aubiefifty

Despite consistent criticism over targeting enforcement, college football has limited paths forward Dennis Dodd 12-15 minutes On an average prime-time Saturday night telecast, the game continues to be the star. TV ratings for college football are up across the board in 2021. We cannot turn away from the nation's No. 2 most-watched sport. Targeting, though, might be the uninvited guest to one hell of a televised party. Week after week, analysts inevitably climb a soapbox to scream at the moon. That is, to rail against the targeting rule: how it's applied, why it's applied, and how it is ruining the game and football careers of young adults. That's all assuming those analysts -- in fact, all targeting critics -- know what they're talking about. "That's the argument you get from ADs, 'This kid worked his tail off,'" said Steve Shaw, national officiating supervisor and secretary-editor of the NCAA rules committee. "'He only gets 12 playing opportunities, and you're going to take half a game away from him [by ejecting him]. It's not right.''" While the critics bleat, little is said in the moment about the victims of those hits. That's why the 13-year-old targeting rule is there in the first place, to address the ongoing concern regarding head trauma. But criticizing targeting has become a media sideshow echoing across current amplified landscape. Those who scream the loudest get their point across. It just doesn't mean they're right. Away from those primetime lights, battle lines are being drawn. On one side are those who believe the targeting rule must at least be adjusted. The other side is worried about going too far. The middle ground is littered with the possibility of lawsuits, concussions, recriminations and no clear way to proceed. "This is a fight for our game," Shaw said. "If we just walk away, that would be the wrong answer. The commissioners [who oversee the game] are not going to let us do that. The question is: Can you create a penalty structure that keeps the same impact as the penalty now?" The answer will be determined in the next few months. While the targeting rule will be addressed by Shaw's committee this offseason as a matter of course, any change will be highly scrutinized considering what's at stake. "I don't want to sound overly dramatic," Shaw reiterated, "but the future of football is in this discussion." That's because any targeting change that is perceived as less restrictive will be raw meat for lawyers. The rule was instituted in 2008 as a reaction to increasing concern about head and neck injuries. While head trauma may have faded from view and become less compelling to the average fan, it remains a chief concern of athletic and NCAA medical interests. When the NCAA's chief medical officer, Brian Hainline, was asked to comment on the targeting penalty, he declined. "The NCAA loses almost all P.R. battles anyway," said Stanford coach David Shaw, who was not specifically referring to Hainline. "Let's not lose the health and safety P.R. battle. If the worst-case scenario is we err on the side of protecting players, we'll take that." One legal source told CBS Sports there are least 20 single-plaintiff cases challenging any combination of the NCAA, schools and conferences. The number of existing class-action cases are in the "hundreds", according to that source. "I think everybody has forgotten about it because there's NIL," Steve Shaw said. "There's the transfer portal, there's student-athlete voice, there's conference realignment, there's [College Football Playoff] expansion. … Everybody has quit talking about concussion litigation." In 2013, the NCAA settled a class-action head trauma suit for $75 million. A large portion of that money was targeted for research and screening of former and current players. However, it doesn't pay for treatment. That didn't end the legal challenges. As late as August, two former Purdue players from the 1990s filed a class-action lawsuit against the Big Ten and NCAA that would seek plaintiffs from as far back as 1952. Any backtracking on targeting could be a disaster for an already-diminished NCAA and its member schools. "No doubt, you can't put in safety rules and then take them away without people like me getting in your kitchen," said Houston-based attorney Eugene Egdorf, who has led some of the highest-profile head trauma cases against the NCAA. "Make the rules better but making it less important, I would argue, [is not good]." At issue for critics is not only the subjective nature of the targeting call itself but the result. At worst, a team gets a 15-yard penalty and the offending player is ejected after the penalty is confirmed by replay. The player misses the remainder of the game if the penalty occurs in the first half. If it occurs in the second half, the player misses the rest of the game and the first half of the next game. A player is suspended for a full game separate from the one in which he's playing after three targeting calls in a season. So far this season, five FBS players have been hit with two targeting fouls. In the shortened 2020 season, two players had three targeting fouls. Another seven had two. The issue is grinding on the stewards of the game on multiple fronts. The numbers show that targeting rules have indeed changed on-field behavior. There are less targeting penalties. The game is seemingly safer. Nevertheless, the American Football Coaches Association supports a rule change that would resemble the flagrant foul call in basketball. Targeting 1 would be a 15-yard penalty. Targeting 2 would be applied for malicious hits and result in for ejection. Steve Shaw already has concerns. Heaping the decision between Targeting 1 and 2 on officials adds another complicated, subjective layer to an already complicated job. Then there is human nature. Here's how Shaw predicted a two-level targeting system would work: "This is what you will see. Officials don't want to disqualify players. We're all human and we have learned responses. … It's not going to take long, as an official, to think, 'You know what? If I put my flag away and just penalize this guy 15 yards, life is easier, my grade is better. Fans won't attack me.' That's going to be the learned response." For three years, AFCA coaches have unanimously supported two levels of targeting. But even that proposal doesn't remove that subjective nature of the game's most controversial rule. The latest definition of targeting calls for a series of "indicators" for officials to judge in real time before throwing a flag. The replay official confirms from the booth any targeting call. That AFCA proposal remains a significant talking point. The NCAA rules committee will meet early next year. Any change could come by early summer. "We're not against targeting," Berry said. "What we're against is the fact that a young person is [sometimes unfairly] disqualified from the game. These plays tend to be very quick and happen very fast. … We've reached that critical mass." Changes being explored by the rules committee include an offending player having to sit out equally as long as a player injured by targeting. But the committee is already aware of the possibility of a star defender being "set up" by an opposing team. The thinking being, if that backup goes into the medical tent, that's a competitive advantage to eliminate a star player on the other side. That smacks of a form of flopping that is already distressing the game's leaders. "I'm not going to tell you have the answer yet," Shaw said. "I think the rules committee will look at ways to modify the penalty without losing the impact of player safety and behavior." He added: "We can't have anything that immediately looks like, 'Football said, 'We're OK with targeting.' Anything backtracking is not only not good for the game … certainly some of these plaintiff lawyers would love that. They would want to show a pattern of behavior that the NCAA really does not respect player health and safety." As mentioned, the targeting rule has changed behavior. Statistics obtained by CBS Sports back up the assertion that targeting has reduced those massive hits. Through Week 10 of the 2021 season, the number of targeting fouls enforced was 140. That's the lowest figure since 2015 (120). So far this season, there is an average of only 0.22 targeting fouls enforced per game. That's one every 4.5 games, an improvement of 22% over the COVID-19-impacted 2020 season when there was one every 3.70 games. "Fans think there's one in every game, and there's just not," Shaw said. To this point, 41% of the targeting calls have been initiated by the replay booth, taking the decision out of officials' hands. That's the highest rate since replay was allowed in the process to create a targeting foul in 2016. To some, this is proof that the entire system is working. "Absolutely it has worked," said David Shaw, also an AFCA board of trustees member. "When you emphasize something, that's when you get more calls. … [That message] now goes into the offseason. It goes into spring football and training camps. Coaches are changing what they're teaching." David Shaw said a sign of progress is ejected players no longer having to take "the walk of shame" to the locker room. They are allowed to stay on the sidelines with their teammates. Retired college official Mike Defee agreed that targeting penalties have changed behavior. "I know it has worked," he said. "Players have done a much better job for the most part avoiding those hits. It's like making an omelet. You have to break a few eggs. We're never going to be perfect, but we are working hard to preserve the [mental] faculties of these players." The targeting penalty was instituted in 2008. Numbers weren't tracked until 2011. The rule has been modified three times since 2013 when ejection was implemented. "That's when you saw an enlightenment," Steve Shaw said. The revelation basically came from the 2012 SEC Championship Game. In the first half of that Alabama victory, Georgia quarterback Aaron Murray threw an interception. As the ball was being returned, Bama nose tackle Quinton Dial blind-sided Murray. No penalty was called. "He knocked my block off, that's for sure," Murray said. "There's some great pictures of it, too. I [saw] him about to hit me, literally, at the last millisecond. You see my body facing one way and my eyes are looking to my right like, 'Oh my God, I'm about to die.'" Murray didn't suffer a concussion, but he couldn't catch his breath for a large majority of halftime. There was immediate outcry with Alabama headed to the BCS Championship Game that Dial be suspended. There was no public announcement of Dial being disciplined. In the offseason, former SEC commissioner Mike Slive and former Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany -- the sport's two most powerful figures – met, beginning momentum for the targeting ejection rule. Steve Shaw loves to tell the story of former Ole Miss safety Trae Elston. In a 2012 game, Elston famously lined up a UTEP wide receiver coming into his territory for a big hit that knocked out the player. Elston chest bumped his teammates in celebration. That was the last year before targeting ejections. After a similar play in 2013, flags came flying in after an Elston hit laid out another receiver. Elston immediately put his hands on top of his helmet in shame. "If there is not a penalty, why would anybody change their behavior," Egdorf asked rhetorically. "We don't want the 1987 Miami Hurricanes' let's-go-take-everybody's-head-off mentality." Targeting has heaped a lot more responsibility on officials. There was already the bang-bang nature of the game. Then add the judgements regarding what constitutes a defenseless player, lowering the head, indicators for targeting, etc. Because of all that, it is difficult to track statistics year over year since there is no consistent control group. Like the block/charge call in basketball, targeting has become one of the most contentious officiating calls in sports. Adding to the debate, the NFL doesn't eject players for targeting. Instead, the league issues fines. "It's impossible to get out of the game, so I don't think kids should [necessarily] be thrown out of the game," Cincinnati coach Luke Fickell said. "You don't need to have the highlight knockout. You can do better. The NFL doesn't throw people out. They fine them. I guess maybe we could fine college players now that they have NIL." Reflecting those Saturday night prime time shamefests, maybe too much is being made out of all this. Officials make mistakes. As long as players are protected, maybe it's better to leave it all alone. "The game is better off if we err on the side of safety," Steve Shaw said. "If that means a player here or there gets disqualified that maybe shouldn't be, [that's ultimately] for the greater good. "But that doesn't translate well if you're that player."

mike bobo has been brilliant in some games this year. and he has made some head scratching calls. do you think the calls are wrong or was it execution like harsin harps on? we know out o line is struggling with the run game and it appears to have hurt our chances in games. lets remember tank was supposed to be one of the best running backs in football this year. so is it fair to get rid of bobo or is it too quick to pull the trigger? and what about coach mason? that three man front against msu is just baffling to me. they were just killing us so why not take a chance and go out swinging? i really like mason and i am not sure if his D is that hard to grasp in one season or maybe we do not have the horses we need to take that next step. and he has shown flashes of brilliance as well. when state began their run why not make the correct adjustments and make them in a timely manner? does harsin make the call of unleashing the dogs so to speak? so what do we do and how do we do it?

i wish harsin would explain more about what is happening. it would probably keep fans from panicking as much. gus gave us "a good week of practice" and harsin repeats the fundamentals thing which is not telling us anything. i think harsin is a great coach but it takes a special kind of coach to come into the sec and have great success. so many good coaches have failed in the sec. i am still behind harsin because it is the first year and he was handed some huge problems that i am thinking will take two or three years to work out. this alone bums me out. but if harsin is not the answer then we go through all this mess again.

there is always hope. tj led lsu to a win last year against south carolina.

Auburn Tigers football statistical leaders From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to navigation Jump to search The Auburn Tigers football statistical leaders are individual statistical leaders of the Auburn Tigers football program in various categories,[1] including passing, rushing, receiving, total offense, defensive stats, and kicking. Within those areas, the lists identify single-game, Single season and career leaders. The Tigers represent Auburn University in the NCAA's Southeastern Conference. Although Auburn began competing in intercollegiate football in 1892,[1] the school's official record book considers the "modern era" to have begun in 1947. Records from before this year are often incomplete and inconsistent, and they are generally not included in these lists. These lists are dominated by more recent players for several reasons: Since 1947, seasons have increased from 10 games to 11 and then 12 games in length. The NCAA didn't allow freshmen to play varsity football until 1972 (with the exception of the World War II years), allowing players to have four-year careers. Bowl games only began counting toward Single season and career statistics in 2002.[2] The Tigers have played in 14 bowl games since this decision. The Tigers have had two seasons, 2010 and 2013, in which the Tigers run a high-octane offense that racked up 6,989 and 7,018 offensive yards, respectively. In fact, eight of the Tigers' ten seasons with the highest offensive output have come since 2000 under head coaches Tommy Tuberville, Gene Chizik, and Gus Malzahn.[1] These lists are updated through game 1 of the 2021 season. Contents 1 Passing 1.1 Passing yards 1.2 Passing touchdowns 2 Rushing 2.1 Rushing yards 2.2 Rushing touchdowns 3 Receiving 3.1 Receptions 3.2 Receiving yards 3.3 Receiving touchdowns 4 Total offense 4.1 Total offense yards 4.2 Total touchdowns 5 Defense 5.1 Interceptions 5.2 Tackles 5.3 Sacks 6 Kicking 6.1 Field goals made 6.2 Field goal percentage 7 References Passing Cam Newton set the single-season school passing touchdowns record in 2010, his only season with the Tigers. Passing yards Career Rank Player Yards Years 1 Stan White 8,016 1990 1991 1992 1993 2 Jason Campbell 7,299 2001 2002 2003 2004 3 Bo Nix 7,251[3] 2019 2020 2021 4 Jarrett Stidham 7,217 2015 2017 2018 5 Brandon Cox 6,959 2004 2005 2006 2007 6 Pat Sullivan 6,284 1969 1970 1971 7 Dameyune Craig 6,026 1994 1995 1996 1997 8 Patrick Nix 4,957 1992 1993 1994 1995 8 Reggie Slack 4,697 1986 1987 1988 1989 10 Nick Marshall 4,508[4] 2013 2014 Single season Rank Player Yards Year 1 Dameyune Craig 3,277 1997 2 Jarrett Stidham 3,158 2017 3 Cam Newton 2,854 2010 4 Jarrett Stidham 2,794 2018 5 Jason Campbell 2,700 2004 6 Pat Sullivan 2,586 1970 7 Patrick Nix 2,574 1995 8 Bo Nix 2,542[3] 2019 9 Nick Marshall 2,532[4] 2014 10 Brandon Cox 2,324 2005 Single game Rank Player Yards Year Opponent 1 Nick Marshall 456[5] 2014 Alabama 2 Ben Leard 416 1999 Georgia 3 Ben Leard 394 2000 Michigan[6] 4 Dameyune Craig 394 1996 Mississippi State 5 Patrick Nix 387 1995 Arkansas 6 Daniel Cobb 381 2001 Louisiana Tech 7 Jason Campbell 374[7] 2004 Tennessee[8] 8 Jarrett Stidham 373 2018 Purdue 9 Patrick Nix 372 1995 Ole Miss 10 Dameyune Craig 370 1996 Army[9] Passing touchdowns Career Rank Player TDs Years 1 Pat Sullivan 53 1969 1970 1971 2 Jarrett Stidham 48 2015 2017 2018 3 Jason Campbell 45 2001 2002 2003 2004 4 Brandon Cox 42 2004 2005 2006 2007 5 Stan White 40 1990 1991 1992 1993 6 Dameyune Craig 39 1994 1995 1996 1997 Bo Nix 39[3] 2019 2020 2021 8 Nick Marshall 34[4] 2013 2014 9 Patrick Nix 31 1992 1993 1994 1995 10 Cam Newton 30 2010 Single season Rank Player TDs Year 1 Cam Newton 30 2010 2 Chris Todd 22 2009 3 Pat Sullivan 20 1971 Jason Campbell 20 2004 Nick Marshall 20[4] 2014 6 Dameyune Craig 18 1997 Jarrett Stidham 18 2017 Jarrett Stidham 18 2018 9 Pat Sullivan 17 1970 10 Pat Sullivan 16 1969 Bo Nix 16[3] 2019 Rushing Rushing yards Career Rank Player Yards Years 1 Bo Jackson 4,303 1982 1983 1984 1985 2 Carnell Williams 3,831 2001 2002 2003 2004 3 James Brooks 3,523 1977 1978 1979 1980 4 Joe Cribbs 3,368 1976 1977 1978 1979 5 Ben Tate 3,321 2006 2007 2008 2009 6 Tre Mason 2,979 2011 2012 2013 7 Stephen Davis 2,811 1993 1994 1995 8 Brent Fullwood 2,789 1983 1984 1985 1986 9 Ronnie Brown 2,707 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 10 Onterio McCalebb 2,586 2009 2010 2011 2012 Single season Rank Player Yards Year 1 Tre Mason 1,816 2013 2 Bo Jackson 1,786 1985 3 Cameron Artis-Payne 1,608[10] 2014 4 Rudi Johnson 1,567 2000 5 Cam Newton 1,473 2010 6 Brent Fullwood 1,391 1986 Kerryon Johnson 1,391 2017 8 Ben Tate 1,362 2009 9 James Brooks 1,314 1980 10 Carnell Williams 1,307 2003 Single game Rank Player Yards Year Opponent 1 Curtis Kuykendall 307 1944 Miami (FL) 2 Tre Mason 304[11] 2013 Missouri[8] 3 Bo Jackson 290 1985 Southwestern Louisiana 4 Bo Jackson 256 1983 Alabama 5 Joe Cribbs 250 1978 Georgia 6 Rudi Johnson 249 2000 Louisiana Tech 7 Stephen Davis 246 1994 Arkansas 8 Bo Jackson 242 1985 Georgia Tech 9 Bo Jackson 240 1985 Ole Miss 10 Kamryn Pettway 236[12] 2016 Ole Miss Rushing touchdowns Career Rank Player TDs Years 1 Carnell Williams 45 2001 2002 2003 2004 2 Bo Jackson 43 1982 1983 1984 1985 3 Joe Cribbs 34 1976 1977 1978 1979 4 Tre Mason 32 2011 2012 2013 Kerryon Johnson 32 2015 2016 2017 6 Stephen Davis 30 1993 1994 1995 7 Ronnie Brown 29 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 8 James Brooks 24 1977 1978 1979 1980 Brent Fullwood 24 1983 1984 1985 1986 Ben Tate 24 2006 2007 2008 2009 Onterio McCalebb 24 2009 2010 2011 2012 Single season Rank Player TDs Year 1 Tre Mason 23 2013 2 Cam Newton 20 2010 3 Kerryon Johnson 18 2017 4 Bo Jackson 17 1985 Carnell Williams 17 2003 6 Joe Cribbs 16 1978 7 Joe Cribbs 14 1979 Stephen Davis 14 1995 9 Rudi Johnson 13 2000 Ronnie Brown 13 2002 Cameron Artis-Payne 13[10] 2014 Peyton Barber 13[13] 2015 Single game Rank Player TDs Year Opponent 1 Carnell Williams 6[14] 2003 Mississippi State 2 Kerryon Johnson 5[15] 2017 Missouri Receiving Receptions Career Rank Player Rec Years 1 Ryan Davis 178[16] 2016 2017 2018 2 Courtney Taylor 153 2003 2004 2005 2006 3 Karsten Bailey 150 1995 1996 1997 1998 4 Terry Beasley 141 1969 1970 1971 5 Tyrone Goodson 136 1994 1995 1996 1997 Eli Stove 136[17] 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 7 Seth Williams 132[18] 2018 2019 2020 8 Emory Blake 128 2009 2010 2011 2012 9 Frank Sanders 121 1991 1992 1993 1994 10 Anthony Schwartz 117[19] 2018 2019 2020 Single season Rank Player Rec Year 1 Ryan Davis 84[16] 2017 2 Ryan Davis 69[16] 2018 3 Darvin Adams 60 2009 4 Seth Williams 59[18] 2019 5 Frank Sanders 58 1994 Willie Gosha 58 1995 7 Ronney Daniels 56 1999 8 Terry Beasley 55 1971 9 Courtney Taylor 54 2006 Anthony Schwartz 54[19] 2020 Single game Rank Player Rec Year Opponent 1 Willie Gosha 17 1995 Arkansas 2 Seth Williams 13[20] 2019 Georgia 3 Ryan Davis 12 2018 Georgia Darvin Adams 12[21] 2009 Northwestern[22] 5 Terry Beasley 11 1971 Southern Miss Ryan Davis 11 2017 Alabama 7 Thomas Bailey 10 1994 Florida Tyrone Goodson 10 1996 Mississippi State Willie Gosha 10 1996 Army[9] Ronney Daniels 10 1999 Central Emory Blake 10[23] 2012 Arkansas Ricardo Louis 10[24] 2015 Jacksonville State Anthony Schwartz 10[25] 2020 Arkansas Receiving yards Career Rank Player Yards Years 1 Terry Beasley 2,507 1969 1970 1971 2 Tyrone Goodson 2,283 1994 1995 1996 1997 3 Karsten Bailey 2,174 1995 1996 1997 1998 4 Seth Williams 2,124[18] 2018 2019 2020 5 Courtney Taylor 2,098 2003 2004 2005 2006 6 Emory Blake 2,022 2009 2010 2011 2012 7 Frank Sanders 1,998 1991 1992 1993 1994 8 Darvin Adams 1,978 2008 2009 2010 9 Freddy Weygand 1,946 1985 1986 1987 1988 10 Lawyer Tillman 1,808 1985 1986 1987 1988 Single season Rank Player Yards Year 1 Ronney Daniels 1,068 1999 2 Terry Beasley 1,051 1970 3 Darvin Adams 997 2009 4 Darvin Adams 963 2010 5 Frank Sanders 910 1994 6 Tyrone Goodson 906 1997 7 Sammie Coates 902[26] 2013 8 Terry Beasley 846 1971 9 Frank Sanders 842 1993 10 Karsten Bailey 840 1997 Single game Rank Player Yards Year Opponent 1 Alexander Wright 263 1989 Pacific 2 Ronney Daniels 249 1999 Georgia 3 Willie Gosha 222 1995 Arkansas 4 Darvin Adams 217[27] 2010 South Carolina[8] 5 Sammie Coates 206[5] 2014 Alabama 6 Terry Beasley 194 1971 Kentucky 7 Terry Beasley 176 1970 Florida 8 Frank Sanders 175 1994 9 Frank Sanders 173 1994 East Carolina 10 Robert Baker 161 1996 Ole Miss Seth Williams 161[28] 2019 Mississippi State Receiving touchdowns Career Rank Player TDs Years 1 Terry Beasley 29 1969 1970 1971 2 Ben Obomanu 18 2002 2003 2004 2005 3 Karsten Bailey 17 1995 1996 1997 1998 Darvin Adams 17 2008 2009 2010 Seth Williams 17[18] 2018 2019 2020 6 Emory Blake 16 2009 2010 2011 2012 7 Byron Franklin 15 1977 1978 1979 1980 Frank Sanders 15 1991 1992 1993 1994 9 Lawyer Tillman 14 1985 1986 1987 1988 Philip Lutzenkirchen 14 2009 2010 2011 2012 Single season Rank Player TDs Year 1 Terry Beasley 12 1971 2 Terry Beasley 11 1970 3 Darvin Adams 10 2009 4 Byron Franklin 9 1980 Ronney Daniels 9 1999 6 Emory Blake 8 2010 Seth Williams 8[18] 2019 Total offense Total offense is the sum of passing and rushing statistics. It does not include receiving or returns.[29] Total offense yards Career Rank Player Yards Years 1 Bo Nix 8,120[3] 2019 2020 2021 2 Stan White 7,920 1990 1991 1992 1993 3 Jason Campbell 7,606 2001 2002 2003 2004 4 Jarrett Stidham 7,441 2015 2017 2018 5 Pat Sullivan 6,843 1969 1970 1971 6 Brandon Cox 6,543 2004 2005 2006 2007 7 Dameyune Craig 6,455 1994 1995 1996 1997 8 Nick Marshall 6,374[4] 2013 2014 9 Patrick Nix 4,957 1992 1993 1994 1995 10 Reggie Slack 4,652 1986 1987 1988 1989 Single season Rank Player Yards Year 1 Cam Newton 4,327 2010 2 Nick Marshall 3,330[4] 2014 3 Jarrett Stidham 3,311 2017 4 Dameyune Craig 3,277 1997 5 Jarrett Stidham 3,186 2017 6 Nick Marshall 3,044 2013 7 Bo Nix 2,855[3] 2019 8 Bo Nix 2,803[3] 2020 9 Jason Campbell 2,730 2004 10 Patrick Nix 2,638 1995 Single game Rank Player Yards Year Opponent 1 Nick Marshall 505[5] 2014 Alabama 2 Dameyune Craig 445 1996 Army[9] 3 Jason Campbell 431[7] 2004 Tennessee[8] 4 Patrick Nix 422 1995 Arkansas 5 Dameyune Craig 417 1997 Central Florida 6 Cam Newton 408[30] 2010 Kentucky Cam Newton 408[27] 2010 South Carolina[8] 8 Dameyune Craig 405 1997 Louisiana Tech 9 Jarrett Stidham 387 2017 Mercer 10 Pat Sullivan 384 1970 Florida Total touchdowns Career Rank Player TDs Years 1 Pat Sullivan 71 1969 1970 1971 2 Dameyune Craig 58 1994 1995 1996 1997 3 Nick Marshall 57[4] 2013 2014 Jarrett Stidham 57 2015 2017 2018 Bo Nix 57 2019 2020 2021 6 Jason Campbell 54 2001 2002 2003 2004 7 Stan White 51 1990 1991 1992 1993 8 Cam Newton 50 2010 9 Carnell Williams 46 2001 2002 2003 2004 Brandon Cox 46 2004 2005 2006 2007 Single season Rank Player TDs Year 1 Cam Newton 50 2010 2 Nick Marshall 31[4] 2014 3 Pat Sullivan 26 1970 Nick Marshall 26 2013 5 Dameyune Craig 24 1996 6 Pat Sullivan 23 1969 Jason Campbell 23 2004 Bo Nix 23[3] 2019 9 Pat Sullivan 22 1971 Dameyune Craig 22 1997 Chris Todd 22 2009 Jarrett Stidham 22 2017 Defense Interceptions Career Rank Player Ints Years 1 Buddy McClinton 18 1967 1968 1969 2 Dave Beck 14 1970 1971 1972 3 Don Webb 13 1967 1968 1969 Brian Robinson 13 1992 1993 1994 5 David Langner 12 1971 1972 1973 David King 12 1981 1982 1983 1984 7 Bobby Freeman 11 1951 1952 1953 1954 Larry Willingham 11 1968 1969 1970 Jim McKinney 11 1972 1973 1974 Clifford Toney 11 1978 1979 1980 Single season Rank Player Ints Year 1 Buddy McClinton 9 1969 2 David Langner 8 1972 Brian Robinson 8 1994 4 Larry Willingham 7 1969 5 Rusty Harris 6 Tackles Career Rank Player Tackles Years 1 Freddie Smith 528 1976 1977 1978 1979 2 Gregg Carr 453 1981 1982 1983 1984 3 Darrel Crawford 424 1988 1989 1990 1991 4 Anthony Harris 400 1992 1993 1994 1995 5 Quentin Riggins 398 1986 1987 1988 1989 6 Chris Martin 374 1979 1980 1981 1982 7 Tracy Rocker 354 1985 1986 1987 1988 8 Dontarrious Thomas 351 2000 2001 2002 2003 9 Marcellus Mostella 336 1993 1994 1995 1996 10 Takeo Spikes 331 1995 1996 1997 Single season Rank Player Tackles Year 1 Freddie Smith 193 1977 2 Kurt Crain 168 1987 3 Quentin Riggins 165 1989 4 Freddie Smith 162 1979 5 Kurt Crain 156 1986 6 Darrel Crawford 153 1991 7 Ben Thomas 141 1984 8 Gregg Carr 139 1984 9 Gregg Carr 136 1983 Takeo Spikes 136 1997 Single game Rank Player Tackles Year Opponent 1 Kurt Crain 26 1986 Georgia 2 Freddie Smith 24 1976 Tennessee 3 Freddie Smith 23 1977 Auburn Chris Martin 23 1980 Alabama Quentin Riggins 23 1989 Florida Mike Pelton 23 1991 Vanderbilt 7 Freddie Smith 22 1976 Baylor Freddie Smith 23 1977 Arizona Freddie Smith 22 1979 Auburn Darrel Crawford 22 1989 Alabama Sacks Career Rank Player Sacks Years 1 Gerald Robinson 26.0 1982 1983 1984 1985 Quentin Groves 26.0 2004 2005 2006 2007 3 Antonio Coleman 24.5 2006 2007 2008 2009 4 Tracy Rocker 21.0 1985 1986 1987 1988 Craig Ogletree 21.0 1986 1987 1988 1989 6 Dee Ford 20.5 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 7 Reggie Torbor 18.5 2000 2001 2002 2003 8 Willie Whitehead 17.0 1991 1992 1993 1994 Leonardo Carson 17.0 1996 1997 1998 1999 Corey Lemonier 17.0 2010 2011 2012 Marlon Davidson 17.0[31] 2016 2017 2018 2019 Single season Rank Player Sacks Year 1 Nick Fairley 12.0 2010 2 Kevin Greene 11.0 1984 Craig Ogletree 11.0 1989 Gary Walker 11.0 1994 5 Dee Ford 11.0 2013 6 Gerald Robinson 10.0 1985 Mike Pelton 10.0 1994 Antonio Coleman 10.0 2009 9 Reggie Torbor 10.0 2003 Jeff Holland 10.0 2017 Quentin Groves 10.0 2006 Kicking Field goals made Career Rank Player FGs Years 1 Daniel Carlson 92[32] 2014 2015 2016 2017 2 Wes Byrum 60 2007 2008 2009 2010 3 Anders Carlson 54[33] 2018 2019 2020 2021 4 John Vaughn 50 2003 2004 2005 2006 5 Win Lyle 45 1987 1988 1989 Damon Duval 45 1999 2000 2001 2002 7 Al Del Greco 42 1980 1981 1982 1983 8 Cody Parkey 39 2010 2011 2012 2013 9 Jorge Portela 38 1977 1978 1979 10 Scott Etheridge 34 1992 1993 Single season Rank Player FGs Year 1 Daniel Carlson 28[32] 2016 2 Daniel Carlson 23[32] 2015 Daniel Carlson 23[32] 2017 4 Scott Etheridge 22 1992 5 John Vaughn 20 2006 Anders Carlson 20[33] 2020 7 Daniel Carlson 18[32] 2014 Anders Carlson 18[33] 2019 9 Jim Von Wyl 17 1990 Wes Byrum 17 2007 Wes Byrum 17 2010 Single game Rank Player FGs Year Opponent 1 Al Del Greco 6 1982 Kentucky Daniel Carlson 6[34] 2016 LSU Field goal percentage Career Rank Player FG% Years 1 Daniel Carlson 80.7%[32] 2014 2015 2016 2017 2 Scott Etheridge 79.1% 1992 1993 3 Matt Hawkins 78.8% 1994 1995 4 Win Lyle 76.3% 1987 1988 1989 5 Wes Byrum 75.0% 2007 2008 2009 2010 6 Anders Carlson 74%[33] 2018 2019 2020 2021 7 Cody Parkey 73.6% 2010 2011 2012 2013 8 Jaret Holmes 73.0% 1996 1997 9 John Vaughn 72.5% 2003 2004 2005 2006 10 Ed Dyas 70.8% 1958 1959 1960 Single season Rank Player FG% Year 1 Wes Byrum 93.8% 2009 2 Anders Carlsonn 90.9%[33] 2020 3 Daniel Carlson 87.5%[32] 2016 4 Matt Hawkins 86.7% 1995 5 Daniel Carlson 85.2%[32] 2015 6 Win Lyle 84.2% 1989 7 Gardner Jett 83.3% 1970 John Vaughn 83.3% 1986 9 Jaret Holmes 82.4% 1997 10 Scott Etheridge 80.0% 1993 John Vaughn 80.0% 2004 References "2016 Auburn Football Media Guide" (PDF). AuburnTigers.com. Retrieved 2016-08-20. "NCAA changes policy on football stats". ESPN.com. AP. 2002-08-28. Retrieved 2014-09-11. "Bo Nix". ESPN.com. "Nick Marshall". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2015-01-03. "No. 1 Alabama rides WR Amari Cooper's 3 TDs by No. 15 Auburn". ESPN.com. 2014-11-29. Citrus Bowl "Tigers undefeated, likely out of title game". ESPN.com. 2004-12-04. SEC Championship Game Independence Bowl "Cameron Artis-Payne". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2015-01-03. "Tre Mason, No. 3 Auburn beat No. 5 Missouri in SEC title game". ESPN.com. 2013-12-07. "Pettway runs wild, No. 15 Auburn beats Mississippi 40-29". ESPN.com. 2016-10-29. "Peyton Barber". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2015-12-30. "Williams spikes SEC TD record". ESPN.com. 2003-10-18. "Johnson's career-best 5 TDs lead No.15 Auburn past Missouri". ESPN.com. 2017-08-23. "Ryan Davis". ESPN.com. "Eli Stove". ESPN.com. "Seth Williams". ESPN.com. "Anthony Schwartz". ESPN.com. "Georgia vs. Auburn Box Score". ESPN.com. November 16, 2019. Retrieved January 8, 2021. "Auburn's field goal in OT holds up as Northwestern's trick play fails". ESPN.com. 2010-01-01. Outback Bowl "Arkansas forces 5 turnovers, 8 sacks in win against Auburn". ESPN.com. 2012-10-06. "Auburn survives FCS' Jacksonville State with dramatic OT victory". ESPN.com. 2012-10-06. "Arkansas vs. Auburn Box Score". ESPN.com. October 10, 2020. Retrieved October 12, 2020. "Sammie Coates". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2015-01-03. "Cam Newton's 6-TD day leads Auburn to SEC championship and BCS title game". ESPN.com. 2010-12-04. "Mississippi State vs. Auburn Box Score". ESPN.com. September 28, 2019. Retrieved September 28, 2019. "Official 2007 NCAA Division I Football Record Book" (PDF). National Collegiate Athletic Association. August 2007. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2007-12-01. Retrieved 2008-01-03. "Auburn skirts Kentucky stunner with last-second field goal". ESPN.com. 2010-10-09. "Marlon Davidson". ESPN.com. "Daniel Carlson". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2017-01-15. "Anders Carlson". ESPN.com. "Carlson's 6 field goals lift Auburn past No. 18 LSU 18-13". ESPN.com. 2016-09-24. v t e Auburn Tigers football v t e Southeastern Conference football statistical leaders

ok guys i am mostly done for the day because all the sports articles are nothing but doom and gloom.

Auburn Football Baffling day at Auburn ends with serious questions Updated: Nov. 14, 2021, 7:31 a.m. | Published: Nov. 13, 2021, 5:13 p.m. Auburn head coach Bryan Harsin waits for an video replay review during the second half of an NCAA college football game against Mississippi State, Saturday, Nov. 13, 2021, in Auburn, Ala. (AP Photo/Butch Dill)AP 553 shares By Joseph Goodman | jgoodman@al.com It’s impossible to know if Auburn’s stunning collapse to Mississippi State on Saturday would have been different based on one play. Maybe, but probably not. When a team blows a 25-point lead, and that collapse is the worst in school history, and it’s Mississippi State that’s on the other sideline inside Jordan-Hare Stadium, one play probably isn’t going to mean that much to anyone on the silent drive home. That doesn’t mean this one play in particular is any less significant, though. Auburn’s season under first-year coach Bryan Harsin fell off the cliff with its 43-34 loss to Mississippi State, and it was painful to watch a team with so much promise at halftime blow it all like that, but tucked inside that historically bad second half was the controversial ejection for targeting on Auburn pass rusher T.D. Moultry. Where to begin? How about here? The call by the replay booth was violently awful. The decision to kick Moultry out of the game was unforgivably unnecessary. Somebody, please help it make sense. Harsin wasn’t that guy after the game. He indicated that the field officials didn’t see anything to qualify it as targeting. “They saw what I saw,” Harsin said, who added that it was a “momentum-changing play” that “wasn’t called on the field.” Somebody, anybody, please explain how the evolution of targeting — a very important rule in college football — has evolved to the point that arguably the best defensive play in an SEC football game is instead penalized for 15 yards, an automatic first down and, most egregiously of all, an ejection from the game. No, that play isn’t why Auburn lost, but it could have been the thing to resuscitate Auburn’s chances in one of its most important games of the season. It was either rage inducing, soul crushing or frightening for the Auburn supporters still watching the game at that point. As a mostly unbiased observer, I wanted to throw my laptop at the windows inside the David E. Housel press box. It was a beautiful football play. Moultry broke through the Mississippi State offensive line, left his feet as if trying to position himself to deflect a pass but then registered a sack when Bulldogs quarterback Will Rogers pulled the ball down. Yes, it was helmet to helmet. No, there was no intent to injure Mississippi State’s quarterback. Moultry was called for targeting, but he did not “target” the quarterback. It was not a “dirty” play, and it didn’t even seem like a dangerous play. Earlier in the second half, the helmet of Mississippi State defensive back Emmanuel Forbes Jr. collided painfully with the helmet of Auburn receiver Kobe Hudson on a questionable play. A flag was thrown for targeting, but upon review, despite it being helmet to helmet, it was overturned because, clearly, Forbes’ intent wasn’t to harm and he was going for the interception. It was a football play, in other words … just like Moultry’s. Y’all, again, please help it make sense. There was a lengthy review after Moultry’s sack, too, and third and 21 turned into first and 10 and Moultry, who had rightly celebrated the sack, was, just that fast, gone. Kicked out of the game. I can count on one hand the number of times I’ve written about “bad calls” determining the outcomes of games, and this horrendous call, in my opinion, doesn’t qualify as that, but it does help me understand the difficult job defenders and defensive coaches now have in this game. They can’t play it the way they were taught their entire lives. Again, Moultry was innocent of targeting, and everyone knew it, but he was booted for a play because intent isn’t supposed to matter (unless it does) and because — trust me, I get it — preventing brain injuries and keeping players healthy has to matter more than anything else. Auburn quarterback Bo Nix saw the replay, and got it right. “Just getting to the quarterback is all you’re thinking about,” Nix said. “It’s one of those frustrating things, but that’s football and it happens.” Remember the circumstances before the play for context. Auburn was still in the game, and trailing by eight, with 6:35 left on the clock. After the first down for targeting, Mississippi State scored its sixth straight second-half touchdown to go up 43-28. For Auburn (6-4, 3-3), it was a devastating second half for its chances to remain in the hunt for the SEC West crown. Auburn led this game 28-3 in the first half thanks to excellent performances by both the offense and defense. What happened at halftime? Long will we be asking that question. It will forever remain a mystery, but it seemed like everyone on Auburn’s sideline emerged from the locker room with the same kind of energy level people might experience after eating an entire turkey and three pecan pies while slamming back whiskey sweet tea. Lethargic doesn’t even begin to describe the offensive line. Tired is what Auburn fans call questions about Harsin’s vaccination status. This team was sleep walking towards the edge of oblivion and didn’t seem to care. Until Moultry’s sack. And then that shot of momentum lasted long enough to review a play and seal the fate of a game. The defense allowed 40 unanswered points, so it shouldn’t have even been in that situation at all. For Moultry, though, it was the heartbreaking conclusion to a sequence of events that should have been, or could have been, his single greatest on-field contribution to Auburn football in his entire career. He’s a senior, and he has been through a lot while at Auburn, but he has worked and worked, and his persistence was supposed to pay off on that field against Mississippi State. Instead, the replay booth took that all away. Joseph Goodman is a columnist for the Alabama Media Group.

A closer look at a troubling trend for Auburn’s offense By Tom Green | tgreen@al.com 5-6 minutes A disturbing trend has plagued Auburn’s offense for three weeks now. In each of the Tigers’ last three games, they’ve struggled to find any sort of offensive consistency after halftime, scoring a total of nine second-half points against Ole Miss, Texas A&M and, most recently, Mississippi State. It has played into Auburn dropping two of those games, with back-to-back losses to the Aggies and Bulldogs -- the most recent of which produced the biggest collapse in program history. Read more Auburn football: Goodman: Baffling day at Auburn ends with serious questions Tigers’ defense surrenders 40 unanswered points in loss to Bulldogs Auburn’s offense loses momentum in second half “We’re not as consistent in the second half, let me say that,” Auburn coach Bryan Harsin said. “I think we do some things early in the first half. We’ve got to continue to keep attacking in the second half as aggressively -- just playing and executing -- as we do in the first half. It doesn’t seem like we do that in the second half.” Auburn’s second-half offensive struggles of late have resulted in the team putting up points on just two of its 18 possessions after halftime the last three weeks. The Tigers had a second-half field goal against the Rebels on Oct. 30 to help secure a 31-20 win at home, were shut out in the second half of the loss at Kyle Field last week and then mustered a lone late touchdown Saturday during a complete collapse against the Bulldogs. Of the Tigers’ 16 second-half drives that have not produced points during that stretch, six have ended in punts, three have resulted in missed field goals (including a 35-yarder Saturday that was blocked by Mississippi State), four resulted in giveaways (with three lost fumbles and an interception), while two more concluded with turnovers on downs and one saw Auburn run out the clock to seal the win against Ole Miss. Beyond the struggles in scoring points after halftime, Auburn’s offense has been largely ineffective at sustaining drives during the second half of this stretch of games. Only three of those 18 second-half possessions have produced drives of at least 50 yards and five have lasted more than seven plays. Auburn is averaging 4.7 yards per play in the second half the last three weeks, but it has managed to go just 6-of-21 on third-down tries (and 2-of-5 on fourth downs) during that stretch. “It’s not okay to go out there and punt, you know,” Harsin said. “You want to have the mindset of an offensive player that we want to score every time we get the ball in our hands. It’s a little bit of execution; it’s mentality; it’s keeping the pedal down and being aggressive coming after the defense in the run game and the pass game and guys playing hard and finishing through fourth quarters. It’s just that mentality and having that same attacking attitude for four quarters of football.” Those issues were accentuated in Saturday’s historic loss against Mississippi State, when Auburn’s offense admittedly didn’t do its part to keep pace when the Bulldogs scored 40 unanswered points — including five straight touchdown drives after halftime — and erased what was once a 28-3 Tigers lead. “For whatever reason, we sputtered again and couldn’t get an explosive play,” quarterback Bo Nix said. “We couldn’t really get a drive going and sustain it. Once we did, we got stopped on downs and they blocked a field goal. We’ve got to find ways to get ourselves out of that kind of hole and move forward.” In the second half against Mississippi State, Auburn’s offense cooled off after a blistering start to the day — when it scored touchdowns on each of its first four drives of the morning. Once seemingly out of their recent funk on that side of the ball, the Tigers couldn’t maintain that momentum in the second half. Their first three drives after halftime included the aforementioned blocked field goal, which was sandwiched between a pair of punts. RELATED: Talty: Auburn’s collapse dampens momentum; Vultures circling Florida’s Dan Mullen That was followed by a turnover on downs before Auburn finally found the end zone on a Tank Bigsby 1-yard rush that ended Mississippi State’s run of 40 unanswered points. The damage was already done, and it was too little, too late. The Tigers then fumbled away their final possession, when T.J. Finley — who entered for an injured Nix — lost the ball as he was sacked in the waning minutes. Auburn finished with 4.9 yards per play in the second half but had minus-14 rushing yards on eight carries (minus-4 on seven runs, when discounting the late sack) and had possession for just 9:43 after the break. “What it comes down to is you got to finish in games,” Harsin said. “…An 18-point lead, it’s not enough. That’s what we talked about at halftime. That’s not enough. You got to keep playing, and at the end of the day it’s still about our execution and the things we’re trying to accomplish every time we step on the field, and it didn’t happen. It wasn’t good enough.” Tom Green is an Auburn beat reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Tomas_Verde.

Statistically speaking: The damage Mississippi State dealt to Auburn’s defense By Tom Green | tgreen@al.com 17-22 minutes Auburn’s all-around collapse against Mississippi State was nothing short of disastrous for the Tigers. Auburn squandered a 25-point first-half lead, and while the offense failed to do much in the second half, the team’s defense was a much larger concern during the 43-34 loss to Mississippi State. Derek Mason’s unit gave up 40 unanswered points and was torched by Mike Leach’s Air Raid attack, with Bulldogs quarterback Will Rogers completing 44-of-55 passes for 415 yards and six touchdowns. Read more Auburn football: Bo Nix to undergo ankle surgery Auburn kicker Anders Carlson out with leg injury A closer look at a troubling trend for Auburn’s offense The aftermath of Saturday’s defensive breakdown leaves Auburn searching for answers on the side of the ball, as the unit faltered in atypical fashion at Jordan-Hare Stadium, surrendering its most points at home against an unranked opponent in 25 years. Rogers tied former Georgia quarterback Aaron Murray for the seventh-most passing yards ever allowed by an Auburn defense, while his 81 percent completion rate marked the third time this season the Tigers have allowed an opposing quarterback to complete at least 80 percent of his passes. Rogers’ six passing touchdowns are the most by a single player against Auburn since Tua Tagovailoa threw for five scores in the 2018 Iron Bowl. The damage dealt by Rogers and the Air Raid dropped Auburn’s pass efficiency defense to 10th in the SEC and 85th nationally at 139.06 -- on pace to finish a tick ahead of last year’s unit that finished the season ranked 75th. Auburn’s overall passing defense now ranks 12th in the SEC and 87th among FBS teams, allowing 243.8 yards through the air per game. Opponents are completing 66.7 percent of their passes against Auburn, as the Tigers’ defense ranks 117th nationally and second-to-last in the SEC in that regard. The Tigers are also surrendering 12 yards per pass completion, which is ninth in the conference and 77th nationally. Here’s a look at those stats, as well as various other categories and where Auburn ranks, both in the SEC and among FBS teams, through Week 11: RUSHING OFFENSE (SEC rank, FBS rank) 2013: 328.3 (1st, 1st) 2014: 255.5 (2nd, 13th) 2015: 196.4 (5th, 35th) 2016: 271.3 (1st, 6th) 2017: 218.3 (4th, 26th) 2018: 167.5 (10th, 68th) 2019: 199.1 (4th, 33rd) 2020: 162.5 (7th, 67th) After Akron: 316.0 (3rd, 11th) After Alabama State: 340.0 (2nd, 3rd) After Penn State: 287.3 (3rd, 7th) After Georgia State: 257.0 (4th, 9th) After LSU: 238.2 (4th, 12th) After Georgia: 206.2 (6th, 32nd) After Arkansas: 196.0 (5th, 36th) After bye week: 196.0 (5th, 36th) After Ole Miss: 197.5 (5th, 35th) After Texas A&M: 183.9 (7th, 47th) After Mississippi State: 176.1 (9th, 55th) Why: Auburn rushed for 106 yards against Mississippi State. . PASSING OFFENSE 2013: 173.0 (11th, 106th) 2014: 229.5 (7th, 66th) 2015: 173.6 (12th, 110th) 2016: 169.5 (14th, 112th) 2017: 233.4 (5th, 65th) 2018: 222.5 (9th, 74th) 2019: 207.5 (9th, 87th) 2020: 220.3 (10th, 71st) After Akron: 297.0 (6th, 29th) After Alabama State: 235.0 (10th, 65th) After Penn State: 218.3 (9th, 77th) After Georgia State: 227.0 (9th, 72nd) After LSU: 239.6 (6th, 58th) After Georgia: 245.0 (6th, 57th) After Arkansas: 251.7 (6th, 49th) After bye week: 251.7 (6th, 49th) After Ole Miss: 254.8 (6th, 56th) After Texas A&M: 243.4 (6th, 55th) After Mississippi State: 256.8 (5th, 42nd) Why: Bo Nix had a career-high 377 passing yards. . PASS EFFICIENCY OFFENSE 2013: 149.63 (6th, 24th) 2014: 156.79 (1st, 8th) 2015: 124.47 (10th, 79th) 2016: 135.17 (6th, 54th) 2017: 153.59 (5th, 13th) 2018: 140.11 (8th, 51st) 2019: 128.35 (9th, 89th) 2020: 122.96 (11th, 89th) After Akron: 210.55 (1st, 9th) After Alabama State: 200.61 (1st, 4th) After Penn State: 151.55 (7th, 41st) After Georgia State: 137.01 (12th, 77th) After LSU: 129.00 (12th, 90th) After Georgia: 124.15 (12th, 96th) After Arkansas: 131.43 (12, 87th) After bye week: 131.43 (12th, 92nd) After Ole Miss: 134.24 (11th, 82nd) After Texas A&M: 126.61 (12th, 95th) After Mississippi State: 129.61 (12th, 89th) Why: Auburn was 27-of-43 passing for 377 yards and a pair of touchdowns. . TOTAL OFFENSE 2013: 501.3 (2nd, 11th) 2014: 485.0 (2nd, 16th) 2015: 370.0 (10th, 94th) 2016: 440.8 (6th, 43rd) 2017: 451.6 (3rd, 26th) 2018: 389.9 (11th, 78th) 2019: 406.5 (6th, 64th) 2020: 382.8 (9th, 77th) After Akron: 613.0 (1st, 1st) After Alabama State: 575.0 (3rd, 7th) After Penn State: 505.7 (4th, 18th) After Georgia State: 484.0 (3rd, 18th) After LSU: 477.8 (3rd, 17th) After Georgia: 451.2 (7th, 31st) After Arkansas: 447.7 (6th, 30th) After bye week: 447.7 (6th, 30th) After Ole Miss: 452.1 (7th, 25th) After Texas A&M: 427.3 (9th, 48th) After Mississippi State: 432.9 (9th, 46th) Why: Auburn had 483 yards of offense against Mississippi State. . SCORING OFFENSE 2013: 39.5 (2nd, 12th) 2014: 35.5 (4th, 35th) 2015: 27.5 (8th, 75th) 2016: 31.2 (6th, 49th) 2017: 33.9 (4th, 27th) 2018: 30.9 (8th, 47th) 2019: 33.2 (3rd, 28th) 2020: 25.1 (9th, 89th) After Akron: 60.0 (1st, 3rd) After Alabama State: 61.0 (1st, 1st) After Penn State: 45.3 (2nd, 7th) After Georgia State: 42.5 (3rd, 11th) After LSU: 38.8 (5th, 14th) After Georgia: 34.0 (6th, 36th) After Arkansas: 34.6 (5th, 26th) After bye week: 34.6 (5th, 24th) After Ole Miss: 34.1 (6th, 30th) After Texas A&M: 30.7 (7th, 49th) After Mississippi State: 31.0 (7th, 50th) Why: Auburn scored 34 points against Mississippi State. . SACKS ALLOWED 2013: 18 sacks, 1.29 per game (3rd, 22nd) 2014: 15 sacks, 1.15 per game (3rd, 15th) 2015: 19 sacks, 1.46 per game (4th, 33rd) 2016: 19 sacks, 1.46 per game (3rd, 27th) 2017: 36 sacks, 2.57 per game (10th, 100th) 2018: 23 sacks, 1.77 per game (6th, 39th) 2019: 18, 1.38 per game (4th, 18th) 2020: 20, 1.82 per game (6th, 41st) After Akron: 0, 0.00 per game (1st, 1st) After Alabama State: 1, 0.50 per game (1st, 5th) After Penn State: 1, 0.33 per game (1st, 3rd) After Georgia State: 3, 0.75 per game (2nd, 7th) After LSU: 3, 0.60 per game (2nd, 6th) After Georgia: 7, 1.17 per game (4th, 16th) After Arkansas: 7, 1.00 per game (3rd, 10th) After bye week: 7, 1.00 per game (3rd, 10th) After Ole Miss: 9, 1.12 per game (4th, 13th) After Texas A&M: 13, 1.44 per game (4th, 24th) After Mississippi State: 15, 1.50 per game (5th, 31st) Why: Auburn allowed two sacks against Mississippi State. . THIRD-DOWN CONVERSIONS 2013: 46.5 percent (4th, 24th) 2014: 52.5 percent (1st, 2nd) 2015: 41.3 percent (6th, 49th) 2016: 41.8 percent (4th, 53rd) 2017: 45.5 percent (3rd, 15th) 2018: 36.9 percent (11th, 90th) 2019: 40.5 percent (6th, 60th) 2020: 44.9 percent (6th, 32nd) After Akron: 66.7 percent (2nd, 2nd) After Alabama State: 58.8 percent (2nd, 8th) After Penn State: 58.8 percent (1st, 3rd) After Georgia State: 53.7 percent (5th, 11th) After LSU: 51.4 percent (3rd, 11th) After Georgia: 46.6 percent (5th, 24th) After Arkansas: 45.9 percent (5th, 28th) After bye week: 45.9 percent (6th, 26th) After Ole Miss: 45.0 percent (7th, 34th) After Texas A&M: 42.4 percent (7th, 48th) After Mississippi State: 43.1 percent (8th, 41st) Why: Auburn converted 6-of-12 third downs against Mississippi State. . RED ZONE OFFENSE 2013: 88.5 percent (2nd, 21st) 2014: 87.9 percent (4th, 31st) 2015: 90.2 percent (2nd, 13th) 2016: 85.5 percent (5th, 52nd) 2017: 88.1 percent (6th, 36th) 2018: 81.1 percent (11th, 88th) 2019: 90.4 percent (3rd, 21st) 2020: 85.0 percent (6th, 50th) After Akron: 100.0 percent (1st, 2nd) After Alabama State: 100.0 percent (1st, 1st) After Penn State: 90.9 percent (7th, 45th) After Georgia State: 92.9 (4th, 23rd) After LSU: 93.8 percent (3rd, 22nd) After Georgia: 89.5 percent (5th, 39th) After Arkansas: 90.9 percent (4th, 24th) After bye week: 90.9 percent (4th, 23rd) After Ole Miss: 92.6 percent (4th, 13th) After Texas A&M: 89.7 percent (4th, 28th) After Mississippi State: 88.2 (4th, 37th) Why: Auburn was 4-of-5 in the red zone, with four touchdowns and a missed field goal. . RUSHING DEFENSE 2013: 162.1 (10th, 62nd) 2014: 168.8 (10th, 67th) 2015: 182.7 (11th, 81st) 2016: 132.8 (3rd, 27th) 2017: 137.0 (5th, 35th) 2018: 135.9 (6th, 32nd) 2019: 123.2 (4th, 25th) 2020: 163.4 (8th, 62nd) After Akron: -3.0 (1st, 2nd) After Alabama State: 21.5 (1st, 1st) After Penn State: 45.7 (1st, 3rd) After Georgia State: 98.5 (4th, 27th) After LSU: 85.4 (2nd, 8th) After Georgia: 104.7 (3rd, 23rd) After Arkansas: 122.9 (5th, 35th) After bye week: 122.9 (5th, 32nd) After Ole Miss: 127.1 (5th, 36th) After Texas A&M: 137.1 (6th, 48th) After Mississippi State: 130.6 (5th, 37th) Why: Auburn allowed 72 yards rushing against Mississippi State. . PASSING DEFENSE 2013: 258.6 (13th, 100th) 2014: 230.1 (12th, 68th) 2015: 222.5 (11th, 63rd) 2016: 229.2 (9th, 67th) 2017: 182.4 (5th, 18th) 2018: 219.5 (7th, 58th) 2019: 213.8 (8th, 47th) 2020: 242.6 (4th, 79th) After Akron: 191.0 (8th, 53rd) After Alabama State: 160.5 (4th, 28th) After Penn State: 207.7 (10th, 65th) After Georgia State: 185.0 (8th, 34th) After LSU: 213.0 (9th, 55th) After Georgia: 216.0 (9th, 52nd) After Arkansas: 217.7 (9th, 56th) After bye week: 217.7 (8th, 53rd) After Ole Miss: 228.9 (10th, 69th) After Texas A&M: 224.8 (9th, 58th) After Mississippi State: 243.8 (12th, 87th) Why: Auburn allowed 415 yards passing against Mississippi State. . PASS EFFICIENCY DEFENSE 2013: 126.88 (9th, 63rd) 2014: 124.19 (10th, 52nd) 2015: 116.99 (8th, 31st) 2016: 116.83 (4th, 22nd) 2017: 113.84 (4th, 19th) 2018: 118.12 (6th, 31st) 2019: 120.71 (9th, 32nd) 2020: 139.34 (7th, 75th) After Akron: 153.13 (13th, 98th) After Alabama State: 123.69 (10th, 68th) After Penn State: 144.08 (13th, 100th) After Georgia State: 136.87 (12th, 84th) After LSU: 131.61 (11th, 71st) After Georgia: 138.48 (10th, 79th) After Arkansas: 137.68 (9th, 83rd) After bye week: 137.68 (9th, 81st) After Ole Miss: 134.55 (8th, 70th) After Texas A&M: 131.79 (8th, 65th) After Mississippi State: 139.06 (10th, 85th) Why: Mississippi State’s Will Rogers completed 44-of-55 passes for 415 yards and six touchdowns. . TOTAL DEFENSE 2013: 420.7 (12th, 86th) 2014: 398.8 (9th, 64th) 2015: 405.2 (13th, 71st) 2016: 361.9 (5th, 28th) 2017: 319.4 (5th, 14th) 2018: 355.4 (8th, 38th) 2019: 337.0 (7th, 28th) 2020: 406.0 (6th, 63rd) After Akron: 188.0 (4th, 10th) After Alabama State: 182.0 (2nd, 3rd) After Penn State: 253.3 (3rd, 13th) After Georgia State: 283.5 (4th, 19th) After LSU: 298.4 (5th, 22nd) After Georgia: 320.7 (6th, 32nd) After Arkansas: 340.6 (6th, 39th) After bye week: 340.6 (8th, 40th) After Ole Miss: 356.0 (9th, 51st) After Texas A&M: 361.9 (9th, 53rd) After Mississippi State: 374.4 (9th, 61st) Why: Auburn gave up 487 yards of offense to Mississippi State. . SCORING DEFENSE 2013: 24.7 (9th, 48th) 2014: 26.7 (10th, 62nd) 2015: 26.0 (11th, 54th) 2016: 17.1 (4th, 7th) 2017: 18.5 (3rd, 12th) 2018: 19.2 (4th, 14th) 2019: 19.5 (6th, 17th) 2020: 24.7 (4th, 38th) After Akron: 10.0 (4th, 21st) After Alabama State: 5.0 (1st, 1st) After Penn State: 12.7 (3rd, 13th) After Georgia State: 15.5 (4th, 17th) After LSU: 16.2 (3rd, 16th) After Georgia: 19.2 (5th, 26th) After Arkansas: 19.7 (4th, 32nd) After bye week: 19.7 (4th, 29th) After Ole Miss: 19.8 (3rd, 24th) After Texas A&M: 19.8 (3rd, 24th) After Mississippi State: 22.1 (4th, 37th) Why: Auburn gave up 43 points to Mississippi State, including 40 unanswered at one point. . SACKS 2013: 32 sacks, 2.29 per game (4th, 46th) 2014: 21 sacks, 1.62 per game (11th, 95th) 2015: 19 sacks, 1.46 per game (13th, 104th) 2016: 25 sacks, 1.92 per game (8th, 75th) 2017: 37 sacks, 2.64 per game (5th, 25th) 2018: 38, 2.92 per game (3rd, 16th) 2019: 28 sacks, 2.15 per game (9th, 64th) 2020: 26 sacks, 2.36 per game (6th, 53rd) After Akron: 7 sacks, 7.00 per game (2nd, 3rd) After Alabama State: 9 sacks, 4.50 per game (4th, 9th) After Penn State: 9 sacks, 3.00 per game (5th, 22nd) After Georgia State: 12 sacks, 3.00 per game (5th, 32nd) After LSU: 15, 3.00 per game (4th, 24th) After Georgia: 16, 2.67 per game (6th, 36th) After Arkansas: 19, 2.71 per game (6th, 29th) After bye week: 19, 2.71 per game (7th, 31st) After Ole Miss: 22, 2.75 per game (5th, 26th) After Texas A&M: 22, 2.44 per game (8th, 45th) After Mississippi State: 24, 2.40 per game (9th, 50th) Why: Auburn had two sacks against Mississippi State. . THIRD-DOWN DEFENSE 2013: 33.0 percent (1st, 13th) 2014: 36.0 percent (4th, 29th) 2015: 44.9 percent (13th, 109th) 2016: 34.8 percent (4th, 25th) 2017: 32.9 percent (3rd, 20th) 2018: 34.7 percent (6th, 30th) 2019: 29.9 percent (2nd, 8th) 2020: 50.3 percent (14th, 121st) After Akron: 21.4 percent (3rd, 14th) After Alabama State: 24.1 percent (3rd, 12th) After Penn State: 30.8 percent (5th, 28th) After Georgia State: 34.5 percent (8th, 51st) After LSU: 34.7 percent (8th, 45th) After Georgia: 35.3 percent (7th, 47th) After Arkansas: 38.5 percent (8th, 66th) After bye week: 38.5 percent (7th, 58th) After Ole Miss: 38.7 percent (8th, 61st) After Texas A&M: 37.1 percent (6th, 50th) After Mississippi State: 36.6 percent (5th, 44th) Why: Mississippi State was 3-of-10 on third downs against Auburn. . RED ZONE DEFENSE 2013: 73.1 percent (2nd, 10th) 2014: 74.1 percent (4th, 13th) 2015: 75.5 percent (5th, 15th) 2016: 74.4 percent (3rd, 11th) 2017: 83.3 percent (6th, 64th) 2018: 82.9 percent (9th, 64th) 2019: 71.8 percent (2nd, 8th) 2020: 76.3 percent (3rd, 27th) After Akron: 100.0 percent (7th, 62nd) After Alabama State: 66.7 percent (3rd, 26th) After Penn State: 85.7 percent (8th, 79th) After Georgia State: 90.0 percent (9th, 97th) After LSU: 92.9 percent (12th, 112th) After Georgia: 94.7 percent (14th, 123rd) After Arkansas: 90.9 percent (10th, 106th) After bye week: 90.9 percent (10th, 109th) After Ole Miss: 80.0 percent (4th, 44th) After Texas A&M: 81.8 percent (6th, 60th) After Mississippi State: 82.9 percent (7th, 69th) Why: Mississippi State scored on seven of its eight red-zone trips, with six touchdowns and a field goal. . NET PUNTING 2013: 40.54 (2nd, 9th) 2014: 37.44 (12th, 67th) 2015: 37.58 (7th, 54th) 2016: 39.90 (5th, 21st) 2017: 35.61 (14th, 115th) 2018: 41.91 (2nd, 5th) 2019: 38.50 (9th, 63rd) 2020: 38.70 (9th, 64th) After Akron: 31.0 (11th, 114th) After Alabama State: 36.33 (11th, 99th) After Penn State: 41.00 (6th, 47th) After Georgia State: 43.25 (3rd, 15th) After LSU: 42.53 (4th, 20th) After Georgia: 43.48 (3rd, 15th) After Arkansas: 43.20 (2nd, 13th) After bye week: 43.20 (2nd, 12th) After Ole Miss: 43.86 (1st, 6th) After Texas A&M: 44.09 (1st, 5th) After Mississippi State: 44.16 (1st, 6th) Why: Auburn averaged 45.5 net yards per punt against Mississippi State. . KICK RETURNS 2013: 23.40 (5th, 27th) 2014: 20.03 (11th, 82nd) 2015: 27.94 (2nd, 4th) 2016: 19.04 (12th, 100th) 2017: 23.22 (3rd, 25th) 2018: 21.52 (6th, 48th) 2019: 20.50 (7th, 67th) 2020: 21.96 (6th, 43rd) After Akron: 20.33 (6th, 42nd) After Alabama State: 20.33 (8th, 61st) After Penn State: 20.33 (7th, 63rd) After Georgia State: 28.25 (3rd, 16th) After LSU: 27.22 (4th, 20th) After Georgia: 25.00 (5th, 27th) After Arkansas: 25.00 (5th, 29th) After bye week: 25.00 (5th, 28th) After Ole Miss: 24.69 (5th, 29th) After Texas A&M: 24.69 (5th, 28th) After Mississippi State: 24.55 (5th, 30th) Why: Auburn averaged 24 yards on four kick returns. . KICK RETURN DEFENSE 2013: 25.79 (14th, 121st) 2014: 21.73 (9th, 84th) 2015: 21.17 (12th, 61st) 2016: 18.00 (1st, 13th) 2017: 27.20 (14th, 129th) 2018: 19.44 (3rd, 39th) 2019: 22.30 (11th, 96th) 2020: 26.67 (13th, 121st) After Akron: 15.33 (4th, 48th) After Alabama State: 14.25 (3rd, 22nd) After Penn State: 14.83 (3rd, 24th) After Georgia State: 14.83 (2nd, 14th) After LSU: 15.14 (2nd, 13th) After Georgia: 17.25 (2nd, 21st) After Arkansas: 18.78 (7th, 44th) After bye week: 18.78 (6th, 37th) After Ole Miss: 19.09 (6th, 39th) After Texas A&M: 18.33 (2nd, 25th) After Mississippi State: 18.36 (4th, 27th) Why: Auburn allowed two kick returns for an average of 18.5 yards. . PUNT RETURNS 2013: 11.78 (2nd, 22nd) 2014: 17.82 yards per return (1st, 4th) 2015: 11.93 yards per return (7th, 28th) 2016: 10.69 (5th, 24th) 2017: 8.52 (8th, 51st) 2018: 10.75 (6th, 39th) 2019: 12.83 (4th, 18th) 2020: 9.11 (6th, 44th) After Akron: 15.0 (2nd, 16th) After Alabama State: 15.50 (2nd, 25th) After Penn State: 14.33 (1st, 24th) After Georgia State: 14.00 (1st, 29th) After LSU: 14.00 (1st, 21st) After Georgia: 12.44 (2nd, 27th) After Arkansas: 12.00 (1st, 26th) After bye week: 12.00 (2nd, 28th) After Ole Miss: 9.46 (6th, 50th) After Texas A&M: 9.12 (6th, 56th) After Mississippi State: 9.12 (7th, 55th) Why: Auburn did not return a punt against Mississippi State. . PUNT RETURN DEFENSE 2013: 7.0 (8th, 51st) 2014: 7.79 (10th, 72nd) 2015: 12.43 (11th, 110th) 2016: 3.17 (1st, 8th) 2017: 11.43 (14th, 108th) 2018: 3.36 (3rd, 9th) 2019: 17.29 (14th, 130th) 2020: 2.75 (3rd, 17th) After Akron: 1.0 (10th, 66th) After Alabama State: 1.0 (4th, 40th) After Penn State: 8.5 (8th, 89th) After Georgia State: 8.5 (9th, 83rd) After LSU: 8.5 (9th, 85th) After Georgia: 6.0 (7th, 53rd) After Arkansas: 5.5 (6th, 48th) After bye week: 5.5 (5th, 44th) After Ole Miss: 5.5 (5th, 40th) After Texas A&M: 3.86 (2nd, 17th) After Mississippi State: 3.86 (2nd, 19th) Why: Auburn did not allow a punt return against Mississippi State. . TURNOVER MARGIN 2013: even, 0.0 per game (9th, 61st) 2014: plus-seven, 0.54 per game (4th, 27th) 2015: plus-two, 0.15 per game (8th, 51st) 2016: plus-three, plus-0.23 per game (6th, 42nd) 2017: minus-one, 0.07 per game (7th, 71st) 2018: plus-nine, 0.69 (3rd, 16th) 2019: plus-six, 0.46 per game (3rd, 27th) 2020: plus-four, 0.36 per game (6th, 38th) After Akron: zero, 0.0 per game (7th, 60th) After Alabama State: plus-one, 0.50 per game (6th, 43rd) After Penn State: plus-one, 0.33 per game (6th, 52nd) After Georgia State: plus-one, 0.25 per game (8th, 58th) After LSU: plus-two, 0.40 per game (6th, 47th) After Georgia: plus-one, 0.17 per game (10th, 64th) After Arkansas: plus-one, 0.14 per game (9th, 66th) After bye week: plus-one, 0.14 per game (8th, 55th) After Ole Miss: plus-one, 0.12 per game (8th, 59th) After Texas A&M: zero, 0.00 per game (10th, 73rd) After Mississippi State: minus-one, minus-0.10 per game (10th, 78th) Why: Auburn lost a fumble and did not force a turnover against Mississippi State. . PENALTY YARDS PER GAME 2013: 40.64 (7th 30th) 2014: 68.92 (14th, 112th) 2015: 46.38 (7th, 34th) 2016: 36.54 (1st, 6th) 2017: 38.36 (2nd, 13th) 2018: 56.69 (9th, 75th) 2019: 55.23 (10th, 74th) 2020: 49.82 (7th, 56th) After Akron: 25.0 (3rd, 15th) After Alabama State: 46.00 (3rd, 41st) After Penn State: 45.67 (2nd, 31st) After Georgia State: 50.50 (4th, 47th) After LSU: 49.40 (3rd, 51st) After Georgia: 46.83 (4th, 38th) After Arkansas: 47.14 (4th, 41st) After bye week: 47.14 (5th, 39th) After Ole Miss: 46.25 (5th, 39th) After Texas A&M: 45.00 (4th, 32nd) After Mississippi State: 49.10 (5th, 48th) Why: Auburn committed nine penalties totaling 86 yards against Mississippi State. Tom Green is an Auburn beat reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Tomas_Verde.

are you disappointed in mason golf?

Auburn loss dampers momentum; vultures circling Mullen By John Talty | jtalty@al.com 10-12 minutes The worst collapse in Auburn football history. That’s really the only way to describe what happened inside Jordan-Hare Stadium on Saturday afternoon. Auburn played very good, disciplined football in the first half to build a 28-3 lead at one point. In the second half it was as if Auburn suddenly forgot how to play defense allowing Mississippi State quarterback Will Rogers to do whatever he wanted guiding the hard-to-believe 43-34 comeback win. There wasn’t a single play that seemed to sway the game. More so it was a lack of energy, a lack of adjustments and some poor strategic coaching decisions like a bad fake punt that seemed to doom the Tigers against the Bulldogs. The loss drops Auburn out of the SEC West division race and almost certainly out of the next College Football Playoff rankings. The winner-takes-all Iron Bowl is no more. What might be most frustrating for Auburn fans is how this deflating, almost incomprehensible loss sucked out a lot of the good feelings they had about this season. These are the games that can be make-or-break for a head coach, and the end result felt like an early referendum on first-year head coach Bryan Harsin. You can call it unfair that one game can be the difference between being excited about the season and being disappointed, but that’s life in the Southeastern Conference. GOODMAN: Baffling day at Auburn ends with serious questions A win against Mississippi State, one that looked awfully likely when the Tigers raced out to that 28-3 lead, would have made Harsin 7-3 with a very winnable game against South Carolina next week and then the Iron Bowl left on the schedule. A 9-3 record with a win over Alabama would have fans ecstatic about the future while an 8-4 in his first year would still be a big building block for the first-year coach. Instead, Auburn sits at 6-4 and maybe Jordan-Hare has some voodoo magic left for the Iron Bowl, but 7-5 is the most likely scenario now. It isn’t a bad first season for Harsin but it’ll be easy to look back and wonder what could have been this year. A better play call late against Penn State could have been the difference. Even a barely competent offensive performance against Texas A&M might have gotten the Tigers a win instead of a 20-3 loss. There are no excuses for blowing a 28-3 lead to Mississippi State at home, there is too much talent on this Auburn roster to do that. Remember that boosters were concerned Gus Malzahn had enough talent coming back to fare well this season and buy himself another year, part of the impetus behind firing him at the end of last season. Harsin didn’t walk into an empty cupboard, no matter how much he wants to pretend like this is a rebuild. Harsin needs to get some momentum going on the recruiting trail where Auburn currently ranks 13th out of 14 SEC schools, according to 247Sports rankings. The expectation has long been that Auburn will finish strong down the stretch, and the Tigers will certainly add more to their current class of 13 commitments. But it is a lot easier to sell an ascendant program with a 9-3 record than a 7-5 one, especially in a conference that features schools ranked Nos. 1 and 2 in the most recent College Football Playoff rankings. LSU doesn’t even have a coach beyond this season and still has two five-star recruits committed compared to Auburn’s zero. Auburn has one top 10 in-state recruit committed, the same number as Texas and Oregon and four less than the Crimson Tide. Recruiting in the SEC is never easy, and it can be even harder when you come in as an outsider like Harsin did. Auburn needs to get it going in these next few weeks before the early signing period begins Dec. 15, and a bad loss to Mississippi State gives the coaching staff just a little bit less ammo to work with on the trail. Barring an upset over Alabama, Auburn fans will enter this offseason with a bit of a sour taste in their mouths about this season and what it portends for the future. It might be silly to think a single win over Mississippi State would have swayed those feelings, but in the SEC more so than any other conference, public opinions can vary greatly from week to week. For Harsin, this was a bad week that could linger. The vultures are circling Mullen Last week after losing to South Carolina, I wrote this about Florida head coach Dan Mullen: “If you believe that the head coach at Florida should annually have the Gators competing for a national championship, Mullen’s not the guy. He’s not that guy today, he’s not going to be that guy next year and he’s not going to be that guy in five years. And if you buy into former Florida AD Jeremy Foley’s oft-referenced quote of “what should be done eventually must be done immediately,” there is no point in delaying the inevitable with Mullen except money.” What was my reaction to seeing Florida give up 52 points to Samford and barely manage to win against a mediocre FCS opponent? It was obvious watching Florida struggle that this is a broken team. The short-term fix of firing defensive coordinator Todd Grantham and offensive line coach John Hevesy didn’t improve anything. Florida looked like a team that barely cared enough to even play against Samford making those desperate assistant firings look more and more like simply rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic. Florida AD Scott Stricklin is a smart, pragmatic leader who by all accounts isn’t in a rush to fire Mullen one year removed from an SEC East division title. But Mullen hasn’t made it easy for his boss, turning in bad performance after bad performance that has made it more and more likely Stricklin has to make a head coaching change sooner than later. Just when you think Florida has hit rockbottom, it then gives up 42 first half points to Samford. The national pressure on Mullen is cranking up, with more and more calling out the program’s precipitous fall. Mullen, for his part, seemed to be in denial Saturday dancing after the “win” over Samford and called it a “big win.” Mullen might have won Saturday but the vultures are circling and there might not be anything he can do at this point to stop them from swooping in. Most pumped fanbase: Ole Miss Something special seems to happen when College GameDay comes into town. Ole Miss knocked off a hot Texas A&M team to give Lane Kiffin a signature win and set the Rebels up for a New Year’s Six bowl if they can beat Mississippi State in the Egg Bowl. Ole Miss is a program on the rise, and if Kiffin can capitalize on that momentum in recruiting, he might really have something going in Oxford. Ole Miss has a legitimate argument now as the second-best SEC West team which speaks to the job Kiffin has done in his second season with the Rebels. Most panicked fanbase: Texas The first five-game losing streak since 1956. The first Big 12 road win for Kansas since 2008. Everything about Texas’ 57-56 overtime loss to Kansas is bad from a short and long-term perspective. Texas AD Chris Del Conte dropped more than $20 million to fire Tom Herman and his coaching staff last season, deciding 7-3 wasn’t good enough at Texas. He decided the program would be in better hands with Steve Sarkisian, fresh off a Broyles Award as the nation’s best assistant after learning program-building under Nick Saban. It is still too early to declare that hire a complete failure but a 4-6 first season that has included embarrassments like the “Pole Assassin” debacle will be hard for Sark to dig himself out of moving forward. Texas has a legitimate argument as the best job in America with all the advantages you’d want like a fertile recruiting base, rich boosters and passionate fanbase. Eventually Texas will be back, but it’s getting harder and harder to believe Sark will be the one to do it at this rate. Ranking the Week 12 SEC games: 1) Florida at Missouri, 3 p.m. CT: Mullen might be done regardless now, but a loss to Missouri could all but guarantee it. Florida needs to come out looking very different than it did against Samford or the Gators will lose. 2) Arkansas at Alabama, 2:30 p.m. CT: A win against Arkansas will clinch the SEC West for Alabama and book an SEC Championship against Georgia. Arkansas has looked tough this season and won’t make it easy for Alabama. 3) Auburn at South Carolina, 6 p.m. CT: Two teams coming off tough losses that could really use a win here. A loss to South Carolina would amplify the concerns Auburn fans have about the future. 4) Vanderbilt at Ole Miss, 6:30 p.m. CT: Coming off a big win against Texas A&M, Ole Miss needs to avoid the emotional letdown and just take care of business against the Commodores. A win here sets up a huge Egg Bowl. 5) South Alabama at Tennessee, 6:30 p.m. CT: Josh Heupel has done a very good job getting the most out of the players he has but it’ll be critical to recruit strong to replenish the depleted depth chart. 6) Louisiana Monroe at LSU, 8 p.m. CT: The swan song is approach for Ed Orgeron, and this is his best shot at one last win as LSU head coach. 7) Prairie View A&M at Texas A&M, 11 a.m. CT: Poor Prairie View is going to get an angry Texas A&M team in this one. 😎 Charleston Southern at Georgia, 11 a.m. CT: Kirby Smart won’t like reading this but this is really only valuable for getting the young players more playing time than usual. 9) New Mexico State at Kentucky, 11 a.m. CT: New Mexico State will fare better than it did against Alabama, but it still won’t be particularly close. 10) Tennessee State at Mississippi State, 11 a.m. CT: The only reason to watch this game is to see how many points and yards Will Rogers can rack up. John Talty is the sports editor and SEC Insider for Alabama Media Group. You can follow him on Twitter @JTalty. Want more SEC football insights? Sign up for our new college football newsletter here that will arrive right in your inbox each Thursday morning.

Auburn football will be without a central piece of its offense for this week’s matchup with South Carolina, according to multiple reports Sunday. Cam Gaskins of ABC Columbia was the first with the news. Bo Nix, the Tigers’ third-year starting quarterback, reportedly broke his ankle late in the third quarter of Auburn’s most recent loss to Mississippi State, according to Justin Hokanson of On3 Sports. Nix continued to play until the last drive of the fourth quarter and finished the day completing 27 of his 41 passes for 377 yards and two touchdowns. Rivals reported that Nix would have surgery on the ankle Monday. Nix confirmed the injury in an Instagram post Sunday night. TOP ARTICLES “Bones break and things change, but God is always the same,” Nix wrote on Instagram. “The road to recovery begins tomorrow. Thanks everyone for the thoughts and prayers!” Nix was the SEC’s fifth-leading passer in 2021, totaling 2,294 yards for 11 touchdowns and three interceptions on 61% passing. He added another four touchdowns and 168 yards rushing, good for third-most on Auburn’s roster. ABC Columbia’s report said T.J. Finley, Auburn’s transfer quarterback from LSU, was most likely to get the start against the Gamecocks. Finley has appeared in six games for Auburn in his sophomore season, going 17 of 33 for 275 yards and two touchdowns. Finley was in for two plays against Mississippi State last week. He tossed an incomplete pass on first down and lost a fumble on a sack to finish the Tigers’ home loss to the Bulldogs. South Carolina faced Finley last season when the Gamecocks lost to LSU 52-24 in Baton Rouge. In that game, Finley completed 17 of his 21 passes for 265 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. He added another touchdown on the ground. Finley completed 57.1% of his passes at LSU, totaling 941 yards, five touchdowns and five interceptions before transferring to Auburn. South Carolina (5-5, 2-5 SEC) and Auburn (6-4, 3-3 SEC) kick off at 7 p.m. Saturday in Williams-Brice Stadium. The game will be televised by ESPN. Read more at: https://www.thestate.com/sports/college/university-of-south-carolina/usc-football/article255820436.html#storylink=cpy

Takeaways from Auburn football's collapse against Mississippi State Zac Blackerby 2-3 minutes Auburn’s collapse against Mississippi State on Saturday upset every Auburn fan watching. Everything was going so well in the first half as Bo Nix led the offense to a 28-3 lead. Then Mississippi State scored 40 unanswered points to help them win the game 43-34. Here are some takeaways from the game. AP Photo/Butch Dill Unacceptable. This will be a game that fans talk about for a long time. Jake Crandall / USA TODAY NETWORK If Auburn had won, this game might have been referred to as the “Kobe Hudson” game. Sadly, that’s not the case. AP Photo/Butch Dill Jackson has battled consistency issues throughout the season but did fine on Saturday. John Reed-USA TODAY Sports Despite leading 28-3, Auburn’s offense quit moving the ball and the defense got worn down. For Auburn to take the next step as a program, that can’t happen. John Reed-USA TODAY Sports Auburn’s defensive game plan didn’t really seem to change much over the span of 60 minutes. It took Mississippi State scoring 40 unanswered points for Auburn to start blitzing more defenders. Jake Crandall / USA TODAY NETWORK Auburn entered the game with no Owen Pappoe, Hudson missed time due to an injury, Bo Nix was battling an ankle issue, and Austin Troxell had to leave the game. Was it the reason Auburn lost? No. But it certainly didn’t help matters. Jake Crandall / USA TODAY NETWORK He had a great run off of an RPO that went for a score but it wasn’t enough to help the offense in the second half. Jake Crandall / USA TODAY NETWORK Fans can’t watch a collapse like that and nothing changes. If you want to generate any type of injury going into the season, the Tigers need to change some things up moving forward. Auburn Tigers safety Smoke Monday (21) celebrates a pass breakup against Mississippi State at Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn, Ala., on Saturday, Nov. 13, 2021. © Jake Crandall / USA TODAY NETWORK Mississippi State’s quarterback threw for 415 yards and six touchdowns. It doesn’t matter what type of offense they run, that’s not okay.

in the AP. the hits just keep on coming. auburn has given me some wonderful memories during my life so instead of giving up i am just going to pull harder. and when the dust settles i will still be a true auburn fan like i always have been.

my question is why would anyone who calls themselves an auburn fan not support tj? i have seen no haters and several folks wanting to see more of tj. he came in cold yesterday and that is tough to do. now he gets a week prep just for him hopefully with schemes that maximize his talents and makes him feel more comfortable. from all i have seen and heard tj is a great young man and i hope he balls out for him as much as i do the team.

Bo Nix reportedly out for this week’s South Carolina game; TJ Finley to start Keith Farner | 3 hours ago 1 minute Bo Nix suffered a serious injury on Saturday against Mississippi State, according to a report that said he will not play this week against South Carolina. The Auburn quarterback was 27-for-41 passing on Saturday in the 43-34 loss with 2 touchdowns. It is not immediately clear how long Nix may be out, but the Tigers face Alabama next week. TJ Finley will reportedly replace Nix for the game against the Gamecocks after he did in the third quarter against Mississippi State following a long pass to Ja’Varrius Johnson. A source close to the Nix family confirmed to me that Bo Nix broke his ankle against Mississippi State last night. It appears Auburn will come to Williams-Brice next week without it’s starting QB. Expect TJ Finley to be under center for the Tigers against the Gamecocks — Cam Gaskins (@CamGaskinsTV) November 14, 2021

You grow tired of the emotional abuse you’ve gone through throughout the years, yet your lover tells you; “Baby, I’m gonna change. You’ll see.” You then believe them. They start to show you how they change in a positive way. They make their strides and become better to you. And then, when you least expect it, it all comes back. Emotional abuse. You then grow tired of it again and demand change, but you can’t leave your partner. You hear; “I’m sorry, baby. I’ll be better. You’ll see!” And now, you don’t know what to believe. Your heart says they will change. But in the back of your mind, you wonder if that is actually true, or even possible. War Eagle!

is it too early to have a little fun? i stole this from reddit and the one comment was you cannot win with a Vandy defense..................

i am a doom and gloom guy so i think three years until we get rolling.

i hate that one thread got deleted cus i had a couple of funny lines in it...............

not me. i will pull for whomever is playing. and i am pretty weird. lol

bo has been one hell of a roller coaster ride but he has the heart of a lion and he literally gives his heart and soul on the field. he might not win another game but he has earned my respect. bo is a warrior that gives up his body on the regular. he is the guy they talk about when they sing fearless and true. it is a first year under a new staff so people need to give harsin time to do his thing. it is going to take time and we need to realize that. maybe tj looks better with more playing time than he got. the staff has said repeatedly that dd is not ready yet in that the game is too big for him at the moment. we just need to trust harsin to do what is best. and there are other options i think at qb coming in on signing day.

to be honest it happens too quick for my old eyes but i thought folks would want a good ol debate. harsin and several sportscasters have said it was a horrible call as did the dudes calling the game.