11/21/22 Auburn Articles

aubiefifty · November 21, 2022

SEC Week 13 College Football Games: Live Stream and TV Channel Info

Data Skrive

~3 minutes

There are nine games on the college football schedule in Week 13 that feature SEC teams. That includes the Auburn Tigers versus the Alabama Crimson Tide.

Coverage of all the college football action this week is available for you, with the information provided below.

How to Watch Week 13 SEC Games

Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets at No. 1 Georgia Bulldogs

Georgia Tech plays Georgia at 12:00 PM ET on Saturday at Sanford Stadium in Athens, Georgia.

TV Channel: ESPN
Live Stream: fuboTV (Watch for free)

Auburn Tigers at No. 2 Alabama Crimson Tide

Auburn hit the field against Alabama at 3:30 PM ET on Saturday at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.

TV Channel: CBS
Live Stream: fuboTV (Watch for free)

South Carolina Gamecocks at No. 5 Clemson Tigers

South Carolina matches up with Clemson at 12:00 PM ET on Saturday at Memorial Stadium in Berkeley, California.

TV Channel: ABC
Live Stream: fuboTV (Watch for free)

Louisville Cardinals at No. 9 Kentucky Wildcats

Louisville matches up with Kentucky at 3:00 PM ET on Saturday at Kroger Field in Lexington, Kentucky.

TV Channel: SECN
Live Stream: fuboTV (Watch for free)

No. 10 Arkansas Razorbacks at Missouri Tigers

Raheim Sanders will lead the Arkansas Razorbacks (6-5) into their matchup versus the Missouri Tigers (5-6) at Faurot Field at Memorial Stadium on Friday at 3:30 PM ET.

TV Channel: CBS
Live Stream: fuboTV (Watch for free)

Click here for a full preview

No. 12 Tennessee Volunteers at Vanderbilt Commodores

Tennessee meets Vanderbilt at 7:30 PM ET on Saturday at Vanderbilt Stadium in Nashville, Tennessee.

TV Channel: SECN
Live Stream: fuboTV (Watch for free)

Mississippi State Bulldogs at No. 13 Ole Miss Rebels

Star running back Quinshon Judkins and the Ole Miss Rebels (8-3) face the Mississippi State Bulldogs (7-4) on Thursday at 7:00 PM ET at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium.

TV Channel: ESPN
Live Stream: fuboTV (Watch for free)

Click here for a full preview

LSU Tigers at No. 20 Texas A&M Aggies

LSU takes on Texas A&M at 7:00 PM ET on Saturday at Kyle Field in College Station, Texas.

TV Channel: ESPN
Live Stream: fuboTV (Watch for free)

No. 22 Florida Gators at Florida State Seminoles

On Friday at 7:30 PM ET, the Florida State Seminoles (8-3) will host the Florida Gators (6-5).

TV Channel: ABC
Live Stream: fuboTV (Watch for free)

Click here for a full preview

Edited November 21, 2022 by aubiefifty

aubiefifty · November 21, 2022

Auburn football notebook: A throwback touchdown to Cadillac

Auburn University Athletics

11–14 minutes

AUBURN, Ala. – On Monday, Auburn co-offensive coordinator Will Friend showed the offense the halfback pass play they wanted to run Saturday against Western Kentucky.

"It's going to work," Friend told them. We've got proof because your coach did it."

Then Friend put on the tape from the 2004 Auburn-Georgia game when interim head coach Carnell Williams took the toss from Jason Campbell, ran wide, and then stopped and threw it to a wide-open Anthony Mix for a touchdown.

"Coach Friend was telling them about the play (for Saturday), how those safeties are going to come down off the toss play, and he showed me the play," recalled Williams. "I said, 'Hold on, woah. You know who did that, right?' He said, 'Yeah Cadillac, I know. I was at Georgia in 2004 when you ran the halfback pass.'

Eighteen years later, the same play worked again.

Midway through the second quarter, Auburn was up 10-3 and threatening to score again. It was the perfect time to unveil it. Friend made the call. Jarquez Hunter received the toss from Robby Ashford, took a couple steps to his right, and threw it up to Koy Moore who was all by himself in the end zone. Moore hauled it in for a touchdown.

"I saw the safety crash down and was like, 'Oh my God, touchdown. I know Jarquez is about to put it on the money,'" Moore said.

Hunter, who played a little quarterback in high school, had the most pressure on him. He had to replicate the part of the play his head coach ran back in the day.

"If he did it, I've got to do it, too," Hunter said. "I've got to make mine better."

'RALLYING THE TROOPS' AT HALFTIME

After Western Kentucky produced two long touchdown drives sandwiched between a short Auburn possession, the Tigers' 14-point lead vanished into a 17-17 halftime tie.

More than strategic changes, Auburn required an attitude adjustment. In the locker room interim head coach Carnell Williams let the players do the talking.

"We weren't playing Auburn football," senior captain Derick Hall, recalling the halftime conversation. "That's the player-led opportunity that he gives us. We had to stand firm right there, rally these troops, get them together and play a better second half. Obviously, that showed."

Indeed it did.

After allowing 290 yards in the first half, the Tigers shut out the Hilltoppers in the second half, holding WKU to 106 yards while making two interceptions including a pick-six by D.J. James.

"Just tighten up," said senior captain linebacker Owen Pappoe, who made five solo tackles and broke up a pass. "Winning one-on-one matchups. I'll give them credit, they had great receivers, they were making really good plays. Tighten up our coverage on the back end and stop giving up these chunk plays."

'A KICKER'S DREAM'

Off to a fast start, freshman kicker Alex McPherson drilled a pair of field goals Saturday, including a career-long 51-yarder.

"It was just awesome," McPherson said. "That's a kicker's dream. For your coach to be able to trust you enough to go out there and hit that kick. For Coach 'Lac and Coach Roc to send me out there for that kick, it gives me a lot of confidence knowing they have confidence in me from that distance.

"We executed as a unit, the snap, hold, kick, blockers and everybody. It felt good to get it."

In his first two Auburn games, McPherson is 4-for-5 on field goals and 6-for-6 on PATs.

NEXT UP: THE IRON BOWL

Auburn has revved up its running game just in time for the Iron Bowl, with Tank Bigsby and Jarquez Hunter each eclipsing the 100-yard mark in back-to-back games.

A star Auburn running back from 2001-04, Williams will lead the Tigers into Bryant-Denny Stadium, where his Auburn teams won twice, in 2002 and 2004, during Auburn's string of six consecutive Iron Bowl victories from 2002-07.

"I'm on fire," Williams said. "I've got a lot of respect for the great Nick Saban. I tip my hat to the success that university has. We are going to play Auburn football. These kids are not going to blink.

"We are excited for this opportunity. We want to send these seniors off. They deserve our best. We're going to lay it on the line and see what happens."

"It feels great to be sent off the field this way," said Pappoe. "We've got one more next week. That would feel even better. Time to focus on them."

Players Mentioned

#4 Tank Bigsby

RB 6' 0" Junior Liberal Arts

#27 Jarquez Hunter

RB 5' 10" Sophomore Agriculture

#0 Owen Pappoe

LB 6' 1" Senior Education

#29 Derick Hall

Edge 6' 3" Senior Business

#9 Robby Ashford

QB 6' 3" Redshirt Freshman Liberal Arts

#4 D.J. James

CB 6' 1" Junior Liberal Arts

#38 Alex McPherson

K 5' 9" Freshman Education

#0 Koy Moore

WR 6' 1" Sophomore Liberal Arts

aubiefifty · November 21, 2022

247sports.com

#PMARSHONAU: What does it take to have a successful search?

Phillip Marshall

4–5 minutes

The most likely path to a failed coaching search is for those doing the searching is to be affected by emotion or to feel a need to make a splash. Emotional decisions can lead to wrong decisions in any walk of life. Winning a press conference lasts for a day or so before it fades away. Making a hire for the right reasons provides the best possibility for success.

By my count, Auburn’s current search is the 12th I have covered at Auburn or Alabama. I have, of course, watched others from afar.

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In those years, I have reached some conclusions.

* There are no guarantees, regardless of what a coach has done elsewhere.

* Fit is important. A coach who can inspire people inside and outside the athletic program provides positive energy and gains support from donors, who, like it or not, are crucial to success.

* A coach needs to be able and willing to sell his program to his players, his fans and a national audience.

* Having coached in the NFL doesn’t mean all that much, whether the NFL venture was a success or a failure. The NFL and college football are so different that they just really don’t compare. What a coach did at previous college stops is much more important than an NFL record. Pete Carroll was fired from two head coaching jobs in the NFL before turning USC into a powerhouse. His NFL success came after he left USC. Nick Saban couldn’t cut it in the NFL. Neither could Lou Holtz.

* Coordinators/assistant coaches tend to have more success than coaches from smaller programs, now called the Group of 5.

* No more important question is asked of prospective coaches than who they will be able to attract to work for them. Assistant coaches do most of the teaching. They interact more with players. They do most of the recruiting.

* More than was once the case, the head coach must be heavily involved in recruiting beyond approving scholarship offers. That did not seem to register with former Auburn coach Bryan Harsin. An Auburn coach must recognize that Saban to the west and Kirby Smart to the east are relentless recruiters. He must be willing to be as relentless as they are.

* Obviously, no one wants to hire a criminal, but neither should a prospective coach be expected to be a saint who has never had an issue in his life.

* Coaches who adapt to the players they have instead of forcing those players into a system that doesn’t fit them have better chances at long-term success.

So, what candidates for the open Auburn job are the best fits? That’s for athletics director John Cohen to decide. From where I sit, most of those who have been mentioned in speculation would be the kinds of coaches who would have real opportunities to win at Auburn.

Who will get that chance? We should know within a week or so, maybe sooner.

Meanwhile, it’s Iron Bowl week. Interim coach Cadillac Williams, who has inspired his players and Auburn people everywhere, will work what could be his last game as the leader of the Auburn football program. An upset of Alabama would qualify Auburn for a bowl game. Even with s 5-7 record, there would be a possibility of a bowl game.

Because of Williams, his staff and his players and Auburn people who showed up loud and proud for games that meant little on the national stage, the next coach will take over a more solid program than what it would have been three weeks ago.

25COMMENTS

Cohen, on the job for three weeks, will make perhaps the most important professional decision he will ever make. His process has been thorough and detailed. He will hire who he believes gives Auburn the best chance for success.

That is a certainty.

">247Sports

aubiefifty · November 21, 2022

Jason Caldwell's Monday morning quarterback column: Coaching hire thoughts, Iron Bowl week

Jason Caldwell

4–5 minutes

Behind the search

As we head into Iron Bowl week this is the time when things should really begin to start taking shape for John Cohen and Rich McGlynn in the search for Auburn’s next head football coach. I have said from the day that Bryan Harsin was fired that this search would probably come to a close sometime pretty soon after Saturday’s game in Tuscaloosa, and nothing has changed my mind on that yet.

This was never going to get done until this week. That was always the plan and from what I have been told, things continue to go very well with a whole lot of interest in the Auburn job.

One thing I know is that Auburn’s next head football coach isn’t going to be a hire that is made without a whole lot of research and deep background checks. That’s on the field, off the field, how recruiting would work, how they would go about using the transfer portal, roster management, building a staff and a whole lot more.

That’s just the way Cohen works. He wants as much information as possible to make as good of a decision as possible. This is obviously a very important hire for Auburn, Cohen and the future of the athletic department. From everything I gather, it’s being treated exactly that way.

Iron Bowl time

This is always an interesting week no matter what the teams look like going into the game. All we have to do is go back to last season to see what can happen in this game. For Auburn however, its better recent performances vs. the Tide have come at home in the cozy confines of Jordan-Hare Stadium. Alabama doesn’t like playing in Auburn, no matter the teams or the situations.

This game will be in Tuscaloosa, a place Auburn hasn’t really even competed with Alabama for much of the last decade in Bryant-Denny Stadium other than a 55-44 loss in 2014. Since the 2010 win, Auburn has made five trips to Tuscaloosa and Alabama is averaging 45.6 points per game during that stretch. The closest game outside of that 11-point loss was a 30-12 decision in 2016. If Cadillac Williams and the Tigers want to compete on Saturday, it will start with Auburn’s defense playing much better than it has in the past recent trips to Tuscaloosa. Do that and this team can make it a four quarter game. I wouldn’t bet against this team if that happens.

Auburn men leaving the program in a better place

In my job covering both the recruiting side of things as well as the team, it has given me the opportunity to get to know many of these guys for six, seven or even eight years. This group is a little different because of Covid, however. For instance, I think I saw Austin Troxell for the first time when he was a sophomore tight end at Madison Academy. At that time, the coaches there thought he had a chance to be an NFL player down the road. Without a multitude of injuries that were to come, including another that ended his career this season, there’s no question in my mind that Troxell would have made that jump, but he never let that get the best of him and always remained positive.

28COMMENTS

That’s the mindset for this entire group that has dealt with so much over the course of the last three years. Through it all they have stayed strong, worked hard, and represented Auburn the right way. If this is indeed the end for guys like Owen Pappoe, Derick Hall and Colby Wooden along with guys like Shedrick Jackson, Nehemiah Pritchett and maybe Tank Bigsby, Auburn will have to replace not only key players on the field, but leaders off the field. Throw in the guys without any eligibility left like John Samuel Shenker, Brandon Council, Alec Jackson and others, and it’s a group that has laid it on the line for the Tigers.

This group didn’t win as many games as it hoped and didn’t take the Tigers to the level of competing for championships, but they did things the right way and never backed down. They are showing that in a big way down the stretch and they have one more chance on Saturday to show what they can do.

">247Sports

aubiefifty · November 21, 2022

Todd Van Emst/AU Athletics

Football 11/20/2022 9:00:00 AM By: Greg Ostendorf

A day to remember: Auburn seniors celebrate win in final home game

AUBURN, Ala. – On Saturday night, the locker room celebration would have to wait.

Derick Hall, Owen Pappoe, John Samuel Shenker, Colby Wooden, Brandon Council and some of the other seniors sat on the midfield logo at Jordan-Hare Stadium taking it all in one last time. The final whistle had blown. They had already shaken hands with the other team. They swayed together one last time for Swag Surf, celebrating a 41-17 victory. They posed for a senior picture. It was now time to leave, and they couldn't do it.

"I sat down with those guys for about 15 minutes, just enjoying the moment," Pappoe said. "Jogging down memory lane, thinking about the times on the field, it really hit hard. That's the last one we're going to play in Jordan-Hare."

"I was just overcome with emotion," said Wooden, who took part in Senior Day even though he's a redshirt junior. "I know what all the senior class has been through. We went through it all. We went through COVID, head coaching changes, another change in the middle of the season, losing seasons – words can't describe it. But it's like a breath of fresh air to know that the way we came in, we're going out on a high (note) as well."

Slowly, players started trickling out and made their way to the locker room.

"War Eagle," senior edge Marcus Bragg said as he walked away.

Bragg, a graduate transfer who played against his old team Saturday, was only at Auburn for one season. It didn't matter. He'll forever be part of the Auburn Family.

Hall was one of the last to leave the group at midfield. He still had one last thing to do, however, before he walked through the tunnel for the last time. He pulled out his keys and started cutting out a square of grass from Pat Dye Field.

during the Football Game between the Auburn Tigers and Western Kentucky Hilltoppers at Jordan Hare Stadium in Auburn, AL on Saturday, Nov 19, 2022.AP/Auburn Tigers

during the Football Game between the Auburn Tigers and Western Kentucky Hilltoppers at Jordan Hare Stadium in Auburn, AL on Saturday, Nov 19, 2022.AP/Auburn Tigers

"That was a very special moment for me," he said. "I shed a few tears cutting that turf out on the field. I feel like I put my heart and soul into this program and into this university. Every time I stepped out on that field, I gave my best. It was tough for me to walk off.

"That's the last time I'll ever play a football down on that field. I tried to delay it as long as I could. Obviously, it hit tonight. I couldn't sleep (Friday) night. This morning, I was very anxious. When I got here, it hit me going down Tiger Walk and (seeing) all those fans, the Auburn Family. It meant a lot to get that win, to get the last one in Jordan-Hare."

A win was no guarantee on Saturday against a Western Kentucky team that was 7-4 coming in. The two sides were tied at 17 through the first two quarters. But the seniors were not going to let this Auburn team lose. Not on that day.

Interim head coach Carnell Williams knew that. So, at halftime with the game tied, he let those seniors rally the troops and get the Tigers ready for the second half.

"I know you want to talk about what we did in the second half and what the adjustment was that was so great. I honestly left the room and let them handle it," Williams said.

"There are always people that say they want a player-led team, and it was time for that to happen," Council said. "Everybody stepped up. The leaders stepped up. We came together and were like, 'We have got to come together, and we've got to finish this game strong, especially for the seniors out there.' That's what we did."

Auburn outscored Western Kentucky 24-0 in the second half.

There was a sense of finality as the seniors walked off the field Saturday, but the season is not over. With back-to-back wins at home, the Tigers can now become bowl eligible with a victory this coming week against archrival Alabama.

However, just like the locker room celebration had to wait, thoughts of the Iron Bowl would have to wait, too. Saturday night was about those seniors.

"I know the Auburn Family is going to remember this day. We're for damn sure going to remember this day, too," Pappoe said. "It's time to go roll Toomer's."

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Players Mentioned

#71 Brandon Council

OL 6' 4" Senior Education

#0 Owen Pappoe

LB 6' 1" Senior Education

#25 John Samuel Shenker

TE 6' 4" Senior Business

#25 Colby Wooden

DE 6' 5" Junior Business

#29 Derick Hall

Edge 6' 3" Senior Business

#98 Marcus Bragg

DE 6' 5" Senior Human Sciences

Edited November 21, 2022 by aubiefifty

aubiefifty · November 21, 2022

Auburn football: What’s at stake for Tigers in the Iron Bowl?

Glenn Sattell Glenn Sattell is an award-winning freelance writer for Saturday Down South.

4–5 minutes

What’s at stake for Auburn in the Iron Bowl? What a loaded question. So much to consider.

The Tigers will enter Saturday’s game in Tuscaloosa on a 2-game win streak. They’ve won 2 of 3 games for interim coach Carnell Williams. The only loss was the first game, for which Williams didn’t even have a full week to prepare his team.

What’s the significance of that? Well, Auburn may be painting itself into a corner. If the Auburn brass has a candidate under consideration for the full-time job, it might be prudent to name him before the game on Saturday.

Yet, doing something like that could only disrupt a team currently on a roll as it readies for its biggest game of the year. The Tigers are playing loose and their athleticism is coming through. They seem unafraid of making a mistake, or at least one of aggression.

They played hard for former coach Bryan Harsin, but not loose. Everything was measured with the former head coach and that made for a very tight team.

These Tigers are having fun. Of course, winning does that. But what came first, the winning or the fun? Well, it’s the fun. The fun brought to the team by Williams’ enthusiasm and understanding of what it takes to be a winner.

Williams won at Auburn as a player, set records that stand today, and has transferred that attitude to the team. It’s made a difference.

So, that leaves the Auburn administration in a precarious position. It can’t pull the plug on Williams and the Tigers team during Iron Bowl week. That would only hurt the team.

But should Auburn wait until the end of the season to make an announcement, the decision might already get made for them.

Because if Auburn wins the Iron Bowl, finishes 3-1 (with a bowl game pending) and on a 3-game winning streak, there appears no way pass on Williams, regardless of which other coach the school might have in line to take that job.

The Iron Bowl is huge for several reasons, in addition to Williams’ situation.

Not only would a victory make Auburn’s season, as it would do in any year that the Tigers are victorious in that game, but it also would make them bowl-eligible, an unthinkable possibility just a few weeks ago.

The Tigers haven’t won at Bryant-Denny Stadium since 2010 and are 5-6 there overall since the game was moved from Birmingham. Nobody needs to explain the importance of winning this game. Perhaps it can’t be adequately put into words. The depth of emotion that this game brings out in each team’s fanbase is like no other.

At 3-6, wallowing in the mire of a 5-game losing streak with no enthusiasm and seemingly no answer on how to recover from it, who could have seen this ending on the horizon?

A 21-17 home loss to LSU started a 5-game slide, as that game tends to set the course of the season for both teams. But losses to Georgia, Ole Miss, Arkansas and Mississippi State in succession, turned this season upside down and sent the Tigers on a downward spiral.

And yet, here we are. Williams has breathed new life into a flailing team. He could be a rivaly-game victory from earning the full-time job.

Yeah, this game is huge for 5-6 Auburn. The implications are many. The Tigers are trending up for the first time this season, not counting the 2 cupcake games with which they opened the season. An Iron Bowl victory on Saturday could be among the biggest in big-game victories for the Tigers in this long and storied rivalry.

aubiefifty · November 21, 2022

In His Own Words: Cadillac Williams on senior day, Nick Saban and more

Nathan King

10–13 minutes

AUBURN, Alabama — For the first time since Week 2, Auburn has won consecutive games, after Cadillac Williams notched his second victory as Auburn's interim head coach with a 41-17 win over Western Kentucky. The Tigers used a 24-0 second half to pull away from one of college football's better Group of Five teams. Here's everything Williams said postgame about the win, senior day, his running backs, the Iron Bowl and more.

Opening remarks ...

“I am honored to be part of the Auburn family. I mean, 24 seniors that have been through two head coaches, multiple, multiple position coaches, COVID, George Floyd, and what happened the past three weeks, and the way that they have responded — I talked to the team early in the week, and just the way they done responded—they done had every reason to fold, every excuse, and we were all saying, ‘Well, they’ve been through a tough time,’ but man, they want more. I mean, they have gave me so much confidence to do this job, where I go from the first week to being a scared puppy, to watching my guys, each guy come by my office and say, ‘Coach, we believe in you.’ ‘Coach, we’re so happy,’ to give me that confidence, man, along with this staff and the support of the Auburn family, the fans — wow. I mean, the love — former teammates, I mean, former players, just students on campus; it’s unreal. It’s unreal the confidence that they have given me, and I mean, I want it so bad for them, man.

“I just thank this team, coaching staff for taking a chance on a guy, opening their hearts when I challenged them, where we’re all in. I don’t know who—I’m sure you guys are going to get the next coach—I don’t know, really don’t care. Like, my seat don’t dictate my service. I mean, Auburn’s special. Those kids are special. There’s a lot of people that took a chance on me and poured into my life and gave me hope when I was hopeless. So, again, my seat don’t dictate my service. Now, it could impact it, but it don’t dictate how much I serve, regardless. I’m going to make it about these players.

“Now, on to the game, sorry. We got off to a hot start; we had been stressing all week how we want to start fast. Felt like if we start fast, we could jump on them and make them quit. I tip my hat at Western Kentucky’s team. Really good team, well-coached team. Them kids, they kept fighting. I mean, they got down 17-3 and didn’t blink. But being tied 17-17 going into the half. To hear D-Hall, those seniors come up and rally the troops, and you know, I know you all want to talk about probably what we did in the second half and why the adjustment was so great—man, them guys went in there, and I honestly left the room and let them handle it. I heard them talk about self-inflicted wounds, not doing what they’re coached to do, not playing team ball. That was it. That was it. And us coaches got together, put some wrinkles and things that we liked, some opportunities we missed on that was good plays that guys just (had) selfish, bonehead plays. So, it's these kids, man. Give these kids credit. And this staff.”

Strong run game again ...

“Well, the good coaches that I have been around, and Lord knows I've been around some, from Jon Gruden to Raymond Farmer, my former high school coach, from ... from the offensive coordinators I have played with here. I have been around a lot, a lot of good coaches. And one thing the really good coaches got in common is getting the ball to their best players. It's not about what system we run. I'm a firm believer that you've got to do what's best for your team, the strength of your team. So if that's us lining up and running different ways and using Robby with his legs to run the football — and right now, that's where we at. And as we go along, the game of football, life is about confidence. They gain confidence and now you add a little bit from there, and that's all it was.

"Robby played big on third down. Robby did some really good things in the pass game. Just keep projecting confidence in that young man. Man, that guy ain't played ball in three years. That guy had not played ball in three years. It's his, like, seventh start? So raw, but so talented. And coming in at halftime. What I did do, what we did as a staff, is we challenged the offensive line. I told them they getting they butt kicked in the trenches. Then I looked right at the running back(s) — Tank Bigsby, Jarquez Hunter. 'You guys got to break tackles. I see you guys going down. We need extra yards.' So it's a combination of all that, but those guys responded. (It's) what they've been doing all year.”

Long runs from Tank and Jarquez ...

“Hey, that's music to my ears, now. To be able to see them guys feed off each other, and to be a former player who once lived that life. I can see Ronnie (Brown) out there running hard, make a great play. Was so happy and excited for him, but boy, I wanted action, too. Just made me want to go out there and run that hard. And I told Tank when we signed Jarquez and I seen him out a couple days. I said 'Hey. 27's gonna be the best thing that happened to you.' Not saying that, you know, other guys can't play, but to have a young man like Jarquez Hunter that's confident in himself, that's bold, that work his tail off, (a) workaholic that wanna get better. It rubs off on that whole room. Guy's a workaholic. Guy's character is A1. Like, it don't get too much better than that man. Selfless. Team guy. Just ran a 35-yard touchdown and right back on kickoff. Just quiet, go about his business and work his tail off. That's just Jarquez. But yeah, I love to see those two guys rumbling. Love it. I love to see that one-two punch. Love it."

Old-school Auburn football ...

"We did. We are bringing it back to some big-boy football. You know, coming downhill, hitting you in the mouth and being able to fight or quit. Like challenging these guys fight or quit. We also threw some old 2004 Auburn plays in there, where — I told Jarquez, I said, 'hey, that halfback pass, it's going to be a touchdown.' It was funny because I came in Monday or Tuesday, Monday I believe, coach Friend was telling me about the play, about how those safeties are going to come down off the toss play. He showed me the play and he said, look, 'we are going to toss it to Jarquez, and we're going to let the Z come out tere and run like a corner.' I said, 'hold on, whoa!' I said, 'you know who did that, right?' He said, 'yeah Cadillac I know, I was at Georgia in 2004, whenever y'all came in and you ran the halfback pass.' So, we actually pulled it up, we showed them the play. Coach Friend was like, 'we need to show them guys you doing it.' We actually showed them the play that we were going to run, and then at the end he was like, 'it's going to work. We got proof because your coach did it,' and then he showed the play.

"Man, great job by that offensive staff. Coach Friend, coach Hilliard, heading that thing off. Coach Jeffery McDaniels, coach Hartline, coach Simmons, coach Bernardi and the rest of that support staff that helps us do our job, crunching numbers and getting stuff in, getting a look. It's so much that goes into it. We would not be able to do our job if the people that don't get as much credit, we wouldn't be able to do our job."

Coaching in the Iron Bowl ...

"I've got a lot of respect for the great Nick Saban, a lot of respect. He came and sat on my couch in 2001 ... when he was at LSU. My mom, my dad, we were very impressed by coach Saban. He did pass on me in the 2005 draft, and he took Ronnie Brown over me. That still hurts me a little bit, but I'm over it now. ... I tip my hat off to the success that that university has had, but look, we are going to play football, Auburn football. Whether that's (playing the) Dallas Cowboys, (the) University of Alabama, the great Nick Saban, these kids not going to blink. We're not blinking. We're going to flush it. We're going to celebrate tonight, we're going to flush this tomorrow and we're going to be onto preparing for the Iron Bowl. We are excited. We're excited for this opportunity. We want to send these seniors off. Like I told them, us giving our best doesn't guarantee that we're going to win, but what we can do is we can look ourselves in the mirror and we can be happy with whatever results happen. We're going to lay it on the line and see what happens."

Second-half shutout

"Coach Schmedding and them, I mean, heck of a coach. Him and that staff, man, they do a really good job. When I say they are locked in, like, they believe that they can shut people out. From D-Hall to Colby Wooden to Owen Pappoe, to that secondary, to the d-line, to the linebackers, oh my, I love watching them guys play defense. I tell them all the time, my heart is on the defensive side. I love to watch them play defense. Like I told them, man, let's simplify, let's make our adjustment, but where we're weak in numbers or players, (let's make up for it with) our effort, us playing together as a team, us winning our individual battles.

"Where now we can play Auburn ball as a team, because as much as this is a team sport, there's still a lot of one on one battles there that you've got to execute and you've got to whoop the guy in front of you. This motto, which wasn't started by me, I think it was started by Will Friend, 'fight or quit.' I just kind of ran with it, but fight or quit, that's it, man. We want to dominate each and every play. And what happens? We give up a big play, stuff happens, we are moving on. We're moving on and we're being present."

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aubiefifty · November 21, 2022

Iron Bowl point spread opens with Alabama a heavy favorite

Published: Nov. 20, 2022, 2:10 p.m.

Auburn cornerback Jaylin Simpson (36) breaks up a pass to Alabama wide receiver Ja'Corey Brooks (7) during the second half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Nov. 27, 2021, in Auburn, Ala. (AP Photo/Vasha Hunt)AP

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Michael Casagrande | mcasagrande@al.com

The first Iron Bowl in 15 years that won’t impact the national title race comes with a sizeable point spread.

Alabama is favored by 21 to 25.5 points depending on Las Vegas sports book as of Sunday afternoon. BetMGM was on the high end of that spectrum while Circa Sports had it right on the three-touchdown number.

The Crimson Tide (9-2) has a 5-5 record against the spread in games with FBS competition. It beat FCS foe Austin Peay, 34-0 on Saturday as the final tuneup before the rivalry showdown.

Auburn (5-6) needs this win to reach bowl eligibility after Saturday’s win over Western Kentucky lifted the Tigers to a 5-5 record against the spread in FBS games.

Alabama won the last two Iron Bowls after dropping two of the previous three. A 24-22 overtime win in Jordan-Hare Stadium kept the national title hopes in play.

The 2007 game last time these two met with neither team in championship contention as the Tigers beat Nick Saban’s first Alabama team, 17-10 in Auburn.

Michael Casagrande is a reporter for the Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @ByCasagrande or on Facebook.

aubiefifty · November 21, 2022

aubiefifty · November 21, 2022

aubiefifty · November 21, 2022

aubiefifty · November 21, 2022

Auburn defense maintaining recent trend of strong 2nd-half performances

Published: Nov. 20, 2022, 1:41 p.m.

5–6 minutes

Cadillac Williams walked out of the locker room at halftime without saying a word.

He didn’t need to; he wanted to let his players hash things out on their own, so he turned it over to Derick Hall and Auburn’s other seniors on defense. This was, after all, their night, their final home game at Jordan-Hare Stadium, and Williams — as he has done time and again since taking over as interim head coach — wanted to empower his players to lead the way.

Read more Auburn football: Auburn seniors soak in final moments at Jordan-Hare Stadium after 1 last home win

Grading Auburn’s 41-17 win against Western Kentucky

Auburn turns back the clock with halfback pass ripped straight from 2004 Georgia game

“They gave us a not-so-nice talk, if you want to call it that,” cornerback Jaylin Simpson said. “But they just gave us some words of wisdom in the locker room. And, you know, I think that changed the energy for everybody, the whole team.”

After Auburn allowed Western Kentucky to rally back from a double-digit deficit in the first half and tie the game going into halftime Saturday, the Tigers clamped down on the Hilltoppers and their Air Raid attack in the second half at Jordan-Hare Stadium. Reignited by the halftime talk from Hall and the other seniors, Auburn’s defense pitched a shutout in the second half as the team pulled away for a convincing 41-17 win.

“That was special,” defensive lineman Colby Wooden said. “I didn’t recognize it until after the game. But, yeah, that’s one way to go out in Jordan-Hare. To hold them to no points in the second half, that’s crazy.”

Williams may have left the room before that player-led powwow, but Auburn’s interim head coach heard the message from his seniors clearly from the other side of the doors. They discussed self-inflicted wounds, not doing what they’ve been coached to do or sticking to the gameplan, and just not focusing on team defense at times.

RELATED: Cadillac Williams on respect for, history with ‘the great Nick Saban’

It was a blunt discussion but one that needed to be had after WKU stormed back from a 17-3 deficit in the final five minutes of the first half.

“It was good,” senior linebacker Owen Pappoe said. “Like, we knew what to do. We had a great week of preparation. It’s kind of like the first half, we just came out kind of slow, so it was more so like, ‘Guys, wake up! We’re not going out like this on senior night, man. Let’s go out there, play hard and finish.’”

Coming out of halftime, Auburn’s defense turned things around. WKU didn’t score and was held to just 106 yards of offense in the second half, averaging 2.6 yards per play and committing two turnovers — including a pick-six by D.J. James that put an exclamation point on Auburn’s defensive effort.

Western Kentucky’s second-half drive chart looked like this: interception, punt, punt, punt, turnover on downs, pick-six, turnover on downs. The Hilltoppers had one second-half drive that went 20 yards or longer, and quarterback Austin Reed completed just 13-of-27 passes for 78 yards after halftime following a first half in which he had 222 yards and a pair of touchdowns.

“Shoot, really just answering the call,” Pappoe said. “We came out flat. There’s been times this season where we went downhill going into the second half, but just going out there and continuing to pick up the pace and finishing strong. That’s what we did.”

RELATED: Scarbinsky: Auburn’s joyride likely ends in Tuscaloosa. But the Tigers’ next coach will have a hard act to follow.

Auburn’s defense has bucked those second-half struggles since Williams was elevated to interim head coach, stepping up in the second half of each of the Tigers’ last three games—particularly in the third quarter.

Against Mississippi State, Auburn’s defense gave up zero points, just 40 total yards and 2 yards per play in the third quarter as the Tigers tried to rally back from an early 24-3 deficit. Last week against Texas A&M, Auburn turned in an unfathomably dominant quarter coming out of halftime, holding the Aggies to minus-3 yards of offense in the third quarter of a 13-10 win.

That trend continued against WKU, as Auburn has suddenly become a second-half team under Williams, who heaped praise on the job defensive coordinator Jeff Schmedding and staff have done in recent week. Some of it has been in-game adjustments, but some of it has been just sheer effort from Auburn’s resurgent defense, which Wooden noted has “calmed down and realized” it just needs to play to its identity of being a hardnosed, relentless group.

“When I say they are locked in, like, they believe that they can shut people out,” Williams said. “…This motto, which wasn’t started by me, I think it was started by Will Friend, ‘fight or quit.’ I just kind of ran with it, but fight or quit, that’s it, man. We want to dominate each and every play. And what happens? We give up a big play, stuff happens, we are moving on. We’re moving on and we’re being present.”

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

aubiefifty · November 21, 2022

Lane Kiffin addresses reports of being Auburn's top target after loss to Arkansas

Updated: Nov. 20, 2022, 9:31 a.m.|Published: Nov. 19, 2022, 11:52 p.m.

~4 minutes

Auburn Football

Lane Kiffin addresses Auburn candidacy: ‘Maybe if they watched the 1st half, I wouldn’t be No. 1′

Lane Kiffin

Mississippi head coach Lane Kiffin reacts during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Alabama in Oxford, Miss., Saturday, Nov. 12, 2022. (AP Photo/Thomas Graning)AP

Lane Kiffin is aware his name has been heavily associated with Auburn’s head coaching vacancy this fall.

Kiffin’s name has been linked to Auburn since before the Tigers fired Bryan Harsin on Halloween, and the buzz has only picked up in the almost three weeks since new Auburn athletics director John Cohen began his search for the program’s next coach. Kiffin has been the candidate most associated with the job on the Plains, and multiple reports have suggested he’s the Tigers’ No. 1 target.

Read more Auburn football: Updating Auburn’s coaching search

Cadillac Williams on respect for, history with ‘the great Nick Saban’

Auburn AD John Cohen discusses coaching search, deadline for making a hire

Kiffin was asked about those reports again Saturday night after Ole Miss’ double-digit loss to Arkansas, as well as a report earlier this week that said the Rebels offered him a new contract and raise to remain in Oxford, Miss.

“Fair question,” Kiffin said when asked about being viewed as Auburn’s top target. “Like I said, I love being here. I don’t want to look to next year already with a regular-season game (still to play), but this is not one of those years where you were, ‘We’re going to lose all these guys.’ There’s a lot of people coming back, and a lot of new guys offensively, especially. So, very excited about the future. So, I don’t know all that stuff out there — No. 1 (candidate) stuff. Maybe if they watched the first half (against Arkansas), I wouldn’t be No. 1 anymore.”

Ole Miss lost to Arkansas, 42-27, in Fayetteville, Ark., on Saturday night. The Rebels trailed 35-6 at halftime while turning the ball over twice, punting twice and missing a field goal.

It was Ole Miss’ second straight loss, having lost to Alabama a week earlier. The Rebels are now 8-3 after opening the year 7-0.

Despite that loss to the Tide, a report surfaced earlier this week about Ole Miss extending a new contract to Kiffin that would have made him one of the 10 highest-paid coaches in the country. Kiffin, who currently makes $7.25 million a year and is the 11th-highest paid coach in college football this season, declined to address that report head-on, noting he “never” discusses such things, and while he expressed appreciation for the administration at Ole Miss, he didn’t exactly put to bed any talk of a potential exit from Ole Miss after the Rebels wrap up their regular-season slate with the Egg Bowl against rival Mississippi State on Thanksgiving Day.

“I’m very happy here,” Kiffin said. “I mean, I’m not happy right now, but that has nothing to do with being here. I’m not happy with the outcome (against Arkansas) because I wanted to get to 9-2 and get to 10-2 next week, so that’s all I’m worried about. So, I’m very happy to be here. I’m very appreciative of leadership here and the stuff they do to give us a chance to win.”

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

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aubiefifty · November 21, 2022

Auburn’s Owen Pappoe accepts Senior Bowl invite

Published: Nov. 21, 2022, 9:01 a.m.

~3 minutes

Owen Pappoe vs. Texas A&M

Owen Pappoe (0) celebrates a play during the football game between the Texas A&M Aggies and the Auburn Tigers at Jordan Hare Stadium in Auburn, AL on Saturday, Nov 12, 2022. Todd Van Emst/Auburn TigersTodd Van Emst/Auburn Tigers

Owen Pappoe is headed to Mobile.

The Auburn linebacker on Monday morning accepted his invitation to the 2023 Senior Bowl. He’s the second Auburn player to commit to the postseason all-star event, joining Tigers edge defender Eku Leota, who accepted his invite late last week.

Read more Auburn football: Auburn’s defense maintaining recent trend of strong 2nd-half performances

Auburn seniors soak in final moments at Jordan-Hare Stadium after 1 last home win

Iron Bowl point spread opens with Alabama a heavy favorite

The 2023 Senior Bowl will be played Feb. 4 at South Alabama’s Hancock Whitney Stadium in Mobile, with practices throughout the week leading up to the annual college all-star game.

Pappoe has enjoyed a bounceback season during his final year at Auburn after coming back from an ankle injury that sidelined him most of his junior campaign. He leads the team with 83 total tackles, including a team-best 45 solo stops. Three of those tackles have been behind the line of scrimmage, with a pair of sacks among them. Pappoe also has three pass breakups and a pair of forced fumbles on the year.

One of Auburn’s three co-captains, Pappoe has helped lead a suddenly resurgent defensive unit that has stepped up in the three games since Cadillac Williams was named interim head coach. The group has been particularly stingy in the second half of those three games against Mississippi State, Texas A&M and Western Kentucky, as Auburn has gone 2-1 under Williams heading into the Iron Bowl, with a chance to get back to .500 and earn a bowl berth if Auburn can knock off rival Alabama in the regular-season finale.

Pappoe, a former five-star prospect who is the highest-rated recruit currently on Auburn’s roster, enters his final regular-season game with 246 career tackles, 15 for a loss, eight sacks, seven pass breakups, an interception, three forced fumbles and a fumble recovery.

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.

aubiefifty · November 21, 2022

Scarbinsky: Auburn’s next coach will have a hard act to follow.

Published: Nov. 20, 2022, 5:45 a.m.

2–3 minutes

Now that you mention it, you’re probably right about all of it. Carnell Williams almost certainly celebrated his last win as the Auburn head football coach Saturday. Western Kentucky was not the most formidable opponent, and Tyson Helton did not make the strongest case in his in-state audition to be the next UAB head coach.

The top-down, unbuckled and unbridled Cadillac joy ride is headed down a dark road toward T-town, where the T stands for trouble when Auburn football teams not led by Cam Newton pay a visit to Nick Saban.

We love the Iron Bowl because it makes magic on the regular, but when was the last time an Auburn team with a losing record beat Alabama? It was 1949, two years before Saban was born. So not in his lifetime and not on his watch if Bryce Young has anything to say about it.

Young has a chance to add to a legacy that includes a defining drive to rescue the Tide last year on the Plains. He can become the first Alabama quarterback under Saban to win multiple Iron Bowls as a starter without a single defeat.

Alabama, despite its recent nagging habit of not looking like Alabama, is one win away from its 12th straight 10-win regular season. Be nice if we could all pause for a moment during this season of mourning without a playoff trip to appreciate it. Auburn, if all goes according to plan, is one game away from throwing a parade for Lane Kiffin, who could really use a hug right about now after getting shivved by Arkansas and Sam Pittman.

But since we’re still in the window of the 24-hour rule, the Iron Bowl can wait. The identity of Auburn’s next head coach and UAB’s next head coach and Alabama’s newest staff members will be revealed in due time. Let’s not turn the page without writing this down in ink.

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aubiefifty · November 21, 2022

Statistically speaking: Auburn pass defense having best year since 2017

Published: Nov. 21, 2022, 10:15 a.m.

20–25 minutes

For all the issues Auburn has had on defense this season, with noticeable drop-offs in key areas compared to the standard that had been set in recent season, the Tigers’ pass defense has not been among them.

Auburn is quietly putting together its best season in terms of pass defense since 2017, when the program last represented the SEC West in the conference title game and earned a New Year’s Six bowl bid. Auburn’s effectiveness against the pass was on display last weekend, as the defense stymied Western Kentucky’s Air Raid offense. The Hilltoppers completed just 28-of-59 passes (a season-low 47 percent) for 300 yards, two touchdowns and a pair of interceptions -- including a pick-six by D.J. James that put a bow on top of the Tigers’ 41-17 win at Jordan-Hare Stadium.

Read more Auburn football: Auburn’s defense maintaining recent trend of strong 2nd-half performances

Auburn seniors soak in final moments at Jordan-Hare Stadium after 1 last home win

Auburn turns back the clock with halfback pass ripped straight from 2004 Georgia game

The pass defense was particularly stout in the second half, when WKU completed just 13-of-27 passes for 78 yards and the two interceptions. WKU finished the game averaging a season-low 5.1 yards per pass attempt against Auburn, which along with the two picks had 10 pass breakups -- the most by the Tigers in a single game since finishing with 12 against Mississippi State in 2017.

“We were talking about just being sticky all week,” defensive back Jaylin Simpson said. “So, I think we just did a really good job of being real sticky on those guys.”

It was somewhat fitting that Auburn’s defense had its most pass breakups in a game since 2017, given the unit’s pass coverage this year has compared favorably to the job that team did.

Auburn’s defense is tracking toward its best pass efficiency numbers (116.01) since 2017 (113.84), when it finished fourth in the SEC and 19th nationally. The Tigers currently rank fourth in the conference and 18th nationally in that category. The unit is limiting opponent to 6.1 yards per pass attempt, which is tied for 12th nationally and ranks fourth in the SEC, a mark that matches the program’s best since 2017, when it held opposing offenses to 6.0 yards per attempt.

While Auburn has just five interceptions this season -- strangely, its fewest since 2017, when it finished with six -- the defense has only allowed only 12 passing touchdowns on the year, which ranks 17th nationally and is the program’s fewest. since giving up 16 in both 2017 and 2018.

Here’s a look at those numbers, as well as where Auburn stacks up in the SEC and among FBS teams in various other statistical categories entering the final week of the regular season:

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RUSHING OFFENSE (SEC rank, FBS rank)

2013: 328.3 (1st, 1st)

2014: 255.5 (2nd, 13th)

2015: 196.4 (5th, 35th)

2016: 271.3 (1st, 6th)

2017: 218.3 (4th, 26th)

2018: 167.5 (10th, 68th)

2019: 199.1 (4th, 33rd)

2020: 162.5 (7th, 67th)

2021: 161.5 (9th, 66th)

After Mercer: 285.0 (3rd, 14th)

After San Jose State: 247.5 (3rd, 14th)

After Penn State: 204.7 (6th 40th)

After Missouri: 174.0 (10th, 57th)

After LSU: 159.4 (10th, 66th)

After Georgia: 148.3 (10th, 75th)

After Ole Miss: 170.1 (8th, 53rd)

After bye week: 170.1 (8th, 56th)

After Arkansas: 171.8 (8th, 50th)

After Mississippi State: 181.1 (8th, 46th)

After Texas A&M: 190.0 (7th, 33rd)

After Western Kentucky: 195.6 (6th, 31st)

Why: Auburn ran for 252 yards against WKU.

.

PASSING OFFENSE

2013: 173.0 (11th, 106th)

2014: 229.5 (7th, 66th)

2015: 173.6 (12th, 110th)

2016: 169.5 (14th, 112th)

2017: 233.4 (5th, 65th)

2018: 222.5 (9th, 74th)

2019: 207.5 (9th, 87th)

2020: 220.3 (10th, 71st)

2021: 240.0 (8th, 59th)

After Mercer: 212.0 (11th, 84th)

After San Jose State: 190.0 (12th, 103rd)

After Penn State: 225.3 (9th, 87th)

After Missouri: 202.8 (12th, 103rd)

After LSU: 229.6 (9th, 82nd)

After Georgia: 218.8 (11th, 97th)

After Ole Miss: 207.6 (13th, 104th)

After bye week: 207.6 (13th, 102nd)

After Arkansas: 217.2 (12th, 93rd)

After Mississippi State: 201.4 (14th, 104th)

After Texas A&M: 187.3 (14th, 113th)

After Western Kentucky: 181.4 (14th, 115th)

Why: Auburn threw for 122 yards against WKU.

.

PASS EFFICIENCY OFFENSE

2013: 149.63 (6th, 24th)

2014: 156.79 (1st, 8th)

2015: 124.47 (10th, 79th)

2016: 135.17 (6th, 54th)

2017: 153.59 (5th, 13th)

2018: 140.11 (8th, 51st)

2019: 128.35 (9th, 89th)

2020: 122.96 (11th, 89th)

2021: 126.85 (12th, 94th)

After Mercer: 143.37 (9th, 61st)

After San Jose State: 123.23 (12th, 94th)

After Penn State: 121.20 (12th, 104th)

After Missouri: 121.09 (13th, 105th)

After LSU: 122.98 (13th, 101st)

After Georgia: 113.77 (14th, 114th)

After Ole Miss: 111.96 (14th, 115th)

After bye week: 111.96 (14th, 115th)

After Arkansas: 118.17 (14th, 110th)

After Mississippi State: 113.13 (14th, 115th)

After Texas A&M: 111.48 (14th, 118th)

After Western Kentucky: 111.57 (14th, 117th)

Why: Auburn completed 9-of-20 passes for 122 yards and one touchdown against WKU.

.

TOTAL OFFENSE

2013: 501.3 (2nd, 11th)

2014: 485.0 (2nd, 16th)

2015: 370.0 (10th, 94th)

2016: 440.8 (6th, 43rd)

2017: 451.6 (3rd, 26th)

2018: 389.9 (11th, 78th)

2019: 406.5 (6th, 64th)

2020: 382.8 (9th, 77th)

2021: 401.5 (10th, 67th)

After Mercer: 497.0 (7th, 49th)

After San Jose State: 437.5 (9th, 57th)

After Penn State: 430.0 (8th, 61st)

After Missouri: 376.8 (12th, 89th)

After LSU: 389.0 (10th, 80th)

After Georgia: 367.2 (12th, 94th)

After Ole Miss: 377.7 (10th, 81st)

After bye week: 377.7 (9th, 80th)

After Arkansas: 389.0 (9th, 74th)

After Mississippi State: 382.6 (9th, 79th)

After Texas A&M: 377.3 (9th, 76th)

After Western Kentucky: 377.0 (10th, 78th)

Why: Auburn had 374 yards of offense against WKU.

.

SCORING OFFENSE

2013: 39.5 (2nd, 12th)

2014: 35.5 (4th, 35th)

2015: 27.5 (8th, 75th)

2016: 31.2 (6th, 49th)

2017: 33.9 (4th, 27th)

2018: 30.9 (8th, 47th)

2019: 33.2 (3rd, 28th)

2020: 25.1 (9th, 89th)

2021: 27.8 (11th, 71st)

After Mercer: 42.0 (7th, 34th)

After San Jose State: 33.0 (9th, 67th)

After Penn State: 26.0 (11th, 91st)

After Missouri: 23.8 (13th, 100th)

After LSU: 22.4 (13th, 107th)

After Georgia: 20.3 (14th, 112th)

After Ole Miss: 22.3 (13th, 106th)

After bye week: 22.3 (13th, 108th)

After Arkansas: 22.9 (13th, 103rd)

After Mississippi State: 24.0 (11th, 96th)

After Texas A&M: 22.9 (13th, 100th)

After Western Kentucky: 24.5 (12th, 90th)

Why: Auburn scored 41 points against WKU — its most against an FBS team since last year’s opener — with one defensive touchdown.

SACKS ALLOWED

2013: 18 sacks, 1.29 per game (3rd, 22nd)

2014: 15 sacks, 1.15 per game (3rd, 15th)

2015: 19 sacks, 1.46 per game (4th, 33rd)

2016: 19 sacks, 1.46 per game (3rd, 27th)

2017: 36 sacks, 2.57 per game (10th, 100th)

2018: 23 sacks, 1.77 per game (6th, 39th)

2019: 18 sacks, 1.38 per game (4th, 18th)

2020: 20 sacks, 1.82 per game (6th, 41st)

2021: 22 sacks, 1.69 per game (5th, 31st)

After Mercer: 0 sacks, 0.00 per game (1st, 1st)

After San Jose State: 1 sack, 0.50 per game (2nd, 12th)

After Penn State: 8 sacks, 2.33 per game (10th, 84th)

After Missouri: 12 sacks, 3.00 per game (12th, 112th)

After LSU: 15 sacks, 3.00 per game (12th, 111th)

After Georgia: 15 sacks, 2.50 per game (11th, 95th)

After Ole Miss: 18 sacks, 2.57 per game (12th, 102nd)

After bye week: 18 sacks, 2.57 per game (12th, 96th)

After Arkansas: 21 sacks, 2.62 per game (12th, 93rd)

After Mississippi State: 25 sacks, 2.78 per game (12th, 96th)

After Texas A&M: 27 sacks, 2.70 per game (12th, 94th)

After Western Kentucky: 28 sacks, 2.55 per game (12th, 90th)

Why: Auburn gave up one sack against WKU.

.

THIRD-DOWN CONVERSIONS

2013: 46.5 percent (4th, 24th)

2014: 52.5 percent (1st, 2nd)

2015: 41.3 percent (6th, 49th)

2016: 41.8 percent (4th, 53rd)

2017: 45.5 percent (3rd, 15th)

2018: 36.9 percent (11th, 90th)

2019: 40.5 percent (6th, 60th)

2020: 44.9 percent (6th, 32nd)

2021: 40.2 percent (8th, 61st)

After Mercer: 50.0 percent (7th, 40th)

After San Jose State: 42.1 percent (8th, 57th)

After Penn State: 38.2 percent (10th, 78th)

After Missouri: 32.0 percent (13th, 114th)

After LSU: 33.8 percent (12th, 105th)

After Georgia: 32.9 percent (14th, 114th)

After Ole Miss: 33.3 percent (14th, 108th)

After bye week: 33.3 percent (14th, 109th)

After Arkansas: 37.4 percent (12th, 85th)

After Mississippi State: 36.8 percent (12th, 92nd)

After Texas A&M: 36.0 percent (13th, 96th)

After Western Kentucky: 36.6 percent (13th, 91st)

Why: Auburn converted six of its 14 third-down attempts against WKU.

.

RED ZONE OFFENSE

2013: 88.5 percent (2nd, 21st)

2014: 87.9 percent (4th, 31st)

2015: 90.2 percent (2nd, 13th)

2016: 85.5 percent (5th, 52nd)

2017: 88.1 percent (6th, 36th)

2018: 81.1 percent (11th, 88th)

2019: 90.4 percent (3rd, 21st)

2020: 85.0 percent (6th, 50th)

2021: 84.8 percent (7th, 55th)

After Mercer: 100.0 percent (1st, 1st)

After San Jose State: 100.0 percent (1st, 1st)

After Penn State: 83.3 percent (11th, 73rd)

After Missouri: 85.7 percent (8th, 62nd)

After LSU: 82.4 percent (10th, 75th)

After Georgia: 83.3 percent (7th, 64th)

After Ole Miss: 86.4 percent (7th, 46th)

After bye week: 86.4 percent (8th, 50th)

After Arkansas: 84.6 percent (8th, 66th)

After Mississippi State: 84.4 percent (8th, 61st)

After Texas A&M: 85.7 percent (8th, 54th)

After Western Kentucky: 86.8 percent (8th, 44th)

Why: Auburn scored on all three of its red-zone trips against WKU, with two touchdowns and a field goal.

.

RUSHING DEFENSE

2013: 162.1 (10th, 62nd)

2014: 168.8 (10th, 67th)

2015: 182.7 (11th, 81st)

2016: 132.8 (3rd, 27th)

2017: 137.0 (5th, 35th)

2018: 135.9 (6th, 32nd)

2019: 123.2 (4th, 25th)

2020: 163.4 (8th, 62nd)

2021: 128.1 (5th, 29th)

After Mercer: 74.0 (3rd, 25th)

After San Jose State: 64.0 (1st, 10th)

After Penn State: 124.3 (8th, 55th)

After Missouri: 126.5 (10th, 52nd)

After LSU: 138.2 (9th, 65th)

After Georgia: 163.8 (11th, 92nd)

After Ole Miss: 204.4 (14th, 120th)

After bye week: 204.4 (14th, 119th)

After Arkansas: 214.6 (14th, 127th)

After Mississippi State: 191.1 (13th, 114th)

After Texas A&M: 181.4 (12th, 105th)

After Western Kentucky: 172.6 (11th, 94th)

Why: Auburn held WKU to 85 yards rushing.

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PASSING DEFENSE

2013: 258.6 (13th, 100th)

2014: 230.1 (12th, 68th)

2015: 222.5 (11th, 63rd)

2016: 229.2 (9th, 67th)

2017: 182.4 (5th, 18th)

2018: 219.5 (7th, 58th)

2019: 213.8 (8th, 47th)

2020: 242.6 (4th, 79th)

2021: 245.8 (12th, 96th)

After Mercer: 197.0 (7th, 56th)

After San Jose State: 236.0 (11th, 83rd)

After Penn State: 234.7 (11th, 81st)

After Missouri: 220.8 (10th, 65th)

After LSU: 193.6 (7th, 35th)

After Georgia: 196.0 (8th, 32nd)

After Ole Miss: 186.6 (5th, 20th)

After bye week: 186.6 (4th, 19th)

After Arkansas: 192.5 (4th, 24th)

After Mississippi State: 211.9 (8th, 40th)

After Texas A&M: 202.8 (6th, 35th)

After Western Kentucky: 211.6 (9th, 49th)

Why: WKU threw for 300 yards against Auburn.

PASS EFFICIENCY DEFENSE

2013: 126.88 (9th, 63rd)

2014: 124.19 (10th, 52nd)

2015: 116.99 (8th, 31st)

2016: 116.83 (4th, 22nd)

2017: 113.84 (4th, 19th)

2018: 118.12 (6th, 31st)

2019: 120.71 (9th, 32nd)

2020: 139.34 (7th, 75th)

2021: 136.73 (9th, 75th)

After Mercer: 122.63 (9th, 66th)

After San Jose State: 120.06 (10th, 63rd)

After Penn State: 129.03 (11th, 73rd)

After Missouri: 125.83 (10th, 58th)

After LSU: 115.38 (6th, 29th)

After Georgia: 116.79 (6th, 27th)

After Ole Miss: 119.60 (7th, 30th)

After bye week: 119.60 (7th, 29th)

After Arkansas: 124.18 (8th, 38th)

After Mississippi State: 125.40 (8th, 51st)

After Texas A&M: 119.92 (5th, 30th)

After Western Kentucky: 116.01 (4th, 18th)

Why: WKU completed 28-of-59 passes for 300 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions against Auburn.

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TOTAL DEFENSE

2013: 420.7 (12th, 86th)

2014: 398.8 (9th, 64th)

2015: 405.2 (13th, 71st)

2016: 361.9 (5th, 28th)

2017: 319.4 (5th, 14th)

2018: 355.4 (8th, 38th)

2019: 337.0 (7th, 28th)

2020: 406.0 (6th, 63rd)

2021: 373.8 (9th, 61st)

After Mercer: 271.0 (3rd, 35th)

After San Jose State: 300.0 (6th, 40th)

After Penn State: 359.0 (10th, 56th)

After Missouri: 347.2 (9th, 49th)

After LSU: 331.8 (6th, 35th)

After Georgia: 359.8 (9th, 56th)

After Ole Miss: 391.0 (10th, 81st)

After bye week: 391.0 (10th, 81st)

After Arkansas: 407.1 (11th, 94th)

After Mississippi State: 403.0 (11th, 91st)

After Texas A&M: 384.2 (9th, 77th)

After Western Kentucky: 384.3 (9th, 76th)

Why: Auburn gave up 385 total yards of offense against WKU.

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SCORING DEFENSE

2013: 24.7 (9th, 48th)

2014: 26.7 (10th, 62nd)

2015: 26.0 (11th, 54th)

2016: 17.1 (4th, 7th)

2017: 18.5 (3rd, 12th)

2018: 19.2 (4th, 14th)

2019: 19.5 (6th, 17th)

2020: 24.7 (4th, 38th)

2021: 21.8 (5th, 27th)

After Mercer: 16.0 (8th, 48th)

After San Jose State: 16.0 (6th, 42nd)

After Penn State: 24.3 (9th, 66th)

After Missouri: 21.8 (9th, 58th)

After LSU: 21.6 (8th, 44th)

After Georgia: 25.0 (10th, 60th)

After Ole Miss: 28.3 (12th, 78th)

After bye week: 28.3 (12th, 83rd)

After Arkansas: 29.9 (11th, 94th)

After Mississippi State: 30.9 (13th, 103rd)

After Texas A&M: 28.8 (12th, 87th)

After Western Kentucky: 27.7 (12th, 85th)

Why: Auburn allowed 17 points to Western Kentucky.

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SACKS

2013: 32 sacks, 2.29 per game (4th, 46th)

2014: 21 sacks, 1.62 per game (11th, 95th)

2015: 19 sacks, 1.46 per game (13th, 104th)

2016: 25 sacks, 1.92 per game (8th, 75th)

2017: 37 sacks, 2.64 per game (5th, 25th)

2018: 38, 2.92 per game (3rd, 16th)

2019: 28 sacks, 2.15 per game (9th, 64th)

2020: 26 sacks, 2.36 per game (6th, 53rd)

2021: 35, 2.69 per game (7th, 40th)

After Mercer: 1 sack, 1.00 per game (7th, 71st)

After San Jose State: 4 sacks, 2.00 per game (3rd, 61st)

After Penn State: 4 sacks, 1.33 per game (9th, 98th)

After Missouri: 8 sacks, 2.00 per game (6th, 71st)

After LSU: 11 sacks, 2.20 per game (7th, 57th)

After Georgia: 12 sacks, 2.00 per game (7th, 69th)

After Ole Miss: 13 sacks, 1.86 per game (8th, 80th)

After bye week: 13 sacks, 1.86 per game (7th, 83rd)

After Arkansas: 16 sacks, 2.00 per game (8th, 76th)

After Mississippi State: 21 sacks, 2.33 per game (5th, 52nd)

After Texas A&M: 24 sacks, 2.40 per game (5th, 50th)

After Western Kentucky: 26, 2.36 per game (4th, 45th)

Why: Auburn had two sacks against WKU.

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THIRD-DOWN DEFENSE

2013: 33.0 percent (1st, 13th)

2014: 36.0 percent (4th, 29th)

2015: 44.9 percent (13th, 109th)

2016: 34.8 percent (4th, 25th)

2017: 32.9 percent (3rd, 20th)

2018: 34.7 percent (6th, 30th)

2019: 29.9 percent (2nd, 8th)

2020: 50.3 percent (14th, 121st)

2021: 35.8 percent (7th, 37th)

After Mercer: 44.4 percent (10th, 92nd)

After San Jose State: 38.7 percent (10th, 87th)

After Penn State: 40.5 percent (11th, 91st)

After Missouri: 38.2 percent (11th, 73rd)

After LSU: 37.1 percent (10th, 65th)

After Georgia: 38.1 percent (10th, 68th)

After Ole Miss: 42.7 percent (11th, 100th)

After bye week: 42.7 percent (11th, 101st)

After Arkansas: 44.4 percent (11th, 111th)

After Mississippi State: 42.1 percent (11th, 102nd)

After Texas A&M: 40.9 percent (10th, 90th)

After Western Kentucky: 41.2 percent (10th, 90th)

Why: WKU converted 9-of-21 third-down attempts against Auburn.

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RED ZONE DEFENSE

2013: 73.1 percent (2nd, 10th)

2014: 74.1 percent (4th, 13th)

2015: 75.5 percent (5th, 15th)

2016: 74.4 percent (3rd, 11th)

2017: 83.3 percent (6th, 64th)

2018: 82.9 percent (9th, 64th)

2019: 71.8 percent (2nd, 8th)

2020: 76.3 percent (3rd, 27th)

2021: 81.6 percent (6th, 58th)

After Mercer: 100.0 percent (8th, 78th)

After San Jose State: 87.5 percent (12th, 83rd)

After Penn State: 92.3 percent (14th, 108th)

After Missouri: 82.4 percent (7th, 60th)

After LSU: 84.2 percent (11th, 77th)

After Georgia: 87.5 percent (12th, 96th)

After Ole Miss: 89.3 percent (13th, 112th)

After bye week: 89.3 percent (13th, 111th)

After Arkansas: 91.4 percent (14th, 119th)

After Mississippi State: 92.1 percent (14th, 123rd)

After Texas A&M: 92.3 percent (14th, 124th)

After Western Kentucky: 90.2 percent (12th, 114th)

Why: WKU scored on one of its two red-zone trips, settling for a field goal.

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NET PUNTING

2013: 40.54 (2nd, 9th)

2014: 37.44 (12th, 67th)

2015: 37.58 (7th, 54th)

2016: 39.90 (5th, 21st)

2017: 35.61 (14th, 115th)

2018: 41.91 (2nd, 5th)

2019: 38.50 (9th, 63rd)

2020: 38.70 (9th, 64th)

2021: 41.79 (3rd, 20th)

After Mercer: 29.00 (11th, 111th)

After San Jose State: 39.75 (8th, 66th)

After Penn State: 40.71 (6th, 52nd)

After Missouri: 43.53 (2nd, 10th)

After LSU: 44.11 (1st, 6th)

After Georgia: 41.68 (2nd, 16th)

After Ole Miss: 42.29 (3rd, 13th)

After bye week: 42.29 (2nd, 11th)

After Arkansas: 42.14 (2nd, 8th)

After Mississippi State: 42.25 (2nd, 7th)

After Texas A&M: 42.21 (3rd, 10th)

After Western Kentucky: 42.13 (3rd, 10th)

Why: Oscar Chapman averaged 41.4 net yards per punt against WKU.

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KICK RETURNS

2013: 23.40 (5th, 27th)

2014: 20.03 (11th, 82nd)

2015: 27.94 (2nd, 4th)

2016: 19.04 (12th, 100th)

2017: 23.22 (3rd, 25th)

2018: 21.52 (6th, 48th)

2019: 20.50 (7th, 67th)

2020: 21.96 (6th, 43rd)

2021: 23.88 (6th, 25th)

After Mercer: 7.67 (12th, 108th)

After San Jose State: 5.20 (14th, 127th)

After Penn State: 11.56 (14th, 124th)

After Missouri: 11.56 (14th, 127th)

After LSU: 13.75 (14th, 121st)

After Georgia: 14.08 (14th, 124th)

After Ole Miss: 14.50 (14th, 124th)

After bye week: 14.50 (14th, 124th)

After Arkansas: 14.50 (14th, 124th)

After Mississippi State: 15.53 (14th, 124th)

After Texas A&M: 15.53 (14th, 125th)

After Western Kentucky: 16.50 (13th, 120th)

Why: Auburn averaged 22 yards on three kickoff returns against WKU.

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KICK RETURN DEFENSE

2013: 25.79 (14th, 121st)

2014: 21.73 (9th, 84th)

2015: 21.17 (12th, 61st)

2016: 18.00 (1st, 13th)

2017: 27.20 (14th, 129th)

2018: 19.44 (3rd, 39th)

2019: 22.30 (11th, 96th)

2020: 26.67 (13th, 121st)

2021: 17.36 (3rd, 15th)

After Mercer: 13.00 (8th, 35th)

After San Jose State: 13.67 (4th, 20th)

After Penn State: 17.75 (5th, 35th)

After Missouri: 17.40 (5th, 25th)

After LSU: 18.75 (7th, 44th)

After Georgia: 18.25 (6th, 39th)

After Ole Miss: 20.45 (9th, 71st)

After bye week: 20.45 (8th, 71st)

After Arkansas: 20.45 (8th, 73rd)

After Mississippi State: 23.76 (11th, 115th)

After Texas A&M: 22.78 (11th, 103rd)

After Western Kentucky: 23.12 (10th, 109th)

Why: WKU averaged 24 yards on seven kickoff returns against Auburn.

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PUNT RETURNS

2013: 11.78 (2nd, 22nd)

2014: 17.82 yards per return (1st, 4th)

2015: 11.93 yards per return (7th, 28th)

2016: 10.69 (5th, 24th)

2017: 8.52 (8th, 51st)

2018: 10.75 (6th, 39th)

2019: 12.83 (4th, 18th)

2020: 9.11 (6th, 44th)

2021: 8.30 (7th, 60th)

After Mercer: 9.00 (3rd, 35th)

After San Jose State: 11.17 (4th, 33rd)

After Penn State: 10.88 (7th, 42nd)

After Missouri: 9.60 (7th, 44th)

After LSU: 8.92 (7th, 50th)

After Georgia: 8.92 (9th, 52nd)

After Ole Miss: 8.92 (8th, 51st)

After bye week: 8.92 (8th, 50th)

After Arkansas: 8.92 (8th, 48th)

After Mississippi State: 8.64 (8th, 50th)

After Texas A&M: 8.00 (9th, 64th)

After Western Kentucky: 8.83 (8th, 53rd)

Why: Auburn averaged 15.5 yards on two punt returns against WKU.

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PUNT RETURN DEFENSE

2013: 7.0 (8th, 51st)

2014: 7.79 (10th, 72nd)

2015: 12.43 (11th, 110th)

2016: 3.17 (1st, 8th)

2017: 11.43 (14th, 108th)

2018: 3.36 (3rd, 9th)

2019: 17.29 (14th, 130th)

2020: 2.75 (3rd, 17th)

2021: 4.12 (2nd, 23rd)

After Mercer: 0.00 (1st, 12th)

After San Jose State: 0.00 (1st, 13th)

After Penn State: 0.00 (1st, 14th)

After Missouri: minus-0.50 (1st, 5th)

After LSU: minus-0.50 (1st, 5th)

After Georgia: 7.43 (8th, 67th)

After Ole Miss: 7.00 (7th, 60th)

After bye week: 7.00 (8th, 61st)

After Arkansas: 7.00 (7th, 58th)

After Mississippi State: 5.89 (6th, 44th)

After Texas A&M: 5.89 (6th, 43rd)

After Western Kentucky: 5.89 (5th, 45th)

Why: Auburn did not allow a punt return against WKU.

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TURNOVER MARGIN

2013: even, 0.0 per game (9th, 61st)

2014: plus-seven, 0.54 per game (4th, 27th)

2015: plus-two, 0.15 per game (8th, 51st)

2016: plus-three, 0.23 per game (6th, 42nd)

2017: minus-one, minus-0.07 per game (7th, 71st)

2018: plus-nine, 0.69 (3rd, 16th)

2019: plus-six, 0.46 per game (3rd, 27th)

2020: plus-four, 0.36 per game (6th, 38th)

2021: plus-one, 0.08 per game (8th, 64th)

After Mercer: minus-two, minus-2.00 per game (13th, 106th)

After San Jose State: minus-four, minus-2.00 per game (14th, 121st)

After Penn State: minus-eight, minus-2.67 per game (14th, 130th)

After Missouri: minus-six, minus-1.50 per game (13th, 126th)

After LSU: minus-nine, minus-1.80 per game (14th, 129th)

After Georgia: minus-nine, minus-1.50 per game (14th, 128th)

After Ole Miss: minus-11, minus-1.57 per game (14th, 130th)

After bye week: minus-11, minus-1.57 per game (14th, 131st)

After Arkansas: minus-10, minus-1.25 per game (14th, 129th)

After Mississippi State: minus-eight, minus-0.89 per game (14th, 120th)

After Texas A&M: minus-10, minus-1.00 per game (14th, 125th)

After Western Kentucky: minus-8, minus-0.73 per game (14th, 119th)

Why: Auburn did not commit a turnover against WKU and intercepted two passes, including a pick-six in the fourth quarter.

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PENALTY YARDS PER GAME

2013: 40.64 (7th 30th)

2014: 68.92 (14th, 112th)

2015: 46.38 (7th, 34th)

2016: 36.54 (1st, 6th)

2017: 38.36 (2nd, 13th)

2018: 56.69 (9th, 75th)

2019: 55.23 (10th, 74th)

2020: 49.82 (7th, 56th)

2021: 46.38 (6th, 44th)

After Mercer: 20.00 (2nd, 5th)

After San Jose State: 52.50 (7th, 53rd)

After Penn State: 55.33 (7th, 60th)

After Missouri: 48.00 (6th, 40th)

After LSU: 54.40 (7th, 55th)

After Georgia: 55.33 (8th, 58th)

After Ole Miss: 54.14 (8th, 58th)

After bye week: 54.14 (6th, 61st)

After Arkansas: 54.25 (7th, 63rd)

After Mississippi State: 61.00 (9th, 94th)

After Texas A&M: 59.40 (8th, 87th)

After Western Kentucky: 58.09 (7th, 85th)

Why: Auburn committed five penalties for 45 yards against WKU.

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

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aubiefifty · November 21, 2022

Mark Edwards: Cadillac deserves more than a pat on the back after what he's done at Auburn

Mark Edwards, The Anniston Star, Ala.

6–7 minutes

Nov. 20—AUBURN — The current Auburn players probably don't know how their interim head coach, Carnell "Cadillac" Williams landed with the Tigers more than 20 years ago.

It's an interesting story and worth recalling as Williams serves as the Tigers' interim head coach.

Williams was a star running back out of Etowah High School, and as a high school senior, he was set to visit Auburn ... a week after visiting Tennessee.

Unfortunately for Auburn, Williams enjoyed his trip to Knoxville and was so enamored with the Vols that he declared for Tennessee. He told then-Auburn coach Tommy Tuberville that he wouldn't take his recruiting visit to the Plains after all.

In a 2020 interview with Volwire, Tuberville said he practically begged Williams to visit, but when the answer was still "no," he talked him into letting him visit with him in Etowah.

He showed up that Monday, and every assistant coach who was eligible to recruit came with him.

"We flew up to where Carnell was at, and I took every coach," Tuberville recalled. "I actually took a picture of Bo Jackson and put Carnell's face on Bo's picture holding the Heisman Trophy. I think with all of the attention that we gave him and his Mom, that we earned that visit that weekend. They all came, and, fortunately, he flipped and came to our place."

Tuberville may not understand much at his current job as U.S. senator, but as a football coach, he firmly realized that he needed players to win, especially difference-makers like Williams was as an Auburn running back. So, he was all in when he recruited Cadillac.

For what it's worth, in less than a month as Auburn's interim head football coach, Williams has made a difference. The Tigers are 2-1 under Williams, including Saturday's 41-17 home victory over Western Kentucky. He has hardly faced a murderer's row of a schedule, but Williams has delivered a spark. He's all in.

And the Auburn elite should consider him heavily for the full-time position.

We've talked plenty about the emotion Williams shows on the sideline, but he's more than that. Heck, if giving a show was enough to become a head coach, why isn't Trooper Taylor leading his own team by now? (Remember him? The towel-waving Taylor was an assistant coach on Auburn's 2010 national championship squad and is now a Duke assistant.)

Fired head coach Bryan Harsin didn't leave much of a roster behind, but Williams has made the best of it. Again, he's more than big smiles and cheerleading.

Williams' mark on this Auburn offense is clear. It's nice to see his Auburn team run the ball more often and effectively.

The Tigers picked up 256 yards on the ground against Mississippi State, 270 against Texas A&M and 252 against Western Kentucky. At times, Auburn used a fullback. Williams called it "big boy football," where Auburn is "hitting them in the mouth." He added that Auburn has even run some 2004 plays, from his senior year in blue and orange when the Tigers went undefeated.

Sure, the game these days is decided through the air more often than on the turf, but until these last three games, we rarely saw Auburn impose its will on anybody when it had the ball. Williams' approach to the run game has made an offense.

But the spark matters. Excitedly running off the field as he did Saturday and celebrating with fans matters. Harsin was dry toast with no butter. Williams is anything but that, and the fan base has rallied around that.

"I am honored to part of that Auburn family," Williams said after Saturday's game, and he means it.

He's getting a response. The stands for Saturday's ho-hum non-conference game were more full than expected. It wasn't overflowing, but the upper deck opposite of the press box was only about one-third full. A couple of the corners had some empty spaces.

Consider what it would've been had Harsin still been the coach — probably like Texas A&M's Kyle Field on Saturday. By halftime of the Aggies' 20-3 win over UMass, the stands were near empty. Calling it a sparse crowd would be an insult to the word "sparse."

Certainly, Auburn can chase bigger names as head coach, like the ones we keep hearing: Lane Kiffin, Deion Sanders, etc. Heck, Jimbo Fisher might be available soon, if boosters can come up with $85.95 million to pay the buyout he would be owed if he was fired.

In the past two years, Auburn is obligated to pay more than $36 million combined in buyouts to Gus Malzahn and Bryan Harsin. It's hard to imagine that if you've spent that much to run off coaches you don't like, you wouldn't open the bank account to find a home-run hire.

It boggles my mind how you can pay that much for Malzahn and Harsin to not coach Auburn and then have very much left over for someone who will actually be on the sideline, but college football is an arms race — an expensive one.

Still, why not Cadillac? He has no head coaching experience, but he is in his eighth season as an assistant, including six in college (four at Auburn). In just three games, he has garnered more support than Malzahn or Harsin ever enjoyed.

If nothing else, Williams should understand how having difference-makers would make for Auburn. Harsin was a non-entity as a recruiter, and as for Malzahn, even on his best days, he struggled. At the moment, Auburn's 2023 class is 46th in the nation, according to Rivals.com. Right behind Colorado and Virginia Tech.

Would he be Auburn's version of Mike Shula, who preceded Nick Saban at Alabama? Shula lasted only four years and never looked comfortable in the job.

Maybe Cadillac equals Shula. Even so, consider Alabama hired Shula because it needed some stability. He provided that, and when he was fired, he left a stronger roster than the one he inherited.

But I don't think Cadillac equals Shula. He can be better than that.

Senior Editor Mark Edwards: 256-235-3570. On Twitter: @MarkSportsStar.

aubiefifty · November 21, 2022