Jump to content

10/25/22 Auburn Articles


aubiefifty

Recommended Posts

collegefootballnews.com
 

Arkansas vs Auburn Prediction, Game Preview

By Pete Fiutak | October 25, 2022 1:51 am CT
3-4 minutes

Arkansas vs Auburn prediction, game preview, how to watch. Week 9, Saturday, October 29


Arkansas vs Auburn How To Watch

Date: Saturday, October 29
Game Time: 12:00 ET
Venue: Jordan-Hare Stadium, Auburn, AL
How To Watch: SEC Network
Record: Arkansas (4-3), Auburn (3-4)
Sign up and live stream college football on ESPN+

CFN 1-131 Rankings | Rankings by Conference
Bowl Projections | Week 8 Roundup
What 12-Team Playoff Would Look Like
College Football Playoff Rankings Prediction
Contact/Follow @ColFootballNews & @PeteFiutak

Arkansas vs Auburn Game Preview

Why Arkansas Will Win

KJ Jefferson should be okay.

All systems are supposedly go after the star quarterback out in the loss to Mississippi State and getting banged up in the brilliant performance against BYU.

He had two weeks off to rest up, and now Auburn has to deal with a passing game that found its groove in Provo to go along with the ground attack that’s ninth-best in the nation.

Auburn might have finally figured out how to score a little bit with a great day from the ground game in the 48-34 loss to Ole Miss, but the run defense gave it all back and then some.

The Tigers allowed 740 rushing yards and nine touchdowns over the last two games, the run D is the worst in the SEC, and KJ and his group of rested playmakers should be able to rumble.

NFL Expert Picks, Week 8

Why Auburn Will Win

Outside of KJ Jefferson being hurt, what has stopped Arkansas so far? It loses when the run defense shuts down.

The Hogs were great against Alabama for three quarters until the Tide backfield took over and finished with 317 rushing yards. Texas A&M came up with enough big runs to get close to 200, and Mississippi State even mixed it up a little bit.

Arkansas is 0-3 on the year when allowing 160 or more rushing yards and 4-0 when it give up fewer. Coming off a 179-yard day against Ole Miss, this is when Tank Bigsby needs to come up with something otherworldly.

The Hog D is the second-worst overall yardage-wise in the SEC, it’s bad on third downs, and the secondary can be thrown on to keep things moving.

Auburn has so start running, own third downs, and then come up with something big through the air to test the Hog corners deep.

However …

– Game Previews, Predictions CollegeNFL

What’s Going To Happen

The Auburn passing game isn’t accurate enough.

That hasn’t mattered too much against for a Hog secondary that gives up pass plays in chunks, but QB Robby Ashford is only hitting 48% of his throws and should be good for a key pick.

Auburn will build off the offensive performance against Ole Miss, but it still won’t be enough. The Arkansas balanced attack will be too relentless.

College Football Expert Picks, Week 9

Arkansas vs Auburn Prediction, Line

Arkansas 35, Auburn 27
Line: Arkansas -4, o/u: 61
ATS Confidence out of 5: 3
Arkansas vs Auburn Must See Rating (out of 5): 3.5

Link to comment
Share on other sites





Bryan Harsin raves about Jeremiah Wright’s development on Auburn offensive line

Sydney Hunte
3 minutes

Bryan Harsin mentioned during his Monday press conference that he’s been pleased with what he’s seen from Auburn offensive lineman Jeremiah Wright.

Wright played both offensive and defensive line in high school and has seen time at both spots since coming to the Plains in 2020. Only this year did he gain his first career start as he received the call at left guard against Ole Miss on Oct. 15 in the Tigers’ final game before the bye week.

While that ended in a Tigers loss, Harsin was impressed with the 3rd-year player, and he’ll be looking for more as Auburn faces Arkansas at Jordan-Hare Stadium on Saturday.

“He’s in the right position now. He knows that and sees that. There’s no doubt in our mind. He’s a guard and he’s going to be a good player. Now we have to build on that this week,” he said, according to On3’s Ellie Oldham.

Wright has also gained plaudits from his teammates. Per On3, against Ole Miss, he graded out with the 2nd-highest PFF score among all Auburn offensive linemen this year on run-blocking attempts.

“I’m happy to see him out there getting his experience,” said tight end John Samuel Shenker. “He’s a tough guy. He’s had some injuries, so he’s had to fight back from those, but I feel like he’s done really well so far.”

TRENDING

58,148 READS

51,772 READS

23,016 READS

7f2f260cdddcdf115e1ef2c82d18f8a5?s=100&d

Sydney (@SHWrites on Twitter) is an Atlanta-based journalist who has covered everything from SEC and ACC football to MLS, the U.S. men's national soccer team and professional tennis. His work has appeared on such platforms as SB Nation, Cox Media Group and FanSided.

We do not target any individuals under the age of 21. We support responsible gambling. If you feel like you're losing control over your gambling experience, call 1-800-GAMBLER (NJ, PA, WV), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-BETS-OFF (IA), 1-888- 532-3500(Virginia) 1-800-522-4700 (NV, TN), 1-800-522-4700 (CO, TN), 1-855-2CALLGA (IL), 1-800-270-7117 (MI).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The full Auburn depth chart for Week 9

River Wells
3-4 minutes

It’s time to get spooky at Jordan-Hare for Halloween weekend.

The Tigers will try to give the Arkansas Razorbacks a scare on Saturday, Oct. 29 when the once-mightly Hogs come down to play. The Razorbacks have had their share of problems over the last couple of weeks, but Auburn has plenty of its own ghosts to fight in order to get back on track for the remainder of the season.

There aren’t a lot of changes from recent depth charts here, so take a look below at the lineup Auburn will be fielding against Arkansas when it goes to defend its home turf on Saturday.

USATSI_19106266-1.jpg

The Montgomery Advertiser — USA Today

Starter: Robby Ashford, Redshirt Freshman

BackupT.J. Finley, Junior OR Holden Geriner, Freshman

USATSI_16690857.jpg

John Reed-USA TODAY Sports

Starter: Tank Bigsby, Junior

BackupJarquez Hunter, Sophomore

aebedd4cd6624b9982b7d81dd11e8424.jpg

(AP Photo/John Raoux)

Starter: John Samuel Shenker, Senior

BackupLuke Deal, Junior

aebedd4cd6624b9982b7d81dd11e8424.jpg

(AP Photo/John Raoux)

Starter: John Samuel Shenker, Senior

BackupLuke Deal, Junior

USATSI_17242105.jpg

USA TODAY NETWORK

WRX: Shedrick Jackson, Senior

Backup: Camden Brown, Freshman

WRH: Ja’Varrius Johnson, Junior

Backup: Tar’Varish Dawson Jr., Redshirt Freshman OR Jay Fair, Freshman

WRZ: Koy Moore, Sophomore

Backup: Malcom Johnson Jr., Junior OR Omari Kelly, Freshman

122421-AU-Pract-tv-1.jpg

Todd Van Emst/AU Athletics

Left Tackle: Kilian Zierer, Senior

Backup: Brendan Coffey, Senior

Left Guard: Kameron Stutts, Senior

Backup: Jeremiah Wright, Junior

Center: Brandon Council, Senior

Backup: Jalil Irvin, Senior

Right Guard: Alec Jackson, Senior

Backup: Keiondre Jones, Junior

Right Tackle: Austin Troxell, Senior

Backup: Alec Jackson, Senior

8734144f443c4ff491ceee5c6bede84d.jpg

(AP Photo/John Raoux)

Edge Rusher: Derick Hall, Senior

Backup: Dylan Brooks, Redshirt Freshman

1872dd515c5c483ab1c88c83f3cd62be.jpg

(AP Photo/Matthew Hinton)

Defensive End: Colby Wooden, Junior

Backup: Morris Joseph Jr., Senior OR Marcus Bragg, Senior

Nose Tackle: Jason Jones, Sophomore

Backup: Marquis Burks, Senior

Defensive Tackle: Marcus Harris, Junior

Backup: Jeffey M’Ba, Sophomore

1236240166.jpg

(Photo by Michael Chang/Getty Images)

Middle Linebacker: Owen Pappoe, Senior

Backup: Wesley Steiner, Junior

Weakside Linebacker: Cam Riley, Junior

Backup: Eugene Asante, Junior OR Jake Levant, Sophomore

2aa55ba5f8f64029adfe388b49bd8dfd-e164899

(AP Photo/Butch Dill)

CB1: Nehemiah Pritchett, Senior

Backup: J.D. Rhym, Freshman

CB2: D.J. James, Junior

Backup: Jaylin Simpson, Junior

Nickel: Keionte Scott, Sophomore

Backup: Austin Ausberry, Freshman

USATSI_16827952.jpg

John Reed-USA TODAY Sports

Safety: Zion Puckett, Junior

Backup: Marquise Gilbert, Sophomore

Safety: Donovan Kaufman, Sophomore

Backup: Cayden Bridges, Redshirt Freshman

USATSI_17064417.jpg

John Reed-USA TODAY Sports

Kicker: Anders Carlson, Senior

Backup: Alex McPherson, Freshman

Punter: Oscar Chapman, Junior

Backup: Alex McPherson, Freshman

Holder: Oscar Chapman, Junior

Backup: Trey Lindsay, Senior

Longsnapper: Jacob Quattlebaum, Senior

Backup: Kyle Vaccarella, Redshirt Freshman

Punt Returner: Keionte Scott, Sophomore

Backup: Ja’Varrius Johnson, Junior

Kick Returner: Jarquez Hunter, Sophomore OR Keionte Scott, Sophomore

Backup: Damari Alston, Freshman OR Nehemiah Pritchett, Senior

Link to comment
Share on other sites

In His Own Words: Sam Pittman looks to snap Auburn losing streak

Nathan King
9-11 minutes

 

The Razorbacks have won eight SEC games since Sam Pittman took over as head coach prior to the 2020 season, but none of them have been against Auburn. The Tigers' longest current winning streak in the conference is against Arkansas, which they've beaten six straight times going back to the 2016 season. The Hogs are a road favorite this week, though, against Bryan Harsin's squad, which has lost three straight games and has lost six of its last seven SEC matchups. Here's what Pittman had to say Monday about his team's trip to the Plains this weekend (11 a.m. CST, SEC Network).

Opening remarks ...

"We're excited to go to Auburn. We had a good bye week. I feel like we're healthy as we can be going into this game. We know they have a lot of good players. They are very talented, but we're looking forward to going to play."

Injury updates? ...

"We're going to look at (Myles) Slusher today in indy and see how well he can progress or how much better he is. We feel like he's going to be fine. Khari (Johnson) will be back, and hopefully we can get Malik (Chavis) back no later than tomorrow. Hopefully (Latavious) Brini's ankle that has been bothering him for five or six weeks now, hopefully it's healed. We'll know a little bit more about that. Marcus Henderson will be one guy that probably won't be ready early in the week, hopefully later. He had a high ankle sprain. Getting (Ty'Kieast) Crawford back today. Bumper (Pool) feels better, and Drew Sanders feels better. So, I think we did the right thing. We'll obviously wait to see on Saturday if it is the right call or not, but we feel like it is. Jayden (Johnson) will be ready to practice today, as well."

Offensive balance against BYU? ...

"Well, I think we opened up the game plan a little more last week on early downs. I think that's who we are. We can throw and catch, especially when we're unpredictable about what we are doing on early downs. I think that helped us against BYU. Certainly, I believe you have to run the ball to have success. A lot of teams are throwing it and having success. I don't mean that, but for the way we are built, I think we have to run the ball to have success then do some things off of that. But I like where we're at offensively. Obviously, last week we were big on third down. That helped us. As long as we continue that and hold onto the football, I think we'll like how our offense looks. I do right now."

Dealing with injuries in the secondary ...

"Well, obviously, getting who might be a 1 on your team, who you think is your better players back not only just physically out on the field, but it helps you as a play caller, because you've seen them do it before. You trust them a little bit more with guys you've seen than the hope of 'I hope we do it well.' So, each game's a lot about matchups, and how do you match them. It's hard not to look at scores, but scores really, really don't matter about how some team did against another team. It's about the matchup. Do you match up well with whomever they have? So, I think the first thing with Auburn, you've got to be able to stop their running game. Obviously they ran for over 300 yards last week. Then, how do you match up against their wide receivers and things of that nature.

"So we're going to have to give them several looks. They've got a really talented quarterback. Young, but very, very talented. So we're going to have to mix up the looks for him pre-snap and see if we can't do a good job with that."

Is Jadon Haselwood good to go? ...

"I think it'll be a nagging thing with him, probably throughout the year. However, I think he feels a lot better. But we'll probably still have him in the green at practice."

What did KJ Jefferson do during bye week? ...

"We just didn't, he didn't throw the football last week. I can't remember the game. I'm wanting to say it might have been going into A&M on a Thursday, he threw a ball and didn't finish practice. It's been nagging him a little bit and so we decided not to throw him last week. I anticipate him being healthy and ready to go."

Auburn's run game ...

"Well Robby's their second-leading rusher. So some of those are designed runs, which he's very good at. Obviously, the other part is getting outside the pocket and running, which we're very concerned about that. But he's got a strong arm, but he's most dangerous when you have the receivers covered downfield and he takes off. I mean, he's really dangerous doing that. Bigbsy, probably last week he showed who he really is. They opened up against Ole Miss a lot of holes for him, and he made a lot of good runs out of that. But I've always liked Bigsby. I think he's a really, really good player. Breaks a lot of tackles, and that's the emphasis this week, trying to get him down before he gets started. They can get him 3-4 yards, he's hard to bring down. We need to get him as close to the line of scrimmage as possible."

Noise around Bryan Harsin's job ...

"I think they're playing really hard. It's Auburn, we haven't beat them since I've been here. We're 0-2 against them. I think they're playing hard. For them to come back after being down 21-0 the last game against Ole Miss, and come back and make that a close, good football game on the road. I think it says a lot about their coaching staff, and the kids still believing in them and playing extremely hard."

Rocket Sanders' improvement ...

"I like where he’s at. I think he’s 124 a game or something like that average. Ball security has to improve there. Again, not just necessarily ones on the ground but the way we’re carrying the ball. I think we’ve got to be a little smarter there. But he’s been a better back all year than he was last year just because he’s understanding it. He hasn’t played that position very long. But Rocket is a competitor. A guy that’s mature for his age, very much so. I think he can handle the load that he’s getting right now. Obviously we have four backs that we think are pretty good players. But it’s his ball. As long as he’s not tired we’re going to give him the ball."

Preparing for Jefferson to go on the road ...

"Well, we’re going to change practice up just like we did when we went to BYU. We’re going to start fast with good on good and things of that nature. It worked so we’re going to keep it that way. But KJ is the heart and soul of our team, so having him will help us tremendously. I think we’re ready to try to make a run. I mean we talk about it a lot. Of course you’re got to win the next one to get on a run. But especially late October, early November, it’s a lot about the vibe of the team. It’s a lot about where you’re at injury wise. What you really believe you can do, probably more importantly what you want to do. Things of that nature. I like where our team is. I think this is a big test for us, obviously on the road at a very traditionally rich program that has a lot of good players. And so, but I’m excited where we are and KJ is a big part of that."

Bye week recovery mental and physical? ...

"I think rest a lot of times puts things in perspective. You’re not running, running, running. You’re looking at, OK here’s where we are. This is what we’ve done. This is where we can get to. We tried not to rest them mentally as far as prep. Mental prep, film, walks, things of that nature, for Auburn. But obviously when your body slows down, a lot of times your mind does too. So hopefully we’ve got the perfect remedy for the guys to kind of go down a little bit, relax a little bit, because we know we have a hard five-game stretch coming up."

Derick Hall and Owen Pappoe ...

"Hall’s really good. Well, so is Pappoe. But Hall’s really good. He’s a problem. I think he has maybe four sacks, but it’s not just the sacks. It’s that he’s a good run defender, he can chase you down on quarterback reads. He can give you the read and chase you down. He can affect throws, affect where KJ will be able to set up in the pocket. I think he’s really, really good and is playing extremely well. Pappoe’s a guy that just gets you on the ground. He can run. Played a lot of ball for them. But he can run and very, very smart player. Seems to be in position all the time. I like (Colby) Wooden, too, 25. I think he’s a really good player. He’s a really good pass rusher. I like them all, but those guys really stick out. I like their linebacker corps. They seem to be good tacklers. Obviously you turn on tape and it’s the first guy making the tackle and a lot of times that’s the case with Auburn. I like them. I like their defense."

">247Sports
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Auburn’s shaky run defense faces tall order against Arkansas, Raheim Sanders

Published: Oct. 25, 2022, 7:04 a.m.
6-7 minutes

One of Auburn’s biggest weaknesses will face one of its toughest tests coming off the bye week.

When Arkansas visits Jordan-Hare Stadium on Saturday, Auburn’s shaky run defense will go toe to toe with one of the nation’s best rushing attacks in a matchup that seemingly puts the Tigers at a considerable disadvantage.

“It’s going to be a good challenge for us this week, man,” Auburn linebacker Owen Pappoe said. “We’ve just got to stay disciplined. We can’t have guys hopping out of gaps. Just, shoot, win at the line of scrimmage and be physical this game.”

Read more Auburn football: Reserve Auburn running back out for season

Defensive tackle Zykeivous Walker no longer on Auburn’s roster

Auburn opens as home underdog against Arkansas for first time since 1998

That’s something Auburn’s defense has been unable to do well this season, particularly in recent weeks. In its last game out prior to the bye week, Auburn’s defense was decimated by Ole Miss’ rushing attack in a historically bad performance for the Tigers, giving up 448 yards, three touchdowns and 6.49 yards per carry to the Rebels in a 48-34 road loss.

It was the worst performance by Auburn against the run in at least 20 years and likely one of the worst in program history. The root cause: missed fits and missed tackles — things players and coach Bryan Harsin pointed to after the game and reiterated again Monday after having more than a week to review and assess the issues. According to Pappoe, Auburn’s coaches counted at least 20 missed tackles against Ole Miss.

“If you look at the game — we could’ve helped ourselves by being in better position at times, having a better call at times, and then the tackling always becomes a factor,” Harsin said. “I think every defensive coordinator and every defensive coach would say that in every game, right? You got to attack. When their backs are good — they were hard to tackle. Those backs are really good players. They make it really hard to tackle. I thought we did have guys in position, and they broke tackles.”

The showing against Ole Miss was also the latest entry into a growing list of concerning performances by the Tigers’ defense against the run. A week earlier, on the road at Georgia, Auburn allowed 292 yards and six touchdowns as the Bulldogs averaged 7.49 yards per carry — the most surrendered by Auburn in a single game since 2015, when LSU averaged 8.56 yards per carry in that year’s matchup in Death Valley.

Coming out of the bye week, Auburn is last in the SEC and 119th nationally in rushing defense, allowing 204.4 yards per game and 4.85 yards per carry (117th in the country). Those numbers are even worse against Power 5 competition: 260.6 yards per game, 5.54 yards per carry and 18 touchdowns, which are the most rushing scores allowed by any FBS team against Power 5 opponents this season.

It doesn’t get any easier for Auburn as it returns to the field this week for a division matchup against Arkansas (11 a.m. on SEC Network). The Razorbacks run the ball more than any non-service academy team in the country (48.14 attempts per game) and is ninth nationally in rushing offense at 240 yards per game while averaging almost 5 yards per carry.

They’re led by the SEC’s leading rusher, Raheim Sanders, who is eighth among all FBS rushers at 124.29 yards per game. He’s also averaging 6.21 yards per carry on 20 attempts per game, with seven touchdowns on the year.

“Five (Sanders) is a real patient dude,” Pappoe said. “Doesn’t bounce the ball a lot and stays on his track the whole time. And they’ve got a damn good O-line too.”

It’s not just Sanders who makes Arkansas’ rushing attack go; the Razorbacks also rely on quarterback KJ Jefferson to complement the ground game. The 6-foot-3, 242-pounder is 13th in the SEC in rushing (second among league quarterbacks) with 57.33 yards per game, adding another dimension to Arkansas’ offense that Auburn must account for.

“They use both those guys really well in the run game,” Auburn edge defender Derick Hall said. “They’re both dynamic, really athletic and can move the ball down the field really quickly. Like I said, fits is going to be the biggest thing for us this week — just making sure everybody’s playing their gap and playing fundamentally sound football, playing complementary of each other, everybody doing their 1/11th.”

That has been the message for Auburn throughout the bye week and again this week, as the Tigers gear up for the final stretch of their regular-season slate: Do your job, stay focused on your part from snap to snap and finish plays.

“We’ve got guys that just lose focus because you worry about, I don’t know whether it’s a lack of trust or something, but the guy next to you,” Pappoe said. “But just focus on your job and doing it to your full ability and just wrapping up.”

It sounds simple, of course, but Auburn has struggled to put it to practice when the lights come on, particularly in recent weeks. The additional time off — to regroup, recover and reassess things heading into the final five games of the season — could prove beneficial in that regard. At least, that’s what Auburn is banking on ahead of Saturday’s showdown with Arkansas.

“When you’re playing against really good players, you’ve got to bring your very best,” Harsin said. “…It wasn’t much different (against Ole Miss), it’s just now, we are able to finetune it and able to pinpoint those things that have come up in every single game. You just keep working on it to get better.”

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

If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Kickoff time, TV network set for Auburn’s trip to Mississippi State

Updated: Oct. 24, 2022, 12:06 p.m.|Published: Oct. 24, 2022, 11:50 a.m.
2-3 minutes

Tank Bigsby

Auburn running back Tank Bigsby (4) runs for a first down against Mississippi during the second half of an NCAA college football game in Oxford, Miss., Saturday, Oct. 15, 2022. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)AP

Auburn and Mississippi State will kick off under the lights in Starkville, Miss., in Week 9.

The Tigers and Bulldogs are set for a 6:30 p.m. kickoff when they meet at Davis Wade Stadium on Nov. 5, the SEC announced late Monday morning. The matchup will air on ESPN2.

Read more Auburn football: Defensive tackle Zykeivous Walker no longer on Auburn’s roster

Auburn opens as home underdog against Arkansas for first time since 1998

Statistically speaking: Where Auburn stands coming off the bye week

Auburn’s trip to Starkville will mark the 96th all-time meeting between the two SEC West foes. Auburn leads the series, 62-30-3, and holds a 14-7-1 edge on the road in the series. Despite that advantage on the Bulldogs’ home turf, the Tigers are 2-3 in their last five trips to Davis Wade Stadium.

This year, Auburn will try to avenge the loss that kicked off the program’s backslide during the second half of last season. The Tigers squandered a 28-3 first-half lead last year at Jordan-Hare Stadium, giving up 40 unanswered points on the way to a 43-34 home loss. It was the first of five consecutive losses for Auburn to end Year 1 under Bryan Harsin, and the program has not fully recovered in the nearly 12 months since, as the Tigers are off to a 3-4 start to this season -- with two wins coming against an FCS team and a Mountain West opponent, and the other coming in the form of an overtime escape against Missouri to open SEC play.

Before Auburn travels to Starkville, it will host Arkansas this weekend at Jordan-Hare Stadium while aiming to snap a three-game losing streak. Mississippi State (5-3, 2-3 SEC) is off this week after losing back-to-back games against Kentucky and Alabama, as Mike Leach’s program dropped out of the AP top 25 on Sunday.

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

If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Jason Caldwell's Monday morning quarterback column

Jason Caldwell
4-5 minutes

 

Stretch run time

Following a bye the Auburn football Tigers get back into game week preparations with the Arkansas Razorbacks up next. It’s one of four consecutive games in which Coach Bryan Harsin’s team will absolutely have a chance to come away with a win with Mississippi State, Texas A&M and Western Kentucky up next. They are also four straight games that this team could lose if the Tigers don’t correct some of the issues that have plagued them the first seven games of the 2022 season.

My guess is it will be somewhere in between, but it’s going to take Robby Ashford and this Auburn offense building on the performance against Ole Miss to make that happen. Running the football is going to be the key, something that can be done against an Arkansas defense that is every bit as porous as Ole Miss was.

The Razorbacks are 120th nationally in total defense, allowing 457 yards per game. Against Power 5 opposition that number climbs to 470 yards. They are allowing 35 points per game in those same opportunities.

Auburn is absolutely going to have the chance to make plays on Saturday. Can the Tigers avoid the turnovers that have hurt them this season and can they run the football? That’s the issue for them this week because Arkansas is going to score points. Can Auburn match them? That’s the question.

The next two weeks will see better defensive teams, but both Mississippi State and Texas A&M are having their own issues on offense. At the moment those feel like the Missouri and LSU games for Auburn, games that will go down to the wire and the first team to 20 wins. 

There’s a path for this team to get back on track and build a little momentum heading towards the end of the season and the Iron Bowl, but there’s also a very real possibility that things could go from bad to worse. We’ll find out soon enough which direction things will take.

Around the league

Following a slow Saturday in SEC play, things get ramped up in a big way with the next few weeks going a long way towards deciding how the divisions are going to line up this season. After watching LSU in person in Auburn a few weeks ago, I wasn’t sure they were very good. I’m still not sure of that, but the Ole Miss defense was so bad that I picked LSU to win at home. I didn’t think it would look like that, however. LSU has improved by leaps and bounds over the course of this season. You have got to give credit to Brian Kelly and his staff because that’s not a roster loaded with NFL guys at the moment.

Alabama got back to work following a loss to Tennessee and the perfect opponent was Mississippi State. Nick Saban’s defense has just simply dominated the Bulldogs under Mike Leach and that continued on Saturday night with the Crimson Tide playing a three-man front and daring Mississippi State to run the football. They had a few plays that worked, but didn’t score a touchdown until the last play of the game. It was Mississippi State's first touchdown in Tuscaloosa since 2014.

South Carolina got a big win over Texas A&M to improve to 5-2 on the year and move back into the Top 25. With Missouri and Vanderbilt up next before a trip to Gainesville, the Gamecocks should finish 7-5 at a minimum this season and continue moving in the right direction under Coach Shane Beamer. Meanwhile, Mississippi State continues the Leach trend. They’ll be just good enough to win a solid game or two, it’s going to end in four or more losses. Leach has been a head coach for 21 seasons and has lost at least four times in 17 of those years. Another loss this season would mean 18 of 21 seasons losing at least 4 games. Just wild.

9COMMENTS

Tennessee gets Kentucky this week while Georgia plays Florida in Jacksonville. Both should be able to navigate those games without too much trouble, setting the table for what should be a wild one when the Vols head to Athens on November 5. It should be a monster game that day, not only for the SEC, but nationally.

*** Subscribe: Receive the latest Auburn intel, opinion and scoops***

">247Sports
Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

There is no way Austin Troxell should be starting over Brenden Coffey. Brenden is more athletic and is an overall better tackle who can move. Troxell's feet are in either cement or quicksand. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 minutes ago, maryland tiger said:

There is no way Austin Troxell should be starting over Brenden Coffey. Brenden is more athletic and is an overall better tackle who can move. Troxell's feet are in either cement or quicksand. 

i have no idea to be honest. i do not get that deep into it. but maybe trox knows what to do better during play than coffey? they say linemen have to be the smartest on the team right? i have no idea this is true i am just throwing it out there. i only played football one year as an army brat in germany and i sucked. but i wanted to respond anyway .

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Fwiw, all four teams that beat us are top 18. Missouri (whom we should have lost to) is nowhere near top 25 but LSU (whom we should have beaten) is #18. (And no, our 8 pt "win" wasn't ever a "should have lost to san jose state." Need a quality win to go with a winning record at this point, Arky isn't that but Miss St could be. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...