10/9/22 AUBURN ARTICLES

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collegeandmagnolia.com

 

GAME RECAP: #2 Georgia 42, Auburn 10

JackCondon@CollegeAndMag

5-6 minutes

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Georgia didn’t even play that well and Auburn had absolutely no shot in this one. The Bulldogs looked half asleep for the majority of the game and still never were threatened as the Tiger offense managed little movement and the defense wore down.

Robby Ashford had an awful game, with a fumble and a 30% completion percentage, and the run game went absolutely nowhere. While Auburn’s defense played well, eventually they’re just on the field too long.

What’s most important about this game is that it puts Auburn at 3-3 overall, 1-2 in SEC play, and the Tigers will travel to Ole Miss next week for the last game before the bye. With the Tigers dropping to .500, there’s likely good evidence to get rid of Bryan Harsin after this game like many have surmised. After what we saw today, it needs to happen. The team committed a slew of penalties, they looked unprepared, the coaching decisions were questionable at best, and the talent level hasn’t been improved at all since Harsin came in. It’s time for Auburn to move on.

GAME RECAP

The beginning of this game saw both offenses falter when faced with either defense. Auburn punted on its first three drives, with Robby Ashford unable to muster much through the air, while Georgia played tepidly as well. The Bulldogs punted on their opening two drives before they missed a lengthy field goal on their third drive.

Auburn started to get a little bold on the fourth drive, resulting in a questionable decision by Bryan Harsin to go for it on fourth down with a fake punt from Auburn’s own 34. It failed, giving Georgia an extremely short field. It took just a few plays before the Bulldogs broke the scoreless tie with a 1-yard Kenny McIntosh touchdown with 11:42 left in the first half.

On Auburn’s next drive, they were forced to punt again, and Ladd McConkey returned the kick 38 yards to give the Bulldogs another short field. Just three plays later, Daijun Edwards busted in from a yard out to increase the lead to 14-0 with 8:45 left in the half. Auburn’s next drive began at its own 23-yard line, and the Tigers moved into Georgia territory before Robby Ashford fumbled on his way to a first down. Thankfully, the Tiger defense forced two more punts to end the half, but the offense couldn’t do anything, and the first thirty minutes ended 14-0 in favor of Georgia.

After the intermission, Colby Wooden got the play of the day thus far for the Tigers. He sacked Stetson Bennett, forced a fumble, and recovered it to put the Tigers in scoring position. They notched a short Anders Carlson field goal to scratch the scorebook and pull Auburn within a 14-3 deficit.

Georgia answered, though, and went on an 81-yard drive to add another touchdown run from Edwards. Midway through the third quarter, the Bulldogs had pulled ahead 21-3. After alternating punts, Auburn got the ball at the end of the third quarter and Ashford was nearly picked off on first down, but the drive resulted in yet another punt. We went to the final period with Georgia in great field position and in possession of a 21-3 lead.

On the first play of the fourth quarter, Stetson Bennett scampered 64 yards for a touchdown to put Georgia on top 28-3, and effectively end the game. Georgia tacked on another score on Edwards’ third touchdown of the day after a 63-yard drive to go up 35-3, but Auburn finally answered with something of their own.

Robby Ashford found Jarquez Hunter out of the backfield, and Hunter broke through three Georgia defenders to take it down the left sideline for a 62-yard touchdown. Auburn had cut the lead to 35-10 with 9:51 remaining in the game. It didn’t matter, because Georgia took the touchdown right back with another 11-play, 65-yard drive that culminated in a 15-yard Branson Robinson touchdown. Georgia led 42-10, and forced a quick three-and-out from Auburn. The following drive allowed them to drain the clock and end this pitiful affair.

PLAY OF THE GAME

We’re giving you both of the good ones.

PLAYER OF THE GAME

You can pick one. It’s just really hard at this point. The offensive line was as bad as they’ve been, Robby Ashford was frazzled and only completed 30% of his passes. Neither tailback did much thanks to the line, and the receivers were trying to catch wildly errant passes all game. Defensively, maybe someone up front can have this honor, but this truly was the game you have to use as evidence to get rid of the head coach. We’ll go with Jarquez Hunter for that touchdown.

UP NEXT

It’s an 11 AM showdown with Ole Miss and Auburn’s next head coach next weekend in Oxford.

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Instant Impressions: Georgia 42, Auburn 10

Nathan King

6-7 minutes

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ATHENS, Georgia — It was Bryan Harsin's first trip to Athens as the Tigers' head coach, but the result — and offensive performance — sure looked a lot like plenty of other Auburn games over the past decade between the hedges.

Auburn hung around with the defending national champs before things melted down in the second half, with Georgia handling its rival at home yet again, 42-10, in what was Auburn's largest margin of defeat in the Deep South's Oldest Rivalry since 2012 (38-0).

Here are Auburn Undercover's immediate takeaways from Auburn's eighth straight loss in Athens. 

Disastrous fourth downs serve as turning point

It didn’t take long for Auburn’s defense to settle into a groove in Athens. Georgia had some success running the ball, sure, but tight coverage and a few tackles for loss allowed the Tigers to force four punts in the first half, including a trio of three-and-outs.

And the Bulldogs had trouble when facing long fields early. But a pair of disastrous fourth downs put the Tigers’ defense on its heels — and both led directly to short, easy touchdown drives for Georgia.

On a fourth-and-6 from Auburn’s own 36-yard line at the end of the first quarter, Bryan Harsin called a fake punt, snapping directly to the upback, John Samuel Shenker. Georgia snuffed it out, though, and the Bulldogs took over with their best field position of the game to that point. The Bulldogs went to their ground game and scored seven plays later.

Auburn went three-and-out the following drive after a common third down Saturday for the Tigers: Robby Ashford scrambling out of the pocket and having to throw the ball away. Oscar Chapman’s punt was then returned 38 yards by Ladd McConkey, setting Georgia up at Auburn’s 31-yard line. It only took three plays by an increasingly confident Georgia run game to find the end zone again.

In what was a defensive battle, Georgia scored 14 points in 2:57 — and were set up inside the opposing 40-yard line both times. 

Strong start can’t last forever for Auburn defense

The Tigers were still cooking defensively, when they weren’t backed up in their own territory, out of halftime. Colby Wooden fell on a fumble when Stetson Bennett was strip-sacked, setting Auburn’s offense in the red zone — an opportunity with which the Tigers settled for a field goal.

The next drive, though, it was clear the dam was starting to leak. Georgia went 81 yards in 10 plays for its first sustained offensive success of the game.

At the start of the fourth quarter, the dam shattered entirely, with Bennett ripping off a 64-yard touchdown run to put Georgia up 28-3. The Bulldogs went 63 yards in six plays for another touchdown on the following drive, then went 65 yards in 11 plays to hang 42 — the most points scored by Georgia on Auburn since a 45-7 loss for the Tigers in 2011.

Georgia ran for 295 yards. Its 8.0 yards per carry are the most against an Auburn defense since LSU had 8.6 in 2015.

It was the first game in which Auburn allowed six rushing touchdowns since a 63-21 loss to Texas A&M in 2012.

Georgia’s dreaded ‘third-down packages’

Auburn center Brandon Council made some buzz this week when he claimed his unit could “demolish” Georgia’s defensive front because of its relatively thin depth.

There was a caveat, though, issued by Council: if Auburn could keep Georgia out of its “third-down packages.”

And Auburn was unable to do that with any consistency.

Ashford’s propensity to work from outside the pocket — this time against maybe the fastest crop of linebackers and defensive linemen he’ll see all season — meant Auburn needed to avoid as many must-pass situations as possible by finding success on first and second down. Instead, four of Auburn’s first seven third downs were from 10 yards out or farther, and Auburn faced an average third-down distance of 8.1 yards. 

Penalties certainly hurt that cause. Auburn was penalized 10 times, tied for the most in the Harsin era — and seven of those were either false starts or holding that came on either first or second down.

Offensive-line injuries could have also been a hindrance. Starting right guard Alec Jackson and right tackle Austin Troxell were both replaced in the second half by Keiondre Jones and Brenden Coffey, respectively, due to injury.

Ashford still converted three third downs with his legs — and he would have had another, but midway through the second quarter, he fumbled the ball untouched on a scramble across Georgia’s 40-yard line, killing off Auburn’s best drive of the game to that point. Ashford had four straight completions for 40 yards to get Auburn across midfield for the first time in the game.

Auburn went 5-of-17 on third down, including 1-of-6 in the second half.

More offensive woes in Athens

Auburn broke a couple Athens droughts Saturday afternoon, though its overall offensive performance still left plenty to be desired.

With Jarquez Hunter's tackle-breaking, 62-yard touchdown catch in the fourth quarter, this year's Auburn team became to first to score in double digits in a road game against Georgia since a 31-24 loss. As a result, Ashford also became the first Auburn quarterback to throw a touchdown pass in Sanford Stadium since that game.

Before Hunter's touchdown, though, Auburn's first 12 drives featured eight punts, a turnover on downs on the fake punt, Ashford's fumble, the end of the first half and Carlson's field goal.

6COMMENTS

For the game, Ashford finished just 13-of-38 passing (34%) for 165 yards and a touchdown. Preseason first team All-SEC running back Tank Bigsby had just 19 yards on 10 carries, good for the lowest yards-per-rush average (1.9) of his entire career.

Auburn Undercover will update this story. Check back for additional information.

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Instant analysis: Auburn handed most-lopsided loss to Georgia since 2012

Updated: Oct. 08, 2022, 8:18 p.m.|Published: Oct. 08, 2022, 6:00 p.m.

6-8 minutes

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The stands at Sanford Stadium started to empty out early in the fourth quarter Saturday evening, as many of Georgia’s fans wandered off into the twilight, looking to get an early start on the night’s festivities.

Three days earlier, Auburn offensive lineman Brandon Council confidently said the team’s goal was “to go in there like a SWAT team, in and out and quiet the noise, and beat their behinds and get out.” Unfortunately for the Tigers, and for Council, this wasn’t quite what they had in mind.

The din between the hedges petered out with about 11 minutes to go in The Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry, but not because Auburn was accomplishing its mission. It was because Georgia was thoroughly demolishing its cross-division rival. The final score when all was said and done: Georgia 42, Auburn 10 — the most-lopsided result in the series since the Bulldogs’ 38-0 win in 2012.

It was the latest setback for Auburn in the longstanding rivalry, as Georgia has won six straight in the series and eight in a row in Athens, Ga. It was also the latest deflating loss for Auburn under second-year coach Bryan Harsin, as the program continues on the downward trajectory that began last November.

Auburn (3-3, 1-2 SEC) is now just 9-10 under Harsin. The Tigers have lost nine of their 13 games against Power 5 competition since Harsin took over, and they’re now just 1-6 in their last seven SEC games under the beleaguered coach. The latest setback between the hedges exhibited many of the familiar woes that have plagued the team since the end of last October — including an inability to finish drives and an offense that continues to trudge through the second half of games.

Here are AL.com’s key takeaways from Saturday’s blowout between the hedges:

An early gamble doesn’t pay off

For the second game in a row, Auburn attempted an ill-fated trick play that proved costly.

A week removed from Koy Moore’s interception on a failed wide receiver pass against LSU, Auburn got bold — albeit seemingly misguided — with its play-calling late in the first quarter against Georgia. At the end of a scoreless opening period that saw the two teams combine for five punts and a missed field goal, Auburn faced fourth-and-6 from its own 34-yard line. The Tigers’ punt team took the field, but instead of a fourth punt of the afternoon from Oscar Chapman, Auburn ran a fake.

Auburn snapped the ball to tight end John Samuel Shenker, who was lined up as the up-back on the play, and he attempted to pick up the first down but was stopped 4 yards short of the line to gain. The turnover on downs set up Georgia’s offense at the Auburn 36-yard line, and the Bulldogs did not take long to take advantage of the short field.

Georgia put together a seven-play scoring drive that was capped by a 1-yard touchdown run by Kenny McInstosh to put the Bulldogs in front, 7-0, with 11:42 to go in the first half.

The thwarted fake punt, in a game that to that point was a defensive tug-o-war, shifted the afternoon to Georgia’s favor. The Bulldogs went into halftime with a 14-0 lead, scoring a second touchdown on a short field thanks to an Auburn special teams mishap — this time giving up a big punt return to Ladd McConkey that gave Georgia the ball at the Auburn 31-yard line. Three plays later, the Bulldogs were in the end zone.

Offense still looking for answers

Auburn’s best offense for much of its time between the hedges came when plays broke down and Robby Ashford had to rely on his leg to make something happen.

That’s less than ideal, especially on the road against your rival.

Two of Auburn’s three biggest plays in the first half were third-down scrambles by Ashford for 15 and 17 yards. Three of Auburn’s four third-down conversions in the first half were thanks to runs by Ashford, who also converted a third-and-6 on the Tigers’ opening possession.

Of course, Ashford’s running ability was a double-edged sword for Auburn. Along with the big plays, he also committed the team’s lone first-half turnover on a run — fumbling the ball on a third-down keeper, untouched. Georgia recovered, as Auburn’s best drive of the first half was stopped dead in its tracks.

Even when Auburn was gifted a short field, it couldn’t capitalize. Colby Wooden recovered a fumble at the Georgia 19-yard line on the Bulldogs’ first possession of the third quarter, setting up the Tigers in the red zone. Auburn mustered just 7 yards before settling for a 29-yard Anders Carlson field goal that cut Georgia’s lead to 14-3 early in the second half.

Auburn’s lone touchdown came early in the fourth quarter, with the game well in hand for Georgia. Ashford found Jarquez Hunter for a 62-yard touchdown pass. Hunter did most of the heavy lifting, spinning through three would-be tacklers near midfield and racing down the sideline for the touchdown.

The Tigers finished the game with 258 total yards of offense: 93 rushing yards and 165 passing, as Ashford completed just 13-of-38 passes on the day.

Defense can’t stop the run

Auburn’s defense did its best to keep Georgia in check in the first half, only giving up a pair of touchdowns on short fields, but as the game wore on, the Bulldogs imposed their will — particularly on the ground.

Auburn gave up 292 rushing yards to Georgia, which averaged 7.5 yards per carry and scored six touchdowns on the ground Saturday. It was the most rushing touchdowns Auburn has surrendered in a game since Johnny Manziel’s Texas A&M scored six against the Tigers in 2012. It’s the most yards per carry allowed by Auburn in a game since Leonard Fournette’s LSU team averaged 8.56 yards per carry in the teams’ 2015 meeting in Death Valley.

It was a well-distributed effort by the Bulldogs, too. Branson Robinson led the way with 98 yards and a touchdown on 12 carries. Daijun Edwards had 83 yards and three touchdowns on 12 attempts. Stetson Bennett had 64 yards and a touchdown on three carries, including a 64-yard touchdown run on the first play of the fourth quarter that stretched Georgia’s lead to 28-3. Kenny McIntosh added 38 yards and a touchdown.

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

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247sports.com

 

#PMARSHONAU: Sunday reflections from Auburn and beyond

Phillip Marshall

7-9 minutes

 

Isn’t it time to give Auburn people some hope?

I guess I am repeating myself, but Auburn people need some relief. They need to see something that says things are moving in a hopeful direction. When will that happen? When will Auburn move on from head coach Bryan Harsin? I don’t know him well, but from what I know, I have plenty of respect for first-year president Chris Roberts. I feel certain he has a plan. But if it takes two months for that plan to be known, the angst will be off the charts.

I heard at one time it could happen after a loss to Georgia. Maybe it will, but I heard nothing on Saturday night to indicate that.

I heard it could be after Ole Miss. I heard it could be after Arkansas. There is concern in some quarters that it won’t happen until the end of the season. I have also heard that nothing will happen until a new athletics director is named.

One of those is probably true. Which one? That would be sheer speculation on my part.

For what it’s worth, which isn’t much, it is my feeling that the speculation and turmoil are only going to grow as time goes by. Auburn people want to know something and deserve to know something. Heck, Auburn players and coaches deserve to know something. Maybe I’m ill-informed, but if it is going to happen eventually, I see no reason to wait. There is a reason other programs have already made decisions. Three of those programs won games with interim coaches Saturday.

College football is extremely important to legions of Auburn people. Those people buy expensive tickets, buy Auburn gear, stay in Auburn hotels, eat in Auburn restaurants, patronize Auburn bars and even pay to tailgate. Some of them donate large sums of money. Even many of those who aren’t wealthy donate money. They love Auburn, and they love Auburn football.

Few of those people are optimistic about this season. They have no reason to be. They are also losing optimism about the future. What they desperately want and need is hope. So far, they have gotten nothing.

On a practical note, Auburn needs to be ready to name a coach days if not hours after the Iron Bowl. Signing day is on Dec. 16. Another lost recruiting year would be disastrous.

Winnable games ahead for Auburn

Each of Auburn’s next five SEC games are winnable. They are also losable. The Tigers aren’t going to win them all, but they could win some of them. You have to wonder if players will be able to keep the kind of edge it takes to do that.

Second-half woes continue

Other than being a really good play by Jarquez Hunter, I didn’t see Auburn’s lone touchdown against Georgia as meaning much. The score was 35-3. Auburn’s field goal came when the offense couldn’t make a first down after a fumble recovery at the Georgia 19. The bottom line is that Auburn’s second-half woes continued unabated.

Injuries plague SEC quarterbacks

Injuries to quarterbacks, particularly in the West Division, have been epidemic in the SEC. On Saturday, Auburn played without T.J. Finley and has lost Zach Calzada for the season. Alabama played without Bryce Young. Kentucky played without Will Levis, Texas A&M played without Max Johnson. Arkansas played without KJ Jefferson. Alabama turned Texas A&M away at the 2-yard line to avoid an upset. All the others lost.

What is it about Georgia?

Auburn has beaten Nick Saban and Alabama five times, more than any other SEC program. So why is it that Auburn has won just three of the last 18 against Georgia? Many of those Georgia teams have been really good, but not all. The 2006 Georgia team had lost four games when it routed No. 5 Auburn 37-15 at Jordan-Hare. In 2016, Kirby Smart's first season, Georgia was not a good team. Auburn was good enough it ended up in the Sugar Bowl. Yet, Georgia won 13-7 in Athens. In 2014, another four-loss Georgia team beat Auburn by the shocking score of 34-7.

It honestly makes no sense. The most dominant team in college football hasn't been able to dominate Auburn to that extent. Nobody has but Georgia, and there is no real explanation.

About the transfer portal

The transfer portal is not a long-term answer to building a program, but it is going to be extremely important for Auburn after this season. To be competitive in 2023, Auburn is going to need immediate help on the offensive line, the defensive line, at linebacker and perhaps at quarterback.

Getting that help requires high levels of evaluating and recruiting potential transfers. Can Auburn find enough? That remains to be seen.

A down year in the SEC?

Is this the weakest the SEC has been in a while? Alabama is really good. So is Georgia, though I don’t believe at the level of last season’s national championship team. Tennessee seems to be really good. I don’t see another SEC team that is anything special.

Auburn will try to extend streaks at Ole Miss

Could Auburn spring an upset at unbeaten Ole Miss next Saturday? It could. Auburn has won six straight over Ole Miss and 11 of the last 13. It has won four straight at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Do I expect Auburn to extend those streaks? Not really. The truth is Auburn has yet to have an impressive showing against anybody this season. The road proved particularly harrowing at Georgia for quarterback Robby Ashford. So, I wouldn’t pick the Tigers to win, but I would not be shocked if they did.

Random thoughts

* If Bryce Young doesn’t play or even if he does, Tennessee has its best chance in a long, long time to beat Alabama in Knoxville next Saturday.

1COMMENTS

* Hiring coaches is a huge challenge in the current landscape. Oklahoma was excited to call Brent Venables home. They’re not so excited now. I believe there is a good bit of discomfort about Brian Kelly at LSU. Whether it’s a head coach or an assistant, every coaching hire is a roll of the dice. Success one place doesn’t automatically translate to success at another.

* I am mystified why there is not more apparent effort to scheme ways to get Tank Bigsby the ball with room to run. It seems like his only opportunities are inside runs, and most of the time he doesn’t even have a chance to get started.

* Speaking of running backs, I thought last season that Jarquez Hunter was a decent running back who had good games against lesser opponents. Now, I am convinced he has a chance to be a really special player.

Until next time …

">247Sports

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Bryan Sallee convinced Bryan Harsin is double-agent after 4th down fake punt call

Andrew Hughes

3 minutes

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CBS Sports' Barrett Sallee is convinced Bryan Harsin is a double-agent after a fake punt call on fourth down in Georgia territory in the first quarter Mandatory Credit: Online Athens

 

Auburn’s defense had kept Georgia scoreless in their first three drives of the October 8, 2022 Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry game, slowing down last season’s College Football Playoff hero, Stetson Bennett, and the rest of the Bulldogs offense in check. Then, on what should have been a routine punt on fourth down, Bryan Harsin called a fake punt on 4th and 6 — gaining two yards and handing the ball over to UGA deep in Auburn territory.

Of course, a touchdown for the Dawgs soon followed in the second quarter, and before you knew it, the Tigers were playing from behind. Given the offensive line’s struggles to give Robby Ashford more than two seconds of time in the pocket, that may prove to be the story of the game.

A first quarter with plenty of potential was thrown away by questionable play-calling. Usually, that decline comes in the second half, by why waste time against the defending national champions in a rivalry matchup Auburn has lost five straight (and counting)?

CBS Sports’ Barrett Sallee joked that Bryan Harsin has to be a double-agent sent to destroy the Auburn football program after the fake punt seen all around the Plains…

What the heck was that? Why on Earth do you fake a punt when you can get field position?

I maintain that Bryan Harsin is a double-agent sent to Auburn to ruin the program.

Prove me wrong.

— Barrett Sallee (@BarrettSallee) October 8, 2022

Bryan Harsin has to be fired to maintain dignity for this program

Fly War Eagle has been as pro-Bryan Harsin as anyone, sticking with him through this past February’s inquiry into the program that nearly got him fired with cause before summer camp even began.

But at this point, when the national broadcast is spending time highlighting his job security and national analysts are calling him a double agent sent to destroy Auburn, it’s impossible not to want to rip this Band-Aid off as soon as possible.

If On3’s Justin Hokanson is correct about the program’s potential pivot which would see Bryan Harsin stay the season, the rest of October and November are going to seem like an eternity.

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Bryan Harsin explains what was ‘frustrating as hell’ in blowout loss at Georgia

Crissy Froyd

2-3 minutes

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Auburn’s matchup on Saturday against Georgia went far from favorable for the struggling Tigers as they fell 42-10 in a blowout loss that further put coach Bryan Harsin one the hot seat.

He had some comments after the game expressing some disdain for the way things went south. While the team was already an underdog by a large margin going up a team it was very outmatched against, part of the major issue was the team hurting itself. Auburn had 10 total penalties with 8 in the first half alone.

“Yeah, it’s freaking frustrating,” Harsin said postgame. “It is. It’s frustrating as hell. Right or wrong, you can argue it all you want. But it’s not going to change the outcome right there in that moment. So you’ve got to respond to that. And, you know, we’ve been saying it too: first-and-10, second-and-5 is different than second-and-15. Right? So against really good teams, you start getting behind the chains, it’s the advantage to the defense.”

Auburn now sits at 3-3 overall with just one victory in conference play. Up next on the schedule, it will face No. 9-ranked Ole Miss which expected to be another difficult game for a team that needs to find some answers… and fast.

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Since many want sanders at Auburn here is deion and eddie robinson jr having a squabble after yesterdays game. i am not saying it was good or bad just interesting. grins

 

 

[bigbird 60,939]

Deion would be so fun and he'd get the most out of the guys.

[augolf1716 21,969]

Does a great interview no lack for words. Damn he would piss Nicky off  

[aubaseball 2,819]

If Auburn doesn’t at least reach out and ask if he would accept, it would be a crime.   

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SNAP JUDGMENTS: #2 Georgia 42, Auburn 10

JackCondon@CollegeAndMag

6-7 minutes

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42-10 loss to Georgia today, Auburn is 3-3, and there’s no improvement in sight. It’s time for the Bryan Harsin era to end, and we’re all in agreement on that here.

What else are we waiting for? We aren’t getting better. We have a lousy recruiting class. The in game decisions have gone from questionable to erratic. We are watching our head coach unravel. Good riddance. Have a nice life, Hars.

-Josh Dub

I’m out of energy to be disappointed by this staff. The game plans. The quotes. The lack of adjustments. There’s talent on this roster. Sure, it may be lacking in some spots. And sure, that’s not all Harsin’s fault. But nothing he has done in his tenure has improved Auburn beyond where they sat in December 2020. In this era, that’s just not acceptable.There is no justification at this point for keeping him on board. Let him go, and start the focus on what comes next.

-Ryan Sterritt

This is what failure looks like at Auburn. Getting your ass thoroughly kicked by a rival and having no real reason to think it should have gone any different. Las Vegas certainly expected it. Hell, we all did. This is a nightmare cocktail of a 2012 offense mixed with a 2008 defense (outside of the significant injuries we’ve been hit with on the edge). This is what we should be used to and come to expect from our football program moving forward so long as Bryan Harsin is allowed to continue to coach. This is the results we should expect so long as our dumbass people of influence think that hires like Gus Malzahn’s defensive coordinator are the best Auburn can do.

The only solace I take in all of this is seeing this end quickly, as there were a whole lot of folks who wanted to blame Gus for everything wrong with Auburn, and in turn think this guy was some sort of second coming of Pat Dye himself. It was embarrassing to see. It would be WONDERFUL to blame Gus this season for clear problems in recruiting under his watch that are fully manifesting themselves this year and next, but this idiot is such a bad coach on Saturdays, and has been practicing “quiet quitting” in recruiting for 22 months that it’s a waste of breath to blame Gus for the problems we have that were on him.

Bryan Harsin and this Boise brain trust of coordinators are the worst set of coaches we have had collectively in my lifetime. I’d rank 2012 slightly ahead of this bunch if for no other reason than Gene Chizik had consistent top 10 recruiting classes and 2 coordinators that at least had experience coaching in this league. There is not a single coach from Boise that belongs at Auburn or in this league. Frankly there are entire position groups on this team such as quarterback and offensive line that I would say the same about. And there are other position groups where there are so few of those guys that when one goes down it renders them a quality Sun Belt level unit.

It’s bad, and honestly will likely be worse next year because I don’t believe you can build an offensive line out of the portal. But I damn sure hope our 2023 QB is in it come December because I don’t think we have one on this roster today. This program needs a total reset to rebuild this roster, and spend 4 years recruiting our asses off ($$$), and THEN likely make another change because we will inevitably run out of patience. But we damn sure need to do some work tomorrow by firing this incapable, over his head coach so that we can move forward with an AD, and most importantly, an executable plan to hire a football coach that everyone is agreeable to. There’s no reason to wait any longer. Our People punted on this season in February because they knew if they fired him and paid him without a new president and new AD that we’d be repeating the same mistake again. This season was always expected to go this way. Now, it has. Skip the church service and fire his ass early tomorrow, Auburn. We’ve got too much s*** to get to for this to linger any longer.

-Josh Black

Well anybody got any more of them fall weddings that I can attend? In all seriousness, never fear guys BP and the boys are 30 days away from tipping off in Neville Arena.

-Will McLaughlin

Fare you well, my honey

Fare you well, my only true one

All the birds that were singing

Have flown except you alone

Goin’ to leave this brokedown palace

On my hands and my knees, I will roll, roll, roll

Make myself a bed by the waterside

In my time - in my time - I will roll, roll roll

-Son of Crow

That was embarrassing. At no point did Auburn pose a threat to win that game. There were 10 penalties for 65 yards. Which means a whole ton of 5 yard penalties. The 5 yarders are the dumb ones. Your false starts and illegal shifts and offsides. They indicate poor coaching more often than not. This needs to be the end. There was no point today where Auburn was properly coached.

We’re goin down

and you can see it too

we’re going down

and you know that we’re doomed

My dear we’re

slow dancing in a burning room

-James Jones

We’re on the way to being a straight up bad football team, and unfortunately, we know how that feels as Auburn fans. This time it feels a little different. In 2012 and 2008 we were a coaching change away from turning things around, and there was plenty of talent around for a resurgence to occur with some different leadership. This time, whoever comes in to pick up the slack is going to have his biggest challenge in getting the talent back up to where it needs to be.

I watched most of today’s game while in the backyard with my kids, and it was nice because I didn’t put forth much less effort than the man leading the team apparently did. My three year old could’ve called some of the plays, and any one of us could’ve put forth a blocking effort like the offensive line did. If I was conspiratorial, I’d say that they were flubbering around on purpose, and then they’ll show hitherto unexpected blocking skills next week when Harsin is gone and they’re playing for someone else.

Let’s please just get rid of him as soon as we can. We’ll be better when he’s gone.

-Jack Condon

[aubiefifty 18,248]

Five winners from Auburn's blowout loss to Georgia

Andrew Stefaniak

 

Auburn traveled to Athens, Georgia, to play their first road game of the season. 

It wasn't pretty, as Auburn was blown out of the water by a score of 42-10. This loss gives the Tigers a 3-3 record for the year. 

You have to imagine that this game will end the Harsin era, but we will not know until more information is revealed. 

Let's look at five winners from Auburn's blowout loss. 

Jarquez Hunter

Eric Starling/Auburn Daily

Jarquez Hunter just refuses to have a bad game. Hunter ran the ball five times for 20 yards and caught three passes for 73 yards and a touchdown. Hunter looked amazing, breaking multiple tackles to score a 62-yard touchdown through the air. Hunter will be dangerous for this Auburn football team when he has the backfield to himself. 

Owen Pappoe

Eric Starling/Auburn Daily

Owen Pappoe had a big game for racking up a team-leading eight tackles. Pappoe is fighting to raise his draft stock after a slow start to his season. As a linebacker, Pappoe should be leading the team in tackles every game, so it was good to see him do that in this contest. Pappoe has the skill to be a great player at the next level, but to make that happen, he will need to finish the year strong. 

Colby Wooden

Eric Starling/Auburn Daily

Colby Wooden had a massive game which included a sack, a forced fumble, and five tackles. Wooden is another player pushing to raise his draft stock, so it is great to see him perform so well against a great football team. If Auburn wants to turn this season around, Wooden needs to keep playing like this. 

Oscar Chapman

© Jake Crandall / USA TODAY NETWORK

One bright sport all year long has been Tiger punter Oscar Chapman. The only issue with Chapman is Tiger fans hate seeing him kick because it means Auburn's drive stalled. Chapman punted nine times. Yes, you read that correctly nine times. His furthest punt of the game was a 56-yard kick. He also pinned the Bulldogs inside their own 20 once. While it was a tough game for the Tigers, and we don't want like see a lot of punts, Auburn has a dang good punter. 

Auburn basketball fans

Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

The fifth winner from this game was the Auburn basketball fans, as we are officially less than a month away from the first game of the season. This football season has been tough on the hearts of the Auburn faithful, but a fun basketball season is right around the corner. 

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[aubiefifty 18,248]

 

[NWALA Tiger 3,616]

3 hours ago, aubiefifty said:

247sports.com

 

#PMARSHONAU: Sunday reflections from Auburn and beyond

Phillip Marshall

7-9 minutes

 

Isn’t it time to give Auburn people some hope?

I guess I am repeating myself, but Auburn people need some relief. They need to see something that says things are moving in a hopeful direction. When will that happen? When will Auburn move on from head coach Bryan Harsin? I don’t know him well, but from what I know, I have plenty of respect for first-year president Chris Roberts. I feel certain he has a plan. But if it takes two months for that plan to be known, the angst will be off the charts.

I heard at one time it could happen after a loss to Georgia. Maybe it will, but I heard nothing on Saturday night to indicate that.

I heard it could be after Ole Miss. I heard it could be after Arkansas. There is concern in some quarters that it won’t happen until the end of the season. I have also heard that nothing will happen until a new athletics director is named.

One of those is probably true. Which one? That would be sheer speculation on my part.

For what it’s worth, which isn’t much, it is my feeling that the speculation and turmoil are only going to grow as time goes by. Auburn people want to know something and deserve to know something. Heck, Auburn players and coaches deserve to know something. Maybe I’m ill-informed, but if it is going to happen eventually, I see no reason to wait. There is a reason other programs have already made decisions. Three of those programs won games with interim coaches Saturday.

College football is extremely important to legions of Auburn people. Those people buy expensive tickets, buy Auburn gear, stay in Auburn hotels, eat in Auburn restaurants, patronize Auburn bars and even pay to tailgate. Some of them donate large sums of money. Even many of those who aren’t wealthy donate money. They love Auburn, and they love Auburn football.

Few of those people are optimistic about this season. They have no reason to be. They are also losing optimism about the future. What they desperately want and need is hope. So far, they have gotten nothing.

On a practical note, Auburn needs to be ready to name a coach days if not hours after the Iron Bowl. Signing day is on Dec. 16. Another lost recruiting year would be disastrous.

Winnable games ahead for Auburn

Each of Auburn’s next five SEC games are winnable. They are also losable. The Tigers aren’t going to win them all, but they could win some of them. You have to wonder if players will be able to keep the kind of edge it takes to do that.

Second-half woes continue

Other than being a really good play by Jarquez Hunter, I didn’t see Auburn’s lone touchdown against Georgia as meaning much. The score was 35-3. Auburn’s field goal came when the offense couldn’t make a first down after a fumble recovery at the Georgia 19. The bottom line is that Auburn’s second-half woes continued unabated.

Injuries plague SEC quarterbacks

Injuries to quarterbacks, particularly in the West Division, have been epidemic in the SEC. On Saturday, Auburn played without T.J. Finley and has lost Zach Calzada for the season. Alabama played without Bryce Young. Kentucky played without Will Levis, Texas A&M played without Max Johnson. Arkansas played without KJ Jefferson. Alabama turned Texas A&M away at the 2-yard line to avoid an upset. All the others lost.

What is it about Georgia?

Auburn has beaten Nick Saban and Alabama five times, more than any other SEC program. So why is it that Auburn has won just three of the last 18 against Georgia? Many of those Georgia teams have been really good, but not all. The 2006 Georgia team had lost four games when it routed No. 5 Auburn 37-15 at Jordan-Hare. In 2016, Kirby Smart's first season, Georgia was not a good team. Auburn was good enough it ended up in the Sugar Bowl. Yet, Georgia won 13-7 in Athens. In 2014, another four-loss Georgia team beat Auburn by the shocking score of 34-7.

It honestly makes no sense. The most dominant team in college football hasn't been able to dominate Auburn to that extent. Nobody has but Georgia, and there is no real explanation.

About the transfer portal

The transfer portal is not a long-term answer to building a program, but it is going to be extremely important for Auburn after this season. To be competitive in 2023, Auburn is going to need immediate help on the offensive line, the defensive line, at linebacker and perhaps at quarterback.

Getting that help requires high levels of evaluating and recruiting potential transfers. Can Auburn find enough? That remains to be seen.

A down year in the SEC?

Is this the weakest the SEC has been in a while? Alabama is really good. So is Georgia, though I don’t believe at the level of last season’s national championship team. Tennessee seems to be really good. I don’t see another SEC team that is anything special.

Auburn will try to extend streaks at Ole Miss

Could Auburn spring an upset at unbeaten Ole Miss next Saturday? It could. Auburn has won six straight over Ole Miss and 11 of the last 13. It has won four straight at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Do I expect Auburn to extend those streaks? Not really. The truth is Auburn has yet to have an impressive showing against anybody this season. The road proved particularly harrowing at Georgia for quarterback Robby Ashford. So, I wouldn’t pick the Tigers to win, but I would not be shocked if they did.

Random thoughts

* If Bryce Young doesn’t play or even if he does, Tennessee has its best chance in a long, long time to beat Alabama in Knoxville next Saturday.

1COMMENTS

* Hiring coaches is a huge challenge in the current landscape. Oklahoma was excited to call Brent Venables home. They’re not so excited now. I believe there is a good bit of discomfort about Brian Kelly at LSU. Whether it’s a head coach or an assistant, every coaching hire is a roll of the dice. Success one place doesn’t automatically translate to success at another.

* I am mystified why there is not more apparent effort to scheme ways to get Tank Bigsby the ball with room to run. It seems like his only opportunities are inside runs, and most of the time he doesn’t even have a chance to get started.

* Speaking of running backs, I thought last season that Jarquez Hunter was a decent running back who had good games against lesser opponents. Now, I am convinced he has a chance to be a really special player.

Until next time …

">247Sports

U know it's bad when Marshall is calling for Harsins ouster. Even though he is doing subtlety 

[aubiefifty 18,248]

2 minutes ago, NWALA Tiger said:

U know it's bad when Marshall is calling for Harsins ouster. Even though he is doing subtlety 

 i posted a video of those four cats that talk auburn ball  earlier this week and one said when you rebuild you should get thee years but other than that i have seen nothing positive backing hars. that is litterally all i have seen in a while.

[bigbird 60,939]

1 hour ago, aubiefifty said:

Owen Pappoe

Eric Starling/Auburn Daily

Owen Pappoe had a big game for racking up a team-leading eight tackles. Pappoe is fighting to raise his draft stock after a slow start to his season. As a linebacker, Pappoe should be leading the team in tackles every game, so it was good to see him do that in this contest. Pappoe has the skill to be a great player at the next level, but to make that happen, he will need to finish the year strong. 

[AUwent 3,833]

https://www.saturdaydownsouth.com/sec-football/10-things-im-absolutely-overreacting-to-after-week-6-in-the-sec-4/

I'lll just leave this here. See #1:

"1. Tennessee’s Playoff problem …

The Vols’ revival is the best story in college football. Well, this side of Los Angeles, anyway.

Everything is coming up orange. But here’s the problem even if Tennessee takes down Alabama next week, which I think will happen.

They’ll still have to beat Georgia in Athens … and then maybe Alabama again in the SEC title game.

Alabama rarely loses 2 SEC games in a season — never to the same team.

The schedule is the biggest hurdle. It’s setting up just like Auburn’s run in 2017. The Tigers knocked off permanent-partner Georgia and then Alabama to climb into Playoff position … then had to beat Georgia again in the SEC title game to clinch a spot. The Tigers fell short.

Nobody else had to do that.

Just like nobody else will have to survive the gauntlet that Tennessee is about to face.

Just imagine how much easier — and realistic — the Vols’ Playoff path would be if their permanent cross-over opponent was, say, Arkansas instead of Alabama."

****

Why should we have such a harder path to the playoff than everyone else?!

Edited October 9, 2022 by AUwent

[EagleEye67 1,948]

@aubiefifty  Thanks much for posting these articles on a regular basis.  I get a lot out of them and really appreciate your efforts.  

[EagleEye67 1,948]

2 hours ago, bigbird said:

Deion would be so fun and he'd get the most out of the guys.

..and I bet he can squat more than Harsin 

[DKW 86 7,908]

Quote

Bryan Harsin and this Boise brain trust of coordinators are the worst set of coaches we have had collectively in my lifetime. I’d rank 2012 slightly ahead of this bunch if for no other reason than Gene Chizik had consistent top 10 recruiting classes and 2 coordinators that at least had experience coaching in this league. There is not a single coach from Boise that belongs at Auburn or in this league. Frankly there are entire position groups on this team such as quarterback and offensive line that I would say the same about. And there are other position groups where there are so few of those guys that when one goes down it renders them a quality Sun Belt level unit.

Ditto. We know it. The nation now knows it. And I think the Boise Boys now know it as well. 

[Auburn Tiger 1,375]

2 hours ago, aubiefifty said:

 i posted a video of those four cats that talk auburn ball  earlier this week and one said when you rebuild you should get thee years but other than that i have seen nothing positive backing hars. that is litterally all i have seen in a while.

In a rebuild, there has to be evidence that something g is being rebuilt. We’ve regressed from last year. 

[autigeremt 7,208]

Program is in a coma.