10/12/22 Auburn Articles

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Auburn vs Ole Miss Prediction, Game Preview

By Pete Fiutak | October 11, 2022 11:14 pm CT

3-4 minutes

Auburn vs Ole Miss prediction, game preview, how to watch. Week 7, Saturday, October 15

Auburn vs Ole Miss How To Watch

Date: Saturday, October 15
Game Time: 12:00 ET
Venue: Vaught-Hemingway Stadium, Oxford, MS
How To Watch: ESPN
Record: Auburn (3-3), Ole Miss (6-0)
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Auburn vs Ole Miss Game Preview

Why Auburn Will Win

The pressure is off.

Auburn is 3-3, the schedule ahead – Arkansas, at Mississippi State, Texas A&M, WKU, at Alabama – should make getting to six wins and a bowl game almost impossible with the way the team is playing, head coach Bryan Harsin is all but fired, the base is already fitting Hugh Freeze with a visor, and …

There’s still talent here.

The Tigers gave LSU a push, beat Missouri, and the season certainly isn’t over as long as the defense can come up with a few huge performances.  The 42-10 loss to Georgia was an outlier – that’s Georgia in a bad mood.

The run defense has been solid against just about everyone else, the offense should be able to at least shorten the game against an Ole Miss team that keeps the ball for around 24 minutes per game, and again, the pressure is off because the expectations are so low.

Ole Miss might be 6-0, but it came this close to dropping that thriller to Kentucky, and there was that other great win against … uhhhh … Vanderbilt? Troy? Georgia Tech?

Flip the Ole Miss and Auburn schedules the Tigers are probably 5-1 and the Rebels probably have two losses.

However …

– NFL Expert Picks, Week 6

Why Ole Miss Will Win

Ole Miss has itself some killers in the offensive backfield.

The 1-2 rushing punch of Quinshon Judkins and Zach Evans has been all but unstoppable, QB Jaxson Dart is settling into the gig – he’s coming off a 448-yard passing day against Vandy – and Auburn can’t keep up with any of it.

The Tiger offense just isn’t working. It can’t move the chains, it’s not getting enough out of the ground game, and it hasn’t scored more than 17 points in a month.

The Ole Miss offensive front has been outstanding, the defense is allowing just 14.5 points per game, and those skill parts have the ability to turn the lights out by the end of the first quarter if everything goes right.

– Schedules, Previews College | NFL

What’s Going To Happen

Again, it’s not like Ole Miss has dealt with anything nasty yet. It’s not like it’s playing in the SEC West or anyth …

Here we go. Six games, all against SEC West teams, and this is almost certainly going to be the easiest of the bunch.

Auburn will score in this. It’ll come up with a few grinding drives to make this watchable for a little while, and then Ole Miss will go Ole Miss with two touchdown drives in a hiccup to put this out of reach.

– College Football Expert Picks, Week 7

Auburn vs Ole Miss Prediction, Line

Ole Miss 34, Auburn 16
Line: Ole Miss -14.5, o/u: 54
ATS Confidence out of 5: 2.5
Auburn vs Ole Miss Must See Rating (out of 5): 3
– Predictions of Every Game

– Bowl Projections | Rankings
– Schedules, Scores For All 131 Teams

Edited October 12, 2022 by aubiefifty

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247sports.com

 

College football predictions for Week 7's biggest games: Alabama meets Tennessee, Michigan hosts Penn State

Brad Crawford

12-15 minutes

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Several unbeaten teams have prime opportunities to stake their claim in the College Football Playoff picture in Week 7, which makes our predictions for Saturday of utmost importance heading into midseason. Sixth-ranked Tennessee will try and end a 15-game losing streak against Alabama at a soldout Neyland Stadium while Penn State and Michigan crash helmets in Ann Arbor with the victor posing as the top challenger to No. 1 Ohio State at the top of the Big Ten.

There's also games to watch in the Pac-12 and Big 12 respectively as USC takes its perfect record on the road as an underdog to Utah and Oklahoma State-TCU engage in a matchup of top 15 unbeatens. This should be one of the nation's most exciting weekends of the season with major poll fluctuation coming as a result.

Season results: Brad Crawford (35-15 overall; 27-22-1 against the spread); Chris Hummer (35-15 overall; 30-19-1 ATS). Nearing the midway point of the season, we're both well above .500 against the spread and after Hummer's 7-3 week, he has taken a three-game lead on yours truly. There's ground to make up this weekend.

Subscribe to 247Sports YouTube for the latest college football, basketball and recruiting news including live college commitments.

Here are our picks straight up and against the spread for Week 7's biggest games.

(Photo: USA TODAY Sports)

Hummer (The Pick: Auburn +14.5): I have a feeling this will be closer than a lot of people expect. Auburn is better than its record, and it has a ton to play for this week with Bryan Harsin’s job status looming over everything. The only thing that gives me pause with an Auburn cover is the Tigers’ difficulty containing the run this year against an explosive Rebels rushing attack. But Auburn has been better in that regard after getting gashed by Penn State. … Ole Miss 27, Auburn 18.

Crawford (The Pick: Auburn +14.5): I thought I was going to win back to back weeks with Auburn and the points last week at Georgia, but the Tigers laid down in the second half and failed to muster more than a touchdown against Georgia's stingy defense. I do think the Tigers will be able to move the football a bit better against the Rebels in this spot. There's a good chance this is Harsin's final game before Auburn heads into its open week. ... Ole Miss 30, Auburn 20.

(Photo: USA TODAY Sports)

Hummer (The Pick: Kentucky +7): There’s pretty good value with Kentucky. The Wildcats, if Will Levis can play, have shown the ability to stay in games despite an underwhelming rushing attack. Mark Stoops is going to make things difficult on the opposing offense — Mike Leach is averaging 16.5 points per game against Kentucky — thanks to a still solid defense. Mississippi State is the better team. But I’ll take the points. … Mississippi State 31, Kentucky 28.

Crawford (The Pick: Kentucky +7): It’s pile on Kentucky week for me after the Wildcats lost to Ole Miss and South Carolina in back to back games. The offensive line is really struggling right now and Zach Arnett’s 3-3-5 look is going to give Kentucky issues. The Wildcats will get Levis back and that should help, but I think Mississippi State continues its hot streak and wins this game on the road. I’ll take the 7 with Kentucky to cover if Levis is the starter though. ... Mississippi State 24, Kentucky 23. 

(Photo: Nathan J. Fish, USA TODAY Sports)

Hummer (The Pick: Oklahoma State +3.5): That’s a favorable line for Oklahoma State. I think TCU is the better team, but only slightly. If you’re going to give me 3.5 for the Cowboys, I’m picking them to cover. As for the actual result of this game, Oklahoma State’s big weakness is its secondary. That’s a problem against a TCU offense averaging 9.7 yards per pass with one of the nation’s top overall wide receiver rooms. The Horned Frogs win. But it’s close. … TCU 38, Oklahoma State 35.

Crawford (The Pick: Oklahoma State +3.5): Here's another game in which the Cowboys are getting a smidge of disrespect. They've already won as an outright underdog before this season at Baylor and have a grand opportunity to do so again against the Horned Frogs. But I'm with Hummer here. I think TCU wins the game outright, but fails to cover in what should be one of Week 7's top matchups. ... TCU 35, Oklahoma State 34.

(Photo: Icon Sportswire, Getty)

Hummer (The Pick: Texas -14.5): I’m a big believer in Texas. The Longhorns have an elite offense, an elite rushing defense and are the most talented team in the Big 12. And I think they show that against Iowa State. This is a tough matchup for the Cyclones. Texas is quietly and elite rushing defense, and that’s what Iowa State must establish to have offensive success. Texas, even across from what will likely be a chaotic game plan by Jon Heacock, is going to score. I don’t trust Iowa State to keep up. … Texas 38, Iowa State 21.

Crawford (The Pick: Iowa State +14.5): For Quinn Ewers' sake, I hope he has avoided the internet this week since everyone has crowned him a top 5 quarterback nationally after his impressive return to the starting lineup against Oklahoma. This Longhorns team is different with Ewers in there and is undoubtedly a Big 12 title contender if he stays healthy. That being said, Iowa State has won three straight in this series and Matt Campbell seems to have "figured out" Texas. I'll take the points here. ... Texas 41, Iowa State 27.

(Photo: John Guglielmo , 247Sports)

Hummer (The Pick: Utah -3.5): I just can’t quit Utah. Can’t do it! The Utes were a preseason playoff team for me, and I’m going to choose to ignore their early-season losses. And it’s easy to do this week, because Utah is equipped to expose what’s been a below-average USC defense. Utah isn’t an elite offense, but it’s as good, if not better, than anybody the Trojans have faced this year outside of Oregon State. And it took four Oregon State turnovers to keep USC in that game. Utah finds a way to win in what could be a high-scoring evening affair. … Utah 31, USC 27.

Crawford (The Pick: USC +3.5): No love for unbeaten USC from the oddsmakers, right? I’m underwhelmed by Utah up to this point. Picked the Utes against UCLA last week and thought they’d beat Florida in Week 1. Neither worked out. Despite being No. 1 out West in total defense, I thought Utah got bashed a good bit by the Bruins and the Trojans have similar talent. USC has lost three of its last four games in Salt Lake City, but I like the Trojans with 3.5 points in this spot. Anytime I’m given points with what I consider a top 5 team, I’ll take it. ... USC 38, Utah 33.

(Photo: Icon Sportswire, Getty)

Hummer (The Pick: Clemson -4.5): While I do have a feeling that this is the type of game Florida State wins in out-of-nowhere fashion, I’m sticking with my head here and picking Clemson to win and cover. The Tigers are just a better team. They’re equipped to make a run-first Seminoles attack one dimensional thanks to an elite defensive front. More importantly, Florida State tends to get behind the chains, which is potentially disastrous with Clemson’s pass rush. This is close for a stretch, but Clemson pulls away late. … Clemson 31, Florida State 24.

Crawford (The Pick: Clemson -4.5): One of this week's strangest lines, my numbers say Clemson by at least a touchdown, so I'll feel pretty good about taking the Tigers here as one of Week 7's strongest plays. Florida State had a great chance to beat NC State on the road last week after jumping out to a two-touchdown lead, but the Seminoles struggled in the second half before shooting themselves in the foot in the final moments. ... Clemson 30, Florida State 23.

(Photo: Bryan Terry/The Oklahoman, USA TODAY Sports)

Hummer (The Pick: Kansas +7) This is a difficult game to parse with Oklahoma starting QB Dillon Gabriel in question and Kansas starting QB Jalon Daniels out due to an injury this week. So, let’s take that out of the equation. To me, Kansas is just the better team right now. OU is too banged up and too depth-starved on defense to slow anyone down. And KU backup Jason Bean played well against the Sooners last year. I can see both teams winning. But what I can’t see is a blowout. … Oklahoma 38, Kansas 35.

Crawford (The Pick: Oklahoma -7): I haven't looked, but I'm sure the public is all over Oklahoma in this spot despite the Sooners losing three straight games in Big 12 play. It's unsafe giving Kansas seven points with or without Daniels, but I'm doing it anyway. If Brent Venables loses this game at home, it would be hard to argue that he's not the biggest failure of a first-year head coach at a major program this season. ... Oklahoma 35, Kansas 27.

(Photo: Scott Clause, USA TODAY Sports)

Hummer (The pick: LSU +2.5): I wonder what version of Anthony Richardson we get this week? When he’s on, Richardson is one of the best players in football. When he’s off, he’s turnover prone and inaccurate. I think LSU, with a strong front, can make Richardson put the ball in the air, which isn’t his strength. This game is truly a coin flip to me. But I just believe the Tigers are slightly better. … LSU 24, Florida 21. 

Crawford (The pick: LSU +2.5): Here are two teams that are really difficult to project this season and go through periods of struggle and hot play almost equally offensively. I think whoever wins at the line of scrimmage takes care of business. You have two quarterbacks in Jayden Daniels and Richardson who would prefer taking off behind a blocker rather than standing the pocket and launching it. This line leans LSU to me since it’s under 3 points, so I’ll take the Tigers on the road. ... LSU 27, Florida 24.

(Photo: Michael Hickey, Getty)

Hummer (The Pick: Penn State +7): I think Michigan is the better team. But I don’t think the Wolverines are that much better than Penn State. The Wolverines haven’t been tested by a defense of this caliber this year, which makes me wonder what we’ll see from J.J. McCarthy. And while I have serious concerns about PSU’s ability to run the football, I think Sean Clifford does enough to keep Penn State in this one. … Michigan 28, Penn State 24.

Crawford (The Pick: Michigan: -7): I’ve been looking forward to this game for weeks because this is the first time we’re really going to see both of these teams tested this season. Both of these offenses, at times, can be a bit spotty and I think you’re going to see a game in which the under is the best play. Penn State is not going to give up yardage in chunks to Blake Corum, so McCarthy will have to make a play or two in the fourth quarter to win. Give me Michigan to win the game and cover. I really like this Michigan defense. ... Michigan 27, Penn State 17.

(Photo: Tennessee Athletics Communication)

Hummer (The pick: Tennessee +7.5): Could Alabama blow Tennessee out? Absolutely. But given what I’ve seen from the Tide this year against like talent (Texas, Texas A&M), I feel pretty good about this being a close game. Tennessee can score. Alabama’s corners are a weak point, and the Vols have some players capable of taking advantage. Do I think Tennessee can stop the Tide with Bryce Young under center? Not at all. But I do think this could be a heck of a four-quarter shootout. … Alabama 35, Tennessee 28.

Crawford (The pick: Tennessee +7.5): This is the biggest home game in more than a decade for Tennessee, at least that’s what Saturday at Neyland is being billed as against Alabama. I’m here to say the road trip to Georgia a few weeks from now will be even more important because both teams will be unbeaten after the Vols take down the Crimson Tide. Alabama has played with fire in several close games already and even if Young plays, I don’t think he’s going to be 100%. I’ll take 7.5 points to be safe, but am picking Tennessee to win outright too. The stars have aligned and they're all in Knoxville. ... Tennessee 35, Alabama 31.

">247Sports

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COLUMN: Auburn is already behind the curve by keeping Bryan Harsin around

River Wells

3 minutes

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In a college football season where numerous coaches have already been felled by their lack of prowess, the Auburn Tigers stand firm.

Head Coach Bryan Harsin’s seat has been burning since the beginning of the year but despite blowout losses to Penn State and Georgia, a heart-stopping moment against Missouri and a blown lead against LSU, he remains on the throne in Auburn, Alabama — for now. But in the game of college football hirings, you win or you settle, and the longer Auburn keeps Harsin around, the less opportunity there will be for the right hire if they wait for the end of the season.

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So far, there have been quite a few teams who have cut ties with their head coach: Nebraska, Wisconsin, Arizona State, Georgia Tech and Colorado will all have a new leading man next year, but the important thing is that those teams already have the jump in finding the right candidate for the job. So if Bryan Harsin will certainly be fired as many suspect, why hasn’t it happened already?

First, it was a blowout to Penn State that was supposed to do him in, and then a comeback by LSU, followed by another blowout loss to Georgia. What exactly is Auburn waiting for?

Some may say that Georgia was too high-ranked of an opponent to fire Harsin after losing, but is No. 9 Ole Miss too high as well? What about No. 17 Mississippi State? A Texas A&M team that went toe-to-toe with No. 1 Alabama, who the Tigers will play at the end of the year? The simple truth is this — almost every team Auburn will face from here on out (aside from Western Kentucky) will be among college football’s top competition, and it’s still the Tigers’ expectation to beat those teams every year.

While Wisconsin and Nebraska and Arizona State are busy searching for the top head coaching candidates for 2023 — such as the newly fired Matt Rhule or the ever-present Deion Sanders —the Tigers remain steadfast in keeping a coach that everyone knows they plan on firing anyway. Whatever the point or reason, all retaining Bryan Harsin does is put the team in a worse spot for the future.

I’m unsure why Auburn remains so committed to Harsin’s doomed campaign, but the longer the administration allows him to stand on the sidelines, the more likely it is that the Auburn Tigers will be fighting for scraps when it’s time to appoint a new head coach for the football program.

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Joseph Goodman: Bryan Harsin proving Doug Barfield wasn’t so bad

Updated: Oct. 11, 2022, 5:06 p.m.|

Published: Oct. 11, 2022, 9:16 a.m.

An Auburn series gone wrong: Bryan Harsin's reaction to every play

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Joseph Goodman | jgoodman@al.com

Bryan Harsin is giving Auburn a new appreciation for Doug Barfield.

Can’t really frame what’s happening this season any better than that.

At least Barfield could recruit. At least Barfield lasted five seasons. At least Barfield had a winning record in the SEC.

And so maybe it’s time to view Barfield’s run from 1976 to 1980 from a new perspective. He was the worst, but not anymore.

At best, Harsin is Barfield on a bad day in his final season. And then there’s this. Who had Barfield’s reputation aging better than that of former Auburn coach Tommy Tuberville?

These are tough hours for Auburn, and it’s all hard to watch. Senator Tuberville is dead wrong for his racist rhetoric on the campaign trail, and Harsin is a dead man walking when it comes to coaching football on The Plains. Sad times. Long days.

Auburn (3-3, 1-2 in the SEC) is a bad Mountain West football team as it enters the seventh weekend of the 2022 season. It’s No.9 Ole Miss on Saturday in Oxford, Mississippi, and then the Tigers enter a bye week. That would be a good time to promote associate head coach Zac Etheridge to interim head coach, and officially be done with one of the worst hires in the history of SEC football.

Please, just let us all move on from this heartache.

RELATED: The pressing issue Auburn’s offense must resolve

RELATED: Former Auburn football star blasts Tommy Tuberville

RELATED: Lane Kiffin responds to coaching rumors

GOODMAN: Sideshow is over, Tennessee Week is here for Alabama

Here’s what people are worried about with Harsin. It’s that his desolation of Auburn football is the beginning of some dark age for the Tigers. Is there a path back into the light after this season? These are valid fears, but history points to hope.

History points to Barfield, who was Shug Jordan’s offensive coordinator before being promoted to head coach in 1976. Barfield might not have been the best hire, but at least he kept Auburn’s recruiting pipelines open. Those pipelines run deep even if they’ve been redirected elsewhere for a time.

It’s not just Alabama and Georgia that have taken advantage of Auburn’s troubles over the last few years. Clemson coach Dabo Swinney, who has strong ties in Alabama, has pulled elite recruits away from Auburn as well. Barfield faced similar challenges during his tenure.

In 1976, Barfield’s first season, Georgia won the SEC championship. Alabama won the next three and also claimed national championships in 1978 and 1979. Georgia of course won it all in 1980 (Barfield’s last season at Auburn), and then Clemson, with Alabama native Danny Ford as the coach, went 12-0 in 1981 and was awarded the national championship for that season.

Despite all that, Auburn hired the man who would become arguably the best coach in program history, Pat Dye. Dye was at Wyoming before Auburn, but was a two-time All-American at Georgia during his playing days and coached under Paul Bryant at Alabama.

Dye knew what he was doing the day he was hired, in other words. Harsin was expected to learn as he went, but it was obvious early on he didn’t have the talent for such things. The pandemic didn’t help his cause, and while Harsin’s lack of leadership destroyed Auburn from within, Alabama’s Nick Saban landed the top-rated signing class of the recruiting-service era. The year before, in 2020, Georgia, Alabama and Clemson finished the recruiting cycle one, two and three.

Harsin was hired in December of 2020 and Alabama won a national championship a few weeks later. Georgia won it all in 2021, and last week smoked Auburn 42-10. It was bad. Harsin attempted a fake punt in the first quarter with the game tied. Auburn was at its own 34-yard line. There’s no telling what he’ll try against Lane Kiffin’s Ole Miss, but Harsin’s coaching decisions are like watching a 12-year-old kid on a sugar binge play Madden NFL at 3:30 in the morning.

Entering Week 7 of the 2022 season, Georgia is ranked No.1 in the country and Alabama is ranked No.3. The next coach at Auburn is going to have to go head-to-head with Alabama’s Saban and Georgia’s Smart on the recruiting trail, and come away with some wins. That’s where the rebuilding begins.

With Dye, Auburn lost to No.1 Georgia 19-14 in 1982, but then upset Alabama 23-22 the next week at Legion Field. Since that victory, Auburn is 20-20 against Alabama in the Iron Bowl.

As I wrote a couple weeks back, Auburn is still an elite football school despite the up and down years of Malzahn and now the tragedy of Harsin. Auburn isn’t Nebraska. Is the culture at Auburn too toxic to hire a good coach? That’s the biggest question facing Auburn football this season.

Behind the scenes, Auburn can no longer waste time with its political in-fighting. It needs to impress a good coach with a strong plan for success … that maybe also includes an NIL war chest a la Texas A&M.

Considering the prestige of Auburn football in relation to the guy former athletics director Allen Greene hired to replace Gus Malzahn, Harsin very well could represent the worst hire in SEC football history. Is that Auburn’s fault? Is that Greene’s fault? It’s more like a combination of factors, and they include the fact that Alabama and Georgia are currently among the best-run programs in the country.

Don’t compare Harsin to Barfield, though. Harsin is worse. Harsin is more like JB “Ears” Whitworth, who is considered one of the worst coaches in Alabama football history. Whitworth kept Bart Starr on the bench his senior season. Harsin ran off Bo Nix.

It’s never as bad as it seems, though. After Barfield came Dye. After Whitworth, Alabama brought home Bryant.

Joseph Goodman is a columnist for the Alabama Media Group,

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Auburn’s poor run-blocking has Tank Bigsby mired in mediocrity

Published: Oct. 11, 2022, 9:49 a.m.

5-7 minutes

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Auburn’s offense has a crack in its foundation.

The Tigers spent all offseason talking up the idea of building their offense around star running back Tank Bigsby, but the team has been unable to get its preseason first-team All-SEC back going through the first half of its schedule. The run game has struggled to find its footing, and Bigsby’s numbers have been mired in mediocrity six games into the season.

“That’s the key to what we have to do up front is just not give up penetration and get those backs a chance to get started,” Auburn coach Bryan Harsin said. “They’ll do something with it.”

Read more Auburn football: The pressing issue Auburn’s offense must resolve against Ole Miss

Goodman: Bryan Harsin proving Doug Barfield wasn’t so bad

Bryan Harsin left searching for answers, “hope” after blowout loss to Georgia

To this point, though, Bigsby hasn’t been able to do much with the ball in his hands.

The junior is 12th in the SEC in rushing this season, with 345 yards and four touchdowns, but he’s 15th in the conference in rushing yards per game (57.5). He ranks 111th nationally in yards per carry (4.37), but he’s averaging just 2.94 yards per carry in four games against Power 5 competition, which is 36th among SEC rushers this season and the worst among qualifying SEC running backs. The only SEC players with a worse rushing per-carry average against Power 5 teams this season are quarterbacks: Texas A&M’s Max Johnson, Missouri’s Brady Cook and South Carolina’s Spencer Rattler.

In those four games against quality competition — Penn State, Missouri, LSU and Georgia — Bigsby has averaged just 36.75 yards per contest. His numbers against Power 5 opponents have gone down in each season; he averaged 6.04 yards per carry and 83.4 yards per game in 2020 when he was the SEC Freshman of the Year, and last year those numbers dropped to 4.25 yards per carry and 78 yards per game against Power 5 opponents.

Bigsby has not had a 100-yard rushing performance since Auburn’s season-opener against Mercer, when he ran for 147 yards and two touchdowns on 16 carries. His last 100-yard game against an FBS opponent was last year’s loss at South Carolina, when he had 164 yards on 22 carries.

His 19 yards on 10 carries (1.9 yards per attempt) last weekend at Georgia marked his worst rushing performance since his college debut in 2020, when he ran for just 15 yards on six carries (2.5 yards per carry) in a win against Kentucky. Against the Bulldogs, four of Bigsby’s nine carries went for 1 yard, no gain or a loss of yards. A week earlier against LSU, when he ran for 45 yards on 12 carries, five of them gained 1 yard or fewer (two more carries picked up just 2 yards).

As Harsin aptly put it between those two games, it has been a lot of “feast or famine” for Auburn in the run game of late, and the substandard numbers don’t just fall on Bigsby’s shoulders; it’s about how the offensive line does in front of him, too. Too often, Bigsby faces first contact behind the line of scrimmage and has to shed defenders just to produce a short gain.

“Penetration slows the backs down,” Harsin said. “And depending on the run scheme -- whatever it is, there’s different schemes -- but you don’t want to give up penetration. That’s what’s happened to us at times. As far as adjusting, blocking is a fundamental of the game, probably the most important one. That goes back to footwork, that goes back to aiming points, it goes back to what the defense is trying to do to you, it goes back to how you prepare yourself each and every week -- how we get our guys prepared.… You’ve got to be better up front; you don’t want to give up penetration.

“It’s not always that you’re moving and denting that defense all the time. But it gives your backs a chance when they can get to the line of scrimmage and be able to see and find a window. Sometimes it’s 2, 4 yards, but then you get some really good push, and it can be 8 or 18, it can be big runs.”

Those bigger runs have been harder to come by. In its four games against Power 5 opponents, Auburn has just three runs of at least 20 yards and no carries of 30-plus yards, though the Tigers do have 17 carries between 10 and 19 yards during that stretch. Bigsby has just three of those runs of 10-plus yards: a 12-yarder against Penn State, a 14-yarder against Missouri and a 23-yarder against LSU.

Overall, though, Auburn’s 4.1 yards per carry this season is 76th among FBS teams and on pace to be the program’s worst mark since the dreaded 2012 season (4.07 yards per carry). Any time you draw comparisons to that season, it’s suboptimal, but this year’s Auburn team seems to be doing so more and more this fall—and this time, it’s regarding an aspect that was supposed to be this offense’s strength, its foundation, in Year 2 under Harsin.

“Ultimately your game is going to come down to what the guys do up front — the fundamentals of how they play and block,” Harsin said. “…There were some good things that we did do. Now we have got to get all 11 guys doing that together. I think that is the key moving forward, really focusing on that, but our guys work very hard at it. They will get better at it. We are not where we are where we need to be. We have got to go back to work this week to improve in those areas.”

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

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Phillip's Tuesday afternoon musings

ByPhillip Marshall 19 hours ago

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* Why has Oklahoma crashed and burned in Brent Venables’ first season as a head coach? I don’t know and don’t claim to know. Why is Nebraska a shell of what it once was? I don’t know that either. Why did Texas go into a decade-long tailspin? Got me. I don’t cover those programs. I could speculate, but what good is meaningless speculation?

However, there are those who work for national outlets – ESPN in particular – who seemingly believe that, by working there, they become experts. They are convinced Auburn boosters want to take over the program. Why? They read something somebody wrote or heard somebody say it. They talk about Auburn coaches being mistreated and being quickly fired. All they have to do is compare Auburn to other SEC schools to know that is a bunch of hooey.

The world of clicks and hits and ratings in which we live no longer values truth and research. For too many in too many places, it’s all about seeking attention. As an old newspaper hack, that makes me sad.

* Will Auburn make a move on head coach Bryan Harsin if the Tigers lose at Ole Miss on Saturday? Maybe, but it would be a mistake to assume anything.

* Here is where NIL is headed. The programs with the resources to win at a high level are going to have NIL money, thus reducing its importance on the recruiting trail. If a player can get similar money from schools offering scholarships, recruiting returns to where he feels comfortable, his relationships with coaches and all the things that have always been important to high school players making decisions about their futures.

* Just a thought: Auburn could be heading toward a second consecutive losing season. Based on what I saw last Saturday, LSU could be headed toward its third consecutive non-winning season. Why are the two viewed so differently? If its recruiting rankings, that is silly. Until those 5-stars play like 5-stars, they are nothing more than players with potential.

* Texas A&M was two yards away from winning at Alabama last Saturday, but before getting carried away, it should be pointed out that Alabama rushed for almost 300 yards but had four turnovers and missed two field goal tries.

* Anyone who doesn’t believe “fit” matters for coaches needs only to look at Bret Bielema. He was highly successful at Wisconsin. He moved to Arkansas, had some limited early success and then flamed out. Now he has Illinois in the Top 25.

42COMMENTS

* There is a reason I have not speculated on who might be Auburn’s next coach. You could talk to trustees or donors or whomever and get an impression that one coach or another is in the mix. But unless you have talked to Chris Roberts or the small (and silent) circle of people with whom he consults, you do not know. I could say this coach is the leading candidate or that coach is in the mix. It would be nothing but a blind guess, which would accomplish nothing but generating talk. Not going to do it. The time will come, but that time is not now.

* I don’t watch a lot of NFL games, but I watch enough to know the roughing the pass penalties are completely out of control. I understand owners want to protect their franchise quarterbacks, but it’s football. Maybe they ought to just put flags on their pants. I’m serious. Make it flag football for quarterbacks behind the line of scrimmage. That would be better than games being changed because quarterbacks are tackled too hard.

[aubiefifty 18,248]

Auburn to face a much improved Ole Miss defense

By Mark MurphyTue Oct 11 2022

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AUBURN, Alabama–More often than not in recent seasons much of the success Ole Miss football teams have enjoyed has been a direct result of a high-scoring offense. The Rebel defenses have been the junior partner in that program’s formula for success.

However, this season is different. When the Auburn Tigers arrive at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium on Saturday they will have to contend with a team that is playing well on both sides of the line of scrimmage.

“They were pretty good last year and they are better,” Coach Bryan Harsin said about Auburn’s game seven opponent. “They have made improvements you can see.

 

 

 

“I think their guys are playing with confidence,” the coach pointed out. “They are playing fast. I think they are physical on that side of the ball. I think they are tackling well.”

The numbers confirm what Harsin is saying about the Rebels, who are 6-0 and ranked ninth nationally. A big reason why the Rebels are unbeaten is a defense that is allowing just 14.5 points per game. Last year they  gave up 24.7 points per game and in 2020 Ole Miss allowed 38.3 points per contest.

This year opponents are averaging just 117.8 rushing yards per game vs. Ole Miss. The team is allowing just 3.1 yards per run and opposing offenses are converting only 35 percent of their third down opportunities.

The Ole Miss defense has 16 quarterback sacks for 110 yards in losses. Opponents are only scoring touchdowns on 50 percent (9-18) of their incursions into the red zone. The Rebels have intercepted four passes and recovered a half dozen fumbles. Additionally, opponents have converted only eight of 20 fourth down plays vs. Coach Lane Kiffin’s team.

“Just look at the stat sheet, it shows up with that right there,” Harsin said of the Ole Miss defense. “It is pretty good from what I have seen.

“They are on a roll right now, they have got momentum, and I think that impacts the whole team. Certainly, as we look at it, their offense we know they are going to do well on that side of the ball and they are going to have a lot of firepower over there. Defensively, they are very, very good.”

Last year Auburn won 31-20 and a major reason for the win was that the Tigers had success both running and passing the pigskin. In that game at Jordan-Hare Stadium the Tigers got 140 rushing yards from Tank Bigsby while Bo Nix threw for 276 yards and one touchdown while rushing for two more scores. The Tigers finished the game with 483 total yards.

Tank Bigsby will try to have a breakout performance this week. (Photo: Greg McWilliams, Inside the Auburn Tigers, 247Sports)

“I thought we played a good game against them last year and did some really good things in the game,” Harsin said. “We were balanced and we had the run and pass, and all of that stuff, at least in that one game, working for us, but overall they have definitely improved. This is a good football team. That is why they are undefeated.”

19COMMENTS

Kickoff is set for shortly after 11 a.m. CDT and the game will be televised on ESPN. The Tigers will take a 3-3 record into the contest and are 1-2 in the SEC. The Rebels are 2-0 in league games.

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[bishoptf 736]

Thanks for collecting and posting these in one location, still not sure about the date but appreciate the work!

[aubiefifty 18,248]

4 minutes ago, bishoptf said:

Thanks for collecting and posting these in one location, still not sure about the date but appreciate the work!

i woke up late and got in too big of a hurry. i have to check my sugar and feed dogs and try and post and i just let you down man. i am just a poor ol geezer getting by the best he can................no really? thanks for calling this out. i owe you one!

[bishoptf 736]

15 minutes ago, aubiefifty said:

i woke up late and got in too big of a hurry. i have to check my sugar and feed dogs and try and post and i just let you down man. i am just a poor ol geezer getting by the best he can................no really? thanks for calling this out. i owe you one!

Lol I'm right there with ya brother, the old part that is...:)

 

Again appreciate the work that goes into and posting all the articles, makes it easier to kind of see whats being reported etc...

[AUINSY 2,242]

1 hour ago, aubiefifty said:

COLUMN: Auburn is already behind the curve by keeping Bryan Harsin around

River Wells

3 minutes

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In a college football season where numerous coaches have already been felled by their lack of prowess, the Auburn Tigers stand firm.

Head Coach Bryan Harsin’s seat has been burning since the beginning of the year but despite blowout losses to Penn State and Georgia, a heart-stopping moment against Missouri and a blown lead against LSU, he remains on the throne in Auburn, Alabama — for now. But in the game of college football hirings, you win or you settle, and the longer Auburn keeps Harsin around, the less opportunity there will be for the right hire if they wait for the end of the season.

Buy Tigers Tickets

So far, there have been quite a few teams who have cut ties with their head coach: Nebraska, Wisconsin, Arizona State, Georgia Tech and Colorado will all have a new leading man next year, but the important thing is that those teams already have the jump in finding the right candidate for the job. So if Bryan Harsin will certainly be fired as many suspect, why hasn’t it happened already?

First, it was a blowout to Penn State that was supposed to do him in, and then a comeback by LSU, followed by another blowout loss to Georgia. What exactly is Auburn waiting for?

Some may say that Georgia was too high-ranked of an opponent to fire Harsin after losing, but is No. 9 Ole Miss too high as well? What about No. 17 Mississippi State? A Texas A&M team that went toe-to-toe with No. 1 Alabama, who the Tigers will play at the end of the year? The simple truth is this — almost every team Auburn will face from here on out (aside from Western Kentucky) will be among college football’s top competition, and it’s still the Tigers’ expectation to beat those teams every year.

While Wisconsin and Nebraska and Arizona State are busy searching for the top head coaching candidates for 2023 — such as the newly fired Matt Rhule or the ever-present Deion Sanders —the Tigers remain steadfast in keeping a coach that everyone knows they plan on firing anyway. Whatever the point or reason, all retaining Bryan Harsin does is put the team in a worse spot for the future.

I’m unsure why Auburn remains so committed to Harsin’s doomed campaign, but the longer the administration allows him to stand on the sidelines, the more likely it is that the Auburn Tigers will be fighting for scraps when it’s time to appoint a new head coach for the football program.

It's funny...the talking heads kept saying, "I can't believe Auburn's going to fire Bryan Harsin! He's only been there less than two seasons!" to now, "I can't believe Auburn still has Bryan Harsin as their head coach!" in the span of 3-4 weeks. These are the same people that say Auburn fans/alum are fickle 😂

[aubiefifty 18,248]

Vegas sees Auburn as the second most likely option for Matt Rhule

Zac Blackerby

2 minutes

There's already a ton of chatter about who will be coaching the Auburn football program next year despite Bryan Harsin still holding the position. 

There have been several names that have been thrown around but with the Carolina Panthers firing Rhule earlier this week, Vegas sees Auburn as a likely landing spot. 

According to Bet Online, Nebraska leads the way as the favorite to land Rhule with 3/2 odds. Auburn is second with 3/1 odds. 

Rhule has had success turning both Temple and Baylor around before earning a shot in the NFL. There will be some interest in Rhule from college programs this off-season. 

Here is the full set of lines on where Rhule could be coaching next according to Bet Online. 

Matt Rhule Next Head Coach Job

Nebraska 3/2

Auburn 3/1

Wisconsin 5/1

Arizona State 15/2

Colorado 8/1

Stanford 10/1

Georgia Tech 12/1

Oklahoma 12/1

Texas A&M 16/1

Any NFL Team 33/1

Some standouts on this list are Oklahoma, which has a first-year head coach currently. Texas A&M is interesting with Jimbo Fisher underachieving despite having a ton of talent with the Aggies. Fisher's buyout would be historically high if Texas A&M were to move on. 

There's the option that Rhule could stay at the NFL level but with how quickly the Panthers were to move on from him during the 2022 season, it could probably give some pause from other NFL teams to look his way. 

Edited October 12, 2022 by aubiefifty