4/4/23 Football Articles

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With A-Day approaching, how does Auburn football coach Hugh Freeze assess his QBs?

Richard Silva, Montgomery Advertiser

Mon, April 3, 2023 at 6:44 PM CDT

 

 

AUBURN — Auburn football coach Hugh Freeze couldn't say enough good things about redshirt freshman quarterback Holden Geriner last week.

Freeze has been blunt in assessing his QBs throughout the spring − he explained after Auburn's first scrimmage on March 17 that he wished his quarterbacks were "further along" − but he gave a glowing review of Geriner, as he said the Savannah, Georgia native "really, really stood out."

But a week later, he wasn't animated.

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"Solid. Solid," Freeze said when asked about Geriner's performance. "I think he has a real chance to be a solid quarterback. But I think the other two, again, had good days, also. Better days. The interesting thing will be their response to the competition that’s created and that has been created, that will continue to go on.

"Being the quarterback, to me, at an SEC school, at a place like Auburn, carries a lot of weight with it. That weight doesn’t end when spring practice 15 is over. How does that go through summer? What does that look like in the leadership of this team? That will all play into, ultimately, who gets that first nod. It’ll be interesting to see how they all respond to that.”

The QB competition isn't over − far from it. It's tough to even gauge how much progress has been made.

After Freeze praised Geriner, the QB ran with the first group during the offense's pace period at practice March 27. He had previously been participating with the third unit, behind incumbent starter Robby Ashford and TJ Finley, who began 2022 as the starter under former coach Bryan Harsin before injuring his shoulder against Penn State.

But at Monday's practice, it was back to the third group for Geriner. Ashford was with the ones. Finley with twos.

Ashford, who has been dealing with his own shoulder injury this spring, was nearing "full speed" at Wednesday's practice, according to Freeze. The coach didn't have a chance to talk to his potential starting quarterback, but he saw he had the "therapy stuff" on his shoulder in a team meeting.

"I didn't get to ask him," Freeze said Monday. "But he's going today, so I think he's OK.”

Asked to describe a facet of the game in which each of his QBs have improved the most throughout spring, Freeze pointed to Ashford's pocket presence and "quieter feet in the pocket," Finley's growing ability to play within the offensive system and Geriner's down-the-field throws.

"He had several explosives Wednesday," Freeze said of Geriner. "I think he’s improved. He’s still got to get still in the pocket, too, but he’s still young.”

After Saturday's A-Day, the Tigers will have a few months off before practicing as a full team again. It'll be the last opportunity for the trio of quarterbacks fighting for the starting spot to impress the coaching staff until fall camp begins.

“Taking care of the ball, No. 1," Freeze said of what he wants to see over the last week of spring practice. "Understanding situational football. (If) it’s second-and-one, and we have an RPO throw tagged in the run, we at no point should think we have to force that ... if the picture is cloudy. ...

"Just eliminating some of those decisions. Taking care of the ball, No. 1, pocket presence and decision making.”

Richard Silva is the Auburn athletics beat writer for the Montgomery Advertiser. He can be reached via email at rsilva@gannett.com or on Twitter @rich_silva18.

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247sports.com

 

Auburn offense showing signs of improvement, Freeze says

Jason Caldwell

3–4 minutes

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AUBURN, Alabama—For almost the entirety of the first 10 practices of the spring for the Auburn Tigers, coach Hugh Freeze has talked about inconsistencies on offense and trying to get a new system installed being an issue in his first spring on the Plains. While those things are still a problem at times, for at least one day last week the offense showed signs of taking some strides by dominating the defense.

“Truthfully, Wednesday was the exact opposite of the previous Friday,” Freeze said. “It was total domination by the offense, which I don’t have the luxury of leaving the practice field feeling good either way.

“We’re nowhere near where we need to be on either side yet, but the offense had a really good day on Wednesday.”

It’s almost impossible to have a good day on offense unless the quarterback plays well. That’s something that Freeze said he saw from all Robby Ashford, T.J. Finley and Holden Geriner last week at times as they continue to improve in their own ways. That continued on Monday with another good day for the offense and quarterbacks.

Freeze said it’s all about continuing that improvement heading into the summer.

“Robby’s pocket presence, quieter feet in the pocket,” he said of what he’s seen from Ashford. “T.J.’s playing within the system has gotten better. He’s made some accurate throws. Just sometimes it shouldn’t have been thrown; it should’ve been handed off. This is new to him, so he’s done that. Holden’s accuracy particularly on down-the-field throws. He had several explosives Wednesday, I think he’s improved. He’s still got to get still in the pocket, too, but he’s still young.

“Being the quarterback to me at an SEC school like Auburn carries a lot of weight with it. That weight doesn’t end when spring practice 15 is over. How does that go through summer? What does that look like for this team? That will all ultimately play into who gets that first nod. It will be interesting to see how it all plays into that.”

Helping the quarterbacks out were a wide receiver group that has struggled as well with consistency and catching the football, but Freeze said he has seen some guys take steps forward at the position with Tar’varish Dawson, Ja’Varrius Johnson, Jay Fair and Landen King singled out for what they did last week.

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“I thought we improved at receiver,” Freeze said. “We caught the ball better and more consistent. I knew that would probably come because when you put in a new system and the route spacing, they are trying to understand that exactly. It takes time. I thought we improved there.”

Auburn will continue working towards Saturday’s A-Day game with practices scheduled for Wednesday and Friday leading up to the game. It is scheduled for 1 p.m. and can be seen on SEC Network+.

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si.com

 

Auburn football practice observations: Quarterback room making improvements

Lance Dawe

3–4 minutes

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Here's what we saw from a wet, mucky practice day on Monday afternoon.

Auburn's first-team offense in the pacing drills:

WR: Nick Mardner

WR: Ja'Varrius Johnson

LT: Dillon Wade

LG: Tate Johnson

😄 Avery Jones

RG: Kam Stutts

RT: Gunner Britton

TE: Rivaldo Fairweater

WR: Koy Moore

QB: Robby Ashford

RB: Jarquez Hunter

- Really nice throw to Ja'Varrius Johnson down on the right sideline from Ashford. A couple of handoffs to Hunter and the first-team scored on a split zone run.

Second-team offense:

WR: Camden Brown

TE: Tyler Fromm

TE: Luke Deal

LT: Garner Langlo

LG: Jalil Irvin

😄 Connor Lew

RG: EJ Harris

RT: Izavion Miller

WR: Landen King

QB: TJ Finley

RB: Brian Battie

- Some confusion with Irvin trying to get set on back-to-back plays. Finley threw a couple of curls to tight ends, Deal and Fromm in that order. Freeze was right behind the quarterbacks during pacing drills. Battie runs it in of the right side for a touchdown.

Third-team offense:

WR: Colby Stafford

WR: Jake Kruse

LT: Evan Richards

LG: Colby Smith

😄 Cort Bradley

RG: Bradyn Joiner

RT: Clay Wedin

WR: Omari Kelly

TE: Brandon Frazier

QB: Holden Geriner

RB: Sean Jackson

- Geriner throws a deep ball to Stafford that is caught, not a perfect throw but it got the job done. Touchdown to Stafford in the right corner of the endzone.

Extra Notes:

- Tight ends coach Ben Aigamaua has a great arm, was throwing dots to the Tight ends in an over the shoulder catch drill.

- Ashford is still dealing with a sore shoulder, but his throws early were great. three one short to fair on a seal buster.

- Landen King dropped a pass, and another was right off his fingers. Catchable. Three drops in total.

- Timing with the receivers looked better.

- Tar'Varish Dawson made a one handed catch on a seam route/post.

- No major complaints from any QB today. All weren’t perfect on deeper throws, but weren’t bad.

- Jay Fair looks good. Rivaldo Fairweather is smooth as ever.

- TJ Finley is throwing the ball as hard as he can, Geriner is more poised.

- The quarterbacks are continuing to work through RPO drills. They’re getting better, but it’s not where it needs to be,

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Auburn trying to strike right balance with new up-tempo offense this spring

Updated: Apr. 03, 2023, 7:50 p.m.|Published: Apr. 03, 2023, 11:00 a.m.

6–7 minutes

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Camden Brown felt like he was back at St. Thomas Aquinas when Auburn took the field for spring practice at the end of February.

The sophomore wide receiver was transported back in time a couple years as first-year head coach Hugh Freeze and offensive coordinator Philip Montgomery started to install their offensive philosophy — a stylistic shift from the offense of former head coach Bryan Harsin. The Tigers were moving from a pro-style system to a more up-tempo, spread offense under the new regime, a move Brown was more than happy to embrace.

“Going back to last year, I had never been in a huddle before,” Brown said. “It’s kind of weird because it was slowing down my play. I love going faster and faster and faster every day.”

Read more Auburn football: Auburn’s top signee from 2022 recruiting class “looks like a whole new guy” this spring

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Speed has been an emphasis of Auburn’s offense in its first spring under Freeze, as the Tigers’ new coach looks to usher in a new, exciting era of offense on the Plains after multiple years of underwhelming production on that side of the ball. Freeze’s rise from high school coach to hotshot SEC play-caller, along with his revival at Liberty the last four seasons, were in large part to his offensive prowess with a modern, up-tempo system that kept defenses on their heels.

Now Freeze is teaming up with Montgomery to bring that style of play to Auburn and rejuvenate the Tigers’ offense.

“That tempo, it’s something different,” offensive lineman Jeremiah Wright said. “That’s something we get into now just getting in shape and stuff because it’s a fast tempo. It catches defenses off guard so it’s something new I’m looking forward to.”

It’s an aspect that was often lacking for Auburn under the previous coaching staff. In Harsin’s first season, Auburn’s offense averaged 71.8 plays per game against FBS opponents, which was 49th in the country, according to TeamRankings.com data. Last season, that number was just 69.5 plays per game, which was 77th nationally and ninth among SEC teams. The Tigers typically found success within their 2-minute offense, but too often slowed things down or stalled out because of an inability to get that initial first down.

“At some times when we started going fast we were getting them, and when we started going slow we were giving them rest,” Brown said.

During Freeze’s four seasons at Liberty, the Flames averaged 71.8 (2019), 75.7 (2020), 72.7 (2021) and 71.9 (2022) plays per game against FBS opponents. In that same four-year span, Montgomery’s Tulsa offenses never averaged fewer than 73.5 plays per game (last season) and ran as many as 82.2 plays per game in 2019, which was the second most among FBS teams that year. Now the two are melding their systems to produce a coherent system at Auburn.

Those numbers give an idea of the type of speed Freeze and Montgomery hope to play with at Auburn, which has been apparent in practices during the pace periods the offense runs each day. During those drills, the offense quickly works the ball downfield with a sense of urgency between snaps. Even the organized team celebrations in the end zone after finishing drives has been done with haste.

RELATED: Auburn’s wide receivers look to “change the narrative” this season

“If you bust a long run, you’ve got to know to take it back to the hash and put it down so you don’t waste time getting back on the ball and running the next play,” running back Damari Alston said. “It’s way faster and gets you tired, but that’s why we’re doing what we’re doing. We’re getting in shape for the season where we’re going to be wearing out defenses.”

Of course, the aforementioned snap-counts and pace periods of practice don’t provide a full picture of Auburn’s offensive philosophy under Freeze and Montgomery. To both veteran play-callers, an up-tempo offense isn’t just about going full throttle all the time; it’s about knowing how to control the pace of the game. As Montgomery explained before the start of spring practices, that could mean running five plays in quick succession and then slowing things down before hitting the gas again to keep the defense off-balance.

“I think Coach and I have the same philosophy now because there’s going to be opportunities where we want to call like our hair’s on fire, and there’s going to be other opportunities where we want to be able to control the tempo,” Montgomery said. “…Yes, we want to play with tempo, but we also want to control the tempo with how we play.”

It’s all part of the evolution of offenses in college football. Back when Freeze and Montgomery were first making names for themselves as play-callers, fewer teams were emphasizing up-tempo approaches on offense. It was “used as a weapon,” as Montgomery put it. That has changed in recent years, with more and more teams speeding things up, which has led to defenses adapting accordingly in that same timeframe.

That’s why Freeze and Montgomery aren’t just emphasizing the speed of their offense as they install it this spring; they’re trying to strike the right balance between a fast-paced attack and one that can dictate the tempo of the game. It’s a change in philosophy that Auburn’s players have had to adjust to this spring, but one they’re hoping pays dividends come fall.

“I like a good mix of everything, so I’m pretty easy to please with all that,” tight end Luke Deal said. “I like the idea of having defenses tired and rolling up-tempo and just keeping defenses on their toes. That’s just what you’ve got to do in this league, and I think you’ll do a good job of it.”

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

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Don't expect usual spring game format for Auburn's 1st A-Day of Freeze era

Updated: Apr. 03, 2023, 7:49 p.m.|Published: Apr. 03, 2023, 6:35 p.m.

5–6 minutes

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Auburn’s first A-Day spring game under head coach Hugh Freeze will have a different flavor than years past.

As Auburn has progressed through its first spring with a new staff, Freeze has toyed with different formats for the team’s spring finale, which is set for Saturday at Jordan-Hare Stadium. Freeze has gone back and forth with different approaches for the A-Day scrimmage, and he believes he has settled on a format for this weekend.

“Spring games for us, when it’s us against us, is I don’t want to waste a day,” Freeze said Monday before the Tigers started their final week of practices. “And the temptation and challenge for us as coaches is it (the spring game) can be a wasted day — not a wasted day for the fans or for recruiting or any of that, but for the practice itself. You want to make all 15 of our practices count. And that’s a very difficult setting for us to really do what we want to do.”

Read more Auburn football: Observations from Day 12 of Auburn’s spring practice

Auburn trying to strike right balance with new up-tempo offense this spring

Trio of transfers has “absolutely improved” Auburn’s offensive line this spring

Instead of splitting the team into an orange side and a blue side, Freeze’s solution is a format that will include starting the defense out with a predetermined amount of points and then tasking defensive coordinator Ron Roberts’ unit with keeping the offense below that total over the course of the scrimmage. No quirky scoring formulas or bonuses for interceptions or forced fumbles. Just put the ball down, offense vs. defense for four quarters, with drives starting at various different spots throughout the field.

It’s a more situational approach than the typical first-team vs. second-team scrimmage that Auburn has utilized under prior coaching staffs.

“If the defense can hold the offenses to under that point, the defense wins the spring game,” Freeze said. “And they’ll get to eat steak or something. And the losers will eat a hot dog. Something like that. That’s the best format I know. I don’t want to come up with some system where we have to calculate points based on anything other than what’s normally points in football.”

While Auburn’s A-Day game will look a bit different this season, Freeze wants to strike a balance between putting on a good show for Auburn’s fans — who will have to pay $10 for general admission tickets to Jordan-Hare Stadium — without giving too much away to the teams on the Tigers’ 20223 schedule. It’s a juggling act in today’s state of college football, when every program’s spring game is either broadcast on national television or streamed online through the league’s media partners (in Auburn’s case, SEC Network+ this weekend).

“We’re going to give them a game that day that I hope they can enjoy but yet understand, gosh, we don’t really know who we are offensively right now,” Freeze said. “That’s probably the way I want it to be perceived by most, because we’re a new staff and one of the advantages that we might have coming into the season is there’s nothing really on tape of what this new staff is exactly like.”

Freeze hopes his team can put on a good and entertaining display Saturday at Jordan-Hare Stadium, where kickoff is set for 1 p.m., but he also wants Auburn fans to understand the Tigers are still very much a work in progress. The team will have had 14 total practices under its belt entering Saturday, with a new staff and several new additions at key positions — and nearly five months before the team’s season opener against UMass.

The product on the field Saturday will, Freeze hopes, look considerably different than the one that trots out there Sept. 2. Expectations, he said, should be tempered.

“When you have unrealistic expectations and they’re not met — I think this is anything in life, period: football, life — unrealistic expectations lead to frustration,” Freeze said. “And so, I just don’t want anybody to be frustrated. We’re probably, headed into the next year, are going to be quite good at getting in a huddle and slowing things down. You might see that Saturday. Is that who we really are as an identity? I don’t know. I’ve never been that. But you might see some of that. All the coaches do it, and maybe I’m falling into that, but I really just don’t want to show too much of what we think we might be really good at.

“That was, truthfully, just me being candid with them. They’re going to see us hit and they’re going to see us tackle, and they’re going see people run the ball and people throw the ball. Will it be exactly the same that they see this fall? I sure hope not. I hope it’s better and probably a little different.”

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

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auburnwire.usatoday.com

 

Taking a look at Philip Montgomery's top quarterbacks

Taylor Jones

10–13 minutes

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For the fifth time in five seasons, Auburn football will have a new offensive coordinator.

However, as the program begins to transition to the Hugh Freeze era, the newest offensive coordinator brings an impressive track record with him, which could lead to an ultimate uptick in offense production.

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Philip Montgomery joins Auburn’s coaching staff after spending the last eight seasons as the head coach of Tulsa, where he built a 43-53 record and appeared in four bowl games. Before that, he orchestrated high-powered offenses for Art Briles at Houston and Baylor.

Montgomery says that he wants to restore the winning tradition that Auburn is known for, and hopes to do so by installing an up-tempo offense that will excite Auburn fans. In order to do so, he will need a quarterback that can keep up with his pace.

RELATED: Ranking Freeze-coached QBs by yearly production

Is the next great Philip Montgomery-coached quarterback currently on Auburn’s roster? It is very possible. What can Auburn fans expect to see out of Montgomery’s quarterbacks? Here’s a look at the leading passer in each season of Montgomery’s FBS coaching career (Houston: OC from 2003-07) (Baylor: OC from 2008-14) and Tulsa (HC from 2015-22).

A. Messerschmidt/Getty Images

2003 stats

• 220-360
• 3,131 yards
• 25 TD
• 6 INT

The first quarterback that Philip Montgomery would work with as a FBS coordinator would go on to become Houston’s leading passer during his time on campus. Kolb’s freshman season would see him throw his second-highest touchdown total in a season.

A. Messerschmidt/Getty Images

2004 stats

• 198-353
• 2,766 yards
• 11 TD
• 6 INT

Kolb’s sophomore season would see a decline across the board, but it would still turn out to be a solid year. Kolb completed 56% of his passes and would throw five of his 11 touchdown passes to Vincent Marshall, who also accounted for 37% of receving yards on the season with 1,044. Another fun note about this season, is that Kolb completed 25 passes to current TCU offensive coordinator Kendal Briles in 2004.

Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

2005 stats

• 254-420
• 3,258 yards
• 19 TD
• 15 INT

Kolb’s stats picked up during his junior campaign at Houston, as he would reach a personal high in passing attempts and passing yards. He would not have a 1,000-yard receiver this season, but he would spread the wealth to eight receivers who reeled in at least 100 yards worth of catches.

Andy Lyons/Getty Images

2006 stats

• 292-432
• 3,809 yards
• 30 TD
• 4 INT

Kolb’s final year at Houston would be his best. Kolb reached personal-highs in completions, attempts, yards, and touchdown-to-interception ratio. He would again have eight receivers who ended the season with over 100 yards of receptions, with Vincent Marshall leading the way for the third-straight season. The 2006 season would mark the beginning of Philip Montgomery’s positive track record with quarterbacks.

Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

2007 stats

• 187-273
• 2,259 yards
• 14 TD
• 10 INT

By the end of his collegiate career, Case Keenum would go on to shatter Kolb’s passing record, a record that still holds true today. Montgomery would only be around for one season of Keenum’s historic career, but left he and Houston fans with solid ground to work on. This would be an up-and-down season for Keenum, as he split time with Blake Joseph in 2007. Joseph also had a productive season at quarterback by passing for 1,324 yards and nine touchdowns.

Bruce Thorson-USA TODAY Sports

2008 stats

• 160-267
• 2,091 yards
• 15 TD
• 3 INT

In Montgomery’s first season as offensive coordinator at Baylor, the record may not have shown it, but the world would be introduced to RG3. Griffin would pass for over 200 yards in five of the Bears’ 12 games, and he would have at least one receiver with 100 yards in two games.

Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

2009 stats

• 165-266
• 1,786 yards
• 6 TD
• 9 INT

Baylor needed to call an audible at quarterback in 2009. Griffin started the season, but it ended abruptly after it was discovered that he had a torn ACL following the Bears’ 68-13 win over Northwestern State in week three. Nick Florence and Blake Szymanski would split time in Griffin’s absence, but Florence would take the bulk of the action.

Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

2010 stats

• 304-454
• 3,501 yards
• 22 TD
• 8 INT

Griffin bounced back in a big way following his ACL injury in 2009 by completing 67% of his passes and by rushing for 635 yards. He also had two great targets to throw to in Kendall Wright and Josh Gordon, who combined to catch 14 of Griffin’s 22 touchdowns.

Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports

2011 stats

• 291-402
• 4,293 yards
• 37 TD
• 6 INT

Baylor fans had plenty of reasons to smile in 2011. Not only did the Bears end the season with 10 wins, but college football’s most exciting player of the season also won the Heisman Trophy. Griffin would go on to throw for 37 TD (a Montgomery-coached QB record), and would be the first Montgomery-coached quarterback to throw for over 4,000 yards on his way to winning the coveted award. Griffin passed for no less than 212 yards in every game that season, and would throw for over 400 yards four times.

Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

2012 stats

• 286-464
• 4,309 yards
• 33 TD
• 13 INT

Good things come to those who wait. That was the case for Nick Florence in 2012. He filled in for Robert Griffin III in 2009 following his knee injury, and would assume the role of QB1 in 2012 after Griffin’s Heisman-winning season. He threw for over 172 yards in all 13 games the Bears played that season, with his best performance being a 581 yard, 5 TD game against West Virginia. Wide receiver Terrance Williams caught 17 of Florence’s 29 passes in the game for 314 yards and two touchdowns.

Scott Sewell-USA TODAY Sports

2013 stats

• 250-403
• 4,200 yards
• 32 TD
• 3 INT

Baylor posted the nation’s top scoring offense in 2013 with 52.4 points per game, and Bryce Petty was a large reason why. Baylor scored 69-or-more points in their first four games that season, and Petty threw for over 300 yards in 10 of Baylor’s 13 games.

Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

2014 stats

• 270-428
• 3,855 yards
• 29 TD
• 7 INT

Montgomery’s final season at Baylor would produce another 11-win season, a top offense, and a fantastic passing season from Bryce Petty. Petty followed up his 2013 statline with 10-more 200-plus yard performances, and even had two games of over 500 yards. Petty started in all but one game in 2014. In his absence, Baylor quarterback Seth Russell threw for 438 yards in the Bears’ 70-6 win over Northwestern State.

Rob Ferguson-USA TODAY Sports

2015 stats

• 305-485
• 4,332 yards
• 25 TD
• 8 INT

Montgomery set the tone early for offense in his first season as head coach. His first quarterback, Dane Evans, set records for a Philip Montgomery-coached QB in pass attempts and yards, which is saying alot considering he had coached Case Keenum, Robert Griffin III, and Bryce Petty before coming to Tulsa. Evans threw for over 400 yards in three games, and over 300 yards in six games. Tulsa also had a top-25 offense that season by scoring 37.2 points per contest.

Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports

2016 stats

• 259-435
• 3,348 yards
• 32 TD
• 12 INT

Evans was instrumental in the Golden Hurricane taking a giant step forward in 2016. Tulsa would improve their win total from six wins to 10 wins, and would see a boost in poinst per game from 37 to 42. Evans would pass for over 200 yards in 10 of Tulsa’s 13 games, and would have two 1,000 yard receivers in Keevan Lucas and Josh Atkinson.

David D. Stacy-USA TODAY Sports

2017 stats

• 71-127
• 1,141 yards
• 3 TD
• 4 INT

The 2017 season would begin a two-year span of using multiple quarterbacks to find the right fit. Chad President started in the first four games of the season before Skipper took over. President would also start the final game of the season after Skipper suffered a concussion against USF on November 16 in Tampa. President passed for 921 yards and 3 TD in seven games.

Tim Warner/Getty Images

2018 stats

• 101-198
• 1,378 yards
• 9 TD
• 4 INT

So… a quarterback from Collinsville, Oklahoma named Boomer isn’t playing for the Sooners? That concept is as strange as the QB room at Tulsa in 2018. Much like 2017, Montgomery started one quarterback for four games before making way for another. Skipper began the season for the Golden Hurricane by passing for 716 yards, but a four touchdown to six interception ratio was not enough to keep his job. Boomer took over and would throw for over 1,300 yards and would lead Tulsa to two of its’ three wins that season. He had a strong ending to the 2018 season by throwing for over 200 yards in the final two games of the season.

Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports

2019 stats

• 246-429
• 3,279 yards
• 19 TD
• 9 INT

The classic Philip Montgomery quarterback model returned to Tulsa in 2019 when Zach Smith took the reigns of the offense. He reached 3,279 yards passing by having five games of 300-or-more yards, and five more games of over 200-yards passing. Keylon Stokes would reel in over 1,000 yards of receptions, and joined four others who had over 200 yards worth of catches.

Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

2020 stats

• 147-263
• 1,947 yards
• 13 TD
• 10 INT

Despite playing in a pandemic-shortended season in 2020, Smith still found ways to be productive. He was 53 yards shy of a 2,000-yard season despite playing in just nine games. He would also lead Tulsa to a six-win season and a bowl game in 2020.

The Enquirer

2021 stats

• 244-411
• 3,269 yards
• 18 TD
• 16 INT

The first season of the Davis Brin era got off to a slow start, as the Golden Hurricane would lose its’ first three games, including one to UC-Davis of the FCS level. But Tulsa would bounce back to become bowl eligible and earn a win over Old Dominion in the Myrtle Beach Bowl, putting them at seven wins for the season. Brin would have nine games of over 200-yards passing, with his season high being a 428-yard effort against Ohio State.

Petre Thomas-USA TODAY Sports

2022 stats

• 148-250
• 2,138 yards
• 17 TD
• 8 INT

During his tenure at Tulsa, Montgomery saw an excrusiating relationship build between his quarterbacks and the injury bug. Brin battled an ankle injury earlier in the season, but a shoulder injury in Tulsa’s loss to SMU on October 29 is what ultimately did him in. He was able to pass for over 2,000 yards, however, before his injury. Braylon Braxton did a great job filling in for Brin by passing for 1,133 yards and 10 touchdowns over the final five games of the season.

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247sports.com

 

Auburn makes top group for Tampa Catholic 4-star WR

Christian Clemente

3–4 minutes

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Down to a baker's dozen, 4-star wide receiver Terrance Moore included Auburn in his top group on Monday, despite not visiting the Plains yet. The previous Auburn staff was actually one of Moore's first offers before blowing up on the recruiting scene and now holding offers from all the big schools across the country. 

Moore also included Georgia, Clemson, Ohio State, Texas A&M, LSU, Florida, Penn State, Colorado, Tennessee, USC, Miami and Pitt in his top group.

Once Marcus Davis was hired as a part of Hugh Freeze's inaugural staff, Moore was quick to be re-offered. Moore was set to visit Auburn for one of its spring practices last week, but was unable to make it.

At 6-foot-3 and 190 pounds, Moore fits the billing for what Freeze and Davis have heavily targeted in the 2024 cycle for receivers with a big frame and big catch radius. 

With former Auburn wide receiver Jeris McIntyre the head coach at Tampa Catholic and producing talented players year in and year out, the new Auburn staff is looking to build a pipeline there with the McIntyre connection and Cadillac Williams' connection to the Tampa area.

In the Class of 2024 Auburn currently holds four commitments, all being inside the Top247 in quarterback Walker White, running back J'Marion Burnette and defensive backs A'Mon Lane and Jayden Lewis. Auburn's class is currently No. 22 in the 247Sports team recruiting rankings.

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Wide receiver is expected to be a priority position for Auburn in the cycle.

247Sports scouting report on Moore:

"A big-play wide receiver with exceptional hands. Burst onto the scene as a junior, catching 42 passes for 1,021 yards (24.3 average) and 13 touchdowns in one of the Sunshine State’s higher classifications. Explosive tendencies as a route runner as he can quickly stack defensive backs with his initial burst before shaking them with sharp cuts and decisive turns. Junior highlight tape is full of circus grabs including multiple one-handed snags. Tracks the ball well over his shoulder and does a nice job of running underneath deep shots. Size hasn’t been verified, but in-person evaluation suggests that’s over 6-foot-3. Could always improve top-end speed, but has shown that he can pull away from defenders on Friday nights. Younger for his grade and won’t turn 18 years old until he’s in college should he enroll early at the school of his choice. Should be viewed as a potential WR1 at the Power Five level given body control, run-after-catch capability and trusted mitts. Likely to thrive in an offense that wants to attack the deeper third and let its wideouts cook."

">247Sports

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al.com

 

What Hugh Freeze said less than seven days before A-Day game

Updated: Apr. 03, 2023, 7:49 p.m.|Published: Apr. 03, 2023, 3:29 p.m.

8–10 minutes

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Welcome to the Woltosz Football Performance Center for Hugh Freeze’s last press conference before the team plays Saturday’s A-Day scrimmage at Jordan-Hare.

Freeze will address reporters about his team’s progress during his first spring camp as Tigers head football coach. He’ll talk less than an hour before Monday’s practice. The Tigers will practice again on Wednesday to finalize prep for the end of spring camp.

We’ll have updates from Freeze’s chat with journalists on AL.Com/AuburnFootball.

-- Freeze starts with an update on Robby Ashford. Freeze said Ashford should be a full participant in today’s practice on campus. Ashford was slowed last week with a shoulder injury.

“I thought Wednesday in practice he was fairly close to full speed,” Freeze said during the media session. “Well enough to take reps... I saw him in the team meeting earlier; he had his therapy stuff on (his shoulder)... he’s going today, so I think he’s okay.”

-- Freeze says the team is healthy enough for a defense versus offense scrimmage for the A-Day game.

“I want to prepare the Auburn family that we’re going to do the best we can,” Freeze said about the spring game. “We’re going to give them a game that I hope they can enjoy, but understand, we don’t know who we are offensively right now.”

“We’re going to give them a game that I hope they can enjoy but understand, gosh, we don’t know who we are on offense. That’s probably the way I want it to be perceived by most.”

-- Freeze says today’s practice will be a contact practice. He expects Wednesday to be non-contact and Friday will be a walkthrough.

“Spring games for us, when it’s us against us, is, I don’t want to waste a day. And the temptation and challenge for us as coaches is it can be a wasted day _ not a wasted day for the fans or for recruiting or any of that, but for the practice itself, you want to make all 15 of our practices count. And that’s a very difficult setting for us to really do what we want to do.

“It’s going to be videoed, it’s going to be aired, I’m sure, on the SEC Network over and over again. There will be somebody trying to video who’s signaling. Just all the craziness that goes with our sport.

“So I want to prepare the Auburn family that we’re going to do the best we can to hopefully give those that choose to come _ and I hope many will come _ but we’re going to give them a game that day that I hope they can enjoy but yet understand, gosh, we don’t really know who we are offensively right now.

“That’s probably the way I want it to be perceived by most, because we’re a new staff and one of the advantages that we might have coming into the season is there’s nothing really on tape of what this new staff is exactly like.

“So I don’t know if I’m making sense, but for the format of the spring game, the defense will be giving a selected number of points. I will let our staff decide that, and then I will start drives at various spots and hopefully some end in points. If the defense can hold the offenses to under that point, the defense wins the spring game. And they’ll get to eat steak or something. And the losers will eat a hot dog. Something like that.

“That’s the best format I know. I don’t want to come up with some system where we have to calculate points based on anything other than what’s normally points in football.

“I don’t know if that answers your question. That’s the goal right now unless something drastically ... We’re going to have a contact practice today and non-contact Wednesday and a walk-through Friday. So hopefully we get through today fairly well and can pull that off for Saturday.”

-- Freeze says he’s pleased with defensive tackling skills during spring camp.

I‘ve been pleased with our tackling in the tackle periods. Granted, we haven’t had that many. Typically, when you don’t do that, you’re really concerned. And I’m not saying that won’t be a concern, but we’ve tackled fairly well in the scrimmages.

“I think offensively, we feel good about two or three run schemes that we’re doing that have been successful. And I think we have good variety with those. I still think we’re searching for consistency in exactly what’s going to be our bread and butter in the passing game. And then defensively, probably just how much more are we going to add to have enough in the arsenal to have a great gameplan?”

-- “Don’t expect too much, truthfully,” Freeze on how he prepares for the spring game. “I just don’t want to show too much of what we might be really good at.”

-- “Don’t expect too much. Unrealistic expectations lead to frustrations,” Freeze on setting expectations for fans coming to watch A-Day.

-- Freeze says Jarquez Hunter is the best running back he’s coached.

“I think Jarquez is special. I do. I think he’s probably the best running back I’ve ever coached, truthfully. I haven’t had a lot of great ones, but I think he’s a really, really good running back. We had solid ones. Jordan Wilkins and that crew at Ole Miss were pretty good. Dae Dae Hunter was the best one we had at Liberty. I had a pretty good one at Arkansas State in Frankie, but I think Jarquez is the best that I’ve coached this far. (I’m) excited about his demeanor and the way he goes about his work. He keeps his mouth shut and just goes to work. If you want him to play kickoff team or punt team, he’s all, ‘Let’s go. Let’s do it.’ Not that we want him to do that.”

“Real excited about Damari, too. I think Brian adds a different dimension to that group. So, hopefully we can stay healthy there.”

-- “Solid. Solid. I think he really has a real chance to be a solid quarterback,” Hugh Freeze said on redshirt freshman Holden Geriner. “But I think the other two (Robby Ashford and T.J. Finley) had good days, also. Better days. The interesting thing will be their response to the competition that’s been created.”

-- “NFL teams get to scrimmage against each other,” Freeze on the potential of college football teams playing against other teams in scrimmage games. “High school teams get to scrimmage against each other. For the life of me, I don’t know why we haven’t got there.”

-- Freeze on how the QBs have improved. Robby Ashford: Pocket presence TJ Finley: Playing within the system better. Holden Geriner: Accuracy, particularly on down-the-field throws.

“Robby’s pocket presence, quieter feet in the pocket. T.J.’s playing within the system has gotten better. He’s made some accurate throws,” Freeze said. “Just sometimes it shouldn’t have been thrown; it should’ve been handed off. This is new to him, so he’s done that. Holden’s accuracy, particularly on down-the-field throws. He had several explosives Wednesday, I think he’s improved. He’s still got to get still in the pocket, too, but he’s still young.”

-- Freeze says tight end Rivaldo Fairweather has been the most consistent catcher right now. - Javarrius Johnson and Jay Fair have been the most consistent WRs in practice.

“Man, that’s—Rivaldo’s been the most consistent from Day 1 to whatever day it is now, as (far) as catching the football, particularly in tight quarters. He has catch radius and can do those things. I’d probably say Jay Fair and Ja’Varrius Johnson have had the most consistent spring camp. Now, mind you, Camden’s been out for a large portion of it with his ankle, as has Malcolm with his clavicle, so I haven’t had those. Landen’s made some strides, as has Nick Mardner, but—heck, even, you know, oh gosh, Dawson had two long, explosive catches the other day. So, I think all have improved some. It’s way too early. I mean, you’re going to play in this system eight receivers a game, and I don’t really care who’s first team, second—I don’t really care about all that. I care that they understand what we’re doing and are in the right spots doing the right technique and hopefully can finish plays.”

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Observations from Day 12 of Auburn spring football practice

Updated: Apr. 03, 2023, 7:49 p.m.|Published: Apr. 03, 2023, 5:27 p.m.

6–7 minutes

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The final week of spring practice is underway for Auburn, as the Tigers gear toward Saturday’s A-Day spring game.

After Hugh Freeze met with the local media Monday afternoon, Auburn returned to the practice field for its 12th practice of the spring and its first of four practices this week as the program’s first spring under Freeze winds down. The Tigers will practice again Wednesday, with a walkthrough Friday ahead of Saturday’s scrimmage at Jordan-Hare Stadium.

Read more Auburn football: What Hugh Freeze said as Auburn started the final week of spring practice

Auburn trying to strike right balance with new up-tempo offense this spring

Trio of transfers has “absolutely improved” Auburn’s offensive line this spring

Local media were afforded a nearly hourlong viewing window during Monday’s practice at the Woltosz Football Performance Center. Here’s a rundown of everything we saw during those periods:

-- Let’s start with the pace period that took place midway through the window, since it provided a look at three full personnel groupings offensively.

-- The first-team offense was led at quarterback by Robby Ashford, who was back atop the rotation after dealing with shoulder soreness that limited him in recent practices (freshman Holden Geriner got the first turn in the pace drill last Monday). According to Freeze, Ashford was back taking reps last Wednesday and had one of his better practices of the spring.

Joining Ashford with the first-team offense was running back Jarquez Hunter, outside receivers Koy Moore and Nick Mardner, slot receiver Ja’Varrius Johnson and tight end Rivaldo Fairweather. The offensive line, from left to right, included Dillon Wade, Tate Johnson, Avery Jones, Kam Stutts and Gunner Britton.

-- Offensive lineman Jeremiah Wright, who has typically been the first team at left guard, watched the drill from behind the offense. He remained in the yellow non-contact jersey he has worn throughout the spring and participated in other drills during the viewing period. Geriner also joined Wright in watching the first group from behind the play.

-- The second unit had T.J. Finley at quarterback and Damari Alston at running back. Camden Brown (who has been limited with an ankle injury, according to Freeze) and Landen King were the outside receivers, with a two-tight end look that included Tyler Fromm and Luke Deal. The offensive line included left tackle Garner Langlo, left guard Jalil Irvin, center Connor Lew, right guard E.J. Harris and right tackle Izavion Miller.

-- Geriner led the third-team offense in pace and was joined by Sean Jackson in the backfield at running back. Omari Kelly and walk-on Jake Kruse were at outside receiver, with walk-on Colby Stafford in the slot and Brandon Frazier at tight end. The offensive line, from left to right, was walk-on Evan Richards, Colby Smith, Cort Bradley, Bradyn Joiner and Clay Wedin.

-- At the opening period of the window, after stretch, offensive linemen were working on blocks. The left tackle group included Wade, Langlo and Richards. Left guard had Wright, Johnson, Lew and Smith. Center had Jones, Irvin and Bradley. Right guard rotated Stutts, Harris and Joiner, while the right tackle spot had Britton, Miller and Wedin.

-- During that same period, defensive coordinator Ron Roberts worked with a portion of the defensive line. The first group included Marcus Harris at end, Jayson Jones at nose tackle and Justin Rogers at tackle, with Elijah McAllister standing up at Jack. The second group had Jeffrey M’ba at end, Lawrence Johnson and Zykeivous Walker on the interior, with Dylan Brooks at Jack.

-- There was a segment of this period in which Maryland transfer Mosiah Nasili-Kite rotated in, lining up to give the Tigers a two-defensive end look with no Jack linebacker. Nasili-Kite also received praise from Freeze earlier in the afternoon as one of the players who has made the most progress from Day 1 up to Monday.

-- While Roberts worked with those nine players along the defensive front, defensive line coach Jeremy Garrett worked on the sleds with the rest of the defensive linemen and Jack linebackers, including freshman standout Keldric Faulk.

-- During individual period, the linebacker rotation with position coach Josh Aldridge included Wesley Steiner and Robert Woodyard Jr. working together, followed by Austin Keys and Cam Riley, then DeMario Tolan and Jake Levant. The linebackers worked on coverage as well as some delayed pass-rushing opportunities.

-- The safeties at the start of this period worked with Zac Etheridge on a drill that focused on rerouting receivers. The rotation saw Jaylin Simpson and Marquise Gilbert paired together, followed by Caleb Wooden and Zion Puckett, Cayden Bridges and Rod Elston, then Craig McDonald and Austin Ausberry.

-- The corners and safeties then combined for a drill that included the Star blitzing. The full first-team secondary at the start of this drill included D.J. James and Nehemiah Pritchett at corner, Wooden at Star, and Simpson and Puckett at safety.

-- That drill then focused on one side of the field, with Wooden getting most of the reps at the Star position. Simpson got the first reps at safety on the far side of the field, followed by Bridges and then Gilbert. Tony Hunley Jr. rotated in as the second Star, while Pritchett and James traded off at corner.

-- Among the former players taking in practice Monday: tight end John Samuel Shenker and offensive linemen Austin Troxell and Brandon Council.

-- There was also a new walk-on quarterback taking the field with the rest of the players at the position Monday: Jackson Barkley, a sophomore out of Pope High in Marietta, Ga. He was wearing No. 18.

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

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247sports.com

 

Jason Caldwell's Monday morning quarterback column

Jason Caldwell

4–5 minutes

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Important week for Auburn football

There is a saying that ‘you never get a second chance to make a first impression.’ That’s true, but for Hugh Freeze and the Auburn Tigers, the first impression may not be nearly as important as the last impression of the spring this week.

That starts at the quarterback position where T.J. Finley, Robby Ashford and Holden Geriner have all shown signs of getting the job done, but the inconsistency has continued to be an issue for the group as a whole. With four practices this week, including Saturday’s A-Day game, someone has a chance to go into the summer on a high note and perhaps give themselves a lead in a race that will last until week into August.

It’s also an opportunity for some of the younger players to continue to push towards being in the playing rotation on both sides of the ball. Offensively, there are plenty of veterans across the board with transfers at every position, but true freshman Connor Lew has been really good since arriving on campus and is someone the coaches feel like will be ready to compete this fall. 

The same can be said for Keldric Faulk and Kayin Lee on defense for the Tigers. Faulk is undoubtedly going to have to play for this team because of a lack of depth at the jack linebacker position, but also because of his immense size and physical skills. With cornerback short on depth, Lee has taken advantage of his opportunities to this point and will have several more chances this week to continue that.

Can anyone else take a big final push before spring is done? It’s time to find out.

Roster makeover coming for Auburn hoops

With the loss of Wendell Green Jr. on Sunday to go along with the departures of Yohan Traore and Chance Westry, Auburn already has four open spots that could be filled out of the transfer portal. The Tigers were already one under the limit of 13 after taking scholarship reductions. Throw in Zep Jasper being done with eligibility and that’s five spots. One of those will be used by incoming freshman guard Aden Holloway, giving Bruce Pearl and his staff four more roster spots available.

There could be even more with K.D. Johnson, Allen Flanigan and Jaylin Williams all expected to make a decision on their future soon. While Stretch Akingbola has a year of eligibility remaining, he’s not expected to return for the 2023-24 season, which would open up another spot.

Any way you slice it, Pearl’s next Auburn team is going to have a very different look with lots of new faces on campus. As it stands today, the Tigers will likely add at least two new faces at the guard position and potentially two more forward/center types to bolster the roster. Those numbers could grow even higher if another player or two from the current roster decides to move on.

Welcome to the world of college athletics in 2023.

Gorilla Ball Pt. 2

This season there have been 63 SEC games played through three weekends of league play. Of those, 25 games have featured at least one team scoring double figure runs. That’s an incredible number, but it shows you just how hard it is to pitch in this league right now where offenses get older and pitching staffs continue to get younger and younger. Covid has given offenses a chance to continue to build with transfers and experienced players that 10 years ago would have been playing minor league baseball. It doesn’t work that way on the mound because draftable guys are still going to be selected to begin pro careers and trying to get the fast track to the major leagues.

Only Alabama, Kentucky and Tennessee haven’t allowed 10 or more runs in an SEC game this season. Auburn has allowed three as have Arkansas, Georgia and Texas A&M. Mississippi State leads the way with six double-digit games allowed in nine total games.

Here is the rundown of the teams that have allowed 10 or more runs in an SEC game this year through three weeks.

Arkansas (3)

Auburn (3)

Florida (1)

Georgia (3)

LSU (1)

Ole Miss (2)

Mississippi State (6)

Missouri (2)

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South Carolina (1)

Texas A&M (3)

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[AUpreacherman22 3,945]

Thanks @aubiefifty!!!!

@bigbird called you out and you brought your best today!!!   Well done sir!!!😁

[aubiefifty 18,259]

4 minutes ago, AUpreacherman22 said:

Thanks @aubiefifty!!!!

@bigbird called you out and you brought your best today!!!   Well done sir!!!😁

 

i am at the mercy of what is being published not behind a pay wall. i hit tigerland , youtube, yahoo, and then google auburn football news. some days i have to steal info from the rant. but anyway bird was just picking at me like i do him. but i will take all the praise i can get. after all the news comes out after Aday i expect it to get real slow for the most part. also thanx for showing the love preacher!

[bigbird 60,940]

Thanks @aubiefifty for posting these, they're way better than the ones @toddc has been posting.

 

😉

[aubiefifty 18,259]

1 minute ago, bigbird said:

Thanks @aubiefifty for posting these, they're way better than the ones @toddc has been posting.

 

😉

you know me and todd got into it a few weeks ago over posting? lol  for the record i have NO problems with todd. at the end of the day we just both want to help the board. i do feel however i am better looking than he is................

[toddc 13,197]

2 minutes ago, bigbird said:

Thanks @aubiefifty for posting these, they're way better than the ones @toddc has been posting.

 

😉

I always knew you were one of those fence sitting fowls.

[toddc 13,197]

Just now, aubiefifty said:

you know me and todd got into it a few weeks ago over posting? lol  for the record i have NO problems with todd. at the end of the day we just both want to help the board. i do feel however i am better looking than he is................

You obviously don’t have a mirror then! 😝 

[aubiefifty 18,259]

Just now, toddc said:

I always knew you were one of those fence sitting fowls.

is he a foul fowl todd? or just kinda shady?

[aubiefifty 18,259]

Just now, toddc said:

You obviously don’t have a mirror then! 😝 

dude i have had bra's thrown at me on stage a time or three and the hooter shots live in front of the stage.....grins. top that by gawd..................

[augolf1716 21,969]

29 minutes ago, aubiefifty said:

dude i have had bra's thrown at me on stage a time or three and the hooter shots live in front of the stage.....grins. top that by gawd..................

Link?????