aubiefifty

i had never that rule either. i know if you pick a player up and slam him to the ground the officials will get that azz.............

phillip marshall is reporting TD Moultry will be back for Texas A&M. it seems he was suspended for four games for borrowing a car. i am so happy for the young man as i thought his college days were over.

Bryan Harsin sends message to Auburn players about improving during the bye week Keith Farner | 4 hours ago 1-2 minutes Bryan Harsin and Auburn are on to the bye week coming off a big win at Arkansas as the Tigers are 5-2 as they take time off ahead of their game against Ole Miss on Oct. 30. “Overall, proud of our guys, really good effort,” Harsin said. “I think we can learn from that. We’ve got to take advantage of the bye week. Get a few guys healthy, get better at the stuff we’ve been working on and get ready to play against Ole Miss at home.” Harsin was asked about his message to Bo Nix and how he responds to outside messages from fans and media. He said Nix and the quarterbacks are no different than anyone else on the team, it’s just that they have a job to do like everyone else. “Bottom line, don’t listen to anything other than what we’re trying to do,” Harsin said. “There’s a lot of messages that are available to our players, there’s a lot of storylines and things like that. The main one is just what we’re focused on. What do we have to do, and what do you as a player have to do to get better, that’s the bottom line.” it seems harsin is 7 and 1 coming off bye weeks in his career.

Kickoff time, TV set for Auburn's next game against Ole Miss ByNathan King 2 minutes Jenny Dell Recaps Auburn's Win Over No. 17 Arkansas Auburn will host Ole Miss under the lights in an important division showdown. In the Tigers' next game after their bye week, they'll play the Rebels (5-1, 2-1 SEC) at 6 p.m. CST inside Jordan-Hare Stadium, with the action set to be broadcast on ESPN, the SEC announced Monday morning. Auburn has won five straight games over Ole Miss dating back to 2016, including a 35-28 win in Oxford last season. The Rebels' only loss of the season came at the hands of Alabama, and Lane Kiffin's team is fresh off a gutsy road win at Tennessee. Ole Miss, now ranked No. 12 in the AP poll, hosts LSU this weekend. A season-best performance from Bo Nix and some big plays down the stretch from Auburn's defense propelled the Tigers to a 38-23 win at then-No. 17 Arkansas on Saturday, snapping Auburn's six-game losing streak against ranked opponents. Auburn is now 5-2 (2-1 SEC) heading into its lone bye week. In his head-coaching career, Bryan Harsin is 7-1 coming off bye weeks. 10COMMENTS "To be on the road and to win — and going into a bye week — man, all of these things are big for our program," Harsin said. "That gives us a chance to create some momentum as we go into this bye week and do some things. ... Now we have a chance to focus on ourselves and not focus on an opponent before we have to go play again in the next one, which will be good for us." Auburn leads the all-time series against Ole Miss 34-10. ">247Sports

AUBURN, Alabama—Part of a pass rush that helped to change the game in the third quarter for the Auburn Tigers with back-to-back sacks of Arkansas quarterback K.J. Jefferson, the second leading to a fumble and touchdown recovery, junior Colby Wooden has been named the SEC defensive lineman of the week for his two-sack performance in the win over the Razorbacks. Finishing the football game with four tackles, the two sacks and also a quarterback pressure, Wooden was a key performer for the Tigers in a game that hinged on the ability to get after Jefferson. "Coming in, we knew that he would get out, and we had gaps open,” fellow Auburn junior Derick Hall said of the game. “I think that was critical for us in the first half. We came in during halftime and made the adjustment to be able to contain them a little bit better, just get more push inside. “Just be able to change up our rushes on the outside and just bought-in together and knowing that we had a defensive front that could get the job done. Going out and then not giving up any points in the fourth quarter was huge. Like I said, we play great defense in spurts, so if we're able to put that kind of defense together for a whole game, we're pretty hard to beat." For the season Wooden is fourth on the team with 32 tackles, is tied for the team lead with Hall in sacks with four, and leads the team with seven tackles for a loss. *** Subscribe: Receive the latest Auburn intel and scoops*** OFFENSIVE Ty Davis-Price, RB, LSU Set the LSU single-game rushing record with 287 yards and three touchdowns on 36 carries in leading the Tigers to a 49-42 win over 20th-ranked Florida. A junior from Baton Rouge, he became the first player in LSU history to rush for more than 200 yards against the Gators ... Davis-Price's 287 rushing yards were the most ever against a Florida defense, breaking the previous mark of 238 set by Georgia's Heisman Trophy winning running back Herschel Walker in 1980. It also stands as the 10th-highest single-game rushing total in Southeastern Conference history ... Davis-Price scored on runs of 18, 40 and 25 yards as he averaged a staggering 8.0 yards per carry on 36 attempts. The 36 rushing attempts tie for the sixth-highest total in LSU history, while his 8.0 yards per carry set the school mark on a minimum of 30 carries in a game. Matt Corral, QB, Ole Miss Accounted for 426 yards, including a career-high 195 on the ground, in leading Ole Miss at Tennessee. Became the first Rebel to rush 30 times in a game since 2007 (BenJarvus Green-Ellis, Missouri). Finished the game 21-of-38 for 231 yards and two passing touchdowns. Moved into No. 3 in total offense and passing touchdowns in the Ole Miss career record book. DEFENSIVE Will Anderson Jr., LB, Alabama Anderson was a wrecking crew for the Alabama defense in Starkville against Mississippi State He became just the third player in school history to record four sacks in a single game, joining Derrick Thomas and Leroy Cook His four sacks accounted for -35 yards rushing as the Tide held State to minus-one yard rushing for the game He was officially credited with six total tackles, including five solo stops His four tackles for loss give him 15 on the season, which leads the nation at 2.1 per game Alabama coaches credited him with 6 quarterback pressures Anderson also batted down a pass Helped hold State to 18.8 points below their season average and 72 yards below their passing offense average entering the game SPECIAL TEAMS Kai Kroeger, P, South Carolina Kroeger had four punts for 227 yards against Vanderbilt on Saturday, a 56.8-yard average with all four going for 50-plus yards (54, 70, 53 and 50). Three of the sophomore's four punts were placed inside the 20. He boomed a career-long 70-yard punt, the longest for a Gamecock since Joseph Charlton had a 73-yarder in 2017. Vandy had 0 return yards, so the Gamecocks had a net of 56.8 yards per punt. DEFENSIVE LINE Colby Wooden, DL, Auburn Four tackles including 2.0 (minus 13) quarterback sacks and 2.0 TFLs Two sacks were a career high Jalen Carter, DL, Georgia Carter finished with six tackles, including a sack and 2.5 tackles for loss, and blocked an extra point during Georgia's 30-13 beatdown of #11 Kentucky With Georgia leading 14-7, Carter sacked the Kentucky quarterback to force a 4th-and-15 situation and help the Bulldogs head into the locker room up by a touchdown He finished his day by blocking the Wildcat extra point after Kentucky pushed in their second touchdown with just :04 left in the game Carter was one of the anchors in the middle as Kentucky managed only four first downs on the ground and just 3.5 yards/play 6COMMENTS OFFENSIVE LINE Kenyon Green, OL, Texas A&M The returning All-American offensive lineman moved against this week moving back to left guard from his left tackle position against Alabama. The offensive line plowed the way for 283 net yards rushing with Isaiah Spiller gaining 168 and Devon Achane gaining 124 yards. The offensive line allowed one quarterback sack on 25 pass attempts. FRESHMAN Brock Bowers, TE, Georgia Bowers hauled in six catches for a game-high 101 yards and two touchdowns as Georgia left #11 Kentucky behind 30-13 He helped the Bulldogs distance themselves 21-7 from the Wildcats with an acrobatic 27-yard catch in the end zone In the fourth quarter, Bowers put the game out of reach for Kentucky as he caught a 20-yard touchdown catch that was lofted over the hands of the Wildcats Bowers tied the mark for most TD catches by a TE in school history dating back to at least 1968 (Leonard Pope, 6 in 2004). ">247Sports

Prominent voice explains why he likes Auburn’s Bryan Harsin By Joseph Goodman | jgoodman@al.com 7-8 minutes Bryan Harsin is going to do really well at Auburn, a familiar voice said to me on Tuesday. In a recent column critical of Harsin, my doubts about Auburn’s new coach were loud and angry. Just wait, I was told. More than anything — except for maybe that he is very pro-vaccine — that’s what Lanett High School football coach Clifford Story wanted me to know. Fall camp might have taken an unfortunate turn with Auburn’s coach and defensive coordinator out with COVID-19, but, according to Story, “once they get everything in the direction they want it going, and [Harsin] gets his guys in there, they’re going to have a lot of success at Auburn.” We’ll see, but Story’s opinion of Harsin isn’t some take from an Auburn homer with a blog. His is the hope of an invested stakeholder who wants Harsin to succeed at Auburn, yes, but Story’s perspective comes from a place that’s built on sturdier stuff than blind trust. He doesn’t have a choice in the matter. It is his business to be a little more discerning when it comes to the character of coaches in college football, and their abilities to build winners. Story’s son, Caden, is committed to Auburn. Story wants what’s best for Auburn, and that includes a team that understands the importance of vaccination against COVID-19, but Harsin’s noted refusal to promote vaccination aside, Story likes what he sees. One of the most respected high school football coaches in the state, his words carry great weight, too, so his perspective should come as a relief for Auburn fans who have questioned the new coach in recent weeks. Still, make no mistake, this outbreak of COVID-19 at Auburn during fall camp threatens the success of the season. For parents of young people at Auburn, Story has a different message. “Caden isn’t going to be at Auburn for another year, but as a parent I’m going to make sure that, a year from now, he has the booster or whatever the medical recommendation is at that time to protect him,” Story said. “We’re going to do what we’re supposed to do as parents, and that’s make sure that Caden is vaccinated.” RELATED: LSU requiring proof of vaccination, negative test for football games GOODMAN: Failure of Bryan Harsin goes far beyond football field An elite prospect at defensive end, Caden could go pretty much anywhere next summer to play football. He loved former Auburn coach Gus Malzahn, and viewed Malzahn as a “father figure,” according to Cliff Story. When Malzahn was fired, Caden’s recruitment was reopened and other programs swooped in. Harsin locked up Caden’s commitment, dad says, with a no nonsense attitude, and his detailed plan for the future of Auburn football. Well, what’s the plan? “It would take me way too long to go through it all,” Story said. “But [Harsin] broke it all down with a long powerpoint presentation. All coaches talk about their plan, but he broke it all down step by step so we could see it.” Harsin’s plan for Auburn is based on trust, building relationships and creating a family atmosphere, and he shows recruits and their families how those ideas are formed into practical, daily plans with detailed blueprints. And Auburn’s resources for helping Harsin make all that happen, Story notes, are second to none in the country. Dad Story knows all the tricks in the recruiting game, and emphasized that Harsin “says what he means, and means what he says. He is very straight-forward, and he can command a room.” “Everything he said he would do, he has done,” Story said. “He said he would make Auburn feel like a family, and he is doing it. The players really respond to him, and I like that he gets out on the field with them and practices. He has put together a great staff, guys who have bought into his vision. “He has proven himself to my family.” Families never agree on everything, and the Auburn family knows that better than anyone. It is fair to criticize the current mismanagement of Auburn’s fall camp, but Story believes that the whole picture of Harsin is one that Auburn fans should embrace. This past week, with Harsin refusing to promote vaccines and then testing positive himself, cast a shadow on the start of Auburn’s season. There is no getting around that. Does Story wish Auburn’s coach promoted vaccines? Yes, of course, and Story is “praying” for everyone at Auburn to get vaccinated for the health of themselves, their teammates and their families. GOODMAN: Super Teams vs. Super Seniors frames new season of college football GOODMAN: Suni Lee propels Auburn onto national stage But when it comes to football, Story says that Harsin and defensive coordinator Derek Mason set Auburn apart from other programs during recruiting. “[Mason] is a player’s coach, and full of energy,” Story said. “What I like about him, in addition to that, was when he was breaking down Caden’s film, [Mason] was telling him what he needed to work on and how he fits into what Auburn wants. “Caden is so athletic to be as big as he is (6-4, 250 pounds),” Story said. “He is one of those kids where he always trained to be a quarterback, and outgrew the position, but kept the ability.” For measured context on Harsin’s plan for Auburn through the lens of a parent of a future player, know that one of Story’s other sons, Kristian Story, is a sophomore defensive back for the Alabama Crimson Tide. For appreciation on Cliff Story’s understanding of what it takes to succeed as a coach, realize that he is one of the best high school football coaches in the country. Is that a biased opinion? Yeah, probably so, but there is no one — literally no one — who can do more with less than Cliff Story at Lanett High School in Chambers County, Alabama. Name another coach anywhere whose football workout facility is currently a charred heap of wreckage from a catastrophic fire, but, despite that major setback, started this high school football season on Friday with a 47-point victory. “We kinda got out on them early,” Story said. His burned down football facility, Story is hoping, will be rebuilt by next year. They still could use some help to build it back better than before, he says. Story is pretty good at building things. When it comes to respect, no one commands more of it than the guy who has built Lanett High School football and its athletics department into an example of what small-town schools can accomplish with love and dedication. That’s the kind of spirit, built by unflappable people, that makes Auburn great.

i agree with your post. ol miss worries me because kiff can scheme to put points on the board so we are going to have to be really sharp on d. i never take any game for granted. an old boss i worked for was a huge turd fan and he was always ragging on auburn. i gave him hell for losing to someone and he went to his desk and pulled out an old sports page where during barfield but maybe shug lost to tennessee chattanooga. i think it might have been the seventies. since i saw that i have never taken a game for granted.

well as long as they remain numba one in your heart and soul you good...................

i mostly agree. i just post what i can find for the folks on the board. and with pay walls and click bait it is getting harder and harder to find quality.

Grading Auburn’s 38-23 win against Arkansas By Tom Green | tgreen@al.com 8-10 minutes The third time was the charm for Auburn, which picked up its first win of the season against a ranked opponent in its third try. The Tigers did it on the road, no less. Auburn knocked off No. 17 Arkansas, 38-23, on Saturday in Fayetteville, Ark. It was the program’s first top-25 win under head coach Bryan Harsin, and it was the team’s sixth straight against Arkansas. It also came at a key juncture of the season, sending the Tigers into the bye week on a high note. Before Auburn regroups and relaxes for a hard-earned bye week, let’s revisit Saturday’s performance with some position-by-position grades for the Tigers against the Razorbacks: Quarterbacks: A Bo Nix’s struggles throughout his career, both on the road and against quality opponents, have been well-documented. On Saturday, at least, those issues became an afterthought as Nix put together what was easily the best road performance of his career, given that Arkansas entered the game ranked 17th in the nation. Nix completed 21-of-26 passes for 292 yards and two touchdowns while adding another score on the ground. He was in total control for much of the game, with his lone error a third-down interception on a shot downfield. While Nix did most of his damage through the air, two plays with his legs sealed the game in the fourth for Auburn. The junior has been solid the last three weeks, responding in a big way following that second-half benching against Georgia State. Running backs: C Arkansas entered the game having allowed nearly 600 rushing yards over the last two games. It seemed as though Auburn’s backfield was primed for a big day in Fayetteville, but that wasn’t exactly the case. Tank Bigsby had just 68 yards on 18 carries, averaging 3.8 yards per carry, while scoring a touchdown from a yard out. Jarquez Hunter had 10 carries for just 27 yards. The Tigers’ run game struggled to get things going for much of the day, though Auburn found some success running the ball when it needed to milk some clock in the fourth quarter. Wide receivers: A What a bounceback effort from Auburn’s receiving corps. The unit has struggled with consistency and drops throughout the season, but the receivers put it all together Saturday to help raise the ceiling of the Tigers’ passing attack. Five different wide receivers registered a catch, with Shedrick Jackson leading the way with five for 61 yards. Demetris Robertson had two for 81 yards, including a 71-yard touchdown from Nix. Ja’Varrius Johnson got Auburn on the board on the opening drive with a 39-yard touchdown reception. It was just an overall more complete and cohesive performance from a receiving corps that has been under much scrutiny this season. Tight ends: B Auburn didn’t have the kind of drop issues it experienced a week ago against Georgia, but there were a couple apparent ones from the tight ends, with Landen King failing to hold onto a third-down pass for a chunk play and Luke Deal unable to hold onto a first-down pass from Nix on what was admittedly a difficult play (with Nix rolling to his left and throwing back across the middle of the field). Still, the group made some timely receptions, with Deal finishing with four catches for 19 yards, King catching two for 23 yards, and Tyler Fromm and John Samuel Shenker both hauling in passes that produced a first down. Offensive line: B- As noted above, Auburn’s inability to establish a consistent run game against an Arkansas run defense that was giving up yards by the boatload in recent weeks is a concern—especially in some early-game situations where Auburn faced third-and-short but was unable to convert on the ground. The Tigers need to do a better job of winning the line of scrimmage in that regard, though they showed late that they’re capable of doing so, as Auburn put together a sustained drive to sap the clock and put the game away in the fourth quarter. As far as pass protection, the unit did not surrender a sack, keeping Nix clean and upright throughout the day as he put on a masterful performance at quarterback. There were a few penalties, including a pair of false starts from Kilian Zierer, who made his first start at left tackle in place of Austin Troxell. Defensive line: B This wasn’t Auburn’s most complete performance defensively, but the defensive line got after it, especially in the second half after Arkansas surged ahead on the opening drive of the third quarter. From that point on, Arkansas’ remaining six drives ended with a punt, a fumble recovered for an Auburn touchdown, a turnover on downs, a touchdown, a three-and-out and another turnover on downs. That turnaround started up front, where Auburn’s defensive line recorded all three of the team’s sacks (two from Colby Wooden), the forced fumble on K.J. Jefferson (courtesy Derick Hall) and the fumble recovery in the end zone (by Marcus Harris). The unit ceded its share of yards in the run game, as Arkansas ran for 232 yards on the day, though much of that success came on designed runs by Jefferson, who had 85 sack-adjusted rushing yards. Linebackers: B+ It’s gotten to the point to where you can set your clock to Zakoby McClain and Chandler Wooten; that’s just how consistent and reliable the duo has been at linebacker for Auburn this season, especially with Owen Pappoe still sidelined with a leg injury. McClain finished with 15 tackles and a pair of pass-breakups in the second half, while Wooten posted 10 tackles, with seven solo stops. The two were key to Auburn’s second-half turnaround on defense, even if the Tigers weren’t exactly great overall against the run. Defensive backs: B- Roger McCreary had three pass-breakups and nearly had an interception, while Zion Puckett and Bydarrius Knighten each had seven tackles, and Smoke Monday finished with six, including one for a loss. There didn’t appear to be some of the same coverage issues that have troubled Auburn at times this season, but the Tigers still had their hands full with Jefferson, who completed 21-of-35 passes for 228 yards and a pair of touchdowns to Treylon Burks, including a 30-yarder coming out of halftime. Specialists: A Anders Carlson made his lone field goal from 29 yards out and was 5-of-5 on extra points, but the real highlight on special teams came from punter Oscar Chapman. He averaged 47.8 yards on five punts Saturday, including a 57-yarder in the third quarter that flipped the field and pinned Arkansas at its 11-yard line. That set up an impressive series from the defense that culminated in Hall’s strip-sack of Jefferson and Harris’ recovery for a touchdown. Coaches: B+ Kudos to Mike Bobo, who put together a great offensive gameplan along with Bryan Harsin. The Tigers may not have had the kind of success on the ground they desired, but they had some timely runs that helped extend drives and set up big plays in the passing game. Bobo’s deep-shot call after a change of possession worked to perfection, resulting in the 71-yard touchdown from Nix to Robertson. The third-down call out of a timeout in the fourth quarter, when Auburn faked a reverse and ran a quarterback sweep was brilliant—as was the designed draw for Nix out of an empty set on his game-sealing touchdown. Overall, Bobo called a pretty impressive game on the road against a ranked opponent. Harsin deserves credit too for having his team prepared to come in and get a big win, even if some of his aggressive decisions—like calling a timeout before an Arkansas third-and-15 late in the first half—didn’t pay off. As for Derek Mason, his defense was in a trouble spot during those middle-eight minutes of the game when Arkansas took the lead, but the unit clamped down for much of the second half to help secure the win. Tom Green is an Auburn beat reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Tomas_Verde.

Auburn re-enters polls after beating Arkansas ByNathan King 2-3 minutes Highlights: Auburn at No. 17 Arkansas Auburn is back in the polls after a ranked road win over Arkansas. After falling out of the coaches poll and AP Top 25 following its defeat at the hands of No. 1 Georgia last weekend, Auburn re-entered both rankings Sunday. Heading into their bye week, the Tigers are No. 19 in the AP poll and No. 22 in the coaches poll. Three of Auburn's five remaining opponents are ranked in the new AP Top 25: No. 4 Alabama, No. 12 Ole Miss and No. 17 Texas A&M. Auburn has now been ranked in 55 of the past 68 AP polls. Auburn is off to a 5-2 start in Bryan Harsin's first season, with its only two losses coming to a pair of top-10 teams: No. 1 Georgia at home and No. 7 Penn State on the road. The Tigers snapped a six-game losing streak to ranked opponents over the weekend, beating then-No. 17 Arkansas in Fayetteville, 38-23. The win marked Auburn's sixth straight in the series against the Razorbacks. Quarterback Bo Nix went 21-of-26 with a season-high 292 yards and three total touchdowns, plus an interception. Auburn's defense scored its third touchdown of the year in the second half, stopped the Razorbacks on all three of their fourth-down tries, and held Arkansas to only 35 yards of offense in the fourth quarter. "That was a fun game," Harsin said postgame. "I think Arkansas is a really good team — lot of respect. I like the way they play; I like the way our guys played today. ... To be on the road and to win — and going into a bye week — man, all of these things are big for our program. That gives us a chance to create some momentum as we go into this bye week and do some things. "I'm excited. I enjoyed that game." Auburn hosts Ole Miss (5-1, 2-1 SEC) in its next game Oct. 30. 6COMMENTS

Five defining plays in Auburn’s 38-23 win against Arkansas By Nubyjas Wilborn | nwilborn@al.com 6-8 minutes Auburn’s 38-23 victory against Arkansas on Saturday placed the Tigers back in the top-25 of the AP and coaches polls. The Tigers took a 14-3 lead on a Tank Bigsby one-yard touchdown run at the 9:59 mark in the second quarter. Auburn (5-2, 2-1 SEC) had 135 yards rushing compared to 232 yards from the Razorbacks. The Tigers were outgained by nearly 100 yards on the ground. However, Bigsby ran six times for 29 yards on the second scoring drive of the game. Bigsby’s 68 yards on 11 carries combined with Bo Nix having 42 yards on five rushes opened up the passing game. Nix threw for 292 yards and two touchdowns. Nix completed passes to 10 receivers in the win. The defense also stepped up by limiting Razorback quarterback KJ Jefferson to 228 yards on 21-35 passing attempts. Auburn held the Razorbacks scoreless in the fourth quarter. Everything ended well for Auburn, but it wasn’t easy. After seeing Arkansas turn a 14-3 Auburn advantage into trailing 17-14 with 12:30 remaining in the third quarter, the Tigers needed poise. “We don’t flinch. Nobody panicked. We just stayed together,” edge rusher Derick Hall said. “We’re all we got, and we’re all we need to be able to come on the road and win. We know adversity is going to strike at any moment. Being able to stay together and execute, just playing great defense and being defiant in our approach to this game was huge down the stretch.” Hall’s strip-sack was recovered by Marcus Harris in the end zone on third-and-15 with 7:39 remaining in the third quarter. Harris scoring the touchdown gave the Tigers a 21-17 lead slowing down the Razorbacks. “It was the play of the game. I think that our sideline — we had a lot of energy at the beginning,” Nix said. “We went down and scored, scored again and then there at the end of the second quarter kind of lost momentum and so that play after they came down and scored, that play was huge. It got us back in the lead. We got the field back shortened so they didn’t win field position, and then we just obviously got some fire back to us. Hall’s sack turned the game. However, the Tigers needed several more big plays to get the win. Here’s a look at a few defining plays in Auburn’s sixth consecutive victory against Arkansas. 1st and 10 ball on Arkansas 39 (12:16 First Quarter): Nix threw a 39-yard touchdown pass to Ja’Varrius Johnson to give Auburn a 7-0 lead. The Tigers scored a touchdown on their first possession, unlike last week against Georgia when Auburn settled for a field goal after a long drive. Arkansas was scoring over 30 points per contest entering Saturday’s game against the Tigers. Auburn spent all week before the win harping on finishing drives. “There were things that we’ve all been working on that fell into place today,” Harsin said. That doesn’t mean we have to stop working on those, and everything is figured out, but I think this week of preparation, the focus we showed during the game, carried over into this game. That’s one of the reasons we were able to win this game, in my opinion.” 3rd and 1 ball on Auburn 16 (2:21 first quarter): Auburn was up 7-3 with an opportunity to move the chains. Jarquez Hunter took the handoff from Nix and was met in the backfield by Jashaud Stewart. The linebacker picked Hunter up and slammed him to the turf knocking the ball out. Arkansas thought it was a fumble. The refs disagreed. Oscar Chapman punted the pigskin to the Arkansas 49. The Hogs had good field position, but if the fumble stood, they would’ve taken over at Auburn’s 16. Arkansas missed a 53-yard field goal seven plays later. “It was said that they had picked the ball carrier up, and that meant that the ball now couldn’t be a fumble,” Arkansas coach Sam Pittman said about the play during his post-game press conference. “So, I don’t know. Last week, I thought Rocket (Arkansas running back Rocket Sanders) was stopped whenever they pulled the ball out of there. But maybe not. I don’t know.” Bigsby’s touchdown came on the ensuing possession aided by good field position from the missed field goal. Auburn went ahead 14-3 when it could’ve been perilous if Hunter’s run was a fumble. 1st and 10 ball on Auburn 29 (4:23 third quarter): Nix said Hall’s strip-sack was the play of the game. He’s right. Nix also had the prettiest pass when he connected for 71 yards to Demetris Robertson. Nix made it easy for Robertson to catch the ball in stride for the score. “We wanted to make sure we got the good look. Coming into the game, they played us how we wanted it to look, so there we got the perfect opportunity—first down coming out, and we took a shot there. D-Rob did a great job of stemming the corner,” Nix said. They were in a quarters coverage, so we got behind the defense. He made a great adjustment to the ball, and then he finished the play. A lot of guys are just OK with the catch, but he wanted to go score, which is important.” Auburn went up 28-17 after Robertson’s touchdown. 3rd and 6 ball on Arkansas 30 (12:31 fourth quarter): Nix attempts a deep pass to Robertson. The ball sailed over Robertson’s head for an incompletion. Good for Arkansas, right? Not so fast. The officials called pass interference. The ball probably wasn’t catchable, but the defensive back grabbed Robertson’s jersey on the play. Somebody should remind Nix of that call when he goes into another diatribe about the Tigers not getting any calls. Alas, the drive kept going resulting in an Anders Carlson field goal pushing Auburn to a 31-23 lead. 2nd and 13 ball on Arkansas 23 (2:37 fourth quarter): Nix slammed the door shut on the Razorback hopes with a 23-yard scant for a touchdown. “That was one of our best plays to where we knew basically what they’d be in so we wouldn’t be shocked by the look, and we could just block them up and go,” Nix said. “It was one of those RPO-type plays to where if I had a throw, I could throw it, but the box kind of cleared for me, and I took off running. Just there in the huddle, Coach Harsin was just telling me to go play and win the game, and that’s what I did.” Nubyjas Wilborn is an Auburn beat writer for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @nwilborn19.

Auburn: The good and the bad this season heading into the bye week Dave Hooker | 21 hours ago 4-6 minutes There isn’t a coach in the SEC who will turn down a bye week in mid-October. Players and coaches need a break. Auburn is no different. Bryan Harsin will use this week to fine-tune what’s running well and hopefully fix what isn’t doing so well. Where should he start? Let’s start with the passing game and Auburn’s receivers. There have surely been times in which Auburn fans have gotten frustrated with quarterback Bo Nix when a bad play wasn’t actually his fault. Auburn’s receivers have struggled in a new offensive system as they replace three starters from last year. It seems that Auburn has settled on 4 targets in the passing game: receivers Demetris Robertson, Kobe Hudson and Shedrick Jackson, along with tight end John Samuel Shenker. Each has at least 20 catches this season. Drops have been a significant issue and, until Saturday, the group hadn’t had the consistent long-distance pop that Harsin would like. Harsin seemed to indicate that the drops might have become a mental hurdle that the Tigers will have to overcome. Auburn’s offensive line has continued to improve throughout the season. The Tigers didn’t give up any sacks Saturday against Arkansas and have yielded just 7 this season. However, it’s important to remember that there have been plenty of pressures. Those cause Nix to run when that wasn’t the plan. Auburn has given up 91 tackles for a loss this season. This group should get better during the off week. The time will give them a chance to get healthy from the bumps and bruises of the season and continue to work on their group chemistry. As far as running the football, Auburn is in the middle of the pack of the SEC. That’s probably more of the offensive line growing together over time as opposed to Auburn’s running backs not performing. Sophomore Tank Bigsby and freshman Jarquez Hunter are a formidable pair of tailbacks. Both are on pace to approach 1,000 yards. Working on pass protection and staying healthy should be the biggest goals for Auburn’s running backs during the off week. Developing more depth on the defensive line is key for Auburn at such a physical position. Colby Wooden is probably Auburn’s best player up front on defense. Auburn has one of the better defenses in the SEC against the run. The switch to a 3-4 defense has had its ups and downs, but things appear to be improving. Gap control was consistent against Arkansas. That hasn’t always been the case in 2021. Harsin has said he’s a “big fan” of Chandler Wooten. Still, this unit has not reached expectations, partially because Owen Pappoe has been dealing with a leg injury for a month. The bye week is a good time to make sure everyone is comfortable with their assignments. That will free up the linebackers to make more game-altering plays. Auburn’s secondary was supposed to be a strength. It hasn’t been. Instead, the Tigers’ defensive backs have been underwhelming. Far too often, Auburn has given up big plays in the passing game. That was most evident against Georgia and Penn State. Auburn lost both of those games. Auburn’s defensive backs need to improve quickly with Ole Miss up next. The Tigers rank in the bottom half of the SEC in explosive pass plays (20+ yards) allowed. They’ll need to adjust that or the Halloween weekend date with Ole Miss will be particularly scary. The Rebels’ passing attack is incredibly explosive. That makes this bye week incredibly important for the back end of Auburn’s defense. Special teams have been solid in all phases. That looks to be one of Harsin’s old-school hallmarks. After Ole Miss, Auburn plays at Texas A&M, hosts Mississippi State, at South Carolina and hosts Alabama for the Iron Bowl. What is a realistic expectation based on what Auburn has shown? It depends largely on how much the Tigers improve/recover this week. However, anything less than 3-2 would be a major disappointment. The Tigers are 5-2. An 8-win season would certainly be respectable. However, if Auburn can win 9 games under Harsin in his first season, that should be considered an incredibly successful season and might earn him a few votes for SEC Coach of the Year. With the win over Arkansas, which was Harsin’s first over a ranked opponent at Auburn, the Tigers can see how things play out above them in the polls. They’ll likely be ranked before they play Ole Miss. The bye week comes at a perfect time.

College Football Top 25 Rankings: Iowa plummets, Alabama climbs back into Week 8 Matt Johnson 12-15 minutes The college football rankings are the bottom-line determination of a team’s fate. Beginning with the Associated Press and coaches polls, and followed by the College Football Playoff rankings, the college football pecking order becomes clearer as the season goes on. At Sportsnaut, we’ll continue to spice up your college football rankings leading up to the 2021 campaign. Instead of sticking to the status quo of the AP or Amway polls, or even the CFP rankings, check out our own editorial NCAA gridiron hierarchy, which are liable to feature some bold departures from how the primary polls stack up. Stay up to date with every game on the NCAA football schedule with our College Football Games Today flagship post College football rankings: Top-25 teams entering Week 8 25. Clemson Tigers (Last Week: Unranked) Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports Clemson’s victory over Boston College is far more impressive than what transpired against Syracuse. The Tigers narrowly escaped against the Orange (3-4), thanks to a late field goal being missed that would have tied the game. With Arizona State, Florida, BYU and Arkansas dropping out of our top-25 rankings, Dabo’s team moves ahead. Just keep in mind, there are more than 25 more entertaining college football teams to watch. 24. UTSA Roadrunners (25) Ron Johnson-USA TODAY Sports Teams like Clemson, BYU and Texas might still be getting more votes and appearances in top-25 college football polls than UTSA. But the Roadrunners remain undefeated thanks to a blowout victory over Rice in Week 7. The biggest challenge left on the UTSA schedule might be a road trip to UTEP, but even that hurdle can be climbed over to be undefeated in November. 23. SMU Mustangs (24) Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports The SMU Mustangs rested during their Week 7 bye and retain the No. 24 spot in our weekly college football rankings. Barring an unthinkable upset at home to Tulane in Week 8, quarterback Tanner Mordecai should push this team to 7-0 with an outside shot at cracking the top 20. Also Read: Heisman Watch 2021: Bryce Young, Matt Corral in tight battle entering Week 8 22. Pittsburgh Panthers (Unranked) Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports A shootout loss to Western Michigan is the only thing preventing Pittsburgh from being a lot higher in our college football rankings. Senior quarterback Kenny Pickett finished Saturday with two more touchdown passes, pushing his line to an absurd 21-1 TD-INT ratio with the best QBR in the nation. Pickett is the reason the Panthers should beat Clemson next week. 21. San Diego State Aztecs (21) Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports San Diego State survived, leaving San Jose State with a 19-13 victory on Friday night. The Aztecs expected a fight and that’s precisely what the Spartans gave them, taking this game to double overtime. But wide receiver Jesse Matthews came through in the clutch, snagging two OT touchdowns to push SDSU to 6-0. 20. North Carolina State (23) Paul Rutherford-USA TODAY Sports The winner of NC State vs Boston College would cement its status in our college football rankings. Needless to say, the Wolfpack won’t be falling out of the top 25 anytime soon. Quarterback Devin Leary had no trouble chopping up the Eagles’ secondary and a huge third quarter pushed NC State to a statement victory. We’re counting down the days to that Nov. 13 matchup against Wake Forest. 19. Baylor Bears (24) Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports It remains odd that Baylor entered Week 7 unranked while BYU entered No. 19 in the AP poll. Expect that to change after Saturday, with the Bears sending a message to the entire nation. THis program is for real and they should be favored against Texas in Week 9. Click here for our latest college football quarterback rankings 18. Auburn Tigers (Unranked) Nelson Chenault-USA TODAY Sports Auburn Tigers quarterback Bo Nix certainly hasn’t lived up to the hype, but fans are certainly pleased after he took down a top-25 opponent. The junior set a season-high in passing yards (292) on Saturday, leading the Tigers to a double-digit victory over Arkansas. For Auburn to have any shot against Ole Miss on Oct. 30, Nix will need to do a lot more. 17. Wake Forest Demon Deacons (19) Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports It’s fair to say no one saw a 6-0 start to the season coming for Wake Forest. But quarterback Sam Hartman (1,615 passing yards, 82.5 QBR) is playing extremely well and the Demon Deacons boast a whopping 17-point advantage in points scored vs allowed per game. There’s no reason to think Wake Forest can’t maintain that differential against Army in Week 9. 16. Texas A&M Aggies (15) Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports The hurting Texas A&M put on Missouri came as no surprise. Facing the worst run defense in college football, Isaiah Spiller (168 yards, one TD) and Devon Achane (124 yards, two TDs) could do whatever they wanted on Saturday. Entering Week 8 with a 5-2 record, expect the Aggies to walk all over South Carolina. College football rankings: Teams on the outside of College Football Playoff hunt 15. Coastcal Carolina Chanticleers (13) Petre Thomas-USA TODAY Sports Multiple issues are preventing Coastal Carolina from moving up in our latest college football rankings. Among them, a bye week means other programs have a chance to pass them. The Chanticleers should be heavily favored in their remaining games and an undefeated season is probable. But there’s just no way to stack up Coastal Carolina to other top-15 schools. 14. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (14) Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports It’s Notre Dame vs USC week. One of the more iconic rivalries in college football pits the Fighting Irish against a Trojans’ program that has no real direction right now. Notre Dame should be an overwhelming favorite at home, but the remaining schedule doesn’t offer anything to put this team back in the CFB Playoff picture. 13. Oregon Ducks (11) Jaime Valdez-USA TODAY Sports The Oregon Ducks aren’t playing good football right now. It took 14 unanswered points and a late fourth-down stop to beat Cal, a one-win program. While it still ended with a victory, performances like this are how the Ducks lost to Stanford. If this keeps up, UCLA can beat Oregon in Week 8. 12. Kentucky Wildcats (7) Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports The Kentucky Wildcats are a very good team, capable of beating most of the opponents on their schedule. But the Bulldogs are a different animal and that’s a lesson the Wildcats learned the hard way in Week 7. Expect Kentucky to regroup after the bye before beating Mississippi State on Oct 30. Also Read: Best college football stadiums: Ranking the NCAA gridiron’s premier venues 11. Ole Miss Rebels (16) Tennessee defensive lineman LaTrell Bumphus (11) closes in on Mississippi quarterback Matt Corral (2) during a football game between Tennessee and Ole Miss at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tenn. on Saturday, Oct. 16, 2021. Kns Tennessee Ole Miss Football Bp Everyone witnessed exactly why Matt Corral is in a neck-and-neck race for the Heisman. Missing his top weapons, the senior quarterback essentially pulled a Thanos, “I’ll do it myself” against the Tennessee Volunteers. When Corral is playing at his level, only the likes of Alabama and Georgia can beat Ole Miss. Also Read: WATCH: Lane Kiffin hit by golf ball, Tennessee fans throw garbage on field 10. Penn State Nittany Lions (10) Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports A bye week can be a tricky thing for college football teams. For the Penn State Nittany Lions, it gave this program c chance to reset after a tough loss to Iowa. The team should rebound nicely against Illinois in Week 8, but that road trip to Columbus could cause major problems and raise more doubts about James Franklin. 9. Iowa Hawkeyes (2) Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports Dreams of an undefeated regular season and a potential College Football Playoff spot might have ended on Saturday. Coming off a huge win, Iowa seemingly came in way too confident and it proved costly. Blame it on an offense that couldn’t sustain drives nor make the big play. With no ranked opponents left on the schedule, Iowa won’t have a chance to make its case to the playoff committee. College football rankings: Best college football teams entering Week 8 8. Michigan Wolverines (9) Dylan Widger-USA TODAY Sports Seeing the Michigan Wolverines in the top-10 of college football rankings feels strange in mid-October. But solid quarterback play, a dominant rushing attack ( 246.5 yards per game ) and a defense holding opponents to 15.5 points per contest have led Michigan this far. We’d expect them to put a hurting on Northwestern in Week 8. After that a top-10 matchup between the Wolverines and Spartans, must-see television. Also Read: 10 highest-paid college football coaches (and are they worth it?) 7. Oklahoma State Cowboys (12) Scott Wachter-USA TODAY Sports A trip to Austin, Texas delivered more reasons for Oklahoma State to celebrate. The Cowboys are now 6-0, following their 32-24 victory over the Texas Longhorns. Senior running back Jaylen Warren (193 rushing yards) put the team on his back and 21 unanswered points in the fourth quarter sent the Cowboys climbing in our Week 8 college football rankings. 6. Michigan State Spartans (8) Marc Lebryk-USA TODAY Sports On a day when Heisman candidate Kenneth Walker III couldn’t get it going, Michigan State’s defense saved the day. We’ve seen letdowns like this before from the Spartans’ offense, but playmakers on the defensive side are winning games. Michigan State snagged two interceptions Saturday and held the Hoosiers to 188 passing yards on 52 attempts. The Spartans get a well-deserved break before the undefeated Michigan and Michigan State clash for one of the best games in this storied rivalry. 5. Ohio State Buckeyes (4) Joseph Maiorana-USA TODAY Sports The Ohio State Buckeyes went into their Week 7 bye on a high note. C.J. Stroud is firmly on the Heisman Watch . In his last two starts, Stroud completed 73% of his passes with 736 passing yards and 10 touchdowns. As long as the Buckeyes don’t completely look past Indiana (Week 8), that Oct. 30 battle can push Ohio State back into the College Football Playoff hunt. 4. Alabama Crimson Tide (8) Gary Cosby Jr.-USA TODAY Sports Mississippi State is the elixir the Alabama Crimson Tide needed. While it wasn’t always pretty on Saturday, quarterback Bryce Young was extremely efficient, John Metchie III took the top off the Bulldogs’ defense and Nick Saban can feel a little better about his defense. With Iowa losing and Ohio State resting, Alabama rockets up our college football rankings. Also Read: Alabama Football Schedule and 2021 season predictions 3. Oklahoma Sooners (5) Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports Oklahoma Sooners quarterback Caleb Williams is the present and future of this program. The freshman made it look easy against TCU on Saturday, proving the theatrics and secrecy this week of a quarterback competition were ridiculous. Looming on the Oklahoma schedule, a casual stroll in Week 8 against one-win Kansas. 2. Cincinnati Bearcats (3) Katie Stratman-USA TODAY Sports Even on a day when Cincinnati Bearcats quarterback Desmond Ridder wasn’t at his best, this team trounced its competition. Saturday’s Week 7 matchup against UCF was over before halftime, with the Bearcats leading 35-0. Credit to Jerome Ford (189 yards, four TDs) for carrying this team to victory. Up next, a cakewalk against Navy (1-5). Also Read: NFL mock draft 2022: Huge shakeups, five QBs come off the board 1. Georgia Bulddogs (1) Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports We’re out of words to describe the Georgia Bulldogs defense. Through seven games, Bulldogs’ opponents are averaging just 5.7 points per contest and under 200 total yards during that stretch. Georgia just obliterated a strong Kentucky program and will have two weeks to prepare for unranked Florida. That’s a recipe for cooked gator. This is easily the best team in college football.

saturdaydownsouth.com Auburn quarterback Bo Nix is an example of just how well the Tigers are being coached Dave Hooker | 17 hours ago 5-6 minutes Auburn quarterback Bo Nix is more unpredictable than a roulette wheel. Pick a number. Pick black or red. It doesn’t matter. No one knows just what Nix will look like on a given Saturday. He has been good and bad this season. He was good on Saturday. Real good. That’s a good sign for Auburn’s entire team. Nix completed 21-of-26 passes for 292 yards and 2 touchdowns and an interception. The junior also ran for 42 yards on 5 carries. That included a 23-yard scamper for a touchdown late in the game that ended any chance that Arkansas had for a comeback. Auburn won 38-23 and only trailed briefly in the second quarter. In September, there seemed little chance that we’d be talking about Nix in such a complimentary fashion. Remember when Auburn almost lost to Georgia State in what would have been the upset of the year in college football? That was partly Nix’s fault. Remember Nix getting benched in that game? That was partly Nix’s fault. However, that’s a small sample size. There’s more to Nix. Even in games in which he hasn’t played great, Nix has always been ready to play, compete and lead his team. That’s saying something for a player that seemed destined to see his eligibility run out from the sideline. I’ve never been a quarterback, but I’m sure it’s much tougher to be a leader when you’re on the bench instead of under center. It’s readily apparent that Nix didn’t let his absence affect him or his team. Had Nix not been committed to his team when he was benched, Auburn would not be 5-2 and 2-1 in the SEC. Yet, they are. There’s plenty for Auburn fans to like about the win over the Razorbacks. We could talk specifics like Nix, Auburn’s defensive front or a number of other things. That’s not what fans should take away from the victory. Auburn fans should be most satisfied with the fact that their team has bought into first-year coach Bryan Harsin. That’s been proven by the way Auburn plays hard, tough and disciplined. Auburn isn’t as talented as they need to be to compete for a national championship. We’ll see if that changes. Auburn currently has the 34th-ranked class in the nation. That ranks 13th in the SEC and needs to get better quickly. There aren’t many athletic departments in the SEC that will tolerate 8 or 9 wins per season. Auburn isn’t one of them. Just ask Gus Malzahn. His job was in question leading into the 2020 season after winning 8 games or more for 4 consecutive season. That included a 10-win season in which the Tigers won the SEC West in 2017. No matter. He was replaced by Harsin. Things look good now as the Tigers are improving, but Auburn expects elite out of Harsin, not pretty good. Recruiting is the key to achieving excellence and it won’t be easy as long as nearby Alabama is in the midst of one of the most successful runs in the history of college football. Either Harsin will somehow have to overcome that hurdle or Alabama coach Nick Saban will retire. The latter does not seem imminent, so Harsin needs to up his recruiting game quickly. Perhaps Harsin is waiting for his coaching to do the talking in recruiting. If so, he’s gaining momentum. Harsin has been in situations in which lesser head coaches would have lost their team, gotten fired and ended up coaching at a place like Arkansas State. Harsin doesn’t seem like that kind of coach at all. Harsin is the kind of coach who always has his team ready no matter what happened in the previous game. That was evident against Arkansas. Auburn had every reason to show up flat. Auburn was throttled by Georgia last week. The Bulldogs’ defense was suffocating. The Tigers had no chance and lost 34-10. For these evolving Tigers, last week was over and didn’t affect them moving forward. They learned that from the disaster that they narrowly avoided against Georgia State. The Tigers didn’t respond nearly as well to a loss earlier in the season. Auburn lost to Penn State 28-20 and struggled against Georgia State the next week. There was no Panther-like hangover on Saturday after another tough loss to take. Auburn’s players and coaches handled the Georgia loss, got ready for a tough team that is also well-coached and won. That sounds much easier than it is. Recruiting will certainly be what Tiger fans should keep their eye on. Auburn fans should hope that parents play a key role in the recruitment of some key prospects. Under Harsin, Auburn may not have much flare — though they did hit a few big plays Saturday — but it looks like a good place to send your child if he’s got a few football scholarship offers in his hand. If you’re a parent looking for toughness and discipline, Auburn seems like a good option.

Aaron Murray getting called out for CBS broadcast of Auburn-Arkansas game Jake Rill | 20 hours ago 3-4 minutes Aaron Murray was part of the CBS broadcast booth for Saturday afternoon’s Auburn-Arkansas game. And that was something that many fans appeared to not be too happy about. Throughout the first half, plenty of people took to Twitter to voice their opinions about Murray’s analysis, and much of it was not positive. Murray, a former Georgia quarterback, has been a broadcaster since 2017, and he was put on this game with CBS airing an SEC doubleheader on Saturday. Auburn led Arkansas, 14-10, at halftime, and the break in the action gave social media plenty more time to continue to react to Murray’s commentary. Here’s some of what Twitter was saying about Murray heading into the second half: Definitely the B-team for CBS today. Aaron Murray brings nothing but awkwardness to the broadcast. — Derek Oxford (@derekosports) October 16, 2021 Aaron Murray just gave Auburn credit for something???? pic.twitter.com/qzDjvSveUi — Jaylin Williams/Jarquez Hunter Fan Account (@ShootyHoopsWill) October 16, 2021 Funny. Aaron Murray cried about Nick Fairley tackling like that, & now he seems fine with it. — O&T Eternal Champ of the Week (@AUSquid) October 16, 2021 Aaron Murray is terrible on TV. Please stop putting him in the broadcast booth — RC (@RodChap24) October 16, 2021 Aaron Murray should be banned from calling Auburn games — Jared Porter (@jaredporter_dev) October 16, 2021 Can someone tell Aaron Murray to stop saying “The University of Georgia.” — The Auburn Emporium (@AuburnEmporium) October 16, 2021 We’re just a couple minutes into Auburn and Arkansas and I’m pretty sure Aaron Murray has already mentioned Georgia about 3x — Caleb Suggs (@CalebSuggs2) October 16, 2021 Its bc Aaron Murray hates Auburn… I’m gonna watch the second half on mute https://t.co/RnUaLaCOKY — Jay (@jayyytoven_) October 16, 2021 Apparently “taking a pop” for Aaron Murray is “falling backwards to the ground and the defender barely scuffing against you”… sounds right. — Ben Bloodworth (@BenBloodworth) October 16, 2021 Aaron Murray and this CBS B crew are insufferable. — Weagle Weagle (@WarDamnEagle__) October 16, 2021 The Georgia in Aaron Murray hates Auburn so much. Commentators are supposed to be unbiased but he’s anything but. https://t.co/4nysgufixP — AJ Richardson (@AJayJay_) October 16, 2021 "When was the last time you saw a fullback at Auburn University?" -Aaron Murray, who can't remember anything past two or so years — Justin (@saveitfulaytar) Octob

SNAP JUDGMENTS: Auburn 38, #17 Arkansas 23 JackCondon 4-5 minutes Sure is sweet getting that sixth straight win over a conference and division rival! Auburn beat Arkansas 38-23 earlier today to improve to 5-2 heading into the off week before the home stretch. Bo Nix was fantastic, the defense was opportunistic, and the receivers caught the ball! What did we think about the win? Read below: SNAP JUDGMENTS I said before the game, this felt like the most important game of the season. Auburn is now 5-2 and 2-0 against SEC West opponents on the road. Winning this one (a pregame coinflip, I think) will go a long way towards defining success in 2021. =Josh Dub -AU Chief BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!! Bo Nix has been great on the road in SEC play. Bryan Harsin is 2-0 in SEC Road games. Receivers and Tight Ends were awesome today! This one feels good folks and now 6 in a row!! Get rested, healthy and we’ll see you in 2 weeks! War Eagle! -Will McLaughlin See my pick for this game as reasons #1 - #6000 why I don’t bet. Honestly I had this game as a competitive Arkansas team with their back against the wall coming home after effectively a month away from it with something to prove. ALL OF THAT IS STILL TRUE AND HOLY HELL WHAT AN OFFENSIVE PERFORMANCE FROM BO NIX AND A BUNCH OF PASS CATCHERS WHO DID THEIR JOB. Also credit to the defensive line. First time I’ve seen them disrupt a pocket when we absolutely had to have it in a long time. Have yourselves a BYE week, everybody! We’re 5-2 with everything still in front of us! -Josh Black Haiku: Never doubted bo Focused, having fun, bo nix Hogs get spiked again -Son of Crow I said in the picks that I thought Auburn would win this game but we’d find some things to be irritated about. That’s probably some defensive issues and the struggling running game. But then there’s Bo. That’s what a five star quarterback looks like y’all. He was excellent throwing the ball save for the interception. We held him running the ball until we absolutely had to have it. He put the entire team on his back and won that game. (Also Zakoby McClain and Colby Wooden will be playing on Sundays next year) -James Jones For all of the road woes that Gus Malzahn had, Bryan Harsin seems to have this thing figured out. Of course, we’ll still have to go to College Station and Columbia, but I would say that two of the tougher trips are out of the way, and even the venture to Penn State was much closer than it might have been under Gus. Harsin’s not having any trouble getting his guys up for the game. That’s especially tough after you go to LSU, then return home for Georgia, and have to do it again for a road morning kick at Arkansas. With all of the talk about Bo, I have to give credit to Harsin and Mike Bobo. First of all, Bo has been great, just flat out great, since the benching, and Auburn’s strategy has been wonderful in each of those games as well. The script against Georgia and Arkansas in particular, were almost picture perfect. Auburn also continues to do work over the past few games defensively in the second half. I saw Ted Roof’s name thrown around today, because of the bend-don’t-break strategy, but it was applicable, and Auburn outscored Arkansas 24-9 in the second half. They also played opportunistic, and were able to get the big plays when they needed them. But about Bo, over the past few weeks he’s gotten less spastic and more polished. He was always talented and always had the arm to make any throw, but he’s progressing quickly over recent weeks. Some of the throws (MANY of the throws) that he made today were NFL throws, and it really makes the offense hum when the receivers catch the ball. These were catches they weren’t making a couple weeks ago, and some of them were very difficult. There’s no previous game this season that Auburn could have connected on that long touchdown to Demetris Robertson like today, and making it happen on the road was huge. Now, Auburn gets to rest up before Ole Miss comes to town, and each game leading up to the Iron Bowl are completely winnable, with Ole Miss at home, at Texas A&M, Mississippi State at home, and at South Carolina. Not to get ahead of ourselves, but if Auburn welcomes Bama to Jordan-Hare and the Tigers are 9-2, that place will be out of control. Enjoy the bye and get ready for the home stretch. -Jack Condon

Auburn receivers put drop issues behind them, bounce back vs. Arkansas By Tom Green | tgreen@al.com 5-6 minutes Oct 16, 2021; Fayetteville, AR, USA; Demetris Robertson (0) carries ball between Auburn and Arkansas at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Todd Van Emst/AU AthleticsTodd Van Emst/AU Athletics Bryan Harsin knew something needed to change for Auburn’s skill players on offense. A week ago, the Tigers’ efforts were maligned by seven dropped passes, upping their SEC-worst total to 23 on the season. It had become frustrating and a point of contention. Auburn needed a solution and a fix on the field. That came Saturday in the team’s 38-23 win against No. 17 Arkansas, as Auburn’s receivers, tight ends and running backs put together a clean game that helped the offense approach its potential in the passing game. “We did a better job of executing,” quarterback Bo Nix said. “We had a good plan going in. Our gameplan was really good from the start. We had some shots as well as some just dink-and-dunk, easy completions.” Nix was superb for Auburn, completing 21-of-26 passes for 292 yards and two touchdowns while adding another rushing score that sealed the game, but his performance would have been nothing had his receivers not stepped up against Arkansas. The Tigers’ position players put last week’s woes behind them and came up with big play after big play against the Razorbacks, with 10 different players catching a pass — and what appeared to be just two dropped balls on Nix’s 26 attempts. Those came from the tight end position, with freshman Landen King unable to corral a third-down pass that would have produced a chunk of yardage midway through the third quarter, and Luke Deal failing to bring in a first-down throw from Nix on a tough play in which the quarterback was rolling to his left and threw back across the middle of the field. Those two instances aside, Auburn’s corps of pass-catchers enjoyed a needed bounceback performance as the team heads into the bye week. Shedrick Jackson, who had a forgettable game against Penn State last month, caught all five of his targets for 61 yards. Kobe Hudson secured all three of his targets for 29 yards. Ja’Varrius Johnson turned his lone target into a 39-yard touchdown on Auburn’s opening drive. Demetris Robertson, who had a team-high three drops against Georgia, hauled in both of his targets for 81 yards — including a 71-yard touchdown on a dime from Nix after a change of possession late in the third quarter. “Nobody is trying to put the ball on the ground; we know that,” Harsin said. “A lot of it has to do with the teams that we play. They’re good. It was good to see our wide receivers, our passing game have some explosive plays today. That helps us.” The cleaner and more productive game from Auburn’s receivers came following another week of emphasizing in practice the need to be more consistent in the passing game. The Tigers did more one-on-one drills and added team pass-catching work during the leadup to Saturday’s game, though Harsin said “it’s not anything revolutionary.” They renewed a focus on fundamentals and continued to harp on the need for a fine attention to detail. More players also stayed late after practices this week to get extra work with Nix and the other quarterbacks. It was about repetition. “The Georgia game really was just a game for us to polish up things and get on top of the things that we really need to work on,” Robertson said. “This Arkansas game was the game to solidify that for ourselves and keep working at practice and get chemistry with the quarterbacks. Though the extra drills and time after practice may have helped, Harsin believes the Tigers benefited from some added perspective after their recent issues with dropped passes. “We’ve got to go out there and work on it every day and have confidence in ourselves and believe that we can go out there and make those plays,” Harsin said. “It’s not really any more complicated than that. There’s a few things we did drill-wise, but overall, (it’s telling them), ‘you know what you’re capable of doing, just go out there and do it. Don’t let all these other factors become bigger than what they really are.’ It’s just doing your job at the wide receiver position on that side of the ball. “That was the message this week. Just do your job. You don’t have to do anything more than that. Just focus on one play at a time. It’s simple, but don’t get ahead of yourself.” Tom Green is an Auburn beat reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Tomas_Verde.

Bo Nix’s stellar road performance guides Auburn past No. 17 Arkansas By Tom Green | tgreen@al.com 5-6 minutes Bo Nix’s future as Auburn’s starting quarterback felt tenuous three short weeks ago. The junior was benched in the second half against Georgia State, relegated to sideline spectator as backup T.J. Finley manned a come-from-behind win and sparked a weeklong quarterback controversy on the Plains. Oh, how things change. Since his benching Sept. 25 at home, Nix has responded in impressive fashion, stringing together three strong performances heading into the bye week — the most recent of which was easily the best of his career on the road and against a ranked opponent. Nix completed 21-of-26 passes for 292 yards and three total touchdowns as Auburn knocked off No. 17 Arkansas, 38-23, Saturday afternoon in Fayetteville, Ark. “Nothing really has changed; I’m the same player,” Nix said. “I come in just focused every day, ready to have a good day and just compete. I think at the end of the day, competing is just the major — I think that’s the major factor in my game.” Nix’s showing against Arkansas led Auburn to its sixth straight win in the series—a needed win for the Tigers after losing their first two outings against ranked opponents this season—and it served as, perhaps, the best individual effort of the third-year starter’s career. Nix’s struggles both on the road and against ranked opponents have been well-documented throughout his career. He entered the season with a 54.5 percent career completion rate in nine true road games, with more interceptions (10) than touchdowns (nine) and a yards-per-pass attempt average of 5.65. An early-season loss at Penn State, when he played well but still completed just 21-of-37 passes for 185 yards, did little to rewrite the book on Nix. But he gutted out a tough road win at LSU two weeks ago, just a week removed from his benching against Georgia State, and followed it up with a solid performance against Georgia marred by dropped passes. Everything came together seamlessly against Arkansas. He opened the game 6-of-6 passing for 72 yards and a touchdown on Auburn’s opening possession, the Tigers’ first touchdown on an opening drive against an SEC opponent since 2019. He completed passes to 10 different receivers and finished with a 192.8 quarterback rating, his second-best on the road in his career. “Everyone can get a piece of the cake,” wide receiver Demetris Robertson said. Nix’s lone mistake of the day came late in the first half, when Auburn tried to be aggressive with its play calling before halftime and Nix threw an interception down the left sideline on a double-move by Ze’Vian Capers. That nearly swung the game for Arkansas, which took advantage of the middle eight minutes of the game to score 14 consecutive points to take the lead. But Nix and Auburn answered. The Tigers reclaimed the lead on a defensive touchdown, and then following a fourth-down stop by the defense, Nix found Robertson for a 71-yard touchdown on the first snap after the change of possession. That gave Auburn a 28-17 lead with 4:16 to go in the third. Nix then sealed the game in the fourth quarter, as Auburn put together a methodical 12-play, 75-yard scoring drive that sapped 6:11 off the clock. On that drive, Nix completed 3-of-3 passes for 37 yards. He also converted a crucial third down on a quarterback sweep off a fake reverse, and then he eradicated Arkansas’ hopes with a 23-yard touchdown run on a draw out of an empty set to push Auburn’s lead to 15 with 2:30 to play. “He’s a competitor, so that’s something I would expect out of him, just coming out and leading those guys,” edge defender Derick Hall said. “… He wants to win, and that’s shown up in the last three weeks. He’s going to keep growing and keep getting better, and that’s just, like I said, that’s our quarterback, and we stand behind him 100 percent.” Since that second half against Georgia State, Nix has completed 65-of-108 of his passes for 764 yards while accounting for five total touchdowns and leading Auburn to its two biggest wins of the season against LSU and now 17th-ranked Arkansas. Not much may have changed for Nix in the last three weeks, but it certainly seems as though his second-half benching lit a competitive fire underneath him that has produced some of his best football to date. “When I go out there and compete and desire the ball and want the ball at the end of the game like today, that’s when I’m just at my best,” Nix said. “And I think our team as a whole would obviously agree.” Tom Green is an Auburn beat reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Tomas_Verde.

Auburn defense changes the game with big strip-sack against Arkansas By Nubyjas Wilborn | nwilborn@al.com 3-4 minutes Auburn’s defense shutting out Arkansas in the fourth quarter en route to Saturday’s 38-23 victory on the road makes it easy to forget how the Tigers were trailing in the third quarter. Arkansas ended the first half with a touchdown to pull within three points following a Bo Nix interception. Nix’s pick was a rare miscue on an otherwise spectacular performance for the signal-caller. Nonetheless, the Razorbacks scored on their first possession of the second half turning the game from Auburn being up 14-3 to being down 17-14 in the third. Razorback quarterback KJ Jefferson dropped back into the end zone on third-and-15 with 7:39 remaining in the third quarter. Jefferson attempted to evade the pass rush, but Derick Hall was too quick. Hall sacked Jefferson and caused a fumble. “Derick Hall, that’s a big strip, fumble play,” Harsin told reporters after the win on Saturday. “You score on defense; you have a really good shot of winning the game.” Hall was into making the tackle; he didn’t realize he created the turnover. “We knew they were backed up. Before we got into that drive, that was a goal that we had, to keep them backed up and cause a turnover,” Hall told reporters via zoom on Saturday after the game. “So, when that opportunity presented itself, I think I took complete advantage of it. I didn’t think of it as a strip-sack. I thought it was just a regular sack.” Defensive tackle Marcus Harris recovered the ball. Auburn was back on top 21-17 and would never trail again against Arkansas. “Then when Marcus got on the ball, I started celebrating that maybe it looks better,” Hall said. “All the hard work we put in just to show it and produce right there, and just to celebrate with each other right there was really cool.” Zakoby McClain nearly went for the ball. McClain eased up once he noticed Harris was close to making the play. “It was a good play, good call by coach to use our blitzes on the quarterback and rattle him up,” McClain said after the game. I went in there and stopped their running back from letting the quarterback get out of the pocket. And Derick came around and got the strip-sack, and I went to jump on the ball. I really had it, was sitting on it, but I gave it to my boy Marcus. I love him.” Nix and the offense scored 17 more points after the fumble. Arkansas only scored seven and none in the fourth. Nix credited the sack by Hall and recovery by Harris as inspiration. “It was huge. It was obviously the play of the game. I think that our sideline — we had a lot of energy at the beginning,” Nix told reporters. We went down and scored, scored again and then there at the end of the second quarter kind of lost momentum and so that play after they came down and scored, that play was huge.” “It got us back the lead. Got the field back shortened so they didn’t win field position, and then we just obviously got some fire back to us.” Auburn is 5-2, 2-1 in SEC after the win. The Tigers are off next week before an October 30 matchup against Ole Miss at Jordan-Hare. Nubyjas Wilborn covers Auburn for Alabama Media Group.

i am impressed if you know hunter or about him. he loved his drugs. got his ass whipped by the hells angels. hated nixon. and when he died they shot his ashes out of a cannon. i am a pothead but i could not do 95 percent of the drugs he has done. i miss him.

it has been hard man. she was my one true love and i am handling it like a kid. i will get past it but it is just kicking my ass. i just do not want her to die on me. thanks for caring. with my temper i do not deserve it. i guess i am paying for my sins.

i am wondering how you pronounce his first name. i guess his tagging an extra loss was he was in a hurry to get his instant analysis out.