aubiefifty

back at you mr salty! i can only imagine how good your butts are being in demand like they are. i got my rain so i willkick back and just enjoy the day! war eagle my auburn brother!

Auburn at Arkansas: Stream, injury report, broadcast info for Saturday’s game in Fayetteville Taylor Jones Sat, November 11, 2023 at 6:00 AM CST·4 min read Auburn travels to Fayetteville to face Arkansas at Donald W Reynolds Razorback Stadium on Saturday, and if you’re wondering how you can watch the action live, you’ve come to the right place. Auburn football will enter the gates of Razorback Stadium in hopes of earning a win over Arkansas to gain bowl eligibility. The Razorbacks have had a challenging season to this point but found new life last Saturday in an upset win at Florida. The Tigers have several advantages working for them but will need to shut down Arkansas quarterback KJ Jefferson in order to earn the win. Head coach Hugh Freeze described how special Jefferson is to the Arkansas offense. “It is just amazing some of the tackles he gets out of and then extends plays. That is certainly an area we got to look at. If you watch him enough you know you’re not going to get him on the ground every single time. You just hope those are not explosive runs or explosive passes that happen after you miss him. He is very strong and very difficult to get on the ground.” Below, you will find everything you need to know ahead of Saturday’s game between Auburn and Arkansas including a broadcast guide, an injury report, and key players to watch. How to watch Saturday's game John Reed-USA TODAY Sports Here’s when you should tune in to see the game: Date: Saturday, Nov. 11 Time: 3 p.m. CT TV Channel: SEC Network (Dave Neal, Derek Mason, Alex Chappell) Live Stream: fuboTV (watch here) How to listen to Saturday's game Todd Van Emst/AU Athletics Listen to Auburn Football on your local Auburn Sports Network affiliate all season long. Andy Burcham and Jason Campbell will provide live play-by-play coverage of Auburn’s game at Arkansas. Pregame coverage begins at 12 p.m. CT. Find your nearest Auburn Sports Network affiliate below: Sirius/XM Ch. 191 Abbeville 98.7 FM Albany, Georgia 102.9 FM Atlanta, Georgia 1010 AM Auburn 94.3 FM Alexander City 97.5 FM Andalusia 93.7 FM Bainbridge, Georgia 99.3 FM Bainbridge, Georgia 930 AM Birmingham 100.5 FM Centre 100.5 FM Centre 990 AM Columbus, Georgia 102.9 FM Cullman 92.1 FM Cullman 98.3 FM Demopolis 106.5 FM Dothan 102.5 FM Eufaula 102.9 FM Evergreen 101.1 FM Flomaton 105.1 FM Florence 94.9 FM Foley 92.5 FM Foley 1310 AM Fort Payne 100.9 FM Fort Payne 1250 AM Gadsden 1350 AM Greenville 94.3 FM Hackleburg 95.5 FM Huntsville 100.3 FM Jasper 88.5 FM Ocean Springs, Mississippi 106.5 FM Oxford 92.7 FM LaGrange, Georgia 102.3 FM Macon, Georgia 102.9 FM Mobile 106.5 FM Montgomery 92.3 FM Moulton 97.9 FM Panama City, Florida 104.3 FM Pensacola, Florida 105.1 FM Roanoke 102.3 FM Scottsboro 1050 AM Selma 1490 AM Spartanburg, SC 1530 AM Sylacauga 100.3 FM Sylacauga 1290 AM Thomasville 95.5 FM Troy 970 AM Tuscaloosa 100.5 FM Vernon 100.7 FM Vernon 1380 AM Auburn Tigers injury report Jake Crandall / USA TODAY NETWORK DL Mosiah Nasili-Kite Biceps Out for the season Arkansas Razorbacks injury report Nelson Chenault-USA TODAY Sports WR Andrew Armstrong Undisclosed Probable for Saturday’s game P Devin Bale Undisclosed Questionable for Saturday’s game RB Rashod Dubinion Personal Questionable for Saturday’s game TE Ty Washington Shoulder Out for Saturday’s game TE Luke Hasz Shoulder Out for Saturday’s game WR Sam Mbake Knee Out for Saturday’s game Auburn's key players to watch John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports QB Payton Thorne (117-183/ 1,269/ 10 TD/ 6 INT) RB Jarquez Hunter (108 carries, 636 yards, 7 TD) S Jaylin Simpson (4 INT) LB Eugene Asante (67 tackles) DL Marcus Harris (8 tackles for loss) Arkansas Razorbacks key players to watch Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports QB KJ Jefferson (163-250/ 1,802 yards/ 18 TD) RB Rocket Sanders (194 rush yards) WR Andrew Armstrong (46 catches, 623 yards, 4 TD) LB Jaheim Thomas (79 tackles) LB Chris Paul Jr. (54 tackles) Story originally appeared on Auburn Wire

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McLeod bringing 'something different' for Auburn defense Jalen McLeod is healthy and showing what Auburn saw from him in the preseason. AUBURN, Alabama—When Hugh Freeze and the new Auburn staff took over in December, there were a few positions that were obvious targets to try to improve in the transfer portal. Maybe the top of the list was the jack linebacker spot where the Tigers did not return a single scholarship player from last season’s roster. Enter Appalachian State transfer Jalen McLeod. Part of a completely rebuilt group that includes Vanderbilt transfer Elijah McAllister, Liberty transfer Stephen Sings and true freshman Brenton Williams, McLeod was the guy the Tigers were counting on to provide the speed off the edge as a true pass rusher. Early in the season that wasn’t the case with McLeod slowed by an ankle injury after dominating in preseason practices, but now he’s closer to full speed and the results speak for themselves. One of the top players in the country at pressuring the quarterback in the last three games, McLeod is finally showing the production that Auburn hoped to get from him when he signed with the Tigers. “I’m very thankful he decided to come here,” Auburn defensive back Keionte Scott said. “He makes this defense very good. He’s a threat. I’m just thankful to be a part of him. During the recruiting process I told him ‘we’re going to make each other good.’ I’m glad he was able to come here. He’s going to continue to dominate.” McLeod could be especially important this week with Auburn’s defense having to try to slow down one of the best running quarterbacks in the country. The ability to pressure without blitzing is a huge piece of the puzzle when facing someone like Arkansas’s KJ Jefferson. It has been an issue for the Razorbacks this season as well, allowing 36 sacks, with only South Carolina and Alabama giving up more in the Southeastern Conference. It could be where McLeod can make a big difference on Saturday for a defensive line group that is coming off its best game, but still has more work to do. “He plays hard,” Freeze said. “He's having to play too many snaps. We still don't have the depth at pass rushing that we need, but boy, he's made some — Look, our D-Line Saturday, we probably had more people involved in negative plays than we have. Jayson Jones was involved in one, Justin Rogers, Lawrence (Johnson) was in one. “We're used to Jalen making a few. It was good to see all those guys, but Jalen is definitely the biggest threat we have, and that's good for us. But it's also somewhat —I mean, when I'm gameplanning for somebody, and I'm sure vice-versa, you're going to — if you're not afraid of both sides — the slide side is going to get sent to the best dude, and I think that happens a lot to him.” Tied for the team lead in quarterback pressures while adding 2.5 sacks and 4.5 tackles for a loss, McLeod still hasn’t had that true breakout performance yet in an Auburn uniform. His teammates believe it’s coming because of what they know and have seen from him. “It's scary,” Rogers said. “When he's on that edge by himself, it's something different. He brings a lot to the table and a lot to the team, for real.” Kickoff for Saturday’s game against Arkansas is scheduled for 3 p.m. on the SEC Network.

247sports.com Topranked JUCO safety Laquan Robinson commits to Auburn Christian Clemente 5–6 minutes The No. 8 JUCO player and No. 1 JUCO safety joins Auburn's class. Immediate help is on the way at safety. Laquan Robinson, the No. 8 overall JUCO player and No. 1 JUCO safety in the 247Sports JUCO composite rankings, has announced his commitment to Auburn over Texas A&M and Ole Miss. Why Auburn? "I'd have to say Coach (Hugh) Freeze," Robinson said. "Connecting on a different level. Every time we speak it just hits." Originally from Greenville, Alabama, Robinson was a target for Zac Etheridge and the Auburn staff back in the 2022 recruiting cycle before opting to take the JUCO route. Now a couple of years later, Robinson joins Auburn's class. Currently at Holmes Community College, Robinson visited Auburn for the Georgia game and was back this weekend on an official visit for the Ole Miss matchup. "All my life, my family and my dad were big Auburn fans," Robinson said previously. "It really meant a lot bringing him up to see that. My family have been Auburn fans ever since I was born." Robinson is the first JUCO addition as Auburn looks for immediate help for next year in the 2024 season. “I love what Coach Freeze has done with the program,” Robinson said. “The atmosphere here is special. I feel a good connection with Auburn." In his first year at Holmes, Robinson finished with 46 tackles, three tackles for loss and an interception. Through six games this season, Robinson has 28 tackles, an interception and a fimble recovery. At 6-foot-2 and 195 pounds, Robinson is expected to help fill the void with Zion Puckett and Jaylin Simpson set to graduate. “I think I fit perfectly in the backfield,” Robinson said. Auburn now holds commitments in the secondary from Robinson and 4-stars Kensley Faustin, Jalyn Crawford and A'Mon Lane along with 3-star hybrid Kaleb Harris. Auburn's 17 commitments is good for No. 17 in the 247Sports team recruiting rankings.

saturdaydownsouth.com Auburn releases uniform combo for Arkansas, looks to improve to 3-0 in it Grant Bricker | 16 hours ago 1–2 minutes Auburn is bringing some ice with it to Fayetteville in Week 11. The Tigers are on the road again after a 31-15 win over Vanderbilt in Nashville. Auburn will be wearing its all-white uniform combo in the hopes to improve to 3-0 in them. Hugh Freeze needs just 1 more win to become bowl eligible in his first season back in the SEC. Run it ? with the all whites ? pic.twitter.com/MOOvQG7IAY — Auburn Football (@AuburnFootball) November 10, 2023 Arkansas doesn’t have much more room for error coming into the matchup at 3-6. Sam Pittman can’t afford another loss if he wants to reach a bowl. The Razorbacks head back home after their first SEC win of the season in The Swamp over Florida. Arkansas won last season’s matchup 41-27 at Jordan Hare Stadium. The win snapped a 6-game losing streak to the Tigers dating back to 2016. Auburn leads the all-time series 19-12. With an undefeated uniform streak and potential bowl game appearance on the line, the Tigers and Razorbacks face off at Razorback Stadium. Kickoff is set for 4 p.m. ET on SEC Network.

auburnwire.usatoday.com Five reasons why Auburn will beat Arkansas on Saturday Taylor Jones 3–4 minutes Auburn football will close out the road slate of their schedule on Saturday afternoon by paying the Arkansas Razorbacks a visit in Fayetteville. Both teams are similar, which led the oddsmakers to give Arkansas a slight three-point advantage this week. ESPN also anticipates a close game by giving the home team a 54% chance to win, which is the closest prediction among SEC games this week according to ESPN analytics. No one is expecting a blowout, but it is clear that the Tigers are underdogs heading into the game. Can they pull off the upset? It is incredibly possible. Here are five reasons why the Tigers will sneak away from Northwest Arkansas with a victory on Saturday. Nelson Chenault-USA TODAY Sports Auburn heads into Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium on Saturday, where they have won three games in a row dating back to 2017, and have won four of the last five. It also helps that head coach Hugh Freeze won his most recent game in Fayetteville when he led Liberty to a 21-19 victory in 2022. There is something about Fayetteville, and the Tigers can take advantage. John Reed-USA TODAY Sports Arkansas has one of the SEC’s best quarterbacks in KJ Jefferson. His 6-3, 247-pound frame makes him a dangerous runner in addition to being a solid passer. However, his protection has been subpar at best, which does not mesh with Auburn’s pass rush. Arkansas’ offensive line has allowed a whopping 107 pressures this season, with 37 resulting in sacks. Auburn will bring powerful weapons in Jalen McLeod, Eugene Asante, and Marcus Harris to Fayetteville to attack Jefferson, and should have a successful day doing so. Johnnie Izquierdo/Getty Images If Jefferson finds the time to throw the ball, Auburn’s secondary will make it difficult for him to complete passes. Opposing quarterbacks are completing less than 66% of passes targeted at receivers that are covered by either Jaylin Simpson or DJ James. Arkansas’ top receiver, Andrew Armstrong, has hauled in just 76% of passes thrown his way. Mixing in the fact that the Tigers lead the SEC in total takeaways, it will be a challenging day for the Razorbacks offense. The Daily Advertiser Since taking the reigns of the offense full-time, Payton Thorne has found confidence in his arm. He has completed 70% of his passes for 424 yards and five touchdowns over the last two games, and his confidence could rise again on Saturday as he goes against a defense that allows 210 passing yards per game. Austin Perryman/Auburn Tigers Auburn has had an up-and-down season to this point, and knowing that a bowl invite is waiting on the other side of the game is a motivating factor. Expect Auburn to play inspired on Saturday. Follow all your favorite Alabama teams at Auburn Wire and Roll Tide Wire!

247sports.com Freeze talks leadership offensive improvement as Tigers prepare for Hogs Jason Caldwell 4–5 minutes Tigers staying engaged a key to success When Auburn’s Hugh Freeze took the job, he knew it was going to be a matter of development for the Tigers as they faced a tough schedule in 2023. Losing four straight games to Texas A&M, Georgia, LSU and Ole Miss during the middle of the year, Auburn has now won games over Mississippi State and Vanderbilt the last two weeks as the Tigers head to face Arkansas this weekend in Fayetteville. A big reason for the success that Auburn has seen comes from the connection between Freeze, his staff, his leadership and the locker room. The Tigers have been engaged and ready to compete each week. The first-year coach said that’s where it starts and ends when you’re trying to build a team and a culture. “I think the key for anybody in life, in marriage, in teams, in churches, in businesses, you’re going to have unmet expectations that hit you square in the face at some point,” Freeze said. “The ability to stay engaged with the process of becoming is hard. In a team setting like ours, obviously it takes leaders starting with the coaching staff, to say ‘this is how we do it.’ If it ends there with me standing up on a podium and it never gets from my voice to the leadership of the team’s voice to the locker room, I’m probably fighting an uphill battle. “Thank God we’ve got some kids that said, ‘we don’t care what the scoreboard says, we’re going to stay the course and stay engaged.’ Is that 100 percent? No, I don’t think that ever happens in any business or group, but we’ve had enough that said ‘this is the standard and we’re not bailing on it.’ You’ve got to give a lot of credit to the leaders of the team.” Tempo unlocking the Auburn offense A big reason for Auburn’s success in the last two weeks has been because of the way the Tigers have played. Deciding to get back to using tempo, Freeze said it has unlocked things for them on that side of the ball because of the way they are executing. “We’re willing to play faster,” he said. “We’re willing to take vertical shots down the field. They don’t always work, but until the last few weeks we’ve probably been very hesitant to do either of those. I truthfully can’t remember outside of the last drive at Ole Miss where we’ve really put the pedal to the gas. I think the last few weeks is a progress of us maturing a little bit. Of us getting better at some spots. And us changing as coaches to do things differently than we’ve done earlier in the season. “You’ve still got to block. You’ve still got to protect. You’ve still got to run the right routes. You’ve still got to make the throw. All of those things I mentioned earlier still have to be executed properly. I think it’s a combination of all that, plus we’re probably getting a little better at some spots.” While there’s still plenty to improve for this team as they try to become bowl eligible and continue the momentum, Freeze said it all comes down to getting better at every position. A spot they continue to focus on has been at the wide receiver position, where the Tigers have gotten better but also left a ton of plays on the field last week against the Commodores. “We’re trying to improve that receiver room for nine weeks,” Freeze said. “Now we’re starting to see some take a step forward. We’re still not there. We dropped seven passes last week that I think put that game totally out of hand, even with the two penalties and rushing touchdowns called back. I think if we complete most of those balls, we’re up at least three or four scores in the fourth quarter and it’s out of hand. “You’re constantly evaluating each position and seeing who may have had a better week this week and he deserves most of the reps in the first quarter. I know that’s the case in the receiver room and the o-line room.”

auburnwire.usatoday.com Recap: Auburn takes down Southeastern Louisiana 86-71 Brian Hauch 2–3 minutes The Auburn basketball team is in the win column for the first time this season. The Tigers took down the Southeastern Louisiana Lions on Friday in Neville Arena by a final score of 86-71. Final scores can often be misleading, and this one fits the bill. Much of Auburn’s first win was sloppy, as Bruce Pearl’s squad struggled to pull away from a team picked to finish atop a historically bad Southland Conference. The Tigers turned the ball over two more times and shot only 1% better than the Lions in this one, showing they still have plenty of work to do. Auburn will surely take the win, however. Junior center Johni Broome led the way for the “Orange and Blue”, securing his second double-double of the season in a 16-point, 11-rebound effort. Senior guard K.D Johnson was the second leading scorer for the Tigers, pouring in 13 points in 19 minutes off the bench. Newcomers Aden Holloway and Chad Baker-Mazara were the only other Auburn players in double figures, scoring 11 and 12, respectively. SE Louisiana junior guard Roger McFarlane led the game in scoring, making 9/23 shots from the field for 24 points. The 6 foot 5 guard also secured 11 rebounds. McFarlane’s backcourt mate Roscoe Eastmond scored 15 points of his own in 35 minutes on the court. This marks the second game in a row Auburn has struggled to guard the opponents perimeter players, showing the loss of Zep Jasper may be a bigger deal than originally thought. Bruce Pearl and Co. will hope to sure up the defense and the offensive inefficiency when they take on Notre Dame in the Legends Classic on November 16. Contact/Follow us @TheAuburnWire on X (Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Auburn news, notes, and opinion. You can also follow Brian on Twitter @TheRealBHauch

al.com 3 takeaways from Auburn basketball’s 86-71 win against Southeastern Louisiana Updated: Nov. 10, 2023, 9:40 p.m.|Published: Nov. 10, 2023, 9:05 p.m. 7–8 minutes Let’s start with maybe the biggest headline from the night’s result: Auburn forward Jaylin Williams is now Auburn’s winningest player ever. With Auburn beating Southeastern Louisiana 86-71, Williams took sole possession of a record he already held. Williams and his former teammate Allen Flanigan were tied for the all-time lead for Auburn with 87 wins. Since Flanigan transferred to Ole Miss, that meant WIlliams could take the lead by himself with just one win. Bruce Pearl is also now Auburn’s third-winningest in school history. The margin of the final score doesn’t quite tell the full story for Auburn, especially with regard to a slow start on offense. But Auburn knows how to get through slow starts, albeit playing a highly inconsistent game. Speaking of which, that’s one of three takeaways from the win. Auburn knows where to find energy Auburn simply can’t shoot it as well as it did against Baylor. That’s just unsustainable. But Auburn also probably wants to shoot the ball better than it did to start against Southeastern. Auburn made three of its first 16 shots Friday night and seven of its first 26. It was a slow start especially when it wasn’t a situation where Auburn wasn’t getting open looks. It just missed some shots it shouldn’t miss. That included starting 3-9 on layups. So, when the Tigers needed some juice? Look no further than KD Johnson and Chad Baker-Mazara. Johnson came in off the bench at the 16:49 mark in the first half and got a steal, an and-1, and a 3-pointer all within his first four minutes on the floor. That gave Auburn a huge boost and was the ignition of Auburn pulling away from Southeastern in the first half. Johnson is one of Auburn’s most vocal players. After his steal and his and-1, plays that seem small in the overall look at a box score, Johnson flexed, screamed and stared down his opponents. The energy he gave Auburn in those moments were far more valuable. Baker-Mazara may not be quite as outwardly intense as Johnson, but he is also one running all over the floor and being quite vocal when he makes an impact. He had a steal in the first half, got to the free-throw line, helped on the boards and made a 3-pointer. Sometimes playing with the type of bowling ball, reckless style the two have can do more harm than good. Instead, they were statistically Auburn’s two most efficient players in the first half. They combined to score 18 of Auburn’s 39 first-half points. And it was Johnson again in the second half hitting a 3-pointer when Southeastern closed the lead down to seven and then feeding Dylan Cardwell for a dunk. The energy was once again back at Neville Arena. Auburn built a cushion back and held on to win. It’s impressive enough that for how poorly Auburn started, it still scored more than 80 points. Auburn’s defense is opportunistic, and sporadic Friday showed exactly the best and worst of a defensive work in progress. And it was much of the same storyline that showed against Baylor. Auburn plays opportunistic defense. It takes risks to get steals and turnovers. It’s been pretty effective in doing so. Auburn had five steals in the first half. The key stretch defensively of the game was Auburn not allowed a field goal for a bit over eight minutes. That is excellent defense. There were a combination of tight, contested shots forced by Auburn’s defense as well as some open makes. Auburn also was in full control of the boards throughout the game. That was expected given Auburn’s length and athleticism. It had 13 more rebounds than Southeastern and 15 offensive rebounds. Those two traits describe why Auburn wants to play so aggressively on defense and create situations where it can get out in transition. There are also pitfalls of this. After the streak of not allowing a make, Auburn then allowed Southeastern to make half of its next 14 shots. Auburn forced five steals in the first half, but only one in the second. The inconsistent nature of Auburn’s defense allowed Southeastern to briefly get back into the game. Southeastern shot 43% in the second half and was at 50% late in the half. It forced Auburn to have to find one last spurt of energy. It did so, but Auburn’s defense didn’t make for the stress-free second half Auburn thought it might have when it led by 17. It’s also similar to the Baylor game in that defense started well, but faded as the game went on. Auburn’s defense collapsed over the final 10 minutes against Baylor to blow a game Auburn probably should have won. Auburn didn’t blow this game, but it didn’t make it easy on themselves. Let’s talk about shooting, and floor spacing Auburn’s 3-point shooting was once again very streaky. Auburn opened the game shooting 1-10 from beyond the arc but then made six of its next nine. Dylan Cardwell was the only one of Auburn’s 10-man rotation who did not attempt a 3-pointer. The usual suspects made their 3s in Aden Holloway and Tre Donaldson. But what may be a more significant development is Johni Broome’s improvement. He’s made three of his first four shots from deep this season. It was an area Auburn’s center has spent a significant amount of time working to improve both to help his stock looking toward the NBA Draft as well as help an Auburn team that has shot the ball very poorly since 2019. Broome isn’t going to attempt many threes, but the fact that he’s proving he can make them changes how defensive will approach him. He is not a one-dimensional big man. Jaylin Williams, who Auburn has used all over the floor between out on the wings and in the low-post, made multiple 3-pointers, too. Mostly, that means Auburn can space the floor better. And that would mean more space for Auburn’s more reliable shooters to get more open shots. When it needed shooting, Auburn got shooting. Southeastern closed the Auburn lead to seven, but Johnson and Holloway each made back-to-back 3s to get a cushion again. Auburn played a shooting-heavy lineup down the stretch with Holloway, Johnson and Denver Jones. It worked. Auburn finished the night shooting 11-32 on 3-pointers and seven different players made a 3. That’s spacing the floor. The shooting got much better as the game went on. That’s about all Pearl can ask. Matt Cohen covers Auburn sports for AL.com. You can follow him on X at @Matt_Cohen_ or email him at mcohen@al.com

247sports.com 5 takeaways from Auburns win over Southeastern Louisiana Nathan King 6–8 minutes Auburn got itself a nice breather at home before heading back across the country again next week. Less than 72 hours after dropping their season opener to Baylor in South Dakota, the Tigers seemed to have some jet lag in a grinding win over Southeastern Louisiana on Friday night, 86-71. Auburn will only play at home twice over its next seven games, as it heads to Brooklyn next week for two games in the Legends Classic. Here are Auburn Undercover’s five takeaways from the night, as the Tigers have now won all 10 of their home openers under Bruce Pearl. Sleepy night on the Plains Perhaps it should have been the expectation that the Tigers would be sluggish after an emotional loss to Baylor in a marquee season opener more than 1,000 miles away. A rough offensive start for Auburn set the tone for the night. The Tigers missed 13 of their first 15 shots, and also missed nine of their 10 shots from beyond the arc. Auburn’s defense was the constant, though, holding the Lions without a made basket for 8:56 of game time in the first half. That allowed K.D. Johnson and Aden Holloway to lead some scoring bursts for Auburn and grab a double-digit lead. But the Tigers were quick to fall back into those offensive pitfalls. After Auburn led by as many as 17, Southeastern Louisiana went on an 8-0 run midway through the second half, quickly trimming a 15-point Auburn lead — just as it seemed the Tigers were about to pull away — and pulling the deficit down to 61-54 with 7:17 left. Auburn went 2-of-10 from the floor during the stretch, including two misses and two turnovers by Johni Broome. Southeastern Louisiana had a chance to make it a six-point game but missed a free throw, then the Tigers got 8 points in a hurry, including back-to-back triples by Johnson and Holloway. Auburn made eight of its last 12 shots for the game to pull away. For the second straight game to open the season, the Tigers were strong on the boards, and that helped them keep the Lions at a distance for most of the night. Auburn dominated with a 46-33 overall advantage on the glass and had 15 offensive boards. Broome had 18 points and 11 rebounds. "I’m still not happy," Pearl said. "You know, we give up 43 points in the second half. 54 against Baylor. That’s 97 points in the second half of basketball. It’s just not really good enough. We only turned them over one time in the second half." Effort level unacceptable for Pearl Pearl wasn't interested in any making any excuses for the Tigers' sluggish performance. He said he shouldn't have to be coaching his team to be more energetic after a long preseason. "I’m still having to coach effort and energy, and that’s a problem," Pearl said. "I think the thing that’s got to translate is, ‘How much do you hate losing?’" Auburn has four newcomers in the rotation that are obviously still gelling with their new teammates in the second game of the season. But Pearl said there should be much more leadership from his veterans in a game like this. "I can't understand it at all," Pearl said. "It's got to come from within and it's got to come from our returning players." Signature spark from K.D. A sleepy Auburn team needed a pick-me-up early, and who better to provide than the Tigers’ signature spark plug? Johnson got into double figures for the first time this season, scoring 10 of his 13 points in just 10 minutes in the first half. As soon as he checked in for the first time, he scored 6 points across back-to-back possessions on an and-one, then a steal and a 3-pointer. Johnson had a trio of pretty assists in the second half, too, both in transition with a lob to Johni Broome for a crowd-pleasing dunk, a bounce pass to Dylan Cardwell for an easy deuce, and another alley oop to Cardwell. And when Auburn needed another boost late in the game, with Southeastern Louisiana back within single digits, Johnson hit a step-back triple to push things back to a 13-point lead. "I thought K.D. was terrific," Pearl said. "I thought KD played one of his better games. I thought he was really locked in, got downhill, shot the 3-ball. He still breaks us down by taking some possessions off defensively, but there were less of those tonight." He and Holloway (11 points) combined to make 5-of-13 triples. Auburn missed nine of its first 10 shots from beyond the arc but made 10-of-22 to finish the night. Auburn struggles to contain the backcourt The Tigers won comfortably, sure, but Pearl will have plenty to work on defensively in practice this week. Pearl said often this preseason that backcourt defense was going to be one of the biggest challenges for this year’s Auburn team, and the Tigers struggled to contain Southeastern Louisiana’s two best players. Starting guards Roger McFarlane and Roscoe Eastmond combined for 39 points, including a game-high 24 points for McFarlane, who hit 4-of-7 shots from beyond the arc. No other Southeastern Louisiana players attempted more than six shots, and McFarlane and Eastmond combine for 60.3 percent of all the visitors’ field-goal attempts for the night. "Southeast Louisiana is picked to either finish first or second in their league," Pearl said. "... You know, trust when I tell you those guys came in here thinking they were going to win the game. They’ve got seniors. That’s a good team. That team’s going to have a good year. But I’m still not pleased. But I want to give them a lot of credit, and I want to give their coaching staff a lot of credit. They were prepared. They played well. They competed. They had a good scheme. So, very, very impressed. You know, obviously, McFarlane is a terrific player." Milestones for Williams, Pearl The first win of the season was going to carry some meaning for Auburn’s most experienced player and its head coach. Jaylin Williams, a fifth-year senior, has now become the winningest player in program history with 88 victories. He breaks a tie with Anfernee McLemore, Scott Pohlman and Allen Flanigan. "It feels amazing to represent the last name on the back of my jersey and my family," Williams said postgame. "If it wasn’t for these guys ... it wouldn’t have happened. So I shout out my team and my coaching staff, and believing in us as a team." Pearl also passed Sonny Smith for No. 3 on Auburn’s all-time wins list, with 174 victories. He’s now behind only Joel Eaves (213 wins) and Cliff Ellis (186).

si.com Takeaways: Auburn Basketball Defeats SE Louisiana, 86-71 Lance Dawe ~3 minutes Auburn basketball picked up a decisive win over SE Louisiana on Friday night despite poor shooting early. Auburn basketball picked up a decisive win over SE Louisiana on Friday night despite poor shooting early. The Tigers (1-1) defeated the Lions 86-71 while only shooting 41% from the floor and 34% from deep. Four players finished in double-figures in what was an odd game from Bruce Pearl's squad. Here are five takeaways from the game. Auburn seems content with Tre Donaldson at point Holloway and Donaldson spent nearly even playing time at point guard, something fans probably didn't expect at the beginning of the season. Donaldson finished with three points (1-of-4 shooting), three rebounds, four assists, and only one turnover. Holloway had 11 points (4-of-10 shooting), no rebounds and two assists. Holloway had a plus/minus of +11, Donaldson with a negative of -2. It will be interesting to see if this half and half rotation stays the same through non-conference play. Chaney Johnson kept fighting despite poor shooting A 2-of-11 shooting night did not bother Chaney Johnson, who finished with a game-high 11 rebounds. The Division II transfer struggled to find his shot throughout the game, but it will come with time. Everyone has off nights. Johnson's frame and insane wingspan allows him to contribute in so many different ways, Auburn doesn't need him to be a scorer. Watch his development as the season progresses. Depth is once again a flex Nine players had 18 minutes or more for the Tigers, not including starting SF Chris Moore who had 12 minutes. 44 bench points in a double-digit win. That's solid. Broome impresses Broome finished with 18 points and nine rebounds on 7-of-12 shooting while making his only three-point attempt. If Auburn can get him to play that well through the rest of non-conference play, they'll do pretty well for themselves. Another efficient shooting night for the opposition Auburn has started the season with two poor defensive performances outside the arc. SE Louisiana finished the game shooting 45% from deep. The Tigers have to clean that up.

no harm meant but i wonder if someone gagged zac if he would blow up from the pressure? the man loves to talk....................lol

good morning Auburn Alabama! i hope all is well we finally have rain coming. not sure if it will rain during the arkie game but as tubs said"there is nothing smells worse than a wet hog". Saturday is Veterans Day so lets remember shall we? also as a selfish reminder you guys have about one and a half months to get me a good christmas present before all the good stuff is gone...................

al.com How Auburn’s Jalen McLeod rose from undersized to a vital pass rusher Published: Nov. 09, 2023, 6:32 a.m. 6–7 minutes The Friendship Collegiate coach knows its cliche, but he remembers the very first practice for his then-junior pass rusher. Some players just have “it,” Michael Hunter said. To him, “it” means being a player who takes coaching but really just needs the opportunity to play, that they’re going find a way to their job done. That player was Jalen McLeod. And to Hunter, having “it” doesn’t include a player’s height. “I mean look, the game of football is all about low man wins,” Hunter said. “I know everyone wants these big 6-4, 6-5 guys who can bend to get low. But a guy like Jalen who’s 6-1, 6-2 that can also bend can now lower than those you know, 6-5 guys. Like I said, he’s relentless. He has excellent speed off the edge. All his attributes work out to where he’s successful on the field.” McLeod was a 3-star recruit out of high school in Washington D.C. He was productive enough to earn All-Met honors from The Washington Post but not tall enough to receive an offer from any major conference team. Only two of the schools that offered McLeod a scholarship, per 247Sports, were FBS programs. Hunter said he worked with McLeod to play other positions besides outside linebacker. Other bigger schools, like Rutgers, showed interest in McLeod but on the condition he moved inside. “We tried to play him in a lot of different positions so that one school couldn’t say, ‘Well, he’s too small to play D-end, but he’s never played linebacker.’ So we played him at linebacker and D-end, sort of our jack position, just so he can get more exposure, get more opportunities.” But McLeod just wanted to rush the quarterback, he said before the 2023 season with Auburn. So he picked the school that would let him do that. That was Appalachian State. McLeod played for head coach Shawn Clark there and was an early impact player. By his junior year, McLeod totaled six sacks, two forced fumbles, 41 total tackles and 7.5 tackles for loss. Actually, those two forced fumbles came on one play in what would be McLeod’s biggest moment of the year. He knocked the ball away twice while rushing then-Texas A&M quarterback Haynes King in what went on to be an Appalachian State upset over the top-10 ranked Aggies. “Oh sh-t, really good play,” Clark told AL.com he remembered thinking on the sidelines. “But now we’re gonna lose him.” In September, Clark told AL.com that part of his philosophy is to seek out players like McLeod who have clear talent, but may have been passed on by a higher-level school for whatever various reasons. In McLeod’s case, that reason was his size. Part of that bargain, though, is knowing that if a player like McLeod can reach the potential their talent allows they will likely move on to the program’s Clarks believes should have been recruiting them in the first place. So when McLeod had his breakout moment on a national stage against Texas A&M, Clark knew McLeod had played too well to remain a Mountaineer. He was right. McLeod called that game a “money game,” meaning the type of game where if you play well, you have the chance to move up to the next level and make the type of money that comes with it. At the time of the Texas A&M game with Appalachian State, that meant moving from the Sun Belt to a Power 5 conference. “But he had his opportunity to put his name in the portal and go to Auburn which was always a dream to play Power 5 football so he’s living a dream and not looking back,” Hunter said. McLeod picked Auburn because the coaching staff here would let him play outside, too. At Appalachian State, he proved he could. That means McLeod is now playing money games looking toward what he hopes is a career in the NFL — the next level up. And after an ankle injury meant a slow start for the transfer jack linebacker, McLeod is playing at the level Auburn hoped he could be. Head coach Hugh Freeze has called him Auburn’s best pass rusher. “I’m very thankful he decided to come here,” cornerback Keionte Scott said. “He makes this defense very good. He’s a threat. I’m just thankful to be a part of him. During the recruiting process I told him ‘We’re going to make each other good.’ I’m glad he was able to come here. He’s going to continue to dominate.” Over Auburn’s four games since the bye week, McLeod has 15 tackles — 4.5 of them for loss — and 2.5 sacks. “It’s scary,” defensive tackle Justin Rogers said. “When he’s on that edge by himself, it’s something different. He brings a lot to the table and a lot to the team, for real.” Before McLeod’s recent run began, Hunter got to come down and watch his former player in the Sept. 30 game against Georgia. Hunter has had players play Power 5 football before. The Washington D.C. coach has been to SEC football games before, too. But there was something surreal to Hunter about seeing McLeod on the jumbotron. To see the player he’d had to put in different positions and find his versatility just to get college offers playing in front of 88,000 people cheering for him. Moments like that, Hunter said, is why high school coaches do their jobs. It’s to see their players move on to live out their own dreams. It’s just that McLeod living out his never surprised Hunter. “When given the right opportunity, just look past some of the maybe measurable things that don’t stack up to the prototypes,” Hunter said. “But just give him an opportunity and I know he’s going to be successful.” Matt Cohen covers Auburn sports for AL.com. You can follow him on X at @Matt_Cohen_ or email him at mcohen@al.com