2023 Fall Camp Thread

[Paladin 3,307]

 

[toddc 13,197]

Live updates: Hugh Freeze recaps Auburn's first scrimmage of camp

Auburn's first preseason scrimmage is now in the books

Nathan King9 mins

Auburn's first preseason scrimmage is now in the books, after the Tigers played each other in front of more than 250 lettermen inside Jordan-Hare Stadium on Saturday morning.

Auburn Undercover had live intel running on the message board for subscribers, but Hugh Freeze will also summarize the action with reporters at approximately 11:30 a.m. CST.

Follow along here for updates from Freeze.

* There was a "mixed bag" for Auburn on offense. "We ran the ball really well early on."

* "We certainly weren't fresh today," Freeze said. Added it's been a hot camp, and the team needs the day off tomorrow.

* "The defense dominated the latter part of the scrimmage."

* The wide receivers "had an incredible week," but "not so much today." There were issues on RPO routes, Freeze said.

* "Way too many times in the RPO game that the quarterback made the right decision to throw the ball," and a receiver ran the wrong route.

* What was Freeze looking for in his QBs today? "Taking care of the ball." Freeze thought "all three did that fairly well." Robby Ashford and Holden Geriner threw touchdown passes, Payton Thorne did not, but he had two near-touchdowns that were ruled out of bounds.

* Freeze on the quarterback competition: "Yesterday I had my mind made up. And now I need to watch the film and see."

* Ja'Varrius Johnson had to get stitches in his mouth after a practice incident this week, per Hugh Freeze. Was in a non-contact jersey today.

* Camden Brown did not scrimmage today, per Freeze.

* Freeze on Jarquez Hunter: "It's good to have him back in the room and on the team. He plays the game hard."

* Freeze on the guard competition: "I don't give a rat's tail who's first or second team. We need all of them."

* Freeze on the pass rush: "Jalen McLeod and Stephen Sings have changed that for the better. ... We're better than we were in the spring."

* Freeze on the defensive backs: "We've got to tackle better. We did not tackle well when the running backs got to the second level."

* Freeze continues to praise running back Damari Alston's leadership; the sophomore was elected to the team's leadership council.

[WFE12 9,351]

Thorne missed Rivaldo Fairweather who was "wide open" in the endzone...led him too far

-- Thorne missed again to Fairweather, this time on a wheel route

-- Last play of the day, Thorne finds Luke Deal for what would have been a TD, but Deal dropped it

Edited August 12, 2023 by WFE12

[toddc 13,197]

Anyone else having trouble posting Tweets or X ?

[Paladin 3,307]

Auburn receivers hit with string of injuries in preseason camp

Auburn scrimmaged for the first time in camp on Saturday morning

Nathan King

A pair of probable starting receivers are dealing with injuries with Auburn now at three weeks until the 2023 season kicks off.

Fifth-year senior Ja'Varrius Johnson and sophomore Camden Brown did not participate in the team's first scrimmage Saturday morning, Hugh Freeze told reporters after the action in Jordan-Hare Stadium.

Brown has dealt with "a string of bad luck" in terms of injuries since the spring. He told reporters Friday he's dealing with a hamstring issue, after he also had to heal this offseason from an ankle injury from the spring.

Johnson, the team's top returning player in the receiving corps after posting 493 yards and three touchdowns last year, had to get stitches in his mouth this week after taking a hit at practice this week, Freeze said. Johnson was not present during the media viewing window of Friday's practice, then was in a non-contact jersey Saturday.

Two more receivers are also dealing with injuries entering the third week of camp: Koy Moore has been limited by an ankle issue at every practice so far, and Malcolm Johnson Jr. is still being bothered by his shoulder, after undergoing surgery in the spring, Freeze said.

On defense, senior linebacker Wesley Steiner has been in a non-contact jersey for the past week of camp with a hamstring injury. Ole Miss transfer Austin Keys, who looks to be the team's starting middle linebacker at the moment, is limited at the moment with a shoulder issue.

[Paladin 3,307]

 

[Dual-Threat Rigby 9,130]

27 minutes ago, WFE12 said:

I wonder does the running wrong routes have to do with the choice routes being implemented. Loafing though…he did say they struggled with the heat

Hot as h… out here today 

[toddc 13,197]

Freeze on QBs: 'Need to watch the film'

AUBURN | Hugh Freeze had his mind up on Friday on who was the leader for the starting quarterback spot. Saturday’s scrimmage changed his mind.

“I need to watch the film before I say,” the head coach said.

While all three quarterbacks did the basics and made the right decision on the run-pass option, no one stood out from the trio of Payton Thorne, Robby Ashford and Holden Geriner.

Both Ashford and Geriner threw touchdown passes, the former to Nick Mardner, while Thorne had a pass dropped by Brandon Frazier that would have gone for a score. On what he wanted to see from the quarterbacks, Freeze kept it simple.

“Take care of the ball and play within the offense,” he said. “Take what you should take on a given play, that the ball goes in the right spot. Hopefully, it’s accurate when we do throw it, but accuracy, you know, hopefully, will come. But we gotta take care of the ball, and we have to be playing in the right space … I thought all three did that fairly well today.

The coach also mentioned that Thorne had two passes that would have been touchdowns, but the receiver was ruled out of bounds. 

What pleased Freeze the most was that there were no turnovers from the quarterbacks in the game.

 

After Freeze 'had my mind made up', scrimmage shakes up Auburn QB competition

Saturday morning's scrimmage seems to have had a significant impact on Auburn's QB race moving forward

Nathan King16 mins

Hugh Freeze was close to trimming down Auburn's quarterback competition Friday.

Less than 24 hours later, the battle seems to have been significantly impacted by what transpired Saturday morning at Jordan-Hare Stadium.

“Yesterday, I had my mind made up,” Freeze said. “And after today I need to watch the film before I say.”

The Tigers scrimmaged for the first time this preseason on Saturday, closing the book of the second week of camp. The quarterback reps were trimmed down this week — leaving just the three expected competitors of Payton Thorne, Robby Ashford and Holden Geriner — and the staff hoped to continue to do so next week, as camp surges onward, now with exactly three weeks to go until the season opener Sept. 2 against UMass.

Offensive coordinator Philip Montgomerysaid this week the main thing he wanted to see from his QBs was “somebody take control.” And after Saturday, there still doesn’t seem to be a leader in the clubhouse.

None of the quarterbacks threw an interception, which Freeze said was the most important quality he was looking for Saturday: ball security. Ashford and Geriner both threw touchdown passes, Freeze said, while Thorne did not — though Thorne had a pair of near-touchdown throws, but the official ruled the receiver just out of bounds on both occasions.

“Take care of the ball and play within the offense — and take what you should take on a given play,” Freeze said. “That the ball goes in the right spot, hopefully it's accurate when we do throw it. But accuracy, you know, hopefully will come. We’ve got to take care of the ball. We have to be playing in the right space on given the plays in our offense. I thought all three did that fairly well today.”

“.. They all did not turn the ball over. That's priority No. 1 in offensive football. So that was good. Obviously, defensively we need to go get it. But I thought all three looked good at times today.”

Some of the incompletions, Freeze said, stemmed not from an errant throw or read by a quarterback, but from the wrong route by a receiver. Freeze said the receiving corps — which is dealing with a handful of injuriesat the moment — had “an incredible week of practice,” but “not so much today.”

“Way too many opportunities in the RPO game that the quarterback made the right decision to throw the ball and a receiver is — again I haven't watched the film — but he's either loafing, which we can't have, or he chose to run the wrong route,” Freeze said. “Again, we have to look at us as coaches first on that and be sure we get that cleaned up.”

Auburn has an off day Sunday during which the coaches will break down the film, then reassess their game plan for not only the quarterbacks, but every position group heading into next week’s slate of practices. Classes start at the university on Wednedsay

Edited August 12, 2023 by toddc

[icanthearyou 4,468]

5 minutes ago, Dual-Threat Rigby said:

Hot as h… out here today 

We need to be the first in the country with a climate controlled domed stadium built entirely out of Yella Wood.  Picture a gigantic barn.

[WFE12 9,351]

36 minutes ago, Dual-Threat Rigby said:

Hot as h… out here today 

Oh yeah I was cutting grass earlier. I’m inside for the rest of the day so I don’t blame them

[woodford 3,752]

8 minutes ago, WFE12 said:

Oh yeah I was cutting grass earlier. I’m inside for the rest of the day so I don’t blame them

I've been cutting the grass after 8 pm lately lol

CHF had his mind made up about Thorne but now needs to watch film because he liked what he saw from Holden, I'm assuming?

[Paladin 3,307]

Alston, running game shine in Auburn's first preseason scrimmage

Auburn's running game was the strength of the team in the first scrimmage.

Jason Caldwell

AUBURN, Alabama—One of the things that showed up late in spring practice was a strong running game for Hugh Freeze and the Auburn Tigers.Through one scrimmage of the preseason, that trend has continued with the offensive line paving the way for big days for the entire group of running backs.

Led by sophomore Damari Alston’s big plays, USF transfer Brian Battie, big back Sean Jackson and true freshman Jeremiah Cobb, Auburn’s running backs showed up and showed out on Saturday at Jordan-Hare Stadium even though Jarquez Hunter was limited to just a handful of snaps early in the day.

“Brian showed up today in a big way,” Freeze said of Battie. “Damari had three explosive runs. Jarquez was solid of course. Sean had some good run. Jeremiah Cobb I think he’s gonna be a really good player. He's just a baby, but he's gonna be a really good player. I think we've got a solid room there.”

The reason for success was because of a strong day up front by Jake Thornton’s offensive line group. A completely rebuilt unit since last season, Auburn’s front five has consistently improved since they stepped on the field in the spring.

With tackles Dillon Wade and Gunner Britton consistently working with the first group and Avery Jones at center along with Kam Stutts at right guard, Auburn’s front has seen plenty of rotation with Tate Johnson and Jeremiah Wright working at left guard and newcomers Jaden Muskrat and Dylan Senda both coming on after arriving this summer.

“We need all of them,” Freeze said of Auburn’s offensive line group. “If you're talking at guard, you’ve got Tate (Johnson) and you’ve got Jeremiah (Wright). Musky has had a really good camp, also. That was a good get. (Dylan) Senda is coming on as a young guy, too. Harris. We need all of them. We’re rotating them all in there. And Stutts, of course, is one of the leaders of the team. We’re going to need them all before it’s over.”

When the dust settled on Saturday, the name that showed up as much as anyone was Alston. Getting limited work last season as the third guy behind Tank Bigsby and Hunter, Alston has taken his game to another level. With an offensive line that can open holes and a system that isn’t scared to run it, Hunter is someone that Freeze has already seen enough from to know he’s going to play a big role this season.

“He’s been one of the leaders if you ask the team who one of the leaders are in that locker room right now,” Freeze said. “He was elected to the culture council unanimously. That speaks as high as any mark you could give when your team says this is a guy that drives the culture that we want.”

[WFE12 9,351]

1 hour ago, woodford said:

I've been cutting the grass after 8 pm lately lol

CHF had his mind made up about Thorne but now needs to watch film because he liked what he saw from Holden, I'm assuming?

Seems that way

[GreenTiger 1,062]

 Not worried about QBs. While they aren’t world beaters they should get better over the next few weeks. Good news is we seem to be deeper at that position than in years past. 

[aucanucktiger 1,896]

Sounds like injuries to probable starting WRs is the #1 concern right now.

[WFE12 9,351]

 

[Win4AU 4,202]

I read somewhere that Camden Brown hasn’t practiced much at all since the spring.  That’s not great.

[ellitor 33,904]

17 minutes ago, Win4AU said:

I read somewhere that Camden Brown hasn’t practiced much at all since the spring.  That’s not great.

Not necessarily bad either with all the good WRs we brought in from the portal.

[AUpreacherman22 3,945]

22 minutes ago, Win4AU said:

I read somewhere that Camden Brown hasn’t practiced much at all since the spring.  That’s not great.

I definitely have not heard his name much if at all.  

[WVR 830]

1 hour ago, WFE12 said:

 

I carried my girls to those when they were young. Great memories. Thanks for sharing.

[NWALA Tiger 3,709]

So, who wants to go on a limb and predict the QB pecking order? If his mind was made up until today,  what happened ?

[W.E.D 11,071]

49 minutes ago, NWALA Tiger said:

So, who wants to go on a limb and predict the QB pecking order? If his mind was made up until today,  what happened ?

Throne, HG. Ashford

Don't get tricked by what Hugh says to the media. It is all calculated. Its motivation for guys.

[NWALA Tiger 3,709]

47 minutes ago, W.E.D said:

Throne, HG. Ashford

Don't get tricked by what Hugh says to the media. It is all calculated. Its motivation for guys.

Mike G has it Holden, Robbie, peyton 

Edited August 13, 2023 by NWALA Tiger

[Jgarrett7 970]

3 minutes ago, NWALA Tiger said:

Mike G has it Holden, Robbie, peyton 

Mike G gonna die on the Robbie hill

[GreenTiger 1,062]

1 hour ago, W.E.D said:

Throne, HG. Ashford

Don't get tricked by what Hugh says to the media. It is all calculated. Its motivation for guys.

Freeze feeding poison back to the rats!