aubiefifty

si.com Breaking Down Auburn Recruiting Target Jamonta Waller Brian Smith ~2 minutes Flipping Jamonta Waller would be huge for the Auburn Tigers! The Auburn Tigers are loading up on defensive line recruits. That’s why Hugh Freeze and his coaching staff continue to go after edge rusher Jamonta Waller. The 6-foot-1 and 240-pound edge defender’s film does not lie. Playing for Picayune (Miss.) Memorial, Waller routinely defeats left tackles with sheer quickness. That’s just the beginning of what he can do on the gridiron, however. MORE: Complete 2024 Auburn Recruiting Class His natural flexibility allows Waller to get underneath the offensive tackle’s attempted block en route to the quarterback. Waller’s strength, as well, aids him in knocking offensive linemen back despite being smaller than many of his counterparts. He does not give up either. Waller’s effort level is tremendous. Even when he’s not able to quickly disengage from a block, Waller’s hands and feet keep working in unison to eventually get off the block. That’s when his athleticism shines yet again. Using his intelligence, Waller takes good routes to the ball carrier or quarterback; he does not waste steps. Waller’s impressive all-around attributes are something that need to be discussed further as well. Here’s a more in-depth breakdown of this potential Auburn signee:

#PMARSHONAU: Thorne might be a better QB than you think Auburn's Payton Thorne pushes on through good times and bad AUBURN, Alabama – Could it be that transfer quarterback Payton Thorne has been unfairly belittled and even vilified? Could it be that he hasn’t been as bad as the growing narrative says he has? No one would say that Thorne hasn’t had his times of trouble. His first game against a Power-5 opponent got off to a bad start on an awkward fumble that led to a Cal field goal. Still, seven weeks later, there is more talk of that fumble than of the drive he led to the winning touchdown and the winning pass he threw to Rivaldo Fairweather. Thorne has made some really good throws, and he has made some bad ones. He’s had some passes dropped, and he has missed some open receivers. He has turned out to be much more of a runner than most probably expected and is second on the team in rushing yards. He has had to deal with pressure. Most defenses have been blitzing frequently. He has taken some sacks when he should have scrambled or thrown the ball away. He has turned some scrambles into big gainers. Thorne should not and cannot be held responsible for Auburn’s quarterback rotation, which sometimes seems chaotic. That is on coaches. He also can’t be held responsible for not getting more opportunities to go uptempo in the passing game. When he has had those opportunities, he has led long touchdown drives – three of them in the past two games. Thorne, like any quarterback, would prefer to have the position all to himself, but he has had to share time with Robby Ashford. He hasn’t shown a hint of displeasure. He is liked and respected by his teammates, who elected him a team captain. For the season, Thorne has completed 80-of-130 passes, 61.4 percent, for 845 yards and five touchdowns with five interceptions. He has rushed for 259 yards despite having 95 yards in losses, mostly on sacks. Are those gaudy numbers? No. Are they terrible? No. Do they indicate a quarterback who is shaky or nervous on the field? They do not. With last Saturday’s 28-21 to Ole Miss, Auburn finished a stretch of a road game at Texas A&M and games against three top-15 teams. Will Freeze and Montgomery return to their roots and go uptempo on offense? If they do, it stands to reason Thorne’s numbers will get better. “(Thorne and Ashford) are doing two different things, truthfully, in the packages,” Freeze said Monday. “Whether that’s smart or not, I don’t know. We’ve got to figure that out. We obviously think it is or have thought it is.” If Auburn is to rebound from four consecutive losses and provide some happy memories in Freeze’s first season, it stands to reason that Thorne will play a significant role. What will it be? That is a question, for now, without an answer.

247sports.com Auburn offense still searching for balance Jason Caldwell 6–7 minutes Auburn's offense continues to struggle throwing the football. AUBURN, Alabama—Through seven games of the 2023 season and the first for Hugh Freeze on the Plains, the Auburn Tigers are 30th in the country in rushing offense at 186 yards per game, but when you look at the numbers throwing the football it has been a far different story. You’ve got to go all the way to 124th nationally to find the Tigers in passing offense, just 151 yards per game. In seven games, Auburn has attempted just 165 passes as a team. Only Utah, Minnesota, Liberty, Nebraska, Army, Navy and Air Force have attempted fewer. “I told the staff yesterday, we’ve got to be more balanced,” Freeze said. “I firmly believe you play to your strengths and I do think we have proven we can be somewhat successful running the football, but I do think you have to play balanced football. “We’ve got to find the things our players can do, receivers, quarterbacks, protections, and be more aggressive in calling those. I expect to see that change some, but I’m not sitting here saying to you that you won’t see more runs than passes. I think we’ve got to play to our strengths.” Right now that’s running the football because of the lack of production at wide receiver for this Auburn offense. Jay Fair leads the Tigers with just 22 receptions for 241 yards and two touchdowns and no other receiver has more than eight catches for this team in seven games. Unless that changes, it means leaning more on the running game. The good news is that junior Jarquez Hunter is coming off his best game of the season. “I think this offense can be a lot better and you just wish that we would've arrived at hopefully what we start seeing more of at the end of the season sooner and Jarquez is a part of that, of course,” Freeze said. “I think he was a lot more patient in letting the holes develop for him and he ran really hard and very physical and it was great to see it. He's such a great kid, comes to work every day and about it the right way. You don't have to worry about him on any lists, he comes to work so it's always good to see him experience that success. We've got other kids like that too.” With Mississippi State, Arkansas, Vanderbilt and New Mexico State up the next four weeks, there’s an opportunity for this Auburn team to make some improvements. It won’t be easy with a disruptive Mississippi State defense coming to Jordan-Hare Stadium this weekend. Freeze said that despite the struggles they’ve had, he believes better things are coming. “I'm always an optimist,” Freeze said. “I thought we were gonna be pretty good last week, and I'm gonna believe that this week also. I'm gonna do everything within my power, as soon as I get through with this meeting, to get started on that and see how much better we can get this week. It's obvious we can get better. We should be able to get better. That will be the goal. My focus will be on that this week.”

al.com Auburn starting center said to be ‘doubtful’ for Saturday’s game vs. Mississippi State Published: Oct. 23, 2023, 11:31 a.m. 2–3 minutes BERKELEY, CA - SEPTEMBER 09 - Auburn Offensive Lineman Avery Jones (#66) during the game between the Auburn Tigers and the California Golden Bears at California Memorial Stadium in Berkeley, CA on Saturday, Sept. 9, 2023. Photo by Austin Perryman/Auburn TigersAustin Perryman/Auburn Tigers When asked to address the health of Auburn’s offensive line on Wednesday, head coach Hugh Freeze described it as “not great.” Unfortunately for the Tigers, it sounds like “not great” has turned to “not great at all” after Freeze said Monday that starting center Avery Jones could miss Saturday’s game against Mississippi State. “I think he’s probably... I guess the words I would say for this week is ‘doubtful’,” Freeze said of Jones’ availability against the Bulldogs. Jones suffered an injury early in Saturday’s game against Ole Miss and missed the entire second half, which Freeze said had an impact in Auburn’s 28-21 loss. “That hurt us,” Freeze said. “We missed him in the second half, for sure.” Jones arrived to Auburn in the offseason as a graduate transfer from East Carolina, where he served as the Pirates’ starting center in 2021 and 2022. In Jones’ absence, it was freshman Conner Lew who got the nod at center for the rest of the game. “Conner played really well,” Freeze said Monday. “Conner is going to be one heck of a football player.” Lew was rated a 4-star prospect out of high school, while both ESPN and Rivals rated Lew a top 10 interior offensive lineman recruit. If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link

thanx.......i just wanted to make sure! i do get froggy once in a while and sometimes i surprise myself. you bring value to the board and i appreciate it!

Interesting comments on crime dawg early on the podcast................

let me clear something up. my post on things i saw at the stadium was not a shot at anyone. i was trying to be funny.looking back i can see how some might think that but i promise.remember i added stat in the post and it was not a shot at him either. if i pop something off at someone i own it. i have never had a cross word with abw and think he is a great poster. it was failed humor and nothing more.

a win........

thanx for posting. i enjoy your articles.........

and now YOU are whining about him whining about other people whining............grins

l.com The Hugh Freeze honeymoon at Auburn is over Updated: Oct. 22, 2023, 12:07 a.m.|Published: Oct. 21, 2023, 11:02 p.m. 6–7 minutes Before the stadium had begun to empty, with the result of the game still in the air, Auburn lined up quarterback Holden Geriner for his first meaningful snap of any kind this season and tucked him behind tight end Brandon Frazier. There were just over five minutes remaining in the third quarter, and the score still tied at 14. The plan was a double pass, with the ball tossed backward to Geriner and he would find an open receiver deep downfield. Except he only had one blocker, who was shoved out of the way immediately and Geriner was sacked on the trick play. It set up third-and-19 still on the Ole Miss half of the field. Auburn ran up the middle with Jarquez Hunter and gained four yards. Punter Oscar Chapman ran on the field. And it was in this moment that all the optimism that has characterized Auburn’s season thus far drowned into boos. The hope of Auburn fans had been exhausted. It appeared as a rock bottom. It was the first time Auburn’s inept offense had been booed this season. In that moment, the Hugh Freeze honeymoon ended. The opponent, his former employer, made it all that more fitting. Auburn had chances to win what ended as a 28-21 loss to No. 13 Ole Miss. The defense played a heroic effort against a far superior Ole Miss offense — keeping Ole Miss without points for the entire second quarter and for every second until the very last one of the third quarter. During that time, Auburn’s offense had eight drives. Five of them ended in three-and-outs. Six ended in punts. One drive was just a singular play where quarterback Robby Ashford threw an interception. And the remaining drive was a four-play, 24-yard touchdown drive set up by a 43-yard Donovan Kaufman interception return. After the ice had been thawed on the boos for the first time, they continued for every short gain — every inability to move the ball — for the rest of the game. And for as loud as the boos were raining down on them — loud enough to be clearly heard in an Auburn press box known for blocking out noise — players said they didn’t notice the anger. “I didn’t realize that,” tight end Rivaldo Fairweather said of the boos. “We’ve just got to go out there, execute and be great as an offense. And we will. We’re going to go back to the drawing table like I said and come back better.” As officials reviewed and upheld a Thorne interception in the endzone, thousands of fans didn’t bother to wait for the call. They turned out of their seats and walked to the exit. Auburn’s student section is reliable to remain in their bleachers to the very end of the game, win or lose. But with two minutes to go, the result certainly in hand, rows and rows of silver bleachers were empty as the students made their way back toward the bars. There were no boos when the game ended. At that point, the stadium was largely empty. Any boos would have been drowned out by the cheering Ole Miss fans in the northeast corner, anyway. Yet when the game ended and Hugh Freeze made his way over to his press conference, his remarks on this team were much of the same as what he’s said after each of Auburn’s growing number of bad offensive performances. He took the blame on himself again. He said he thought both quarterbacks had a good package again. He questioned his game plan again. He said the margin between Auburn winning and losing is so small again. Asked why the mistakes repeating mistakes, Freeze’s answer was short, but indicative of the issues. “I can’t answer the exact why,” Freeze said. “A combination.” Before tonight, optimism was abound for a new coach with SEC experience — despite a checkered history. There was hope for the immediate recruiting success in the 2024 class — wins that remain on the register. There was hope because Freeze had won in the SEC before. Hope isn’t eternal. On this night, instead of granting Freeze with the patience that had been present, the fans met him with boos. Boos are hard to come back from. Public opinion is fickle. It can turn sour in a moment and it isn’t easy to turn back. That mood is bad right now. There is frustration from the fan base. Auburn’s offense is on pace to be historically bad. Auburn has barely averaged more than 100 passing yards against SEC opponents. It’s the worst rate for Auburn this century. And for all Hugh Freeze has talked about the talent gap Auburn has and the recruiting that still lies in the future, these repetitive failures of offense come down to coaching. Auburn made the same mistakes of alignment, protection, route running and simply poor quarterback play after a bye week where it planned to fix it. The talent gap doesn’t cause Auburn to have 12 men in the huddle for a third down in the fourth quarter. Auburn was penalized twice for illegal substitutions. That’s coaching. And the fans noticed it. Auburn’s passing offense was already ranked among the 10 worst in the nation before another bad day Saturday. Auburn had 122 total passing yards but 47 of them came on a dump-off pass to running back Jarquez Hunter later in the fourth quarter. The fans made their voice heard, and it poses the question of what to do next with offensive coordinator Philip Montgomery. These are the types of games a coach gets fired for. Montgomery’s contract, which has a total value of $3.45 million, has a 100% buyout. Yet he is in a position that will be hard to recover. He works from the coaches’ box, nestled in the midst of all the boos. Many of them were directed at him, too. Matt Cohen covers Auburn sports for AL.com. You can follow him on Twitter at @Matt_Cohen_ or email him at mcohen@al.com

with or without hot sauce?

We got screwed on this call for sure................

This is awesome!

Premiers at 7:00 AM

Tigers of the Game: Hunter breaks out, Harris lives in backfield Taylor Jones ~2 minutes Auburn played another tough game on Saturday, falling to No. 12 Ole Miss, 28-21. The game was tied at halftime, but the Rebels scored twice to pull away late. The Rebels outgained Auburn, 185-135 in the second half, and held on to the football for 16:54 of the second half to secure the win. The Tigers scored a late touchdown within the games’ final minute, but could not catch up to Ole Miss’ lead. Despite the loss, there were several individual performances that are worth mentioning. Following the game, Auburn Wire writers as well as Auburn fans revealed their picks for “Tiger of the Game” after the tough loss, here are the results. The Montgomery Advertiser It took Hunter six games to find his stride, but he finally found it on Saturday. He rushed for 91 yards and reeled in 54 receiving yards, making him the offenses most valuable player. Austin Perryman/Auburn Athletics Hunter was the offensive MVP, and Harris matched his energy on the defensive side of the ball. Harris was second in tackles with seven total. Among his seven tackles, he had two for loss and 1.5 of those were sacks. Jake Crandall / USA TODAY NETWORK Simpson was another valuable member of the Auburn defense by recording two tackles with 0.5 tackles for loss. Michael Chang/Getty Images Auburn fans have spoken and have selected Jarquez Hunter as the Tiger of the Game for his efforts in Auburn’s game against Ole Miss. He won 54.3% of the vote, beating out players such as Marcus Harris, Zion Puckett, and Larry Nixon III. To have a say in next week’s Tiger of the Game winner, visit Auburn Wire on X (Twitter) following the game to vote.

gadsdentimes.com Auburn football grades vs. Ole Miss: The offense was bad, but defense deserves credit Richard Silva ~3 minutes AUBURN — Auburn football coach Hugh Freeze is still searching for his first win against an SEC opponent since getting hired on the Plains. The Tigers fell to Ole Miss, 28-21, on Saturday. It's the fourth straight loss for an Auburn team that's struggled to put points on the board since dropping 45 against Samford on Sept. 16. Here's how we graded the Tigers in their game against Ole Miss: Offense: D- Auburn's offense just isn't working, and its problems feel unsolvable over the last five regular-season games of the season. The Tigers finished with 122 passing yards, and aside from a 53-yard touchdown rush from Jarquez Hunter in the first quarter, there was next to nothing in terms of production. REVISITING THE SEARCH:The ratings system, interview process behind John Cohen's decision to hire Hugh Freeze NORTH END ZONE:Auburn continues 'internal conversations' related to renovations of Jordan-Hare Stadium Defense: A- The scoreboard saying the Tigers gave up 28 points is a disservice to the defense. The unit held on for as long as it could, forcing the Rebels into multiple three-and-outs. But it was unreasonable to think the Tigers could contain Ole Miss with the way their offense was performing. And another point: Donovan Kaufman's interception and big return in the second quarter set the offense up with a short field so it could grab its second score of game. Special teams: B Nothing to write home about with the special teams, but nothing dramatically stuck out in a negative fashion, either. Kicker Alex McPherson didn't even get a chance to attempt a field goal, but punter Oscar Chapman was used seven times and averaged 49.1 yards per boot. Auburn had a chance to recover a muffed punt, which would've placed the offense in favorable position, but couldn't land on top of the ball. Coaching: D Freeze has spoken throughout the year about the state of his roster, saying the team doesn't stack up against its SEC counterparts when it comes to personnel. That may be true, but the performance against Ole Miss went beyond that. Auburn has enough talent to look better than inept on offense. Overall: C It shouldn't be glossed over that the defense contained an offense like the Rebels' for as long as it did, and that's why the grade isn't any lower. If Auburn can't move the ball versus LSU and Ole Miss, though, the Tigers are in trouble the rest of the way. Richard Silva is the Auburn athletics beat writer for the Montgomery Advertiser. He can be reached via email at rsilva@gannett.com or on Twitter @rich_silva18.