Harsin denies Fisher’s claim over snap count

[aubiefifty 17,488]

Bryan Harsin denies Fisher’s claim over snap count

By Nubyjas Wilborn | nwilborn@al.com

5-6 minutes

Auburn quarterback Bo Nix (10) talks with coach Bryan Harsin during the second half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Nov. 6, 2021, in College Station, Texas. Texas A&M won 20-3. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)AP

Bryan Harsin pushed back Monday on Texas A&M head coach Jimbo Fisher’s claims over the weekend that Auburn was simulating the Aggies’ snap count.

Fisher was upset with two false start penalties in the third quarter with the game tied at 3-3 that pushed his team back ultimately resulting in a field goal in what could have been a touchdown. Texas A&M went on to win 20-3, but after the game Fisher was still upset about the calls and said he was going to call the SEC league office to complain about Auburn being allowed to simulate Texas A&M’s snap count without penalty.

“Here’s what gets me. If you can do that and get a delay of game. You can do that and get a delay of game. You can call a snap count, and it ain’t a penalty,” Fisher told reporters Saturday after the game. “Ain’t that amazing, when you’re down there on the goal line when they’re calling your snap count? I’m sick and tired of it, man. You’re going to call all that garbage and then not do that. And you can’t hear. You couldn’t hear the slap or anything else.”

Read more Auburn football: What Auburn coach Bryan Harsin about upcoming game against Miss St

https://www.al.com/auburnfootball/2021/11/bryan-harsin-on-auburns-offensive-rut-we-need-to-have-better-plays-and-better-play-calls.html

Bowl projections for Auburn after Week 10

After initially claiming to not be very familiar with Fisher’s claims, Harsin offered his perspective Monday on the A&M coach’s critiques. He said if his defensive players were talking, they were talking to each other rather than simulating the snap count. “I don’t even know if they know the snap count,” the Auburn head coach said.

“I know on the first one, watching it, their offense was pointing at our guys,” Harsin said. “Then they had another one again, on the second play, back-to-back, I think their left tackle -- he moved and put his head down. Usually, when a guy on offense moves and drops his head, it’s on him, alright? Most of the time, offensive linemen don’t sell it very well. Like, if they made a mistake, they acknowledge it. That’s most of their nature -- take it, accept it and move the ball back.”

Harsin, a former college quarterback, also pushed back on the effectiveness of what Fisher alleged Auburn was doing. Harsin said he didn’t think many defenses teach trying to do it and can only remember one or two instances in his career he can remember it possibly happening.

“I’ve been around coaches that are like, we’re going to go out there and use their snap count for what we do. Guys do that; it doesn’t last long,” Harsin said. “Officials are on that. I think officials actually do a pretty good job, if you’re a team that claps, and the defense goes out there and claps and tries to draw you offsides or tries to use your verbal cadence in there -- for the most part, the officials are pretty good about that. And I don’t really ever see that being a big factor. So I think that’s just -- I think when that stuff happens, everybody just feels like that. But I don’t think it actually goes on very often.”

Ultimately, the game resulted in the Tigers no longer controlling their destiny to win the west. Auburn needs to win its remaining games starting with this Saturday at 11 a.m. against Mississippi State. The following week takes the Tigers to play a South Carolina team that trounced Florida last week. The season ends with an Iron Bowl matchup at home against Alabama.

Harsin knows the Tigers can’t dwell in last week’s game or subsequent allegations of snap count manipulation.

“If you want to be great at something there’s a level of focus and discipline you have to have every single day and focus on the things that matter in order to keep improving,” Harsin said. That’s always going to be the challenge. Better people with the right mindset, you get the right people in here and that process becomes a little bit easier because they’re already driven to do those things. That’s the challenge. You bright in, not just people, but the right people that want to achieve that. It becomes more of an identity for your team. Those are the things we’re working on now.”

Nubyjas Wilborn covers Auburn for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @nwilborn19.

[japantiger 4,069]

It was pretty clear it happened.  Before the flag hit the ground Calzeda was in the officials face on it.  Someone got cute on D and it worked on that play .  

[3rdgeneration 6,474]

Yeah, Harsin didn’t say that he’s looked at film and we didn’t do it. If one of our guys did, I bet they don’t do it again.  I still think Jimbo is a whiner.  Don’t care for him at all.  

[keesler 5,934]

27 minutes ago, japantiger said:

It was pretty clear it happened.  Before the flag hit the ground Calzeda was in the officials face on it.  Someone got cute on D and it worked on that play .  

GOOD!

It was posted in another thread that we'd already been flagged twice this year for doing it.  If the ref's let us get away with it then that's on the ref's, every team skirts the rules to their advantage.