, but it was defense where he dominated, and the opportunity to play early on defense made Auburn seem all the better.

	<P>Plus, with Auburn going 11-0 Bray's senior year in high school, the opportunity to play for a rising program was too sweet to pass up, he said. He signed with the Tigers in 1994, but after failing to qualify, attended a prep school in Virginia to get his grades in order. He re-signed in 1995, and has been a fixture in the Auburn defensive backfield at cornerback ever since.
	During his stay in Virginia, the time away from home was almost unbearable, Bray said. Coming to Auburn was like coming home.

	<P>Bray played mostly special teams and was a reserve defensive back his first year here. His first game was a home opener against Ole Miss, where he saw a lot of unexpected action.

	<P>"We were beating them pretty bad, so I got to play for most of the second half," Bray said.

	<P>The whole "playing in front of 85,000 people" thing caught up with him that day, and he found himself looking off into the crowd instead of the field. No words could have prepared him for the feelings he experienced.

	<P>"I was mesmerized," Bray said. "It was by far the biggest crowd I had ever seen. We had some big crowds in high school, but nothing like that. I kind of got caught up in it."

	<P>Eight games later, he got his first collegiate interception against Northeast Louisiana. Jayson Bray had finally arrived at Auburn.

	<P>"It was the best feeling," Bray said. "That right there is what you work hard for."

	<TABLE ALIGN=LEFT CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0>
	<TR>
	<TD><IMG SRC="pic/bray03_bw.jpg" ALT="Jayson Bray" WIDTH=144 HEIGHT=246 BORDER=2 ALIGN=RIGHT>
	</TD>
	</TR>
	<TR>
	<TD><B><FONT SIZE=2></FONT></B>
	<HR>
	</TD>
	</TR>
	</TABLE>

	<P>The next season, Bray made his first start. He's started off and on since then. This season, he leads the team with five broken up passes. Although he has not started a game, he has broken up more passes than the four starters in the defensive backfield combined.

	<P>When the senior corner lines up against Tennessee today, he will experience a range of emotions. Last season, Bray had one of his top games against the Vols in the SEC Championship game, registering a season-high five stops with two pass deflections and a 77-yard interception return to set up an Auburn touchdown. But, Tennessee came away with the win, edging Auburn 30-29.

	<P>He knows how tough a cornerback's job is against the Vols. The position is difficult when facing the likes of a Peyton Manning, and Bray is thankful he doesn't have to face him today. Still, the Vols have talented receivers to keep Bray's hands full. Peerless Price and Jeremaine Copeland make for one of the most feared tandems in the conference, maybe the country.

	<P>"They're tough," Bray said. "They have good size and great speed. You can't be loafing at all with them, because they can catch it and beat you running, or they can go deep and burn you." Not that Bray is one to loaf.

	<P>"I have only one speed -- full speed," he said. "I just try to stay as consistent as I can."

	<P>The task of covering Copeland and Price is scary enough, but Bray may need to keep an eye on someone else -- Jamal Lewis. The bruising 6-foot, 220-pound sophomore tailback left Bray with a broken wrist on one tackle in last season's game. But Bray is not scared. In his mind, he shouldn't be out there if he is scared.

	<P>"I get butterflies before the game. A lot of people do," Bray said. "It's one thing to be nervous, but it's not O.K. to be scared."

	<TABLE ALIGN=RIGHT CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0>
	<TR>
	<TD><IMG SRC="pic/bray02_bw.jpg" ALT="Jayson Bray" WIDTH=144 HEIGHT=208 BORDER=2 ALIGN=RIGHT>
	</TD>
	</TR>
	<TR>
	<TD><B><FONT SIZE=2></FONT></B>
	<HR>
	</TD>
	</TR>
	</TABLE>

	<P>And through all the tough competition and experiences Bray has become an Auburn man, even though he's still a mama's boy at heart.

	<P>"I talk to her every day. She's my heart," said Bray, who's also very close to his maternal grandmother, Viola Partridge. "They come to every home game. Most of the time, she comes down every Sunday and we go out to eat dinner."
	Bray said his mother will sometimes cook dinner for him and his friends, with close to 15 or 20 players chowing down on a homecooked Sunday dinner. And, after some games Bray and his family will have cookouts.

	<P>"I'm real picky about what I eat," Bray said. "I don't like chicken wings or seafood. But I love my mom's or my grandmom's cooking."

	<P>Bray also wants his future wife to be just like, well, you know who.
	"That's my ideal girl," he said. "If she's anything like my mom, I'd probably marry her."

	<TABLE WIDTH=100% BGCOLOR="#000099" BORDER>
	<TR>
	<TD>
	<FONT COLOR="#FFFFFF">Question & Answer with Jayson:

	<P>You're on a game show, and you've just won $300. Do you keep the $300 or go for what's behind Door #1?

	<P>"I go for what's behind Door #1. I'm a gambler. I like to take risks."

	<P>Who's the toughest quarterback you ever faced?

	<P>"Probably Danny Wuerffel. It's neck and neck between him and Peyton Manning, but I'd have to say Wuerffel because he's so smart."

	<P>Who's the toughest receiver you ever faced?

	<p>"Jacquez Green from Florida. He was so quick. You could probably take your pick between him and Peerless Price (Tennessee), Marcus Nash (Tennessee), and Reidel Anthony (Florida). They're all good."

	<P>What's your favorite card game?

	<P>"Tunk."

	<P>Who do you hang out with on the team?

	<P>"Larry Casher, Karsten Bailey, he's my roommate. Antwoine Nolan and Brad Ware, they live next door. Ryan Taylor, Demontray Carter. I hang out with a lot of them."

	<P>What scares you most?

	<P>"Getting shot down by girls. I have a fear of rejection."

	<P>What was your favorite cartoon as a kid?

	<P>"Either Tom and Jerry, or Popeye."

	<P>Where do you think you'd be if you weren't playing football?

	<P>"I think I'd be playing baseball somewhere. I played all my life. I wanted to try out here, but I broke my wrist in the Tennessee game at the end of last season."
	</TD>
	</TR>
	</TABLE>

	<CENTER><P><A HREF="./" target="_top">TABLE OF CONTENTS</A> \| <A HREF="../" target="_top">PROGRAM
	INDEX</A> \| <A HREF="../../index.html" target="_top">HOME</A></P></CENTER>

	<P ALIGN=CENTER><I>© 1999 Auburn Network, Inc.</I></P>


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