9.18.23 Football Articles

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saturdaydownsouth.com

Auburn football: Stock report after Week 3

Glenn Sattell | 21 hours ago

3–4 minutes

It was an impressive 45-13 Homecoming victory for the Auburn Tigers over the defending Southern Conference champions Samford Bulldogs. Despite a slow start, the Tigers were able to ultimately flex their muscles and extend their record to 3-0.

Once again, the Auburn defense was outstanding. This time, after struggling to score a week earlier at California, the offense followed suit, tallying points in 7 of its final 10 possessions.

Player of the Week: QB Payton Thorne

Thorne did it all. Not only did he complete 75 percent of his passes (24-for-32) for 282 yards and 1 TD, but he also used his legs to keep the Samford defense off balance.

In addition to his impressive passing stats, Thorne also led the Tigers in rushing. Auburn’s signal-caller added 123 yards on 11 carries and scored on runs of 5 and 18 yards. It was an impressive all-around performance from the Tigers’ emerging leader.

Freshman of the Week: K Alex McPherson

The Auburn kicker was perfect, connecting on all 5 PAT attempts in addition to a successful field goal of 22 yards. He accounted for 8 points and raised his total to 21 for the season.

In the 3 games of 2023, McPherson remains perfect. He is 15-for-15 on extra points and 2-for-2 on field goals.

Biggest surprise: Where was Red Zone Robby?

It had been a working system that when the Tigers reached the red zone, they swapped out QBs with Robby Ashford, Auburn’s running QB, taking over for Thorne.

But on Saturday, Thorne remained on the field. Ashford didn’t see playing time until a mopup role later in the game. Thorne played the roles of both runner and passer, fulfilling both.

Biggest concern: Thorne’s red-zone decisions

The Auburn QB threw an interception, and the Tigers turned the ball over on downs in the red zone on their first 2 possessions of the game. As we get into SEC play, that can be disastrous. It could also be why head coach Hugh Freeze had employed Ashford in the red zone in previous games.

In any case, putting up points once you reach the red zone will be key in Auburn’s success moving forward.

Developing trend: Bend-but-don’t-break defense

The Tigers are among the top teams in the SEC in scoring defense. Through 3 games, they are giving up an average of just 12.3 points per game. Only Georgia has allowed fewer (8.0).

On Saturday, Auburn gave up 13 points. Previously, the Tigers were scored on by UMass (14 points) and California (10 points).

Key stat: 562 total yards

The Tigers moved the ball at will. The offense was rolling all night. Auburn had 7 drives of 50-plus yards. Whether throwing it or running it, the Tigers were successful. They threw for 340 yards while rushing for another 222, averaging 5.2 yards per carry.

First impression about Week 4: Next week they play for keeps

The Tigers open SEC play next Saturday when they travel to College Station to take on the Texas A&M Aggies. The Tigers are 3-0, but they won’t have played a team as athletic as the 2-1 Aggies.

The Tigers have an opportunity to send a message to the rest of the SEC that they can not be overlooked. A victory on the road in the SEC would be huge.

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si.com

 

Five players who saw their stock fall vs Samford

Lance Dawe

3–4 minutes

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Here are five players who saw their stock "fall" after playing the Bulldogs.

Auburn looked good in a 45-13 win over Samford on Saturday.

Despite more turnover issues, the offense got things going and looked dominant in the second half with Payton Thorne getting more comfortable as the lead quarterback.

There were some negatives to take away from the contest, of which we should be aware of heading into Auburn's first SEC contest vs Texas A&M.

Here are five players who saw their stock "fall" after playing the Bulldogs:

Camden Brown

Brown played 21 total snaps against Samford, recording the second-best run blocking grade among offensive players (per PFF), but didn't record a target or catch.

He's been dealing with injury, but fans still believe Brown can be something special in Hugh Freeze's offense.

How come the Tigers haven't looked his way?

The running back room

None of Auburn's running backs were particularly impressive on Saturday, with none of the rotation (Jarquez Hunter, Damari Alston, Brian Battie) averaging over 4.2 yards per carry.

Thorne can't be the Tigers' source of rushing yards. He showed his mobility against Samford, but will he be able to do so against Texas A&M consistently?

Punt returners

Two fumbles on punts for the Tigers. Special teams has to be clean for Auburn to have a shot against the Aggies this weekend. The turnovers are borderline alarming so far.

The JACK position

Elijah McAllister,  Stephen Sings and Jalen McLeod all had poor pass rush grades vs the Bulldogs. They couldn't get anything going.

The Tigers need to find ways to create more pressure against Texas A&M.

Alabama Crimson Tide

While Auburn was playing an in-state opponent - something the Crimson Tide continue to fail to do - Bama was struggling to pull away from South Florida on the road.

For all of the Tide fans wanting to come after Auburn for their win at Cal, please step forward and explain scoring 17 points against a team that has gone 5-31 over the past three seasons and change.

Spare me the details about the weather. Any team worth their salt puts that game away before the final minutes. Embarrassing.

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auburnwire.usatoday.com

 

Auburn football stays put in US LBM Coaches Poll following win over Samford

Taylor Jones

2–3 minutes

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The Auburn Tigers have been on the outside of the US LBM Coaches Poll since its initial release on August 7 and will stay there ahead of its SEC opener at Texas A&M this Saturday.

The latest edition of the US LBM Coaches Poll was released on Sunday and the Tigers stay put in the “receiving votes” category following a 45-13 win over Samford on Saturday. The Tigers remain undefeated after posting 562 yards of total offense.

Buy Tigers Tickets

Auburn’s next opponent, Texas A&M is also receiving votes following a 47-3 win over UL-Monroe on Saturday. The Aggies fell out of the poll ahead of week three after falling to Miami on Sept. 9.

The SEC is represented in the polls by having five teams in this week’s poll. Alabama and Tennessee both dropped out of the top 10 following their week three results.

Here is a look at the full US LBM Coaches Pollfollowing Week 3:

Rnk	School	Rcd	Pts	1st	Pvs	Chg	Hi/Lo
1.	Georgia	3-0	1598	62	1	–	1/1
2.	Michigan	3-0	1514	1	2	–	2/2
3.	Florida State	3-0	1396	0	3	–	3/8
4.	Ohio State	3-0	1394	1	4	–	4/4
5.	USC	3-0	1325	0	5	–	5/6
6.	Texas	3-0	1312	0	6	–	6/12
7.	Penn State	3-0	1224	0	7	–	7/7
8.	Washington	3-0	1164	0	8	–	8/11
9.	Notre Dame	4-0	1044	0	11	+2	9/13
10.	Utah	3-0	967	0	12	+2	10/14
11.	Oregon	3-0	946	0	13	+2	11/15
12.	Alabama	2-1	886	0	10	-2	3/12
13.	LSU	2-1	808	0	14	+1	13/15
14.	Oklahoma	3-0	683	0	16	+2	14/19
15.	Oregon State	3-0	660	0	17	+2	15/18
16.	Ole Miss	3-0	602	0	19	+3	16/22
17.	North Carolina	3-0	592	0	18	+1	16/20
18.	Duke	3-0	469	0	20	+2	18/NR
19.	Colorado	3-0	435	0	21	+2	19/25
20.	Tennessee	2-1	362	0	9	-11	9/20
21.	Miami	3-0	298	0	23	+2	21/NR
22.	Iowa	3-0	206	0	24	+2	22/NR
23.	Clemson	2-1	193	0	22	-1	9/23
24.	Washington State	3-0	160	0	NR	+2	24/NR
25.	UCLA	3-0	156	0	25	–	25/NR

Schools dropped out:

No. 15 Kansas State

Others Receiving Votes:

Kansas State 114; Missouri 44; Fresno State 43; Florida 41; Kentucky 28; Texas Christian 26; Maryland 19; Kansas 17; Auburn 16; Texas A&M11; Syracuse 10; Air Force 9; Tulane 7; Central Florida 5; Wyoming 3; Ohio 3; James Madison 3; Wake Forest 2; Louisville 2; Memphis 1; Brigham Young 1; Arkansas 1.

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247sports.com

 

Focusing on the details a key for improved Auburn defense

Jason Caldwell

8–10 minutes

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Auburn's defense has been a big surprise through three weeks as the Tigers prepare to open SEC play at Texas A&M.

AUBURN, Alabama—Committing to Auburn over the summer and coming on campus with just a couple of months to prepare for the season, North Texas linebacker transfer Larry Nixon III has settled in really well with the Tigers through three weeks. Playing a key role for coach Ron Roberts’ defense, Nixon said everything has gone well for him as he prepares to head back home to Texas this week for Auburn’s SEC opener against Texas A&M.

“Yeah, I love my LBs and everything,” Nixon said. “I love my defense, too. Coming in from a smaller school to now, it is different. The expectation of you is different. The pressure is different. I feel like I've been able to overcome that and just play football, man. Just go out here and have fun. I'm here for it.”

With new faces throughout the defense and dealing with some injuries early in the season, Auburn has still managed to do some good things on that side of the ball. Currently 15th nationally in total defense (264 yards per game) and and 18th in scoring defense (12.3 points per game), the Tigers have been strong thanks to everyone being on the same page and pulling in the same direction.

“It's really a week-to-week thing with us,” Nixon said. “In practice and everything, we really focus on the little things. Just keep focusing on that. It's football, man. We love to play. I can tell all 11 of us love to play. We love to tackle, we love to run. It's just getting better and better every week.”

That has been the key on that side of the ball, steady improvement. It has happened after the defense struggled in the spring and early in preseason camp. While the offense got the best of the defense in the two scrimmages, Nixon said they just continued to push forward. While still not anything close to a finished product, he said that the Auburn defense continues to grow the more they play together.

“Just our communication, chemistry and everything like that,” he said of the biggest improvement. “We have a lot of players that are new here. From last year to this year, we have a lot of new players — like me, coming in as a new transfer and everything. It was kind of, like, we had to get adjusted to each other and learn how we work together and play together. That's all it was.

“Get better. Just work. Every day. Take every practice, every rep like it's your last. Get better at everything that we've got. We've got to get better for SEC play. It's time. It's really time to lock in and win.”

The challenge coming up this Saturday will be one of the biggest of the season for the Auburn defense against a Texas A&M offense that is rolling under first-year coordinator Bobby Petrino. Averaging 44 points per game (12th nationally) and 467 yards of total offense, the Aggies have done some big things through three games. Fellow linebacker Wesley Steiner agreed with Nixon, saying the key for this defense is to keep on keeping on and show steady improvement.

“I think we’ve shown flashes of what we know we can do,” Steiner said. “I think we’re on the right track. It doesn’t matter who your SEC opponent is. At the end of the day it’s whoever scores the most points and plays harder for 60 minutes and makes the fewest mistakes. Every SEC team is going to be challenged with making the fewest mistakes.

“SEC games are usually lower scoring games, so you only get a few opportunities on offense to score because of a defensive lapse or because you made a great play. Going into SEC play, every small detail needs to be accounted for. Those small details could be the difference in the game.”

Auburn knows big tests are coming, but 'its good to still say you're undefeated'

The Tigers are one of just five SEC teams still undefeated through Week 3

VIDEO: LSU punishes Mississippi State in SEC opener

It hasn’t been a perfect start to the season for Hugh Freeze and the Tigers. But the record is all that counts.

And Auburn enters SEC competition as one of only five undefeated teams in the conference. The level of competition hasn’t been as high for the Tigers compared to some others like Alabama, LSU and Florida in the conference, sure, but Auburn now enters next weekend’s SEC opener at Texas A&M at an unblemished 3-0, after beating Samford 45-13 on Saturday night.

“It's good to still say you're undefeated,” quarterback Payton Thorne said. “Moving into conference play, obviously the intensity is going to have to be raised a little bit. Not that we've been slacking, but we know what's at stake and we know the importance of this, and we know what comes with this territory.”

The reality is, though, that a large chunk of Auburn’s players don’t know this territory. For many on the roster that’s composed of more than half newcomers via the transfer portal or the 2023 recruiting class, next weekend will be their first taste of SEC football.

One-fourth of the way through the regular season, most of the criticisms fall on the offensive side of the ball. After compiling only 94 passing yards against Cal last weekend and turning it over four times, Auburn hoped to raise its level of execution against an FCS opponent in Samford. For the most part, the Tigers did, but a pair of first-half interceptions by Thorne, plus a turnover on downs in the red zone, served as a few more toe-stubbings for Auburn’s staff to dissect in practice this week.

If Auburn had finished its drives cleanly, it probably could have hung close to 60 points. Those moments didn’t end up mattering for the final result against Samford. Freeze knows they will start to matter against the likes of Texas A&M and what’s rated by ESPN FPI as the third-toughest remaining strength of schedule in college football.

“There's times we don't play great fundamental football,” Freeze said. “Those plays, I know, will haunt us. I want to get rid of those. But I'm very pleased with the kids. I love being around them. I love the kids and coaches. I think they're enjoying the journey we're on. We're going to get tested here real quick with A&M, Georgia and LSU coming up. It'll test all of us. We're very young in our journey, and how we handle both success and failures will be vital.”

In addition to seven turnovers over the past two games, Auburn added five more penalties against Samford. As the running backs struggled for most of the night, players said they didn’t execute play calls properly and missed on several blocks.

Freeze knows that all ultimately becomes a reflection on him, though, as will the Tigers’ level of improvement moving forward, despite the massive uptick in competition level.

“You'd love to watch the film tomorrow and say that we lined up and executed at about a 90 percent rate,” Freeze said. “I know that when I watch it, that's not going to be the case. That's my job to get that percentage way up there with our team, where the execution of the call is done with great effort, and is done correctly. You may lose a one-on-one block or a one-on-one matchup — that will happen in this league — but hopefully we will not self-sabotage.”

Auburn knows any of its next three opponents could be a signature win that would provide even more momentum for the trajectory of its first season under Freeze. But the Tigers also know they’ll likely be underdogs in each of the next three games.

But the SEC has shown it’s not invincible in the early stages of the 2023 season. And when Auburn hasn’t hurt itself with mistakes on either side of the ball, it’s had long stretches of looking like a well-oiled machine.

“I think we’ve shown flashes of what we know we can do,” linebacker Wesley Steiner said. “I think we’re on the right track. It doesn’t matter who your SEC opponent is. At the end of the day it’s whoever scores the most points and plays harder for 60 minutes and makes the fewest mistakes. Every SEC team is going to be challenged with making the fewest mistakes.”

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auburntigers.com

 

Auburn notebook: Jaylin Simpson makes history with third interception

Auburn University Athletics

9–12 minutes

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AUBURN, Ala. – In 2007, Jerraud Powers intercepted a pass in three straight games. On Saturday night, Jaylin Simpson matched the feat by snagging his third interception in as many games to begin the 2023 season. He's the first Auburn player to do it since Powers.

"Sixteen years. That's a long time," Simpson said. "That's a good feeling. I'm going to try to do my best to get one every game. I don't really like to call them picks. I like to call them blessings. It's just a real blessing to catch those. 

"I always say history repeats itself. I'm glad I could be a part of it."

Simpson's interception in the second quarter against Samford was Auburn's second of the night and fifth of the season. Fellow cornerback J.D. Rhym pulled down his first career interception the drive before, and then Simpson, with help from D.J. James, was able to be more aggressive and jump in front of the wide receiver to get the pick. 

Simpson credits the work the defensive backs put in during the offseason and fall camp, staying after practice to catch balls from the JUGS machine. 

"You try to make it a priority," he said. "But I feel like what we did in fall camp as a group – staying after practice when we're tired, it's 103 degrees out there, and we've just been out there for two hours. We've got good leaders on our defense on the back end. We were like, 'Listen, we've got to make this ball a priority. We need it.' 

"I think that's one of the biggest things that helped our defense because nobody really wants to do that when you're that tired. I think it's just paying off now."

Next week, the Tigers open SEC play on the road at Texas A&M. Simpson can make it four straight games with an interception and move ahead of Powers. 

"I think y'all should let him know that I'm coming," Simpson joked. "It's been a long time, but I think it's time for it to get broken by the young man, 'Simp.'"

Late in the first half with Auburn already ahead 14-0, the coaches called Rivaldo Fairweather's number. He had caught a couple of passes for short yardage up to that point, but this time they wanted to take a shot with him.

Fairweather told his quarterback, Payton Thorne, "Just throw it up. I'm going to go get it." 

So, that's what Thorne did. He threw it up to Fairweather, and the junior tight end pulled it down even with a defender draped on his back. The play went for 41 yards, good for Auburn's longest completion of the season, and set up a field goal before the half. 

It was similar to last week when Thorne threw it up to Fairweather in the back of the end zone, and he went up and got it for the game-winning touchdown at Cal. 

"Me and Payton, we have the chemistry," Fairweather said. "From last game, we repped that play a lot of times. We put a lot of work in behind closed doors and without any fans, and it's paying off now. Me and Payton have really been in the lab. We're used to it."

Fairweather finished Saturday's game with five catches for 57 yards. 

"That's hopefully who he's going to be every Saturday," Auburn head coach Hugh Freeze said. "We need him to be. He's a tough matchup. We just need him to be himself. We've got to find ways to get him the football and get him in advantageous matchups." 

With Saturday's 45-13 win over Samford, Auburn is 3-0 to start the 2023 season. It's as good a start as the Tigers could have hoped for. However, the competition ramps up next week with the start of SEC play. Auburn faces Texas A&M, Georgia and LSU in its next three games. 

"You're going to get tested here real quick with those three coming up," Freeze said. "It will test all of us. We're very young in our journey, and how we handle both success and failures will be vital. You probably learn more from failure than you do successes."

First up is a road trip to Texas A&M in a game that has served as a good barometer for Auburn over the years. The Tigers have won four of the five games they've played in College Station and finished with nine or more wins in three of those seasons (2013, 2017, 2019). 

"It's a new opportunity for us," linebacker Eugene Asante said. "We want to show what we can do against an SEC team. It's exciting to get into SEC play."

Auburn and Texas A&M will kick off at 11 a.m. CT. 

Players Mentioned

#9 Eugene Asante

LB 6' 1" Junior Liberal Arts

#4 D.J. James

CB 6' 1" Senior Liberal Arts

#23 J.D. Rhym

CB 6' 1" Sophomore Education

#36 Jaylin Simpson

CB 6' 1" Senior Business

#13 Rivaldo Fairweather

TE 6' 4" Junior Liberal Arts

#1 Payton Thorne

QB 6' 2" Junior Education

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WOW!

 

 

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al.com

 

Auburn football’s defense is full of injuries. What does that mean going forward?

Published: Sep. 18, 2023, 6:30 a.m.

5–6 minutes

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First came wide receiver Nick Mardner, wearing cream-colored Beats by Dre earbuds and his orange Auburn warmup shirt. Cornerback J.D. Rhym was next, hood over his head, taking the field to get ready for his first game of the season. Neither he nor Mardner had played this season due to injuries. But here they were, back and ready to play now in the third game of the year.

Auburn’s top corner Nehemiah Pritchett hadn’t played in either of Auburn’s first two games either. He was close last week against Cal, and hopeful again as he warmed up in pads. Linebacker Larry Nixon III, who had previously picked up an injury, looked ready to play. So too did linebacker Jalen McLeod and offensive lineman Kam Stutts.

Only cornerback Donovan Kaufman and linebacker Austin Keys took the field wearing street clothes before the game — signaling they would not play. And largely, those were expected absences with Kaufman evaluated for a concussion last week and Keys still coming back from thumb surgery.

So it seemed Auburn was finally getting close to full health after two games of working players into the lineup.

Then the game against Samford started.

“It was a tough night for us,” Freeze said of Auburn’s injuries during the Samford game.

First came Pritchett, who after looking like he might be able to play, went back into the locker room and changed out of his pads and back in sweatpants. It’s exactly what happened a week ago against Cal, too. He appears to be dealing with an ankle injury picked up before the first game of the year.

Then McLeod got hurt in the first half after starting the game. Freeze said Stutts got hurt and didn’t return after the first series. Offensive tackle Izavion Miller appeared to suffer a leg injury during the first half and he tried to warm up for the second half but never returned. Luke Deal was hurt in the game, too.

The offensive line injuries led to the most extended playing time guard Jaden Muskrat has seen since transferring to Auburn from Tulsa this offseason.

But the most notable injury may have been to cornerback Keionte Scott.

It wasn’t immediately clear where Scott was hurt, but he went to the locker room early in the first half. The next time he was seen, he was out of uniform and appeared to wear a boot on his right foot.

Scott’s injury coupled with Pritchett’s meant Auburn would be without two of its three starting cornerbacks. Kaufman had been one of Auburn’s best secondary pieces, too.

Suddenly, the secondary which may be Auburn’s best unit, was incredibly thin. In terms of options defensive coordinator Ron Roberts could truly rely on, Auburn was down to really only D.J. James, Kayin Lee, Caleb Wooden and J.D. Rhym in terms of cornerbacks.

Lee, just a true freshman, started in place of Pritchett in what has been an impressive first three games. He had four tackles including one for loss against Samford. Wooden led Auburn with six tackles.

Other inexperienced faces like Sylvester Smith and Terrance Love also provided impactful play in a beat-up secondary.

And yet Auburn’s defense didn’t seem to have any sort of drop-off. After three games, Auburn leads the SEC in passing yards allowed. Safety Jaylin Simpson’s three interceptions are tied for the most in the nation. Auburn has the No. 14 total defense in the nation and No. 18 scoring defense in the nation by the end of Week 3.

Scott’s absence was felt more immediately on special teams. He is Auburn’s top punt returner, and without him, Auburn went to wide receivers Ja’Varrius Johnson and Jay Fair. Johnson muffed a punt but was able to recover his. Fair missed a punt and Samford fell on it.

Scott has previously had issued with dropped punts, but focused hard on improving there over the offseason whereas punt returns may not have been a similar priority for Johnson and Fair.

Freeze said Johnson was hurt during the game, too. That’s why Fair was in as a punt returner in the second half.

“We’ve got to get healthy before next week, hopefully,” Freeze said.

Auburn’s linebacker group is one Freeze has frequently commented on how it has dealt with injuries, too.

After Keys got hurt, Nixon picked up an injury on the same hand he previously had wrist surgery on. He played through it against Samford. Injuries have given the playing time Eugene Asante has thrived in and emerged as a star on Auburn’s defense.

Auburn’s players believe it is a testament to the depth built on that side of the ball

SEC play comes next, and much of Auburn’s depth is inexperienced. For as well as Auburn’s defense has played so far this season, the biggest tests are still yet to come.

“There’s no dropoff,” Nixon said. “We have some good players on our team. I can really appreciate that. Just looking forward to seeing what the younger guys can do as well. Us as a defense, we’ve gotta get better.”

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 receives 1 vote in AP Top 25, fourth out of SEC West teams

Updated: Sep. 17, 2023, 1:57 p.m.|Published: Sep. 17, 2023, 1:28 p.m.

2–3 minutes

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Auburn received one vote in the Week 4 Associated Press Top 25 poll following the 45-13 win over Samford on Saturday.

Auburn did not receive any votes in last week’s poll following a close win over Cal. Auburn did receive votes in both the preseason poll as well as the first poll of the regular season.

Matt Baker of the Tampa Bay Times was Auburn’s one voter. He had Auburn at No. 25. He has not previously voted for Auburn this season.

“Some of the advanced metrics I check were higher than I expected on Auburn and the Orange, which is why I chose them over a group that included the Gators, UCF, BYU, Fresno State and Missouri,” Baker wrote.

Three SEC West teams were ranked in the poll with LSU leading the way at No. 12. Alabama was ranked No. 13 and Ole Miss ranked No. 15. The last time Alabama was ranked outside the top 10 was Sept. 2015.

No other SEC West teams received a vote, which would effectively slot Auburn fourth in the division based on the rankings after a 3-0 start to the year.

No SEC West teams were ranked in the top 10. Six total SEC teams were ranked. Georgia stayed at No. 1 and Florida joined the poll at No. 25 after a win over Tennessee. Tennessee did remain ranked, falling to No. 23

Auburn also received 16 voting points in the Coaches Poll, which was also the fourth most among SEC West teams. The same trio of Alabama, LSU and Ole Miss were ranked in that poll. Texas A&M received 11 voting points in that poll. Arkansas got one and Mississippi State had none.

Auburn begins SEC play next week against Texas A&M at Kyle Field in College Station, Texas. Kickoff is scheduled for 11 a.m. and the game will be broadcast on ESPN. ESPN’s SEC Nation will be on campus at Texas A&M for the game, as well.

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 NFL roundup: Darius Slayton, Giants rally to win

Updated: Sep. 17, 2023, 11:46 p.m.|Published: Sep. 17, 2023, 11:34 p.m.

6–7 minutes

The New York Giants pulled off their biggest comeback since 1949, and wide receiver Darius Slayton was in the middle of the 31-28 victory over the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday.

Slayton caught three passes for 69 yards after going without a reception in the first half, which ended with the Cardinals leading 20-0 after the Giants had been shut out in their season-opening game last week.

Slayton caught a 29-yard pass from quarterback Daniel Jones to move the Giants to the Arizona 32-yard line during an eight-play, 75-yard touchdown drive that cut the Cardinals’ lead to 28-14 with 3:27 left in the third quarter.

Slayton had a 15-yard reception to start a 13-play, 80-yard touchdown drive that reduced Arizona’s lead to 28-21 with 8:51 to play.

Slayton caught an 18-yard pass to put the Giants in the Cardinals’ end of the field at the Arizona 36-yard line on their final possession, which ended with a 34-yard field goal by Graham Gano with 19 seconds remaining to set the final score.

After trailing 28-7 in the third quarter, New York overcame a 21-point deficit to win for the first time since 1949. That rally also came against the Cardinals – when they were the Chicago Cardinals.

“The players got to make the plays come to life and go,” Slayton said, “and I think we all understood that at halftime and got it going in the second half. … When we came out of the tunnel, we had the ball first. It’s like as an offense, you got to start believing right there because it’s important to go down there and get a touchdown. And we did score right out of the half, right? We went down and got a touchdown, and then at that point, OK, we got a little momentum.”

Slayton was among the 19 former Auburn players who got on the field on the second Sunday of the NFL’s 104th season.

One other former Auburn player was involved in the New York-Arizona game:

· Cardinals inside linebacker Owen Pappoe did not record any stats in his NFL debut.

In the other Sunday games:

Atlanta Falcons 25, Green Bay Packers 24

· Packers kicker Anders Carlson made all three of his attempts. The rookie connected on a 33-yard field goal as Green Bay took a 10-3 lead with 3:06 left in the first half and made three extra points.

· Rudy Ford (New Hope) started at safety for the Packers. Ford made seven tackles.

· Packers defensive lineman Colby Wooden did not record any stats in his second NFL game.

Buffalo Bills 38, Las Vegas Raiders 10

· Raiders kicker Daniel Carlson made both his attempts – a 47-yard field goal as Las Vegas cut Buffalo’s lead to 14-10 with 6:48 to play and an extra point.

· Raiders tight end John Samuel Shenker is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.

Baltimore Ravens 27, Cincinnati Bengals 24

· Ravens guard Tashawn Manning is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.

· Bengals wide receiver Shedrick Jackson (Hoover) is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.

Seattle Seahawks 37, Detroit Lions 31 (OT)

· Seahawks outside linebacker Derick Hall made two tackles and registered a quarterback hit in his second NFL game.

Indianapolis Colts 31, Houston Texans 20

· Braden Smith started at right offensive tackle for the Colts.

· Texans offensive tackle Kilian Zierer is on injured reserve and not eligible to play.

Kansas City Chiefs 17, Jacksonville Jaguars 9

· Jaguars running back Tank Bigsby did not record any stats.

· Jaguars defensive lineman Angelo Blackson made two tackles.

· Jaguars safety Daniel Thomas (Lee-Montgomery) made one tackle on special teams.

· Chiefs offensive tackle Prince Tega Wanogho did not record any stats.

· Jaguars wide receiver Seth Williams (Paul Bryant) is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers 27, Chicago Bears 17

· Buccaneers linebacker K.J. Britt (Oxford) did not record any stats.

· Buccaneers cornerback Carlton Davis was designated as a game-day inactive. A toe injury caused Davis to miss the game.

· Jamel Dean started at cornerback for the Buccaneers. Dean made seven tackles.

Tennessee Titans 27, Los Angeles Chargers 24 (OT)

· Chargers long snapper Josh Harris handled the snaps for six punts, three field goals and one extra point.

· Roger McCreary (Williamson) started at cornerback for the Titans. McCreary recorded six tackles and recorded one tackle for loss.

· Titans quarterback Malik Willis dressed for the game but did not play.

San Francisco 49ers 30, Los Angeles Rams 23

· Forty-Niners defensive tackle Marlon Davidson (Greenville) is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.

Dallas Cowboys 30, New York Jets 10

· Cowboys cornerback Noah Igbinoghene (Hewitt-Trussville) was designated as a game-day inactive.

· Jets defensive end Carl Lawson made two tackles in his 2023 season debut.

· Jets linebacker Jamien Sherwood reached a career high with seven tackles.

· C.J. Uzomah started at tight end for the Jets.

Washington Commanders 35, Denver Broncos 33

· Broncos quarterback Jarrett Stidham dressed for the game but did not play.

Miami Dolphins 24, New England Patriots 17

· Patriots cornerback Jonathan Jones was designated as a game-day inactive. Jones missed the game because of an ankle injury.

Week 2 started on Thursday night, when the Philadelphia Eagles defeated the Minnesota Vikings 34-28.

Week 2 concludes on Monday, when the New Orleans Saints and Carolina Panthers square off at 6:15 p.m. CDT at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina, and the Cleveland Browns and Pittsburgh Steelers play at 7:15 p.m. at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh. ESPN will televise the Saints-Panthers game, and NBC will televise the Browns-Steelers game.

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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[aubiefifty 18,259]

al.com

Auburn football: What to make of first half play-calling, decisions, and a halftime fix

Published: Sep. 17, 2023, 12:35 a.m.

6–7 minutes

Hugh Freeze doesn’t have this thing figured out yet here at Auburn. It’s only been three games, only one of them against a Power 5 opponent. Growing pains as he installs his own offense are all part of this process and boy, Freeze has sure made a point to list them.

There have been penalties and poor alignments. Patternless quarterback rotations, players running the wrong way and play calls that haven’t made a whole lot of sense.

This night — Homecoming, a full Jordan-Hare Stadium and a game against Samford — marked Auburn’s final tune-up game before SEC play, and Freeze’s plan was clear. He had questions to answer. Many of them centered around his quarterbacks and a passing game that had failed as a team to pass for a total of 300 yards combined across Auburn’s first two games.

“Just wanted to be balanced, really, and get us some confidence,” Freeze said after the 45-13 win over Samford. “We’re going to have to throw the football some, and they were playing -- the way their safeties were playing, they were getting eight in the box really quick. A lot of those throws in the first half were truly off the run game. But the read for Payton was to throw it based on the numbers.”

So Auburn came out ready to throw. A lot. Probably too much, actually.

Quarterback Payton Thorne dropped back to throw on 12 of Auburn’s first 15 plays. He kept it himself for a scramble on two plays and threw the other 10. Auburn efficiently moved the ball on what at that point was possibly Auburn’s best all-around drive in two weeks.

Then the Tigers got all the way down to the Samford one-yard line. The questions returned.

In previous games, this was the situation where Auburn would look to either backup quarterback Robby Ashford or someone in the running back room that Freeze has been so keen to lean on.

Auburn did neither.

Thorne had an incompletion to Jay Fair on first down, and an incompletion to Shane Hooks on second down. Auburn appeared to line up for what looked like a running play on third down, but then came one of the mistakes that cost Auburn dearly a week ago against Cal: penalties.

Izavion Miller was called for a false start and pushed Auburn back to the six-yard-line. Auburn had to throw, and Thorne tossed an ill-advised pass that ended up as an interception.

“We go to third down then we had a false start or something, I don’t know what it was, moved us back a little bit,” Thorne said. “I’ll have to go look at it a little bit. Maybe I ought to have thrown that away.”

Late in the first half, Auburn drove down inside the Samford 10-yard line again, and yet again threw the ball three straight times. After a loss of yards on a screen to Jeremiah Cobb and two incompletions, Auburn kicked a field goal.

That’s two first-half drives right on the doorstep of the endzone and three total points.

“It kind of worked out that way,” Thorne said of all the passing plays. “We call an RPO, so possibly to hand it off or throw it. I thought I had the look for the throw.”

First-half mistakes also featured a second Thorne interception on a poor decision of a pass thrown into double coverage. When Auburn did try to run the ball on a short-yardage fourth down play near midfield in the first half, Damari Alston was stuffed at the line of scrimmage.

Auburn had five penalties total — four of them in the first half. An improvement from the Cal game, but still costly.

The heavy lean on the pass throughout the first half fulfilled Freeze’s plan to find Thorne some confidence. In the first two games combined, Thorne had 19 completions for 235 yards. In the first half alone against Samford, he had 18 completions for 232 yards.

“I thought Payton was solid outside the one decision on the deep post route,” Freeze said. “That was a poor decision. But outside of that, I thought his decision-making was pretty good. I thought he ran when he needed to. We called some good draws with him, and he looked normal running those.”

The passing numbers don’t indicate the difficulty Auburn had to pull away in the first half. Auburn didn’t score at all in the first quarter.

It also created a situation where while Freeze got what he wanted with Thorne, he wasn’t able to get Robby Ashford in the game the way he’d also discussed. It’s hard to get both players on the field while also keeping rhythm for either. Ashford didn’t play at all in the first half.

It’s another growing pain. Auburn figured out part of the offense against Samford. But how it will get the whole picture involved will be an ongoing change.

“We’ve got to find out if Payton truly is going to function every aspect of the offense, which I thought he did tonight well,” Freeze said. “It’s good to have both of them. How that looks from game to game? I’ve said from Day 1, I don’t know. We’ll have a good plan going into A&M. And I’m sure it will involve both of them.”

After halftime, things changed. Auburn fixed flaws found on the offensive line. Ashford was added back into the game plan. And Thorne became the balanced quarterback Auburn has been looking for.

Auburn pulled away.

Throughout the preseason, Freeze has critiqued Thorne’s decision-making, but nearly always that centered around his choices in Auburn’s run-pass-option offense.

He made many better decisions in the second half of this game, especially with regard to keeping the ball himself. It led to 123 rushing yards — the most of any Auburn quarterback in a decade.

“I guess I’m not that slow,” Thorne said.

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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[aubiefifty 18,259]

 

 

Everything Hugh Freeze said after beating Samford

JD McCarthy

Sun, September 17, 2023 at 1:00 PM CDT·6 min read

0

 

 

Auburn earned its third win of the season Saturday night against Samford, beating the Bulldogs 45-13 in Jordan-Hare Stadium.

The Tigers started out slow due to some costly turnovers by Payton Thorne in the endzone, but they were eventually able to separate and put the game away early in the third quarter.

The defense was able to shut down Samford’s impressive offense and continues to look like a unit that is going to lead Auburn to victory.

Hugh Freeze met with the media after the game and discussed a variety of topics, including the play of Thorne and Rivaldo Fairweather, the running back and more. Here is a look at everything he said following the game.

Opening statement...

“Oh man, what a great crowd at Jordan-Hare. Couldn’t say enough about our students, supporters, band, fans and cheerleaders. Tiger Walk was incredible. Homecoming here, it seemed like the streets were more packed driving yesterday than the first one. I just want to continue to say how thankful we are for the great support that we’re receiving and obviously to get another win. They are always sweet. I thought there were some really good things tonight, and obviously some things we still need to work on and clean up. But congratulations to our kids and staff for going 2-0 at Jordan-Hare and 3-0 for the season.”

On Payton Thorne...

“I thought he had a pretty good percentage of completions. I thought the interception in the end zone was a great decision. It did hit our guy on the shoulder pad it looked like. I’m going to see it on film, but the next one was a poor decision. He had the shadow wide open and should have checked it down to that. But outside of that, I thought he played really solid. I think it’s the first time since 2013 that Auburn’s had a quarterback to rush for 100 yards and throw for over 200. I thought he had a solid day. We got to get more confidence in us being a balanced offense, and that is the goal.”

On Thorne's big night

“Well dang, that’s when y’all are supposed to come tell me. If I would have known that, I would have thought about it. I thought Robby (Ashford) played well when he came in also. I thought Payton was solid outside one decision on the deep post route. I thought his decision-making was good, he ran when he need to, we called some good draws with him and he looked normal running those, looked natural. I thought it was a solid night for him.”

On the turnovers...

“The two interceptions, we just can’t do it. We just have to keep working on it. Youre going to have some of those, but one of those certaintly shouldn’t have happened. The punt, we were down to our third punt returner, and we have to get him more reps,  obviously. We went to out fourth punt returner on the next one. We need more reps at that for sure.”

On the injuries...

“It was a tough night for us, Kam Stutts went out after the first series. Too Tall (Izavion Miller) didn’t come back after his ankle. Then Keionte (Scott), we were already without Donovan Kaufmann and Nehemiah Pritchett. Jalen McLeod couldn’t go. We have to get healthy before next weekend, hopefully.”

On the receivers stepping up...

“I saw progress this week and some tonight. It was good to have Koy (Moore) back, he’s going to help us. We were without Var (Ja’Varrius Johnson) tonight so it was good to see him step up. All of them did some decent things. We still have routes to clean up. The one (Jyaire) Shorter had on third and goal line, I thought it was a good throw and I thought he could make that play. There were good things, we still have to work on our releases and understanding coverages. We have a ways to go, but they improved tonight.”

On the running backs...

“I thought we left some yards out there in the rushing game, particularly in the first half. I think our backs didn’t press it quite long enough to let it develop. The second half, I thought they were better. Jarquez got kind of dinged up with an ankle so he was king of gimpy. I thought Battie gave us a burst with his runs.  I like all those guys. We left some yards out there. They wanted to stop the run and played an odd front with both safeties — they were really active in the box, thus the explosive passes.”

On gettin red zone and short-yardage reps...

“We weren’t very good in the first half down there. We have to get some things cleaned up personnel-wise. Rivaldo should be in the slot or flexed out every time we get down there pretty much. We need a package for Robby, he’s such a threat. They have to play him pulling the ball on whatever run we have. The reps are incredibly important. We’re about to walk into College Station next weekend and we’re going to need every bit of improvement we can to show a better plan.”

On Fairweather...

“That’s hopefully who he is going to be every Saturday. He’s a tough matchup. We need him to be himself. We have to find ways to get him the football.”

On his feel for the team...

“I’m always wanting to improve. There’s times where we don’t play great fundamental football. Those plays I know will haunt us. I want to get rid of those. I’m pleased with the kids, I love being around them, the coaches, they are enjoying the journey we’re on. You’re going to get tested here real quick with A&M and Georgia and LSU coming up. It’ll test all of us. We’re very young in our journey. How we handle both success and failures will be vital. You probably learn more from failure than you do from successes. This journey has been very fun, enjoyable. It’s hard in this profession to celebrate too long.”

On why they threw it so much...

“I wanted to be balanced and get us some confidence. We’re going to have to throw the football some. And they were playing, they were getting eight in the box pretty quick. A lot of those throws in the first half were truly off the run game. A lot of times, the read was for Payton to throw it based on the numbers. It wasn’t that we called an extraordinarily large amount…the last series with Robby, every one of those was a run except for the last one that he completed to Ducker for a touchdown. We are learning the system more and more and feeling comfortable with it.”

On the most impressive moment from this team...

“I would have to say the Cal defensive performance. They really weren’t phased by the fact that they had to keep going on the field over and over again to get stops. I loved what I saw, loved what I heard from them, loved that there was just no quit in them.”

Story originally appeared on Auburn Wire

 

[aubiefifty 18,259]

i will check back later but i have a docs appointment so if nothing falls by early afternoon it will be late as i have a docs appointment..........

[gr82be 14,913]

39 minutes ago, aubiefifty said:

WOW!

 

 

I don't know about the "Saw" sounding voice over during the highlights but the lights and pyrotechnics look great. 

[aubiefifty 18,259]

10 minutes ago, gr82be said:

I don't know about the "Saw" sounding voice over during the highlights but the lights and pyrotechnics look great. 

did you see the beginning where they spotlight our logo centerfield? it was so cool. i have not watched it all yet. i was digging for articles and doing some me stuff. i will watch it later. i will check out the saw thing. are you talking movies or tools? lol i did not care for the movies....................

[aubiefifty 18,259]

 

auburnwire.usatoday.com

 

Auburn vs. Texas A&M: Prediction, point spread, odds, best bet

JD McCarthy

3–4 minutes

---

It wasn’t always pretty but Auburn has made it through its non-conference schedule 3-0 and it is time for their SEC opener against the Texas A&M Aggies.

Auburn is set to head to College Station for the showdown and for the first time this season they are the underdogs. BetMGM has the Aggies favored by seven points in their opening lines.

Buy Tigers Tickets

Texas A&M enters the matchup 2-1 and is fresh off of a dominant 47-3 win over Louisiana-Monroe. It was a much-needed win for the Aggies, who lost 48-33 to the Miami Hurricanes in Week 2, only increasing the scrutiny of head coach Jimbo Fisher.

Auburn is looking to pick up its second straight win over Texas A&M after beating them 13-10 last season. The Tigers were led by interim head coach Cadillac Williams and ran all over the Aggies, Tank Bigsby and Jarquez Hunter both rushed for over 100 yards.

The game it is set to start at 11 a.m. CT and will be on ESPN. Here is everything you need to know before you place any bets on the game.

The lines, courtesy of BetMGM

• Auburn Point spread: +7 (-110)
• Texas A&M Point spread: -7 (-110)
• Over/Under: 52.5 (-110)

Click here to place your bets at BetMGM.

Auburn

Texas A&M

WR Evan Stewart	Undisclosed	Day-to-day
RB Noah Thomas	Undisclosed	Day-to-day
TE Donovan Green	Knee	OUT

Both of these teams have taken care of business against overmatched opponents but struggled against teams of similar talent. The difference is that Auburn was able to pull out the victory over Cal while Texas A&M lost to Miami.

The Texas A&M offense looks improved with the addition of offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino but the defense was exposed in their game against Miami. Payton Thorne had his best passing game of the season last week and he will look to keep it going against a suspect Texas A&M secondary.

Auburn’s defense will be able to slow down the Texas A&M offense and some timely turnovers will allow Auburn’s offense to do just enough to pick up the win Saturday in College Station.

Prediction: Auburn 23, Texas A&M 20

Get more betting analysis and predictions at Sportsbook Wire.

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[aubiefifty 18,259]

 

247sports.com

 

Jason Caldwells Monday morning quarterback column

Jason Caldwell

13–16 minutes

---

Talking Auburn football, Southeastern Conference and more.

Tough test ahead

After three non-conference games to open the 2023 season, coach Hugh Freeze and the Auburn Tigers will get a huge test on Saturday when they travel to Texas A&M to face the Aggies. I think it’s going to be a really, really difficult situation for the Tigers and it reminds me of what Tennessee walked into over the weekend at Florida.

With the fanbase already on edge, Florida’s loss to Utah put the Gators in must-win territory considering the rest of the schedule left this season. The same is true of Texas A&M after a road loss at Miami in week two. A loss to Auburn on Saturday would be a huge blow considering the rest of the schedule and would put Jimbo Fisher squarely on the hot seat, huge contract or not.

Despite what Auburn’s defense has done through three games, this feels like a situation where the Tigers are going to need to put some points on the board. That means getting off to a strong start with the way the rules have changed, allowing the clock to run after first downs and going out of bounds. It has limited possessions, making going on the road even tougher because you have to maximize the opportunities on offense. 

It’s very early in the week, but right now I’m thinking the key is going to be Auburn’s pass rush against the Aggies. With eight sacks in three games, the Tigers have done a solid job of creating some pressure but four of those have come from linebackers and secondary. Can Auburn get pressure with the front and play defense without having to blitz all day? If you look up Saturday and guys like Marcus Harris, Jalen McLeod and others are in the backfield, it will be a good day. If Conner Weigman has time to throw the ball to guys like Ainias Smith, Evan Stewart and Noah Thomas, it will be a long, long day for Auburn in College Station.

Thoughts from around the SEC

Three weeks into the season and I’m not sure there’s an elite team in the league at the moment. Georgia is still one of the most talented teams in the country, as is Alabama, but both have some serious issues on offense at the moment. LSU looked like a team that can beat anyone after they trashed Mississippi State over the weekend, but the Bulldogs look terrible to this point with a new offensive system. Tennessee has a long way to go to get back to what they were last season. Ole Miss has been maybe the most consistent team through three weeks, but struggled against Tulane without its starting quarterback two weeks ago. I’m not sure what’s going to happen the rest of the way, but I think we’re going to see a whole bunch of 6-6, 7-5 teams before this year is done.

Auburn NIL store now up and running

One of the things that was talked about early in the new NIL era was the ability for student-athletes to profit off jersey sales as part of the process. That’s now going to be available in Auburn with a new team store open in downtown Auburn that is going to make that a reality. Jerseys are going to be available for different sports and they can be printed on-site for fans to support their favorite Auburn players as long as they have signed up for the program, which most have from what I understand. They are just opening the doors, so it’s expected to be a program and service that continues to grow throughout the fall.

Exit Survey: Parting thoughts on Auburn's 45-13 win over Samford

Dive in for our plays of the game, helmet stickers and exiting analysis on the victory at Jordan-Hare Stadium

VIDEO: Late Kick: BYU overcomes Arkansas

The Tigers still had too many self-inflicted issues for Hugh Freeze's liking, but ultimately came away with a comfortable win over Samford on homecoming, 45-13, behind an inspired showing from quarterback Payton Thorne, and another strong defensive outing.

Two of our football reporters — Jason Caldwell and Nathan King — took another look at Auburn's win over the Bulldogs with some superlatives and final thoughts from the game in the Auburn Undercover Exit Survey.

Dive in for our plays of the game, helmet stickers, areas of concern and exiting analysis on the victory at Jordan-Hare Stadium — and what our observations could mean for the Tigers entering SEC play this coming weekend.

 

PLAY OF THE GAME (OFFENSE)

 

Jason: "For me, it’s probably the double move by Shane Hooks and a great throw by Payton Thorne for a 32-yard touchdown. Auburn has some routes they haven’t shown much of yet, and that’s really one of the first times we have seen a double move by a wide receiver. It worked to perfection on a day when Auburn decided to work on the passing game."

Nathan: "Thorne really got to show off his legs on a 38-yard run in the third quarter that was originally ruled a touchdown. His burst from the pocket probably surprised some fans, and it certainly surprised Samford's defense. Thorne was ruled out at the 1, and Jarquez Hunter got into the end zone on the next play. It was the longest of a few explosive runs by Thorne in the game, as his running ability was easily the biggest positive to come away from Saturday night's victory. That play and ensuing touchdown also immediately followed Samford's first scoring drive of the game, and made the game a lot more comfortable at 31-7 in the third quarter."

‌

 

PLAY OF THE GAME (DEFENSE)

 

Jason: "The interception by Jaylin Simpson in the second quarter was one of the key plays in the game for me. Following a J.D. Rhym pick, Auburn gave the ball right back to the Bulldogs on the second interception of the day by Thorne. Simpson got the ball back on the second play and returned it 12 yards to the Samford 22. Six plays later the Tigers led 14-0 and could take a deep breath following a slow start."

Nathan: "It had to have been a big confidence boost for the sophomore cornerback Rhym to get a pick in his first game back from injury. Rhym had been hearing everyone talk about the impressive play of freshman Kayin Lee, as senior starting cornerback Nehemiah Pritchett continues to be sidelined with an ankle issue, but Rhym showed on an impressive interception why he was one of the team's best freshmen last season. Rhym covered his receiver masterfully on the sideline, then boxed him out and used his length to rise up and grab the interception in a jump-ball setting. Samford hadn't done much on offense to that point, but the Tigers' first takeaway of the game helped continue to give the offense chances to erase a mistake-heavy start."

‌

 

HELMET STICKER (OFFENSE)

 

Jason: "There’s no question this is Thorne. He had a huge game despite a pair of early mistakes. Thorne completed 24-32 passes for 282 yards and a touchdown while adding 123 yards on the ground and two more scores. It was exactly the type of game that Auburn needed out of its quarterback heading into SEC play."

Nathan: "Yes, Auburn was facing likely the worst defense it will see all season, but Saturday's showing should still inspire confidence for Thorne. For the first time this season, the Michigan State transfer looked like the type of quarterback Auburn needs to run its offense this season: decisive, accurate and mobile. His 75 percent completion rate is the highest of his career on that many attempts. Thorne still had a couple early mistakes that put Auburn behind the 8-ball, and he'll need to continue to clean those up heading into SEC competition. But he responded to the pressure Freeze applied on him to step up this week — both with his arm and his legs."

‌

 

HELMET STICKER (DEFENSE)

 

Jason: "I’m going to go with cornerback D.J. James. He was all over the field and continues to lock down his side of the field with his coverage ability. He also came up and stuck his head in to help with the running game on Saturday. Playing at a high level at the moment."

Nathan: "Auburn was already down Donovan Kaufman after last week's head injury, then Keionte Scott left the game after the first drive with an apparent ankle injury. That left sophomore Caleb Wooden to occupy a large chunk of the snaps at nickel, and he didn't disappoint. Wooden had the best game of his Auburn career to date, leading the team with six tackles, plus 1.5 tackles for loss. According to Pro Football Focus, Wooden had three solo stops in the game — meaning three individual plays that constitute an offensive failure — and finished with Auburn's highest tackling grade (82.1)."

‌

 

HELMET STICKER (SPECIAL TEAMS)

 

Jason: "It may not happen, but I’ll be very surprised if Brian Battie doesn’t return a kickoff for a touchdown this season. He just has a knack for making guys miss and getting good yardage. He did that again for the Tigers against Samford with three returns for 89 yards."

Nathan: "For the second straight week, I'm picking Simpson. Not only did he bring pressure off the edge when Samford missed an extra point, but Simpson also fielded the team's final punt return cleanly after the Tigers had two muffs earlier in the game. Simpson said postgame he's only been fielding punts in practice for a couple weeks, and it started as "a joke" with special teams coordinator Tanner Burns because Simpson wanted to see if he could successfully do it. Cut to Saturday, and Simpson said Burns found him on the sideline and told him he'd be taking the next punt. Simpson was surprised he was asked to do it but made the fair catch cleanly."

‌

 

WHERE AUBURN TOOK A STEP FORWARD

 

Jason: "The passing game took some big strides forward even though it was against Samford. Auburn got some guys open and pushed the ball down the field in one-on-one situations. That has to continue until teams stop loading the box. If Thorne makes the right decisions, this offense has a chance to make plays in the passing game."

Nathan: "This game would have felt even more convincing for a previously struggling passing attack if Thorne hadn't thrown his two interceptions. Other than those two decisions, though, Auburn wanted a get-right game through the air, and it got one. Its starting quarterback passed for nearly 300 yards with a 75 percent clip, had four explosive completions of 30 or more yards, and his mobility was an added plus. Texas A&M's defensive talent is going to be like playing a completely different sport compared to what Thorne faced Saturday, but the Tigers knew they'd have opportunities to iron out some issues throwing the ball, and for the most part, they executed their game plan."

‌

 

WHERE AUBURN TOOK A STEP BACK

 

Jason: "As good as the passing game was, that’s how much the running game struggled against Samford. I mentioned that some of that came when the Bulldogs stacked the line of scrimmage, but there’s still not enough push coming in the run game to give the backs a chance to find running room. That has to get much better."

Nathan: "It shouldn't matter too much if an FCS defense is stacking the box: Auburn's run-blocking still left plenty to be desired. Offensive guard Jeremiah Wright said postgame that the communication was lacking, and that there were instances of offensive linemen heading the wrong way on blocks, or whiffing on plays altogether. As a result, Auburn's running backs averaged just 3.1 yards per carry, as Hunter has still yet to look very explosive since returning from his one-game suspension. Those issues don't need to linger into next week, as Texas A&M will also likely dare Auburn to win the game through the air in a road environment."

‌

 

BIGGEST SURPRISE?

 

Jason: "I’m going with the running game. I thought this team was going to have a chance to be really good on the ground. That hasn’t really been the case to this point."

Nathan: "I'll admit, I didn't know Thorne could move like that. He talked this preseason about his 2022 injury at Michigan State and how it limited one of the more important elements of his game, but as Thorne said Saturday, he's never really been in an offense that wanted to showcase his mobility until now. Not that there should be a ton of overreaction to a showing against an FCS opponent, but if Thorne can add another factor to keep defenses on their toes this season and possibly open more opportunities for his teammates, that's a plus."

‌

 

Did this outcome affect your thoughts on Auburn’s trajectory early this season?

 

Jason: "It didn’t have any impact for me. There are still holes on the roster that could create issues for this team beginning this week at Texas A&M. I do think Saturday was a step in the right direction, but still a long way to go for this team."

Nathan: "Not necessarily. I expected Auburn to go into this matchup ready to sling the ball around the field, forcing some of its prior passing-game issues to work themselves out. That's exactly what the Tigers did, and they did so fairly successfully. Now the real tests begin, and they kick off in brutal fashion, with three straight games to open SEC competition against some of the most talented teams in college football: Texas A&M, Georgia and LSU. I'd thought Auburn would need its best performance of the season to date to win any of these games, and that's still the case. The Tigers have shown flashes through three weeks, and now it's time to put it all together in hopes of stealing a conference victory."

[gr82be 14,913]

31 minutes ago, aubiefifty said:

did you see the beginning where they spotlight our logo centerfield? it was so cool. i have not watched it all yet. i was digging for articles and doing some me stuff. i will watch it later. i will check out the saw thing. are you talking movies or tools? lol i did not care for the movies....................

Movies. The voice over was reminiscent. 

[aubiefifty 18,259]

Just now, gr82be said:

Movies. The voice over was reminiscent. 

yes. i always thought shut the hell up and kill those folks.........lol   i cannot believe there are only two articles out about aTm but it will all hit later i am sure when i am at the docs office.........have a goodone and thanx for stopping by.

[aubiefifty 18,259]

 

[Paladin 3,307]

Simpson one of many guys that will get a look at punt return this week

Auburn safety Jaylin Simpson has a new role this week for the Tigers.

AUBURN, Alabama—With starter Keionte Scott injured and expected to miss a significant portion of the 2023 season, and both Jay Fair and Ja'Varrius Johnson dropping punts in the win over Samford, Auburn coach Hugh Freeze said it’s all hands-on deck for the Tigers at that spot as they get ready to face Texas A&M in the SEC opener in College Station.

The first option looks to be senior safety Jaylin Simpson. Jumping into the mix a few weeks ago when he started fielding punts as a joke, he said it was a surprise when he got his name called on Saturday.

“That was my first time ever,” Simpson said. “I started like two weeks ago. It really started as a joke. I’m not on punt return and I was like ‘I’m going to go back here with the punt returners and see how hard it is.’ Coach (Marcus) Davis told me I was a natural at it. I guess coach (Tanner) Burns, our special teams coach, in the middle of the game was like ‘you’re up,’ and I was like ‘oh my goodness.’”

For Freeze, this week is going to be an important one for his team as they look for someone to solidify the position with Scott out. The good news is that the Tigers have several options to catch punts with Fair and Johnson in the mix along with receivers like Koy Moore and Caleb Burton. Freeze said they'll turn over every leaf this week to try to find the answer heading into Saturday morning's 11 a.m. start against the Aggies.

"He’s going to be really, really valuable for his presence on the back end right now," Freeze said of Simpson. "We’ll start catching punts with a lot of different people today. Koy Moore has done it. Caleb Burton has done it. We’ll get on the JUGS twice this week and make sure we feel comfortable with who that is. Jaylin may be one of them too.”

Edited September 18, 2023 by Paladin

[aubiefifty 18,259]