8.30.23 Football Articles

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yahoo.com

So far, Auburn QB Payton Thorne a good fit for the Tigers after leaving Michigan State

JOHN ZENORTue, August 29, 2023 at 1:00 PM CDT·4 min read3Link Copied

4–5 minutes

AUBURN, Ala. (AP) — Payton Thorne is adapting well to life in the South and to the Auburn offense.

The graduate transfer from Michigan State has quickly settled in as Hugh Freeze’s starting quarterback in a region his family formerly passed through only on the way to the Florida beaches.

“I love it down here,” Thorne said. “This is my kind of place, my kind of people down here. Everyone’s been very welcoming and just good people. People are just nicer down here.”

Maybe it’s Southern hospitality. It might also have something to do with Thorne providing renewed hope for an offense that was often pedestrian and inconsistent in recent seasons ,especially in the passing game.

Thorne gets his crack at turning around the program’s recent struggles at quarterback and helping to hasten Freeze’s rebuilding timeline starting Saturday in the opener against UMass (1-0). Freeze has also imported new transfer receivers and offensive linemen to surround Thorne with a better supporting cast.

A two-year team captain at Michigan State, Thorne beat out incumbent starter Robby Ashford in preseason camp despite not arriving until after spring. Ashford's status for the opener is uncertain with an oblique strain.

Freeze has praised Thorne's leadership, understanding of the offense and “his attention to every little thing.”

“He wants to have the mental part of the game plan totally down,” Freeze said.

None of that comes as a surprise to Will Hewlett, Thorne’s personal quarterback coach.

“I get to work with a lot of great quarterbacks,” said Hewlett, who is with QB Collective of Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. “I’ve been around a lot of really talented young men. He is arguably one of the best leaders I’ve ever been around.”

Thorne spent several days in Florida during the summer, and Hewlett put him into a session that included NFL quarterbacks like Brock Purdy, Kyle Trask, Malik Willis and No. 4 draft pick Anthony Richardson. He fit right in, Hewlett said.

“He’s not Anthony Richardson in terms of his physical presence, but would you have guessed he wasn’t a pro? No,” Hewlett said. “He can make all the throws you’re going to need to make in the NFL. He’s also probably underrated as an athlete in terms of his ability to move around and make things happen.”

Thorne passed for 6,494 yards and 49 touchdowns over 26 starts at Michigan State. He left following a spring when coach Mel Tucker had made it clear the starting job was up for grabs.

Thorne declined to discuss “anything that happened at Michigan State.” But he said it was a whirlwind.

“If you would’ve asked me a week before I committed or a week before I got in the portal if I was transferring I would’ve been like, ‘I don’t know what you’re talking about,’” Thorne said. “But there was a few things that happened in the past of the whole offseason. But then when I entered the portal, talking with Coach Freeze, talking with the coaches here, I thought it was a no-brainer to come here and I thought it was a great opportunity.”

He and his father, Jeff Thorne, a college coach, spent some nine hours in Auburn studying the offense and watching film before committing. Upon his arrival, Thorne kept sheets of paper handy with head shots, names and other details of those within the program. to help him get names down.

Thorne is no stranger to starting for a Power Five team. Nor does he seem to lack the confidence to handle the pressures of life as an SEC quarterback, facing the likes of No. 4 Alabama, No. 5 LSU and No. 1 Georgia.

“If you’re going to be a quarterback in this league, you have to be confident,” Auburn tight end Luke Deal said. "I think his confidence has definitely helped him out, and his leadership ability.

“I think that’s been a huge part of his success and why he’s kind of in that role now. So we’re ready to follow him and you always need a quarterback who’s got a little swagger in him and we’ve got a room that’s got plenty of that.”

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auburnwire.usatoday.com

 

Luke Deal is excited about Auburn running the ball

JD McCarthy

~3 minutes

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Auburn’s running backs have had a great offseason and are expected to be a strength of the offense, however, their success has some wondering if they are that good or if Auburn’s run defense needs improvement.

“We’ll find out more Saturday.” Hugh Freeze said Monday. Are we effective running the football kind of team against other opponents or has our defense made us look that good? I think when you start getting into a game week and start game planning and you figure out that this is what we’re going to try to do, hopefully we’ll be in the right spots and play well on both sides. That’s the hope.”

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Senior tight end luke deal is confident that Auburn’s running backs are just that good and that Auburn will have success running the ball this year.

“I think our running game is really good. I think you guys have seen it, even in the past. There are some familiar names in that running back room who have done some really great things at Auburn so far. Jarquez (Hunter) is an incredible back, that entire room, Damari (Alston), Sean (Jackson), even Jeremiah (Cobb), a young guy coming up, (Brian) Battie all those guys are really really good players.

“We’ve got such a talented room that I would lean on the side that we have a really good run game and we’ve seen production in the past. I’m excited to see how that works out against another defense.”

“Hopefully, our defense stops that run too against UMass.”

Auburn’s five running backs each bring something different but together they give Auburn a deep and talented rotation that should be able to keep all of them fresh during the game. They are also set to benefit from Auburn’s reworked offensive line, which has three transfers set to start.

UMass has already played one game on the season, a 41-30 win over New Mexico State, and struggled to stop the run. The Minutemen allowed 222 yards and one touchdown on the ground as the Aggies rushed for 5.8 yards per carry.

Auburn will look to enjoy similar success when they face UMass on Saturday in Jordan-Hare Stadium. The game is set to start at 2:30 p.m. CT and will be on ESPN.

Contact/Follow us @TheAuburnWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Auburn news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow JD on Twitter @jdmccarthy15.

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Auburn vs UMass Game Preview

© John Reed-USA TODAY Sports

Auburn vs UMass Prediction How To Watch

Date: Saturday, September 2
Game Time: 3:30 ET
Venue: Jordan-Hare Stadium, Auburn, AL
How To Watch: ESPN
2022 Record: UMass (1-11), Auburn (5-7)
- UMass 2023 Team Preview
- Auburn 2023 Team Preview

Why UMass Will Win

The offensive line should be able to push the Tigers a wee bit.

It’s potentially the team’s biggest strength with experience and depth across the board for a running game with the potential to make a big improvement. The defense under head coach Don Brown showed a few nice signs last year - especially in the secondary - and has enough talent to make Auburn work a bit.

Auburn is just getting going under new head coach Hugh Freeze and might not be sharp out of the gate, UMass will have a game against New Mexico State under its belt, but …

- CFN Preview 2023: 133 Team Previews

Why Auburn Will Win

Against UMass, Auburn might look like it’s in midseason form.

The Minutemen have a long way to go for the passing game to be merely functional, scoring points was like pulling teeth - averaging just 12.5 per game - and Auburn will be looking to make a big splash right away.

Winning this might not seem like it’s that big a deal, but with the new coaches, the new energy, ALL the new transfers - at least 12 could end up starting - and a slew of key freshmen, there’s work to do.

Even if/when Auburn gets up early, it should keep on rolling to use this as a glorified scrimmage. This appears to be a team hungry to show what it can do.

- Week 1 Experts Picks

Auburn vs UMass Who Will Win

Liberty didn’t come out roaring to start seasons under Freeze, and UMass won’t just be a speed bump.

Again, the defense should be okay - especially compared to previous seasons - and the upgrade at quarterback with Taisun Phommachanh along with a few decent receivers - will make the attack look night-and-day more competent, and it won’t matter.

After the struggles of last year, Auburn will look like Auburn again.

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247sports.com

 

What Freeze expects from QB Payton Thorne in Auburn debut

Nathan King

6–8 minutes

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As much as Hugh Freeze would like to ease his new quarterback into things Saturday afternoon, he knows one of his old adversaries won’t let that happen.

Though Auburn is facing UMass for the first time in program history, it’s the second straight season that Freeze will be taking on Don Brown. A longtime defensive coordinator at the Power Five level, Brown, a Massachusetts native, is in his second stint coaching the Minutemen, after he did so when the program was an FCS power in the mid-2000s.

Freez’s Liberty team beat UMass 42-24 last season, but Freeze said it was some of the toughest points he’s ever scored in his career. Brown’s defenses are complex, and they’ll throw many different looks Payton Thorne’s way before the snap.

Auburn trusts its veteran quarterback, sure. But Freeze doesn’t expect a cakewalk for Thorne in his debut with the Tigers.

“Payton's going to have to take what they give, throw the passes and complete the ones that work against this scheme,” Freeze said.

Formerly the defensive coordinator for a number of successful units at Michigan, Arizona, UConn, Boston College and Maryland, Brown does a “beautiful job” confusing opposing quarterbacks with high-level coverage schemes, Freeze said.

Take UMass’ 41-30 win at New Mexico State last weekend for example — the program’s first road victory since 2018. Quarterback Diego Pavia threw three touchdowns but also had a pair of interceptions — including a pick-six against Brown’s signature trap coverage. Since the throw was across the field by Pavia to the opposite sideline, cornerback Isaiah Rutherford chose to break on the slot receiver, confident in the safety help behind him if the ball somehow floated all the way over multiple defenders to the sideline.

Avoiding outside throws into coverage, even if there’s an apparent opening at the start of the play, will be key for Thorne. Even if it appears Thorne could make a one-on-one throw to his receiver toward the sideline, Freeze will be wary.

“I've always felt I'd like to start a few games with some simple completions for (Thorne),” Freeze said. “This will be a little harder for him to do because of their trap coverage. You're a little nervous to work too much quick game off the bat — because they do a beautiful job, and they run it a little different than a lot of people. But they're in their trap coverage and they got a pick-six the other night; they got three turnovers, and all of them led to 21 points. One was a pick-six off of that trap coverage, and they did a nice job deceiving the quarterback. What I'd like to do is throw a little quick hitch every now and then, but they don't really give you that opportunity.”

After starting 26 games at Michigan State and throwing 49 touchdowns, Thorne won the job at Auburn this preseason over incumbent starter Robby Ashford, whom Freeze mentioned has an oblique strain this week but will likely still play.

After the Tigers had some consistency for a few seasons between Jarrett Stidham and Bo Nix, Thorne will now be the program’s third starting QB on opening day in as many years.

“He's got an advantage that he's in grad school and he has a lot of time,” Freeze said. “It's important to him and he's constantly studying, and I sure hope that translates into his decision-making come Saturday now that we're not just running stuff against a defense that we don't really know what they're doing. Now you, honestly, get the game plan and say, 'Now Payton, I would expect you to see this and get it right.' And he takes great pride in that, so I think that's probably been the most impressive thing. He wants to have the mental part of the game plan totally down.”

While the easy assumption might be that Auburn will keep things mostly on the ground against a complex passing defense — and in Thorne’s first game with what Freeze admitted is still a receiving corps in progress — don’t be surprised if the Tigers rack up some passing yardage Saturday.

So much of Freeze’s and coordinator Philip Montgomery’s system is read-based, and that includes the quarterback making a decision on whether to hand the ball off, or fire a quick pass — more simply referred to as a run-pass option. The primary reason Thorne won Auburn’s quarterback competition was because of his consistency in making the right reads during preseason camp.

In that sense, Freeze doesn’t necessarily care where the yards come from. If Thorne notices an extra defender at the line of scrimmage, he might pull the ball out and zip a quick slant. If the front seven is loose, he’ll place it in the belly of a running back. As long as the read is correct, Freeze will be satisfied with the Tigers on offense. That could mean a 300-yard rushing day for Auburn, or it could mean Thorne gets to hit receiver after receiver in stride because UMass is cautious of the Tigers’ talented running game.

“I may come in here after a game and you guys say, ‘Man, coach, you only rushed for 90 yards but you threw for 400,’” Freeze said. “To me, I want to know what the average per carry was, if that makes sense. Because you don't know it, but probably 15 of those passes were runs. But the defense had an extra hat, so I don't think that's real smart football to constantly run into an extra guy in the box. I count those as kind of rushing yards. You have to be a threat to run the ball; you can't be one-dimensional and you have to be balanced. Balanced doesn't always show on the stat sheet to me, but it does when I go look and say OK, these 10 runs, we threw for 100 yards on them.”

Kickoff inside Jordan-Hare Stadium is set for 2:30 p.m. CST (ESPN). Thorne said last week he’s yet to look ahead to any big-name opponents that come with being the Auburn quarterback, simply because his anticipation for his first game in the orange and blue has been so high all offseason.

“I think he’s done a really good job stepping up as a leader and just being really vocal out there,” offensive guard Kam Stutts said. ‘And encouraging people and just being one of those voices in our head whenever it’s a 130-degree heat index out there. Just keeping us pushing and going hard.”

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al.com

Nehemiah Prtichett not participating during open portion of Auburn practice

Published: Aug. 29, 2023, 5:29 p.m.

2–3 minutes

AUBURN, AL - August 12, 2023 - Auburn Defensive Back Nehemiah Pritchett (#1) during a fall camp scrimmage at Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn, AL. Photo By Austin PerrymanAuburn University Athletics

Auburn cornerback Nehemiah Pritchett did not practice during a period of Auburn practice Tuesday open to the media.

Pritchett was not wearing pads and stood off in the corner of the endzone in Auburn’s indoor practice facility while drills took place around him. His left ankle was wrapped.

On Monday, Freeze listed Pritchett as questionable for Auburn’s game at 2:30 p.m. Saturday against UMass.

“It wouldn’t shock me if all those went truthfully,” Freeze said while listing off the week’s injury report. “But it really wouldn’t shock me if a few didn’t make it either.”

Freeze also noted QB Robby Ashford, CB J.D. Rhym, Jack Linebacker Jalen McLeod and WR Nick Mardner as questionable Monday, but all participated in practice.

In fact, no Auburn players were wearing any sort of non-contact injury jersey, including Pritchett. During fall camp, players wore yellow pennies to signify their injury status.

That includes wide receiver Koy Moore who had not been seen practicing throughout fall camp. Quarterback Robby Ashford threw during drills while dealing with a strained oblique, according to Freeze. Linebacker Austin Keys, who had been in the yellow jersey during fall camp, took part in drills.

And while everyone other than Pritchett appeared to participate in practice, they had various injury wrappings while participating. Linebacker Wesley Steiner’s leg was heavily wrapped and wide receiver Camden Brown wore tape down his left leg.

During the period open to practice, it wasn’t clear if anyone previously known to be dealing with an injury was limited relative to a fully healthy player.

Matt Cohen covers Auburn sports for AL.com. You can follow him on Twitter at @Matt_Cohen_ or email him at mcohen@al.com

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247sports.com

 

Auburn opponent preview A look at the UMass defense

Jason Caldwell

5–6 minutes

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Veteran defensive coordinator Don Brown is back for his second stint as the head coach at UMass and is looking to turn the program around after going 43-19 from 2004-2008 while leading the Minutemen to a pair of postseason appearances. A former coordinator at Michigan and Arizona, Brown is known for his somewhat unconventional fronts at times with his teams moving around and showing different looks. While it can allow big plays at times, it’s also something that can create negative plays and turnovers. 

That showed up last week in a 41-30 win over New Mexico State. Creating three turnovers and adding three sacks, the UMass defense did some big things on that side of the ball. They also allowed 20 first down, 210 yards rushing (5.7 ypc) and 248 yards passing and three touchdowns through the air.

There will be some chances to make plays, but Auburn’s Hugh Freeze said it’s a game that is going to require his offense to be very good before the snap to make sure they are identifying the defense properly.

“I think defensively they play as hard as any team in the country,” Freeze said. “And you combine that with Coach Brown's system, which is very chaotic and very hard to identify for your offensive front at times, they will create negative plays with that.

“That was a big challenge for us last year when we played them up at UMass. They created a lot of negative plays against us. We managed to score enough points to win the game, but it was a challenge. And so they have our full attention. I mean, if you look at them defensively, obviously Don is pretty special. I mean, he's been one of the best at Michigan and Arizona and many other places.

“But 48 jumps off the page at you, as does 1 and 7. They can play at any Power Five schools. Those guys are really, really good. And really again, chaotic in their defensive front when they're mixing it up with all their three-down and four-down. I think they're deeper than they have been and better in the secondary.”

A defense that will show a three-man front, a four-man front, a five-man front and bring plenty of blitzes from linebackers and the secondary, UMass wants to pressure from start to finish. That means Auburn’s offensive line is going to need to be really good to handle what the Minutemen will bring on Saturday.

That starts with a big defensive line led by sophomore Marcus Bradley. Playing the anchor position on the defense, the 6-3, 260 redshirt sophomore started 11 games last season and provides a punch up front. He’s joined in the starting lineup by 6-1, 310 senior Billy Wooden, 6-2, 295 Hugo Klages, and 6-2, 255 Louce Julien. Bradley had six tackles last week while Wooden added a sack.

At linebacker, redshirt senior Jerry Roberts (6-1, 235) is a player that controls things in the middle for the UMass defense. A transfer from Arizona, he started 18 games in the last two years for the Wildcats and had 100 total tackles. A sixth-year senior, he played three seasons at Bowling Green before transferring to Arizona for the 2021 season.

He’s joined in the starting lineup at linebacker by 6-3, 220 junior Gerrell Johnson and 6-2, 250 redshirt freshman Tyler Martin. Johnson and Martin combined for eight tackles last week for the UMass defense. Last season Johson made 54 total tackles in 12 games for the Minutemen.

On the outside, junior cornerback Jordan Mahoney (6-0, 180) is coming off a strong 2022 when he had three interceptions, three forced fumbles and three fumble recoveries while adding 42 tackles. That was enough to put him on the Bronko Nagurski Award Watch List before the season. 

Penn State transfer safety Tyler Rudolph has been a big addition to the UMass defense after playing in all 12 games a season ago and finishing with 62 tackles. A 6-0, 210 junior, he led the team last week with eight tackles and also added a sack. Redshirt junior Isaiah Weatherford (6-1, 190) starts opposite Mahoney at corner while 6-0, 195 junior Te-Rai Powell rounds out the secondary for the Minutemen.

Defensive depth chart:

ANCHOR 

1 MARCUS BRADLEY R-SO. 6-3 260

4 JB BROWN R-SR. 6-1 280

50 AQUAN ROBINSON R-SO. 6-4 245

DT 

42 BILLY WOODEN SR. 6-1 310

44 AARON BECKWITH R-SO. 6-4 300

NT 

99 HUGO KLAGES JR. 6-2 295

56 CLETUS MATHURIN SR. 6-1 305

49 SHAMBRE JACKSON R-SO. 6-3 275

DE 

18 LOUCE JULIEN R-SO. 6-2 255

10 ZUKUDO IGWENAGU R-JR. 6-4 245

52 UCHENNA EZEWIKE R-SR. 6-2 250

MIKE 

48 JERRY ROBERTS JR R-SR. 6-1 235

-OR- 23 JALEN STEWART JR. 6-0 225

WILL 

22 GERRELL JOHNSON JR. 6-3 220

-OR- 9 MYLES TURNER R-SO. 6-1 235

-OR- 15 DERRIEON CRAIG SO. 5-10 205

SAM 

5 TYLER MARTIN R-FR. 6-2 250

-OR- 40 DOMINIC SCHOFIELD R-SO. 6-2 230

30 DONOVAN DYSON FR. 6-1 225

VIPER 

24 MICHAEL OPPONG R-JR. 6-0 195

-OR- 11 NAHJI LOGQN JR. 6-3 230

0 JALEN HARRELL R-SO. 6-2 210

CB 

7 JORDAN MAHONEY JR. 6-0 180

8 TRISTAN ARMSTRONG JR. 5-11 190

33 DARIUS GOODEN R-JR. 6-2 205

CB 

12 ISAIAH RUTHERFORD R-JR. 6-1 190

27 NOAH BOYKIN R-SR. 6-2 185

28 JERROD CAMERON R-FR. 5-10 160

SAFETY 

21 TE'RAI POWELL JR. 6-0 195

14 DASHAUN JERKINS R-SR. 5-11 200

20 DORIAN HELM JR. 5-11 190

SAFETY 

2 TYLER RUDOLPH R-JR. 6-0 210

19 JALON FERRELL R-SR. 6-2 205

6 JEREMIAH MCGILL R-FR. 5-11 185

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[SaltyTiger 8,569]

Thanx Fiddy. Good stuff just in time this morning.

[aubiefifty 18,231]

Just now, SaltyTiger said:

Thanx Fiddy. Good stuff just in time this morning.

i got some decent slee3p and did not want to get up. thanx salty

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[aubiefifty 18,231]

 

[aubiefifty 18,231]

 

[aubiefifty 18,231]

 

[aubiefifty 18,231]

thanx for stopping by folks. i will update when time allows.

[WarTim 3,525]

Thanks Fifty 

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al.com

 

Previewing Auburn football’s offense for the 2023 season

Published: Aug. 30, 2023, 6:30 a.m.

9–12 minutes

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This is the staple of a Hugh Freeze football team.

Freeze is an offensive-minded coach. He has developed NFL quarterbacks and produced high-paced schemes that produce big numbers on the scoreboard.

But a new job, a new school and a team roster gives him a challenge he hasn’t seen in his head coaching career. He is combining a roster that is roughly half returnees and half newcomers. Those new faces are especially seen on offense as Freeze tries to mold his own scheme with new offensive coordinator Philip Montgomery.

The tempo of the offensive scheme has been a key talking point throughout August, and something Auburn believes will give it a big advantage this year.

With the season set to begin against UMass at 2:30 p.m. Saturday at Jordan-Hare Stadium, AL.com will preview both sides of the ball for Auburn, starting with the offense. We’ll break the offense down by each position group. First up, the most important one.

Quarterback

In some ways, this position is simple: Payton Thorne is the guy.

Auburn brought him in from Michigan State where he started nearly 30 games and won a New Year’s Six bowl game. He was an entrenched starter at a historically successful program in one of the Big Ten East, one of the nation’s more difficult divisions. And even though Thorne didn’t get to Auburn until the summer, he became a leader on the team so quickly that Auburn picked him as a team captain.

Thorne won a quarterback competition that centered on himself, sophomore Robby Ashford and sophomore Holden Geriner. Ashford is Auburn’s incumbent starter and Freeze called him the best athlete he’s ever coached at the position. He also called Geriner the most talented thrower of the three.

So why did Freeze pick Thorne?

It appears to be the safe pick. Thorne may not have the highest ceiling of the three, but he does have the highest floor. As Freeze settles into his new job, a quarterback who is generally reliable is the best way to ease into the season. Freeze also said Thorne was the best leader, and the one his teammates trusted the most in the huddle.

Thorne’s largest question remains if he can be successful without a dominant rushing game.

Thorne threw for 3,232 yards in 2021 along with 27 touchdowns and 10 interceptions with now-NFL starting running back Kenneth Walker III to hand the ball off to. When Walker left, Thorne had 2,679 passing yards in 2022. He threw eight fewer touchdowns than 2021 and threw one more interception.

Which quarterback is the real Thorne? How much pressure does that put on Auburn’s running back room and offensive line?

Though Thorne may not be the only quarterback to see valuable snaps for Auburn. Freeze has suggested that Ashford is still going to have a role on this offense because of his ability with the ball in his hands. What that role will be? That’s not going to reveal itself until the season itself. Plus, Freeze and Montgomery will have to figure out a role that doesn’t telegraph Auburn is running the ball with Ashford in. Freeze said Ashford had his best practices after Thorne was announced as Auburn’s starting quarterback.

And maybe Auburn’s running game isn’t something Thorne or Freeze will have to worry about too much.

Running back

A tumultuous offseason in the running back room appears to be resolved, though with still many unanswered questions. Top running back Jarquez Hunter allegedly was shown in a sex tape that was released on social media over the summer. Soon after the video was released, Auburn gave a statement that multiple football players would be receiving indefinite suspensions. But Auburn did not say who those players were or why the school was giving suspensions.

When asked about Hunter’s status, Freeze and other Auburn officials have declined to comment, and stated that it was an internal matter.

Hunter missed the opening days of preseason camp, but returned after the first weekend of August.

There are still off-the-field unknowns, but on the field, it looks like Auburn will have Hunter and putting him in position to be one of the most productive players on the team. Hunter was Auburn’s third-leading rusher last season behind Tang Bigsby and Ashford. Bigsby is gone, and Ashford is going to have a smaller role.

That leaves a starring role as a ball carrier for Hunter. He is widely regarded as one of Auburn’s best players and could be in line for a breakout on a national scale.

He also has a deep pool of talent behind him.

Sophomore Damari Alston has shined in fall camp with his speed and long runs. USF transfer Brian Battie may be Auburn’s best pass-catching running back. Freshman Jeremiah Cobb has been highly regarded for his potential by his teammates, but he could be in line for a possible redshirt give the other depth of the room.

Auburn has options to run the ball. Is there a star like Bigsby? Unclear. Auburn hopes Hunter can be that.

Offensive line

In one of the more interesting position groups on the roster, Auburn’s first depth start shows Tulsa transfer Dillon Wade as the starting left tackle, junior Jeremiah Wright at left guard, East Carolina transfer Avery Jones at center, sixth-year Kam Stutts at right guard and Western Kentucky transfer Dillon Wade at right tackle.

In an attempt to see the types of options it has barring injuries, offensive line coach Jake Thornton has tried different combos — including using Britton at all five positions and in one period of practice open to media, slotting junior college transfer Izavion Miller as a starting right tackle. Freeze said Miller has been too good in preseason camp to keep off the field.

It would not be a shock to see multiple offensive line groups on the field against UMass, depending on the score of course.

Throughout the preseason, offensive linemen have talked about a strong chemistry built in a group that has so many new faces — and three of them set to start come Saturday.

But why did Auburn need so many new guys?

The 2022 offensive line was, well, bad. Auburn expects the new group to “bring the juice.”

What that means is the offensive line on paper is much more talented. Defensive tackle Justin Rogers said the pace of the offense and the ability for the offensive line to keep pace made play difficult for the defensive front.

Without any games having been played, on paper only means so much.

Tight end

Another position, another transfer.

FIU transfer Rivaldo Fairweather is Auburn’s clear cut top tight end. He has the body type of a tight end at 6-foot-4 251 pounds, but the skill set and athleticism of a wide receiver that is so valuable in a modern offense that wants to create big plays.

Fairweather has dominated at times in Auburn practices, and he could pose a huge mismatch, especially over the middle of the field.

Luke Deal is a team captain and also listed as a starter for Auburn. He isn’t the same pass-catching threat, but he is a clear leader for Auburn and a strong blocker

While much of the preseason talk about the pass catchers as centered on the wide receivers, if there is a player to beg as a breakout figure for Auburn, Fairweather seems like a good bet. And he could be a top candidate for a breakout season.

Okay, but speaking of those wide receivers.

Wide receiver

One theme has surrounded this group: Auburn may not have a star wide receiver, but it has a lot of them and plans to use them all.

Auburn has five receivers listed as starters on the depth chart for three spots: Jyaire Shorter, Omari Kelly, Jay Fair, Ja’Varrius Johnson and Shane Hooks.

And Auburn still expects contributions from backups like Caleb Burton, Nick Mardner, Koy Moore and Camden Brown.

That is a lot of hands to make sure get their fair share. So this doesn’t look like likely to be the year Auburn breaks its drought of 1,000-yard wide receivers. If anyone is going to become the go-to guy, it is likely to be Hooks, who has had an impressive fall camp working on the outside.

Fair and Kelly have also generated buzz during the preseason while other receivers like Johnson, Moore and Mardner deal with injuries.

Johnson was Auburn’s leading receiver last year with fewer than 500 yards. Though Auburn is a program historically known for running the ball, a Freeze offensive is going to air it out. If Auburn’s leading receiver in 2023 has numbers like what Johnson had last year, it is because Auburn had spread the ball around so much. That would seem to be a positive because defenses can’t key in on one guy, but Auburn also doesn’t have much consistency at the position.

Like the offensive line, because of transfers, this unit on paper looks to be much improved compared to a year ago. Shorter arrives from North Texas after leading the nation in yards per catch last season, Hooks comes from a high-energy Jackson State program under Deion Sanders, Burton comes from Ohio State and had some of the best high school tape Freeze said he had ever seen. Mardner comes to Auburn from Cincinnati.

It has taken time for Freeze to mold the receivers. The group has generally practiced well other than the first scrimmage where lots of players were “loafing.” Freeze has stated multiple times that the whole group needs to do a better job of giving high effort every route they run, even if the ball isn’t coming their way.

Can this group be what Freeze needs to make his run-pass-option scheme effective? We’ll see. We’ll see too who, if anyone, emerges from this group to help Thorne.

Matt Cohen covers Auburn sports for AL.com. You can follow him on Twitter at @Matt_Cohen_ or email him at mcohen@al.com

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al.com

 

Auburn football announces four team captains for 2023 season

Updated: Aug. 29, 2023, 8:20 p.m.|Published: Aug. 29, 2023, 8:11 p.m.

2–3 minutes

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Auburn quarterback Payton Thorne (1) listens to a coach during first day of practices, Thursday, Aug. 3, 2023 in Auburn, Ala. (AL.com Photo/Stew Milne)Stew Milne

Two transfers and two long-time Auburn stalwarts were announced as team captains for the 2023 season, Auburn announced on Twitter on Tuesday night.

Michigan State transfer and starting quarterback Payton Thorne, Vanderbilt transfer Elijah McAllister, sixth-year offensive lineman Kam Stutts and fifth year tight end Luke Deak were picked as captains.

Stutts, McAllister and Deal were the three players Auburn picked as representatives for SEC Media Days in July. Asked why he picked those players as he learned his new roster, head coach Hugh Freeze noted all three of them were reliable leaders he could look to in a locker room still building chemistry.

Then there is Thorne. The conversation around his appointment as Auburn’s starter has centered around his leadership. He may not be Auburn’s most talented quarterback, but he is the leader his teammates look to, both his coaches and teammates have said throughout the preseason.

His selection as a captain shows the work he did bringing a binder with a photo of everyone on the team and their name helped him build connections to teammates he didn’t meet until May.

Those four will lead Auburn in the first game of the year at 2:30 p.m. Saturday at Jordan-Hare Stadium against UMass.

Matt Cohen covers Auburn sports for AL.com. You can follow him on Twitter at @Matt_Cohen_ or email him at mcohen@al.com

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al.com

 

Auburn-UMass tickets as cheap as $2; Here’s how to get seats

Updated: Aug. 29, 2023, 7:31 p.m.|Published: Aug. 29, 2023, 7:30 p.m.

~2 minutes

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Auburn football head coach Hugh Freeze talks with the media before practice Thursday, Aug. 17, 2023 in Auburn, Ala. (AL.com Photo/Stew Milne)Stew Milne

The Hugh Freeze era begins when Auburn hosts UMass on Saturday, Sept. 2, at Jordan-Hare Stadium. Tickets are available for a variety of prices at Vivid Seats, StubHub and Seat Geek.

After Payton Thorne was named Auburn’s starting quarterback, Freeze said Robby Ashford would still have a role in Auburn’s offense, but that exact space hasn’t been specified.

RELATED: Get ready for Auburn football with latest Tigers gear, gifts

Ashford was the biggest name on Auburn’s injury report after Hugh Freeze’s press conference Monday to preview the season opener against UMass, which will be live streamed on fuboTV (free trial).

Ashford has an oblique strain, Freeze said. But said he “will likely” be able to play.

Vivid Seats

Vivid Seats has tickets listed for as cheap as for $4 as well as plenty of other options.

Stub Hub

Stub Hub has seats going for $5 and plenty of tickets together.

Seat Geek

Seat Geek has ticket as cheap as $2 for the game.

Mark Heim is a reporter for The Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Mark_Heim. He can be heard on “The Opening Kickoff” on WNSP-FM 105.5 FM in Mobile or on the free Sound of Mobile App from 6 to 9 a.m. daily.

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10 Auburn alumni cut by NFL teams on Tuesday

Updated: Aug. 29, 2023, 9:40 p.m.|Published: Aug. 29, 2023, 9:30 p.m.

3–4 minutes

Baltimore Ravens guard Tashawn Manning (62) blocks during an NFL preseason game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Saturday, Aug. 26, 2023, at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Fla.(AP Photo/Peter Joneleit)

By

Mark Inabinett | minabinett@al.com

Pro Football Focus judged guard Tashawn Manning as the fourth best offensive rookie during the NFL’s preseason games. But that didn’t prevent the Baltimore Ravens from waiving him on Tuesday.

Manning was among the eight former Auburn players who were waived on Tuesday as NFL teams reduced their preseason rosters to the regular-season limit of 53 players. Two other Auburn alumni were released by NFL teams on Tuesday.

The players coming off NFL rosters included:

· Defensive tackle Angelo Blackson was released by the Baltimore Ravens. An eight-year veteran, Blackson has played in 117 NFL regular-season games.

· Defensive tackle Byron Cowart was released by the Houston Texans. Cowart played in every game for the Indianapolis Colts in his fourth NFL season in 2022.

· Defensive tackle Marlon Davidson (Greenville) was waived by the San Francisco 49ers. A second-round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, Davidson was trying to make a fresh start after being released by the Atlanta Falcons last season.

· Wide receiver Shedrick Jackson (Hoover) was waived by the Cincinnati Bengals. Jackson was an undrafted rookie.

· Outside linebacker Eku Leota was waived by the Carolina Panthers. Leota was an undrafted rookie.

· Guard Tashawn Manning was waived by the Baltimore Ravens. Manning was an undrafted rookie.

· Safety Smoke Monday was waived by the New Orleans Saints. Monday spent last season on injured reserve as an undrafted rookie.

· Tight end John Samuel Shenker was waived by the Las Vegas Raiders. Shenker was an undrafted rookie.

· Punter Arryn Siposs was waived by the Philadelphia Eagles. Siposs had been the Eagles’ punter for the past two seasons and played in Super Bowl LVII in February. This might not be the end for Siposs with Philadelphia; the Eagles reduced their roster to 53, but none of those players is a punter.

· Wide receiver Seth Williams (Paul Bryant) was waived by the Jacksonville Jaguars. A sixth-round draft pick of the Denver Broncos in 2021, Williams played in two games as a rookie before spending last season on the Jaguars’ practice squad.

Cornerback Noah Igbinoghene (Hewitt-Trussville) left the Miami Dolphins roster to Tuesday. But it was because he was traded to the Dallas Cowboys for cornerback Kelvin Joseph.

FOR MORE OF AL.COM’S COVERAGE OF THE NFL, GO TO OUR NFL PAGE

Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.

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auburnwire.usatoday.com

 

Auburn vs. UMass: Six Minutemen to know

JD McCarthy

4–5 minutes

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The Auburn Tigers are set to start their 2023 campaign on Saturday when they host the UMass Minutemen (1-0) in Jordan-Hare Stadium.

UMass is led by head coach Don Brown who is in his second tenure with the program. He coached them from 2004-08 before leaving to become a defensive coordinator at Maryland. He spent time at Michigan and Arizona before making his return ahead of the 2022 season.

Buy Tigers Tickets

The Minutemen looked to have improved from a rough first season when they went 1-11 but suffered some competitive losses. They beat New Mexico State 41-30 to open the 2023 season and gave Auburn some film to study. That film was revealing to Hugh Freeze, who faced them last season as the head coach at Liberty.

“Well, I played them every year,” Freeze said on Monday. “I saw a drastic improvement last year under Coach (Don) Brown. I have great respect for him. I think he is one of the best defensive play callers in the country. Last year their record was atrocious, and they had a top 10 defense in the country. Now they have added 27 transfers, most from Power 5 schools. I thought they looked quite different. New Mexico State is not an easy place to go play, and they took care of the football and did not turn it over. They got turnovers. They capitalized on turnovers. They threw the ball effectively, which they have not done in four years that I’ve played them. I think defensively they play just as hard as any team in the country, and you combine that with Coach Brown’s systems, which are very chaotic and very hard to identify where your offense is at times. They will create negative plays with that. That was a big challenge for us last year when we played them up at UMass. They created a lot of negative plays against us. We managed to score enough points to win the game, but it was a challenge. They have our full attention.”

They were led by transfer quarterback Taisun Phommachanh who is capable of hurting Auburn through the air as well as when he tucks the ball and runs. Phommachanh is one of six Minutemen that you need to know ahead of the game and here is a look at these key players.

Meg Potter/Sun-News / USA TODAY NETWORK

UMass is Phommachanh’s third program after he started his career at Clemson before heading to Georgia Tech. He was a four-star prospect and gives the Minutemen a talented quarterback as they try to pull off the upset. He did it all in their week zero win over New Mexico State, completing 10-of-17 passes for 192 yards as well as rushing for 96 yards and one touchdown.

(Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)

Johnson is their top returning tackler and has made 120 tackles over the past two seasons and will be a key member in the middle of their defense. He is a veteran in the defense and will help to get all of their transfer additions on the same page.

Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

Lynch-Adams is looking to form a dynamic two-man rushing attack with Phommachanh and he did just that last week. Lynch-Adams finished the day with 15 carries for 79 yards and two scores. Auburn’s rush defense will look to keep the duo bottled up and it will be a good test to start the season.

Danny Wild-USA TODAY Sports

Mahoney will be a tough matchup for Auburn’s new wide receivers. He snagged three interceptions last season and is perfectly comfortable lining up in man coverage, something he does a lot in Brown’s scheme. If UMass is able to turn Auburn over, Mahoney will likely be involved.

(Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)

Johnson does not have a ton of targets but he tends to make the most of his receptions. He averaged 14.4 yards per catch last season and is their big-play threat. He caught one pass for 22 yards last week and will look to try and take the top off Auburn’s defense.

Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

Bradley is entering his second season with the Minutemen after transferring in from Vanderbilt. He is looking to take another step after making an immediate impact last year, recording 26 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks. He will test Auburn’s new-look offensive line that will feature at least three transfers starting.

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Auburn briefing: Three newcomers to watch for vs UMass

Lance Dawe

3–4 minutes

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Here are three newcomers to keep an eye on as Auburn takes on UMass.

The Tigers have a plethora of newcomers on both sides of the ball this season.

With Hugh Freeze and his staff having hit the transfer portal as hard as they did, fans should expect to see a number of new faces starting across the board.

Here are three newcomers to watch out for when Auburn plays UMass this Saturday:

Shane Hooks

Hooks was Coach Deion Sanders and Jackson State's leading receiver in 2022, reeling in 64 passes for 748 yards and ten touchdowns.

He played 711 snaps on the outside while only playing 11 snaps in the slot.

He's turned heads throughout fall camp, making some impressive catches and playing physical football.

Hooks may not be an every-down receiver, but he could be on the receiving end of some big plays this weekend.

Rivaldo Fairweather

Fairweather was an extremely reliable target at FIU and has certainly looked like one of Auburn's go-to guys during practice.

Hugh Freeze has been known to produce some high-quality pass catching tight ends... Fairweather may be the next man up. Look for Thorne to get comfortable early vs UMass with some easy pitches to Fairweather.

Austin Keys

The Tigers' new starting middle linebacker should provide an immediate boost to what was a poor position group a season ago.

If Auburn's run support is going to be better, Keys will be a part of its improvement. Watch for No. 12 on defense to make some solid plays at the line of scrimmage against the Minutemen's rushing attack.

They said it:

Auburn linebacker Eugene Asante will step into a much larger role this season after only playing four games in 2022.

Asante gave a lot of credit to the Tigers' strength and conditioning staff during a Monday press conference.

"Physically, I've grown in terms of building my body up," Asante said. "I can't thank Coach Dom (Studzinski) and his staff enough. They do a really good job and oftentimes they deflect how good their program is. From a defensive standpoint, I've grown in terms of trying to understand why defensive coordinators call what they call."

We wrote it:

Shel Hickman of Auburn Daily put together a breakdown of the Tigers' linebacker room, making the case as to why each player can have a great season.

You can read the breakdown here.

Auburn takes on UMass in their season opener this Saturday, September 2nd at 2:30 p.m. CT on ESPN. You can check out betting odds here.

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247sports.com

Omari Kelly brings the energy for Auburn wide receivers

Jason Caldwell

13–17 minutes

Omari Kelly has stepped up his game in year two with the Tigers.

AUBURN, Alabama—After catching 83 passes for 1,335 yards and 13 touchdowns as a senior at Hewitt-Trussville High, Omari Kelly had three receptions for 56 yards last season as a true freshman for the Auburn Tigers. Heading into year two under the guidance of first-year coach Hugh Freeze, Kelly could be in line for more playing time because of his talent level and the energy he brings every day.“

“Love his energy,” Freeze said. “Love the way he practices. Love the juice he brings to the field.”

It’s something that Kelly’s teammates have seen as well. A player that has continued to develop as a wide receiver after playing both offense and defense in high school, Kelly has shown the ability to make plays heading into Saturday’s opener. Maybe more importantly, he’s become an energy guy for the team that continues to bring it each and every day.

“Omari is a playmaker,” senior tight end Luke Deal said. “When he first stepped on campus, I vividly remember seeing him make plays, his speed. I remember watching him run down on kickoffs the first time and I was like, ‘Man, this guy has some wheel. I’d like some of those.’ I’d like to be able to run as fast as him. I can’t. He’s a playmaker, but more than that, he’s a really good morale booster around the locker room. He’s always got energy.

“The guys in that receiver room, you can tell, there’s a couple of guys in that receiver room that bring the energy and people look to them. He’s one of those guys. When we need a play, every time we need something and we’re flat or we go through the motions on offense, he’s one of the guys who gets us out of that. That speaks a lot to his character, to his talent and to his energy on the football team.”

The man who coached him at Hewitt-Trussville, Josh Floyd isn’t surprised to see Kelly making moves on the field nor is he surprised to hear that his former player is someone that has been bringing the energy for the Tigers throughout the preseason.

“I’m fired up he’s getting an opportunity,” Floyd said. “You can’t but love Omari. He’s one of those kids that has a great personality. He’s always fun to be around. I know he’s worked hard. I’m not surprised he’s going to be out there Saturday. He’s so talented and he has great ball skills. He understands the game. I feel like he’s a smart football player. I think he’ll do really well. He’s just a guy that enjoys the game.”

Kelly and the Tigers will open the season at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday against UMass at Jordan-Hare Stadium. The game can be seen on ESPN.

How every Auburn head coach fared in his season opener

Freeze is the 28th head coach in Auburn football history, excluding interims

VIDEO: Highlights from 4-star Auburn QB commit Walker White's season opener

The Hugh Freeze era begins for Auburn on Saturday when the Tigers take on UMass. Freeze is the 28th head coach in Auburn football history, excluding interims, and is the Tigers’ 10th permanent head coach in the last 75 years.

Auburn coaches, especially recently, have been successful when coaching their first game for the Tigers. Nine of the past ten Auburn coaches, including the past six, have won their debut game with the Tigers. The openers have not always been easy, as six of the 10 debut games were decided by 10 points or less.

Freeze, as per usual with Auburn coaches, will make his debut at Jordan-Hare Stadium, where eight of the past ten coaches have opened their Auburn career. The 2:30 p.m. kickoff makes Freeze the first coach to open with a day game since Pat Dye in 1981, as the past five coaches opened in primetime.

Here is how each Auburn head coach, excluding interim coaches, opened their Auburn career.

George Petrie (1892): 10-0 W vs. Georgia

D.M. Balliet (1893): 32-22 W vs. Alabama

George Roy Harvey (1893): 30-10 W vs. Vanderbilt

Forrest Hall (1894): 20-4 L vs. Vanderbilt

John Heisman (1895): 9-6 L vs. Vanderbilt

Walter Watkins (1900): 28-0 W vs. Nashville

Ralph Kent (1902): 18-6 W vs. Georgia Tech

William Penn Bates (1903): 26-0 W vs. Montgomery

Mike Donahue (1904): 5-0 W vs. Clemson

Willis Keinholtz (1907): 23-0 W vs. Samford

Boozer Pitts (1923): T 0-0 vs. Clemson

Dave Morey (1925): 25-6 W vs. Birmingham Southern

George Bohler (1928): 6-0 L vs. Birmingham Southern

Chett Wynne (1930): 7-0 L vs. Birmingham Southern

Jack Meagher (1934): 7-0 L vs. Birmingham Southern

Carl Voyles (1944): 32-0 W vs. Samford

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Earl Brown: Auburn 20, Mississippi Southern 14 (Sept. 24, 1948)

After qualifying for two bowl games during the last half of the 1930s, the decade of the 1940s was not as successful for the Tigers. Auburn went through three coaches in the decade and only had two winning seasons — 1940 and 1942. 

The last Auburn coach of the decade, Earl Brown, began his Auburn tenure under the lights at the Cramton Bowl in Montgomery, Alabama against Mississippi Southern, more commonly known today as Southern Miss.

After the Tigers took a 14-0 lead going into halftime, Auburn allowed two touchdowns in the second half to give Mississippi Southern a 14-14 tie in the waning minutes of the game.

With five minutes remaining in the game and Mississippi Southern with the ball, the Tigers forced and recovered a fumble, setting up the winning drive. The winning touchdown was scored on a 27-yard run by Freddie Gafford with just 40 seconds to go as the Tigers avenged a defeat to Mississippi Southern the previous season.

Auburn did not win another game in 1948, tying the next contest against Louisiana Tech and losing the final eight games of the season. The win was one of only three Brown earned in his three-year tenure as Auburn’s coach.

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Shug Jordan: Auburn 24, Vanderbilt 14 (Sept. 29, 1951)

After the Tigers went 0-10 in 1950, Auburn alum Ralph “Shug” Jordan was hired to lead the program. His first game was an SEC home contest against Vanderbilt, a team that had beaten Auburn eight straight times, including a 41-0 humiliation in Nashville the previous year.

The Tigers totaled 366 yards in the game, the vast majority of which were on the ground. The Tigers attempted only six passes in the game as Homer Williams and Charles Hataway combined for over 200 yards on the ground.

Auburn took a 14-0 first-half lead but Vanderbilt came back, scoring the next two touchdowns to even the score in the fourth quarter. 

Midway through the final quarter, a Vanderbilt fumble set Auburn up with good field position at the Commodores’ 34-yard line. 10 plays later, the Tigers scored the winning touchdown. Auburn later added a field goal to seal the 24-14 upset of the Commodores.

The win was Auburn’s first over Vanderbilt since 1925 and kicked off Jordan’s 25-year tenure as the Tigers’ head coach — a tenure that saw 176 wins, more than any other Auburn coach.

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Doug Barfield: Arizona 31, Auburn 19 (Sept. 11, 1976)

After Jordan retired after 25 years as coach, Doug Barfield took over beginning with the 1976 season. His first game was a trip to Tucson, Arizona to face the Arizona Wildcats for a 9:30 p.m. CT kickoff, a record-late start time that will be matched when Auburn faces California this season.

Auburn was unable to conquer the Wildcats, who took a 31-19 victory. It was Auburn’s second game, and first loss, against Arizona. The game remains Arizona’s lone win over an SEC opponent to date, as the Wildcats are 1-6-1 in games against SEC teams.

Barfield was the first Auburn coach to open the season with a true road game since Johnny Floyd, who was named permanent head coach midseason in 1929 and opened his career at Tennessee.

Barfield and the Tigers got their revenge the following season when they beat the Wildcats 21-10 at Jordan-Hare Stadium but Barfield remains the only Auburn head coach, excluding interim coaches, to lose his debut game since Jack Meagher in 1934.

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Pat Dye: Auburn 24, TCU 16 (Sept. 5, 1981)

After five years of no bowl games and no Iron Bowl wins under Barfield’s leadership, Auburn hired Pat Dye to lead the program in 1981.

Dye opened his tenure as Auburn’s head coach with a home game against TCU, a team that went 1-10 in 1980. Running back Ron O’Neal ran for two scores in the first half, including a 25-yard touchdown, as Auburn built a 21-10 halftime lead.

O’Neal, however, missed most of the second half with an injury, hampering Auburn’s offense significantly. The Tigers managed only a 24-yard Al Del Greco field goal in the second half as TCU stayed in the game. 

Late in the fourth quarter, as TCU drove for a tie, the Auburn defense came up with a fourth-down stop as the Horned Frogs threw an incompletion in the end zone, allowing Auburn to hold on. 

Though Auburn finished 5-6 in 1981, Dye was one of the first in a long line of recent Auburn coaches who had success early in their tenure. In year two, he took Auburn to the Tangerine Bowl — the Tigers’ first bowl appearance since 1974. In year three, Auburn won the SEC and the Sugar Bowl and was named national champion by some publications.

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Terry Bowden: Auburn 16, Ole Miss 12 (Sept. 2, 1993)

With thousands of Auburn fans listening to Jim Fyffe on the radio due to Auburn being banned from playing on television in 1993, Terry Bowden opened his tenure on a Thursday night under the lights at Jordan-Hare Stadium.

Ole Miss had no answer for the Auburn defense as the Rebels mustered only 176 total yards during the game. Meanwhile, Auburn running back James Bostic ran for 138 yards himself and scored Auburn’s only touchdown.

Auburn built a 16-0 lead, largely due to three field goals by Scott Etheridge, and held on as Ole Miss scored twice in the fourth quarter, including on a 77-yard punt return.

The win began a streak of 20 straight victories for the Tigers, whose first blemish under Bowden was a tie against Georgia on Nov. 13, 1994, and first loss was the following week to Alabama.

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Tommy Tuberville: Auburn 22, Appalachian State 15 (Sept. 4, 1999)

Tommy Tuberville’s tenure as the Tigers’ leader began with a nailbiter against Appalachian State, which came into the game ranked No. 4 in the Sports Network Division I-AA (now FCS) rankings.

The Tigers struck first with a 15-yard pass from Gabe Gross to Ronney Daniels, who finished with 73 receiving yards as he began his 1,000-yard season. 

The next three scores all went to the Mountaineers and the Tigers found themselves behind 15-7 midway through the third quarter. Appalachian State, however, had a crucial missed extra point and a failed two-point conversion, keeping it a one-possession game.

Late in the third quarter, Rusty Williams scored to tie the game at 15. With 1:42 left in the fourth quarter, Auburn got the ball and mounted a drive, led by Ben Leard, who finished the game 10-for-19 with 159 passing yards. With 38 seconds remaining, Leard found Daniels for a 33-yard touchdown, giving Auburn the thrilling win.

Tuberville finished his first season 5-6 but won the SEC West in his second season. Tuberville spent 10 seasons on the Plains.

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Gene Chizik: Auburn 37, Louisiana Tech 13 (Sept. 5, 2009)

A second-half onslaught turned a close game at halftime into a blowout in Gene Chizik’s Auburn debut.

A pair of Wes Byrum field goals, coupled with a one-yard touchdown run by Kodi Burns, gave Auburn a slim 13-10 edge over Louisiana Tech at halftime.

Early in the third quarter, one play opened up the floodgates for offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn’s Auburn offense. Quarterback Chris Todd found an open Terrell Zachary at the sideline and Zachary outran the defense for a 93-yard touchdown. At the time, the play was Auburn’s longest passing touchdown ever (the record was broken the next season). In total, Todd passed for 255 yards.

Auburn never looked back from there, outscoring the Bulldogs 24-3 in the second half en route to a convincing win. The Tigers rushed for 301 yards and passed for 255 yards in the win. Auburn scored seven times — four touchdowns and three field goals. On the ground, Onterio McCalebb and Ben Tate combined for 265 yards.

Auburn went 8-5 in Chizik’s first season. In his second season, behind JUCO transfer Cam Newton, Auburn went 14-0 and won the national championship. After another 8-5 season in 2011, Chizik was fired after going 3-9 in 2012 — Auburn's worst record since Brown's final season in 1950.

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Gus Malzahn: Auburn 31, Washington State 24 (Aug. 31, 2013)

Following his offense’s national championship-winning effort in 2010, Malzahn was hired as Auburn’s head coach beginning with the 2013 season. His opener was against Mike Leach’s Washington State Cougars.

The game was an opposition of opposing offensive styles. Malzahn’s Tigers rushed for 295 yards, led by a 146-yard performance by Corey Grant. Tre Mason added 73 rush yards but also had a 100-yard kickoff return. Meanwhile, Leach’s Air Raid attack saw Washington State quarterback Connor Halliday attempt 65 passes, completing 35 for 344 yards.

Neither team built a lead of more than seven points throughout the game and the Cougars’ final drive made it to the Auburn 27-yard line but the Tigers’ defense came up with a fourth down stop with 2:09 to go, effectively cementing the game for Auburn.

The win was the first of six one-possession wins in the Tigers’ 12-2 campaign in which they won the SEC Championship and played for a national title. Malzahn spent eight seasons as Auburn’s head coach.

Malzahn only faced Leach twice in his Auburn career — his first game and last game.

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Bryan Harsin: Auburn 60, Akron 10 (Sept. 4, 2021)

After being hired to Auburn from Boise State after the 2020 season, Bryan Harsin began his Auburn career with a blowout win over Akron.

The Tigers led 37-0 at the half and scored 53 before the Zips got on the board. The Tigers totaled 613 yards of offense, with Bo Nix completing 20 of his 22 pass attempts and the Tigers gaining 316 yards rushing.

Defensively, Auburn held Akron to negative rushing yardage, with the Zips losing three yards on the ground in 36 rushing attempts.

The 60-point outburst was followed by a 62-point performance the following week against Alabama State. After that, Auburn only broke the 40-point plateau once more in Harsin’s tenure.

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247sports.com

PMARSHONAU Can Freeze replicate Dyes blueprint at Auburn

Phillip Marshall

6–7 minutes

It's Freeze's time to transform Auburn football

In his 12 seasons as Auburn head coach, and even after that, Pat Dye left an indelible stamp on Auburn football. It went far beyond four SEC championships. He created a belief that made Auburn feel people feel differently about themselves.

Dye didn’t always win. He lost some games he should not have lost. The late Kurt Crain, an All-America linebacker, put it to me like this: “We didn’t always win, but we always believed we were going to win."

Auburn people adopted that mindset.  In Dye’s years, Alabama was dragged kicking and screaming to Jordan-Hare Stadium. The malaise that set in while Alabama was winning nine straight Iron Bowls went away.Today, Auburn plays on Pat Dye Field at Jordan-Hare Stadium. The young men who played for him are young no longer, but they carry with them lessons they learned about hard work, loyalty and accountability.

Since Dye stepped down after the 1992 season, Auburn has searched for another coach and leader who could replicate what the did – winning championships and winning the hearts of Auburn people.

Tommy Tuberville had eight good years out of 10. He had an SEC championship and a perfect season. Auburn people generally liked Tuberville, but it wasn’t the same as it had been with Dye. Gene Chizik won a national championship, but the program quickly took a downward turn. Gus Malzahn won an SEC championship, played for a national championship and did not have a losing season. But the connection with Auburn people wasn’t there. Bryan Harsin was lost from the start.

And now it’s Hugh Freeze’s turn. To be fair, winning in the SEC  is harder than it has ever been. It’s about to get harder with the arrival of Oklahoma and Texas. But winning the hearts of Auburn people, making them feel like you want to be one of them and that they are important, is the same now as it was in Dye’s days.

Freeze recognizes he can’t be Pat Dye. He can only be himself. Whether he can have a similar impact on Auburn football and on Auburn people remains to be seen. But he gets it.

Dye’s first Auburn football team went 5-6 in 1981. It lost three games it should not have lost – to Wake Forest, Tennessee and Mississippi State. But that Auburn team played with relentless effort, the kind of effort that can be seen and felt by those who watch. By the time that season was over, there was confidence that better days were coming and coming in a hurry.

That, more than anything else, is what Freeze needs to replicate in his first season. So far, he has pushed all the right buttons. Auburn people regained hope last November, hope they had almost lost before Cadillac Williams took over as interim head coach.

It’s Freeze’s turn now.

Freeze 'blessed to have some good resources' with former Auburn head coaches

Freeze said he has a relationship with three of Auburn's last four head coaches and is thankful for their advice this offseason

VIDEO: Highlights from 4-star Auburn QB commit Walker White's season opener

Hugh Freeze isn’t afraid to lean on some of the men most recently in his orange and blue shoes.

It starts with Gus Malzahn, with whom Freeze has a relationship dating back to their time coaching against one another in the SEC. Both are former Arkansas State head coaches, with Malzahn replacing Freeze there in 2012. Malzahn started as an SEC head coach one year after Freeze in 2013.

“There’s been many, many, many conversations while he was here as the coach a bunch, and obviously after he left here a bunch,” Freeze said Wednesday. “Then after I’ve gotten here there’s been a bunch. He’s a dear friend that I trust immensely. He’s got great wisdom and insight.”

In the spring, Malzahn said in an interview with Sports Illustrated that Freeze is a strong fit at Auburn, where Malzahn compiled a 68-35 record across eight seasons.

“I think Auburn and Hugh is a really good match,” Malzahn said. “Auburn is an unbelievable place. Hugh is really, really good. I’m excited for both parties. You can win the whole thing there. Unbelievable fan base and support. He’s coming at a great time with NIL and the new facility. Everything came together.”

The two coaches faced one another four times when Freeze was at Ole Miss from 2013-16, with Malzahn winning all but one (2015).

Freeze has mentioned previously that when he was out of coaching for two years following his unsightly ouster at Ole Miss in 2017, Malzahn was someone he leaned on for advice and counsel.

They’re not scheduled to meet on the football field in the foreseeable future — with Malzahn set to begin his third season at UCF and the program’s first in the Big 12 — but the two coaches spent some vacation time together in the spring. Freeze and his wife, Jill, went to Florida during Auburn’s spring break and a week off for the football team during spring practices.

“I’ve talked to Gus unlimited times about everything here,” Freeze said.

Freeze added that former Auburn head coaches Tommy Tuberville (1999-2008) and Gene Chizik (2009-12) have also reached out this offseason. Chizik is still coaching at the college level, currently in his second stint as the defensive coordinator at North Carolina, while Tuberville is now in politics and has been a Senator for the state of Alabama since 2021.

“Coach Tuberville has been very helpful also, just in trying to get to know things (at Auburn),” Freeze said. “Coach Chizik is a friend, also. I’ve been blessed to have some good resources.”

Auburn kicks off its 2023 season at home against UMass on Saturday (2:30 p.m. CST, ESPN). Freeze noted it will be the largest crowd ever for an Auburn home game, since the game is a sellout, and the stadium's capacity was increased to 88,043 this offseason.

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