aubiefifty

during the game Aaron Murray and RIck Newheisel had this to say about bo in the georgia auburn broadcast. i copied the what was said by another poster and here it is.... "Newease l{another cat said murray said it }says everything Bo does is like a half a step or cadence faster than everyone around him. He suggested that he would take his cleats away during practice to slow him down. Make him practice in regular shoes. Doesn't sound like a bad idea to me." this got my attention but it is way above my pay grade. does this sound legit or is it hot air?

Auburn looks to reestablish downhill identity, find better balance By Tom Green | tgreen@al.com 5-7 minutes The scales have tipped for Auburn’s offense in recent weeks, and now the Tigers are searching for balance as they head into the second half of their schedule. Throughout the offseason, Auburn expressed the desire to base its new wide-open, pro-style offense around a downhill rushing attack led by one of the nation’s top returning running backs, Tank Bigsby. Over the last three games, though, the team’s run-pass balance has skewed in the opposite direction — and not by design. “We’ve been trying to do (establish the run) every single week, and that’s something I think most teams want to do,” Auburn coach Bryan Harsin said. “They want to establish the run. We’d like to do that; we’d like to run the football. We’ve got to be balanced, though.” In games against Georgia State, LSU and Georgia, Auburn has run the ball a combined 92 times while attempting 134 passes. The Tigers have thrown the ball at least 43 times in each of those games, while they’ve run it fewer than 30 times in each of the last two contests. It has been a drastic swing from the first three weeks of the season, when Auburn had a 111-85 run-pass split and boasted an FBS-best 7.77 yards per carry while ranking seventh in the country in rushing offense (287.3 yards per game). The difference has been a byproduct of how Auburn’s last three games have shaken out, with the team playing from behind and trailing by double digits in the first half each of the last three weeks. Auburn has leaned more heavily on its passing attack in recent weeks, as it has tried to claw back into games. It did so successfully against Georgia State and LSU, but not against Georgia. As a result, Auburn has seen not just its rushing attempts decrease but its output on the ground as well. That included a season-low 46 rushing yards in last weekend’s loss to the Bulldogs, which marked the team’s worst rushing total since last year’s loss to Georgia. “Well, ideally you want to run the football,” Harsin said. “One way to do that is stop losing early; that’s a way to do that. So, don’t get behind and stay in a position where you can’t run the football. Some of those, you start kind of looking at the end of the game, you got to throw it because you’re losing. We got to keep the ballgame closer so that you can run the ball more effectively. When we say what we want to do, that’s the identity that we’re working toward, is being a team that can run the ball, that can be physical — yes, we want to be downhill in all those things, but we have to actually do that.” After opening the season with three straight 100-yard performances, Bigsby has rushed for just 115 yards total on 37 carries (3.11 yards per carry). Auburn, as a team, has averaged just 4.03 yards per carry during that span, including just 1.59 yards per carry against Georgia’s stout defensive front. Getting Bigsby back on track would be beneficial to Auburn, but it’s not just on the star sophomore to get the ground game going again. “Everybody on the offensive side of the ball that has to be able to do that: O-line, tight ends, wide receivers, running backs — everybody’s got a piece of the pie when it comes to the run game,” Harsin said. “That continues to be something that we’ve got to focus on and doing the things we know we’re capable of doing but doing it consistently.” At the midway point of the season, Auburn’s rushing attack has slipped to No. 30 in the nation (206.17 yards per game), though it still touts the fourth-most yards per carry (6.06) among FBS teams. The recent troubles establishing the run are a concern, but Auburn has shown it’s capable of being an effective downhill team. Now, it will have a chance to get back on track against No. 17 Arkansas, which ranks 98th nationally in run defense (181.5 yards allowed per game) and 94th in yards allowed per rush attempt (4.48). The Razorbacks have allowed nearly 600 yards and eight touchdowns combined on the ground the last two weeks in losses to Georgia and Ole Miss. That means Saturday’s 11 a.m. kick from Razorback Stadium could provide Auburn with a welcome remedy for its recent run game struggles and an opportunity to reestablish its downhill identity. “We’ve got opportunities to do that; we’re just going to have to keep working on it and keep getting better at it,” Harsin said. “It doesn’t change who we want to be. It doesn’t change the fact that that’s a goal of ours in the identity of what this offense should look like. At the end of the day, we got to do it.” Though Auburn wants to find its groove in the run game, Harsin stressed the need to not just run it for the sake of running it or throwing it just to get the numbers up. It’s about finding balance while still establishing that downhill identity on offense. “At the end of the day, I think it’s a little bit skewed when you look at the games that we’re behind, especially in the Georgia game,” Harsin said. “We felt like we had to throw it a little bit more to get back into it. They’re good up front. That obviously didn’t work for us, but it doesn’t change the identity of who we want to be and how we want to have balance.” Tom Green is an Auburn beat reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Tomas_Verde.

Jason Caldwell's Monday Morning quarterback column ByJason Caldwell 4-5 minutes 2 Minute Drill: Dog day for Auburn vs. Georgia Who’s It Going To Be? Auburn is at the halfway point of the 2021 regular season and so far the Tigers have shown some good signs, but also plenty of things that need to be improved before Coach Bryan Harsin puts his stamp on his first football team on the Plains. I fully expected Auburn’s wide receivers to be the weakest part of the 2021 season based on who was lost and the inexperience returning, but I believe there is some talent in the room. It’s just a matter of those guys finding a way on the field. Ja’Varrius Johnson was Auburn’s best wide receiver in the spring and in the preseason, but since an early ankle injury he’s become invisible for the Tigers in the passing game. We’ve seen flashes of Kobe Hudson, ZeVian Capers and Elijah Canion the last two years, but not the consistency needed to become legitimate go-to players for the Tigers. Now Auburn needs someone to take the next step and the coaches are waiting to see who it will be. The ball is in the court of the players at the moment. It’s a matter of finding someone who won’t be denied. I think about a guy like Jerry Rice. He was determined to be the best and didn’t let anything stop him. He reportedly ran a 4.7 at the NFL Combine and was never the biggest or the fastest. All he did was run great routes and catch everything thrown his way. There are guys with the ability to turn into really good wide receivers for the Tigers, and do it this season, but it’s time for someone to step up. It’s not too late. The same thing is true on defense. Who is going to step up and take over as the dominant player for this team. I think we’re seeing some inkling that it could be Eku Leota as a pass rusher for the Tigers. He’s delivering some wow plays for a defense that desperately needs them. The same is true of Jaylin Simpson at cornerback. He may be Auburn’s best cover guy at the moment and could be in line for much more playing time. Life In The SEC Auburn saw what life is like at the top of the Southeastern Conference on Saturday with the loss to Georgia, but around the league we continue to see how tough it is to run the gauntlet because of the depth and talent on the other teams. Alabama lost to Texas A&M one week after the Aggies fell at home to Mississippi State and were held to just 297 yards of total offense. Now Alabama has to travel up the road to Starkville to face those same Bulldogs following an off week. Kentucky moved to 6-0 with a thrashing of LSU in Lexington and now has the biggest game for the program since Bear Bryant roamed the sidelines when they face Georgia in Athens with College Gameday in the house. Ole Miss and Arkansas played a game that reminds you of some of their overtime shootouts of the past, but this one was in regulation.

collegeandmagnolia.com ABOUT LAST NIGHT: #2 Georgia 34, #18 Auburn 10 JackCondon 5-7 minutes Welp, Auburn lost to Georgia by 24 yesterday, and while it sucks to get bludgeoned like that, there’s quite a bit to take away from the game itself. Let’s dive right in and see what we can glean from the loss. Much of the talk in the loss centers around Auburn’s offense, and rightly so, after the Tigers mustered 10 points, but had good drives left and right and just couldn’t finish. Unless there’s a more glaring issue that nobody’s seeing, Auburn’s receivers (and backs and tight ends) just can’t catch the ball in clutch situations. Apparently Stan White mentioned that Auburn had 12 drops on the radio broadcast yesterday, but I think the actual total was something more like 7-8, which is still UNREAL. Let’s just figure it out... Auburn’s 17-play opening drive would have netted a touchdown to start, and would’ve ended up being a huge momentum boost to begin the game if John Samuel Shenker didn’t drop Bo Nix’s pass in the end zone before the Tigers settled for a field goal. The drop cost Auburn 4 POINTS. On Auburn’s second drive, a third down pass for Shaun Shivers skipped off his hands and into the grasp of Nakobe Dean. Auburn was still deep in its own territory, so we can’t guarantee points there, but Georgia was immediately in field goal range and they converted a kick to tie the game. The drive that saw Auburn start at their own 35 with 6:45 left in the half ended with a Shedrick Jackson drop at midfield. Again, Auburn doesn’t get guaranteed points if that ball is caught, but you never know. I don’t really know if you can count it as a drop, but on Auburn’s final play of the first half — the 4th down at the goal line that turned up incomplete to Ze’Vian Capers — cost the Tigers 7 POINTS After the first half, if Auburn had capitalized on the missed opportunities, it could have potentially been a 17-14 Georgia lead, or even a tie or better for the Tigers if that interception hadn’t happened. On Auburn’s first drive of the second half, the Tigers got all the way to the Georgia 40 and faced another 4th down, but Demetris Robertson dropped the pass that would’ve given the Tigers the first down. On the next play, Georgia scored a 60-yard touchdown kill shot. Again, we’re not assuming anything, but a conversion there likely puts Auburn in field goal range and Georgia doesn’t hit that deep shot on the next play. Really, those are the ones that stand out. They were all big, momentum-shifting plays, and Auburn needed to be able to convert all of them, but they got none. In the end, that only puts Auburn neck and neck with Georgia, and the Bulldogs absolutely dominated the fourth quarter on the ground. It’s unlikely that the Tigers could’ve won, but it puts you in position for Jordan-Hare magic down the stretch. As for reaction from the team, Bo Nix wasn’t happy. To be fair, the officials seemed blase about making any sort of call against Georgia. Beginning with the Kearis Jackson punt return, where he was clearly down immediately while facemasking Smoke Monday, but was allowed to get up and return the ball near midfield before a sniff of a review, and ending with that no-call in the end zone, an orange-tinted viewer would say that a call was made from Birmingham to keep the top contenders in fighting shape. A neutral observer would say that it was careless officiating at best. Auburn will need to be able to compete in December and February, and in snagging recruits in general before they’re able to compete with the Georgias and Alabamas of the world on a regular basis. (That doesn’t seem to be an issue with Bruce Pearl and the basketball team) We’re going to lose pretty much the entire offensive line unless they use their COVID years for 2022, and even if that happens we’ll be seeing a slightly improved version of what we have now, which isn’t great. 2022 will likely see the last season of Tank Bigsby, but we will start to get some Bryan Harsin recruits onto the field, and the transfer portal is going to be hit hard for horses. Moving forward this season, everything that Auburn wants in the SEC is still on the table, especially since Alabama lost yesterday — — and they don’t seem to be trending in the right direction at the moment. Of course, they get Mississippi State on Saturday, and that’ll be a hilarious exercise in Nick Saban doing that thing that Mel Gibson did to the Redcoat in the creek in The Patriot. There’s not much to say after that game, though. Auburn’s coaches put them in a pretty good position to compete and win the game, and we just didn’t have the talent on the field to be able to withstand a four-quarter onslaught from the most talented team in the country per capita. Kirby’s not so imaginative that you’ll ever just be so far behind like you would’ve been against LSU 2019 or Alabama last year. If you can shut down the run fairly well (which Auburn did for three quarters), or if you can force a couple of turnovers (which Auburn didn’t do), then you can match up with Georgia. We’ll move forward and keep going through the grinder. Now we get a deflated Arkansas team that lost on the final snap yesterday, but one that’s going to be super angry about what happened last year in Jordan-Hare. It’ll be another Super Bowl for Auburn’s opponents, so enjoy that.

Johnson takes on bigger role at edge position in Auburn defense ByJason Caldwell 4-5 minutes 2 Minute Drill: Dog day for Auburn vs. Georgia AUBURN, Alabama—Just a few weeks ago the edge position in Auburn’s defense looked to be a team strength with the emergence of senior T.D. Moultry and the addition of Northwestern transfer Eku Leota to go along with Derick Hall and speedster Romello Height. All of the sudden things look much different for the Tigers and Coach Bert Watts with Moultry missing the last two games and potentially done because of compliance issues. That means more playing time for 6-3, 276 Caleb Johnson, who has the size to make an impact this week when Auburn takes on a physical Arkansas offense that is coming off a 51-point, 39 first down, 676 yard performance in a one-point loss to Ole Miss. “All those guys can be contributors and should be,” Harsin said of the edge position. “At the end of the day, Eku was out there playing on the edge as well. We’ve got other guys. Derick’s playing hard on the edge. That’s a key position for us, one that we have to keep building, which is going to be a key ingredient for our defense now and in the future. There’s opportunities for them to step up on the edge and make plays.” Battling an injury early in the season, Johnson has come back the last two games and has been on the field more and more for the Auburn defense. Playing a season-high 25 snaps against Georgia, Johnson’s physical nature off the edge showed up against the Bulldogs and will be important again this week if he’s asked to play that much again. It all starts with how he and the others do this week in preparation. “That has to happen in practice,” Harsin said of earning more time. “So a lot of those things that we do in practice are going to show up in games. A lot of those players that practice really hard and do things right are going to show up in the game. And that’s an area that teams that we face that will run the football _ and these teams that we play will run the football _ you’ve got to have a guy that can set an edge. You’ve got to have a guy that’s dynamic and can do some other things on that edge.” That’s important with big quarterback K.J. Jefferson leading an attack that piled up 245 rushing yards against Rice, 333 against Texas, 269 against Georgia Southern, 197 against Texas A&M and 350 last week in the loss to Ole Miss. Only Georgia has been able to limit the Razorbacks, holding them to 75 yards rushing two weeks ago. Looking to bounce back this week, Auburn needs the front to play well and try to put the game in the hands of Jefferson and the passing attack for the Razorbacks. Harsin said that’s something that begins with putting in the work necessary to be ready when your name is called. “We’re still improving and getting better at some things at that position in particular, but those guys can play,” he said. “If they have good weeks and stay focused, do the things they’re asked to do _ coach Watts does a really good job with that group. And when those guys are on it and taking care of their business, we usually have a pretty good performance by them on game day and expect that we have this week, especially against a team like Arkansas that’s again another physical team that wants to run and can run and plays hard. We’ve got to have a guy that can set the edge and help the front seven on the defensive side from that position.” ">247Sports

J.J. Pegues back at tight end for Auburn, but focus remains on defense By Tom Green | tgreen@al.com 4-5 minutes Oct 3, 2020; Auburn AL, USA; J.J. Peques (89) runs the ball for 5 yards during the game between Auburn and LSU at Jordan Hare Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Shanna Lockwood/AU Athletics Shanna Lockwood/AU Athletics J.J. Pegues hinted at it in the spring, shortly after he made the move from tight end to defensive tackle. The versatile 6-foot-3, 308-pound athlete didn’t want to close the door on his prospects on the offensive side of the ball, even though he made the switch to the defensive side earlier this year. He said, at the time, that he wanted to prove he could play defensive tackle and tight end — and in each of Auburn’s first two SEC games this fall, he has done just that. Pegues has seen time on both offense and defense, as well as on special teams, each of the last two weeks against LSU and Georgia. That included a start in the backfield against the Bulldogs, when the Tigers opened the game with a three-tight end personnel grouping. “We utilize him.” Auburn coach Bryan Harsin said. “J.J.’s a good player, and you want to try to get the best players on the field…. So, he’s doing quite a bit: playing D-line, playing on special teams, doing a little offense. I would imagine that will continue.” Saturday’s game against Georgia was Pegues’ second career start on offense, with the other coming last season against Arkansas. The former four-star prospect out of Oxford, Miss., hasn’t played a substantial role on offense thus far this year, but he was used in jumbo packages during the team’s win at LSU two weeks ago and then again to open the game against Georgia, when Auburn methodically moved the ball downfield on its opening drive in its eventual 34-10 loss. “His football intelligence is very high,” Harsin said. “He understands the game, and that’s what allows us to be able to do multiple things with him.” Pegues was a fan favorite as a true freshman tight end last season, when he had seven receptions for 57 yards and served as a Wildcat quarterback, with five carries for 14 yards and a completion on his only pass attempt of the season. He wowed with his athleticism at his size, making highlight reels with a spin move and even a hurdle against Ole Miss. Pegues’ focus, though, has mostly remained on developing as a defensive tackle since making the switch to that side of the ball in early April. He made the move to provide the Tigers with some additional depth at the position following Jeremiah Wright’s ACL tear in the spring, and his ascension at the position was relatively quick. He opened the season as the Tigers’ No. 2 at nose tackle on the official depth chart behind UAB grad transfer Tony Fair. Midway through his first season at defensive tackle, Pegues has six tackles. Two of those came last weekend against Georgia. “Still feel like he’s really developing himself into a D-lineman, and a really good D-lineman, that coach (Nick) Eason has done a good job with,” Harsin said. “He’s getting better up front, so we’ll get a chance to see that. There’s little sprinkles here and there of him on the offensive side. And then what he’s doing on special teams.” While Pegues has a promising future on the defensive side, and his potential as an NFL prospect remains highest as a tackle, Auburn will continue to take advantage of his versatility and ability to contribute in all three phases of the game — though there has yet to be a return of the fan-favorite Wildcat package with Pegues as the triggerman. “I don’t know how much, as we move forward, his role is going to play on the offensive side,” Harsin said. “But (he’s) a guy who’s done it. That’s one thing. So, there’s video evidence of him…. We’ll see on this game plan. It’s a little bit week-to-week how we utilize him. But the one thing I would say is you’ve got to give him credit because he’s able to do all those things in all three phases and contribute and be a guy that could start for us in all three phases, which is a credit to him, his ability and then just how he prepares himself.” Tom Green is an Auburn beat reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Tomas_Verde.

you are right i believe proud. bo was seen limping around on the sideline.

i bet the kids love it. and hey....at least he did not have nipple rings so there is that lol

Jaylin Williams talks ahead of opening practice Auburn C Walker Kessler (2nd week of preseason practices) listen to bruce talk about flannagan. Auburn F Jabari Smith (2nd week of preseason practices) i thought you folks might want to see some video. ell i put em all in the same thread for you.

i agree. some fans want it now and i hate losing myself but i will chill as long as i think it is being done right and i think harsin s going to do it right. i believe he walked into a mess to be frank. when a new staff comes in they are supposed to keep quiet about the old staff but the rumors of most of our players not up on fundamentals is very disheartening. i am sure harsin thought the same thing. but hard work, decent recruiting, and wanting it will get us to where we want to go.

the tailgating thing? i bet it started out as friends meeting for a picnic before the game. i think it is a bad look to make folks pay for that but i bet just about all colleges do it.i probably would dot my britches if i knew how much some folks sped each year on home games anyway. i am thankful we can watch most games without paying other than a cable bill. but one day games will be a pay for view. i doubt i live to see it but it is coming. and to me it defeats the purpose of the games for the most part.

thanks abw i enjoy your posts after the game. when i was in my twenties there was no such grumbling concerning new coaches. and harsin is having to do a complete rebuild and it is often painful and frustrating.when dye left terry was left with a damn good team. while we have talent it is not in the basic things like lines and such and it is killling us. and i thought our strength and conditioning guy was state of the art but it seems this is part of our problems as well. i still love my team and that will never change.i can see why kids love pearl so much. he knows how to win and all that entails but he also knows how to have fun. and all the money for tailgating plus game tickets and all the other expenses combined i cannot see how people can afford to come to games.. anyway i believe better days are ahead we just have to be patient.

Harsin: Georgia 'the type of team we want to be' ByNathan King 4-6 minutes Highlights: No. 2 Georgia at No. 18 Auburn AUBURN, Alabama — Bryan Harsin certainly knew how talented Georgia while studying Kirby Smart's team all week, but he didn't get the full experience until Saturday afternoon inside Jordan-Hare Stadium. Harsin's Tigers fought and had a handful of competitive moments, particularly in the first half, but were ultimately corroded by what will be the No. 1 team in the country in Sunday's polls in a 34-10 home loss. And halfway through his first season at the helm at Auburn, Harsin knows Georgia's model of success under Smart is what he needs to be striving for. "They played well; they’re coached well," Harsin said postgame. "That showed up in our preparation as we watched them. That showed up today, and they made plays. So, very good football team — the type of team we want to be. We want to be in that position. That’s where we want Auburn football to be, to have a chance to go into every single game and be able to win, be able to do all the things on special teams, offense and defense that we know we’re capable of doing on a consistent basis. So, they were able to do that tonight, so a lot of credit to Georgia." The matchup was Harsin's first as a head coach against a No. 1 or No. 2 team. Auburn was tied 3-3 at the end of the first quarter before its offense sputtered out, and Georgia put two touchdowns on the board on consecutive 70-plus-yard drives. Georgia scored 31 of the game's last 38 points. Auburn's losing streak to the Bulldogs has now carried over from the previous coaching regime to the new one. Dating back to the 2017 SEC championship game, Georgia has won five straight in the series for the first time since 1944-48. Harsin was asked postgame whether he believes Auburn to be a "rebuilding job" after the difference in talent level he saw Saturday. It's not a notion Harsin entirely subscribes to, as he noted that a rebuild would imply he's only looking to the future and accepting that this year's team won't be overly impressive. Instead, the 2021 season needs to be a jumping-off point for Auburn's future successes under the new coaching staff, Harsin said — successes that he hopes mirror what Georgia has accomplished recently. "Our focus is on this team and the players on this team being a foundation for the new staff and the things we want to do moving forward," Harsin said. "As you look at a team like Georgia and my point behind that, Kirby has done a good job. They’ve got good players. They are consistent each and every year. They are one of the better teams. They have themselves in the mix every year he’s been the head coach. That model of consistency and other teams like that, that’s exactly what we want to create here at Auburn." Auburn is now 4-2 at the midway point of its season, with a road test at Arkansas (11 a.m. CST, CBS) next on the docket. "Everybody who considers themselves a leader has to show up this week," senior linebacker and team captain Chandler Wooten said. "We've got the right kind of guys in this locker room. I know the kind of guys we've got in this locker room. We'll show up tomorrow pretty mad, pretty upset, we'll watch this film, learn from it, grow from it, then come Monday, we'll flush it and move on." For Harsin, who said "we're always recruiting" on the subject of the gap between his program and Smart's, the challenge of closing said gap is a difficult climb, but he's not getting ahead of himself. There exists a blueprint for getting Auburn to those heights, and it doesn't have to include upsets over top-ranked teams in Year 1. "There’s a vision for where we want Auburn football to be," Harsin said. "That vision is every single year we have an opportunity to be considered as one of the teams to play for a championship and ultimately to play for a national championship. I think that’s why you come to a place like Auburn because you want to be able to do that. That’s a lot of work, but that’s the vision for our program.”

Auburn football: Quarterback Bo Nix is exciting - for both teams Dave Hooker | 17 hours ago Auburn quarterback Bo Nix is the most entertaining player in the SEC. And it’s not even a little bit close. Now, I’m not saying Nix is the best player in the SEC. Far from it. Nix might not be among the top 100 players in the SEC, but there’s no denying how exciting he is. Nix can scramble, create and score. He can also throw an interception, get sacked and scramble for what seems like days. It’s as if yards don’t matter to Nix. He’s more about making someone’s highlight reel. Maybe it will be Auburn’s. Maybe not. That’s only for Nix to know. Of course, Nix has drawn the ire of Auburn fans because of his erratic play. I can understand that, but I’m all about entertainment when I watch Nix. With no allegiance to Auburn or any schools they’ll play this season, I can’t get enough. “Mo’ Bo” is my new mantra. Nix is must-see SEC. The thing that is most amazing about Nix is just how relentless he is. I’m sure Auburn head coach Bryan Harsin gets frustrated with his junior starter. That’s why Nix was benched against Georgia State in what was about to become a ground-shaking upset for the Tigers. Nix didn’t let that benching stop him. He regained the starting job and never lost his penchant to turn an otherwise regular play into something you might not ever forget. Ultimately, Nix’s performance against Georgia on Saturday wasn’t that great. Nix completed 21-of-38 passes for 217 yards and an interception in a 34-10 loss. Still, it always seemed like something big was about to happen. before you guys jump on me i just post the articles but i do agree tj deserves a better shot than what he has gotten so far. It’s hard not to wonder what was going on in Harsin’s headset when he benched Nix for T.J. Finley in that Georgia State game. Most, including me, thought that the switch needed to be made and would be permanent. Nope, Harsin was thinking short term. That meant beating the Panthers before going back to Nix, which looked like a good move when Nix started last week and Auburn beat LSU 24-19 in Baton Rouge. As bad as Nix looked at times on Saturday, he came out in the second half and completed a handful of perfect passes to at least keep hope alive, for a moment. The question that so many Auburn fans had to be screaming on Saturday was why didn’t Harsin again turn to Finley. The Tigers’ entire offense was overmatched against Georgia. The Dawgs might have the best defense in the nation, but Finley perhaps could have given Auburn a spark. After all, he did so against Georgia State. Apparently, Harsin didn’t see that as a strong possibility or perhaps he simply didn’t want to give the Bulldogs a bigger target to hit. Nix does just enough to make you think he could be one of the best quarterbacks in the SEC. Then, that notion quickly dissolves. Nix lost 16 yards on 10 carries against Georgia but it seems like he ran for much, much more. The problem was Nix was doing most of his running behind the line of scrimmage. Harsin now has to face the inevitable questions about his quarterback situation. He has created that issue by not choosing one quarterback and sticking with him. As I wrote shortly after the Georgia State game, Finley should be Auburn’s starting quarterback. I still believe that. Is there something about Finley that just doesn’t click in practice? Is there another issue? Harsin has to have a reason to sentence Finley to life on the bench. It will be interesting to see how Finley handles more second-team duties if Harsin sticks with Nix. Remember, Finley has faced competition before. The LSU transfer didn’t win the starting job for the Tigers and bolted north to Auburn. Would Finley, just a sophomore, consider transferring again if he isn’t eventually Auburn’s starter? Don’t count it out. However, Finley could suddenly improve his standing and be named the starter. Harsin has shown his lack of conviction in either player. However, as long as Nix is the starter, you’ll hear no complaints from me. It may not be ideal for Auburn to have Nix as a starter but I couldn’t think of anything more entertaining.

i saw some film on guys we are after and the looked good. one kid pushed his guy almost ten yards off the line. but he has to get them here. it is the same way with the d line. i am not convinced our secondary is as bad as they seem. with no d pressure they are having to hang with receivers way too long. we are just not in great shape talent wise right now. we need some help/

we should be better next year and then better than that the year after. i think harsin gets us there. but we have to give him time.

Auburn Football Auburn-Georgia: Watch Cam Newton jump into student section with shirtless Bruce Pearl Updated: Oct. 09, 2021, 3:38 p.m. | Published: Oct. 09, 2021, 3:13 p.m. Cam Newton, shirtless Bruce Pearl hyped up before Auburn-Georgia 6,508 shares By Mark Heim | mheim@al.com How big is No. 2 Georgia at No. 18 Auburn? Former Auburn Heisman Trophy winner Cam Newton posted a poll on his Instagram story asking if he should watch The Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry, which is being live streamed on fuboTV and Paramount+, from the student section? He did just that and had some pretty impressive company: Auburn basketball coach Bruce Pearl. The second-ranked Bulldogs (5-0, 3-0 Southeastern Conference) is fresh off two straight league shutouts and virtually unscathed defensively this season. Auburn (4-1, 1-0) managed its first win at LSU since 1999, thanks largely to Bo Nix’s ability to make plays on the move. Now they face the nation’s top defense, a group that has only allowed one meaningless touchdown late in a blowout win over South Carolina. Pearl has been very visible this week, coming off his team’s Tipoff at Toomer’s event. On a court constructed at the intersection of College Street and Magnolia Avenue, Auburn’s men’s and women’s basketball teams showcased their talents for jam-packed fans. On Saturday, Pearl went shirtless to the delight of fans. It isn’t the first time. As a first-year coach at Auburn in 2014, Pearl spent some time in a dunk tank in front of the student center. In 2007 and in his second year as the head coach at Tennessee, Pearl went shirtless at a Lady Vols’ game with his torso painted orange and marked with a light blue “V” to help spell out “GO VOLS” with four players, including his son, and a team manager. Meanwhile, Newton played at Auburn in 2010, leading the Tigers to a national championship and undefeated season in addition to securing the Heisman Trophy. Mark Heim is a sports reporter for The Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Mark_Heim.

Bo Nix upset with officiating after Auburn’s loss to Georgia By Tom Green | tgreen@al.com 3-4 minutes Bo Nix after Auburn's loss to Georgia Bo Nix didn’t hold back after Auburn’s lopsided loss to Georgia. The junior quarterback expressed frustration with the officiating in the Tigers’ 34-10 loss to the Bulldogs on Saturday, making particular note of a non-call by the officiating crew during a pivotal moment in the first half in Jordan-Hare Stadium. Facing fourth-and-goal from the Georgia 3-yard line, Auburn opted to go for it on fourth down late in the first half while trailing 17-3. Nix tried to find wide receiver Ze’Vian Capers in the back of the end zone over the middle, but it was broken up by Bulldogs defensive back Latavious Brini. Capers looked around to see if a flag was thrown on the play, and Nix pleaded with officials on the field to call defensive pass interference, as it appeared Brini may have made contact with Capers before the ball got to him. Those pleas fell on deaf ears, and Georgia took over and kneeled out the clock to end the half. “That was a big play,” Nix said. “Fourth-and-3 gives us a chance at the back of the end zone, and the guy completely grabs him. I thought it should’ve definitely been a pass interference. It’s just stuff like that that we don’t ever get, that changes the game. Obviously, if that would’ve been them, they probably would’ve called it, but that’s just part of the game and part of the rivalry.” Instead of potentially drawing within a touchdown just before the half, Auburn went into the break trailing by two scores. It was one of two trips inside the Georgia 10-yard line that Auburn couldn’t capitalize on, with the other coming on the opening drive of the game when the Tigers settled for an Anders Carlson field goal from the Bulldogs’ 7-yard line. “Always want to score touchdowns in the red zone,” center Nick Brahms said. “You know, maybe change momentum. Momentum’s huge in games like this, and um -- yeah, it would’ve been big. It would’ve been big, but hey, it’s football.” Nix’s remarks were a sharp critique of the officiating following the team’s fifth straight loss in the Deep South’s Oldest rivalry and its most lopsided defeat in the series since a 27-point setback in 2014. Nix, who completed 21-of-38 passes for 217 yards and an interception, was asked to expound on his comments later in the postgame interview. He went on to say that there were other calls that did not go Auburn’s way against Georgia but did not cite specific plays. “I always feel like there are some questionable calls in big moments,” Nix said. “Obviously, there were a few today that I thought could have gone differently. I thought the one to Ze there at the end of the half, that was just kind of one of those judgment calls that was tough. It’s hard to make a play on the ball when they’re that aggressive. So, I guess the officials were letting us play today. We should’ve been more aggressive on our end, I guess, and seen how they would’ve responded to that.” Tom Green is an Auburn beat reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Tomas_Verde.

At least Auburn coach Bryan Harsin isn’t delusional By Joseph Goodman | jgoodman@al.com 5-6 minutes Auburn can’t really lose when Shirtless Bruce Pearl is hugging Cam Newton in the student section of Jordan-Hare Stadium, so let’s keep this all in perspective. Perspective, admittedly, is always tough for Auburn, but, then again, that’s why Auburn, in all of its messy charm, is like nowhere else in the country. Not saying Shirtless Bruce and Cam topped The Bo Nix Experience, but it was a good curtain call. The curtain dropped on Auburn football in its 34-10 loss to rival Georgia on Saturday, but they had fun in the stands. Proud and beautiful Auburn was proud and beautiful Auburn once again inside heavenly Jordan-Hare Stadium after a season of autumn joy forfeited to the COVID-19 pandemic. It rocked and swayed. It roared and sang. Considering all that was lost in 2020, coming up short against an all-time Georgia team in the first season of a new coach on The Plains isn’t the end of the world. If anything, it all felt more like the true beginning of the new coach’s life in Auburn. “I’m encouraged because I love football,” Auburn coach Bryan Harsin said after the game. Amen, brother, because you’re just now making the turn. Harsin then added this one-liner for the T-shirts: “There’s a season for a reason.” Preach it. And the reason, don’t ever forget it, is to somehow figure out a way to beat Georgia and Alabama. Is this a rebuilding job, I asked Auburn’s coach? He said a lot of words, and none of them were “no.” “There is a vision where we want Auburn football to be,” said Harsin, who noted that he admires Georgia’s consistency. And also Georgia’s players. RELATED: Bo Nix upset with officials after loss to Georgia Welcome to the hardest job in America, Coach. Georgia is great, sure, but really the Dawgs are like a less confident version of Alabama. Beating both teams isn’t an impossible gig. Harsin just needs to somehow discover the alchemy that melds the energy of Shirtless Bruce Pearl hugging the best college football player since Bo Jackson, and he’s golden. Harsin called the Bulldogs “the type of team we want to be.” That perspective might not sit well with Auburn’s fanbase, but let’s be real for a second. In saying those tricky words, at least we know Harsin isn’t delusional. Now, how to actually get there … who the heck knows? Maybe recruit better players because Georgia has outscored Auburn 61-16 over the last two years. “Everyone in this program has a lot to prove every day,” said Harsin, who was ready to get back to work by breaking down film of the game. Not a film expert, but maybe have the receivers work on catching passes sometime between now and boarding the plane to Fayetteville, Arkansas, on Friday. Everyone except the math majors lost count of all the drops. A bright spot? Maybe it’s worth it to give Auburn running back Tank Bigsby a trophy to mark his special occasion. His score against Georgia felt like a moral victory for all of college football. Finally, someone managed a meaningful touchdown against Georgia’s defense this season. There won’t be many more, so why not celebrate it? What the heck, print some T-shirts for the bookstore or something. Concept art: “Georgia 34, Auburn 10 — No One Tanked Like Us.” Bigsby’s six-yard rushing score with 4:01 left in the third quarter was the first red-zone touchdown allowed by Georgia’s defense this season. I was waiting for the refs to stop the game and give Auburn’s running back the game ball. Bigsby finished the game with 28 yards on the ground, but that’s pretty good considering Clemson’s entire team only had two. Not sure how, but UAB had 127 yards on the ground against the Bulldogs earlier this season. Auburn rushed for 46 yards on 29 carries against Georgia, and every inch came with pain. Auburn, which fired Gus Malzahn for saying six wins was good enough for a season during a pandemic, doesn’t want to hear about participation trophies, but it’s time to take a hard look at reality in this the sixth season of Kirby Smart’s time at Georgia. There are two teams in college football with a chance to win a national championship, and they’re both Auburn’s chief rivals, and Auburn isn’t anywhere close. Meanwhile, Auburn was only one play away from knocking off No.4 Penn State in Happy Valley. Not bad. Not nearly good enough. Welcome to paradise, Bryan Harsin. That’s the job. Either figure out a way to beat Georgia and Alabama, or collect a nice parting gift on your way back to Idaho. “The goal is to be that type of program,” Harsin said of Georgia. Some of us can remember when the job was actually to be better. Joseph Goodman is a columnist for the Alabama Media Group. He’s on Twitter @JoeGoodmanJr. His first book, “We Want Bama: A season of hope and the making of Nick Saban’s ‘ultimate team’”, will be released on Nov.9. Note to readers: if you purchase something through one of our

i was high on bo after the lsu game but i knew this was coming. i think tj should have gotten more playing time. and while bo is doing the jekyll and hyde thing who knows? bo played good early and then got erratic to me.i do not think he has a chance of going pro this year. so maybe if he comes back another year might help? and i think they should get tj playing a little more to put pressure on him. but i am not going to sit here and pretend i know everything at all. but if you think you are not going to get it done why not let the backup have a few plays when it means something? see if the team rallies around him. the drops we had in this game are alarming and we need to do something quick or they will just key off on our run game per usual and kill us. this is a long winded way to say it appears the receivers are more comfortable with a tj ball. again i am not a coach but it appears that way. also with the style bo plays i am surprised he has not gotten hurt yet. he has taken some shots.

i am seeing where one cat, stan i think saying we dropped 12 to 13 passes. another cat on a different site said it was almost twenty. but we win feew games if we keep dropping them at this rate.