10/22/22 Auburn Articles

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auburnwire.usatoday.com

 

Two Auburn defenders named to Reese’s Senior Bowl Defensive All-Riser Team

JD McCarthy

1-2 minutes

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Auburn’s defense has not had the season it was hoping for but Owen Pappoe and Nehemiah Pritchett have had strong first halves of the season and were named to the 2022 Reese’s Senior Bowl Midseason defensive All-Riser Team.

Pappoe has started every game for Auburn at linebacker and leads the team with 57 tackles. The senior has also forced two fumbles, broken up a pass, and registered one quarterback hurry.

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Pritchett has made 18 tackles and broken up three passes.

The team, which was announced Friday by Jim Nagy, consists of five defensive backs, four defensive linemen, and two linebackers. According to Nagy, each player has risen two or more rounds on their draft board compared to where they started this season.

Contact/Follow us @TheAuburnWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Auburn news, notes, and opinion. You can also follow JD on Twitter @jdmccarthy15.

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Auburn officially names new football facilities

Matthew Wallace

3-4 minutes

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As Auburn’s football training center and weight room near completion, the Auburn University Board of Trustees has approved the names for Auburn football’s two newest facilities.

The football-only facility will be known as the Woltosz Football Performance Center, in honor of Walt and Ginger Woltosz and the weight room will be named the Creel Family Player Development Lab, in recognition of Keith and Ginger Creel, Auburn announced in a release on Thursday.

"Once again, the Woltosz and Creel families have demonstrated their leadership and commitment to Auburn by their transformational giving," said Auburn interim athletics director Rich McGlynn. "These named spaces will serve as permanent reminders to football student-athletes, coaches and the Auburn family of their steadfast dedication and inspiring generosity."

Both families are members of the Pat Dye Society, the highest level of giving Auburn’s Tigers Unlimited Foundation has to offer.

"The Woltoszes and the Creels have a passion for supporting Auburn – and specifically Auburn student-athletes – that is second to none," said Auburn executive associate athletics director Tim Jackson. "Their generosity toward this project is a game changer for our football program, continuing their broad support for many Auburn Athletics programs."

The Woltosz family, for whom the football training center will be named, committed the largest gift in Auburn athletics history in 2019, a record since surpassed by Bill and Connie Neville.

"We love Auburn," Walt Woltosz said. "You look for things you can do to make the world a better place and certainly, to help make Auburn a better place. Athletics are often the front door to the University to people who don't know much about Auburn. Academically, we're at a very high level, but many only come to know that first through the athletic programs."

The Creel family, for whom the weight room is dedicated, has a history of supporting Auburn’s football and equestrian programs.

"Our commitment is to partner as much as we can, supporting the athletic program, to help Auburn to continue to develop student-athletes to become productive members of society, both in business and outside of business," Keith Creel said. "It's an investment in the University so they in turn can invest in the students, enabling and equipping them to better serve society and the world, which is what Ginger and I believe we're all truly called to do in our lives on this earth."

The newly-named Creel Family Player Development Lab will have 25,000 feet of training space and strength and conditioning equipment.

18COMMENTS

The $92 million Woltosz Football Performance Center, the largest project in Auburn athletics history, will be 233,428 square feet with indoor and outdoor practice fields. Auburn football coaches and administration will also be based in the building.

The new football-only facility and weight room are expected to hold Auburn’s football operations when the 2022 season concludes.

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Offensive stat leaders through seven games

Taylor Jones

2 minutes

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Auburn Football takes their bye week during week eight, which comes at a great time.

The Tigers are 3-4 heading into the second half of the season, and will need a strong revamp to their offense in order to finish with a winning record.

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Auburn currently ranks No. 9 in the SEC in total offense, gaining 377.7 yards per contest. Running the football has been their strongest suit, as they post 170 yards on the ground each week, which is eighth-best in the conference.

When it comes to advance stats, Auburn is one of College Football’s lowest rated teams. According to Pro Football Focus, Auburn ranks No. 115 in overall offensive performance, grading at 61.4%.

Auburn Wire takes a look at both statistical leaders, as well as in-depth numbers from Pro Football Focus, to determine who has been Auburn Football’s top performers through seven weeks of action.

Here are Auburn offense’s statistical leaders:

Justin Ford/Getty Images

Attempts: 140

Completions: 67

Yards: 1,104

Touchdowns: 4

Interceptions: 5

Passer rating: 110.98

The Montgomery Advertiser

Attempts: 99

Yards: 524

Touchdowns: 6

Yards Per Carry: 5.3

Yards Per Game: 74.9

John Reed-USA TODAY Sports

Receptions: 19

Yards: 335

Touchdowns: 1

Yards Per Catch: 17.6

Yards Per Game:  47.86

Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

Extra Points: 18-of-18

Field Goals: 8-of-10

Total points: 42

Todd Van Emst/AU Athletics

Total snaps: 462

Pass snaps: 255

Run snaps: 207

AP Photo/Stew Milne

Overall grade (PFF): 78.4

Passing game grade: 51.7

Pass blocking: 43.2

Run game: 88.2

Run blocking: 55.6

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#PMARSHONAU: What was expected of Auburn's football team and what has happened

Phillip Marshall

4 minutes

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With Auburn’s football team off for the weekend before returning to play Arkansas at Jordan-Hare Stadium, I have reflected on where these Tigers are compared to where I thought they would be before the season. What I expected:

* I thought they would be 4-1, maybe even 5-0, after five consecutive home games to open the season.

* I thought the offensive line, with all its experience, would be much improved.

* I thought there would be more offensive imagination under coordinator Eric Kiesau.

* I thought the wide receivers would be much improved.

* I thought Zach Calzada would be the starting quarterback.

* I thought running back Tank Bigsby would have a breakout season.

* I thought the defense would be really good.

Here is what I have seen:

* Being 3-4 and 1-3 after all those home games is an ominous sign. That start has severely damaged head coach Bryan Harsin’s job security if not taking it away completely.

* The offensive line has struggled. Is it talent? Is it scheme? Probably a combination of both. The record after five games was 3-2 and would have been 2-3 had Missouri not literally given away a certain victory.

* Outside of the occasional unsuccessful trick play, the offense has shown little to no imagination.

* It’s hard to say anything one way or the other about the wide receivers. It seems there is a different rotation every week. Ja’Varrius Johnson has been the most explosive but seems to be often forgotten.

* Calzada’s story is a strange one. He was cleared to go full-speed after missing most of spring with a bad non-throwing shoulder. In preseason camp, almost immediately, he was behind T.J. Finley on the depth chart. When the season started, he was No. 3 behind Finley and Robby Ashford. Finally, he said he was going to sit out this season. Will he ever play for Auburn? That’s a good question.

* Bigsby had a breakout game last Saturday at Ole Miss. Will that continue?

* The defense is good when its fresh, but depth is a serious issue. It’s hard to say that, overall, the defense has been good when Penn State scored 41 points, Georgia 42 and Ole Miss 48. Against good teams, Auburn has not been able to stop the run.

What is logical to expect going forward?

* The Tigers have three home games and two road games left. Assuming they have little to no chance at Alabama in the regular-season finale, they would have to win three of four against Arkansas, at Mississippi State, against Texas A&M and Western Kentucky to finish 6-6. All four of those games are winnable, and all four are losable. Winning all of them, while theoretically possible, is not something this team has shown it is a threat to do.

* Until something is decided, the focus will remain more on Harsin’s future than on the players, and that is unfortunate.

* The defense is going to continue to struggle against good teams. Depth can’t be created overnight.

10COMMENTS

* The offense was better at Ole Miss than it has been. Was that about Auburn or was it about Ole Miss’ defense? Arkansas’ defense is nothing special, either. In fact, it is near the bottom of the SEC in most categories.

* It’s conceivable that this Auburn team could finish 6-6. It is more likely that it will finish 5-7 or 4-8.

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