Auburn Articles 10/3/22

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LSU loss 'stings really bad' for impressive Auburn defense

Nathan King

4-5 minutes

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AUBURN, Alabama — Through two games of SEC competition, the numbers for Auburn’s defense are impressive across the board: 17 punts, just a 48% completion rate by opposing quarterbacks, and three forced turnovers, to boot.

Yet the Tigers ae now 1-1 in league play, after four turnovers doomed them in yet another squandered lead in a 21-17 loss to LSU on Saturday evening.

“Obviously things didn’t fall our way in the end,” edge rusher Derick Hall said postgame. “It stings really bad.”

While a more explosive Auburn offense was spotting LSU a 17-0 lead in the second quarter, its defense forced five straight punts to start the game, including a couple sacks on quarterback Jayden Daniels. The Arizona State transfer entered the game completing 73% of his passes on the year, but was just 8-of-20 while being flustered by an effective Auburn pass rush. Seven LSU drops, according to Pro Football Focus, didn’t help the visitors’ cause, either.

When Daniels was injured early in the fourth quarter, giving way to backup Garrett Nussmeier, it was still apparent LSU wasn’t going to be able to sustain a long drive. Nussmeier went 2-of-6 for 5 yards.

LSU’s combined completion percentage of 38% was the worst by an Auburn opponent in an SEC game since Tennessee went 8-of-24 in 2008. Auburn hadn’t lost an SEC game to a team that completed less than 40% of its passes since Mississippi State in 2007 — until Saturday.

“We felt like we kept him contained,” Hall said of Daniels. “I feel like the mission was accomplished as far as keeping our rush lanes and keeping him in the pocket and keeping him uncomfortable.”

LSU’s two touchdown drives both came off missed opportunities by Auburn — a missed field goal right before halftime that gave LSU 1:56 to score before the break, and a failed fourth-and-10 conversion in the third quarter that gave LSU its best starting field position to that point in the game.

Even after allowing LSU to creep within a score, 17-14 before halftime, Auburn didn’t blink defensively, immediately forcing a three-and-out, then another punt the next series, too. After LSU went ahead 21-17, Auburn’s defensive series were as follows for the rest of the game: punt, punt, fumble recovery, end of game.

“Our defense went out and did exactly what they should do,” Bryan Harsin said postgame. “They showed up on the field and tried to get the ball back and create momentum. They gave our offense an opportunity to answer back. At the end of the day, the takeaways just became too much.”

LSU’s 270 yards of offense are the fewest by a Power Five opponent in Harsin’s Auburn tenure — but four turnovers, including a scoop-and-score by LSU in the first half and a trio of giveaways in the fourth quarter — shackled an Auburn offense that showed impressive bounce-back from the ugly outing against Missouri, finishing with 438 yards.

“I think we played lights-out,” linebacker Owen Pappoe said. “We got the stops we needed. Even when adversity hit, a pick or a fumble or whatever, we went out there and we told them, ‘We got y’all. We’re going to get the ball back.’ Create a big turnover. But I’m proud of the guys and how they played.”

In both of Auburn’s losses this season, it’s racked up 400-plus yards of offense, but matched it with four turnovers.

It wasn’t a defensive gem by Auburn, but it was still the fewest yards allowed against LSU since 2010. As has been the case all too often in recent memory, though, it was all for naught due to mistakes and second-half regression on the other side of the ball.

“We played our hearts out that whole game,” Pappoe said. “I’m still proud of my guys even though we didn’t get the outcome we wanted.”

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LSU defender calls out Auburn's offense after running the same play multiple times

Zac Blackerby

2 minutes

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Auburn's offense stalled in the second half. Sadly, it's nothing Auburn fans aren't used to seeing over the last several games. 

LSU defensive back Greg Brooks picked off Robby Ashford in the second half on a ball that was intended for Koy Moore. Auburn looked to have had the completion but Brooks made a play on the ball and took it from Moore and secured the turnover.

He was asked about the interception after the game was over. 

“They ran that play like six times, so I knew it was coming," Brooks said. "If you look at the play, I really just ran full speed and just took it.” 

This plays into the narrative that Auburn's coaching staff does not have Auburn ready to compete for a full 60 minutes of action against power five opponents. 

LSU head coach Brian Kelly discussed the defensive adjustments that they had to make in the second half. 

“You saw the same game I did," Kelly said. "We let the quarterback out and he scrambled. We were not good on the backend. We broke down onto some coverages, so we cleaned some things up with our communication. We did some things that we hadn’t done. We cut some crossers and did not do some things that weren’t fundamentally part of our package. We had some communication issues. Joe (Foucha) was starting for his first time back there. We got the communication cleaned up in the second half. They (Auburn) made some plays, too, now. They hit some seam routes. Give Auburn some credit in their passing game.”

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Jason Caldwell's Monday morning quarterback column

Jason Caldwell

4-5 minutes

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Second half struggles    

There’s just no other way around looking at Auburn’s second half woes as the single biggest issue why Auburn is 3-7 in its last 10 games with the only wins over Mercer, San Jose State and Missouri. In the last eight games against Power-5 competition going back to the Ole Miss game last season, Auburn has scored just 21 total points in the third and fourth quarters and has just two touchdowns. One of those came late in the loss to Mississippi State and the other came when Auburn was down 31-6 to Penn State. That’s it.

To put that into perspective, Alabama scored 21 points in the fourth quarter on Saturday against Arkansas to break open a close game on the way to a victory. After struggling in a big way on the road at Missouri, Georgia scored 20 points in the second half and 14 in the fourth quarter to find a way to win a game that many teams probably would have lost.

There are lots of factors that play into teams being strong second half teams. One of those is coaching, but it’s not the only thing. Talent also plays into that as does depth. Once teams figure each other out it usually comes down to guys making plays in one-on-one situations. It’s also a product of being fresh late in games to not only be able to physically get the job done, but also mentally.

Right now this is an Auburn program that isn’t getting the job done in the second half of games. Now the job only gets tougher with the first road games of the season coming up at Georgia and Ole Miss the next two weeks. If the Tigers can’t figure out a way to change the second half scoring, this season could spiral out of control in a hurry.

Scoring in quarters three and four going back to last season:

Ole Miss-3

Texas A&M-0

Miss. State -6

South Carolina-3        

Alabama-3

Penn State -6

Missouri-0 

Away from home

This is the first time for this team to go on the road after playing five straight games at Jordan-Hare Stadium. That’s always a very different feel and will be especially stressful on quarterback Robby Ashford because of the difference in the noise and difficulties in dealing with that away from home. 

It’s not just the first time away from home this season, however. This is the first time Auburn will play a game outside the state of Alabama since going to South Carolina last season. That’s a span of eight straight games the Tigers have played with the vast majority of fans in the stands. In those games Auburn is just 3-5, which doesn’t bode well on the surface considering four of the last seven are on the road.

However, you never know how teams react away from home. I have seen Auburn teams that folded away from Jordan-Hare Stadium, but others have played their best football when the pressure is off. This is as much of an unknown as I can remember. We’ll find out soon enough on Saturday between the hedges.

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Auburn fans continue to step up

Around the nation other fan bases and even some “media” continue to take shots at the Auburn fans and all they continue to do is show up and try to make a difference on Saturday. The last two weeks at Jordan-Hare Stadium have been phenomenal even though the football didn’t match that all the time. Who knows what happens the rest of this season, but I know for a fact that the fans have made a very positive impact on the recruits that have been on campus. That’s something that sticks with you and could be really important in December and for years to come.

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Winners and Losers from Auburn's loss to LSU

Taylor Jones

4-5 minutes

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Auburn football’s strong start against rival LSU was not enough to carry them to a victory, as they fell to the Bayou Bengals 21-17 on Saturday night at Jordan-Hare Stadium.

Auburn jumped out to a 17-0 lead with 9:38 remaining in the second half. Auburn reached that point by doing something that had not happened through four games, a receiver reeling in a touchdown catch.

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It happened twice in the first half.

Starting quarterback Robby Ashford threw touchdown passes for 53 yards and 18 yards to Ja'Varrius Johnson and Camden brown, respectively. Speaking of passing, Ashford threw for 337 yards in the game, which was a huge contribution to Auburn’s 438 total yards of offense.

For as many positives as we saw on the field Saturday night, there were just as many negatives. Auburn committed four turnovers and running back Tank Bigsby once again was limited in carries.

There were highs, and there were lows. Here are the winners and losers from Auburn’s loss to LSU.

Todd van Emst / AU Athletics

For the first time all season, Auburn head coach Bryan Harsin elected to use one quarterback for the entirety of the game.

Robby Ashford got the call, and he may have won the starting job from here on out. He completed 19-of-38 passes for 337 yards, two touchdowns, and a late interception.

Ashford’s first quarter touchdown pass to Ja’varrius Johnson was the first touchdown catch of the season for Johnson. Camden Brown also caught the first touchdown pass of his young career on an Ashford pass.

There were plenty of positives to Ashford’s game on Saturday.

The Montgomery Advertiser

Auburn had a solid night on defense (a note that we will get to later), with the leader being Colby Wooden. Wooden finished the night with five total tackles, but most of those were made in the backfield.

Wooden ended the night with two tackles for loss, one being a sack. He was fourth in tackles for the Tigers.

Zach Bland/AU Athletics

A trend that is happening way too often with Auburn football, is their lack of finding the end zone in the second half.

Auburn was held out of the endzone in the second half for the second straight week. In their last eight games against Power Five programs, Auburn has scored just 21 points in the second half.

It is impossible to close out games when the final punch comes in the first half.

John Reed-USA TODAY Sports

Despite ultimately losing, Auburn outgained LSU in the yard department, 438-270. Auburn’s pass coverage was a big reason why.

LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels completed just 8-of-20 passes for 80 yards. He left the game late and handed the reigns to Garrett Nussmeier, who did not fare much better. Nussmeier only threw for five yards, leaving LSU with just 85 total passing yards.

When you limit key receivers such as Kayshon Boutte to just one catch, you can consider yourself a winner.

The Montgomery Advertiser

Another week, another list full of head-scratchers.

Although the quarterback position was more stable than it has been all season, there are still plenty of questions surrounding his mindset of limiting running back Tank Bigsby. Bigsby received only 12 carries, for which he turned into just 45 yards. He was also held out of the end zone for the second time in three weeks.

Playcalling is, yet again, very questionable. There were plenty of examples of this in the LSU loss, but one play, in particular, was telling. LSU safety Greg Brooks, who stripped a completed pass to Koy Moore away late in the 4th quarter, said that he was prepared for the play. “I knew it was coming,” Brooks told reporters after the game. 

Who knows what Harsin’s reasoning for his methods, but it is not wrong to assume that his decisions could lead to more losses in the near future.

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Game overview: Another fade means no finish, no joy for Auburn

Phillip Marshall

4-5 minutes

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After more than 20 minutes had run off the Jordan-Hare Stadium clock, Auburn’s football team was in full control against LSU on Saturday night. Quarterback Robby Ashford had tormented LSU’s defense. LSU had punted on five consecutive possessions. Auburn led 17-0.

LSU made it 17-7 on a fumble return. Auburn moved quickly back down the field, but Anders Carlson missed a 40-yard field goal try. And the game changed.

Js'Varrius Johnson catches a deep pass for Auburn's first touchdown. (Photo: Todd Van Emst, Auburn University)

With the help of a 15-yard hands to the face penalty and timeouts called by Auburn coach Bryan Harsin, LSU took over with 1:53 left in the half and drove 77 yards to make it 17-14. Auburn was in control no longer.

Auburn’s well-known second-half woes returned, despite a number of opportunities. LSU got one more touchdown, and that was enough for a 21-17 win.

Auburn coach Bryan Harsin recognized the obvious. Finishing games is an Auburn problem. The Tigers have had double-digit leads in five consecutive SEC wins and have won just one, last week’s escape against Missouri in overtime.

“We had our opportunities,” Harsin said. “For now, we have to go back and look at what we did well, what are the things we have to work on and then just close that gap,” Harsin said. “We have to find ways to finish and play four quarters.”

The last opportunity went away when quarterback Robby Ashford hit wide receiver Koy Moore in the numbers, only to see LSU’s Greg Brooks snatch the ball out of Moore’s hands. Brooks said he saw it coming.

“They ran that play like six times, so I knew it was coming,” Moore said. “If you look at the play, I really just ran full speed and took it.”

Ashford had a career game, hitting 19-of-38 passes for 337 yards and two touchdowns. Auburn outgained LSU 435 yards to 270. But for the seventh time in eight games against Power 5 teams, the Tigers failed to score a second-half touchdown. In four of those games, they did not score at all in the second half.

Here is how the second half went for the Auburn offense that had come out hot:

DRIVE NO. 1

Auburn takes over at its own 33:

* Tank Bigsby for no gain.

* Ashford pass incomplete.

* Ashford to Bigsby for 7 yards.

* Oscar Chapman punt

DRIVE NO. 2

Auburn takes over at its own 19.

* Ashford runs for 24 yards. First down at the 43.

* Ashford pass incomplete.

* Bigsby runs for no gain.

* Auburn penalized 15 yards for pass interference.

* Ashford to Tyler Fromm for 35 yards. First down at the LSU 37.

* Ashford pass incomplete.

* Ashford pass incomplete.

* Ashford pass incomplete.

* Ashford’s pass on fourth-and-10 incomplete. LSU takes over on downs.

 DRIVE NO. 3

Auburn takes over at its own 25.

* Ashford to John Samuel Shenker for 27 yards. First down at the LSU 48.

* Ashford to Jarquez Hunter for 9 yards.

* Hunter runs for 3 yards. First down at the LSU 42.

* Ashford pass incomplete.

* Ashford pass incomplete.

* Ashford to Shenker for 4 yards.

* On fourth-and-11, LSU intercepts an Ashford pass but is called for holding. First down at the LSU. First down at the LSU 28.

* Hunter rushes for 11 yards to the LSU 17.

* Hunter rushes for 3 yards to the LSU 14.

* Ashford to Moore for 6 yards to the LSU 8.

* Ashford rushes for 3 yards. First down at the LSU 5.

* Ashford runs for a 5-yard loss.

* Moore’s wide receiver pass is intercepted.

DRIVE NO. 4

Auburn takes over at its own 47.

* Ashford runs for a 4-yard loss.

* Ashford runs for 1 yard.

* Ashford pass incomplete.

* Chapman punts.

DRIVE NO. 5

Auburn takes over at its own 32.

* Bigsby runs for 23 yards and a first down at the LSU 45.

* Ashford to Bigsby for 2 yards.

* Hunter runs for 8 yards. First down at the LSU 35.

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* Bigsby runs for 1 yard.

* Ashford’s pass to Moore intercepted. LSU runs out the clock.

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[maryland tiger 640]

I really wanted Coach Harsin to succeed at Auburn but I don't think that is going to happen. Auburn has to good of a football program to let him "figure out" how to coach in the SEC. I am super proud of Robby and the team! 

Why are we running the same play over and over??? The gimmicks are what broke my belief in this offensive coaching staff. That may have worked at Boise State but not in the SEC. 

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2 hours ago, maryland tiger said:

I really wanted Coach Harsin to succeed at Auburn but I don't think that is going to happen. Auburn has to good of a football program to let him "figure out" how to coach in the SEC. I am super proud of Robby and the team! 

Why are we running the same play over and over??? The gimmicks are what broke my belief in this offensive coaching staff. That may have worked at Boise State but not in the SEC. 

i wanted hars to succeed as well. it is sad all around.

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Auburn shuffles depth chart ahead of first road game against Georgia

Updated: Oct. 03, 2022, 2:02 p.m.|Published: Oct. 03, 2022, 1:26 p.m.

3-4 minutes

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Auburn cornerback Keionte Scott (6) celebrates with fans after they defeated Missouri 17-14 in overtime in an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Sept. 24, 2022 in Auburn, Ala. (AP Photo/Butch Dill)AP

Auburn shuffled its depth chart ahead of its first road game of the season this weekend against No. 2 Georgia.

The biggest change was a reconfiguration of the team’s defensive personnel, shifting to a 4-2-5 grouping -- with just one edge defender instead of two, and the first introduction of the nickel spot in the team’s base formation. The change was made following an injury to edge rusher Eku Leota, who started each of the first five games of the season opposite Derick Hall. Now, Hall is listed as the lone edge in the starting lineup, with redshirt freshman Dylan Brooks as the backup.

Read more Auburn football: Georgia’s Jalen Carter to miss Auburn game

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Auburn opens as four-touchdown underdog on road against rival Georgia

Keionte Scott is listed as the team’s starting nickel, with freshman Austin Ausberry behind him. With just one edge spot listed, transfer Marcus Bragg is listed as a co-backup at defensive end, behind Colby Wooden and alongside Morris Joseph Jr. Bragg stepped in at edge against LSU after Leota’s injury.

Two defensive players are also no longer listed on the depth chart: transfers Eugene Asante and Craig McDonald. Asante was previously a co-backup at the weakside linebacker spot behind Cam Riley, but now former walk-on Jake Levant is the sole backup at that position. McDonald was previously a co-backup at safety behind Zion Puckett, but now Marquise Gilbert is the lone backup listed.

Offensively, there were also a couple of changes to the depth chart, most notably along the offensive line. Brandon Council is listed as the starting center, while Kam Stutts is now the starter at left guard and Alec Jackson the starter at right guard. Those updates reflect the starting offensive line from last weekend’s game against LSU, which was shuffled following starting center Tate Johnson’s elbow injury.

At wide receiver, Koy Moore is listed as the starter at the Z-receiver spot after he and Malcolm Johnson Jr. were listed as co-starters a week ago. Johnson is now on the backup line along with freshman Omari Kelly, who makes his debut on the two-deep. Freshman Jay Fair also made his debut on the depth chart at receiver. He’s listed as a co-backup in the slot, behind Ja’Varrius Johnson and alongside Tar’Varish Dawson Jr.

There is no change to the listing at quarterback, where Robby Ashford is listed as the Tigers’ starter, with freshman Holden Geriner and T.J. Finley sharing the backup spot. Finley has missed the last two games with a shoulder injury, and his status for the Georgia game remains unclear.

Tom Green is an Auburn beat reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Tomas_Verde.

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