aubiefifty

Harsin says off-week good for recruiting and recharging his football team Mark Murphy 6-7 minutes AUBURN, Alabama–Bryan Harsin said on Thursday night that his football team is having a good week of practice on the heels of the coaching staff having a good week on the recruiting trail. Auburn was off last week as it prepares for play Arkansas on Saturday at Jordan-Hare Stadium. Kickoff is set for 11 a.m. CDT for a game that will be televised on the SEC Network. Like the Tigers, Arkansas was off last week. Commenting on his team on the Tiger Talk radio show about the off week, Harsin said, “Number one, you get a chance to go back and look at the things you have done well and haven’t done well. Really, the self-scout is one of the biggest things you take out of that bye week just from a stats standpoint. “Then, the players have a chance just to get healthy, especially later in the year like we have right now,” said Harsin, whose team is trying to snap a three-game losing streak. Auburn is 3-4 overall and 1-3 in the SEC. Arkansas is 1-3 in the league and 4-3 overall. The coach said the staff is giving younger players a chance to get more reps in practice this week to keep the front line players rested and ready to go for the final five games on the schedule. Harsin, whose teams at Arkansas State, Boise State and Auburn are 9-1 following bye weeks, said that resting the players and self-scouting are big reasons for that record. “We have seen that in practice, we are more fresh, guys are running around," he said. "I feel good about the tempo of practice, the effort and execution in practice. We hope that shows up in the game Saturday.” The head coach pointed out that the graduate assistant coaches and analysts worked on the scouting and game plan for the Arkansas contest. “We spent time on recruiting. That is where the coaches and myself, we were on the road getting a chance to see some of these coaches, some of these players and just be out there and be seen. “That was really a good week for us,” the coach declared. “I thought our guys took advantage of it. We are down to one more day (for recruiting in-person visits) and Coach (Roc) Bellantoni will use that next week. “We did a great job getting out there seeing these high school coaches and seeing those players, and also getting a plan ready for Arkansas. When we came back on that Sunday we were all go on Arkansas. The young coaches did a good job of preparing that plan and having it ready for us so when the coaches got back we hit the ground running.” Also on Thursday, Harsin made these points about his team: * Jeremiah Wright, who made his first Auburn start vs. Ole Miss, has had a good week of practice and will be back in action this Saturday. Harsin said that the former Selma High two-way standout brings “nastiness” to the offensive line. * Harsin said as a group the offensive line was “physical” in Auburn’s loss to Ole Miss, a game which featured AU’s strongest running attack of the season. He said the offensive line’s improvement was a big factor on how the Tigers ran the football vs. Ole Miss along with the threat of quarterback Robby Ashford as a runner. * Auburn’s coach predicted that Anders Carlson will follow in his brother’s footsteps and be a kicker in the NFL. Carlson was recognized at practice this week for winning an $18,000 postgraduate scholarship as one of the finalists for the Campbell Trophy that goes to college football's top scholar-athlete. * Senior wide receiver Shedrick Jackson agreed with his head coach, saying he believes the off week was good for the players as they get ready to play Arkansas. "I think the off-week was good for us physically, and mentally, too, having a little time off to focus on what we need to do to finish out the season strong." Commenting on what the Tigers need to do to play better, Jackson said, "There is a lot of little stuff, especially on offense, that we have to correct and just lock in for these last couple of games." * Commenting on the Razorbacks, Harsin said what stands out about the team is its overall speed and a willingness to be physical, something he said that showed up in Auburn’s 38-23 victory last season at Fayetteville. The coach said he is hoping for good support from fans with the Tigers making their first home appearance since losing 21-17 to LSU on October 1st. "I know this, our guys, coming off this bye week, they are excited to go play against Arkansas, they are excited to play at home," the coach said. "They want to go out there and have a successful game," he added. "They are going to need the crowd, the backing and that energy, and certainly making it as difficult as we can from Arkansas from our crowd, our fans. I know we are going to get that. Our guys are excited to go play in front of that." 26COMMENTS Harsin also noted that it is good for recruiting to see an energized crowd at Jordan-Hare Stadium. "Everybody wants to know 'what kind of environment will I get a chance to play in? I know I can play. Am I going to get that kind of support and have that crazy environment' that everybody wants to have.'...It is early. Wake up early. Have yourself ready to go. Do whatever you have to do to get yourself ready and cheer these guys on and we will win this football game. That is the one thing our guys are ready to do. They want to go out there and win this football game. We have got support from our fans to do that and I expect great football from our team."

swtimes.com Arkansas football at Auburn: Scouting report, score prediction for road test Christina Long 4-5 minutes FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas football is going for its first road win over Auburn in a decade when the Razorbacks face the Tigers on Saturday. Arkansas hasn't beaten Auburn at all since 2015, and it hasn't won at Jordan-Hare Stadium since 2012. Both Arkansas (4-3, 1-3 SEC) and Auburn (3-4, 1-3) had last week off and will enter the contest fresh. Auburn has struggled mightily this season. Off-field conflict with coach Bryan Harsin and lackluster on-field performance have combined for a disappointing year so far in Auburn. But all of Auburn's four losses have come against ranked teams, and some have been close. Here's a look at how Arkansas and Auburn will match up on Saturday (11 a.m. CT, SECN). WEEK OFF:Arkansas football coach Sam Pittman optimistic about injuries after open week MORE:Arkansas football restructured practices. It worked vs. BYU but what about rest of season? Auburn's defense presents key weakness If you take a look at Auburn's pass defense numbers, the Tigers don't look half bad. They rank fourth in the SEC in passing yards allowed per game. But when you look at its run defense numbers, it all makes more sense. Teams don't need to pass much against Auburn; they can run all over the Tigers. Auburn's run defense is the worst in the SEC and ranks No. 119 out of 131 nationally. The Tigers allow about 204 rushing yards per game. That's not a recipe for success against Arkansas. Raheim Sanders has been a consistently strong running back, averaging about 125 rushing yards per game on his own. Quarterback KJ Jefferson should have plenty of room to run against Auburn, too. Arkansas' offense has been relatively balanced this season, but if Auburn's defense is letting the Razorbacks run, Jefferson is one more threat to do so. Arkansas' secondary might catch a break The best piece of news for Arkansas coming out of its week off was coach Sam Pittman's optimism about the health of the secondary. The Razorbacks expect to have safety Khari Johnson and corner Jayden Johnson back. Pittman was also hopeful but not yet certain that corner Malik Chavis and starting nickel Myles Slusher could play Saturday. Auburn is as good an opponent as any for Arkansas' newly healthy defensive backs to face. The Tigers are next-to-last in the SEC in passing offense and average about 207 passing yards per game. They've waffled between TJ Finley and Robby Ashford at quarterback, but as a team, the Tigers are tied for the league lead in interceptions with 10 and have the SEC's worst completion percentage. Don't be surprised if Arkansas' secondary looks vastly improved against Auburn now that it has some of its depth back, but remember that it's facing one of the worst passing attacks it will see all season. Tigers' running game improving For all the problems Auburn has in its passing game, its run game has shown flashes. The Tigers have struggled in the ground game against SEC opponents. In its last game against No. 9 Ole Miss, however, Auburn put up a season-high 301 rushing yards on 48 attempts. Running backs Tank Bigsby and Jarquez Hunter are the names to know on the Auburn offense. Arkansas' defense will have to prevent the Tigers from finding a rhythm in the run game and keep Bigsby and Hunter from finding holes like they did against Ole Miss. Score prediction Arkansas 35, Auburn 28 — Arkansas will rely on its strong running game to get out ahead of Auburn. On the other side of the ball, the Razorbacks' solid defensive front will limit the Tigers' talented runners enough to get the win. Christina Long covers the Arkansas Razorbacks for the Southwest Times Record and USA TODAY Network. You can follow her on Twitter @christinalong00 or email her at clong@swti

you sure it was not a big birdy that is yellow in color and poops in the house so much we have to put down newspaper?

i expect it to be bad. arkie is looking at this as a revenge game because they have seniors that have never beaten auburn. and i am sure with the fans hurting they might not be as loud as we normally are.

i get more depressed than i do mad. all i can say is thank god for medical pot. and i am so sick of him throwing players under the bus. harsin needs to sack up. after almost two solid years it is not the players it is the coaching. he needs to quit kicking folks behind on the paintball field and start kicking behind on the football field. the man is clearly failing and instead of being the hard nosed savior we hoped he would be he is a loser that has pretty much destroyed this team. i think the uni should not have to pay for this cluster of steaming crap he has given us.

of course he is. he wants that 15 mil and then he is heading to sabans school of fallen coaches............lol. i joke but it could happen.

has a book coming out as well. Barkley: A Biography Hardcover – November 1, 2022 by Timothy Bella amazon has it. how odd but wonderful but two of our greatest players of all time have books out a week apart. i will be purchasing this book as well. i love me some barkley. as an aside and as a sometimes musician i have several friends that play a club somewhere in leeds i believe and charles pops in on the regular or used to. but here is the kicker! charlse would often sit in with bands and play bass guitar if the band knew some of the same songs he did. they said he was super to everyone and looked down on no one.

my bad i hit the like button to mean yes......

Top Auburn football defender offers support for Bryan Harsin Andrew Hughes 2-3 minutes Auburn football is experiencing yet another exodus of transfers in 2022 this week, with Zykeivous Walker, AD Diamond, Landen King, and Tar’Varish Dawson all making up the latest round of departures from Bryan Harsin’s Tigers. That group has been unhappy with the opportunities (or lack thereof) they’ve gotten in 2022 under Harsin, and at least in the case of King, the head coach was not having him take a redshirt with no medical reasoning behind it. Evidently, many players aren’t taking to Harsin and the narrative from many in the fanbase is that he is swiftly losing the locker room and needs to be let go ASAP. The latter point could certainly be debated, but not player in the Auburn football program is giving up on the long-time Boise State head coach. Wesley Steiner, the No. 2 leader in total tackles and solo tackles this season, tweeted out in support of Harsin, vowing to see his tenure through to its natural end: Auburn football has time to turn their season around As crazy as it may sound, this season is not yet a lost one. With five games left in 2022, there’s still a chance to match or surpass last year’s win total and become bowl eligible. It wouldn’t be much progress from the Gus Malzahn era, especially since the Tigers won 9 or more games 3 times under his leadership, but it wouldn’t be a far-cry from the other five seasons under the previous regime. Arkansas, Texas A&M, and Mississippi State are all winnable games, and Western Kentucky’s only victory over an Alabama university this season should be UAB. Winning at least 3 from that set isn’t impossible, and if it is, everything said about this being Bryan Harsin’s last season will come to fruition. Let’s pump the brakes on the pessimism until that happens, though. If it even does.

here is what i think is one of the issues with the bible. i was watching some biblical scholars on a christian special a few years back. they said the bible contained tribal histories and some "fables" as teaching moments and not all of it is the word of god. i believe them but i admit i could be wrong. they used examples but i do not remember them but i believe they were calling the bible the good book but not all in it was the word of god. i have no idea. when i tried reading the bible i understood little and quit reading it. a couple of times in fact.

For Pittman and Jefferson, Saturday’s game at Auburn will be ‘personal’ Taylor Jones 3-4 minutes Let us begin this article by stepping back in time. The year is 2015, the setting is Reynolds Razorback Stadium in Fayetteville, Arkansas. Auburn kicker Daniel Carlson boots a 41-yard field goal with 0:04 remaining in regulation to tie Arkansas at 24-24, sending the game to overtime. Auburn and Arkansas would trade touchdowns through three overtimes, but the Razorbacks ultimately prevailed thanks to a 25-yard pass from Brandon Allen to Cole Kelly on the first play of the 4th overtime, beating Auburn, 54-46. That would mark the last time that Arkansas has beaten Auburn in the sport of football. Arkansas head coach sam pittman, as well as Razorback quarterback K.J. Jefferson hope to change the course of the annual series on Saturday, by winning their first game over the Tigers in six years and grabbing their first win at Jordan-Hare Stadium since 2012. Pittman has done great things at Arkansas in his three-year tenure. He led them to nine wins and a bowl win over Penn State in his second season. Before that, Arkansas had not won a bowl game since the 2015 season and had not won more than eight games since 2011. One thing he has not done, however, is beat Auburn. He says that he has gotten a sense at practice this week that playing Auburn is “personal” to his players. “We’ve got to win,” Pittman said during his Wednesday press conference. “It’s going to be very difficult but, to answer your question, I do feel at practice that we understand that Auburn has embarrassed us six years in a row and we would like not to make it the seventh. But we’ve got to go play well.” Pittman says that he feels the need to win from players such as offensive lineman Dalton Wagner, who has been on the Razorbacks roster for six years, and for KJ Jefferson, who is looking to avenge last season’s loss after completing just 21-of-35 passes in last season’s loss to Auburn. Not only does Jefferson want to lead his program to their first win over Auburn since 2015, but the 2020 game is still fresh on his mind. “I mean, we know what happened when we went down there,” Jefferson said. “So, I mean, everybody has the memory still in the back of their heads. So, this week, it’s more personal than anything. We’re taking it as a challenge. More personally, try not to leave the game to the ref’s hands. So, we just want to come out and dominate and play our brand of football.” The Razorbacks and Tigers are set to meet for the 31st time in history on Saturday at Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn. Kickoff is set for 11 a.m. CT.

i was just talking. i am lonely today for some odd reason.

Tank Bigsby among top rushers for 2022 River Wells 1-2 minutes The Auburn Tigers offense hasn’t had much to boast about this year, but it can certainly be proud of running back Tank Bigsby. Bigsby was named in PFF’s top 10 running backs so far on the year, coming in at the bottom of the list with Texas’ Roschon Johnson at a grade of 88.2. Bigsby is one of four SEC backs to make the cut. Buy Tigers Tickets It’s taken a bit for Bigsby to get going for Auburn, but the Ole Miss game was an arrival of sorts for a player that many believed coach Bryan Harsin misused. After a big game to start the season against Mercer, Bigsby was lacking in attempts and struggled to get going with Auburn’s offensive line before blistering for 179 yards on 20 carries and two touchdowns against the Rebels. It seems that PFF has certainly taken note of his performances, as he finds himself in great company on their list of highest-graded running backs for 2022. Bigsby and the rest of Auburn’s offense will look to improve on its game against the Rebels when it takes on the Arkansas Razorbacks in Jordan-Hare Stadium on Saturday.

si.com Arkansas vs. Auburn schedule, game time, how to watch, TV channel, streaming James Parks 3-4 minutes Arkansas vs. Auburn schedule, game time, how to watch, TV channel, streaming Week 9 college football schedule: Arkansas vs. Auburn How to watch When: Sat., Oct. 29 Time: 11 a.m. Central TV: SEC Network Stream: fuboTV (Start your free trial) More college football on SI: College football scores | College football rankings | College football schedule Odds, point spread, betting lines Odds courtesy of SI Sportsbook Line: Arkansas -3.5 Arkansas ATS: 3-4 Auburn ATS: 2-5 Over/under: 62 Moneyline: ARK -188, AUB +138 FPI pick: Auburn 56.3% What you need to know Arkansas: It seems like so long ago when the Razorbacks were the talk of college football, a top 10 team, and seemingly destined for great things. Then came a three-game losing streak to ranked SEC teams and a paltry 1-3 start in conference play. But the Hogs should be getting quarterback KJ Jefferson back fully healthy after missing the MSU game and getting banged up in the win at BYU to complement this talented rushing attack. Auburn: It's been tough sledding for Bryan Harsin, who just lost cornerback AD Diamond to the transfer portal, making it 10 departures of the 18 players Auburn signed in the 2021 recruiting class. The exodus out of the Plains continues, and most observers think Harsin himself is next. Just 1-3 in SEC games, the Tigers have dropped four of the last five overall, allowing over 40 points in three of them. Auburn could in theory get something going against the Razorbacks' secondary, but do they have the skill? Arkansas vs. Auburn odds, spread, lines: Week 9 college football picks, predictions by computer model AP top 25 poll: LSU moves into Week 9 college football rankings College football picks, predictions against the spread Ranking college football's undefeated teams by strength of schedule College football rankings: ESPN updates top 25 poll for Week 9 games ESPN computer makes picks for Week 9 college football games Coaches Poll top 25 college football rankings Week 9 college football betting lines, point spreads for top games College football power rankings for Week 9 fuboTV provides full, total coverage of the top college football games on the 2022 schedule from the major TV networks as well as the SEC Network, Big Ten Network, ACC Network, Pac-12 Network, and others. > Click here to start your free college football fuboTV trial According to AP top 25 poll 1. Georgia (31 1st-place votes) 2. Ohio State (18) 3. Tennessee (13) 4. Michigan 5. Clemson (1) 6. Alabama 7. TCU 8. Oregon 9. Oklahoma State 10. USC T-10. Wake Forest 12. UCLA 13. Penn State 14. Utah 15. Ole Miss 16. Syracuse 17. Illinois 18. LSU 19. Kentucky 20. Cincinnati 21. North Carolina 22. Kansas State 23. Tulane 24. NC State 25. South Carolina

do people really still sniff glue? i watched some folks try that crap and you could see the brain cells melting away.

Shaq challenges Charles Barkley to spelling contest: ‘That Auburn education pulled me through, America’ Updated: Oct. 26, 2022, 8:36 a.m.|Published: Oct. 26, 2022, 6:24 a.m. 1-2 minutes Charles Barkley passed, barely. During TNT’s coverage of the NBA on Wednesday, Shaquille O’Neal challenged the former Auburn star to spell “spectacular.” And he bet $10,000. Hilarity ensued. It appears that Barkley’s first attempt - he needed to write it down - was off the mark. Kenny Smith took a peek at what Barkley had written down before the analyst came up with the right combination of letters to complete the task. “Let me look at that camera right now,” Barkley said after passing the pop quiz. “I haven’t had that much to brag on this year, but let me go ahead and say it: War Damn Eagle. “That Auburn education pulled me through, America.” Mark Heim is a sports reporter for The Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Mark_Heim.

Sorting out the facts on Bryan Harsin’s redshirt policy at Auburn Published: Oct. 26, 2022, 7:02 p.m. 6-7 minutes Another day, another saga for Bryan Harsin during his second season as the Auburn head football coach. During Wednesday’s Southeastern Conference teleconference, he was asked about a story that said he denied non-medical redshirts to players. “I don’t know what report you’re talking about,” Harsin said. According to Auburn Daily reporting, Harsin was “refusing to allow players to request a redshirt without a medical reason for not playing,” framing it as “you play, or you go,” forcing some players to end their 2022 seasons early to avoid losing a season of eligibility. Read More Auburn Football: Defensive tackle Zykeivous Walker no longer on Auburn’s roster, plans to transfer Auburn wide receiver plans to enter transfer portal in December Former Auburn starting wide receiver to enter transfer portal, becomes 10th 2021 signee to leave Tight end Landen King confirmed his intent to redshirt on October 5th after reports surfaced earlier in the day. According to sources around the program, Harsin believed King could still serve a role for the Tigers and was healthy enough to play. Initially, King publicly said he would remain in the program as he still attended practice and participated with the scout team for the last few weeks. Auburn didn’t confirm or deny the redshirt for King because he was progressing on the scout team, and there was an opportunity for an increased role. He was removed from the online roster late Tuesday night after he tweeted a statement that he was entering the transfer portal. King is more attractive in the transfer portal with three years of eligibility versus two years. King, recruited to Auburn by previous coach Gus Malzahn, was displeased with his playing time, which led to the redshirt request, according to sources. Harsin wanted King to commit to playing and hoped to have him available for the Arkansas game. Harsin alluded to the value of having as many healthy players as possible on Monday when asked about the health status of his team after the open date. “The one thing about the injuries, we only look at it as players in the game, how it impacts that game. But it really impacts practice,” Harsin said. “If the guy has to take the two reps, he doesn’t have anybody to back him up, and he’s getting double reps, and pretty soon he fatigues, and that’s going to cause injury down the road for us.” King arrived at Auburn as a tight-end recruit and was in his first season playing a new position with different responsibilities. He was also behind experienced receivers Ja’Varrious Johnson and Tar’Varish Dawson on the depth chart. Freshman Jay Fair also was pushing for playing time. King didn’t play in the season-opener against Mercer, partly because his adaptation from tight end to wide receiver was still progressing. According to Pro Football Focus, he had 16 snaps in the win against San Jose State. His one catch for 24 yards came in the loss against Penn State. According to PFF, King had 15 snaps against the Nittany Lions and 12 against Mizzou. The former 3-star recruit dressed out for the LSU game but didn’t get any snaps in the contest. He didn’t make the 70-player travel roster for the Georgia and Ole Miss road losses. When asked Wednesday about his policy on redshirting players following the exits of multiple players into the transfer portal, Harsin said it is something his staff discusses and examines. “We know the number of games,” the Auburn head coach said. “So we really monitor that as a staff. We’ve done that every year, and certainly with the new four-game rule. We’ve always paid attention to that.” Harsin got a follow-up question directly mentioning the allegations of him denying redshirts for any reason other than an injury. He elaborated on his policy on handling redshirting. “It all goes back to what is needed and who’s out there also putting themselves in position to be able to play, and who can help us play,” Harsin said. “We monitor that as a staff, and we continue to monitor that with guys. If they’re not going to be able to go out there and play for us, there’s guys ahead of them, and they’re young players; if they have a redshirt year, that’s usually when they’re able to use it.” Harsin’s job is to put the best players on the field to give Auburn a chance at winning. It’s also no secret that he’s on one of the hottest seats in America heading into the final five games of the season. King has the right to protect his destiny as a football player. Harsin’s fate at Auburn hinges on winning games right now. Auburn is 3-4 with a 1-3 SEC record, and Harsin is 9-11 as the Tigers’ head coach. “But overall, every guy that comes in here, they’re coming to play,” Harsin said. “That’s what we go through every week: What is that plan, and how do we utilize our players to help us and their teammates to be successful and go win ballgames?” Harsin’s comments on Wednesday’s call demonstrate his belief that the coaching staff’s evaluations should lead to a decision on a redshirt. In today’s world of the transfer portal, is it fair for a player to dictate his sitting out while reaping the benefits of being a scholarship athlete until they depart? Should an athlete leaving or waiting for the current coach to get fired continue to access the program’s resources like the weight room, physical therapists, training table, and more? Should the player risk losing the valuable redshirt if they believe they’re in an untenable situation? Your answer might depend on which position you’re in at the moment. Harsin’s place as Auburn’s coach gets more precarious by the day. Nubyjas Wilborn covers Auburn for Alabama Media Group. If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation.

Bo Jackson asked if Deion Sanders would be good fit as next Auburn coach Published: Oct. 26, 2022, 1:26 p.m. 2-3 minutes Jackson State head coach Deion Sanders watches from the sideline during the second half of the Orange Blossom Classic NCAA college football game against Florida A&M, Sunday, Sept. 4, 2022, in Miami Gardens, Fla. Jackson State won 59-3. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)AP The topic of Auburn’s next football coaches rages on as the Tigers prepare for a Saturday home game against Arkansas. For the record, Bryan Harsin is still the coach. However, earlier this week, former Auburn great and Heisman Trophy winner Bo Jackson was asked if Jackson State and former NFL great Deion Sanders would be a good fit on The Plains. “Deion could coach anywhere in the country — college or professional level— that he wants to,” Jackson said in an interview with USA Today. “It’s just whether or not the organization is ready for Prime. You can look at what he’s done for Jackson State in the short amount of time he’s been there. He has the charisma. He has what it takes because Deion, like myself, we were coached old-school and that’s the way he’s coaching his players. You’re seeing the results.” RELATED: Why Bo Jackson is the greatest athlete ever Sanders, the former Florida State star, is 7-0 this season and 20-5 as a head coach at Jackson State since taking over prior to the 2020 season. For the first time in program history, Jackson State will host ESPN’s “College GameDay” ahead of Saturday’s game with Southern. “I was excited, really excited,” Sanders said, per Mississippi Today. “But you gotta understand, I expect stuff like this. Why not us? You know lots of people wear that shirt that says: ‘Why not us.’ But they don’t believe what’s on the shirt half the time. RELATED: Snoop Dogg joins Deion at homecoming, takes jab at Alabama State coach “You better believe it. Don’t just wear it. Believe it. I really think like that. I think, ‘Why haven’t you come yet?’ Thank God, they pulled the trigger. We’re blessed to have them. It’s phenomenal.” Mark Heim is a sports reporter for The Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Mark_Heim.

Scarbinsky: Nothing like telling Bo stories when you were along for the ride Published: Oct. 27, 2022, 5:45 a.m. 2 minutes By Kevin Scarbinsky | Special to AL.com Of course I got the book. It’s all about Bo Jackson. Greatest athlete I’ve ever seen, heard, talked to, defended against an uninformed national backlash and hitched a ride in a limo alongside from LaGuardia Airport in Queens to the Downtown Athletic Club in Manhattan. Greatest athlete anyone has ever seen. I will die a thousand deaths on that hill no matter how many times I felt his death-ray stare during his tortured and triumphant Heisman Trophy season at Auburn. Talk about right place, right time. The fall of 1985 was his last football season on the Plains and my first season as the Auburn beat writer for The Birmingham News. I turned 24 as fall camp began. He turned 23 three months later on the day of his final and most painful Iron Bowl. About that. I shared a few stories from that season with the accomplished author Jeff Pearlman during his exhaustive research for “The Last Folk Hero: The Life and Myth of Bo Jackson.” Me and 719 others. The book jacket says Pearlman did 720 original interviews for the hefty biography, which checks in at 484 pages if you count the index, so he couldn’t include every anecdote. Allow me to share a memory that will help you know Bo a little better. There’s no official statistic for it, but I believe no other Heisman Trophy winner has been the target of more contempt and disdain during his signature season. It was almost a national campaign. Rick Reilly’s hatchet job in Sports Illustrated, painting Bo as a coward, was merely the most infamous and casually vicious of the genre. If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation.

Bryan Harsin points to the biggest challenge facing the Arkansas offense, reveals DB has left team Keith Farner 2-3 minutes Bryan Harsin and Auburn will play a home game this week against Arkansas for the first time since Oct. 1, and the Tigers face a tall order in the Razorbacks’ offense. “The biggest challenge is that they’re really good,” Harsin said on the SEC coaches media teleconference. “They’re tailbacks, their wide receivers. … and they’re well-coached. … The balance of the run game, the QB, the backs, the sweeps. … You have to know your assignments.” One place to start is trying to slow down Rocket Sanders, who is the SEC’s leading rusher with 870 yards along with 7 touchdowns. “One, he’s having a big year. He’s a really good player,” Harsin said. “He’s explosive and he runs hard. … He has really good vision. … He’s not a guy who usually goes down on the first tackle.” Harsin also shared that AD Diamond, a freshman defensive back, is no longer on the team.

Auburn Coach Bryan Harsin successful ofttimes after byes 6-7 minutes Auburn head coach Bryan Harsin is shown during the Tigers' loss to LSU in an NCAA college football game Saturday, Oct. 1, 2022, in Auburn, Ala. (AP Photo/John Bazemore) FAYETTEVILLE -- Auburn Coach Bryan Harsin's teams have been tough to beat after an open date. Really tough. Harsin's teams at Arkansas State University, Boise State and Auburn are a combined 10-1 after in-season open dates. The Tigers (3-4, 1-3 SEC) will try to make it 11-1 when they play the University of Arkansas (4-3, 1-3) at 11 a.m. Central on Saturday at Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn, Ala. Auburn has lost consecutive games to LSU at home and on the road against Georgia and Ole Miss -- teams currently ranked No. 18, No. 1 and No. 15 in The Associated Press poll -- but the Tigers are coming off an open date after the Rebels beat them 48-34 on Oct. 15. In Harsin's only season at ASU in 2013, the Red Wolves beat Idaho 48-24 after an open date. Auburn beat No. 10 Ole Miss 31-21 coming off an open date last season. The only game a Harsin-coached team has lost after an open date was New Mexico's 31-24 victory over Boise State in 2015. Harsin's teams have won six consecutive games after an open date since then, including Boise State's 17-9 victory over Wyoming in 2020 when the Broncos had three weeks between games during a season affected by cancellations because of covid-19. "Just a good time for us to get healthy and do a lot of self-reflection," Auburn senior linebacker Owen Pappoe said of the open date. "Just looking in the mirror, viewing things that we did wrong from the beginning of the season and knowing what we need to attack last week in practice. "I feel like we had a really good week, those few practices that we had, and we're going full speed into this week. "It was a breath of fresh air. Got to go home, see fam and all that. Everybody here is refreshed and we're ready to go now." Harsin said he believed the Tigers took advantage of their bye week to get healthier. "Now, not everybody's fully healthy, but guys will play," Harsin said. "I don't think that's anything uncommon this time of year. "I think you've got guys that the first day of fall camp is the best they're going to feel. So you're going to have a few bumps and bruises and aches and pains and things like that that we have to manage really through the season. Not just this week, but the rest of the season with some of these guys. "But guys are toughing through it and they're also in there wearing the trainers out. They're getting themselves in the best shape they can." Bo Nix, Auburn's starting quarterback the previous three years who passed for 292 yards and two touchdowns and ran for a score in the Tigers' 38-23 victory at Arkansas last season, is now at Oregon. Redshirt freshman quarterback Robby Ashford, who transferred from Oregon, has started the last four games for Auburn after T.J. Finley sustained a shoulder injury in a 41-12 loss to Penn State. Ashford, who didn't play in his two seasons at Oregon, has completed 67 of 140 passes (47.9%) for 1,014 yards and 4 touchdowns with 5 interceptions. He's also rushed 74 times for 307 yards and 3 touchdowns. "Robby can extend plays, he can make plays," Harsin said. "He's doing a better job keeping his eyes down the field. He's also a threat in the run game, so he's that dual-threat guy that can do a lot of different things." Auburn junior running back Tank Bigsby rushed 20 times for 179 yards at Ole Miss two weeks ago and on the season has 99 carries for 524 yards and 6 touchdowns and 15 receptions for 97 yards. In two previous games against Arkansas, Bigsby has 38 carries for 214 yards. "Bigbsy, probably last week he showed who he really is," Razorbacks Coach Sam Pittman said. "They opened up against Ole Miss a lot of holes for him, and he made a lot of good runs out of that. "I've always liked Bigsby. I think he's a really, really good player. Breaks a lot of tackles, and that's the emphasis this week, trying to get him down before he gets started." Junior Ja'Varrious Johnson leads the Tigers with 19 receptions for 333 yards and 1 touchdown. John Samuel Shenker , a senior who holds Auburn's record for receptions by a tight end with 66, this season has 18 for 184 yards and 1 touchdown. Pappoe leads Auburn with 58 tackles. "Pappoe's a guy that just gets you on the ground," Pittman said. "He can run. Played a lot of ball for them. But he can run and is a very, very smart player. Seems to be in position all the time." Auburn senior end Derick Hall has 40 tackles, including 7 for losses of 27 yards and 4 sacks. "Hall's really good," Pittman said. "He's a problem. ... It's not just the sacks. It's that he's a good run defender, he can chase you down on quarterback reads." The Tigers, like the Razorbacks, played seven consecutive games before getting an open date. "Recovery was huge," Hall said. "We think Coach Harsin did a great job making sure this team recovers and gets back healthy, and that's going to be beneficial for us." Pappoe referred to himself as "a rehab addict" when asked about his routine during the open date. "I've got people back at the crib I go see from a massage therapist to doing hyperbaric chambers, cryotherapy, different stuff, needling," Pappoe said. "Really, just everything to get back as close to 100% as I can. "Midway through the season, nobody's going to be 100% for real. It's like a race to every Saturday feeling as close as you can to 100%. "I just went through my regular routine that I do. I had a little extra time so it was good." AUBURN (3-4, 1-3 SEC) All times Central DATE;OPPONENT;RESULT/TIME Sept. 3;Mercer;W 42-16 Sept. 10;San Jose State;W 24-16 Sept. 17;Penn State;L 41-12 Sept. 24;Missouri;W 17-14 OT Oct. 1;LSU;L 21-17 Oct. 8;at Georgia;L 42-10 Oct. 15;at Ole Miss;L 48-34 Saturday;Arkansas;11 a.m. Nov. 5;at Mississippi State;TBA Nov. 12;Texas A&M;TBA Nov. 19;Western Kentucky;TBA Nov. 26;at Alabama;TBA

247sports.com For Auburn football, retention of top talent is an ongoing struggle Nathan King 6-7 minutes Defensive lineman Zykeivous Walker’s decision was the latest in what’s been a harrowing trend for Auburn’s retention — or lack thereof — of top recruiting talent. After dealing with two injuries since last season and being away from the team for a couple weeks due to what Bryan Harsin called “some family things,” Walker left the team two weeks ago and announced Monday he’ll enter the transfer portal. Sophomore receiver Landen King announced Tuesday evening he’ll transfer, too, but we’ll get to that later. “He's a great guy,” edge rusher Derick Hall said of Walker. “I feel like he'll find a good home wherever he goes.” Walker joins a growing list of top-end recruits to depart the program in the past couple years. The No. 79 overall recruit in the 2020 class, Walker was Auburn’s fourth highest-rated prospect on its roster entering the season, behind only Owen Pappoe, Tank Bigsby and Wesley Steiner. And although he never settled into a consistent role along the defensive line in two-plus seasons, Walker's imminent transfer adds to a troubling percentage of former top prospects Harsin has been unable to keep on his team. The issue of talent retention extends beyond Harsin’s tenure, but it has been a massive issue for the second-year head coach. Of the top 50 recruits Auburn has signed over the current four-year recruiting cycle (2019-22), 22 have transferred. That includes six of Auburn’s top 10 signees — some of the top prospects in America during that span — and eight of the top 20. Here’s that list of players. Those who left the program are bolded. -- 2019: LB Owen Pappoe (.9879, 5-star) 2019: QB Bo Nix (.9857, 5-star) 2020: RB Tank Bigsby (.9814, 4-star) 2019: DL Charles Moore (.9681, 4-star) 2021: EDGE Dylan Brooks (.9659, 4-star) 2020: DL Zykeivous Walker (.9649, 4-star) 2021: DT Lee Hunter (.9633, 4-star) 2019: RB Mark-Antony Richards (.9589, 4-star) 2019: EDGE Jaren Handy (.9560, 4-star) 2020: LB Wesley Steiner (.9558, 4-star) 2020: DT Jay Hardy (.9549, 4-star) 2020: WR Kobe Hudson (.9509, 4-star) 2022: LB Robert Woodyard (.9425, 4-star) 2019: DB Zion Puckett (.9420, 4-star) 2020: WR Ze’Vian Capers (.9389, 4-star) 2019: OG Keiondre Jones (.9385, 4-star) 2019: EDGE Derick Hall (.9378, 4-star) 2022: CB J.D. Rhym (.9286, 4-star) 2020: WR J.J. Evans (.9285, 4-star) 2020: DB Ladarius Tennison (.9284, 4-star) 2022: CB Austin Ausberry (.9275, 4-star) 2020: CB Eric Reed Jr. (.9232, 4-star) 2020: DB Chris Thompson Jr. (.9215, 4-star) 2020: WR Malcolm Johnson Jr. (.9189, 4-star) 2021: DB Ahmari Harvey (.9174, 4-star) 2020: DT J.J. Pegues (.9162, 4-star) 2021: QB Dematrius Davis (.9148, 4-star) 2019: DB Cam’Ron Kelly (.9145, 4-star) 2020: LB Desmond Tisdol (.9104, 4-star) 2019: DB Jashawn Sheffield (.9086, 4-star) 2022: QB Holden Geriner (.9060, 4-star) 2022: DT Jeffrey M’ba (.9056, 4-star) 2020: DT Dre Butler (.9045, 4-star) 2022: OG E.J. Harris (.9008, 4-star) 2022: DB Keionte Scott (.9000, 4-star) 2022: RB Damari Alston (.8995, 4-star) 2022: WR Omari Kelly (.8967, 4-star) 2020: LB Cam Riley (.8976, 4-star) 2019: RB D.J. Williams (.8975, 4-star) 2019: CB Jaylin Simpson (.8958, 4-star) 2021: DT Marquis Robinson (.8958, 4-star) 2019: DT Colby Wooden (.8937, 4-star) 2020: TE Brandon Frazier (.8934, 4-star) 2020: CB Marco Domio (.8925, 4-star) 2022: TE Micah-Riley Ducker (.8922, 4-star) 2021: WR Tar’Varish Dawson (.8918, 4-star) 2019: WR Ja’Varrius Johnson (.8918, 4-star) 2022: WR Camden Brown (.8889, 4-star) 2020: EDGE Romello Height (.8884, 3-star) 2021: WR Hal Presley (.8884, 3-star) The only members of this group that transferred before Harsin’s tenure began are Richards, Sheffield, Moore and Cam’Ron Kelly. So, of Auburn’s top 50 signees over the past four cycles, 18 of them (36 percent) have left the program in the 22 months since Harsin became head coach. Coaching changes always breed attrition, though, and of the 18 outgoing transfers from the top 50, only four have been from Harsin’s 2021 and 2022 recruiting classes (Presley, Davis, Harvey and Hunter). But Harsin has also been unable to keep many of his own recruits. After King’s decision, Auburn’s 2021 class is almost halfway gone. Eight of those 18 signees have left, and if cornerback A.D. Diamond, who has been removed from Auburn’s official roster, is also out the door, half of Harsin’s first recruiting class at Auburn will have transferred out, less than a year after they signed. The issue hasn’t just been with overall number of transfers; Auburn isn’t overly abnormal in terms of transfer volume. It’s about losing the top talent. With King’s departure Tuesday, at least five of Auburn’s top 10 signees from 2019-21 have transferred (the current class of true freshman has, unsurprisingly, not had any departures). 2019: 6 of top 10 signees left program 2020: 7 of top 10 2021: 5 of top 10 2022: 0 of top 10 Auburn was still among the nation’s best in this offseason’s Blue-Chip Ratio, meaning it has recruited more 4- and 5-star talent than not over a four-year cycle. But that metric doesn’t account for roster turnover, where the Tigers have been bleeding talent for the better part of two years. Blended with Auburn's current recruiting standing under Harsin — No. 49 in the 2023 247Sports Composite rankings — and the sheer number of possible NFL draft entrants and graduating seniors after this season, the program's talent outlook for the near future is murky, to say the least. 29COMMENTS