11/6/22 Auburn Articles

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Edited November 6, 2022 by aubiefifty

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247sports.com

 

Auburn finds 'new energy' in first game post-Harsin

Nathan King

5-7 minutes

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STARKVILLE, Mississippi — Cadillac Williams set his priorities early.

Wednesday, in his first public comments since being named Auburn’s interim coach, he told reporters, “I don’t know if we’re going to win a ball game or not.” His focus was, instead, on ensuring his players were mentally stable after their head coach was fired Monday, along with a few other staff members. All he asked after that was for them to fight this week — “for themselves and for the Auburn family,” he said

So that mindset from Williams carried over throughout the week, and eventually into Friday. Once the team got settled after its flight to Starkville, he told the Tigers, “We can’t lose no matter what happens.”

Then something shifted on game day.

Williams, who admitted he was probably running on six-to-eight combined hours of sleep from Monday to Thursday this week, popped out of bed. He still didn’t want to pressure the Tigers into a must-win mindset. But he had to share what he was feeling.

“All day, it just felt right,” Williams told reporters postgame. “Honestly, when I woke up, I told those guys, 'We're going to win this game.'”

He was almost right.

A double-digit road underdog, the Tigers rallied back from down 21 points in the second quarter and scored two separate go-ahead touchdowns in the fourth quarter before ultimately running out of gas in overtime in a 39-33 loss at Mississippi State on Saturday night.

From a packed Tiger Walk, to a roaring road contingent of fans, to a scrappy group of players who — against a bevy of circumstances from the week, not the least of which was a reshuffled assistant coaching staff — nearly won just their second Power Five game in the past 11 tries, it was apparent Auburn was a team reinvigorated. With what, it’s not clear. Hope? Something as simple as a reset button?

Maybe it’s toughness.

“I feel like it was as tough as we played all year,” quarterback Robby Ashford said.

Yeah, it might be toughness, Williams echoed. He challenged the Tigers to match his intensity: Don’t quit until I do. Of course, Williams never would. Auburn didn’t appear to do so at any point of the overtime loss, either.

“Ever since yesterday, we said we’re either going to fight or quit, and we’re going to see who’s going to quit,” Williams said. “Then nobody quit. I mean, I haven’t experienced Auburn football in that way this year; this is Year 4 for me, and man, the energy, the belief the kids had, man, that’s just — wow.

“Like I told them guys: I know the Auburn family’s proud of them guys. They’ve got nothing to be ashamed of. Nothing.”

“You all have no idea” what Auburn’s players have been through this week, Williams said. Harsin was pushed out Monday, as was offensive coordinator Eric Kiesau and tight ends coach Brad Bedell. A couple analysts were moved to on-field roles. Wide receivers coach Eric Kiesau and offensive line coach Will Friend took on co-coordinator tags for the offense.

Then it was time to practice — three days to brush off a head coach firing and play a road game.

But somehow, as a few players expressed late Saturday night, outside their locker room at Davis Wade Stadium, there was a feeling of new life.

A fresh start.

“We love Coach Harsin,” defensive tackle Colby Wooden said. “But I feel like there was a new energy.”

Auburn’s offense had just one first down across its first four drives, while Mississippi State — namely quarterback Will Rogers, who hit 12 of his first 15 passes with two touchdowns — came out cooking. A 17-0 deficit turned to 24-3 after Lideatrick Griffin returned a kickoff 92 yards for a touchdown.

Then the Tigers had two strip sacks in the second quarter, then started in Mississippi State territory three of four drives in the third quarter thanks to a muffed snap on a punt, a shanked punt and an interception.

Eventually, the Tigers’ offense finally broke through, with 149 yards in the fourth quarter and two touchdowns. Mississippi State kicked a tying field goal with 29 seconds left, then received a miracle when its kickoff bounced off Auburn running back Sean Jackson, eliminating any chance for Auburn to win the game with one last drive in regulation.

Anders Carlson missed a 38-yard field goal in overtime, and Jo’quavious Marks scored a walk-off touchdown from 5 yards out.

An animated Williams on the sideline still found his players matching his intensity at every turn, though.

As he and several players expressed, that typeof determination hasn’t been a given this season.

"The energy was just different,” Williams said. “You see it in those kids’ eyes. … I don’t know how much we went down, but like I told them, forget the scoreboard. We’re going to keep fighting, keep punching. Came into halftime, we’re down literally 24-6, something like that, maybe, I don’t know. But man, them kids, they didn’t blink. They did not blink:

“‘Coach, we got you. Nobody’s quitting.’”

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247sports.com

 

AU news, notes & quotes: big rally comes up just short vs. Mississippi State

Guy Rhodes

5-7 minutes

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STARKVILLE, Mississippi–For sophomore running back Jarquez Hunter’s his team’s 39-33 overtime loss at Mississippi State was a highly emotional game.

With his position coach, Cadillac Williams, elevated to interim head coach, the Tigers just missed pulling off an upset on Saturday night.

“I think we just had to believe ourselves and strain, and I think we came out in the second half and did what what we had to do.

“We started off slow, but in the second half we came out and hit in the mouth and started pushing the ball,” Hunter said. “We came out with more energy.”

The running back scored a go-ahead touchdown for the Tigers with 1:08 to play, putting Auburn on top 31-30. Robby Ashford then scored on a scramble for the two-point conversion, but the Bulldogs drove for a field goal in the closing seconds and won the game with a touchdown in overtime.

“I am from Mississippi so it is always great to score here and make plays,” said Hunter, who noted it was tough to take losing in overtime after the Tigers had rallied from a 17-point first half deficit.

“The offensive line coach (Will Friend) was calling the plays so we had our mind made up we were going to run the ball,” said Hunter, who finished with 54 rushing yards on a dozen carries.

* First-time starters for Auburn were safety Caleb Wooden, cornerback J.D. Rhym and wide receiver Camden Brown.

* This is Auburn’s second overtime game this season (also Missouri, won, 17-14) and the first overtime game in the Auburn-Mississippi State series that goes back to 1895.

* Robby Ashford is the first Auburn quarterback to rush for 100 yards in a game since Nick Marshall (100) at Mississippi State in 2014. Ashford finished with 118 yards and on 18 carries against the Bulldogs.

* John Samuel Shenker is appeared in his 59th career game, tying the Auburn record set by T.D. Moultry (59 games from 2017-21).

* Shenker is the Auburn career leader in tight end receptions (68). Shenker is now 2nd in tight end career receiving yardage (779). The career leader is Cooper Wallace (829 from 2002-05).

* Tank Bigsby now has 2,614 career rushing yards, to rank 10th all-time at Auburn, passing Onterio McCalebb (2,586 from 2009-12). Next is Ronnie Brown (2,707 from 2000-04), Bigsby had 13 carries for 94 yards against Mississippi State.

* Bigsby scored his eighth rushing TD of the season against the Bulldogs and the 23rd of his career.

* Hunter scored his sixth rushing touchdown of the season and the ninth of his career.

Jarquez Hunter is congratulated after his touchdown run in the fourth quarter. (Photo: Greg McWilliams, Inside the Auburn Tigers, 247Sports)

* Ashford scored his 4th and 5th rushing touchdowns of the season. His 20-yard rush was his longest TD run this year. This is his second game with multiple rushing scores (also against Ole Miss).

* Ashford ranks third among all-time Auburn freshman passers with 1,369 passing yards. Second is Stan White (2,242 in 1990).

* Ashford is fourth in freshman pass attempts (195). Next is Gabe Gross (197 in 1998), Stan White (338 in 1990). Ashford is 3rd in pass completions (98). N next is Stan White (180 in 1990).

* Ashford ranks 11th among Auburn freshman rushers with 485 yards, passing Ben Tate (392 in 2006) and D.J. Williams (400 in 2019), Rusty Williams (439 in 1996), Mario Fannin (448 in 2007), Tre Smith (454 in 2002), James Brooks (467 in 1977), Stacy Danley (468 in 1987), Chester O’Neal (480 in 1981) and Michael Burks (483 in 1998). Next is Onterio McCalebb (547 in 2009).

* Jaylin Simpson recorded his first interception of the year and second of his career.

* Dylan Brooks recorded his first fumble recovery and Jeffrey M’Ba had his first forced fumble and his first career sack.

* Colby Wooden registered his second fumble recovery of the season and third of his career. Wooden has 5.0 sacks and 10 tackles for loss (TFL) for the season and 14.0 sacks and 28.5 TFL in his career.

* Derick Hall recorded his second forced fumble of the season and fifth of his career. Hall now has 7.0 sacks and 11.0 tackles this season and 19.5 sacks and 28.5 tackles for his career.

* Lideatrick Griffin’s 92-yard kickoff return score was the first kick return TD against the Tigers since Alabama’s Jaylen Waddle in 2019.

* Mississippi State quarterback Will Rogers had 59 pass attempts with 42 completions with three touchdowns and 357 yards. He has passed for nine touchdowns against the Tigers the past two seasons.

* Auburn’s 10 penalties for 115 yards against the Bulldogs were season highs. The previous high was 10 penalties against Georgia and for yards was 85 against San Jose State.

* Offenses sputtered for Auburn and the Bulldogs in the first half. After gaining only 29 yards in offense in the opening quarter, Auburn outgained Mississippi State 79 to only 34 yards in the second quarter. The Bulldogs piled up 153 yards in the opening quarter as they scored on their first three possessions. Total offense in the first half was 297 yards for Mississippi State to 108 yards for the Tigers.  the night was completed, Auburn had 320 yards to 357 for Mississippi in total offense.

* Ashford joined permanent captains Hall, Pappoe and Shenker as a captain against Mississippi State.

*Oscar Chapman has 10 punts of 50 yards or longer this season.

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Auburn storms back but falls in overtime at Mississippi State

WVTM 13 Digital

2 minutes

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Auburn lost in overtime at Mississippi State 39-33 Saturday night. Auburn had trailed by as much as 21 before storming back to force overtime. Auburn moves to 3-6 on the season.Auburn possessed the ball first in overtime and Anders Carlson missed a field goal to take the lead. Mississippi State punched it in on the ground just a few plays later to finish off the Tigers.Auburn struggled on offense most of the night. Quarterback Robby Ashford went 7 for 22 for just 70 yards through the air. Ashford added 108 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns. On Monday, Auburn parted ways with head coach Bryan Harsin. Saturday was Carnell "Cadillac" Williams' debut as interim head coach.

MISSISSIPPI STATE, Miss. —

Auburn lost in overtime at Mississippi State 39-33 Saturday night. Auburn had trailed by as much as 21 before storming back to force overtime. Auburn moves to 3-6 on the season.

Auburn possessed the ball first in overtime and Anders Carlson missed a field goal to take the lead. Mississippi State punched it in on the ground just a few plays later to finish off the Tigers.

Auburn struggled on offense most of the night. Quarterback Robby Ashford went 7 for 22 for just 70 yards through the air. Ashford added 108 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns.

On Monday, Auburn parted ways with head coach Bryan Harsin. Saturday was Carnell "Cadillac" Williams' debut as interim head coach.

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247sports.com

 

Cadillac: Nobody quit and Auburn played with a different energy

Mark Murphy

3-4 minutes

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STARKVILLE, Mississippi–Down 17-0 Saturday with almost nothing going right, Auburn's football team showed the grit and fight interim head coach Cadillac Williams asked for prior to the game, but the Tigers came up short in heartbreaking fashion, losing 39-33 to Mississippi State in overtime.

“I am so proud of my guys,” Williams said. “They fought. Two things we talked about all week were serve and believe, and I think those guys exemplified that. They showed it.

“My message to those guys is we are not going to take this as a loss,” he said. “Yes, we didn’t complete the mission, we lost. Yeah, we lost, but there are so many life lessons, so many life lessons these kids are going to learn from.”

Asked about the momentum change that allowed the Tigers to come back and take in the lead in fourth quarter on an eight-yard run by Jarquez Hunter with 1:05 left, Williams said, “Defense, early on, gave up yards, but they just kept serving, kept fighting. We said yesterday we are either going to fight or quit and see who is going to quit. Nobody quit. I haven’t experienced Auburn football that way this year. The energy, the belief those kids had it was just wow.

“Like I told the guys, I know the Auburn family is proud of those guys,” the coach added. “They have got nothing to be ashamed of. Nothing.”

Williams said any blame for the loss should fall on his shoulders. “We have just got to get better with the discipline part of it. We did some things that will get you beat and that is starting with myself. It is not on all of these kids. They fought their tails off. I could have done some things better–I really could have.”

Carnell Williams answers questions following his first game as Auburn's interim head football coach. (Photo: Mark Murphy, Inside the Auburn Tigers, 247Sports)

Last week Williams was the running backs coach working with Hunter and the other backs. Being a native of Mississippi, the sophomore said it really hurt to lose the game to the Bulldogs.

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The same was true for senior linebacker Owen Pappoe. “There are a lot of emotions going on, but I am alright,” he said. “I am disappointed with the outcome of the game, but I am proud of everybody on this team. They fought their hearts out.

“We talked about it all week–let’s just come out with energy," Pappoe said. "It just felt different on the sideline. Guys weren’t sitting around, moping around. Defense was supporting the offense, offense was supporting the defense.”

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What interim HC Cadillac Williams said following Auburn’s loss to Mississippi State

Ethan Stone

4 minutes

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Cadillac Williams was this close to capturing his first win as a head coach.

Auburn led with under a minute remaining, but ended up falling in overtime to Mississippi State, 39-33. He spoke postgame about how he felt about his team’s effort.

He seemed most impressed by the fact that nobody quit.

Cadillac Williams: “Nobody quit. I haven’t experienced Auburn football in that way this year.”

— Nathan King (@NathanKing247) November 6, 2022

He made a lot of Auburn fans proud Saturday night too, taking the blame for the loss in the end. He went on for some time about that.

Auburn interim HC Cadillac Williams: “We’ve got to get better on the discipline part. We did some things that will get you beat… That’s starting with myself. It ain’t on all these kids, man. They fought their tails off. I could’ve done some things better. I really could have.”

— Justin Ferguson (@JFergusonAU) November 6, 2022

Despite the loss, Williams sees a lot of lessons the Tigers can take from battling against a strong Bulldogs squad.

Auburn interim HC Cadillac Williams: “We’re not gonna take this as a loss. We didn’t complete the mission… but there are so many, so many, so many life lessons these kids are gonna learn.”

— Justin Ferguson (@JFergusonAU) November 6, 2022

Here’s more from Cadillac Williams’ postgame interview.

this is the most emotional press conference I’ve ever been a part of, bar none

Cadillac Williams is just pouring his soul out here

— Justin Ferguson (@JFergusonAU) November 6, 2022

Auburn interim HC Cadillac Williams on what happened at halftime: “I told them, ‘Forget the scoreboard. We’re gonna keep fighting. Keep punching.’ Those kids did not blink. They did not blink. They said, ‘Coach, we’ve got you.'”

— Justin Ferguson (@JFergusonAU) November 6, 2022

Auburn interim HC Cadillac Williams: “This night was special for me. All day, too. Just felt right. Honestly, when I woke up, I told those guys, ‘We’re gonna win this game. We’re gonna win this game.’ The energy was just different. You could see it in their eyes.”

— Justin Ferguson (@JFergusonAU) November 6, 2022

Auburn interim HC Cadillac Williams: “First of all, I tip my hat to Mississippi State. Wow. Those kids fought hard. You play this game of football, and you’re not gonna win them all. But I’m so proud of my guys.”

— Justin Ferguson (@JFergusonAU) November 6, 2022

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Auburn doubles down, doesn't blink in Cadillac Williams' 'special' debut

Published: Nov. 06, 2022, 12:44 a.m.

5-7 minutes

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Cadillac Williams is a gamblin’ man.

Auburn’s new interim coach has an affinity for poker; it’s a longtime pastime of his. He even won a weekend poker tournament at the Seminole Hard Rock casino in Tampa, Fla., during the summer months.

So, it should come as no surprise that he instilled that same mindset in his team as he prepared Auburn for its first game after a tumultuous week that began with Monday’s firing of former head coach Bryan Harsin and culminated with Saturday’s 39-33 overtime loss to Mississippi State on the road. In Williams’ mind, Auburn had nothing to lose in Starkville, Miss., regardless of what the scoreboard read at the end of the night.

“We know nobody gives us a chance in anything,” defensive lineman Colby Wooden said. “So, like Coach ‘Lac says, let’s play with house money. Let’s gamble on us. No one gives us a chance. It’s just us. It’s all we need. Let’s go out there and play.”

Auburn did that against Mississippi State. The Tigers came out flat, falling behind 24-3 midway through the second quarter, the Bulldogs’ lead hitting 21 on a 92-yard kickoff return for a touchdown with 8:12 to go in the first half. But the Tigers doubled down and showed resiliency, rallying with 22 unanswered points to take their first lead of the game with 6:36 to go in the fourth quarter. That came on a 41-yard touchdown run by Tank Bigsby that sent Auburn’s sideline into a frenzy.

“It was just energy on the sideline, man,” linebacker Owen Pappoe said. “We loved it. Loved it.”

What followed was a back-and-forth final stretch. Mississippi State reclaimed the lead on a 33-yard touchdown pass from Will Rogers to Rara Thomas with 3:49 to go. Then Auburn surged in front again with 1:05 to play on an 8-yard touchdown run by Philadelphia, Miss., native Jarquez Hunter.

The Bulldogs tied it at 33-33 with 29 seconds to go on a 44-yard field goal, then they won it in overtime with a 5-yard touchdown run that was preceded by Anders Carlson’s missed 38-yard field goal to open the extra period.

“It hurts like every loss does,” quarterback Robby Ashford said. “We fought our butts off, came back (from) down 24-3. But end of the day, you’re just proud of everybody, because we fought our butts. Everybody fought. It’s been a crazy past five, six days with everything that’s happened. To see the fight we put out there, I mean, yeah, we didn’t win and, definitely, losing in overtime hurts. But at the end of the day, I’m just proud of everybody.”

Ashford ran for two touchdowns as well as a 2-point conversion in the fourth quarter, finishing the night with 108 yards on the ground, the first 100-yard rushing game of his career. He, Bigsby, Hunter and a resurgent Auburn defense sparked the rally in regulation, helping breathe life into a program that was gasping for air after a whirlwind week.

Williams had a difficult time putting into words what this week was like inside Auburn’s athletics complex. The coaching change came suddenly, and while Williams was immediately promoted to interim coach, six other staffers—including offensive coordinator Eric Kiesau and tight ends coach Brad Bedell—were fired as well. That resulted in a shuffling of Auburn’s remaining staff, and an on-the-fly week of preparation as Will Friend and Ike Hilliard assumed co-offensive coordinator duties while splitting play-calling on the field Saturday.

“You’ve seen what happened, but you have no idea the week that we just had with the lack of preparation because what went down on Monday and a couple things throughout the week that went on,” Williams said. “We were just putting out fires everywhere.”

The hectic week of uncertainty left Williams short on sleep. He got maybe eight hours total between Monday and Thursday. Friday night, at least, he said he got close to four hours of rest.

Then he woke up feeling not just hopeful, but confident as he headed into his first game as a head coach at any level — even with the chips stacked against his team. His message to the team: Auburn was going to win in Starkville.

That didn’t quite come to fruition, the Tigers coming up just short in overtime. Even in defeat, he and players said, the Tigers felt triumphant on this night.

“This night was special for me,” Williams said. “All day, it just felt right…. The energy was just different. You’ve seen it in those kids’ eyes, and then to get in this stadium (and fall behind 24-3)… man, them kids, they didn’t blink. They did not blink. Like, ‘Coach, we got you. Nobody’s quitting. We’re going to continue to serve. We’re going to continue to bleed. We’re going to continue to fight. We’re going to continue to fight on offense, man.’ We laid an egg in the first half, challenged those guys, and they responded. They responded.”

Auburn didn’t fold under the circumstances, and even though the Tigers came up short at Davis Wade Stadium, they seem to be all-in on Williams and ready to bet on themselves during this final stretch of the season.

“It felt like a win,” Pappoe said. “We felt like we got better. This is something we can build upon. Like I said earlier, we’re disappointed we didn’t get the W, but it was still a win for us in a sense.”

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

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Auburn players share Bryan Harsin's last message to team after firing

Nathan King

5-6 minutes

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STARKVILLE, Mississippi — Owen Pappoe had one thing on his mind.

Momma Goldberg’s.

The senior linebacker and team captain was really looking forward to lunch Monday afternoon. He had a good morning. He was walking out of the building, business as usual before the team’s defensive film session in the afternoon.

On his way out, walk-on safety Sammy Cohen stopped him: “You good?”

Yes, of course. Why wouldn’t he be?

“He goes, ‘You didn’t hear?’” Pappoe said. “I’m like, what?”

“Look on Twitter,” Cohen instructed.

“Soon as I saw on Twitter Bryan Harsin’s trending …,” Pappoe said late Saturday night after Auburn’s 39-33 overtime loss at Mississippi State. “It was all a shocker to me — I didn’t know it was going to happen, like, during the year.”

Senior edge rusher and fellow team captain Derick Hall was on the golf course with tight ends Luke Deal and Brandon Frazier, and longsnapper Reed Hughes, “just having a good time and trying to get our mind off of football for a little bit.”

Hall will never know what he would have shot Monday. They piled into their trucks and drove back to campus for a team meeting.

Bryan Harsin wasn’t afforded the chance to tell his players first that he had been shown the door — like Gus Malzahn did in 2020. After Auburn made the decision and informed Harsin, it sent out a press release, then the news quickly spread.

Redshirt junior cornerback Jaylin Simpson was working with a trainer Monday before the news dropped shortly before noon Monday. He also saw it on social media: “One of my teammates just said to check Twitter.”

Harsin called a quick team meeting. He left the building for the last time with offensive coordinator Eric Kiesau and tight ends coach Brad Bedell, who were also fired, along with a few support staffers. Cadillac Williams was named the interim coach a couple hours late.

“Coach Harsin addressed the team and just thanked us for all that we've done for him,” Hall said. “He really enjoyed his time here. You've gotta respect it. The way he handled it was first-class, and we wish him nothing but the best. But we have to move forward.”

Appreciation was a common buzz word among Auburn players who shared some of Harsin’s message Saturday. A few players said Harsin told them he’ll be following their careers and will keep in touch.

“He just came in, thanked us for all we did for him and for playing hard for him,” running back Jarquez Hunter said. “He just said he’s going to miss us and that he loves us.”

Added Simpson: “We didn’t panic (when the news broke). Coach Harsin talked to us — he came in and was very professional. He said what he had to say. We wish him nothing but the best.”

The Tigers fell into a 24-3 hole early in the second quarter but mounted a furious rally under Williams’ direction, scoring 22 straight points from late in the second quarter until Tank Bigsby’s 41-yard touchdown gave them a lead with 6:36 left.

Mississippi State punched back with a touchdown, then Hunter scored from 8 yards out to give Auburn the lead back with 65 seconds left. The Bulldogs hit a 44-yard field goal to tie the game, though, and Auburn wasn’t given a chance to win the game in regulation after a kickoff hit running back Sean Jackson, bounced off and was picked up by Mike Leach’s team.

After a missed field goal by Anders Carlson, Mississippi State running back Jo'quavious Marks walked it off with a 5-yard touchdown.

The same losing streak Harsin left Auburn with has now extended to five games, although he wasn’t on the sideline for it. But the mood postgame was still one of positivity about the possibilities for the future of the program — while players still expressed gratitude for Harsin’s time as head coach.

“He told us how much he appreciated his time here and being around us, everything we did, everything we went through and how we were able to overcome it and stick together,” quarterback Robby Ashford said. “It was hard. But at the end of the day, it's a business and you hate to see it happen — but we're just players, so we can’t make the decisions. It was sad, but he wished us nothing but the best.

“He let us know he'd be fine and that we'd be good, too.”

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ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit shares strong take on vacant Auburn position

Taylor Jones

2 minutes

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Well, it is a good thing that Kirk Herbstreit will not be getting a call from John Cohen to interview for the open head football coaching job at Auburn University.

During a segment of Saturday’s College Gameday live from Athens, Georgia, the college football guru explained why the Auburn job may not be as attractive as many believe, mostly due to off-the-field noise.

“Auburn is one of those jobs when you’re winning, everything’s great,” Herbstreit said on College GameDay. “You go into restaurants in the local town and everyone supports you and your family. All of a sudden, things get off the tracks, get rid of him, rumors are starting. Now, all of a sudden, it’s affecting recruiting and the overall feel of the program. I think we’ve seen a lot of examples of that.”

Herbstreit also empathized with a potential candidate by revealing what his approach would be if he were to receive a call from Cohen about an interview for the position.

“So, to me, if I become a candidate, the first thing I’m going to do is get the score of the game,” Herbstreit said. “John (Cohen), are you going to be willing to work with me? Because I’m not dealing with that B.S. If you’re going to let that impact me, then I’m not taking the job. So, I don’t know how you do that? I don’t know how you talk to the guy who’s in charge of hiring this and say, ‘Can you control that?’”

Herbstreit capped the topic by saying that the head coaching position at Auburn has unlimited potential, as long as the successful candidate finds a way to get on the side of Auburn’s boosters.

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Twitter reacts to Auburn's wild overtime loss to Mississippi State

Story originally appeared on Auburn Wire

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Auburn starting right tackle Austin Troxell out for rest of season

Nathan King

3 minutes

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Starting right tackle Austin Troxell sustained a knee injury against Mississippi State and will undergo a procedure Monday that will end his season and Auburn career, a source close to the situation informed Auburn Undercover on Sunday.

A sixth-year senior, Troxell went down in the third quarter of Auburn's 39-33 overtime loss in Starkville and did not return to the game. The former four-star recruit dealt with knee injuries throughout his football career, battling back from two surgeries in high school and one at Auburn during the 2019 spring game, which forced him to miss the entire 2019 season.

The following year, though, Troxell settled into a starting role at left tackle, where he was the Tigers' top option for the next two seasons. With Kilian Zierer emerging at left tackle this past preseason, Troxell moved over to right tackle, where he started eight of nine games this season; his only absence was against Ole Miss, when he was recovering from a minor injury sustained the week before at Georgia. Overall, Troxell has started 24 games in his Auburn career.

Former JUCO transfer Brenden Coffey filled in for Troxell against Ole Miss and was also his replacement for the remainder of the game Saturday in Starkville.

Troxell is the second starting offensive lineman to suffer a season-ending injury this year; center Tate Johnson underwent elbow surgery following Auburn's Week 4 win over Missouri. Johnson was in that role because sixth-year center Nick Brahms elected to retire from football in the preseason after injury troubles of his own throughout his career with the Tigers.

In the offseason, Troxell was one of four offensive linemen to elect to return to Auburn in 2022, exercising their free year of COVID-19 eligibility.

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During fall camp, Troxell said, health-wise, he was "feeling the best I have since I've been here."

"The thing about coming back, after the bowl game, it really wasn't a hard decision for me," Troxell said. "I've been here for a while, but I really haven't played as much as I've wanted to. It was a no-brainer for me to come back."

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