aubiefifty

do you guys like any of the basketball podcasts? there are few on basketball but it will crank up. would you like me to list all of them i run across so you can make up your own mind? my whole thing here is i have no clue who is legit and who is not. i just want my time to pay off and not waste yours. let me know.

At Auburn football, a divisive and 'dysfunctional' program under Bryan Harsin, sources say Bennett Durando 7-8 minutes AUBURN — In his first season as Auburn football coach, Bryan Harsin created a divisive culture in which relationships with certain players were neglected and staff members felt ignored, according to multiple sources with direct knowledge of the inner workings of the Auburn football program under Harsin. The inside view of the program comes as Harsin's tenure with the Tigers has come under the microscope. The contentious relationships described to The Advertiser were in the backdrop of significant coaching staff changeover, widespread player defections and came to light days after Auburn failed to add a single recruit on National Signing Day on Wednesday. On Friday, Auburn president Jay Gogue said during a board of trustees meeting, "There’s been a lot of rumors and a lot of allegations made about our football program, and I just want you to know that we’re involved and trying to separate fact from fiction and we’ll keep you posted and make the appropriate decisions at the right time." Harsin, 45, told ESPN.com on Thursday night that he is Auburn's head coach and operating in that capacity. “All the issues in the (Auburn) program have to do with the head coach,” one source told The Advertiser. “He treated players and coaches poorly. He couldn’t empathize with players. He wasn’t genuine. And he ran off many of his best players.” The source described Harsin's program as "toxic" and "dysfunctional." The opinion of Harsin, who came to Auburn after seven years as head coach at Boise State, among players is split. Some adamantly came to his defense on social media Friday, while others described a coach who fails to "understand kids that come from nothing," as graduating safety Smoke Monday posted. "Harsin is a hell of a coach that wants to win," Monday, who has entered the NFL draft, posted on Instagram. "... But as kids we try our best to out-grow where we came from but we need people that didn't grow up the way we grow up to help us." Auburn did not respond to a request for comment from The Advertiser on Friday. The player discourse began with an Instagram post Friday morning by defensive lineman Lee Hunter, who transferred to UCF. "The reason I chose to leave Auburn (was) because we got treated like we wasn't good enough and like dogs. ... Coach Harsin has the true mindset for a winner but has a terrible mindset as a person." A current player, who spoke to The Advertiser on condition of anonymity Friday, said in a direct message that "we don't get treated like dogs" and that the rift is because some players are "just not used to his mentality." "Don't believe the things you see," edge Derick Hall tweeted Friday. "@CoachHarsin works harder than no other man to put this program in the best position to be successful. ... Great man of character who loves this team!" 'I don't think he has true empathy' Nineteen Auburn players have entered the transfer portal since the end of the season. Multiple sources said Harsin would not speak to players he didn’t like when he wanted them out of the program. He would cut off correspondence with the player and family members. Position coaches were tasked with telling players Harsin wanted out that they should leave the program. "He's going to send somebody else to do the dirty work," one source said. Another source recalled one instance of a player texting Harsin to apologize for a poor performance in a game. The player asked for guidance on how he could improve. Harsin did not reply to the text message. Instead, he had the player’s position coach call the player to tell him he needed to leave the program. A source said Harsin made efforts to relate to players like the ones he had at Boise State – often from a working-class white demographic – but did not always make the same effort to connect with others – often Black players from urban areas in the South. However, the source said they never heard Harsin use racist remarks or language. When leading wide receiver Kobe Hudson entered the transfer portal in January, he tweeted, "He from the north I understood him, I’m from the south he didn’t understand me," without naming Harsin. He transferred to UCF to play for former Auburn coach Gus Malzahn. "There are sometimes players that are going through personal things that (Harsin) knows about, and he doesn't have empathy for those situations," one source said. "Whether it be a kid from a single-parent family, or a kid who's going through struggles in life. I don't think he has true empathy for kids." "How do you expect a young man to grow when you don't even talk to them," another source said, "or if you talk down to them, or if you tell them to get out of your office?" A source also said Harsin hated the concept of name, image and likeness and made that clear to players. Harsin was particularly critical of players from low-income families who received money from NIL deals because he thought they lost their focus on football, one source added. 'I'm the Auburn coach' Harsin had considerable coaching turnover through his first season, which ended with a 6-7 record.. It marked the program's first losing season since 2012. After a 6-2 start, Auburn lost its last five games. Derek Mason, who was hired as defensive coordinator at the start of Harsin's tenure, left after one season for the same position at Oklahoma State. Mike Bobo was fired after one season as offensive coordinator. Bobo's replacement, Austin Davis, resigned after 43 days. Defensive line coach Nick Eason left for Clemson in early January. Sources said Harsin was often quick to dismiss input from assistants. Four games into the season, he fired Cornelius Williams, a young and respected receivers coach from Alabama who had stints at Troy, South Alabama, North Alabama, Jacksonville State and UAB. Sources were puzzled by Williams' firing, and Harsin didn't widely provide a reason for it, the sources said. But the decision removed from the staff a coach who connected well with players — something Harsin couldn't afford. "(Williams) did nothing but did his damn job," one source said. "He had a great relationship with the players." Harsin replaced him by promoting offensive analyst Eric Kiesau, who was an assistant coach for Harsin at Boise State. When Mason left for Oklahoma State in January, Harsin promoted linebackers coach Jeff Schmedding, another former Boise State assistant. Harsin spoke with ESPN.com on Thursday night, saying that "any attack on my character is bulls---" and that he is isn't planning on leaving. "I'm the Auburn coach, and that's how I'm operating every day," Harsin told ESPN.com. "I want this thing to work, and I've told our players and told everybody else there is no Plan B."

Your ‘22-‘23 Tigers tip-off their season tomorrow night

who was the guy running after caddy some during the game with the big fat notebook like kiffen carries around or his helpers. i cannot think of the name.analyptics or something but it appears we started playing better. does anyone know who he was? and do you think it helped?

i would not be unhappy with freeze as long as he does not leave us in the cold..........grins

as an aside i am not sure if anyone saw it on the game last night but leach got upset with his receivers so he took their folding chairs away from them for some reason and made them stand. thats pretty funny right there. i think it is on twitter or instagram one and i never get those to post right but there is video of it.

lets not forget caddy said they were busy putting out fires most of that time as well so i think he super! my hat is off to him.

‘He was chosen’: the rightwing Christian roadshow spreading the gospel of Trump Ed Pilkington in Branson, Missouri 10-12 minutes “There is a man by the name of Donald,” the voice on the recording says. “God said, ‘You have been determined through your prayers to influence this nation … I will open that door that you prayed about, and when it comes time for the election you will be elected.” Three thousand people are packed into an overflowing auditorium, many with arms raised and eyes closed in prayer. The recording to which they are listening is from April 2013 and of Kim Clement, a late South African preacher, as he prophesies the first coming of Donald Trump. In a clip from the following year, Clement again purports to channel the word of God: “Hear me, for I have found a man after my own heart and he is among you. He is one of the brothers, but singled out for presidency of the United States of America.” There is excitement in the theater, with talk of a “red wave” at Tuesday’s midterm elections that will set America back on a righteous path after two years in the progressive wilderness. There is also palpable expectation that victory next week will be followed soon after by Trump’s second coming. The audience erupts in a mighty cheer as Clement’s speaking as God is beamed down to them from large flat screens while he says: “Hear me today. I have the whole thing planned out. I have looked for a man who would restore the fortunes of Zion.” So begins the ReAwaken America tour, a Trump-adoring, rightwing road show that has come for its 17th and last pre-election stop to Branson, a deeply Christian, deeply conservative town in Missouri. Over the next two days the crowd, swathed in Stars and Stripes T-shirts and Make America Great Again (Maga) hats and paying up to $500 for a “VIP” ticket, will be treated to speeches from the far-right stormtroopers of the Trump revolution. They will hear the former president’s first national security adviser Michael Flynn, who is revered in this setting as “America’s general”, warning that a new world tyranny is approaching. They will listen as Mike Lindell, the so-called My Pillow Guy, launches an incoherent rant about how foreign forces are infiltrating voting machines and using them to subvert US elections. They will give a standing ovation to the beloved leader’s son, Eric Trump, who will fire them up almost to the point of ecstasy with talk of “doing it all again”. And at the end of the day more than 200 of them will line up by a swimming pool for a full-body immersive baptism in the name of the lord, spiritual and political. The show is part Trump Stop the Steal rally, part charismatic religious service, part QAnon and anti-vaxxer conspiracy theory all rolled into one. It also subscribes heavily to the church of merchandising – there is a large vendors’ tent with several stalls devoted to the peddling of snake oil (“Redox Worx: patented cell-signalling technology. Improve health on a cellular level”). This heady brew is the creation of Clay Clark, a former wedding reception DJ from Oklahoma turned ThriveTimeShow podcaster who came to prominence protesting Covid lockdowns. Together with Flynn, he launched the ReAwaken America tour in April last year, just weeks after Trump supporters staged the January 6 attack on the US Capitol in a desperate yet unsuccessful attempt to keep Joe Biden out of the Oval Office. Since then the show has criss-crossed the country like a merry band of minstrels, honing the look, feel and message of Trump 2.0. There is less arch humour in the mix than there was when Trump descended the golden escalator in June 2015 – now it’s more resentment and menace. The speakers talk about a battle for America’s soul, literally, as though an aspiration that was floated at the start of the Trump experiment has gelled into something concrete. The regular tussle between Republicans and Democrats has distilled into a concoction that is far more potent: the fight of good versus evil. There is less arch humour in the mix than in 2015 – now it’s more resentment and menace “We are ready to go to war with the enemy, to bring this country back,” Clark says as he orders the blowing of the shofar – horns seen as spiritual weapons that herald the unleashing of God’s power. “How many of you believe that Jesus is king, and that Donald Trump is the president?” he asks. Almost every hand in the house shoots up. There is more dystopian paranoia in the room, too. America’s general, who pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI about his contacts with Russia but was pardoned by Trump, tells the rapt crowd that “these people” – unnamed but indicative of global elites – “have a plan to take this country over. They are moving to impose a new world order.” There are signs on the front of the theater pronouncing: “No guns”. Yet guns are plentiful inside the theatre as fashion appendages. One woman sitting on the stage as a “VIP” is wearing a T-shirt that says: “Guns don’t kill people. Biden does.” There is a pulsing sense inside the ReAwaken America arena that the world outside, the world surrounding them, is wholly against them. There is some reason to that. Last year the the Anti-Defamation League compiled a report on ReAwaken America that accused the tour of spreading disinformation. “This phenomenon underscores the extent to which the line separating the mainstream from the extreme has blurred,” it warned. Twice the event has been shut down or forced to relocate, in New York and Washington states. Now when you are sent your ticket it is labelled as a “Fresh-roasted coffee-fest and expo” to disguise the show’s real focus. Misinformation flows freely inside Trump 2.0. Lori Gregory, who produces films for Andrew Wakefield, the disgraced British doctor who was struck off from medical practice in 2010 for fear-mongering about links between the MMR vaccine and autism, tells the crowd that 10 years from now one in two children will be on the autistic spectrum as a result of vaccine injury. A later speaker, Sherri Tenpenny, says that Covid vaccines were turning people into “transhumanist cyborgs”. Covid shots have killed 20 million people around the world and caused 20 billion injuries, she says. Kash Patel is next up, fresh from the immunity deal he has cut with federal prosecutors that will see him testify about how Trump hoarded top-secret documents at Mar-a-Lago. Patel doesn’t want to talk about that. The Trump administration’s former chief of staff at the Department of Defense wants to empathise with his audience over how they are maligned by Biden and the media: “You guys have been labelled domestic violent terrorists because you dare to support the Maga movement.” He also wants to talk about the “two-tiered justice system” that has put many loyal Maga supporters behind bars without bail after the violent attack on the Capitol. He does not mention the more than 140 law enforcement officers who were injured on January 6 nor the seven people – at least – who died as a result of the attack. What Patel really wants to talk about is his latest children’s book that purports to enlighten school kids about how the 2020 presidential election was stolen from Trump and rigged in Biden’s favor. “King Donald had taken the lead, getting an unprecedented amount of votes,” as the story goes in The Plot Against the King: 2000 Mules. “Poor Joe was trailing so far behind that the result seemed to be obvious. The winner was …” Patel wants his book to be taught in schools, replacing the critical race theory and gender realignment that he laments is being forced down children’s throats. When he has finished speaking, he goes outside to sell signed copies of the 36-page book to a long line of attendees, at $60 each. People who had travelled from all over Missouri and beyond to attend the show expressed happiness that for once they were understood. “I feel encouragement, I feel truth. We don’t get much of that any more,” says Ruth Denham, who sits on the local Branson town council. Denham has stopped consuming mainstream media – she gets her news from Trump’s social media platform, Truth Social, and from Kash’s Corner, Patel’s podcast. Nor does she call herself a Republican any longer, there are just too many Rinos, or “Republicans in name only”. She considers herself a “constitutional conservative”. Mark Trudo, who runs his own swimming pool construction company near St Louis, is more optimistic, saying: “Right now I’m hopeful, I think things are going to turn around, a great awakening is taking place.” Like most of his ReAwaken peers, he sees the current politics in apocalyptic terms: “The country is being taken away from us from within. This is good versus evil.” Actual evil? As in satanic evil? “Is God real, is Satan real? Yes, I believe they are,” he says. Is Biden satanic? “I don’t know he is actually satanic. He is compromised. He knows what the evil side, the satanic forces, that control him tell him to do.” And Trump? “As a believer, I believe God knows the future. Trump was chosen. Even though he didn’t look like a Christian figure – he was foul-mouthed and a playboy – it’s obvious God knew what he was doing and put him in.” And now God is potentially poised to put Trump in a second time. That’s a theme that Eric Trump picks up when he takes the stage. He talks about the 2016 election, how Hillary outspent his father five to one and yet Trump still won. “We had the best out of all, which was the guy up there,” he says, pointing a finger heaven-ward. “Believe me, there was divine intervention, there was somebody watching over him.” Then came the biggest cheer of the day: “That’s why we have to do it again. It’s why we have to do it again.” On Thursday night Trump addressed a rally of his supporters in Sioux City, Iowa, and said: “I will very, very, very probably do it again.” There is speculation he will announce another run for the White House on 14 November, the week after the elections. “Guys, we will never ever, ever stop fighting for this country,” Eric Trump says, prompting chants of “USA! USA! USA!” “It’s unthinkable what these people are doing to this nation,” he says. “This is cognitive war, and I don’t say that lightly – I’m not, like, a tin-hat wearing guy.” Eric Trump concludes by telling the reawakened crowd that he loves them, saying: “I know you guys have our back 100%, and we have yours. I promise you, we are going to go and get those bastards, I promise you we will.”

i want to see them bring back the old plastic sound horns they had when i was a kid that used to drive folks crazy. i think they got banned or maybe just quit using them. grins

t rob is not high on my list. the last time we played SCe he and boom were laughing at auburn and it pissed me off.i have not forgotten that. beamer tot did the same thing but he never coached of played here so it did not hurt as bad but it still stung. does no one else remember that? and i do not remember them being that great on D there anyway.

if this is true he can keep his behind right where he is at. i do value redemption when it is sincere. to me there is nothing worse than rewarding bad behavior but how do we know he has not been rehabilitated? it is hard to believe what you hear anymore. this is why i would hope they more than make sure he toes the line. it is my understanding freeze wants to be back in the big time and someone will give him a chance down the road.most coaches have big ego's and want to prove their worth. and since he and gus are friends i imagine he would know what he was getting into.

1. personally i think auburn goes with grimes. he loved auburn when he was here and he has been around long enough to know whats what. 2. if freeze is hired which is a real possibility i just hope they add in his contract no stupid stuff and make the penalty harsh is he breaks his word instead of giving him a hefty buy out.#. i think stoops is a great coach but it took a minute or two for him to get kentucky and this is a worry as we have so much catching up to do.4. i like lane and i think he would do well but we would need to get a dang good D guy. % none of these are in order or even who i want so much as what i think. i really think lanning would do well here as well. he sure knows talent.and if he came here he might bring bo back. i blame harsin for bo. i heard he was not being a prima donna but wanted harsins schemes to be more friendly towards him. also at the end of the day i am just a fan and probably would not know the difference between my behind and third base. and my being quicker is selfish in that i want to see us winning again before i kick.

of course you do. i for one appreciate what you bring to the table.

you lost me a fightint? not sure what you are talking about. i must have missed something?

what about the kid that buried that d guy after road grading him for several yards? yes i understand i think we got a bad call but that is the kind of nasty we need right? was his name wright? i hope we get him back next year. is he not a D guy learning to play on the O line? i was thinking help him up and hit him again.

why was it not called? it looked legit and i am not sure how the refs missed it. was it a no call or did we get a bad call?

If players really know you love them they will play hard for you. he can recruit. he would save us a ton of money tho i would hope he had enough incentives in his contract to make up for it. but the man loves auburn. yesterday was a special day. he earned a ton of respect yesterday. and he would not be running to another school if offered a better deal down the road because of his love for the school. now i know it is probably not going to happen but everyone has their favorites. i will get behind the next coach and support him unless it turns into a clown show like with coach hars.

i think caddy knocked it out of the park.they found out monday close to noon harsin was gone and coaches needed to step up. three days to re imagine everything you have been taught for the most part made this almost impossible to me. he handled it very well and i believe he got everything out of those players that he could. i mean they played hard for him when all looked lost and he needed players to step up they answered. if we got the right staff behind him i would have no problems with him as a head coach. is he green? yes. he looked it but it was just nerves wanting to do well for the uni that has given him so much. i believe in my heart he can get it done but my fear is he might not be retained with the new staff.

Auburn players share Bryan Harsin's last message to team after firing Nathan King 5-6 minutes STARKVILLE, Mississippi — Owen Pappoe had one thing on his mind. Momma Goldberg’s. The senior linebacker and team captain was really looking forward to lunch Monday afternoon. He had a good morning. He was walking out of the building, business as usual before the team’s defensive film session in the afternoon. On his way out, walk-on safety Sammy Cohen stopped him: “You good?” Yes, of course. Why wouldn’t he be? “He goes, ‘You didn’t hear?’” Pappoe said. “I’m like, what?” “Look on Twitter,” Cohen instructed. “Soon as I saw on Twitter Bryan Harsin’s trending …,” Pappoe said late Saturday night after Auburn’s 39-33 overtime loss at Mississippi State. “It was all a shocker to me — I didn’t know it was going to happen, like, during the year.” Senior edge rusher and fellow team captain Derick Hall was on the golf course with tight ends Luke Deal and Brandon Frazier, and longsnapper Reed Hughes, “just having a good time and trying to get our mind off of football for a little bit.” Hall will never know what he would have shot Monday. They piled into their trucks and drove back to campus for a team meeting. Bryan Harsin wasn’t afforded the chance to tell his players first that he had been shown the door — like Gus Malzahn did in 2020. After Auburn made the decision and informed Harsin, it sent out a press release, then the news quickly spread. Redshirt junior cornerback Jaylin Simpson was working with a trainer Monday before the news dropped shortly before noon Monday. He also saw it on social media: “One of my teammates just said to check Twitter.” Harsin called a quick team meeting. He left the building for the last time with offensive coordinator Eric Kiesau and tight ends coach Brad Bedell, who were also fired, along with a few support staffers. Cadillac Williams was named the interim coach a couple hours late. “Coach Harsin addressed the team and just thanked us for all that we've done for him,” Hall said. “He really enjoyed his time here. You've gotta respect it. The way he handled it was first-class, and we wish him nothing but the best. But we have to move forward.” Appreciation was a common buzz word among Auburn players who shared some of Harsin’s message Saturday. A few players said Harsin told them he’ll be following their careers and will keep in touch. “He just came in, thanked us for all we did for him and for playing hard for him,” running back Jarquez Hunter said. “He just said he’s going to miss us and that he loves us.” Added Simpson: “We didn’t panic (when the news broke). Coach Harsin talked to us — he came in and was very professional. He said what he had to say. We wish him nothing but the best.” The Tigers fell into a 24-3 hole early in the second quarter but mounted a furious rally under Williams’ direction, scoring 22 straight points from late in the second quarter until Tank Bigsby’s 41-yard touchdown gave them a lead with 6:36 left. Mississippi State punched back with a touchdown, then Hunter scored from 8 yards out to give Auburn the lead back with 65 seconds left. The Bulldogs hit a 44-yard field goal to tie the game, though, and Auburn wasn’t given a chance to win the game in regulation after a kickoff hit running back Sean Jackson, bounced off and was picked up by Mike Leach’s team. After a missed field goal by Anders Carlson, Mississippi State running back Jo'quavious Marks walked it off with a 5-yard touchdown. The same losing streak Harsin left Auburn with has now extended to five games, although he wasn’t on the sideline for it. But the mood postgame was still one of positivity about the possibilities for the future of the program — while players still expressed gratitude for Harsin’s time as head coach. “He told us how much he appreciated his time here and being around us, everything we did, everything we went through and how we were able to overcome it and stick together,” quarterback Robby Ashford said. “It was hard. But at the end of the day, it's a business and you hate to see it happen — but we're just players, so we can’t make the decisions. It was sad, but he wished us nothing but the best. “He let us know he'd be fine and that we'd be good, too.” 2COMMENTS *** 60% OFF: Subscribe to Auburn Undercover for the latest news and intel, podcasts, recruiting coverage and more ***

Auburn doubles down, doesn't blink in Cadillac Williams' 'special' debut Published: Nov. 06, 2022, 12:44 a.m. 5-7 minutes Cadillac Williams is a gamblin’ man. Auburn’s new interim coach has an affinity for poker; it’s a longtime pastime of his. He even won a weekend poker tournament at the Seminole Hard Rock casino in Tampa, Fla., during the summer months. So, it should come as no surprise that he instilled that same mindset in his team as he prepared Auburn for its first game after a tumultuous week that began with Monday’s firing of former head coach Bryan Harsin and culminated with Saturday’s 39-33 overtime loss to Mississippi State on the road. In Williams’ mind, Auburn had nothing to lose in Starkville, Miss., regardless of what the scoreboard read at the end of the night. “We know nobody gives us a chance in anything,” defensive lineman Colby Wooden said. “So, like Coach ‘Lac says, let’s play with house money. Let’s gamble on us. No one gives us a chance. It’s just us. It’s all we need. Let’s go out there and play.” Auburn did that against Mississippi State. The Tigers came out flat, falling behind 24-3 midway through the second quarter, the Bulldogs’ lead hitting 21 on a 92-yard kickoff return for a touchdown with 8:12 to go in the first half. But the Tigers doubled down and showed resiliency, rallying with 22 unanswered points to take their first lead of the game with 6:36 to go in the fourth quarter. That came on a 41-yard touchdown run by Tank Bigsby that sent Auburn’s sideline into a frenzy. “It was just energy on the sideline, man,” linebacker Owen Pappoe said. “We loved it. Loved it.” What followed was a back-and-forth final stretch. Mississippi State reclaimed the lead on a 33-yard touchdown pass from Will Rogers to Rara Thomas with 3:49 to go. Then Auburn surged in front again with 1:05 to play on an 8-yard touchdown run by Philadelphia, Miss., native Jarquez Hunter. The Bulldogs tied it at 33-33 with 29 seconds to go on a 44-yard field goal, then they won it in overtime with a 5-yard touchdown run that was preceded by Anders Carlson’s missed 38-yard field goal to open the extra period. “It hurts like every loss does,” quarterback Robby Ashford said. “We fought our butts off, came back (from) down 24-3. But end of the day, you’re just proud of everybody, because we fought our butts. Everybody fought. It’s been a crazy past five, six days with everything that’s happened. To see the fight we put out there, I mean, yeah, we didn’t win and, definitely, losing in overtime hurts. But at the end of the day, I’m just proud of everybody.” Ashford ran for two touchdowns as well as a 2-point conversion in the fourth quarter, finishing the night with 108 yards on the ground, the first 100-yard rushing game of his career. He, Bigsby, Hunter and a resurgent Auburn defense sparked the rally in regulation, helping breathe life into a program that was gasping for air after a whirlwind week. Williams had a difficult time putting into words what this week was like inside Auburn’s athletics complex. The coaching change came suddenly, and while Williams was immediately promoted to interim coach, six other staffers—including offensive coordinator Eric Kiesau and tight ends coach Brad Bedell—were fired as well. That resulted in a shuffling of Auburn’s remaining staff, and an on-the-fly week of preparation as Will Friend and Ike Hilliard assumed co-offensive coordinator duties while splitting play-calling on the field Saturday. “You’ve seen what happened, but you have no idea the week that we just had with the lack of preparation because what went down on Monday and a couple things throughout the week that went on,” Williams said. “We were just putting out fires everywhere.” The hectic week of uncertainty left Williams short on sleep. He got maybe eight hours total between Monday and Thursday. Friday night, at least, he said he got close to four hours of rest. Then he woke up feeling not just hopeful, but confident as he headed into his first game as a head coach at any level — even with the chips stacked against his team. His message to the team: Auburn was going to win in Starkville. That didn’t quite come to fruition, the Tigers coming up just short in overtime. Even in defeat, he and players said, the Tigers felt triumphant on this night. “This night was special for me,” Williams said. “All day, it just felt right…. The energy was just different. You’ve seen it in those kids’ eyes, and then to get in this stadium (and fall behind 24-3)… man, them kids, they didn’t blink. They did not blink. Like, ‘Coach, we got you. Nobody’s quitting. We’re going to continue to serve. We’re going to continue to bleed. We’re going to continue to fight. We’re going to continue to fight on offense, man.’ We laid an egg in the first half, challenged those guys, and they responded. They responded.” Auburn didn’t fold under the circumstances, and even though the Tigers came up short at Davis Wade Stadium, they seem to be all-in on Williams and ready to bet on themselves during this final stretch of the season. “It felt like a win,” Pappoe said. “We felt like we got better. This is something we can build upon. Like I said earlier, we’re disappointed we didn’t get the W, but it was still a win for us in a sense.” Tom Green is an Auburn beat reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Tomas_Verde. If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation.

What interim HC Cadillac Williams said following Auburn’s loss to Mississippi State Ethan Stone 4 minutes Cadillac Williams was this close to capturing his first win as a head coach. Auburn led with under a minute remaining, but ended up falling in overtime to Mississippi State, 39-33. He spoke postgame about how he felt about his team’s effort. He seemed most impressed by the fact that nobody quit. Cadillac Williams: “Nobody quit. I haven’t experienced Auburn football in that way this year.” — Nathan King (@NathanKing247) November 6, 2022 He made a lot of Auburn fans proud Saturday night too, taking the blame for the loss in the end. He went on for some time about that. Auburn interim HC Cadillac Williams: “We’ve got to get better on the discipline part. We did some things that will get you beat… That’s starting with myself. It ain’t on all these kids, man. They fought their tails off. I could’ve done some things better. I really could have.” — Justin Ferguson (@JFergusonAU) November 6, 2022 Despite the loss, Williams sees a lot of lessons the Tigers can take from battling against a strong Bulldogs squad. Auburn interim HC Cadillac Williams: “We’re not gonna take this as a loss. We didn’t complete the mission… but there are so many, so many, so many life lessons these kids are gonna learn.” — Justin Ferguson (@JFergusonAU) November 6, 2022 Here’s more from Cadillac Williams’ postgame interview. this is the most emotional press conference I’ve ever been a part of, bar none Cadillac Williams is just pouring his soul out here — Justin Ferguson (@JFergusonAU) November 6, 2022 Auburn interim HC Cadillac Williams on what happened at halftime: “I told them, ‘Forget the scoreboard. We’re gonna keep fighting. Keep punching.’ Those kids did not blink. They did not blink. They said, ‘Coach, we’ve got you.'” — Justin Ferguson (@JFergusonAU) November 6, 2022 Auburn interim HC Cadillac Williams: “This night was special for me. All day, too. Just felt right. Honestly, when I woke up, I told those guys, ‘We’re gonna win this game. We’re gonna win this game.’ The energy was just different. You could see it in their eyes.” — Justin Ferguson (@JFergusonAU) November 6, 2022 Auburn interim HC Cadillac Williams: “First of all, I tip my hat to Mississippi State. Wow. Those kids fought hard. You play this game of football, and you’re not gonna win them all. But I’m so proud of my guys.” — Justin Ferguson (@JFergusonAU) November 6, 2022

247sports.com Cadillac: Nobody quit and Auburn played with a different energy Mark Murphy 3-4 minutes STARKVILLE, Mississippi–Down 17-0 Saturday with almost nothing going right, Auburn's football team showed the grit and fight interim head coach Cadillac Williams asked for prior to the game, but the Tigers came up short in heartbreaking fashion, losing 39-33 to Mississippi State in overtime. “I am so proud of my guys,” Williams said. “They fought. Two things we talked about all week were serve and believe, and I think those guys exemplified that. They showed it. “My message to those guys is we are not going to take this as a loss,” he said. “Yes, we didn’t complete the mission, we lost. Yeah, we lost, but there are so many life lessons, so many life lessons these kids are going to learn from.” Asked about the momentum change that allowed the Tigers to come back and take in the lead in fourth quarter on an eight-yard run by Jarquez Hunter with 1:05 left, Williams said, “Defense, early on, gave up yards, but they just kept serving, kept fighting. We said yesterday we are either going to fight or quit and see who is going to quit. Nobody quit. I haven’t experienced Auburn football that way this year. The energy, the belief those kids had it was just wow. “Like I told the guys, I know the Auburn family is proud of those guys,” the coach added. “They have got nothing to be ashamed of. Nothing.” Williams said any blame for the loss should fall on his shoulders. “We have just got to get better with the discipline part of it. We did some things that will get you beat and that is starting with myself. It is not on all of these kids. They fought their tails off. I could have done some things better–I really could have.” Carnell Williams answers questions following his first game as Auburn's interim head football coach. (Photo: Mark Murphy, Inside the Auburn Tigers, 247Sports) Last week Williams was the running backs coach working with Hunter and the other backs. Being a native of Mississippi, the sophomore said it really hurt to lose the game to the Bulldogs. 10COMMENTS The same was true for senior linebacker Owen Pappoe. “There are a lot of emotions going on, but I am alright,” he said. “I am disappointed with the outcome of the game, but I am proud of everybody on this team. They fought their hearts out. “We talked about it all week–let’s just come out with energy," Pappoe said. "It just felt different on the sideline. Guys weren’t sitting around, moping around. Defense was supporting the offense, offense was supporting the defense.” ">247Sports