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auburnwire.usatoday.com Jalen McLeod's draft stock is on the rise JD McCarthy ~2 minutes Jalen McLeod came to Auburn from App State for his senior season looking to prove he could compete with the best players in the country and through five weeks of the season he has done just that. He quickly emerged as Auburn’s top pass rusher and despite being banged up, has made 12 tackles, two quarterback hurries, broken up a pass and forced a fumble. Buy Tigers Tickets Senior Bowl executive director Jim Nagy believes he has been even better than his box score indicated and named him one of nine seniors who generated draft buzz in Week 5, in his weekly interview with On3’s Matt Zenitz. “Showed up more in live exposure against Georgia than what his stat line might suggest,” Nagy said. “Consistently around the ball. Has the ability to bend the edge on pass rush. Athletic and instinctive enough to be solid special teams contributor at the next level. NFL scouts we spoke with in the press box also like him as draftable level player.” McLeod was one of 14 Auburn players to make the Senior Bowl watch list ahead of the season.

auburnwire.usatoday.com Auburn surging for OT target Favour Edwin JD McCarthy ~2 minutes Auburn’s 2024 recruiting class is currently ranked as the No. 15 class in the country and has landed elite players at several key positions but there is one glaring weakness and it is at a critical position. Four-star DeAndre Carter is currently Auburn’s only commit along the offensive line, an area where Auburn is looking to sign several players. However, good news could be on the way as Auburn is trending for Favour Edwin, one of their top targets. Buy Tigers Tickets Edwin officially visited Auburn last weekend for the Georgia game and told On3’s Cole Pinkston it was “amazing” and that it “checked all the boxes.” The visit went so well that On3’s Jeffrey Lee has logged a prediction for Auburn to land Edwin. The prediction gives Auburn a 92.1% chance to land him, according to On3’s recruiting prediction machine. Edwin is the No. 832 overall player and No. 54 offensive tackle in the On3 industry ranking. The McDonough, Georgia native is also the No. 100 player from the Peach State. Contact/Follow us @TheAuburnWire on X (Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Auburn news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow JD on Twitter @jdmccarthy15

247sports.com Bye week thoughts as Auburn preps for challenging second half Jason Caldwell 4–6 minutes Coming into the 2023 season, I had some thoughts about this Auburn team. Some of them have been correct and some of them have been way off. After five games and with a week off, it’s time to revisit my preseason thoughts on the Tigers as they get ready to head into the second half of the schedule next weekend at LSU. Defense has been consistent for Tigers I thought the defense would be the side of the ball that would struggle for this Auburn team, but that has been far from the truth. Ron Roberts has done a masterful job of squeezing every bit of juice out of the Auburn defense to this point and it has shown up despite having to deal with some big injuries in the first five weeks to guys such as Nehemiah Pritchett, Austin Keys, Keionte Scott, Donovan Kaufman and others. The Tigers are currently 28th nationally in scoring defense, giving up 18.2 points per game, and 36th in total defense. One of the reasons for that has been creating turnovers. Auburn has forced 10 turnovers in five games this season. That’s good enough for 17th nationally. Offense has struggled Coming into the season, I thought Auburn’s offense would be the side of the ball that the Tigers would lean on early in the year. That has been anything but the truth. A lack of consistency at quarterback and wide receiver has really hampered an offense that needs to take advantage of all of the opportunities it gets. Maybe the biggest issue has been mistakes. Against Cal it was turnovers and penalties. Those penalties were again an issue against Texas A&M in a loss to the Aggies. Last week against Georgia, a few missed opportunities were probably the difference between winning and losing. Whether it was a couple of bad snaps that threw off timing on short yardage plays or passes that could have been caught, this offense isn’t good enough to miss out on those chances. Quarterback issues The offensive issues haven’t just been on the quarterback, but there’s no question that Auburn needs to get much better play at the position moving forward if the Tigers want to continue to improve and win games down the stretch of the 2022 season. In terms of throwing the football, much of that has come from Payton Thorne. While his numbers look okay, completing 62.8 percent of his passes for 643 yards and four touchdowns with four interceptions, when you break it down to the three Power 5 opponents, it looks bleak to say the least. Against Cal, Texas A&M and Georgia, Thorne has completed just 25-45 passes (55.5 percent) for just 220 yards and two touchdowns with two interceptions. When you throw in Robby Ashford’s 3-8 for 10 yards in the three games and Holden Geriner going 2-7 for 8 yards against Texas A&M, that brings Auburn’s total in three Power 5 games to just 30-60 for 238 yards. Tough to expect to beat anyone unless that improves. Simpson steps up There isn’t a player on the roster that has played as well as Jaylin Simpson this season, at least in my opinion. Simpson’s moved to safety has unlocked a playmaker for the Tigers and he’s showing that every week this season. Tied for the nation’s lead with four interceptions, Simpson’s play in the middle of defense has been a huge bright spot for Auburn this season. While he’s not a big, physical safety, Simpson is the type of guy that teams are looking for now because of his coverage ability and playmaking skills. Running back by committee This is the one thing that we expected that has come true. Despite missing the first game, Jarquez Hunter leads the team with 50 carries for 202 yards. Brian Battie has 30 carries for 152 yards while Damari Alston has 26 carries for 131 yards. With Sean Jackson and Jeremiah Cobb combining for nearly 200 yards on less than 20 carries, it’s a group that has shown versatility and the ability to grind out yards so far this season. With the issues throwing the football, they’ll be called on to do more of that the rest of the way. Finding playmakers still an issue If you want to talk about what it takes to be elite as a team in this era of college football, you can point to quarterback, pass catchers and pass rushers. Those are the three spots where teams go from good to great. Those are three spots that Auburn still needs to find someone to step up. Playmakers at those three spots can cover up a lot of other issues for a team, issues that have been costly for the Tigers in the last two games.

si.com Alabama commit Jeremiah Beaman is an important Auburn target Zac Blackerby ~2 minutes Could Auburn flip another Alabama commit? Auburn is pushing hard for Alabama commit Jeremiah Beaman. The 6-foot-3.5, 250-pound defensive lineman from Birmingham, Alabama is listed as a four-star across the board. He was in Auburn for the showdown between the Auburn Tigers and the Georgia Bulldogs. Like anyone else who was in Jordan Hare Stadium that day, he was impressed per several accounts. I asked Brian Smith, Locked On Recruiting Insider, about Beaman. "He's a kid that could come in and play right away," Smith said of the Parker High School standout. "An over 250 (pound) kid that plays like he's 230. He can play in space, he can come off the edge, he can be a three-tech. He's a pass rusher. You can't ever have enough of those in the SEC." Auburn's staff pulled out all of the stops on the recruiting side of things this weekend. Beaman is one of several guys who is crucial to helping Auburn get to where they need to be in the SEC. "That's the kind of guy where if you're going to get back into the Alabama-Georgia conversation, the LSU-TAMU conversation," Smith said. "They've already flipped a certain wide receiver that we've talked about several times on this show." Auburn flipped the commitment from former Alabama commit Perry Thompson at Big Cat Weekend. Auburn currently has 18 commits in the 2024 recruiting class and is ranked 15th nationally according to On3. Engage with Auburn Daily on Socials!

i have said repeatedly i like joe. am i happy with everything he has done? of course not. but never trump. i have no use for anyone that pisses on our military and vets. read some news that will tell you some truths. a man that lost one or two legs was not allowed to sing at an even because Trump said he was ugly. you make peace with that one. personally trump can kiss my arse.

John Bolton Gives Dire Warning About A Second Trump Presidency Josephine Harvey Updated Tue, October 3, 2023 at 6:40 AM CDT·1 min read 346 John Bolton said Donald Trump might do “irreparable” damage to the country if he returns to the White House. “It appalls me that he could be elected president again,” said Bolton, who served as national security adviser under Trump, during a CNN appearance on Monday. “If he were elected to a second term, this time he might [do] damage that would be irreparable. This is a very dangerous period we’re about to enter into here,” he told CNN’s Jake Tapper. Bolton, like many of his former Trump administration colleagues, has authored a memoir criticizing his ex-boss and his experience working with him. Trump has retaliated by calling him a series of names, including a “liar,” a “disgruntled boring fool,” “a dope” and a “sick puppy.” Bolton went on CNN Monday to discuss the latest development after Gen. Mark Milley, who served as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, made a series of alarming revelations about Trump in a profile in The Atlantic last month. John Kelly, one of Trump’s former chiefs of staff, corroborated some of Milley’s claims in an exclusive statement to CNN published Monday, including that Trump disparaged U.S. service members and veterans. “I don’t have any doubt that what John Kelly said was true,” Bolton said of the statement.

I thought Robby scored with ease in the game saturday. i mean he ran right up the middle and jawja is still trying to stop him. so my question is why did they not give him another shot or two? our receivers dropped what six balls? i wonder if we hurt ourselves by not playing him more? and i am not wanting a qb controversy and that is not my intent here either. am i wrong? i assume there is something maybe i missed for why they would not? our running game was clicking and i believe ran the triple option once or twice? i believe the sportscasters said something about it. i trust the coaches. they were dealt a terrible hand. receivers in the portal? they are letting us down. when thorne gets time to sling one they need to catch the damn thing. so with the wrs dropping balls everywhere why not give robby another chance? i just think he was good for another touchdown. am i off base here?

i hope you have fun!

i do not fart anymore.i am old and many times the readings are false and i have to shower. grins................and yesi have had to take unexpected showers............so here is proof you can say i am full of sh*t. grins

it actually does not bother me dude. but i will point out your stupidity towards trump. you folks were warned many times and ignored folks and even facts and look were it got you. you people do not care about america or you would be up to trying to help fix her instead of voting again for a man who has no business ever being in office again. instead you give the thieving trump a pass while blaming the dems or hunter.

i love the smell of butthurt in the afternoon

i know it hurts when your goober was arrested and the clintons were not. it is a shame you disliked my single statement of truth which is absolutely true...............goober has in fact been arrested for stealing along with all the other crap. he lies,cheats,steal, threatens people and yet some of you have no honor and plan to vote for the biggest crook in politics in years. people are tired of his crap and you guys look worse and worse.

here it is.....................

i could not find the reenactment.

yahoo.com OMG: Stephen Colbert Has Unforgettable Lauren Boebert Reenactment Ed MazzaUpdated Tue, October 3, 2023 at 5:30 AM CDT·1 min read412Link Copied ~2 minutes Scroll back up to restore default view. “Late Show” host Stephen Colbert returned to television for the first time on Monday night after the resolution of the five-month writers strike and wasted no time diving back into politics with gags about Donald Trump, Lauren Boebert and more. He also brought back his scathing impression of Eric Trump as he speculated on how the former president might run the country from prison if he wins next year’s election while incarcerated. “If he wins, he might be able to veto bills from cellblock A. I’m sure you’re asking, ‘How would he even get the veto pen in there?’” Colbert said. “Let’s just say on visitation days, Eric will be walking funny.” Colbert then did an impression of Eric Trump making a very painful walk to see his father: Colbert also mentioned far-right Rep. Lauren Boebert, who was kicked out of a performance of the “Beetlejuice” musical for vaping, taking pics, being disruptive, and apparently getting handsy with her date. “Officials reported she was ‘causing a disturbance,’ which turns out was code for ‘yanking her date’s crank at a family-friendly show,’” Colbert said. “According to witnesses, she was apparently trying to start him like a lawnmower.”

auburnwire.usatoday.com Five star DB KJ Bolden impressed by official visit to Auburn Taylor Jones ~2 minutes Auburn fans were understandably disappointed to learn that five-star DB KJ Bolden announced his commitment to Florida State in August. However, Auburn may not be out of the running just yet. Bolden took his official visit to Auburn for the Georgia game last weekend and was surprised at the progress that the program has made with Hugh Freeze at the helm. Bolden told Jeffrey Lee of Auburn Live that he was surprised that Auburn was able to keep up with Georgia, which made him look at the program in a different light. He was also impressed by the atmosphere of a game that magnitude projects at Jordan-Hare Stadium. “The game atmosphere was crazy,” Bolden said. “This is the first game I’ve been to, so the atmosphere caught me off guard a little bit. It was one of the best games I’ve ever been to, the fan base. Even though they didn’t get the win, the fans still stayed after it and cheered on the team. It shows that this program is real tight and close together.” Bolden’s next visit to the Plains will be for the Iron Bowl in November. He will visit Florida State for the Miami game on Nov. 11 and will make an appearance at Georgia before the season ends as well. Contact/Follow us @TheAuburnWire on X (Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Auburn news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow Taylor on Twitter @TaylorJones__

In loss to No. 1 Georgia, did the Auburn Tigers find a recruiting win? Updated: Oct. 02, 2023, 9:05 a.m.|Published: Oct. 02, 2023, 6:30 a.m. 6–8 minutes The potential future filed out one by one from the doors of the Harbert Family Recruiting Center and lined the inside of the plastic orange fencing. The high schoolers and their families seemed to just keep coming, filling the sidewalk from the doors all the way down to the intersection of South Donahue Drive and Heisman Drive. It was just after noon, about 20 minutes before the Auburn football team would walked in those doors and into Jordan-Hare Stadium as part of the traditional Tiger Walk. Some of the recruits had already announced commitments to Auburn. Five-star rated wide receiver Perry Thompson was already a celebrity, hearing his name called and fans pleading for photos almost a year before he’ll play a down for Auburn. The recruits weren’t taking part in the walk themselves but were surrounded by thousands of Auburn fans covered in orange outfits. This wasn’t the recruits’ Tiger Walk yet, but instead an experience of a tradition that could very well become theirs. Waiting at the end of the walk, the recruits heard the cheers descend down the road and toward them like a wave. Auburn’s mascot Aubie came first before the cheer team and then head coach Hugh Freeze, the man asking them all to play for him. Freeze often wears an Auburn pullover or sweats for these walks into the stadium. This Saturday held so much more gravity against the No. 1 team because of a much bigger-picture focus on recruiting, Freeze dressed up. He high-fived recruits and hugged mothers in a plaid sports coat, white collared shirt and gray pants. Other players like tight end Tyler Fromm and running back Damari Alston joined in. “I feel like in order for us to get to where we want to be which is winning SEC championships, winning national championships, we have to get the top recruits in the nation,” Alston said during fall camp. “Like we have to get them. I think we’re on a good start right now, we just have to keep it going.” But on a day this important, Freeze’s work had already begun hours earlier. Freeze said there would be around 70 recruits on campus. In reality, that number was a little below 60. That group included nine five-star rated players between the Class of 2024 and 2025 recruits on campus. Dozens of four-star rated recruits were on campus, too. Freeze met with the six recruits there on official visits at their hotel at 8 a.m. Saturday. After that, he shifted his focus to the dozens on unofficial visits as they arrived to the in-stadium recruiting facility hours before kickoff. This weekend was about trying to beat the No. 1 team in the nation — which Auburn almost did in a 27-20 loss. But more importantly, it was about Auburn’s long-term plan. It isn’t about winning now, albeit that wouldn’t hurt. It’s about competing seriously with a comparable roster three to four years down the road. The building for that starts on weekends like this. Auburn competed with the best team in America with a roster that wasn’t entirely put together by the current coaching staff. So the message is clear. “Come help us build it, we can do it,” Freeze said after the loss to Georgia. “It doesn’t take long. We just need people that buy into coming and being a part of the Auburn culture, the Auburn family. Our fans were incredible today. I think it’s exciting to play here, and I think it’s attractive to a lot of recruits. There were a ton here today who could help us feel like we have the same rosters as some of the others in our league are playing.” For the last two weeks, Freeze has discussed Auburn’s talent gap with regard to the rest of the SEC. And he’s right. When Auburn played Texas A&M, it was facing a roster that landed 14 five-star recruits in the time between Auburn’s previous most recent five-star commitment from Owen Pappoe in 2019 and then five-star linebacker Demarcus Riddick announcing his decision to come to Auburn in July. Thompson came just days after. The way to catch up is in recruiting, and this was Auburn’s most important recruiting weekend to date under Freeze. “You’re playing the best recruits in the nation,” Freeze two weeks ago before playing Texas A&M about Auburn’s talent gap. “We’re going to be there soon, and that doesn’t mean you can’t compete and win the game.” What those recruits heard inside the facility was a pitch to Freeze’s resume and development. One flier handed out showed the progressively improving stats for a handful of quarterbacks he’d coach. There were also papers passed around on Freeze’s ability to consistently bring in highly-ranked recruiting classes each year. The high schoolers played Madden on televisions near cases containing the Heisman trophies from Auburn’s three winners of the award. Freeze and other coaches stopped by for their role as recruiters throughout the afternoon before shifting to focus on the players Auburn has already. Then the recruits took the field. They stood on the same sidelines as Auburn legends like gymnast Suni Lee, former NBA Hall of Famer Charles Barkley, MLB Hall of Famer Frank Thomas and NFL quarterback Cam Newton. They watched a game that wound up being far more exciting and competitive than most expected. It’s not a coincidence Auburn picked this weekend to show off the school. It was a chance for a larger group of potential Auburn players to meet in one place, to see a sold-out, amped-up Jordan-Hare Stadium. Getting a game as thrilling as the near Auburn upset that occurred was just icing. Knowing Auburn was largely expected to lose the game, Auburn coaches could point to what went wrong and tell the highly rated players how they could fix those shortcomings. If Auburn pulled off the upset, then the recruits would have seen a celebration and showcase of Auburn fans more than they already saw. In a way, it was a win-win regardless of the game’s result. “Our place is incredible to watch a game at, the atmosphere,” Freeze said on Monday before the Georgia game. “Now we’ve got to make sure they see what Auburn is really about while they’re here for a game of this magnitude.” And reviews on the weekend from recruiting experts appear positive. 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-LSU football kickoff, broadcast information announced Published: Oct. 02, 2023, 12:03 p.m. ~2 minutes "It hurts," says Hugh Freeze after Auburn falls to Georgia After Auburn held its own against the No. 1-ranked Georgia Bulldogs on Saturday at Jordan-Hare Stadium, Hugh Freeze said that he hopes his team takes a bit of confidence out of the game, despite the heartbreaking loss. “Hopefully what’s revealed from that is they see that they can go toe to toe with some of the nation’s best,” Freeze said. “Because we’ve got some more of those coming.” Coming off a much-needed bye week this week, Auburn draws Brian Kelly and the 23rd-ranked LSU Tigers next. Auburn has yet to string together a road performance that has impressed in the slightest. And that task doesn’t get any easier as the Tigers head to LSU’s Death Valley on Oct. 14 for a game under the lights that will kickoff at either 6 p.m. or 6:30 p.m., the SEC announced Monday. The game will be broadcasted on either ESPN or SEC Network. The SEC will cement both the kickoff time and broadcast information after this weekend’s games. LSU won a tight 21-17 game over Auburn on The Plains last fall. When Auburn visits LSU next week, Kelly and the Tigers will hope to have rebounded with a win over No. 21 Missouri this Saturday after falling to Ole Miss on the road. LSU’s game against Missouri is set to kickoff at 11 a.m. and will be broadcasted by ESPN. 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.

Freeze walks back comment on future games vs. Georgia Updated: Oct. 02, 2023, 8:48 p.m.|Published: Oct. 02, 2023, 6:35 p.m. ~3 minutes Auburn Football Hugh Freeze walks back earlier comment on future Auburn games vs. Georgia Hugh Freeze clarifies comment on Auburn/Georgia rivalry, discusses where Tigers stand entering bye By Creg Stephenson | cstephenson@al.com Auburn football coach Hugh Freeze on Monday evening walked back comments from earlier in the day, when he said ”I’ll miss playing Georgia every year” during a speaking engagement in Birmingham. Speaking to reporters some six hours later before an appearance at the C Spire 1st and 10 Club meeting in Mobile, Freeze said in fact he has “no clue” what the SEC’s future scheduling plans are beyond 2024. The league is still trying to work out whether or not it will go from eight conference games to nine beginning in 2025, which would allow the Tigers to play both Alabama and Georgia every season. RELATED: Hugh Freeze on playing Georgia close: ‘There’s no moral victories in the SEC’ “Let’s really clarify that,” Freeze said. “I have no clue what’s going on with future schedules and that hasn’t come to the coaches (for review) at all. What I totally meant by that was, there’s a lot of great rivalries in our conference and there’s new teams coming and I think it’s going to be an exciting brand of football for people to see Texas (and Oklahoma). “But should there be years where you’re not playing some (traditional opponents) that would be, I’m sure, disappointing to some people in certain years. But I have no clue what the future scheduling is, nor has it been discussed with us as coaches. I know what next year’s (schedule) is, and that’s as far as I know. So I was using a hypothetical and certainly hope everybody clears that up.” Auburn (3-2, 0-2 SEC) has an open date this week before returning to action on Oct. 14 at LSU. In addition to speaking engagements in Birmingham and Mobile, Freeze was also on the recruiting trail Monday, visiting various high schools around the state. 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 Polic

al.com Should a near-miss against Georgia make you believe in Hugh Freeze and Auburn? Updated: Oct. 02, 2023, 10:04 a.m.|Published: Oct. 02, 2023, 7:02 a.m. 2–3 minutes By Kevin Scarbinsky | Special to AL.com This is an opinion column. Hugh Freeze is not Pat Dye. It seems important to make that point right at the top, no matter how obvious it may be. After what happened Saturday in Jordan-Hare Stadium, another comparison between them is in order, but no one should misunderstand. This is about their first big games at Auburn, not about them as coaches or men. This is about what Dye made happen from there and what Freeze made the fan base think may be possible from here. Sometimes a game is just a game, and its impact ends when the wounds heal. Dye’s first big game at Auburn was not one of those games. Even 42 years later, it still stands as a pillar of the program he built. Even for a man whose postgame talks are the stuff of legend, his words that day haven’t lost their power to give you chills. Only time can tell whether Freeze’s first big game on the Plains will have legs, but there’s no denying that for 60 minutes on the last Saturday in September, his first team had everyone on their feet. First, if you didn’t live through it, or relive it through the “Mighty” life story produced by his trusty friend and Auburn trustee Jimmy Rane, a few words on the coach who looked Bear Bryant and Alabama in the eye and made them blink. Dye’s name is on the field. His aura’s in the air, his spirit in the soil, his presence all about the place. His legacy didn’t need that statue outside the stadium. It has roots too deep to die. 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 Hugh Freeze on playing Georgia close: ‘There’s no moral victories in the SEC’ Published: Oct. 02, 2023, 8:43 p.m. 6–7 minutes Auburn football coach Hugh Freeze isn’t taking any sort of victory lap just because his team played Georgia closer than many believed was possible this past Saturday. The Tigers led the two-time defending national champions for much of the game at Jordan-Hare Stadium, before losing 27-20 to the top-ranked Bulldogs. A loss is still a loss no matter the circumstances, Freeze told reporters prior to a speech at the C Spire 1st & 10 Club in Mobile on Monday. RELATED: Freeze walks back earlier comment on future games vs. Georgia “There’s no moral victories in the SEC,” Freeze said. “Does it mean we’re that we’re a little closer to closing the gap? Maybe, but that’s one Saturday and you’ve got to do it for a long stretch in this league and we’re not very deep. I think that showed in the fourth quarter and it’s concerning when you start talking about stacking the whole schedule together in the 12 games. “I look forward to the day where we have a full recruiting class … to join our team to give us some depth. We played a very good quality football team really, really close and there’s a lot of positives you can take from that, but that one Saturday in and of itself probably doesn’t qualify for us to say we’ve arrived at some benchmark yet.” Auburn is 3-2 overall and 0-2 in the SEC heading into its open date, a break that allowed Freeze to get out among the public on Monday. He also spoke in Birmingham earlier in the day and made a number of recruiting visits at high schools around the state. Speaking of recruiting, Auburn has made plenty of headway in that department in Freeze’s short time on the job. The Tigers currently have the 14th ranked class in the country for 2024 according to 247 Sports, something Freeze said the entire Auburn fan base can take pride in. “The way that they have embraced our new staff and our players and my family … it’s just been overwhelming and humbling, truthfully,” Freeze said. “We sold more season tickets than ever before in the history of the program, which is amazing to me. It just tells me of their passion for Auburn football and I haven’t experienced a greater fan base than what I’ve experienced here. I think they’re just the best. “Jordan-Hare is an incredible place to play and our people are super supportive and I think it helps in recruiting. We had a great recruiting weekend even though we lost the game, and a lot of that goes to the energy that is being felt from our people.” Freeze addressed a number of other topics in speaking with reporters. Among those were: • The shared play-calling arrangement between himself and offensive coordinator Philip Montgomery “It’s a constant evolving thing. Obviously, there’s strengths to Monty’s play-calling and I’ve done it for a long time. So we collaborate really well together and we’re still kind of searching for what is best for our football team to win games. “This week, a lot of discussions will take place. But every game plan, I know what’s on the call sheet and certainly have the freedom to step in and make a call if I want. I approve that. He’s made some good calls. We haven’t executed a lot of calls that were really good. … He’s awesome to work with. I think it will be a good collaboration moving forward.” • Auburn’s quarterback play through five games “Inconsistent. We’re still searching a bit, not so much in the running game, but in the pass game as to what we really look like and who we’re really going to be. … When I say that, I do not say that that’s all on the quarterback. A lot of it is on receiver play, coaches. Is it a combination of protections and the quarterback? “I thought Payton (Thorne), of his nine incompletions Saturday, I really felt like five of those should have been caught, and that makes a difference in those games and it makes a difference in how you perceive the play of a quarterback. And so it’s a combination and we’re still searching some. I’ve been honest about that, and we’ve got to improve.” • Auburn rushing for 200-plus yards vs. Georgia, something no opponent had done in nearly 5 years “That means we had a good plan and our kids executed it somewhat, in a good way. So we can build upon it. It means you rushed (for 219 yards) against one of the best defenses in the country and (so) we should be able to do that week-in, week-out, if we can clean up, the third-and-threes and -fours that really cost us in the fourth quarter. “Those third downs on both sides, I think that was the difference in the game. Our defense couldn’t get off the field on third-and-longs and we couldn’t convert the third-and-mediums-to-shorts. And I think that was the difference in the game. But you take, again, the fact that we did rush the ball on a good defense and let’s build upon it.” • Auburn’s overall defensive performance this season “I’m very pleased other than the few breakdowns we tend to have that cost us. If we could play a complete game like we played the first and second quarter against (Texas) A&M and against Georgia, that would be nice. “I do think part of that is depth. We get gassed because we’re not playing many people on that side of the football, but boy, they played extremely well for two quarters. I think we’re the first team to hold Georgia under 100 yards rushing — you guys can figure out how long — but it’s been a while. So they’re playing really well.” Auburn will practice Tuesday and Wednesday, Freeze said, with a lighter workout Thursday before coaches hit the road recruiting that afternoon and Friday. The Tigers travel to LSU on Oct. 14 in a game that will kick off at either 6 p.m. or 6:30 p.m. on ESPN or the SEC Network. 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.