Auburn's 'nasty' secret to success is 'the worst thing in the entire world'
The Auburn Tigers have been one of college football's best programs over the last four seasons, and there's an unlikely reason.
Two BCS Championship Game appearances, one national title, and a 34-7 regular-season record (when you disregard a lackluster 3-9 campaign in 2012) can all be attributed to a single beverage.
"We were doing beet juice," Auburn dietitian Scott Sehnert told the Wall Street Journal.
Sehnert and the Tigers' staff hands out small pouches of beetroot concentrate before every game, between warmups and the opening kickoff. The players mix the beetroot crystals into their water bottles, often begrudingly.
"(It's) the worst thing in the entire world," Auburn tight end C.J. Uzomah said. "It is nasty."
Unsavory taste aside, beet juice has been praised by sports scientists recently because of its high rate of nitrates, which have been known to benefit athletic performance by improving cardiovascular health and blood pressure while reducing fatigue.
The fifth-ranked Tigers used the energizing formula to pull off four fourth-quarter comebacks last season.
The University of Texas Longhorns and the NFL's Houston Texans are also experimenting with beetroot, which entered the football world back in 2007.
According to Sehnert, about 70% of Auburn's players drank the juice before the Tigers' last game, a 59-13 win over San Jose State on Sept. 6.
The players are embracing the benefits, even if the flavor isn't ideal.
"It's an acquired taste," Uzomah said.
The way Auburn has looked in its first two games (outscoring opponents 104-34), the Tigers sure look like they'll be tough to beet.