aubiefifty

from what i can tell is defenses quit worrying about bo's passing ability so they are stopping the run. this has quite a bit to do with our oline. if we have a gunslinger or a great passer the d has to open up so it is not all on the oline altho i wish they would play better. and the three man fronts are horrible to me. we seem to do better on a four man line. whoever the special teams coach is needs a raise or a nice bonus check. no one has said it but the pass to shenker was not a catch. they showed a clip and the ball clearly hit the ground. i love my tigers but i hate to see a smaller school play their ass off and get robbed. am i glad we won? yes. i never pull against auburn. but i will not go bragging to anyone about the win. we were very fortunate.

i agree. new systems on both sides of the ball. new coaches to get used to. coaches has to build a relationship with a hundred plus players. and coach did pull a legacy and i bet it gets bo's attention. and lord please no more three man fronts. but we had the penn state hangover going and ga state played their behinds off. and we did not. i think they expected a gimme. got to give coach time. it is too early to pull the plug.

to me it looked like the receivers played harder for tj. that is just my opinion.

this is what the t shirt looks like.

Georgia State at Auburn by the numbers By Mark Inabinett | minabinett@al.com 5-6 minutes Auburn running back Jarquez Hunter carries the football against Penn State on Sept. 18, 2021, at Beaver Stadium in State College, Pa.AP Photo/Barry Reeger Georgia State (1-2) at No. 23 Auburn (2-1) 3 p.m. CDT Saturday (SEC Network) Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn 1 Victory in four games against SEC opponents for Georgia State, which kicked off the 2019 season by beating Tennessee 38-30. Before that, the Panthers lost to Alabama 63-7 in 2010 and 45-3 in 2013 and Tennessee 51-13 in 2012. 1 Team in the nation has two players with at least 320 rushing yards in the 2021 season -- Auburn. The Tigers’ Tank Bigsby has run for 343 yards and four TDs on 47 carries and Jarquez Hunter has run for 320 yards and two TDs on 26 carries. Hunter’s average of 12.31 yards per carry is the best in the nation for any player with at least 14 rushing attempts in 2021. 1.33 Yards per carry has been the average gain per rushing attempt by Auburn’s opponents this season, giving the Tigers the toughest defense in the nation against the run. In three games, Auburn’s opponents have run for 130 yards and two TDs on 98 carries. 3 Consecutive games have been won by Georgia State in Alabama. Last season, the Panthers won 36-34 at Troy on Oct. 24 and 31-14 at South Alabama on Nov. 21, then defeated Western Kentucky 39-21 in the Lending Tree Bowl in Mobile on Dec. 26. 4 Teams are ranked in the top 20 nationally in scoring offense and scoring defense, including Auburn. The Tigers have averaged scoring 47.3 points per game, which ranks second in the nation, and have averaged yielding 12.7 points per game, which ranks 13th in the nation. The other teams in the top 20 in both categories are Baylor, Boston College and Cincinnati. 4 Auburn players have scored 300 points after K Anders Carlson reached 306 with eight against Penn State last week. The Tigers’ career scoring leader is Daniel Carlson (2014-17) with 480 points, which also is the SEC career record. Wes Byrum (2007-10) scored 363 points, and John Vaughn (2003-06) scored 312. All are kickers. Georgia State K Noel Ruiz has 333 career points. 5 Fourth downs were converted into first downs by Georgia State RB Tucker Gregg in the past two games. Gregg had two successful fourth-down runs in a 59-17 loss to North Carolina on Sept. 11 and three in a 20-9 victory over Charlotte on Sept. 18. SEC FOOTBALL BY THE NUMBERS: TOP 10 FOR WEEK 4 11 Victories, one loss and one tie for Auburn on Sept. 25. The Tigers’ only loss on the date is a 24-17 overtime defeat by Ole Miss in 1999. The tie came 13-13 against Tennessee in 1965. 15 Victories without a loss for Auburn against Sun Belt Conference opponents. The Tigers most recently played a Sun Belt Conference opponent on Nov. 18, 2017, when Auburn downed Louisiana-Monroe 42-14. The average score of the games has been 44-12. 20 TD passes and one interception for Auburn QB Bo Nix in games at Jordan-Hare Stadium. In true road games, Nix has nine TD passes and 10 interceptions. 29 Consecutive homecoming games have been won by Auburn. Auburn hasn’t lost its homecoming game since a 24-17 setback against Mississippi State in 1991. Auburn has an 82-8-4 record in homecoming games heading into this year’s game on Saturday. 40 Points are needed by Auburn on Saturday for the Tigers’ highest cumulative score four games into a season. Auburn has scored 142 points in its three games this season. The Tigers’ record for points through four games is 181, established in 2009 when Auburn started the season by beating Louisiana Tech 37-13, Mississippi State 49-24, West Virginia 41-30 and Ball State 54-30. 50 Consecutive games have been started by Georgia State’s Shamarious Gilmore. The Panthers’ left guard holds the school record for games played and games started. Lining up with Gilmore for the past 31 games have been RG Pat Barlett and C Malik Sumter. 107 Consecutive games without being shut out for Auburn, the second-longest streak in school history. Auburn’s most recent shutout loss came 49-0 to Alabama on Nov. 17, 2012. Auburn’s record scoring streak lasted 149 games, starting with a 55-16 victory over Richmond on Oct. 4, 1980, and ending with a 17-0 loss to Alabama on Nov. 26, 1992. 1,593 Career rushing yards for Georgia State RB Destin Coates, which ranks second in school history. Georgia State played its first football game in 2010, and Tra Barnett (2016-19) is the career rushing leader with 2,156 yards. Coates has 141 yards and one TD on 28 rushing attempts this season.

Marquis Burks taking on larger role, producing for Auburn’s defensive line By Tom Green | tgreen@al.com 5-6 minutes Penn State running back Noah Cain (21) dives for extra yardage near the goal line while being tackled by Auburn defensive tackle Marquis Burks (92) during the first half of an NCAA college football game in State College, Pa., on Saturday, Sept. 18, 2021. (AP Photo/Barry Reeger)AP One of the biggest questions facing Auburn entering the season had to do with the personnel on the interior of the defensive line. Both of Auburn’s starting defensive tackles from last season were gone by the start of fall camp. Daquan Newkirk transferred to Florida back in January, while Tyrone Truesdell departed the program in August and also joined the Gators before the start of the season. A void was left at defensive tackle, and the Tigers needed someone to step up. Enter, Marquis Burks. The former junior college transfer appeared in just five games last season but has taken on a more prominent role in Auburn’s defense this season, and the early returns have been promising from the 6-foot-3, 314-pounder. “He’s coming on,” starting left tackle Austin Troxell said. “He’s playing with a lot of energy. He’s a great player, and he’s going to continue to make plays for us on the defensive side of the ball.” Despite not starting any of Auburn’s first three games, Burks has been one of the Tigers’ most productive defensive linemen this season. He has eight tackles, with three for a loss and two sacks. His three stops behind the line of scrimmage and two sacks are both second on the team behind T.D. Moultry, who has four and 2.5, respectively. Burks has also forced a pair of fumbles, with one in each of the last two games. The Chicago native has been so steady early on this season that he earned defensive lineman of the week honors from Auburn’s coaching staff for each of the team’s first two games. Bryan Harsin and his staff do not give out weekly player awards after losses, so no players were recognized publicly by the coaches for last week’s game at Penn State, though he did earn one of the team’s honorary captain designations for Saturday’s homecoming game against Georgia State (3 p.m. on SEC Network). “Burks is stepping up,” defensive lineman Colby Wooden said. “Burks, he’s looking really good…. Glad to see him shining, because he’s put in the effort.” Burks early-season production has already doubled his totals from last season, when he appeared in just five of Auburn’s 11 games. During his first season on the Plains, Burks had four total tackles, with one for a loss (a sack against LSU). Since that lackluster debut season at the SEC level, though, teammates have praised Burks for the work he put in to improve during the offseason. He got in better shape this offseason, benefiting from the strength and conditioning program instituted by new strength coach Jeff Pitman — getting stronger in the weight room and faster with his times in conditioning drills. “I’ve seen a lot of growth since he first got here,” linebacker and team captain Owen Pappoe said. “…He’s put the work in and it’s paying off now, man.” On the field, Burks honed his technique and handwork, and he has worked to improve his get-off at the snap when it comes to pass rush. Most of all, according to Harsin, he has harnessed a mindset that embraces preparation and how to translate that to gamedays. “His practice habits, from when we got here to where he is now, are improved,” Harsin said. “To me, he’s had the mindset, and I think coach (Nick) Eason’s done a very good job with him of just really taking the mentality that he has and honing it into using it properly as far as just how the preparation in meetings should look and focusing on that, how the practice and drills and carryover into the team periods — how that should go. It’s taking that mentality and really honing it where he can maximize just bettering himself every day.” It has all led to a bigger role for Burks and a noticeable uptick in production this season — one that Harsin would like to see from more of Auburn’s defensive linemen as the Tigers prepare to open SEC play next week. “He’s a guy who’s been playing well up front,” Harsin said. “We need more guys to be able to do that. We need more on the defensive line that can come in and provide really, really quality play.” Tom Green is an Auburn beat reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Tomas_Verde.

The story behind Auburn's white facemasks; are they here to stay? ByNathan King 6-8 minutes AUBURN, Alabama — The assumption was, of course, that Auburn’s white facemasks last week were added to embrace Penn State’s White Out game, and give Auburn a clean, white look of its own. But that wasn’t the driving force behind the uniform change, which have been rare for Auburn in its history. Auburn had been planning to make some sort of alteration for the Penn State game to add to the excitement. White just happened to fit the theme. “A lot of people think we did it for the White Out game — that’s really not the reason behind it at all,” Dana Marquez told Auburn Undercover. “It was a big game and we just wanted to do something different.” Marquez, associate athletic director and head equipment coordinator for Auburn, said that, a couple weeks before the game, Bryan Harsin and Auburn chief of staff Brad Larrondo approached him about doing something special with the uniforms when the Tigers traveled to Penn State for a marquee nonconference matchup. “It was a conversation between Coach Harsin and Brad Larrando, our chief of staff, and me — just seeing, is it possible?” Marquez said. “And I’m like, ‘Yeah, anything’s possible.’ Really just getting the sign-off from the administration, I think, was the first thing. Obviously, we’re a tradition-based school; we don’t want to change our uniform and upset the fan base. We wanted to make sure we’re following the protocol and the university feels good about it. Once we got the approval, it was pretty straightforward.” That conversation was early in the week after Auburn’s season opener against Akron. Marquez said AU higher-ups approved the change Wednesday, and his team got right to work to get the facemasks altered in time to leave for Happy Valley. The next day, Auburn sent off extra facemasks already in Marquez’s inventory to be redipped. “We sent them to our manufacturer that does our navy, chrome masks,” Marquez said. “The reason we had to that and not just order white masks is that all the helmet manufacturers use different materials and different color whites, so we wanted to make sure the masks were the right color.” The facemasks were prepped over the weekend by the company. On Monday — the start of Penn State game week — they were shipped back to Auburn, now pearly white. Marquez’s team received them Tuesday morning and worked to attach them to the Tigers’ helmets over the next day. Auburn’s equipment truck left for Pennsylvania at 6 a.m. Thursday. “You always take a gamble,” Marquez said. “If we hadn’t gotten them in time, obviously, we would have waited. Especially now — supply chain is broken, manufacturing is unpredictable, everything’s broken. So you really take the gamble, but everything paid off.” When Auburn knew the masks were en route and confirmed for the game, Harsin revealed the change with a hype video in a team meeting Thursday. “It was pretty cool,” Marquez said. “There was a lot of hype behind it in that room. The players loved it. … The overall look was phenomenal, and we had overwhelming, fantastic response from it. And the players had a say in that, as well.” So, will the Tigers immediately revert back to their standard, blue facemasks the next time they wear their road uniforms at Arkansas this season, or is the white look here to stay? Marquez, who came to the Plains in 2006 after working at the University of California-Berkeley as director of equipment operations, said he gave Harsin the option to shelve the white facemasks for the rest of the season, and Auburn’s first-year head coach said, despite the loss, he wants to keep them around, just in case. “I asked Coach Harsin, ‘Hey, are we going to do this again?' If not, I’m going to send them back and redip in the navy,” Marquez said. “But he said we’re going to hold onto them. And if we do it again, we’re ready to go and we have them; if not, we’ll send them back this summer and blast them back to navy.” When Harsin asked if the Tigers could do something special for Penn State, Marquez presented a number of options he’s considered during his time at Auburn — including a fan-favorite facemask from the late ‘70s and early ‘80s. “We thought of the orange facemask at one period in time (for the Penn State game),” Marquez said. “We always try to do something different every year. Sometimes it works; sometimes it doesn’t. You have to look at the tradition of Auburn and stay within that palette. But we’ve never worn white facemasks, so it was a leap forward with that. But you try to keep your options open while also trying not to create uproar in the fan base. “This was a baby step for us. I don’t ever see us going retro anything; we’re going to stay true to Auburn and that palette.” At Auburn, Marquez said, it’s a fine line between staying sleek and modern, while also embracing the rich tradition of the program. He doesn’t envision the team ever switching the look of its jersey, or even adding an alternate one. But there are small changes Marquez and his equipment team like to have on the table each season to keep the Tigers’ uniforms fresh and interesting. It’s apparent Harsin is already intrigued by them, and isn’t afraid to make a minor alteration now and then. Yes, that could include orange facemasks — and maybe even a completely alternate helmet at some point. “Yeah, of course,” Marquez said when asked if orange facemasks are a possibility in the near future. “I tried to change the helmet to blue one year. You have to stay on top of recruiting and stay cutting edge. … But again, here at Auburn, you have to stay true to who you are; you don’t want to go way out of bounds. We’ve worn orange facemasks before. So if we wear them again, it’s like hey, we’ve done it before. “We’re staying within a tradition and bringing back an old look and something within our style, and not necessarily trying to make something new. This time, it was something new, but it felt and looked really good inside of our palette.”

Auburn excited about 'potential' of DB transfer — and vice versa ByNathan King 4-5 minutes AUBURN, Alabama — Auburn has a veteran secondary, but only one member has previous experience with the unit’s new coordinator. As Auburn’s pass defense looks to rebound after struggling in 28-20 loss at Penn State — allowing, in part due to little-to-no-pass rush, quarterback Sean Clifford to complete 87.5% of his passes for 280 yards — one of its most relied-upon players is Donovan Kaufman, a transfer addition from Vanderbilt. Auburn’s starter at nickelback, Kaufman is continuing to settle in with the program and is making a strong impression on his coaches and teammates after arriving in the summer from Vanderbilt, where he was recruited and coached by Auburn defensive coordinator Derek Mason. “Mainly, I was closer to home — and I wanted to stay in the SEC,” Kaufman said this week when asked why he transferred to Auburn. “So that played a big role. Also, football is important here. My relationship with Coach Mason definitely played a role. I look at him as another father figure." As a true freshman, Kaufman started Vanderbilt's first two games last season, playing both safety spots, along with the nickel position and on kick returns. He totaled 15 tackles and a pass breakup, plus a 58-yard kick return against LSU. Heading into Week 3, Kaufman tested positive for COVID-19 and didn't return for the remainder of the season after he was diagnosed with myocarditis, according to NOLA.com. "Donovan and I have been close for a while," Mason said in fall camp. "... I became close with him and his family. They trusted and liked the idea that I’ve always talked about — I think in recruiting it’s always about, you know, as a coach and a program, can you give a better product back to parents then the one they dropped off?" Kaufman, a New Orleans product, quickly ascended up the depth chart in preseason practices, ultimately edging out Ladarius Tennison for the starting job at nickel. Though Kaufman had only two previous games of college experience, he reminds Bryan Harsin of a veteran for the Tigers’ defense. Kaufman is also a starting kick return for Auburn early this season. “He’s adapted, obviously, to the team,” Harsin said of Kaufman on this week’s SEC coaches teleconference. “... He’s got a lot of qualities that are going to continue to make him a good football player and member of this football team. … He's still got a ways to go — in a good way. That means he has the potential to continue to keep getting better. “That's what we appreciate about him as a staff. He's out there doing things for us, making plays and is a guy that's contributing on the defensive side of the ball and on special teams." Auburn’s secondary won’t be challenged Saturday against Georgia State (3 p.m. CST, SEC Network) the way it was at Penn State, considering the Panthers utilize an option-based offense and have run the ball 94 times over their past two games. The Tigers’ SEC schedule, however, features a consistent lineup of quarterbacks who are part of either good or great passing attacks. But moving forward into the SEC — starting next weekend at LSU (8 p.m. CST, ESPN), Kaufman is glad the Tigers are taking their lumps in pass defense sooner rather than later. He’s learned enough about his teammates to realize that in Happy Valley, Auburn’s defense didn’t play poorly the whole way. “But it only takes three plays to get a drive going; that's really what happened to us,” Kaufman said. Now that their mistakes are on film, Kaufman and Auburn’s secondary are ready to show their improvements over the next couple weeks — and send a message that they aren’t a liability for the team. 4COMMENTS “I love this team because, even though we were in situations, I always felt like we were in control of the game,” Kaufman said of the Penn State game. “And I know my teammates felt like that also. So, it was a tough loss, but like I said, it just taught us a lesson — and the only thing it’s going to do is bring us closer as a team and we’ll be stronger when we get down late on the road and get to more games like that. “Because we will have more games like that, especially playing in this conference. So, it’s going to be a great lesson." ">247Sports

Matchups to watch in Auburn's game vs Georgia State Zac Blackerby 2-3 minutes We will see how this Auburn football team bounces back from their first loss of the season on Saturday. The Tigers host Georgia State in Jordan-Hare Stadium for their annual Homecoming game this weekend. The Panthers will be the second toughest opponent that Auburn has faced this season and could provide a real opportunity to improve and get back on track before the road trip to LSU. In Bryan Harsin’s first Homecoming game during his Auburn tenure, I think all eyes should be on the defense. Typically, I highlight matchups on both sides of the ball but I believe the defensive side of the ball is what Auburn fans should be keeping a close eye on this Saturday. Here are the important matchups to watch on Saturday. Todd Van Emst/AU Athletics Pickney was one of the players Harsin brought up by name in his press conference this week. His 6-foot-4, 210-pound frame has helped him become one of the best receivers in the Sun Belt. Normally, I typically pair the opposing best receiver against Roger McCreary but the big question after Penn State is how the other corners do against the opposition’s top guy. AP Photo/Barry Reeger McCoy is known for his elite speed and is primarily used in the slot. I wanted to highlight the matchup against Kaufman because he’s a name we haven’t heard much about once the season started. That’s almost always a good thing for a defensive back. Douglas DeFelice-USA TODAY Sports Georgia State likes to use two tight end sets. We all saw how well Auburn defended the tight ends against Penn State on Saturday. Can the Auburn defensive backfield get it together in stopping plays from happening in the middle of the field? Let’s see if Monday can help lead this group starting Saturday. John Reed-USA TODAY Sports Georgia State has recently gone thru a QB change. Grainger took over the starting job last week and was a huge part of the game plan. he ran it 16 times vs Charlotte last week. Wooten will need to step up this weekend with Zakoby McClain missing the first half due to targeting and Owen Pappoe recovering from injury.

yes. i need more coffee. sorry freak............

my bad it is early. hell i looked it up and got the school wrong googling it as well.

Auburn's Bedell says he's teaching tight ends 'big boy ball' ByMark Murphy 4-5 minutes AUBURN, Alabama–Throwing the football to tight ends was expected to be a bigger part of Auburn’s offense this season and so far that has been the case. However, the team’s coach for that position is looking for more than receiving skills when he works with the group. Brad Bedell, who made the move to Auburn for the 2021 season from Boise State along with Head Coach Bryan Harsin, has been in charge of teaching the tight ends what is expected of them in a new offensive system. Harsin and Bedell both have pointed out that good blocking from the tight ends is necessary for Auburn’s pro style offense to reach its potential. “It is more in-line, more attached," Bedell said Wednesday on Tiger Talk, Auburn's weekly call-in show. "It is not so much the swing screens and things like that in the past. You have got to be more involved blocking the defensive ends and double-team with the tackles, playing with big boys, playing some big boy football. That is one thing we started way back in spring. It is a mindset and a culture that has to be within that room.” The Tigers regularly will use multiple tight ends at the same time and those players can be lined up like traditional tight ends with a hand on the ground, like H-backs or fullbacks and even split out like wide receivers. “They have to be able to understand everything in this offense from the shifts. to the motions, to the protections, the run game and the passing game so you have got to be smart,” Bedell said. Senior tight end John Samuel Shenker has 11 receptions through three games, which ties him with senior wide receiver Demetris Robertson for the team lead in catches. Shanker’s 108 receiving yards is 13 behind team leader Kobe Hudson, a sophomore receiver. Brad Bedell is in his first season on the Auburn coaching staff. (Photo: Adam Sparks / Inside the Auburn Tigers) The Tigers have played all five of their scholarship tight ends in games this year. The group includes sophomores Luke Deal, Tyler Fromm and Brandon Frazier along with newcomer Landen King. “It’s a great group,” Bedell said. “Obviously, John Samuel has played quite bit. He has played a lot of football here at Auburn.” Bedell said that Shenker is continuing to improve as both a receiver and blocker the more time he spends in the offense after missing spring practice because he is also a member of the baseball team. “Luke Deal is very physical,” the coach noted. “He has really, really stepped up and Tyler Fromm has played quite a bit. We’ve got four guys going, throwing in Brandon Frazier and things like that, and the first two games with our true freshman, Landen King, getting some snaps and getting the college atmosphere. It doesn’t matter what the game is to be quite honest with you. It is still a big stadium, college football game and every snap you get, that comes with growth as a freshman. *** Subscribe: Receive the latest Auburn intel and scoops*** 23COMMENTS “I am excited about this group,” Bedell added. “There is good leadership in there. They are great academically, so I was very lucky to step into the group we have.” Up next for the tight ends and their teammates is Saturday’s Homecoming contest vs. Georgia State. Kickoff is set for 3 p.m. CDT for a game that will be televised on the SEC Network. It will be the first matchup in football for the Tigers vs. Georgia State. ">247Sports

The Opening Drive: Auburn vs. Georgia State Auburn University Athletics 6-7 minutes AUBURN, Ala. – When Kobe Hudson fumbled early in the second half against Penn State, it would have been easy for the sophomore wide receiver to get down and let that one play affect his performance the rest of the game. He didn't. He got up, moved past it and caught three passes for 30 yards, including two for first downs, in the final two quarters. Hudson finished the game with four catches for 66 yards – both career highs. On Sunday, he tweeted out a message acknowledging his mistake. "Lessons are learned and character is built. Sleep if you want to." "It's important to see that," Auburn head coach Bryan Harsin said. "I think it's important to see anybody respond when something negative happens. That's what you want. You want to see your team respond. We talk about that a lot. The majority of the game you're going to have things that happen to you where it's not perfect, and you're going to have to come back and respond to whatever that challenge was. "Some of those things we can't let happen. We want to respond properly when bad things happen to us, but we also don't want to put ourselves in position to have negative plays or bad things happen to us. That goes back all the way to Sunday through Friday in our preparation. "But ultimately, in the middle of the game and in the heat of the battle, you have got to move on to that next play. You have got to be able to get back out there and make things happen. He was able to do that and so were other players on the team." It's no different this week as Auburn prepares for Georgia State on Saturday. How will the Tigers get up and respond following a loss? While it's important to move on and not let the last game beat you twice, that sting from losing can also be used as motivation to get better and not let it happen again. "What a loss does is not so much exposes but gives you the understanding of just how important everything we do is," Harsin said. "You don't go out there and do the same thing. You make sure you do those things, but you do them better – you do them with more urgency, you do them with better focus. Because you don't want to be in that same position again. To me, that should always be a driving factor." Auburn and Georgia State are scheduled to kick off at 3 p.m. CT from Jordan-Hare Stadium. The game will be televised on SEC Network with Dave Neal, Deuce McCallister and Andraya Carter on the call. You can also listen to Andy Burcham, Stan White and Ronnie Brown who will have the radio call on 93.9 Tiger FM and online at AuburnTigers.com. Q: What is the biggest thing this team learned from the Penn State game? A: The biggest thing is to not let one loss turn into two. Everybody is disappointed, everybody is frustrated, but we can't let that happen again. Really, it's just fundamental things, things that we work on day in and day out. We just have to key in on those during the game. Physicality I don't think was an issue, but those fundamental things and some of those things we just didn't quite hit on last week, I think we're going to try and key in on those this week. Q: What did it mean seeing John Samuel Shenker have a big game at Penn State? A: It was great. He's super hard-working. Our tight ends, we've got such a great group of guys that anytime anybody, especially a veteran guy like Shenk, gets an opportunity like that – we've seen it in practice. Every one of our guys at tight end can make plays. But to able to see it on that stage was pretty cool. Q: How much has the support of your teammates and the Auburn Family helped you handle your dad's battle with ALS? A: It's tough. Through fall camp, that hit me pretty hard. I kind of kept it closed off to a lot of people, and I started opening up to some of my guys, some of my good friends like Nick (Brahms). Just to be able to see what they've done with this, it's incredible. You wouldn't think that a Division I college football player who is also flying planes and doing a bunch of other things with his life has the time and the compassion to do what he's done. Just this whole community showing compassion around me during this time, it takes my mind off it and kind of helps put me in a better state of mind to play football and do what I do. This is the first meeting between the schools. Georgia State is the 85th team of 130 current FBS members that Auburn has played. Of the 84 FBS teams Auburn has played previously, the Tigers have defeated 77 at least once; the only exceptions: Minnesota, Oklahoma, Rice, SMU, South Florida and Texas Tech. Auburn is 22-0 all-time against current members of the Sun Belt Conference, which includes games with Appalachian State, Arkansas State, Georgia Southern, Louisiana and Louisiana Monroe. All 22 games were played in Auburn. 7.3: Sophomore running back Tank Bigsby, who now has 1,177 career rushing yards after three straight 100-yard games to start the season, leads the SEC and is 15th nationally at 7.3 yards per rush this year. As a team, Auburn ranks seventh in the country in rushing offense, averaging 287.3 yards per game on the ground. 12: All-America kicker Anders Carlson has converted a career-best 12 consecutive field goal attempts, the fourth-longest current streak nationally. His older brother, Daniel, has made 26 consecutive field goals for the Las Vegas Raiders. 5: Auburn is tied for fifth nationally having allowed only four rushes of 10 or more yards this season. The Tigers have yet to allow a rush of 20 yards or more through three games. 11: Tight end John Samuel Shenker has now caught five passes in two of the first three games this season (vs. Akron for 38 yards and at Penn State for 62 yards). He has 11 total catches through the first three games, the most by an Auburn tight end since C.J. Uzomah (11 catches in 2013 and 2014).

the ghost of erk russell says not so fast my friend lol

except for a small period when a coach tried to bring in i think the spread they have always been an option team. they won six natty's with most under erk russell. and they have beaten a couple of big boys in their day but it has been a while. in fact jawja almost hired erk for the head coaching position.

well if we tried it we could always go back to what did not work. i am not sure if they even have the whole systems in on both sides of the ball. i expect us to get better. i know harsin likes it balanced but a little run heavy when working sounds good to me. plus when you run more others get more carries.

my bad on the 7a but i thought i read that. maybe my memory. do you remember whose record he broke? that was what i was trying to get at.

Huge hack of alternative web services provider Epik could be 'a Rosetta Stone to the far-right' Peter Weber, Senior editor Tue, September 21, 2021, 11:42 PM·2 min read Epik, the Seattle-area internet company that provides web services to the Proud Boys, QAnon groups, and other organizations banned from larger internet platforms, has suffered a huge breach, and the hacking collective Anonymous dumped 150 gigabytes of personal information about clients onto the web last week, The Washington Post reported Tuesday. The leaked data includes user names, passwords, purchase records, home addresses, and other information that can be used to identify clients who had counted on Epik shielding their identities. "Extremism researchers and political opponents have treated the leak as a Rosetta Stone to the far-right, helping them to decode who has been doing what with whom over several years," the Post reports. "Initial revelations have spilled out steadily across Twitter since news of the hack broke last week," but the researches say they will likely need months or years to sift through the data. One goal is to unveil extremists who hold public-facing jobs. "It's massive. It may be the biggest domain-style leak I've seen and, as an extremism researcher, it's certainly the most interesting," Megan Squire, an Elon University computer science professor who studies right-wing extremism, tells the Post. "It's an embarrassment of riches — stress on the embarrassment." Records show that Epik's clients have included 8chan, Gab, Parler, the neo-Nazi site the Daily Stormer, and the Texas Right to Life site set up to allow people to report abortion-related activities under a new bounty-enforced abortion ban. The company has since dropped 8chan, the Daily Stormer, and the Texas "whistleblower" site, the Post reports. "The company played such a major role in keeping far-right terrorist cesspools alive," Rita Katz, executive director of SITE Intelligence Group, tells the Post. "Without Epik, many extremist communities — from QAnon and white nationalists to accelerationist neo-Nazis — would have had far less oxygen to spread harm, whether that be building toward the Jan. 6 Capitol riots or sowing the misinformation and conspiracy theories chipping away at democracy." Read more at The Washington Post.

Auburn seeking more consistency, big plays from wide receivers By Tom Green | tgreen@al.com 6-7 minutes Auburn opted to fill its starting lineup with the most experience possible at wide receiver to open the season, but with mixed results from that position group through three games, it could be time for Bryan Harsin and his staff to reassess rotations in the lineup. Auburn’s coaches are consistently evaluating all positions, wide receiver included, but the group could be under more examination this week following a particularly uneven performance during the team’s loss to Penn State in Week 3. “Guys are competing for opportunities to play, so I think you’re always assessing that,” Harsin said. “Even in a win, you go back and look at the rotation. You look at the guys that played well; you look at other guys that are practicing well that you want to get into the game that may deserve an opportunity.” Auburn settled on a starting group of Georgia grad transfer Demetris Robertson, senior Shedrick Jackson and redshirt sophomore Ja’Varrius Johnson at receiver heading into the season largely due to their experience and consistency through fall camp. Johnson’s opportunities to this point have been limited due to an early-season injury. Robertson and Jackson, meanwhile, have been the two most prominently featured receivers in the Tigers’ passing game. Robertson has been targeted 17 times, with 11 catches for 112 yards and a pair of touchdowns, while Jackson has been targeted 18 times and has nine receptions for 96 yards. That duo struggled in Auburn’s loss to Penn State, though. Robertson hauled in just five of his 10 targets for 23 yards. Jackson caught only two of his eight targets for 6 yards, and while he drew a pass interference that helped set up Auburn’s opening field goal, he also had a key drop on a downfield shot on third down late in the first half in which he tripped over himself on the sideline. The receiving corps as a whole had issues with dropped passes and misalignments, as the group was never able to get on the same page as quarterback Bo Nix against Penn State. The junior quarterback didn’t have his best night, as some familiar accuracy problems on the road arose again, but he did some things well and was able to move the offense down the field despite not having much help from his receivers. Nix completed just 21-of-37 passes for 185 yards, but he completed just 13-of-26 passes for 112 yards when targeting Auburn’s receivers. “The guys around him as well need to be consistent and we need to line up properly,” Harsin said. “We need to have guys that are in the game detailed to what it is that they’re out there to do. So, the details of what we’re doing in the offense are extremely important to the success. The quarterback’s job is not to go out there and have to manage every single guy on the field. He has to do his job just like everybody else. “The quarterback has his job to do. That’s what he needs to stay focused on, so you need all 11 guys on the field doing exactly what we practiced, doing exactly what they’re supposed to do as far as the pre-snap of the play.” Arguably Auburn’s most consistent receiver in the loss was Kobe Hudson, who has stepped up into a larger role since Johnson has been limited. His fumble on a failed trick play to open the second half was costly to Auburn, but he responded well and finished with four catches for 66 yards on six targets. He now has eight receptions for a team-high 121 yards and a touchdown on 13 targets through three games. Getting Johnson back to full speed and integrated in the offense should boost the receiving corps, as he appeared to be a favorite target of Nix’s throughout the offseason and had three catches for 51 yards and a touchdown on three targets in the season opener. It’s also possible guys like Malcolm Johnson Jr. (two receptions for 62 yards and a touchdown on three targets), Ze’Vian Capers (one catch for 13 yards on one target) and Elijah Canion (two catches for 26 yards on two targets) — each of whom generated some buzz in the offseason — see more involvement in the offense as the Tigers try to find the winning formula at receiver. The bottom line, though, is that play needs to improve across the position group, especially with SEC play on the horizon. No. 23 Auburn (2-1) will host Georgia State (1-2) on Saturday in the team’s final nonconference game before diving headfirst into a daunting SEC slate over the next two months. Harsin wants to see a finer attention to detail from the group, as well as consistency in execution — especially when it comes to generating explosive plays in the passing game. Those were largely absent against Penn State, with the two most successful ones coming on back-shoulder throws from Nix to Hudson and tight end John Samuel Shenker for gains of 36 and 23 yards over the middle of the field. The extended, meticulous drives — like the one Auburn put together in the third quarter — are good and all, but Harsin wants the offense to connect on those explosive plays in the passing game to create momentum on that side of the ball. And for Auburn’s receivers, being able to do that more consistently comes down to discipline and fundamentals — both of which are things Harsin said are controllable. “We’ve got to be able to hit ‘em; we’ve got to be able to catch ‘em,” Harsin said. “Those are fundamentals; those are things that we work on every single day that we’ve got to be able to execute in a game. So that’s, to me, that’s just more time of working through those same concepts and the fundamentals of making those plays in order to hit those shot plays down the field or having explosive plays in the pass game. “…Those are things that we’ve got to find ways to create those opportunities for more explosives, because that’s a big part of it. Explosive plays in a game are a big factor to that offense in particular having success in the game.” Tom Green is an Auburn beat reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Tomas_Verde.

Auburn confident cleaning up ‘little things’ pays off big time for pass defense By Tom Green | tgreen@al.com 5-7 minutes Auburn cornerback Roger McCreary (23) lines up against Penn State wide receiver KeAndre Lambert-Smith (13) during an NCAA college football game in State College, Pa., on Saturday, Sept.18, 2021.Penn State defeated Auburn 28-20. (AP Photo/Barry Reeger)AP Donovan Kaufman knows Derek Mason better than any other player on Auburn’s defense. Kaufman played under Mason last season at Vanderbilt, and although his freshman campaign was cut short, he understands how the Tigers’ first-year defensive coordinator approaches things when it comes time to make adjustments and corrections when things don’t go as planned. So, how is Mason responding after Auburn’s defense allowed Penn State quarterback Sean Clifford to complete 28-of-32 passes for 280 yards and a pair of touchdowns last week? “Coach Mason is always the same guy,” Kaufman said. “I mean, he knows what has to be done. He’s been doing it for years. So, his response is, ‘We’ve just got to be better. Clean up technique. Little things, really.’” Under Mason, Auburn’s secondary has switched primarily to an off-man zone coverage scheme, which is a considerably different approach than the press-man philosophy employed under former defensive coordinator Kevin Steele. Through three games, though, the Tigers’ pass defense has been a weak link for Mason’s unit. Auburn’s opponents have completed 78.7 percent of their passes, which is the highest percentage allowed among FBS teams this season. The Tigers are also 100th nationally and 13th in the SEC in defensive passing efficiency (144.08), though they’re 64th and 70th in passing yards allowed (207.7) and yards allowed per pass attempt (7.0). “We’ve got to come up and challenge them,” Auburn coach Bryan Harsin said. “That’s too high of a completion percentage that you want to see against the defense, so there’s things that we have to do as far as putting ourselves in zone coverage in better positions. We’ve got to create some pass rush and be able to make the quarterback have to move in the pocket, and so create some opportunities there. That’s an area that we know we can improve on and then lower that percentage as the season goes on from what the quarterbacks are able to do.” When asked if the switch from press-man coverage under the previous staff to more zone schemes under Mason and defensive backs coach Zac Etheridge has resulted in any growing pains for the secondary, Harsin said he didn’t think that was the case, adding that Auburn has and will play man coverage at times this season. “I don’t really know if it’s a growing pain,” Harsin said. “We’d be making the assumption that we’re allowing that and just kind of playing soft and making sure that we’re not trying to be aggressive…. You want to protect yourself from big-play opportunities at times, but we are trying to be aggressive throughout the gameplan. I don’t think we’re trying to just play soft and give up those throws. We haven’t executed the way that we could and should, so I think that’s what you asked as far as the growing pains. Those are things that we have to — we’ve got to make those plays. We got to put ourselves in the position to go in there and play a little tighter in coverage.” Of course, it’s one thing to give up a high completion rate when the defense is keeping everything in front of it, as was the case in Auburn’s first two games against Akron and Alabama State. When the defense is giving up a high completion rate and explosive plays, as happened in the Penn State game, it creates a much larger issue. Penn State completed seven passes of 15-plus yards, including five of at least 20 yards, with receivers often wide open downfield. Saturday’s game also marked the first time since 2015 against Georgia that Auburn’s defense did not record a pass breakup — ending a streak of 69 games. “Even on the scrambles when a guy gets out of the pocket, we have to plaster and cover and stay in coverage a little bit longer and be able to make some plays on the ball,” Harsin said. “So, those are all things that are a work-in-progress every single week.” As Auburn prepares to head into SEC play, with games remaining against quality passing teams like LSU, Georgia, Ole Miss and Alabama, finding a solution to its deficiencies in defending the pass is imperative. According to Kaufman, Auburn’s issues with its passing defense aren’t as major as they may seem. It’s as simple as cleaning up some “minor things” as it pertains to technique when dropping in coverage and cleaning up its underneath coverage in zone concepts. The redshirt freshman defensive back is confident that the players and coaching staff will “definitely get it fixed” sooner rather than later, and he believes the disappointing results in Happy Valley will prove to be a valuable learning experience for the defense as it adjusts to this new scheme. While a loss hurts regardless, it’s better to learn those lessons in nonconference action and have a chance to address them early on rather than in SEC play, where that kind of result can have a deeper impact on the team’s overall goals. “We know what we have to fix, so it’s really not going to be as hard, but I do look forward to cleaning up those things,” Kaufman said. “It’s also early in the season so, you know, we have a lot of time left, so it will definitely get better.” Tom Green is an Auburn beat reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Tomas_Verde. Note to readers: if you purchase something through one of our

that dog does not hunt here man. and i am not getting into bashing jj either. i still hurt for him. i will always believe something bad rocked his world and he could not overcome it.

i am a huge fan of bo's. i have a nix Bo Knows t shirt with bo's picture on it. and i wear it.

i cannot imagine the pressure on bo's shoulders right now. even tho he is better he still struggles with some basic stuff. but the auburn legacy stuff has to be tough. people pretty much expect you to be a better than normal player. your pro career is pretty much in tatters and those free cases of milo's will not pay the bills. you are also named after one of the greatest football players and freak athletes of all time. we know most of his faults as well and rake them over the coals regularly. with his love for auburn you know he does not want to let down his university, his family, and of course the fans. i am not downing bo at all i just want to remind folks this kid has the world on his shoulders and maybe he is realizing his best might come up short? bo is a gifted athlete and i feel like his coaching over the years has let him down.