aubiefifty

wsfa.com Auburn, Arkansas fight to avoid last place in competitive SEC West The Associated Press 3–4 minutes Auburn (5-4, 2-4 SEC) at Arkansas (3-6, 1-5), 3 p.m. ET (SEC Network) Line: Arkansas by 2 1/2, according to  FanDuel Sportsbook. Series record: Auburn leads 19-12-1. WHAT’S AT STAKE Auburn and Arkansas are two of three teams fighting to stay out of the SEC West cellar. The Tigers have beaten the teams they were expected to beat this season, but fallen to all the ones against whom they were underdogs. Arkansas had fallen to just about everyone until beating Florida last week. Auburn needs just one more win to ensure a .500 season and bowl eligibility, while Arkansas can afford no more losses at all on either front. KEY MATCHUP Auburn's Peyton Thorne and Jarquez Hunter are the No. 2 quarterback-running back rushing duo in the SEC. The best, LSU’s Jayden Daniels and Logan Diggs, led the Tigers to 509 yards and a win over Arkansas in September. Arkansas has only allowed a high of 414 yards since. Although the Razorbacks have lost four of five games since the LSU game, all four losses came by one possession. If Arkansas limits Thorne and Hunter, the Razorbacks likely keep their hopes for a bowl appearance alive. PLAYERS TO WATCH Auburn: Thorne. When he has thrown for 105 yards or more, the Tigers haven’t lost. Sounds easy enough, but he’s failed to hit that mark five times. Auburn’s quarterback will gain yards on the ground, as he has every week, but if those aren’t opening up passing options, the Tigers are going to struggle to score. Arkansas: Raheim Sanders. The man known as Rocket was a preseason All-American, but a knee injury had limited him to less than 100 yards over just three healthy games until the Gators visited Fayetteville. Sanders didn’t find the end zone, but his 103 yards on 18 carries offered a flashback to 2022, when he ran for more than 1,300 yards. FACTS & FIGURES Auburn had won six straight games in the series before Arkansas' 14-point victory last year ensured the Razorbacks a bowl appearance. The last time Arkansas beat Auburn in Fayetteville was in 2015. … Arkansas kicker Cam Little was named a Groza Award semifinalist on Tuesday. He is 16 of 18 on field-goal attempts with two makes longer than 50 yards. … Arkansas defensive coordinator Travis Williams, in his first season with the Razorbacks, played linebacker at Auburn from 2001-05 and was an assistant with the Tigers from 2009 to 2011 and 2014 to 2020. … Arkansas played against Auburn coach Hugh Freeze last year when he coached Liberty. The Flames won, 21-19.

247sports.com Travis Williams majorly motivated in first matchup against alma mater Nathan King 14–18 minutes Travis Williams will face his alma mater for the first time in his coaching career For the first time in three years, one of Auburn’s most beloved figures of the past couple decades will share the field with his alma mater once again. Arkansas fourth-year head coach Sam Pittman hired former Auburn player and assistant coach Travis Williams in December to replace Barry Odom, who left for the head job at UNLV. Williams spent the past two seasons in his first career defensive coordinator gig at UCF, where he continued to coach under Gus Malzahn. This fall marked the first season in a decade where Williams won’t be working with Malzahn. “You can tell he’s majorly motivated to do well,” Pittman said this week ahead of Williams’ first career matchup against Auburn. Some pointed to Williams as a candidate for a job on Hugh Freeze’s first Auburn staff. It’s unclear how much interest the parties may have had in a reunion, but Freeze landed on Ron Roberts, whom Arkansas was also after for its defensive coordinator vacancy. Freeze said he heard Williams’ praises sung over the years by Malzahn, one of Freeze’s close friends in the coaching world. “I know of Travis and his reputation,” Freeze said Wednesday. “I think he’s an outstanding recruiter, number one.” Following a successful, four-year playing career at Auburn in the mid-2000s, Williams played a couple seasons in the NFL before he started his coaching career at Spring Valley High School (South Carolina) in 2008. He returned to his alma mater in 2009 as a grad assistant, working for his former defensive coordinator, Gene Chizik. Williams was offered an Auburn defensive analyst position in 2014 by Malzahn. After two seasons working behind the scenes, Williams was promoted to an on-field role as linebackers coach, and later added co-defensive coordinator responsibilities. Under Williams' guidance, Auburn's linebacking corps was one of the most consistent units in the SEC. From 2016-20, the position group produced three All-SEC selections, and in 2019, K.J. Britt became the school's first linebacker to be named first team All-SEC since Williams himself was recognized during his standout 2004 season. “A lot — it had a lot to do with that because he understood recruiting,” Pittman said at SEC Media Days when asked how much Williams’ Auburn experience played into his hiring at Arkansas. “It’s just different — the urgency of coaching in the SEC, the urgency of recruiting in the SEC. It’s just different, man. If someone says it ain’t, they’re lying. I wanted someone who understood that.” Bryan Harsin opted not to retain Williams on his inaugural staff in 2021, and he was originally set to coach at Miami as linebackers coach before Malzahn and UCF swooped in and offered him his first career defensive coordinator role. At UCF, Williams had one of its most efficient seasons for UCF in years, finishing No. 23 nationally in yards per play allowed. The Knights dipped slightly on that side of the ball last season but were still top three in the American Conference in scoring defense. But it was Williams’ gravitational personality and SEC recruiting chops that drew Pittman’s attention. Pittman said as soon as he finished the interview with Williams in December, he called Arkansas athletic director Hunter Yurachek immediately: “This is our guy.” “He was so positive,” Pittman said of the interview process with Williams. “He had a reputation before I even went in there as a recruiter. In the world of portal, you better have some guys that can recruit — because if you can’t, you’re going to gone. I felt so at ease that if I hired him, he could help me replace somebody if they did go in the portal. ... He might be a reason that somebody does not go in the portal, if that makes sense, just because of what kind of character and what kind of man he is.” Former Auburn assistant Marcus Woodson is also on Arkansas’ staff as defensive backs coach and co-defensive coordinator. It will be a nice pregame for someone like Cadillac Williams, who was teammates with Travis Williams at Auburn and coached with him at their alma mater for two years. But Auburn’s entire offensive staff has a challenge to solve an improved Arkansas defense under Williams, who has turned the Razorbacks around from being one of the SEC’s worst in 2022 to a group that’s in the top half of the league in a number of categories. “You put on the tape and see how hard his kids are playing defensively, and that’s a great testament to his leadership,” Freeze said. Kickoff in Fayetteville, where Auburn hasn’t lost since 2015, is set for 3 p.m. CST on SEC Network.

saturdaydownsouth.com Hayes: Hugh Freeze has a QB he can trust, and now Auburn is hunting a bowl bid Matt Hayes | 13 hours ago 6–7 minutes He took hold of this thing realistically, carefully avoiding the fanciful trap every 1st-year coach inevitably falls into. Instead of the ridiculous dream of instantly flipping bad to good while playing in the best conference in college football, there was a more tangible, reachable goal for Hugh Freeze in his debut season at Auburn. Play games that matter in November. “We’re looking to become bowl eligible,” Freeze said this week. “I think that’s big in Year 1.” Especially considering what he walked into. Beyond the drama and infighting that has defined the Auburn program through good and bad for half a century, beyond the months of getting all of those fragmented parts off the field back on the same page, Freeze arrived on The Plains with a significant issue. He didn’t have a quarterback who could win games in the SEC. That, of course, leads to this important question moving forward: Is Michigan State transfer QB Payton Thorne’s recent success a product of finally playing comfortably and freely in a new system — or a result of Auburn getting a break from a brutal schedule? Thorne has played his best the past 2 weeks in wins over Mississippi State and Vanderbilt, which are high in the running for the 2 worst teams in the SEC. That comes on the heels of an entire season of uncertainty, of playing well in spots and poorly in others — and getting pulled at times for backup Robby Ashford. We’re more than 2 months into the season, and Freeze hasn’t so much figured out the right move at quarterback as he has found one who consistently knows what do to. “I believe Payton’s skill-sets are the most prepared for what we are doing,” Freeze said. For the first time this season, Freeze is speaking with clarity about the quarterback position. He’s not couching words, he’s not trying keep backups Ashford and Holden Geriner happy and engaged. Thorne is most prepared for what Auburn wants and needs offensively — beyond the need to win 1 more game and become bowl eligible — because of what he can do beyond making a throw. He recognizes and understands coverages and fronts, he sets protections, he manages the huddle and plays with tempo. All critical things — and all have looked much sharper in the past 2 weeks of the season. Where was all of this before, you ask? It’s all in the transition. You can’t expect a quarterback to leave a program after spring practice and enroll at Auburn — missing those 15 critical practices — and roll into summer workouts and camp and it’s all easy-peasy. It’s the most important position on the field for a reason. Beyond the crucial need to throw accurately and on time and with anticipation, Thorne didn’t know SEC defenses. Didn’t understand the complexities. During his magical 2019 season, LSU quarterback Joe Burrow said the most difficult transition from playing as a backup at Ohio State to starting at LSU was adjusting to defenses in the SEC. It’s a line of scrimmage league, and more than anything, Big Ten teams typically play Cover 4 base pass coverage. In the SEC, it’s 2 safeties high and man coverage underneath, and more times than not, you’re making a tight window throw. So is it as simple as Thorne is now 9 games into the season, and that’s why he completed 70% of his passes and had 5 TD and only 1 INT in the last 2 games? Is he seeing the field better, or is it that he’s no longer seeing Texas A&M, Georgia, LSU and Ole Miss in consecutive weeks? More than likely, it’s a little of both. That doesn’t mean it won’t be difficult Saturday at Arkansas, which has lost 5 games this season by 1 possession and is playing much better than a 3-win team. The Tigers are growing offensively, there’s no denying that. They’ve had scoring plays in the passing game of 53, 46 and 27 yards in the past 2 weeks, and the overall operation is getting smoother — despite 7 drops against Mississippi State and Vanderbilt. It’s most certainly not the dangerous and dynamic pass offense that Freeze has had in the past at Ole Miss and Liberty, but — and here’s the key — it may no longer be a liability. “We played with confidence and swagger last week,” Freeze said. “We had some explosive plays, but it should have been more. The more we are successful doing that, the more confidence and swagger our kids play with.” There’s no better time than November to make that happen.

auburntigers.com Auburn's Alex McPherson named Groza Award semifinalist Auburn University Athletics 3–4 minutes AUBURN, Ala. – Auburn's Alex McPherson is one of 20 semifinalists for the 2023 Lou Groza Collegiate Place-Kicker Award, presented by the Orange Bowl, the Palm Beach County Sports Commission announced Thursday. McPherson ranks No. 1 in the country with a 100 percent field goal accuracy, having converted on all nine attempts this season. The redshirt freshman from Fort Payne, Alabama, is also 29-for-29 on PATs for a total of 56 points scored. McPherson is 1-for-1 from 50 yards or farther, 2-for-2 from 40-49 yards, 6-for-6 on kicks from 30-39 yards and 2-for-2 from 20-29-yard range. Fellow Groza Award semifinalists Graham Nicholson from Miami of Ohio, who is 17-for-17, and Texas State's Mason Shipley, who's 11-for-11, have also connected on all their field goal opportunities this season. Auburn's game at Arkansas Saturday at 3 p.m. CT will feature two Groza Award semifinalists. Razorbacks kicker Cam Little shares the national lead with four kicks from at least 50 yards out. Semifinalists will be voted on by a panel of more than 100 FBS head coaches, SIDs, media members, former Groza finalists and current NFL kickers to select the three finalists. These finalists will be announced Nov. 28 and honored at the 32nd annual Lou Groza Collegiate Place-Kicker Awards Banquet on Dec. 4 in Palm Beach County. The same panel then selects the winner, who will be announced live on ESPN during the Home Depot College Football Awards on Friday, Dec. 8. The award is named for National Football League Hall of Fame kicker Lou "The Toe" Groza, who played 21 seasons with the Cleveland Browns. Groza won four NFL championships with Cleveland and was named NFL Player of the Year in 1954. Although an All-Pro offensive lineman as well, Groza ushered in the notion that there should be a place on an NFL roster for a kicker. Since the first Lou Groza Award was handed out in 1992, 28 finalists, including 16 winners, have gone on to appear in the NFL, earning 13 trips to the Pro Bowl and taking home seven Super Bowls. That list includes 2023 NFL kickers Randy Bullock, former Auburn standout Daniel Carlson and Jake Elliott. Jeff Shearer is a Senior Writer at AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on Twitter: @jeff_shearer Players Mentioned #38 Alex McPherson K 5' 9" Redshirt Freshman Liberal Arts

si.com Taking an updated look at Jarquez Hunter's path to 1,000 rushing yards Andrew Stefaniak ~2 minutes Jarquez Hunter has a real shot of getting to the 1,000 rushing-yard mark. Auburn running back Jarquez Hunter had one of his best games in an Auburn uniform against the Vanderbilt Commodores. Hunter rushed for 183 yards and two touchdowns on 19 carries, giving Hunter 9.6 yards per carry on the day. He actually would have had many more yards in this ball game if a few big plays weren't called back for penalties. After his performance against the Commodores, Hunter is now sixth in the SEC in rushing yards, with 636 on the season. This means Hunter is 364 yards away from hitting the 1,000-yard mark on the season. So, Auburn's star running back will need to average 121.3 yards on the ground over the next three football games to hit this mark. Auburn's next opponent is the Arkansas Razorbacks, who have the 43rd-best rush defense in college football, but they still allow 129 yards per game on the ground. With the Tigers being a team that wants to establish the run, the team will likely rush for more than 129 yards in this game. Hunter will likely be over the century mark, but if he could get to the 125-140 range, he has a real shot to get to 1,000. Missing the first game of the season hurt Hunter's chances of getting 1,000 rushing yards, but he can still get it done if he continues to play well down the stretch.

auburnwire.usatoday.com Tale of the Tape: Auburn vs Arkansas Brian Hauch 4–5 minutes The 5-4 Auburn Tigers have a chance to win three games in a row for the second time this season when they travel to 3-6 Arkansas on Saturday. Auburn is coming off one of its better wins of the season, flashing offensive firepower on the road against Vanderbilt. Arkansas is also coming off a solid road win, taking down Florida in overtime 36-33 for the Razorbacks’ first win in the SEC. The big win in the swamp has oddsmakers confident Arkansas can keep it rolling at home, as BetMGM has the Hogs favored by 2.5 points on Saturday. ESPN FPI lines up almost exactly with the books, giving the home team a 54% chance to send Auburn back to the Plains with a 5-5 record. Will the tale of the tape show us the wrong team is favored in this SEC matchup, or will it prove Arkansas has the upper hand? As always, we’ll start by looking at the quarterbacks. Tigers quarterback Payton Thorne is playing his best football of the season at the right time. Thorne has averaged 212 passing yards over the past 2 weeks, throwing for 5 touchdowns in that span. Most importantly, Thorne has only turned the ball over once, although that one turnover did turn into 6-points. The two wins have significantly helped Thorne’s season stats. The junior has now passed for 1,269 yards this season in 9 games. He’s thrown 10 touchdowns, rushed for 2, and thrown 6 interceptions. Arkansas quarterback KJ Jefferson has been solid this year for the Razorbacks, throwing 16 touchdowns on his way to 1,802 passing yards. The senior has been careless with the ball, turning it over at least once in every SEC game so far. The long-time Razorback gets the edge in the quarterback battle because of his experience and leadership of the offense. He’s been the guy for Arkansas for three years now, while Thorne has only been “the guy” for Auburn in the last two weeks. Arkansas may have the quarterback edge, but it’s Auburn that gets the edge on the rest of the offensive side of the ball. Jefferson is the Razorbacks leading rusher this season. That would be fine if he were lighting it up on the ground like LSU quarterback Jalen Daniels, but Jefferson actually has fewer rushing yards (292) than Payton Thorne (337) does this year. Arkansas employs a three running back committee featuring AJ Green, Rashod Dubinion, and Raheim Sanders. The trio have combined for 740 yards on 183 carries this season. If those numbers don’t look great, that’s because they are. Auburn’s top running back Jarquez Hunter missed the first game of the season but has ran for almost as many yards (636) on 75 less carries. The Tigers have also been better in pass protection, as Payton Thorne has been sacked a total of 19 times this year. KJ Jefferson on the other hand has hit the turf 36 times. Hugh Freeze’s team gets the edge in offensive line play and skill position play. On the defensive side of things, Auburn’s 13th-ranked defensive efficiency gives them a slight edge over a solid Razorbacks unit. The Tigers are giving up 22.8 points per game to opponents this season, which ranks, 41st in the FBS. The Arkansas defense isn’t too far behind, giving up an average of 25.8 points per game, which ranks 55th. Auburn gets the slight edge, but things become even considering the game is being played in Fayetteville. After looking at the tale of the tape, it’s hard to argue with the experts this week. This game is going to be a toss-up. The home team gets the ever-so-slight edge in this one. Contact/Follow us @TheAuburnWire on X (Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Auburn news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow Brian on Twitter @TheRealBHauch

247sports.com The Real Deal Arkansas week Jason Caldwell 3–4 minutes Auburn's Luke Deal talks about getting ready for Arkansas. AUBURN, Alabama—Coming off back-to-back wins over Mississippi State and Vanderbilt, the Auburn Tigers (5-4, 2-4) look to keep the momentum going this Saturday when Hugh Freeze's team travels to Arkansas to face the Razorbacks in a 3 p.m. start on the SEC Network. A program and team that is focused on the task at hand this week and trying to become bowl eligible, Auburn continues to build momentum and confidence. That's true on offense despite an outing against Vanderbilt that left plenty to work on for the Tigers. Tight end Luke Deal said the focus this week has been on cleaning things up and executing at a higher level, something it will take to win in Fayetteville. "It's kind of the same thing I said last week," Deal tells Auburnundercover. "We've got some confidence and flow and everybody is feeling really good, but another thing we talked about last week is we had some things, especially offensively, we've got to work on. We did not play great by any means, offensively, at Vanderbilt. The defense played incredible. We had a few big runs that helped us out by Jarquez and that o-line. I want us to carry over those good things, but fix those bad things." Check out the rest of this week's Real Deal as the senior tight end gets us ready for the Arkansas game. After slow start, Auburn women take down

i am so innocent you guys should call me Saint fifty...........

you were talking about smoking butts salty? i thought you would reserve that for the political boards............grins.

i have not thought about mad magazine in years but i sure bought a lot of them back in the day when i had to pocket change..................

247sports.com PMARSHONAU Lessons learned early prepared Thorne for life of an SEC QB Phillip Marshall 6–7 minutes Auburn quarterback Payton Thorne comes from a football family. His father won a Division III national championship as a head coach in 2019 and finished second in 2021. He played quarterback and later coached quarterbacks. His grandfather was a coach. So it was that Payton Thorne knew about the life of a college quarterback long before he played at Michigan State and, last summer, moved to Auburn as a graduate transfer. Jeff Thorne, Payton’s father, didn’t just teach his son proper technique. He taught Payton praise and criticism would come, and he should not let either one distract him. “Payton has known since the day he started playing quarterback that it is different,” Jeff says. “You are going to get unfair criticism some of the time, and you are going to sometimes get unwarranted praise. He tries to stay level-headed the best he can. He really has done a good job of just falling back on his faith and really trusting what he is doing on a daily basis, trusting what the coaches are doing and trying to execute the best he can.” That’s easy to say, but not so easy to do in this day of anonymous social media warriors. During Auburn’s four-game losing streak and even before, Payton became a favorite target on X (formerly known as Twitter) and message boards. “You try to steer clear of it the best you can, but some of it is almost unavoidable,” Jeff says. “What I am able to do that might be different than others, I have been a coach for 21 years, I played the position, I coached quarterbacks. I have a different vantage point than maybe some others because I often know what is supposed to happen when maybe others don’t know what is supposed to happen. And then, obviously, I get to talk to the quarterback when all is said and done.” Payton echoes his father’s words. Criticism or praise, he says, can’t affect the way he works and the way he prepares. “Obviously you don't ever like to hear it, but that is human nature,” Payton says. “You don't want people talking bad about you or what you're doing. But I'm an older guy who's played a lot of games now and been through winning and losing. I've had practice with criticism, and I'm thankful for growing up with a strong support system and good parenting. “It goes with the position. When you're doing good sometimes you get more praise than you deserve, and sometimes you're getting more blame than you deserve. You do your best not to listen to it and just keep working with the guys that matter.” There isn’t so much criticism these days. Auburn has won its last two games. Payton has played well. But Payton and his family were sold on Auburn from the start. “He loves Auburn,” Jeff says. “We do, too. It is an awesome place. Our family is really enjoying it.” Through the first six games, Payton got most of the snaps but shared time with backup Robby Ashford. After starting 3-0 against overmatched opponents, Auburn lost to Texas A&M, Georgia, LSU and Ole Miss. The past two Saturdays Auburn has beaten Mississippi State 27-13 and Vanderbilt 31-15. Payton played every snap at quarterback last Saturday at Vanderbilt and all but three snaps against Mississippi State. “It’s been really fun to see the team have success the last couple of weeks.” Jeff says. “It’s been a frustrating year, I think, for everybody. That’s not just the quarterback. I am sure the entire offense has been frustrated, the coaches have been frustrated. I would imagine the defense has been frustrated because they have been playing so well. “I think that’s common when so many new pieces were coming together. Payton wasn’t there for spring. Neither were three of the receivers. A lot of coaches haven’t coached together before. There is a little bit of a feeling out process, and they didn’t have a lot of time to do that. It’s been really, really encouraging to see the last couple of weeks.” Payton’s numbers have not ever been as bad as they have been perceived in some quarters to be. For the season, he has completed 117-of-183 passes, 63.93 percent for 1,269 yards and 10 touchdowns. He has thrown six interceptions. Auburn’s turnaround has coincided with head coach Hugh Freeze’s decision to play more uptempo offense. “Some of the tempo, some of the things they are trying to do that they weren’t doing earlier in the year have helped,” Jeff says. “I think a lot of it is his comfort level with receivers and their comfort level with him. It takes time. It takes thousands of reps. We are really proud of him for a multitude of reasons.” A number not many likely expected is Payton’s 81 carries for 337 yards. He has actually gained 442 yards, but has 105 yards in losses, mostly on sacks. That comes as no surprise to his father. Payton was a draft prospect as a baseball player and a 3-point ace in basketball. “He’s a lot more athletic than people give him credit for,” Jeff says. Jeff could chuckle three days later about the pick-six Payton threw out of his own end zone against Vanderbilt. “I saw the ball kind of float, and I knew he didn’t see the (defender),” Jeff says. But Jeff saw what he’s frequently seen when Payton has met misfortune. “One thing that has always blown me away is his ability to snap back from a bad play like that,” Jeff says, remembering instances at Michigan State. “You have to be able to put it behind you, and he has done that.” Auburn goes on the road to Arkansas Saturday in search of its third consecutive victory. And that’s what Jeff wants most of all. “We really want to finish this year strong,” Jeff says. “It’s going to be a tough game, but if we win it, these last three games with the Iron Bowl are going to be lots of fun.”

saturdaydownsouth.com Hugh Freeze recalls time at Arkansas State, challenge of facing Arkansas on the road Ethan Stone | 17 hours ago 3–4 minutes Hugh Freeze makes his return to the state of Arkansas this Saturday as his Tigers face off against Sam Pittman and the Razorbacks. Freeze never coached at Arkansas, but he was the head coach at Arkansas State in 2011 after a stint as OC. He translated that into a HC gig at Ole Miss and the rest is history. On Wednesday during the SEC’s weekly teleconference, Freeze was asked about his return to Arkansas. Here’s what he had to say: “Great atmosphere. Obviously I still have a lot of friends in Arkansas from time there at Arkansas State, and I’ve always thought a lot of the people of that state, and then gameday there’s always a challenge for sure. My experience there when I was at Ole Miss was not good, but we had some awful weather, both times and then last year at Liberty we caught a beautiful day, which was helpful for sure. Their kids seem to handle the elements there a little better than ours did back in the day. It’s a good place to play, fun place to play and it’s challenging, but that’s why you really sign up for this deal is to experience places like Arkansas. … I think them having very little margin for error, and them playing well last week makes it a lot more difficult on us. And they’ve got a very mature senior quarterback that I think starts with his leadership, and I think a lot of KJ and again, I think Sam has done a really nice job of holding this team together and I know what it’s like to go through the stretch of games he went through. Man, he’s right there in every game and I think they will be extremely motivated to keep their hopes of postseason alive. I think that just adds to the difficulty of our challenge.” Freeze and the Tigers face off against an Arkansas squad that had lost 6 straight games before downing Florida last week in overtime. The Tigers and Razorbacks face off at 4 p.m. on SEC Network Saturday.

si.com Auburn Secures DeAndre Carter’s Commitment, Pushing For Jamonta Waller Brian Smith 3–4 minutes The Auburn Tigers are making an impact with key recruiting targets To close their 2024 recruiting class, the Auburn Tigers are making a strong push. First, it’s helping to secure an area that has long since been plaguing the program. Offensive line troubles date back more than five years for Auburn. That’s why not only landing Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei offensive guard DeAndre Carter in the first place – but also seeing him reaffirm his commitment – should help make Hugh Freeze and his staff feel more at ease. Here’s what Carter has on his X page: It’s not like Texas, Oregon, UCLA, Southern California, and many other schools are going to give up on the 6-foot-4 and 340-pound road grader. He’s a special player and one that could potentially help the Tigers as soon as the 2024 season. Carter is not the only prospect to discuss today either. After seeing Jamonta Waller play live, let me tell you, there’s a good reason that he has a plethora of SEC offers and beyond like LSU, Ole Miss, Alabama, Georgia, Florida State, Penn State, and Tennessee in addition to Auburn and the school he's pledged to, the Florida Gators. A pass rusher with Waller’s unique skills is one thing, but a player who goes all-out play after play is quite another. Waller’s motor is tremendous! Any coach would happily place that young man on his college football program’s roster and do so with a smile. As for Auburn potentially flipping Waller from Florida, there’s a prime development to monitor. Which school, Florida or Auburn, does Waller actually visit down the stretch? When I spoke directly with Waller on Oct. 27, he let me know that the Florida State at Florida game would be the next time he would get to Gainesville, if possible. You can read more about Waller's skills directly below: His Picayune (Miss.) Picayune Memorial team is likely to make a deep playoff run, so traveling is not the easiest thing for him to do on a Saturday. That being the case, Auburn continues to go hard after this young man. If, and it’s a big if, the Tigers can get Waller to the Iron Bowl, that's a good sign for the Tigers. There are several other top Auburn targets that Auburn Daily will be monitoring over the course of the next couple of weeks. Of course, there’s the hope that Phenix City (Ala.) Central wide receiver and current Texas A&M commitment Cameron Coleman will be in attendance for the Iron Bowl. He's been to the Plains already this fall. Plus, there's Birmingham (Ala.) Parker defensive lineman and Alabama commitment Jeremiah Beaman. There's hope that he will be there as well, among other prime targets. The bottom line, Auburn’s Iron Bowl recruiting visitors list should be elite! Stay locked in right here at Auburn Daily for the latest backstories on recruiting. It's going to be fun to follow from here on out.

247sports.com Travis Williams has added motivation in matchup with alma mater Grant Baker 3–4 minutes Arkansas (3-6, 1-5 SEC) hosts Auburn (5-4, 2-4 SEC) this week in a matchup between two teams fighting to secure bowl eligibility. The game will have some added significance for Razorbacks defensive coordinator Travis Williams, who played linebacker for the Tigers from 2001-2005. He also served as a coach for Auburn from 2009-2011 and 2014-2020. Williams has done a remarkable job improving an Arkansas defense that was last in the country in passing yards allowed a year ago. The Razorbacks went from 124th in total defense last season to 40th this year. With his alma mater coming to town, Williams may have more motivation to have another stellar performance. “I haven’t sat down and spoke with him specifically about that because I know, you can tell, he’s majorly motivated to do well,” Arkansas coach Sam Pittman said. “We haven’t talked to the kids about it yet. But it’s like anything. When we played Georgia and I came from Georgia, I wanted to do well. I’m sure that’s what he wants.” Williams’ success at Arkansas and in his previous role as the defensive coordinator at Central Florida has gained him notoriety and respect from his fellow coaches. “I know of Travis and his reputation,” Auburn head coach Hugh Freeze said. “I think he’s an outstanding recruiter, number one. Then you put on the tape and see how hard his kids are playing defensively and that’s a great testament to his leadership.” While Williams made several scheme changes to the Arkansas defense, including relying on more four-man fronts, he has undoubtedly managed to get the most out of his players this season. “Just going out there and putting our best foot forward,” linebacker Chris Paul Jr. said. “If you mess up, go 100%. That’s all he’s looking for, just effort plays, things like that. Always having in the back of your mind why you do the things that you do and why you play the game, why you have so much love for the game and that driving force that keeps you pushing the next play. He’s a very passionate guy about the game, and that type of energy rolls off on the players.” Even if the game has some added importance, the players have no doubt Williams will have the same focus as every other game this season. “[Coach Williams] is a more energetic guy in general,” Paul said. “He’s just emphasizing on going 1-0 this week and playing the Arkansas brand of football.” “Most definitely,” linebacker Jaheim Thomas said. “Just focusing on going 1-0 and bringing that energy and passion every practice and every week so we’re ready for the game.” Kickoff between the Razorbacks and the Tigers Saturday is scheduled for 3 p.m. (CST), and the game will be televised by SEC Network. The Hogs are 2.5-point favorites.

si.com Auburn's red zone defense is the best they've had in half a decade Lance Dawe ~2 minutes The Auburn Tigers are not statistically dominant in a lot of categories this season. At 5-4, it would be difficult to imagine that being true. However, we've already seen progress in a lot of areas on the defensive side of the ball in Ron Roberts' first season on the Plains as defensive coordinator. He's really turned things around when it comes to creating turnovers, something that Auburn was awful at last year and has greatly benefitted an otherwise struggling offensive unit. However, creating turnovers isn't the only thing the Tigers have been good at. According to CFBstats.com, Auburn's red zone defense is currently No. 1 in the SEC. The Tigers allow opponents to score 75% of the time, which is also good for 19th nationally. The defense bends, but has not broken consistently this season. That 75% mark is the best Auburn's defense has boasted since the 2019 season. The one with top ten pick Derrick Brown on it, alongside three other NFL Draft selections. The 2019 defense allowed opponents to score 71.8% of the time. While Auburn hasn't been extremely dominant in a lot of categories this season, it's promising to see numbers like that, proving parts of the staff are off to great starts on the Plains.

auburnwire.usatoday.com Auburn Wire goes 'Behind Enemy Lines' ahead of Auburn's game at Arkansas Taylor Jones 4–5 minutes Auburn looks to extend its winning streak to three games on Saturday when it travels to Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium in Fayetteville to face the Arkansas Razorbacks at 3 p.m. CT on SEC Network. The Tigers will enter the game with confidence after picking up its second victory in a row last Saturday at Vanderbilt. However, the Razorbacks will enter the game on Saturday with positive vibes as well following their upset win over Florida in overtime. Prior to the game in Gainesville, Arkansas fired offensive coordinator Dan Enos and called upon Kenny Guiton to fill the vacant seat. Arkansas defeated Florida behind a balanced attack that ended with 481 total yards. Before the Tigers and Hogs tee it up on Saturday, we sat down with Derek Oxford of Razorbacks Wire to get to know the Razorbacks better. How confident is the team following the win over Florida? How dangerous can Arkansas be with KJ Jefferson and Rocket Sanders at full strength? Is Travis Williams as universally loved in Fayetteville as he is in Auburn? Those questions, and more, are answered in this week’s edition of Behind Enemy Lines. Doug Engle/Gainesville Sun Arkansas earned its first win last Saturday at Florida with Kenny Guiton as the new offensive coordinator. Has the fanbase found a new sense of confidence due to the change? Definitely a feel good moment for the fan base getting the first ever win in Gainesville and the offense actually looking competent after a completely dreadful October offensively. Guiton is the toast of the town this week, but if things regress against Auburn this week, he’ll go from the penthouse to the outhouse quickly. Nelson Chenault-USA TODAY Sports Rocket Sanders also had his first big game of the season after battling injury all season long. How dangerous can this Arkansas offense be with both KJ Jefferson and Rocket Sanders healthy and playing at their highest level? They were both preseason first-team all-SEC for a reason. They’re hard to bring down, and if Arkansas can actually make the opponent respect the run game, then that just opens things up for KJ through the air. Zach Bland/Auburn Tigers Auburn’s defense leads the SEC in created turnovers with 15. How prone is Arkansas’ offense to committing turnovers? Arkansas has been a little more careless with the football this year than they have been in previous years, but KJ (Jefferson) is usually pretty smart with the ball in his hands. Usually his interceptions come on like a Hail Mary at the end of the half or at the end of the game or if he’s just forcing something to try and make a play. The Montgomery Advertiser Last season was a defining game for former Auburn head coach Bryan Harsin, as a loss to Arkansas was officially his last game. What would a loss to Auburn mean for the future of Sam Pittman? It wouldn’t be the death knell to his tenure (a loss to FIU the following week probably would be), but they haven’t won a home game since Kent State on Sept. 9. This Auburn team is formidable but it’s certainly beatable. He needs to win this game to keep the good vibes going and avoid more players wanting out of their commitments or jumping in the transfer portal. Photo: Auburn Athletics Travis Williams is still a beloved figure around the Plains despite being a coordinator for an SEC West rival. What are the vibes around Arkansas surrounding Williams? Fans are in love with Williams and his staff. He’s made the defense do almost a total 180 from a year ago. His energy and enthusiasm is infectious John Reed-USA TODAY Sports What is your score prediction? I’ll go Arkansas 28-24 at home; they take an early lead, let Auburn back in the game and then close it out.

247sports.com Auburn Opponent Preview Arkansas defense Jason Caldwell 3–4 minutes While the numbers might not back it up completely, former Auburn player and assistant coach Travis Williams has the Arkansas defense playing well as the Tigers get ready to face the Razorbacks on Saturday in Fayetteville. Currently 57th nationally in scoring defense, allowing 24.5 points per game, Arkansas has faced one of the toughest schedules in the country with a stretch of BYU, LSU, Texas A&M, Ole Miss, Alabama, Mississippi State and Florida leading into the 3 p.m. kickoff on the SEC Network. With an offense that has been inconsistent at best, leading to the firing of coordinator Dan Enos, the Arkansas defense has kept the team in every game this season with only BYU, LSU and Florida scoring more than 30 points in a game. The leader of the defense for the Razorbacks is redshirt junior linebacker Raheim Thomas. With 79 tackles, 3.5 sacks and 6.5 tackles for a loss, Thomas has been a hugely productive part of the defense for Williams. He’s joined in the starting lineup by Chris Paul Jr. He’s second on the team with 54 tackles with a pair of sacks and 5.5 tackles for a loss. Maybe the key for the Arkansas defense is junior pass rusher Landon Jackson. A monster at 6-7, 281, Jackson leads the team with 5.5 sacks and also has a team-high 11.5 tackles for a loss. On the other end is redshirt senior Trajan Jeffcoat with big men Cam Ball and Eric Gregory in the middle. The front seven is a big reason why Arkansas enters Saturday’s game allowing just 129.4 yards per game on the ground. In the last two weeks, the Razorbacks have allowed just 232 yards rushing. For the year they have given up just seven rushing touchdowns. In the secondary, safeties Jayden Johson and Alfahiym Walcott have been productive for the Razorbacks with 87 combined tackles and two interceptions. The cornerback tandem of Lorando Johnson and Dwight McGlothern have three interceptions and eight pass breakups for a defense that is allowing 210 yards passing per game. This season the defense has eight total interceptions, but five of those came in wins over Western Carolina and Kent State to open the season. Last week, Florida threw for 282 yards and three touchdowns against the Razorbacks in Gainesville. DE 40 Landon Jackson Jr. // 6-7 // 281 6 John Morgan III R-Sr. // 6-2 // 270 58 Jashaud Stewart Sr. // 6-2 // 257 DT 5 Cam Ball R-So. // 6-5 // 319 9 Taurean Carter R-Sr. // 6-3 // 303 93 Keivie Rose R-Sr. // 6-3 // 303 DT 50 Eric Gregory R-Sr. // 6-4 // 318 10 Anthony Booker Jr. R-Sr. // 6-4 // 351 DE 7 Trajan Jeffcoat *R-Sr. // 6-4 // 281 56 Zach Williams *Sr. // 6-4 // 250 LB 27 Chris Paul Jr. R-So. // 6-1 // 233 3 Antonio Grier *R-Sr. // 6-1 // 230 -OR- 22 Brad Spence Fr. // 6-2 // 237 LB 28 Jaheim Thomas R-Jr. // 6-4 // 240 36 Jordan Crook So. // 6-0 // 220 CB 1 Lorando Johnson R-Jr. // 6-0 // 193 2 Dwight McGlothern Sr. // 6-2 // 188 25 Kee’yon Stewart R-Sr. // 6-0 // 185 S 13 Alfahiym Walcott *Sr. // 6-2 // 210 4 Malik Chavis R-Sr. // 6-2 // 194 S 8 Jayden Johnson Jr. // 6-2 // 206 18 TJ Metcalf Fr. // 6-1 // 206 CB 11 Jaylon Braxton Fr. // 6-0 // 185 15 Jaheim Singletary R-Fr. // 6-2 // 187 24 LaDarrius Bishop *R-Sr. // 6-0 // 183 NB 17 Hudson Clark R-Sr. // 6-2 // 188 18 TJ Metcalf Fr. // 6-1 // 206 21 Jaylen Lewis R-Fr. // 6-0 // 182

al.com Auburn’s offense used to lack swagger, but the Tigers have since found it. Here’s how Updated: Nov. 07, 2023, 9:49 a.m.|Published: Nov. 07, 2023, 9:36 a.m. 5–7 minutes Auburn’s first loss of the season came in an ugly showing on the road against Texas A&M. While the Tigers’ offense had struggled two weeks prior against Cal, given all the oddities of that game, folks weren’t in a hurry to hit the panic button of any sorts. But the loss to the Aggies on Sept. 23 forced head coach Hugh Freeze to be honest. “Offensively, we’re searching,” Freeze said that Saturday afternoon in the media room of Texas A&M’s Kyle Field. “And we’ve gotta find answers.” At the time, Auburn’s offense was searching for a lot – a solution to the weird quarterback situation, some kind of rhythm in the passing game, any type of identity as a whole and the list could go on and on. But perhaps more than anything, the Auburn offense was left searching for swagger. On the other side of the football, the Tigers’ defense had swagger. Whether it was in the team’s most vocal leader, Eugene Asante and his “Let’s work!” catchphrase, or it was Auburn’s defensive backs and their “turnover seatbelt”, the Auburn defense carried themselves with confidence. “I think we’ve got to get more swagger on the offensive side,” Freeze said the Monday after the loss to the Aggies. At the time, Freeze said veteran tight end Luke Deal was the Tigers’ leader on the offensive side of the football. Deal, who is in Year 5 in the SEC, has a firm grasp on how things can shake out as the season unfolds. As such, he’s able to maintain a positive attitude. And as important as it is to have those optimistic leaders in a locker room – especially when a team is being faced with adversity – it doesn’t exactly replace having swagger. And Deal agreed. “I think that’s going to be a big deal – just getting our swagger back,” Deal said Sept. 25 as the Tigers looked ahead to their matchup against No. 1 Georgia. And that had to start with the quarterback spot. Ironically, back in August, Deal mentioned the importance of having a quarterback with a bit of bravado. “You always need a quarterback who’s got a little swagger in him,” Deal said. For the longest time, the Tigers were set on using two quarterbacks in a funky rotation between junior Michigan State transfer Payton Thorne and sophomore Robby Ashford. And between the rotation getting in the way of either quarterback getting into a rhythm on Saturdays and neither quarterback being able to feel secure in his role, the Tigers spent much of their season without a quarterback who had a “little swagger in him.” But that quarterback rotation seems to finally have been squashed by Freeze, who has had Thorne take all but two offense snaps through the course of the last two games. “I’d be lying to you if I said it didn’t feel better,” Thorne said Monday afternoon when asked how being Auburn’s main guy under center has helped his confidence. Though Thorne’s growing confidence has been a key component to the Auburn offense’s success, it’s not a one-man show and he can’t be the only one to walk into a stadium with a bit of a prideful strut on any given Saturday. Fortunately for Auburn, that hasn’t been the case. “We played with some confidence and swagger last week, particularly the first half,” Freeze said Monday morning on the heels of Saturday’s 31-15 win over Vanderbilt. The Auburn offense scored in two of its first three drives against Vanderbilt, with both touchdowns coming courtesy of running back Jarquez Hunter ripping off big runs against the Commodores. In the Tigers’ second play from scrimmage, Hunter scored from 67 yards out and then from 56 yards out in Auburn’s third drive. And those kinds of plays certainly help an offense looking to play with a bit more swagger, Thorne says. “Chunk plays, explosives — that gets you rolling and just if you want to look at the physical aspect of it, running down the field and chasing a big play, it gets your juices flowing a little bit,” Thorne said. “Playing with tempo, getting some big catches down the field and obviously Jarquez and the other guys getting some big runs, it definitely builds momentum — builds confidence.” The week prior against Mississippi State, Auburn’s chunk plays on offense were courtesy of the Tigers’ passing game. Thorne connected with Shane Hooks on a 27-yard touchdown in the first quarter, followed by a 45-yard touchdown pass to Ja’Varrius Johnson later in the first frame, helping Auburn put up 14 points in the first quarter. “I don’t think anybody is going to connect on a deep pass and then be sad about it,” Thorne said following Auburn’s win over Mississippi State on Oct. 28. “It gets guys going and helps us gain momentum, which is good.” Those big plays – whether through the air or on the ground – are a big part of his gameplan Freeze says. While obviously having explosive plays have been a long-time predictor of offensive success, seeing how the Auburn offense has responded to them from a psychological perspective has been something Freeze has since considered. “I think the more we are successful in doing that, the more confidence and swagger that our kids will play with,” Freeze said. If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.