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si.com Tracking Auburn’s Payton Thorne: Two Questions Regarding Future Success Brian Smith 2–3 minutes How well will the Auburn quarterback play during the final three games? Sometimes a quarterback just finds a groove. That appears to be the case for Payton Thorne of the Auburn Tigers, as he’s been far more consistent and explosive during the past two games. Here’s how it breaks down. Against Mississippi State and Vanderbilt, Thorne’s passing statistics include going 37 of 53, 69.8%, 424 yards, 8 yards per attempt, 5 touchdowns, and just 1 interception. Those are all good numbers, especially with how Auburn’s passing attack began the 2023 season. That brings up a couple of questions. 1) Is this newfound success a product of Thorne and Auburn players finally feeling comfortable with the scheme that Hugh Freeze is putting in? It’s no secret that new offensive schemes take time. Plus, Thorne did not arrive at AU until the summer, so Hugh Freeze and his staff had to fast-track Thorne's offensive playbook awareness. In short, he’s been playing catch-up. The good news is that it's obvious the learning curve is shortening. It’s also a good bet that he’s now more comfortable – and the Auburn receivers are comfortable with him – now that Thorne has been through nine games. 2) How much more growth can Thorne and the Tigers' passing attack display prior to hosting the Iron Bowl in three weeks? With the green light seemingly coming on with regards to better timing, more confidence with down-the-field passes, and better execution overall, it’s not necessarily about Thorne’s numbers at Arkansas and versus New Mexico State. It’s about critical plays being made that place points on the board for Auburn. Then again, if Thorne is making great plays, i.e. red zone passes being on the money, his passing statistics will rise anyway. As Auburn football continues to improve, keep an eye on Thorne’s production. He’s a big key to the final three regular season games for the Tigers.

al.com Auburn’s Hugh Freeze recaps win over Vanderbilt, previews Arkansas Updated: Nov. 06, 2023, 12:34 p.m.|Published: Nov. 06, 2023, 10:54 a.m. 3–4 minutes Hugh Freeze on Auburn's bowl chances, trip to Arkansas Coming off its second SEC win in a row, Auburn is preparing for a second straight road trip as it heads to Fayetteville, Arkansas to play the Razorbacks in Week 11. Auburn is now 5-4 overall and 2-4 in the SEC. It’s one win away from bowl eligibility after not going to a bowl game last year. Back in Auburn after the Vanderbilt win, head coach Hugh Freeze will address local reporters recapping one of the best offensive performances this season and a dominant defensive day. He’ll also look ahead to the next matchup. Updates will appear below at 11 a.m. when Freeze arrives. - Hugh Freeze opens his press conference by wishing well to the basketball teams getting started this week. Jokes that he isn’t quite jealous of the men’s basketball team going to South Dakota this week. - “They’ve kind of gone back to playing how they did last year on offense,” Hugh Freeze said on Arkansas. Arkansas fired offensive coordinator Dan Enos in October. - “We’re looking to become bowl eligible, that’s big in Year 1,” Freeze said. - “We’ve got to lock in and be a little more focused,” Freeze said of the penalties that led to touchdowns being called back. Said the holding call on Rivaldo Fairweather didn’t have to happen. Needs his team to clean up the penalties. - “I thought we played with some confidence and swagger,” Freeze said. - Freeze discussing his chats with Payton Thorne. Said after their “put up or shut up” chat, Thorne hasn’t pushed for a specific volume of throws, nor does Freeze believe Thorne needs a certain quota. - Freeze said Auburn won’t know until Wednesday or Thursday about Avery Jones’ status. Even if he can play, Connor Lew will still see some time on the field. - Freeze said he’s relied more on Payton Thorne the past two weeks because he’s the most advanced at running the scheme and the gameplan Auburn wants to run. He did not mention Robby Ashford’s role or package in the offense during the answer, but did mention Holden Geriner looking good in practice. - “I thought our linebackers played their best game,” Freeze said. - On Payton Thorne’s pick-6, Freeze said Thorne told him simply that he didn’t see the defender. It happens. So Freeze told him to just go back and play the next play. - Interesting moment from Freeze. He said that Ron Roberts does a masterful job of calling plays. He then said that when he hires someone, he tries to get out of the way and let them do their job until they prove they can’t. But that brings up an interesting read-between-the-lines moment about Philip Montgomery, who Freeze said he is “collaborating” with. 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.

al.com Who is calling plays at Auburn and how much does Hugh Freeze trust Philip Montgomery? Published: Nov. 06, 2023, 2:27 p.m. 3–4 minutes Is Hugh Freeze calling plays at Auburn? The next question seemed a bit obvious. Hugh Freeze had been asked originally about defensive coordinator Ron Roberts, and the job he’s done this season. Freeze is certainly an offensive-minded coach, but with his hires, he said he is looking to leave them some autonomy. “You hire people to do a job and you get out of the way and let them do it until they prove they can or can’t,” Freeze said Monday. “That’s always been my philosophy. I try not to get too in the way.” Do some reading between the lines here and it leaves an immediate question: what about offensive coordinator Philip Montgomery? Earlier in the press conference, Freeze had been asked about who is calling plays for Auburn at this point. This question has been asked throughout the season in an attempt to determine how much involvement Freeze actually has with running the offense. And as the season has gone on, Freeze has appeared to have more involvement in the offense. He said Monday that he’s “very involved.” But based on his remark on how he treats his assistants while talking about Roberts, it raises the question of how much autonomy Montgomery has at this point given that Freeze has not let him do his job. So Freeze was asked if his comment on Roberts also applies to Montgomery. “You play to your strengths, but yeah, you hire people and you hope that — you’re not always right,” Freeze said. “I don’t know that I’ve ever totally been right on every single hire that I’ve ever made. You evaluate that every single year, but I think to this point, I’m pretty pleased. We’ve got good men in the building, and I want folks that can drive our culture, for sure. I think I’ve got to play to my strengths, too, and I think that’s something I’m still figuring out, exactly what that looks like.” Freeze hired Montgomery quickly after he had been fired as the head coach at Tulsa for the sole purpose of calling plays. In July, Freeze said he no longer is the elite playcaller he felt he once was. So he brought in Montgomery to change his offensive terminology and free himself to focus on recruiting and other aspects of building this program. It didn’t work out. Auburn’s offense struggled mightily to open the season and by the Georgia game on Sept. 30, Freeze said he wasn’t able to recruit as much as he would have liked on a weekend with a significant number of high-ranked players on campus. That was because he had to spend more time being involved with the offense. It appears Freeze has maintained involvement since, and over the last two weeks, Freeze’s offense has had its two best performances against Power 5 opponents this season. Freeze has expressed trust in Montgomery and has expressed that he is still calling plays. It’s a collaboration, Freeze said. Matt Cohen covers Auburn sports for AL.com. You can follow him on X at @Matt_Cohen_ or email him at mcohen@al.com

#PMARSHONAU: Monday reflections from Auburn and beyond A day late: This week only, Sunday reflections are replaced by Monday reflections Same song, fourth verse in Auburn victory at Vanderbilt Some fret that Auburn should have beaten beate Vanderbilt worse Vanderbilt worse in Nashville, but here is the truth: Saturday’s 31-15 victory followed a similar script to Vanderbilt’s other SEC games at home. Kentucky, Georgia and Missouri each won by 17 points at FirstBank Stadium. Vanderbilt’s 15 points against Auburn was its lowest point total in any of those games, and seven of those were scored by the defense. Here they are: Kentucky 45-28 Vanderbilt 328 yards Kentucky 365 yards Missouri 38-21 Vanderbilt 200 yards Missouri 532 yards Georgia 37-20 Vanderbilt 219 yards Georgia 552 yards * Vandy scored two touchdowns in the fourth quarter to cut Georgia’s lead to 30-20 and missed a field goal that would have made it closer. Auburn 31 -15 Auburn 462 yards Vanderbilt 266 yards Thorne rebounds from bad play One of the more impressive parts of Auburn’s victory was how quarterback Payton Thorne rebounded from a terrible pass that was intercepted and returned five yards for a Vanderbilt touchdown. He had a good day and would have had a great one had two would-be touchdown passes that should have been caught weren’t. Auburn fans take over FirstBank Stadium It must be a strange feeling to play or coach at Vanderbilt. Saturday’s game was more like an Auburn home game than a Vanderbilt home game. Blue and orange was the color of the day as Auburn fans significantly outnumbered Vanderbilt fans at FirstBank Stadium. The thing is that’s nothing new. Over the years, I have covered Auburn and Alabama games at Vanderbilt, and Vanderbilt fans have always been outnumbered. USC’s woeful defense on display again Finally, after a 52-42 loss to Washington at the Los Angeles Coliseum, USC coach Lincoln Riley had no choice. Defensive coordinator Alex Grinch, his friend who followed him to USC from Oklahoma, had to go. The Trojans have been staggeringly bad on defense, giving up 41, 41, 48, 34, 49 and 52 points in their last six games. Alabama in full control of West Division The SEC West Division race isn’t mathematically over, but it’s close. Alabama will win it unless it loses to Kentucky and Auburn and Ole Miss wins out, including in a game at Georgia next Saturday. Georgia needs only to beat Ole Miss or Tennessee to lock up the East Division championship. A challenging road test for Auburn It’s difficult to know what to expect when Auburn goes to Arkansas next Saturday. The Razorbacks broke a six-game losing streak with an 39-36 overtime win at Florida. In that losing streak, the Razorbacks lost by 3 at LSU, 3 at Alabama and 7 at Ole Miss. They also played a dreadful game against Mississippi State and lost 7-3 at home. That led head coach Sam Pittman to fire offensive coordinator Dan Enos and turn play-calling over to wide receivers coach Kenny Guiton Auburn goes into the game with some momentum. It also has an advantage Florida didn’t have. It has now seen the new Arkansas offensive approach. Auburn has won on four of its last five trips to Arkansas. It should be interesting. Napier in danger of another losing season Speaking of Florida, Billy Napier is in serious danger of having a second consecutive losing season in his second season as Florida head coach. The Gators have lost two straight. Their last three games are at LSU, at Missouri and against Florida State at home. I’ve heard no talk of Napier’s job being in danger, but if they have another losing record, the grumbling will get very loud. The strange reality for Jimbo Fisher, Texas A&M I don’t know how Texas A&M could have all those 5-star recruits and have lost nine straight road games and won just four of its 14 games against Power 5 opponents. It doesn’t make sense, but you come to expect it. The addition of Bobby Petrino as offensive coordinator has made no difference. The Aggies often come close to winning big games, but they rarely do it. Fisher’s post-game press conferences are usually explanations that coaches made good calls, but they weren’t executed. Fisher’s $70 million buyout would make firing him at least uncomfortable, but at the least, he needs to undertake a thorough and honest evaluation of his program. Something is wrong, and that is not even open to debate. LSU falls out of contention After scoring in the final seconds of the first half and on the first series of the third quarter, LSU seemed to have Alabama on the ropes with a 28-21 lead. But led by quarterback Jalen Milroe, Alabama scored three unanswered touchdowns and won 42-28 at Bryant-Denny Stadium. LSU’s defense had seemed to be improving, but injuries in the secondary left three true freshmen in the starting lineup. Alabama took advantage. LSU, which won great praise for losing four games but winning the SEC West last season, has now lost three this season and has no real shot of a return trip to Atlanta. Quarterback Jayden Daniels was injured in the fourth quarter after Alabama went ahead 42-28. Could he have made a difference. Maybe, but Alabama seemed to be in full control by then. You have to give Alabama credit. The Tide looked nothing like a championship contender early in the season. Milroe made big plays, but he made more mistakes. He has improved dramatically, and so has Alabama. A very strange decision I wonder if some of the realities of the college game have escaped Deion Sanders. Trailing Oregon State 7-3 on Saturday, Colorado was backed up near its own goal line with 52 seconds left. The logical decision was to run it three times, make Oregon State use all its timeouts and use up most if not all the clock. Instead the Buffaloes threw three passes, did not make a first down and had to punt. The Beavers raced down the field and scored a touchdown to go up 14-3 at halftime. To the credit of Colorado players, they fought back in the second half before losing 26-19. That ill-fated sequence before halftime turned out to be the difference in the game. Colorado has lost five of its last six games to fall to 4-5. Yet, announcers and columnists continue to write that he has defied expectations after the Buffaloes were 1-11 last season. Is it really defying expectations for a team that goes 1-11 one season to win four game the next season? If it is, where is flood of platitudes for Northwestern and interim coach David Braun who has done the same thing? To become bowl eligible, the Buffaloes would have to win two of their last three games – Arizona at home, at Washington State and at Utah. That is not going to happen. Until next time …

247sports.com Exit Survey Parting thoughts on Auburns win at Vanderbilt Nathan King 14–18 minutes Dive in for our plays of the game, helmet stickers, areas of concern and exiting analysis on the win at FirstBank Stadium It wasn't a perfect evening in Nashville for the Tigers, but Auburn scored two quick touchdowns in the first quarter, then two more at the start of the third quarter to maintain a comfortable advantage over a reeling Vanderbilt team and ultimately come away with the 31-15 win — which marks Auburn's first SEC road win since October 2021. Two of our football reporters — Jason Caldwell and Nathan King — took another look at Auburn's win over the Commodores with some superlatives and final thoughts from the game in the Week 10 edition of the Auburn Undercover Exit Survey. Dive in for our plays of the game, helmet stickers, areas of concern and exiting analysis on the win at FirstBank Stadium — and what our observations could mean for the Tigers moving forward into their final three-game stretch, where it appears they've all but locked up a return to bowl eligibility. PLAY OF THE GAME (OFFENSE) Jason: "It was probably a play that gets overlooked by many. In the third quarter and leading 24-7, Auburn faced a third and five on its own 41. Payton Thorne hit Ja'Varrius Johnson for 39 yards and Jeremiah Cobb would later finish it off with the touchdown. Those are the types of plays this offense has to execute to win on the road." Nathan: "On a third-and-4 before halftime, Thorne loaded up and delivered a strike to Jay Fair down the sideline, which the sophomore rose up to secure at the 3-yard line. The ensuing penalty on first-and-goal pushed Auburn back, and Alex McPherson eventually had to be trotted out for a field goal anyway, but that throw to put Auburn in position to score a touchdown before the half underscored Thorne's short memory in this game, and showed just how precise he was in terms of placing the ball downfield. Auburn's 10 points on its pre- and post-halftime drives were big in terms of regenerating a comfortable advantage over the Commodores." PLAY OF THE GAME (DEFENSE) Jason: "We have talked about the lack of pressure from Auburn’s defense, but Marcus Harris and Cam Riley sacked Vanderbilt QB Ken Seals on first down and goal from the 10 yard line in the fourth quarter for a huge play in the game. The 11-yard loss put the Commodores behind the chains and they would eventually turn it over on down. A score there and it could have been a one possession game. The sack was huge." Nathan: "Vanderbilt had a chance to bring the game to one possession with a nine-minute drive in the fourth quarter. After a sack pushed the Commodores back from a first-and-goal the 10-yard line, the play call to throw a jump ball to star receiver Will Sheppard on third down seemed to be a good one. But D.J. James, who was stellar in all areas Saturday, made a great play in the air and won the battle against Sheppard to force a fourth down, which Vanderbilt did not end up converting." HELMET STICKER (OFFENSE) Jason: "I’m going with Jarquez Hunter for his performance in the win over the Commodores. With 19 carries for 183 yards and two touchdowns, Hunter showed another gear in two long runs and a third that was called back." Nathan: "It has to be Hunter, who's now to a whopping 418 yards and four touchdowns over his past three games. Hugh Freeze said as much postgame: This is the most patient and explosive Hunter has looked all season, and his resurgence late in the season will be key for a team looking to squeeze seven wins out of this schedule. Don't look now, but the junior only needs 364 yards over the next four games — including a bowl — to rush for 1,000 yards this season." HELMET STICKER (DEFENSE) Jason: "Auburn cornerback D.J. James was all over the field with seven tackles, two pass breakups, and one huge tackle on a screen pass that could have gone for big yardage. James once again showed why he’s one of the top corners in the country." Nathan: "James was assigned to defend Sheppard in a matchup of future NFL players, and James absolutely won that battle. Sheppard was targeted five times in the game while covered by James, and only caught two passes for nine yards. That's not to mention James' pair of pass breakups and a huge open-field tackle on a Vanderbilt screen pass that looked to be set up for a huge gain." HELMET STICKER (SPECIAL TEAMS) Jason: "Oscar Chapman had another strong day for the Tigers punting the football, averaging 45.4 yards per attempt on seven punts. He also helicoptered several punts, two of which were fumbled and could have been momentum changing plays for Auburn." Nathan: "Chapman does it again, with a 45.4-yard average on the game and four punts that were pinned inside Vanderbilt's 20-yard line. The Tigers were a suspect penalty and a near-recovery away from getting two turnovers off punts, too, after Sheppard had two muffs in the first half." WHERE AUBURN TOOK A STEP FORWARD Jason: "The pass rush and overall play of the defense was a strength against the Commodores. The only real drive of the game came with Auburn’s second secondary group on the field until the final play. Another big step for Ron Roberts’ group." Nathan: "The competition level needs to be noted, but the string of eight straight punts by Vanderbilt — excluding the one-play drive right before halftime — was probably the most dominant Auburn's defense has looked since the Cal game. No has had more tackles for loss against the Commodores this season than Auburn's seven, snd the Tigers were routinely in the right place on all three levels of the defense. I'm not sure if this group is necessarily better after Saturday as much as they proved how well they've been executing all season." WHERE AUBURN TOOK A STEP BACK Jason: "Catching the football. The Tigers had at least half a dozen opportunities to make plays in the passing game and failed to deliver. Probably four of those were just straight drops and a few more were balls that should have been caught. They were able to overcome those against Vandy, but that won’t work this week at Arkansas." Nathan: "Auburn has still yet to take its offense on the road and play even a somewhat clean game this season — considering the pick-six, near-interception, mass of penalties and drops in this game, plus all the errors that led to poor offensive showings at Cal, Texas A&M and LSU. As Freeze said postgame, Vanderbilt wasn't a team that was capable of taking advantage of all those mistakes, and Auburn was still able to win by double digits on the road. But Arkansas — and certainly Alabama — will not be as forgiving." BIGGEST SURPRISE? Jason: "It was probably the play of Zykeivous Walker. A guy that was highly recruited, Walker hadn’t been the guy the Tigers hoped for up until this point. If he can do what he did on Saturday consistently, this team could take on a much different look down the stretch." Nathan: "This is an Auburn offense that only had four drops total over its previous three games, and its previous season high was only three. It had five, maybe six against Vanderbilt, and that wasn't an issue Freeze has come to expect from an already inconsistent group. The drops underscore the fact that Auburn will likely finish out the season without ever getting any extended, consistent play from its receiving corps, and that will be at least a minor surprise to me." Did this outcome affect your thoughts on this Auburn team? Jason: "Not really. This is an Auburn team I thought would have a chance to be 7-5 and maybe 8-4 if things fell right. To get to seven it’s going to take a win over Arkansas on Saturday. That’s something very possible for this team." Nathan: "This matchup honestly went about as expected. The offensive hiccups have been there all season in road games, but Vanderbilt's dreadful defense — combined with the Tigers' increased execution and confidence from the Mississippi State win — was able to give way to some explosive moments for Hunter, Thorne and others. Against a backup quarterback and no semblance of a rushing attack, Auburn's defense feasted and played to the standard it's set for itself since the beginning of the season. Now comes another swing game: If Cal was the game that kept Auburn from a deep hole early in the year, record-wise, and Mississippi State likely punched the bowl ticket, Arkansas will probably decide whether this team wins seven games in the regular season. Sure, the Tigers can always win the Iron Bowl at home, but beating a severely inconsistent Arkansas team is the more likely outcome right now. Auburn will probably have to play its best road game of the season to do so."

auburntigers.com Auburn football notebook: 'Felt like a home game' Auburn University Athletics 8–10 minutes NASHVILLE, Tenn. – A casual viewer watching Saturday's SEC Network broadcast would have logically concluded that the home team's primary color was orange. How else to account for the vast sea of orange on the east side of FirstBank Stadium during Auburn's 31-15 victory over Vanderbilt? Auburn fans comprised the majority of the 28,500 attendees, bringing a noticeable flavor of Jordan-Hare Stadium to the Music City. "We have the best fans," said freshman center Connor Lew. "I don't think anybody can doubt that them being here definitely helped us in a lot of aspects of the game." 'That made us happy': Auburn players appreciated the strong show of support in Nashville "It felt like a home game," said Zykeivous Walker, whose career-high five tackles included a sack and two tackles for loss. "The Auburn family, they show up every week, they show out. We're so thankful for the Auburn family. We're going to continue to do our best to make them proud." "I heard we were going to have a lot of fans here but I didn't think it was going to be like that," safety Jaylin Simpson said. "It was orange on both sides. Our side was filled up and there was orange on their side. That was crazy. Our fans are great. Our fans showed out and that definitely played a big part. That made us happy." Pritchett's pick When Nehemiah Pritchett ended Vanderbilt's last possession with an interception, he extended Auburn's streak of forcing a turnover to 18 consecutive games, tying the longest takeaway streak since 2007-8. "We have an incredible back end," said Simpson, whose defense held Vanderbilt to one offensive touchdown and 266 yards, 79 of which came on the Commodores' second-to-last possession which ended with Auburn's fourth-down stop. "We feel like we're the best in the SEC. Pritchett's pick was Auburn's 11th of the season, tied for the SEC lead, and a league-best 15th forced turnover. "We've got one more," Simpson said. Keionte (Scott) has to get a pick, then that's the whole starting backfield." Up next The Tigers will try to win a third straight SEC game and earn back-to-back road victories this Saturday at Arkansas at 3 p.m. CT. The Razorbacks earned their first SEC victory Saturday, winning 39-36 at Florida. "They're a great team, they've got a great running back," said linebacker Eugene Asante, who made five tackles including a sack against Vanderbilt. "We understand what K.J. Jefferson is in terms of his ability running and passing. He's a great football player, super strong, resilient and tough. We're looking forward to the challenge of going to Arkansas." Jeff Shearer is a Senior Writer at AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on Twitter: @jeff_shearer Players Mentioned #9 Eugene Asante LB 6' 1" Junior Liberal Arts #1 Nehemiah Pritchett CB 6' 1" Senior Liberal Arts #36 Jaylin Simpson S 6' 1" Senior Business #91 Zykeivous Walker DL 6' 4" Junior Liberal Arts #75 Connor Lew OL 6' 3" Freshman Liberal Arts #1 Payton Thorne QB 6' 2" Junior Education

si.com Hugh Freeze on playing only Payton Thorne: 'this is what we're going to offensively' Lance Dawe ~2 minutes The Tigers have finally seemed to settle on one quarterback for the majority of their snaps as the season winds down. Auburn's quarterback rotation has been confusing and lacked success for most of the season. The Tigers swapped out QBs Payton Thorne and Robby Ashford back and forth during drives seemingly at random during important drives across games up until two weeks ago. Thorne played almost every snap of the Mississippi State and played excellent. He took every snap against Vanderbilt and outside of a really bad pick six also played well. Could Auburn be turning things around on the offensive side of the ball with just one QB to manage? Freeze was asked about the gameplan and whether or not Auburn set out with the intention of just playing one quarterback, or if it came naturally with the flow of the last two contests. "It was more 'this is what we're going to offensively,' and I believe Payton's skillsets are the most prepared for what we're doing," Freeze said. "It's not a negative toward anybody else, I think when you talk about playing with tempo, setting our protections, throwing accuracy with footballs, and understanding coverages, I think he's the farthest along in that. I think Holden (Geriner) had one heck of a week last week, and he can really spin it. He's probably one that... I think he's got a bright future."

saturdaydownsouth.com Hugh Freeze reacts to Arkansas’ new OC, difficulty in preparation Andrew Peters | 15 hours ago 2–3 minutes Hugh Freeze has a unique challenge against Arkansas on Saturday. The Razorbacks recently fired offensive coordinator Dan Enos, which makes the task of preparing for Arkansas a lot more difficult. Auburn had been preparing for Enos’ offense, but now it will have to prepare for Kennt Guiton’s offense, which put up 39 points against Florida last week. Freeze recognizes that it is a completely different challenge now that Arkansas has a new offense to prepare for. “I think it’s pretty clear they were frustrated with what they were doing and I think it’s a pretty stark difference,” Freeze said in his press conference Monday. “The guy who’s calling it now whose background is with the former offensive coordinator, I think it’s a pretty good bet that you can throw a lot of the film out, unless you’re just looking at personnel and we probably need to pull a few games from last year is my opinion, to go with that they did at Florida.” Auburn is looking for a win that would make the Tigers bowl eligible, but it’s going to be a challenge. With a new offensive coordinator at the helm, Arkansas seems recharged and is looking for a big win on Saturday.

247sports.com Big plays building confidence for Auburn offense Jason Caldwell 10–13 minutes Auburn's offense has created more big plays in the last two games. AUBURN, Alabama—The search for big plays is always the goal for any offense, but it had been a struggle for the Auburn offense through the first eight games of the 2023 season with just three plays of over 50 yards. That all changed on Saturday with running back Jarquez Hunter scoring touchdowns from 67 and 56 yards and Rivaldo Fairweather adding a 53-yard touchdown reception from Payton Thorne. The Tigers now find themselves tied for 32nd nationally with six plays of over 50 yards this season. It has been a goal for the offense and coach Hugh Freeze said it was good to finally see those things happen. “We played with some confidence and swagger last week, particularly the first half,” Freeze said of the play of the offense. “And then, you know, got off to a fast start and was really optimistic about some of the... I really, really feel good about our ... I work hard at explosive plays and the possibilities of those and really felt good about our chances at having some explosive plays and we should have. We did have. We had some but it should have been more. And I think the more we are successful in doing that, the more confidence and swagger that our kids will play with it.” Hunter also had a 50-yard run against Mississippi State last week, meaning four of the six big plays have come in the last two games. It’s not a coincidence that success has come with Thorne settling in as the every-down quarterback and the Tigers using more tempo. “Well it was this is what we're going to do offensively and I believe Payton's skillsets are the most prepared for what we're doing,” Freeze said of going with Thorne as the guy. “It's not a negative towards anybody else, I think he's — you talk about playing with tempo, setting our protections, throwing accuracy with footballs and understanding coverages, I think that he's the farthest along in that.” That has shown up on the field with Thorne completing 37-53 passes for 424 yards and five touchdowns with one interception in the last two games. That efficiency throwing the ball is great, but it’s making plays down the field that has been the difference in the offense. In two weeks, Auburn’s offense has 11 plays in the passing game of 14 yards or more. Those are the types of plays that move the chains and create more and more opportunities. “One of the key areas of a game for an offense is explosives,” Thorne said. “It’s not easy to move the ball down the field five yards at a time. A five-yard play is a good play, but when you get that chunk play of 40, 50, 60 yards, it helps a ton. Just doing our best to continue to get those. It helps swing momentum in games. It helps you as an offense to put points on the board.” In addition to making it easier to score, Thorne said those are the types of plays that bring just what Freeze is looking for. Chunk plays bring swagger and for the first time this season the Auburn offense has a little bit of that after back-to-back wins. “Chunk plays, like you said, 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. “I'm sure there's some psychological research to be done there or something like that, but building on what we've been doing and getting back to some of the things that we were maybe more familiar with, I guess, I don't know. “It is the first year we can't say that we have something to fall back on because we're setting the foundation still. But yeah, 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.” In His Own Words: Pearl previews marquee opener vs. No. 20 Baylor "People ask me, why’d you take the game, why go out to South Dakota? It’s real simple: just to try to stay relevant in the world of college basketball, which is harder and harder to do now." One of the best games of college basketball's opening week involves Bruce Pearl's 10th Auburn team, as the Tigers are the only SEC program to open their 2023-24 campaign against a top-25 team. Auburn heads to Sioux Falls, South Dakota, to face No. 20 Baylor in the program's first season opener against a power program since losing to Michigan State in 1989. Less than an hour before the Tigers hopped on their plane Monday, Pearl previewed the marquee matchup. Here's everything he had to say. Tipping off in South Dakota ... "We’re excited about getting the season started. Auburn is the only team in the SEC that will open up against a top 25 opponent. And we’re going to try to make history tomorrow night as we’ve never beaten a top 25 team in an opener. People ask me, why’d you take the game, why go out to South Dakota? It’s real simple: just to try to stay relevant in the world of college basketball, which is harder and harder to do now. "Baylor is a preseason top 20 team. We’re not. Baylor has three guys that have been selected to various forms of like all-Big 12 stuff, and we have one in Johni Broome. Ja’Kobe Walter is the preseason freshman of the year. Really good team, really well coached. Scott Drew and the job he’s done at Baylor arguably is as good a job as has been done in college basketball considering what he inherited and where they’re at right now. I think in 16 years, I think he’s been to 11 tournaments. They’ve been really good, really consistent. "The biggest challenge right now is we have no tape on them. We got no eyes on them from the standpoint of they had two private exhibitions and had agreements not to exchange film. We’re basically basing what we saw off of what they’ve done historically. So that will be an interesting challenge early in that game to see how they’re playing differently. We’re excited about getting started." Will Holloway and Broome play? ... "Yep. I think both Aden and Johni will be able to play tomorrow." Where have you improved the most this preseason? ... "Again, it'll be really hard to duplicate Baylor's athleticism. They are historically one of the top 20 rebounding teams in the country, one of the top 10 offensive rebounding teams in the country. They will fly to the boards, they're athletic, they're big, they're physical. Our greatest challenge will be keeping them off the boards. I think from our standpoint, I'd say our halfcourt offensive execution has been pretty good for early in the season. We've shot the ball pretty well. Now, the quality of opponent is about to step up in a huge way. Then our challenge will continue to be defense and rebounding, and we'll kind of see what that looks like. That's what I would anticipate our two biggest challenges being." Did you hold anything back against AUM? ... "I was anticipating that we'd get one of their games, and they'd get one of our games. After today, everybody will have a game. They didn't want to do it, so we obviously didn't do it. There is an exchange policy that encourages you to do it, but it's not an NCAA rule. So we're good with it. It does mean both teams go in with, really, very little scouting ability." What do you want to learn from your team? ... "That's a great point, and it's one of the things I keep talking to our team about — we're going to get exposed. I would have loved to have gotten more exposed in a couple of our preseason opportunities. What I mean by exposed is: What aren't we very good at? What are we going to struggle with? My anticipation would be physicality, rebounding, some other things I don't want to give Baylor too much of an advanced scout. But where do we go from here? In other words, great opportunity to play a team in the top 25. We're not (in the top 25), and so, can we get ourselves in there with a win? That'd be a tremendous way to start the season." "We've got so many quality opponents in the preseason that a week from now, we play Notre Dame in New York, in Brooklyn. It's here. And so, how quickly can we adjust? I told the guys I wanted them — I really wanted them — to remain positive with each other, because we have so much teaching to do with so many new guys. Again, we've got to kind of throw it out there and know they're going to be in the heat of battle and just see how they react. Hey, I hope it brings out the best in them. For some, there will be challenges in knowing what we do and why we do it. And late-game situations; we could have some late-game, close-game situations, I hope, either offensively or defensively. How do we handle those situations? How are we able to execute? That's what I've talked to the guys about, and I think they're prepared for that. And again, I want them to stay really positive with each other, because I'll be on their asses enough for everybody." Extra time off beneficial after the exhibition? ... "I thought the two days off on Saturday and Sunday — actually, it was Friday. Thursday and Friday. They had Thursday and Friday off — were good. We went pretty hard Saturday and Sunday in preparation. It was one more day than normal. I think it was fresh. It did let Aden and Johni have an extra day of rehab and recovery, and then they were both able to go yesterday." How to expect the team to gel early on? ... "They get along. They've done a good job pushing each other, done a good job teaching each other, and it's been one of the harder working teams I've had. It's been a team that's gotten along so well, but we've had no adversity yet. Just haven't, so obviously (we) don't really know. I think they — I definitely think they're prepared. We've got good leaders in the locker room. We've got guys who have been there and done that. They've just not played together much. Let's just say they've played two games together so far. Now Baylor's got a lot of new guys, too. They've got some core guys back, like we do, but they've got new pieces and they've got good new pieces. So I think both teams are going to learn a lot." Aden Holloway in his first game ... "It’s probably the toughest first game will game for be for Aden. This will be his first game. He didn’t play in the first two exhibition games. Well he did, but he played two minutes (in the private scrimmage). This is going to be the — you talk about putting him in a tough spot. But look, he’s born to be in a tough spot. This is what he relishes. He’s excited about playing and his teammates are excited about having him be out there." Games like this help for recruiting? ... "We would like to try to sign one or two high school guys in the fall, if we can. If we do, that’ll be great. I think that with the transfer portal and things like that, you’re not going to see more than a couple of high school guys early, ever, just because how important it is to still get old and stay old if you can. I think this roster still could. It’ll be quality, hopefully, but it won’t be quantity."

what is hands down the best bowl game you guys have ever been to?i have never been to one.

al.com 5 Auburn men’s basketball games to have circled on the calendar in 2023-24 Updated: Nov. 03, 2023, 8:34 a.m.|Published: Nov. 03, 2023, 7:50 a.m. 7–9 minutes After giving fans a quick taste during Wednesday night’s exhibition game against Auburn-Montgomery, the next time Bruce Pearl and the Auburn men’s basketball team take the floor, they’ll be doing it for real. And as the Tigers look to return to the NCAA Tournament and get more out of their time than a second-round exit, it won’t come easy. Between a brutal nonconference slate and competing through another well-rounded-looking year in the SEC, Auburn will be tested in the regular season – from start to finish. The Tigers are set to play 31 regular season games. Of those, here are five matchups that have the prospect of helping define Auburn’s 2023-24 season – the 10th under Pearl. Nov. 7 vs. Baylor (Sioux Falls, S.D.) Auburn wastes no time seeing a postseason-caliber opponent as the Tigers travel to Sioux Falls, S.D. for a neutral site matchup with the Baylor Bears, who were ranked 20th in the preseason AP poll, in the first regular season game of the 2023-24 season. When Auburn sees Baylor at the Sanford Pentagon on Nov. 7, the Tigers will be seeing the first of four non-conference opponents who reached the NCAA Tournament last season. Baylor went on to advance into the second round as a No. 3 seed before being eliminated by Creighton. However, this Baylor team is slated to look much different as it looks to replace all three of its starting guards from last season and five other roster members. While the Bears return just 32% of their scoring from last season, they added a lot of young talent in freshmen guards Miro Little and Ja’Kobe Walter. The addition of Toledo transfer RayJ Dennis should also bolster the Bears as Dennis averaged 19.5 points per game and was the MAC Player of the Year. Baylor also returns the production of forward Jalen Bridges, who led the Bears’ front court in 2022-23 averaging 10.3 points per game and leading the team in rebounds with 192. Auburn’s matchup with Baylor likely won’t have much postseason implication, but it’ll serve as a great measuring stick to see how the Tigers stack up against a team that also appeared in the NCAA Tournament last March. Dec. 17 vs. USC (Auburn) When Auburn hosts the University of Southern California on Dec. 17, it’ll be as first as the Trojans have never visited The Plains. That said, the matchup presents another opportunity for a “first” as Auburn’s men’s basketball team has yet to notch a win against USC, despite the programs meeting three times since 1972. The Trojans, who ranked No. 21 in the preseason AP poll, last beat the Tigers 74-71 in Los Angeles last December. USC returns its leading scorer in guard Boogie Ellis, who averaged 17.7 points per game, while also retaining Kobe Johnson (9.2 ppg, 5.0 rpg) and Joshua Morgan (7.0 ppg, 5.2 rpg, 63 blocks). All the while, the Trojans also added a marquee recruiting class, which featured the addition of Isaiah Collier and Bronny James – a 5-star and 4-star guard, respectively. USC also added an experienced forward in DJ Rodman, who joined the Trojans by way of Washington State, where he averaged 9.6 points per game. Like Baylor, USC is looking to build on a 2022-23 season that saw it punch a ticket to the NCAA Tournament. The tenth-seeded Trojans went on to make a first-round exit after falling to No. 7 Michigan State. USC’s pre-Christmas visit to Auburn presents itself as another opportunity for the Tigers to go toe-to-toe with another preseason top 25 team that has its sights set on another NCAA Tournament berth. Jan. 24 and Feb. 7 vs. Alabama (Tuscaloosa and Auburn) While this one kinda speaks for itself as the Iron Bowl of winter sports season, the fact that Alabama ended up being a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament and reaching the Sweet 16 after beating Auburn twice in the regular season and winning the SEC last year just throws gasoline on a fire that’s always burning. For the Crimson Tide, which ranked No. 24 in the preseason AP poll, this coming season is looking like it will be widely less eventful as it doesn’t have star freshman and eventual No. 2 overall draft pick in the NBA Draft, Brandon Miller, to bank on – controversy and all. While the loss of Miller is the most notable as he led the team in scoring with 18.8 points per game, the Crimson Tide lose an enormous bulk of their production as it only returns three scholarship players from last year’s roster. Fortunately for Alabama, one of those guys is Mark Sears, who was the team’s second-leading scorer in 2022-23. Having lost so much by way of the NBA Draft, graduation and the transfer portal, Alabama head coach Nate Oats dipped into the portal himself and came away with four-man transfer class which is led by big man Grant Nelson from North Dakota State and guard Aaron Estrada from Hofstra. Nelson finished last season just shy of a double-double average with 17.9 points per game and 9.3 rebounds per game, while Estrada averaged 20.2 points last season. And while Auburn’s matchup always means a lot within the confined of the Yellowhammer State, the two-game series is bound have SEC seeding implications, too – especially that Feb. 7th matchup, which fortunately for Auburn, is set to be played in Neville Arena. Feb. 28 at Tennessee (Knoxville) Boasting a No. 9 preseason ranking in the preseason AP poll, the Tennessee Volunteers currently stand as Auburn’s highest-ranked opponent on the regular season slate. Tennessee is coming off a 2022-23 season which saw it secure a No. 4 seed in the NCAA Tournament and advance to the Sweet 16. And after finishing fourth in the SEC last season, the Volunteers were picked as the favorite to win the conference this year by media members at SEC Media Days last month. Why’s everyone buying stock in Rick Barnes and Tennessee? It starts with the fact that the Vols retained a ton of production as they return three of their top four leading scorers, led by veteran guard Santiago Vescovi, who averaged 12.5 points per game last season. Meanwhile, returning guys like Zakai Zeigler (10.7 ppg) and Josiah-Jordan James (10 ppg) also helps. Losing Olivier Nkamhoua to Michigan via the transfer portal was the biggest hit to Tennessee’s roster coming into this season as Nkamhoua averaged 10.8 points per game in 2022-23. The fact that Tennessee’s leading scorer averaged just 12.5 points per game last season tells the story of last year’s squad in Knoxville. The Vols weren’t known for their high-octane offense, but rather their stingy defense. Tennessee gave up an average of just 57.9 points per game last fall, ranking as the third-best defense in the nation. In a bid to help with its scoring slump, Tennessee dipped into the transfer portal and plucked out Dalton Knecht, a senior guard out of Northern Colorado who averaged 20.2 points per game and 7.2 rebounds per game. And while this matchup stands alone as an intriguing one with the prospect of Auburn’s high-powered offense going toe to toe with Tennessee’s stiff defense, the timing of it is huge as Pearl and the Tigers will be tasked with visiting Thompson-Boling Arena in Knoxville just two weeks before the SEC Tournament in Nashville. If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. 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auburntigers.com Auburn defeats Louisiana Tech in seven-inning doubleheader Auburn University Athletics 9–12 minutes BILOXI, Miss. – Auburn baseball wrapped up its fall exhibition schedule with a seven-inning doubleheader sweep of Louisiana Tech Saturday in Biloxi, Mississippi. The Tigers defeated the Bulldogs 5-0 in game one at MGM Park before posting a similar win of 5-1 in game two. Auburn pitchers allowed just one run on four hits and struck out 17 batters while issuing just two walks in 14.0 innings. Offensively, the Tigers tallied seven extra-base hits, including five home runs that accounted for six of the team's 10 runs. GAME ONE After Chase Allsup worked a clean first inning with a pair of strikeouts, Cooper Weiss got the scoring started with a solo home run to left field on the sixth offering from Louisiana Tech starting pitcher Reed Smith. Allsup returned to the mound and worked out of traffic with two on and nobody out in the second, retiring three straight batters on a strikeout, lineout and popup to get out of the inning unscathed. The right hander ultimately struck out four in 3.0 scoreless. Weiss drew a full-count walk to start the fourth inning and eventually stole second with two outs in the frame before Bobby Peirce hit a line-drive homer down the left field line to extend the lead to 3-0. With Carson Myers, John Armstrong and Tanner Bauman continuing to hold Louisiana Tech in check on the mound, Auburn added to its advantage with a RBI groundout from Deric Fabian in the fifth and capped off the scoring with a solo homer from Caden Green in the seventh. GAME TWO Auburn wasted no time in scoring in the second game as Ike Irish and Gavin Miller turned in back-to-back singles in the bottom of the first before Christian Hall drew a walk to load the bases with one out. Cole Edwards then legged out a fielder's choice to score the run from third. Conner McBride turned in 2.0 scoreless with three strikeouts in the start, and Konner Keplinger pitched a clean third inning. Louisiana Tech evened things up with a solo homer to right field in the top of the fourth, but Auburn answered back with a solo homer from Javon Hernandez and RBI double from Chris Stanfield in the home half to make it a 3-1 game. Hernandez went 3-for-3 in the contest. Freshman right-hander Cam Tilly led all pitchers Saturday with five strikeouts in 3.0 innings. The Tigers tacked one on with an opposite field home run from Christian Hall in the fifth and capped off the scoring with a RBI single from Alex Wade after a Cade Belyeu triple in the sixth. Auburn concludes its fall practice schedule with the annual Orange vs. Blue Fall World Series beginning Thursday, Nov. 9 at Plainsman Park. Players Mentioned #46 Chase Allsup RHP 6' 1" Sophomore #41 John Armstrong RHP 5' 11" Sophomore #27 Bobby Peirce OF 6' 0" Redshirt Senior #25 Tanner Bauman LHP 6' 4" Junior #18 Ike Irish C 6' 2" Freshman #1 Caden Green IF 5' 11" Junior #11 Gavin Miller IF 5' 11" Freshman #3 Chris Stanfield OF 6' 1" Freshman

Baylor vs. Auburn Predictions & Picks: Spread, Total - November 7 Auburn forward Johni Broome, left, attempts to shoot a layup while Houston forward Jarace Walker (25) reaches over to block in first half of the second round of a college basketball game in the NCAA Tournament in Birmingham, Ala., Saturday, March 18, 2023. Houston won 81-64. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)(APMedia) By Data Skrive Published: Nov. 6, 2023 at 12:02 AM CST|Updated: 1 hour ago Tuesday's game between the Baylor Bears (0-0) and the Auburn Tigers (0-0) at Sanford Sports Pentagon has a projected final score of 74-70 based on our computer prediction, with Baylor coming out on top. Tipoff is at 9:00 PM on November 7. There is no line set for the matchup. Watch live college basketball games from all over the country, plus ESPN originals and more NCAA hoops content on ESPN+! Baylor vs. Auburn Game Info & Odds Date: Tuesday, November 7, 2023 Time: 9:00 PM ET TV: ESPN Where: Sioux Falls, South Dakota Venue: Sanford Sports Pentagon Place your bets on any college basketball matchup at BetMGM, and sign up with our link for a first-time deposit bonus! Baylor vs. Auburn Score Prediction Prediction: Baylor 74, Auburn 70 Spread & Total Prediction for Baylor vs. Auburn Computer Predicted Spread: Baylor (-3.4) Computer Predicted Total: 143.9

al.com 3 questions for Auburn basketball in the 2023-24 season Published: Nov. 06, 2023, 6:15 a.m. 5–7 minutes The exhibitions and scrimmages are over. On Tuesday, head coach Bruce Pearl and Auburn basketball will begin its 2023-24 season against Baylor. It’s a team Pearl believes is deep. It’s a team that can score in bunches. It’s a team with aspirations and potential to make another run in March. It’s also a team with some key questions. We addressed a few of them here: Can Auburn finally, FINALLY, make some 3s? Last year, Auburn was 309th in the country in 3-point field goal percentage. It was also 218th in 3-pointers attempted per game. Auburn hasn’t had a team shooting percentage from beyond the arc better than 226th in the country since it went to the Final Four in 2019. Shooting has been a massive weakness the last few years, and to win with a team that might not be good defensively (more on that below), Auburn will need to make some 3s. That’s why Denver Jones is here. The FIU transfer scored more than 20 points per game last year and has a very natural jump shot. He was brought in to be Auburn’s 3-point shooter. After Auburn’s exhibition against Auburn-Montgomery on Nov. 1, he said Pearl is encouraging him to shoot often. Though the exhibition wasn’t the best start for Auburn. Jones shot 4-8 on 3-pointers. The rest of the team shot 1-17. Auburn had many open shots, so some of the shooting struggles in the exhibition were just a bit of bad luck. Those open looks will move back toward the mean at some point. And Auburn still scored more than 100 points, though of course it greatly overmatched AUM. “Tonight we didn’t shoot it very well,” Pearl said Wednesday. “Probably the worst we’ve shot it in a while. I’m not worried about it; we’re going to shoot it fine. Most of the shots we got were good shots and balls that I think are going to go in. I’m not worried about our shooting from the free-throw line or the 3-point line.” Jones just needs some help. If someone can help him, Auburn’s offense has the ability to be elite. What’s the bare minimum for Auburn’s defense? Auburn’s offense could be elite, yes. But the defense has raised concerns. “Our defense is really challenged,” Pearl said after the exhibition. “So I’m disappointed about it, and we’re going to have to continue to work on some things -- otherwise we’re not going to get stops.” Auburn had allowed only 33% shooting to AUM, but that didn’t tell the whole story. Auburn’s defense was thoroughly inconsistent but did clamp down, especially late in the first half. This is a roster full of athletes. Auburn can play a fast-paced game. It has the speed and the length to defend. Auburn just hasn’t put it together during the preseason and it’s been probably the biggest concern Pearl has raised during press conferences this fall. The defense is going to take some time to come together. Losing Zep Jasper from last year’s team after he graduated certainly hurts Auburn’s defense. Jones and senior K.D. Johnson have been regarded as two of the team’s better defenders. Auburn doesn’t appear, at least at this point, that it will ever have a level on the defensive end it will be able to fully rely on. But what level of defense is going to be the minimum to get things done? The defense will, hopefully, get better as the year goes on and if Auburn can figure things out there before March, this could be a team capable of making a run. Auburn should be able to score. Is that going to be enough? What does Auburn’s tournament resume look like by the end of non-conference play? Auburn has one of the most challenging non-conference slates in the country. Not every team name is exactly a big name, but there are a slew of teams that should qualify for the upcoming NCAA Tournament. Auburn will play Baylor, USC, Virginia Tech, Notre Dame, either Oklahoma State or St. Bonaventure, and Indiana all before Christmas. There is a trip to Boone, North Carolina, to play a solid Appalachian State team and matchups against two very good mid-major programs in UNC Asheville and Chattanooga. March Madness team after March Madness team. This will be a crucial period of Auburn to firstly, get tested against good teams before entering the deepest SEC stretch in years, and secondly build its own NCAA Tournament resume. Taking advantage of a difficult non-conference schedule often ends up being a major talking point on Selection Sunday. What might be equally important is avoiding a bad loss. That could be either to one of Auburn’s Quad III or IV opponents, or a blowout loss to a power conference team. Auburn won’t break it’s season in the non-conference slate, but it could make it. There is momentum to be gained here, and if Auburn can enter SEC play with confidence, with a strong record and improving play then it will be set up will for the conference gauntlet. With how difficult the SEC looks to be, Auburn would certainly rather lighten the workload it has to do for its resume come January and February. Matt Cohen covers Auburn sports for AL.com. You can follow him on X at @Matt_Cohen_ or email him at mcohen@al.com

i love me some bbq pork so lets smoke dem hawgs!!!!!!!!!!

m The Auburn rebuild’s next step is bowl eligibility. Hugh Freeze is almost there. Published: Nov. 04, 2023, 8:04 p.m. 5–6 minutes Hugh Freeze addresses the media following Auburn's 31-15 win over Vanderbilt Back on the upslope of a streak-filled season, Auburn head coach Hugh Freeze made a point to greet the Auburn fans in Nashville. This didn’t feel like a typical road game, he said, after Auburn’s 31-15 win over Vanderbilt. The stadium was full of nearly Auburn fans who just wanted something to be hopeful for. That hope is going to start small, and it centers on what Auburn can do in year one under its new head coach: get to a bowl game. Freeze said he isn’t a man who is big on long-term goal setting, but this one is something he’s paying attention to. Auburn’s bowl eligibility hopes were teetering after four consecutive losses. It wasn’t that Auburn lost — it was favored to lose all four of those games — but how it lost with ineffective offense. It then came back and won two games it was favored to win. And again, it was the way they won that stood out. The offense worked. The Auburn fans who serenaded Freeze in a takeover of their opponent’s stadium saw that. And they certainly are thinking of a December trip. “It would mean a lot,” cornerback D.J. James said of chasing a sixth win. “Everybody’s working toward it, everybody wants it -- and you can see it. From an offensive and defensive standpoint, everybody wants it.” Auburn isn’t quite there yet. The win Saturday evening in Nashville was just the fifth win. It takes six to go bowling. With three remaining games — at Arkansas next week then two straight home games against New Mexico State and Alabama — Auburn knows it has a real chance to get a sixth win. And while the message around the team is taking each week and each game one at a time, it would be wrong to stay the prospect of a bowl game — and the extra practices that come with it — isn’t a topic of conversation around the Auburn football building. “I did kind of go away and I made it clear that is a goal of ours in Year 1,” Freeze said. “One step closer, but we’ve got some hard games left, too.” What Freeze went away from was his themes from the first half of the season. He erased all those off a whiteboard in the team’s facility. That board is much simpler now. It just listed out Auburn’s final five games. And he left a simple message. “The first logistical step in our rebuild is gained bowl eligibility,” Freeze said he told his team. Auburn didn’t go to a bowl game last year. It has played three total bowl games since 2018. It lost all of them. So chasing bowl eligibility now would be a tangible mark of improvement. Ther are two steps down, now. Auburn won each of the first two games on that board. Freeze reminded reporters he’s been to a bowl game in his first season as a head coach at every team he’s taken over: Arkansas State, Ole Miss and Liberty. Making a bowl game, even at just a potential 6-6 record, is important because of the extra practice it would give Auburn. Don’t get to six wins? Official practices end the moment the final whistle of the Iron Bowl blows. But get to six? Auburn would have weeks of practices leading up to a bowl game likely close to Christmas. For a team where Freeze has often discussed its youth, its inexperience and its need for development, the extra weeks of practice would be undeniably important. “No. 1, you want to do it for your seniors,” Freeze said. “No. 2, you want to do it for your fans. But No. 3, you want the extra practices and another chance to compete for Auburn and to put our kids in that scenario of playing another quality opponent in a bowl game.” It still has to get one more win. But Auburn’s turnaround these last two games with wins over Mississippi State and Vanderbilt have shown growth of the struggling offense. Auburn has no longer used a quarterback rotation and quarterback Payton Thorne looks more comfortable. Running back Jarquez Hunter is playing his best football after a career-high 183 rushing yards against Vanderbilt. If Auburn can to six wins, Freeze plans to celebrate at least one more time. He may celebrate at those extra practices, too. “We felt like it was kinda like a home game or like a bowl game atmosphere anyways,” safety Jaylin Simpson said. “We already knew Vandy wasn’t the best team, but I mean, they’re still an SEC opponent, so you gotta go out there and give your all and play four quarters. So glad we got the dub. One more and then we’re on our way.” 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 Jason Caldwells View From The Field Tigers getting better Jason Caldwell 7–9 minutes Auburn football beat Vanderbilt on Saturday, Taking care of business That’s it. That’s what this game and really this season has always been about. This is a roster with its share of limitations on both sides of the ball, but winning the games you should win and grabbing a few of the toss-up games was always going to be what I thought was possible for this team. Could you steal one along the way? They had some opportunities for that, but in the end it didn’t happen. With Mississippi State and Vanderbilt up following a four-team gauntlet, Auburn had to take care of business and they did just that. Saturday in Nashville was particularly impressive because it happened despite several missed opportunities in every area. If you had told me that Auburn would throw a pick six, drop one sure touchdown pass and maybe a second, drop at least four more passes and not recover either of a pair of muffed punts, it’s a game I would have said the Tigers lost. Not only was that not the case, but the game was never seriously in doubt. That’s a sign of growth for this team and for the program in year one under Hugh Freeze. The issues for this team won’t get solved between now and the end of the season. The roster is what it is, but the last two weeks we have seen a team that looks like it’s moving in the right direction. Offense making moves I mentioned the plays that weren’t made on offense, but the Tigers topped the 30-point mark against a Power 5 team for the first time this season and it could have easily been 10-14 points more with just a couple of plays. With Jarquez Hunter running well behind an offensive line that continues to improve, the Tigers had 230 yards on the ground. Even with drops that conservatively cost Payton Thorne 75 or more yards, he completed 17-27 passes for 194 yards and two touchdowns with the one interception and another ill-advised throw that could have been picked. While it was just a horrible game for Auburn’s receivers and even the normally sure-handed Rivaldo Fairweather, when the Tigers needed to make a play in the passing game they came through. That’s another positive for a group that just needs to continue to build confidence. The tempo is the great equalizer and if they can continue to have success on first down and make the plays that are in front of them, this Auburn offense can give the Tigers a chance to win the rest of the way. Defense gets it done Vanderbilt isn’t LSU or Alabama or Georgia on offense, but that’s not a bad group that Vanderbilt put on the field Saturday. After three quarters, the Commodores had run 40 plays on offense for a total of just 149 yards. That’s a strong outing for coach Ron Roberts’ defense as they continue to just attack every game and get the job done. On Saturday it was done with the front four playing their best game of the season. The Tigers had five sacks and nine tackles for a loss with veteran Zykeivous Walker having what is probably the best game of his career with a sack and two tackles for a loss. If there was one thing to take away from Saturday’s game it was the improvement from Auburn’s defensive line and the ability to create plays. That’s something that would be a massive development if it continues the rest of the regular season. Home sweet home It wasn’t Jordan-Hare Stadium. Actually, it was a complete construction zone that really had no business hosting a football game on Saturday, but for a few hours Auburn fans turned Vanderbilt’s stadium into a home field advantage. While the crowd was listed at 28,500, in reality it was probably closer to 25,000 with probably 17,000 of those Auburn fans. It made a huge impact and it’s something that made the newcomers to this program leave in awe about what they saw. Auburn fans continue to make an impact on this program in a positive way and the coaches and players feel it. Statistics, scoring plays and notes from Auburn's win at Vanderbilt Offense, defense, how they scored and notes. Statistics, scoring plays and notes from Auburn's 31-15 victory over Vanderbilt on Saturday at FirstBank Stadium in Nashville. AUBURN Passing Payton Thorne 17-27-1, 194 yards, 2 TD. Rushing: Jarquez Hunter 19-183-2; Payton Thorne 12-40-0; Damari Alston 2-8-0; Brian Battie 2-3-0; Jeremiah Cobb 1-(minus) 1-0. Receiving: Ja’Varrius Johnson 3-62-0; Rivaldo Fairweather 2-30-0; Camden Brown 3-25-0; Jay Fair 3-18-0; Caleb Burton 1-16-0; Brandon Frazier 1-8-0; Jeremiah Cobb 1-5-1; Jarquez Hunter 2-3-0; Malcolm Jonson Jr. 1-(minus) 5, 0. Defense: D.J. James 7 tackles, 1 TFL, 2 PBU; Jaylin Simpson 5 tackles, 1 PBU; Eugene Asanta 5 tackles, 1 TFL; Zykeivous Walker 5 tackles, 2 TFL; Marcus Harris 4 tackles. 0.5 sacks, 0.5 TFL; Keionte Scott 3 tackles, 1 PBU; Austin Keys 3 tackles, 1 sack, 1 TFL; Jalen McLeon 3 tackles, 1 sack, 1 TFL; Lawrence Johnson 3 tackles, 1 TFL; Nehemiah Pritchett 2 tackles, INT; Elijah McAllister 2 tackles; Kayin Lee 1 tackle; Zion Puckett 1 tackle; Caleb Wooden 1 tackle; Cam Riley 1 tackle, 0.5 sacks, 0.5 TFL; Justin Rogers 1 tackle. VANDERBILT Passing: Ken Seals 16-29-1, 160 yards, 1 TD; Walter Taylor 1-3-0, 6 yards, 1 TD. Rushing: Sedrick Alexander 9-40-0; AJ Newberry 4-26-0; Ken Seals 11-20-0, Junior Sherrill 1-11-0; Jayden McGowan 1-3-0; Walter Taylor 2-0-0; Chase Gillespie 2-0-0. Receiving: Will Sheppard 4-43, 0 TD; London Humphries 2-30, 0 TD; Junior Sherrill 1-30, 1 TD; Kyle Logan 2-23, 0 TD; Justin Ball 1-17-0; Jayden McGowan 1-17-0. Defense: Langston Patterson 12 tackles, 1.5 TFL; De’Rickey Wright 6 tackles; Nate Clifton 6 tackles; Jeffrey Ugochukwu 6 tackles, 1 TFL; Nate Clifton 6 tackles, 1 TFL, 1 sack; Jaylen Mahoney 3 tackles; John House 3 tackles; Christian James 3 tackles; Devin Lee 3 tackles. HOW THEY SCORED FIRST QUARTER 10:00: Hunter 67-yard run (McPherson kick), 2 plays, 75 yards, 0:28. Auburn 7, Vanderbilt 0. 3:01: Hunter 56-yard run (McPherson kick), 5 plays, 79 yards, 1:19. Auburn 14, Vanderbilt 0. SECOND QUARTER 12:15: Cowan 5-yard interception return (Bocila kick). Auburn 14, Vanderbilt 7. 0:20: McPherson 32-yard field goal, 11 plays, 31 yards, 4:02. Auburn 17, Vanderbilt 7. THIRD QUARTER 13:36: Fairweather 53-yard pass from Thorne (McPherson kick), 3 plays, 75 yards, 1:16. Auburn 24, Vanderbilt 7. 9:44: Cobb 5-yard pass from Thorne (McPherson kick), 7 plays, 64 yards, 2:13. Auburn 31, Vanderbilt 7. 2:43: Sherrill 30-yard pass from Seals (Junior rush), 4 plays, 44 yards, 2:34. Auburn 31, Vanderbilt 15. NOTEWORTHY * Auburn broke an eight-game SEC road losing streak. * Alex McPherson has made 15 consecutive field goals dating back to last season. * Quarterback Payton Thorne played every offensive snap for the first time this season. * Jarquez Hunter is No. 22 on Auburn’s all-time list with 1,916 career yards. * Hunter’s 67-yard run on the second play of Auburn’s first possession was the longest of the season. * Auburn has allowed just four third-down conversion in 26 chances. * Auburn’s defense forced three-and-outs on six of Vanderbilt’s 13 possessions. * Auburn’s defense has held five opponents to two or fewer touchdowns.