aubiefifty

si.com Five Auburn Tigers that may see more time following bye week Steve Simpson 3–4 minutes Here are five Auburn players that could see more playing time after the bye week. Auburn's off week couldn't come at a better time. After tough, back to back losses to Texas A&M and Georgia and suffering from numerous injuries among the ranks, time to reflect, heal and improve is much welcomed. The off week will see the coaches take a serious look at the roster to see who is available, who's is playing well, who needs to improve and who isn't making the cut. These five players could benefit greatly from the time off and see a lot more playing time when the Tigers return to action in Baton Rouge next week. Brian Battie Eric Starling/Auburn Daily This may seem like an unusual choice since he has been a key contributor so far this season. Those contributions are why, I believe the coaches are going to figure out some more ways to get him the ball. Whether it's short passes, reverses or running the ball, look for him to be much more involved in the offense going forward. Keldric Faulk Eric Starling/Auburn Daily Faulk has seen limited playing time so far this season, but has played well when he's been on the field. The unfortunate, season ending injury to Mosiah Nosili-Kite presents Faulk with the opportunity to step into some significant playing time. He will be a key factor in the continued success of the defense the rest of the way. Nehemiah Pritchett Eric Starling/Auburn Daily Pritchett should be able to get back on the field at close to full strength after an extra week to heal from an earlier injury. His return will greatly help the defense, especially if he can pair with Jaylin Simpson, who is also hopeful to return after an undisclosed injury against Georgia. Nick Mardner Eric Starling/Auburn Daily Mardner has had nagging injuries since the season began and as a result has seen very limited action. The off week should give him time to heal up and rehab so he can get back on the field against LSU. His height could be very helpful to Payton Thorne and the passing game. Jeremiah Cobb Eric Starling/Auburn Daily In his limited snaps, Cobb has flashed the potential of greatness that he possesses. After wearing down a defense with Hunter and Alston, the fresh legs of Cobb against a tired defense could yield some explosive plays during the course of a game. Other articles

auburnwire.usatoday.com Brian's Column: Auburn needs to develop a passing attack following the bye Brian Hauch 3–4 minutes The Auburn Tigers have lost two games in a row to drop to 3-2 (0-2 SEC) overall entering the bye week. Those two losses are not on the defense. Buy Tigers Tickets If Auburn is going to go bowling this year, the offensive side of the ball needs to be better. Specifically, quarterback Payton Thorne and the group of pass-catchers Thorne is throwing the ball to. The Tiger’s offensive line and running backs improved greatly against Georgia last week after struggling for much of the season, but the one-dimensional Auburn offense fell flat in the second half, ultimately leading to Georgia storming back to steal on in Jordan-Hare. It is pretty clear that head coach Hugh Freeze is not interested in making a change at the quarterback position, at least for now. While Thorne hasn’t been very good, his receivers have not helped him out much at all. The headline of this tweet is slightly misleading as some of these catches have a high level of difficulty. Still, when you are playing the number-one team in the country, some of these plays need to be made. The first thing the Auburn coaching staff should be evaluating this week is the rotation at wide receiver. jay fair has been fine in most games and above average in a few, as the junior leads all Auburn wide outs with 18 receptions and 196 receiving yards through five games. Rivaldo Fairweather has also done his part. The Auburn tight end is second on the team in receptions and yards, with 15 and 145, respectively. The next four recievers on the Auburn depth chart, Shane Hooks, Ja'Varrius Johnson, Jyaire Shorter and Camden brown have combined for just 15 catches combined. The aformentioned Johnson going down with an injury in week 2 hasn’t helped, but one or two of Auburn’s pass catching threats needs to step up in the second half of the season to give Payton Thorne another option besides his slot receiver, tight end, or running back. Auburn’s quarterback needs someone else he can trust. Until then, he’s going to continue making mistakes. This game-ending interception is a perfect example of Thorne not trusting any of his receivers. Auburn’s quarterback spends the majority of his time in the pocket staring down jay fair before attempting to force a ball into tight coverage. It doesn’t work, and Auburn loses the football game. The Tigers need another option to step up in the passing game after the bye, or interceptions, drops, and misreads will continue to be an issue for the offense. Contact/Follow us @TheAuburnWire on X (Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Auburn news, notes, and opinion. You can also follow Brian on Twitter @TheRealBHauch

very little out there today. i have posted baseball and basketball video's in their sports categories.............

al.com Three things that might be on Auburn head coach Hugh Freeze’s bye week ‘honey-do’ list Published: Oct. 05, 2023, 10:00 a.m. 8–10 minutes Hugh Freeze’s wife Jill probably saw this week’s bye week on Auburn’s schedule and thought, “Thank heavens, Hugh can finally get to that honey-do list.” Since being hired as Auburn’s head football coach last November, Freeze likely hasn’t been able tackle too many chores at home. First it was assembling a coaching staff that consumed his time, then doing his best to build a competitive roster via shopping in the transfer portal, then SEC Media Days, then a summer of recruiting, then Big Cat Weekend, then fall camp. Next thing you know, it’s September and there are football games to be won. There’s been little time for Freeze to take a breath since he got to The Plains. Heck, even last week as he and the Tigers prepared to take on the No. 1-ranked Georgia Bulldogs, Freeze said he nearly forgot his own birthday. “Georgia will make you not think about your birthday,” he joked on the day of his 54th birthday last Wednesday. Chances are there are still family photos to be hung on the walls, a squeaky cabinet to be silenced and boy, if he doesn’t tidy up the garage before too much longer, Ms. Jill might have a fit. Unfortunately for Ms. Freeze – who is likely well accustomed to being a coach’s wife by now – her husband is likely taking one look at that list this week and saying something along the lines of, “Sorry, sweetheart. I promise to get to it eventually.” Sitting at 3-2 on the season and the seven games still on the slate, Freeze and his Auburn football team still have a lot to handle. And the Tigers’ free week this week is a perfect opportunity to do some of it. So while the it’s not coming from the desk of his wife, Freeze still has a honey-do list of sorts to tackle this week. Here are a few things that might be featured on that list: It’s time to hash out play-calling duties After the Auburn offense fell flat on its face against Texas A&M on Sept. 23, it was forced to take a long, hard look in the mirror at itself. What in the world was this offense going to look like? “Offensively, we’re searching,” Freeze said following the 27-10 loss. “And we’ve got to find some answers.” In the moment, Freeze wasn’t sure where he was going to find those answers. However, he did know he wasn’t going to find them by abandoning RPO play calls, which offensive coordinator Philip Montgomery did against the Aggies in a game that saw the Tigers’ offense neglect to find the end zone. “The week before, we were very effective in the RPO game,” Freeze said the Monday following the loss in College Station. “And in this game, we threw zero RPOs. That’s not something I’m happy about.” Since July, Freeze assured Montgomery was hired at Auburn to call plays. But after being frustrated by the decisions made in the game against Texas A&M, Freeze couldn’t help but wonder if it might be time to step in. In the days leading up to Saturday’s game against No. 1 Georgia, Freeze admitted that he was more involved in the offensive game plan than usual. That said, Freeze never completely ripped away the call sheet from Montgomery and instead said he “approved every call”. “(Freeze will) call his own plays every now and then but coach Mont, he’s still running the show,” Auburn running back Brian Battie said after Auburn’s 27-20 loss to Georgia. The Tigers’ offense was more balanced in the loss to the Bulldogs. Not to mention, Auburn was able to move the ball much more effectively against the No. 1 team in the country than it did the week prior against an unranked Texas A&M squad. RPO plays also returned to the call sheet and more often than not, Auburn capitalized on them. But how will the play-calling situation shake out moving forward? That’s on Freeze’s bye-week list to figure out. “It’s a constant evolving thing,” Freeze said Monday. “This week, a lot of discussions will take place.” Find solutions the issues on third down In their loss to Georgia on Saturday, the Tigers couldn’t find any success – on either side of the football – on third down. “I think you look back at this game, you look at third downs,” Freeze said following the game. “You look at our third-down offense and you look at our third-down defense, and I think that’s where the game was lost for us.” Offensively, Auburn was just 2-for-12 on third down. The Tigers’ offense averaged needing 7.2 yards to convert on third down and only faced a third-and-long situation three times. But more times than not, the Auburn offense simply could not find ways to stay on the field. On the other side of the football, the story was the opposite: The Auburn defense couldn’t find a way to get off the field, allowing the Georgia offense to convert eight of 13 third-down tries. All the while, Georgia quarterback Carson Beck – in his first road start – went 8-for-10 for 115 yards on third down alone. That can’t happen. But it did, and it wasn’t the first time. Auburn also struggled on third down against Texas A&M the week prior, when the offense converted just three of 15 attempts and the defense allowed the Aggies to convert 5-of-12 third down tries. Through five games, Auburn’s offense ranks 105th of 133 teams in the FBS as the Tigers have taken 63 offensive snaps on third down but have only converted 22 of them. Meanwhile, Auburn’s defense ranks 39th in the country on third down defense as Opposing offenses have tried for 63 third downs and have converted 23 of them. “The critical downs have been somewhere we have got to change that,” Freeze said during the SEC coaches teleconference Wednesday. “You look at the Georgia game, the critical downs on 3rd and 4th in the fourth quarter really told the story of the game.” Freeze added that correcting those issues boils down to awareness, planning and execution. Improve the passing game Though Auburn’s passing attack looked the best is has against Power 5 competition against the top-ranked Bulldogs Saturday, it still left plenty to be desired. For the second week in a row, the Tigers’ quarterbacks finished with less than 100 yards of passing through an entire game. Fortunately for Auburn, its ground game was able to find its stride against Georgia but Freeze still has to find a way get Auburn’s offense more balanced. “We’re still searching a bit, not so much in the running game, Freeze said. “But in the pass game as to what we really look like and who we’re really going to be.” The good news for Auburn fans is that historically, Freeze has been known for his balanced offenses. The bad news for Auburn fans is that it could take time, especially considering how many factors go into the Tigers’ success – or lack of thereof – in the passing game. “When I say that, I do not say that that’s all on the quarterback. A lot of it is on receiver play, coaches,” Freeze said. “Is it a combination of protections and the quarterback?” Perhaps some of Auburn’s struggles in the pass game have to do with the play-calling situation between Freeze and Montgomery. On Saturday, some of the mess had to do with Auburn’s receivers not holding up on their end of the bargain as six of Payton Thorne’s nine incompletions hit his respective target in the hands. “I thought Payton (Thorne), of his nine incompletions Saturday, I really felt like five of those should have been caught,” Freeze said. “And that makes a difference in those games and it makes a difference in how you perceive the play of a quarterback.” Surely the offensive line plays a critical role in the prospective success of the pass game, too. Against Texas A&M two weeks ago, the Auburn offensive line was as porous as ever as it allowed 15 negative plays and seven sacks. Following that same game, Thorne was a whipping post for criticism after being benched in the third quarter against the Aggies. Freeze said the Tigers had receivers open, but for one reason or another, Thorne missed them. “It’s a combination and we’re still searching some. I’ve been honest about that, and we’ve got to improve.” 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 The Auburn report card: A bye week look at Auburn football’s transfers performance Updated: Oct. 06, 2023, 6:41 a.m.|Published: Oct. 06, 2023, 6:30 a.m. 9–11 minutes There were few bigger stories entering the 2023 Auburn football season than head coach Hugh Freeze’s attempt at roster construction. Auburn brought in around 40 new faces between transfers and freshmen. So many transfers have already seen the field this season, and many of them are in prominent positions. The bye week is here now, and it’s a good time to do some early evaluation. So here is the AL.com bye week report card for all the transfers as they have now had five games to get a grasp of the Auburn system. QB Payton Throne Grade: C- Thorne is going to be the most dissected player on this Auburn team and for good reason as the starting quarterback. By this point, five games into the season, Thorne hasn’t necessarily been bad, but he also certainly hasn’t been good. Thorne has been fairly effective as a runner, especially within the hedges of Jordan-Hare Stadium. Thorne rushed for 123 yards against Samford, the most by any Auburn quarterback in a decade. He added another 92 yards on the ground against Georiga last week. Pro Football Focus grades him as one of the better running quarterbacks in the nation. He’s also been completely ineffective as a passer. Thorne is yet to throw for 100 yards against a Power 5 opponent. The passing game struggles aren’t entirely his fault. He hasn’t consistently had reliable protection or reliable wide receiver play. But he consistently made poor decisions throwing the ball throughout all five of Auburn’s five games whether they were missed reads, overthrows or just failing to execute. The Texas A&M game was especially bad, including Thorne holding onto the ball for far too long leading to sacks. Thorne has been the best of Auburn’s quarterbacks, but he also hasn’t looked the part of an unquestioned starter. RB Brian Battie Grade: B The role is small, but Battie has impressed when he’s been on the field. A shoulder injury to Damari Alston has increased his playing time. He’s had his two best games of the season over the last two weeks and for a player so small, has been surprisingly nimble in between the tackles. Battie has also been dynamic as a kick returner. He’s came within one or two tackles of returning a kickoff for a touchdown several times this season. WR Jyarie Shorter Grade: D- Shorter is listed as a starter on Auburn’s depth chart. He was expected to be a big play threat for Auburn after leading the nation in yards per catch last season. He has one catch for 10 yards total this season. The new-look group of wide receivers has fallen wildly short of expectations, and Shorter is one of them. He’s often been hardly noticeable on the field. WR Nick Mardner Grade: D Mardner gets a slightly better grade despite not having a single catch this season and largely that is due to an injury that kept him out of Auburn’s first two games of the season. He likely isn’t at 100% health. But zero catches for a player thought to be a redzone threat is not a good sign. WR Shane Hooks Grade: C- There’s so much potential here and it just has not been utilized. Hooks has 8 catches for 106 yards and a touchdown this season. He played a very solid game against Samford. But that’s about it. There was talk of Hooks being Auburn’s No. 1 receiver this season. That hasn’t happened. Hooks is one of only three Auburn receivers to even register on Pro Football Focus for player grades. This wide receiver group has not produced. WR Caleb Burton Grade: D- Burton doesn’t have a catch this season. Another wide receiver who has not met the preseason hopes for production. Auburn’s website lists Burton as participating in only one game. He hasn’t been mentioned on the injury report. TE Rivaldo Fairweather Grade: B+ Fairweather has been Auburn’s best big-play option, and is one of the only reasons that Auburn won at Cal. He is Auburn’s second-leading receiver this year, but it only takes 145 yards to reach that placement. Pro Football Focus ranks him as one of the top 115 tight ends in the nation. Auburn needs to get him the ball more than just the 15 catches he has. OL Gunner Britton Grade: B Britton has been asked to play multiple positions across the offensive line and has received a largely favorable ranking from Pro Football Focus — positioned just outside the top 150 guards in the nation. He initially appeared as Auburn’s right tackle but has fit better inside at guard, especially when Auburn decided to start Izavion Miller at right tackle. OL Avery Jones Grade: C Jones has been reliable for his availability, but the play has been mediocre. None of his Pro Football Focus grades are objectively bad, just all pretty average. A C feels reasonable. OL Dillon Wade Grade: B Wade has an excellent Pro Football Grade for his pass blocking, being ranked 29th out of 594 tackles. But his run block grade is outside the top 200 and Auburn has struggled with a number of edge rushes this season. Wade has been penalized at times, but has remained healthy and not many of Auburn’s offensive linemen can say that. OL Jaden Muskrat Grade: C Muskrat has played in all five games. He has been forced into an expanded role due to injuries. Hasn’t been anything spectacular, but hasn’t been a primary culprit on a unit that has been mediocre as a whole. OL Izavion Miller Grade: C- Miller has had a wildly inconsistent season and then has dealt with injuries on top of it when he got hurt against Samford. He struggled against Cal with penalties and being beaten off the edge, but had earned himself a starting spot. A wholly mixed bag. OL Dylan Senda Grade: Incomplete Senda has only played in one game and hasn’t had a route to see the field this season. His path to playing time appeared backlogged long before the season started. Hard to know what, if anything, Auburn has here just yet. DL Lawrence Johnson Grade: C Johnson was expected to be a backup, which is where he ended up, and that isn’t going to mean much productivity. Johnson has four total tackles and a sack. Another player who hasn’t had much expected of him, and hasn’t done much. DL Justin Rogers Grade: C- Similar to Johnson, Rogers wasn’t expected to have significant playing time. But Rogers receives a slightly worse grade because he has produced fairly identical stats to Johnson despite having much higher hopes for his role and production. DL Quientrail Jamison-Travis Grade: Not enough information Jamison-Travis has only played in one game. There aren’t a lot of stats to work on nor was he expected to have a consistent role for this team in 2023. DE Mosiah Nasili-Kite Grade: Incomplete Nasili-Kite started all five games for Auburn thus far, but it was announced Wednesday that he will miss the remainder of the season with an injury. His PFF grades were not good before the injury. Nasili-Kite’s overall grade is 581st out of 838 players at this position nationally. He has played a lot of snaps, but not put up a lot of stats. Though given the injury, it’s hard to give a full grade. LB Elijah McAllister Grade: B- McAllister’s role on this team is a leader. And that is likely his more important role. His stats have been nothing special this season. He was initially a starter before Jalen McLeod was healthy, or at least healthier. His Pro Football Focus grade is fairly average. His off-the-field grade was much higher. To be elected a team captain as a transfer in the first year says a lot. LB Jalen McLeod Grade: B McLeod has long been regarded by Freeze as Auburn’s best pass rusher. He has struggled to stay healthy throughout this season. And while he has been dynamic as a pass rusher, McLeod is yet to record a tackle for loss or a sack. Time to turn the pressure into production. LB Stephen Sings V Grade: C Sings had a ton of buzz in the preseason based on his connection with Freeze at Liberty. But he’s done next to nothing this season. He has played in every game but only has four total tackles and one quarterback hit. Auburn hasn’t had much of a pass rush this year, especially without McLeod on the field at any given point. LB Austin Keys Grade: Incomplete Keys was a starter on Auburn’s defense before a thumb injury that has kept him out since Auburn’s opener against UMass. He only had two tackles in that game. On the SEC coaches teleconference during the bye week, Freeze said Keys is still about three weeks away from deciding whether his cast will come off. LB Larry Nixon Grade: B+ Nixon was thrust into a starting role after Keys’ injury, and has done an impressive job stepping in. He’s second on the team in total tackles and has 1.5 tackles for loss. He’s appeared to be more comfortable in the defense over recent weeks, and even been productive enough to be pulled into the postgame interview room for the last two games. He’s gotten better each week, with his best game coming last week against Georgia. DB Champ Anthony Grade: Not enough information Anthony hasn’t played enough meaningful snaps yet to determine his grade. Matt Cohen covers Auburn sports for AL.com. You can follow him on Twitter at @Matt_Cohen_ or email him at mcohen@al.com

scary stuff

well to be honest AUF just does not pay enough. in fact they do not pay at all. lets team up salty and have a business lunch your treat?!! i even toyed with called the dailies the breakfast club but i doubt folks would care.............lol

trump bought his way out of the draft as a coward and then later smears those who gave life and limb to protect our country? i wonder how jj and goa or gua and other vets make peace with this. is this a case of waving the flag in private and being ok with people spitting on our service men and women? the man is guilty of so much and people on this board who want to claim the high road will still vote for him instead of biden or third party. this is why i have absolutely no respect for many on this board. you cannot have it both ways if you care about personal pride. i love our vets. i am five point vet who enlisted instead of being drafted. i know what most military goes through. and to allow them to be spit on by a batshit crazy wanna be dictator shows how fake many patriots on the right are.if biden did our military like trump did that i would drop him like a hot potato. hell he even lost a son who stood up for their country. i mean he dissed a five star family and a war hero on national television and folks made up for him.

al.com Megan Schofill is the U.S. Amateur champ and the best Auburn athlete you aren’t watching Published: Oct. 05, 2023, 6:01 a.m. 13–17 minutes It’s a cool, misty afternoon, lightning flashing off in the distance, and Megan Schofill has only got about 30 minutes to finish drills at the Auburn golf practice facility. She’s already played a round that day, worked chipping routines she still can’t stand and now hitting shots off into the overcast sky. The televisions in the bay are off. Megan doesn’t like the Trackman system to give her analytics on her swing and ball flight. The best individual golfer in the history of Auburn’s women’s golf program likes to feel and fix what’s wrong with her swing without technology. She shallowly brings the PING 7-iron behind her body and with all her weight back, smoothly uncorks forward into the ball with a swoosh and a whack. The high-arcing shot fades to the right, exactly the shot shape she was working on that day. An excellent player with her irons, it’s all so seemingly simple for her now. This is her fifth and final year. Then Megan turns around and tells a story of how she first picked up a club. Megan Schofill hits a shot at the 2023 Moon Golf Invitational. Credit: Todd DrexlerTodd Drexler A T-Rex Driver Megan grew up in Monticello, Florida, a tiny town at the intersection of U.S. Highway 19 and U.S. Highway 90 about 10 miles south of the Georgia state line. There’s a little nine-hole golf course — Jefferson Country Club — and a few more courses on the road west toward Tallahassee. It’s a town small enough that everyone seemingly knew each other and that’s not just some cliche. Delivery drivers, teachers and golf pros alike. Megan played sports year-round as a kid — softball and basketball in particular — but her dad Billy Schofill always brought her to the golf course. Billy was just a casual golfer. He let Megan and her sister Ashley drive the golf cart. He let them hit his putts from time to time and play in the bunkers as if they were a sandbox at the playground. By fourth or fifth grade, Megan got her first set of golf clubs, a hand-me-down gift from her uncle. They were shaped like dinosaurs. Her driver had a T-Rex head cover and the driver itself was shaped like the T-Rex’s face. Around that age, she started going to a golf camp with David Jackson, a former PGA Tour golfer who worked at Jefferson Country Club. She enjoyed golf then, and certainly had some skill, but didn’t begin taking it seriously until middle school. She got real golf clubs, too. Megan played nine holes with her dad on Sundays after church and took lessons with Jackson. Jackson knew Megan before she was even born, going to church in the same town with Megan’s parents. Jackson’s family and the Schofills have lived on the same street just a few doors away for decades. Jackson’s own son is about the same age. He and Megan would hit shots with their 8-irons across the yard to each other. Those are about the only sets of parents who didn’t have to worry about the kids sending a golf ball crashing through their window. As she got closer to high school, Megan said he began to play daily. She wanted to be in events her friends were competing in. Once she saw she had worked hard enough to compete statewide in Florida, Megan began thinking about playing in college. She’s working on her game in an Auburn facility she’d long wanted to be in, but it was a place that didn’t feel Megan was the right fit. Then, back at the range, she turned to her basket of golf balls. She used the iron to grab another one, and lined up for the next shot. She hit her shot and laughed when asked about her first interaction with her now head coach. Megan Schofill watches her approach shot on hole 32 during the final match of the 2023 U.S. Women's Amateur at Bel-Air Country Club in Los Angeles, Calif. on Sunday, Aug. 13, 2023. (James Gilbert/USGA)USGA Museum ‘Not good enough to play at Auburn’ Auburn coach Melissa Luellen’s name was quite verboten in the Schofill household for many years. Luellen actually hadn’t heard this story until before the start of the 2023 season, she said in a press conference. The story itself has a few different sides, but it all ends in a parking lot after an Auburn golf camp where Luellen told Megan she wasn’t good enough to play at Auburn. She wanted to bring players to Auburn that could help her team win immediately, and that wasn’t Megan. “I could tell that she loved the game and hit the ball far enough, but it was little all over the place,” Luellen said in an interview with AL.com. “Her short game wasn’t that sharp and so as far as someone to come in on the spot, there were other players that were ahead of her.” These days, Megan will say Luellen was right. But at that point, it truly angered her. Luellen said it drove Megan. Though still early in high school at that point, Jackson said Megan hadn’t “started killing it yet” in her high school tournaments. He said he emailed Florida, his alma mater, to see if they might be looking for a golfer like Megan. Jackson never got a response. Florida State eventually offered Megan the chance to walk on. Megan said she wanted to play in college, but she also wanted to make sure school was paid for. So Florida State wouldn’t do. Megan initially committed to play at Kentucky. “I asked her, ‘Is there any school you would de-commit from Kentucky for,’” Jackson said. “She said Auburn.” Jackson said he would stay in touch with Ricky Smallridge, a former PGA Tour player with Jackson and current Auburn professor in the School of Kinesiology. He updated him on Megan’s growing success in high school tournaments as she got older. Jackson said Smallridge would pass on the news to Luellen. Eventually, a spot at Auburn opened up and Luellen offered it to Megan. Her name was suddenly allowed again down in Monticello. She’s a much more consistent player now, as she reached back to the golf balls for her next shot. Her last five shots have all landed is nearly the exact same spot. But it took a maturation process to get here. The making of a star Over her time at Auburn, Megan’s swing has gone through much development. Once Luellen got her on campus, one of her first comments was picking up the speed of her swing. That slow take back used to be even slower. Luellen has worked with Schofill on hinging her wrists properly on her swing to keep the path of the club shallow and not pointed straight at the sky. Megan said she just likes to be comfortable with her swing. Head coach Melissa Luellen and Megan Schofill during the semifinal match play of the East Lake Cup between the Oregon Ducks and the Auburn Tigers at East Lake Golf Club in Auburn, AL on Tuesday, Oct 25, 2022. Zach Bland/Auburn TigersZach Bland/Auburn Tigers Luellen saw her mature from a high schooler to a college golfer. Luellen remembers Megan’s first tournament and going through strategy the night before. They discussed which pin locations they could go after, and which to play safe from. The next day didn’t go well for Megan and Auburn. “Well coach, that’s just not how I play,” Luellen recalls Megan saying. “I like to go for every pin.” “Then you’re gonna have a pretty short career,” Luellen responded. Slowly, Megan learned to use a sticker in her yardage book that denotes what to do with her approach shots. She does it religiously now. Luellen said Megan complains when younger players don’t use the tool, and Luellen reminds her she didn’t use it right away either. Her development over her first four years led her to first-team SEC and first-team All-American selections. She’s a multiple-time individual winner in college and is near the Auburn all-time leader in almost every statistical category. Long before the 2022-23 season ended, Megan knew she was coming back for a fifth year. She said the COVID-19 pandemic robbed her of a year of college and she was going to get it back. It all led her to August at Bel-Air Country Club in Los Angeles. Megan reaches for another ball then turns around again. She can’t see the trophy that’s sitting on the table at the entrance to the Jack Key Golf Teaching Facility, but she began to talk about her biggest golf accomplishment, still fresh from a few weeks prior. Megan Schofill watches her tee shot on hole six during the final round of the 2023 U.S. Women's Amateur at Bel-Air Country Club in Los Angeles, Calif. on Sunday, Aug. 13, 2023. (James Gilbert/USGA)USGA Museum Lifting a trophy in a Los Angeles The U.S. Amateur is a grinding, grueling, exhausting week-long affair with massive prizes at the end. It begins with a two-round stroke play tournament to seed the top 64 for a match-play bracket. Megan would get the sixth overall seed. She advanced to the quarterfinals with a victory in 19 holes over the No. 54 seed. There, she beat Anna Davis — one of the top amateur players in the world, winning the Augusta National Women’s Amateur at 16-year-old, competing in four LPGA major championships already and an Auburn commit — to truly make those around her believe she could actually win this. Megan Schofill smiles at her caddie after finishing hole eight during the round of 16 of the 2023 U.S. Women's Amateur at Bel-Air Country Club in Los Angeles, Calif. on Thursday, Aug. 10, 2023. (James Gilbert/USGA)USGA Museum Luellen hardly slept as she walked the final round with Megan. Luellen was in L.A. the first weekend of the tournament for the handful of Auburn golfers there. Then she went back home, with the plan to only go back if someone made the championship. When Megan beat Davis, Luellen looked at getting plane tickets. Megan’s semifinal matchup was close, but Luellen was confident of Megan advancing that she’d already dropped her dog off to be taken care of while she flew out to watch Megan. Megan is quite superstitious, and Luellen worried Megan wouldn’t want her there. But she wasn’t going to miss this. Luellen and her husband raced to Atlanta, boarded the plane and landed in Los Angeles around what would have been 4 a.m. central time. “We’re just running on adrenaline,” Luellen said. She walked the 36-hole finale with Megan as she began to take a lead over LSU’s Latanna Stone on the first 18. With a comfortable lead, the second set of 18 holes was essentially played on cruise control. On the 33rd hole, Megan lipped out a putt to win the championship. Then Stone followed by lipping out her own putt, sealing the tournament for Megan. “It’s something nobody will be able to take away from me,” Megan said. The first hug was a tear-filled embrace to Luellen on the green. Back in Auburn, members of the men’s and women’s golf teams rolled the trees at Toomer’s Corner. Megan was the first cause for celebration on the famous oak trees after Auburn announced they could finally be rolled again after they were planted in 2017. Meanwhile, an exhausted Luellen took the redeye back. Megan Schofill checks her yardage book in the third round of the 2023 SEC Championship. So, how does a trophy make it across America? It was a whirlwind of media interviews the 24 hours after her win. Megan got back to Auburn first thing the next morning and was on Golf Channel before a Zoom call with local reporters. The time after the tournament ended was spent responding to texts and finding a moment to call her parents. PGA golfer Harris English texted Megan to congratulate her. So did Auburn athletic director John Cohen and football coach Hugh Freeze. When the trophy ceremony ended, Megan took an Uber to the airport. She too took the redeye back. She had the option to take the trophy on the plane. She didn’t want to. So the trophy arrived in a box from UPS on Billy Schofill’s Monticello back porch. Megan’s father wasn’t able to attend the championship. But he too is superstitious. He had a pack of gum in his pocket when she plays, and that week, kept watering the grass during her shots because she was hitting it well when he did. When she won, Billy Schofill cried. Billy Schofill knows his usual UPS driver on a first-name basis. But it wasn’t the regular driver the day the trophy arrived. The driver dropped the trophy off at the house. No one had to sign for it. Look closely at the Robert Cox Trophy. It’s bent. But Billy Schofill didn’t know that until he saw it in person. He’d heard rumors about the lean, but of course, there’s the worry it was damaged in transit. It wasn’t. The Schofills’ normal delivery driver came the next day. He knew the trophy was on its way and was upset he missed having the chance to drop it off. But the Schofills brought him inside and let him see it. “As a father, you think about, man, that’s the bigger Amateur tournament,” Billy Schofill said. “To think that your daughter is on that list, on that trophy, it’s a proud moment.” David Jackson is organizing a celebration back at Jefferson Country Club for Megan. The trophy will make its way back to Florida. For now, the trophy sits on an elegant table in the lobby of the Jack Key building. It has made the rounds through Auburn to media events and being hoisted on the Jordan-Hare Stadium field as Megan was honored during the Samford game. She said she gets recognized occasionally when she walks around town. Now, she has to somehow shift her focus from the biggest win of her life to a run-of-the-mill college golf tournament. That’s part of her process during the time at the range. The sky had begun to clear up in those 30 minutes and now the men’s team was there for their turn at the range. John Marshall Butler walked into her bay. He had finished in the semifinals of the men’s U.S. Amateur the week after Megan’s win. Asked if the two had spoken about their U.S. Amateur experiences, they looked at each other and laughed. In that room, it’s just about fixing their swings. Matt Cohen covers Auburn sports for AL.com. You can follow him on Twitter at @Matt_Cohen_ or email him at mcohen@al.com

al.com Auburn football: Hugh Freeze offers slew of injury updates during bye week Published: Oct. 04, 2023, 1:41 p.m. 4–5 minutes Auburn Football Auburn football: Hugh Freeze updates injury status of Austin Keys, Keionte Scott, Damari Alston Auburn head coach Hugh Freeze prays with players on the field after Tiger Walk before the homecoming game against Samford Saturday, Sept. 16, 2023, in Auburn, Alabama. (Julie Bennett | preps@al.com)Julie Bennett | preps@al.com Like any head coach, Auburn’s Hugh Freeze looks at the bye week as an opportunity to regroup and perhaps more importantly, get healthy. “They’ll get a weekend off to hopefully get healthy,” Freeze said Wednesday during the SEC Coaches teleconference. Auburn linebacker Austin Keys, defensive back Keionte Scott and running back Damari Alston make up a trio of Auburn players that have been banged up for an extended period of time. Keys was the first to be bit by the injury bug as he suffered a thumb injury in the Tigers’ first game against UMass. Keys’ injury ended up requiring surgery with a timeline to return ranging from six to eight weeks. “Austin, I wanna say... we went over that this morning, I think he’s about three weeks away from them deciding whatever they’re going to do with the cast and the pins,” Freeze said. “So he’s still a ways away before we know about that, I think it’s about three weeks. The loss of defensive back Keionte Scott was the next domino to fall and another that greatly impacted the Auburn defense. Scott suffered a high-ankle sprain against Samford on Sept. 16 and underwent a standard tight-rope procedure the following Monday. “Keionte, I think he’s ahead of schedule with that surgery,” Freeze said Wednesday. “But really couldn’t tell you exactly what we’re looking at there. Hopefully we can get him back towards the end of the year.” While on the road at Texas A&M two weeks ago, sophomore running back Damari Alston suffered a dislocated shoulder after taking a nasty hit against the Aggies. In Freeze’s press conference the following Monday, he wasn’t yet sure if the running back’s injury would require surgery. But based on the update provided Wednesday, it sounds like Alston’s was able to avoid going under the knife. “Damari had a separated shoulder. He looks decent,” Freeze said. “I would expect him back for either LSU or Ole Miss.” While on the subject of injuries on Wednesday, Freeze continued to ramble off updates, which included the news that starting defensive lineman Mosiah Nasili-Kite would miss the rest of the reason after suffering a torn bicep against No. 1 Georgia on Saturday. Freeze also addressed the absence of wide receiver Ja’Varrius Johnson on Saturday, saying he was dealing with a lame hamstring. “He just couldn’t feel like he could run well enough,” Freeze said of Johnson. “He looked pretty decent yesterday, so I’m hopeful he’ll be ready for LSU.” And finally, Freeze gave an update on veteran safety Jaylin Simpson, who exited Saturday’s game against Georgia in the fourth quarter. “Obviously we missed him terribly in the fourth quarter. He had done a remarkable job in coverage. And him going out in the fourth quarter against Georgia was really devastating,” Freeze said. “He was better yesterday and better today, but still a ways away. Hopefully he’ll be better for LSU.” Freeze and the Tigers are slated to have a light week of practice for the remainder of the week before taking the weekend off and ramping things back up next week as Auburn prepares for a trip to Baton Rouge to take on the LSU Tigers.

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