10.6.23 Football Articles

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al.com

 

The Auburn report card: A bye week look at Auburn football’s transfers performance

Updated: Oct. 06, 2023, 6:41 a.m.|Published: Oct. 06, 2023, 6:30 a.m.

9–11 minutes

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There were few bigger stories entering the 2023 Auburn football season than head coach Hugh Freeze’s attempt at roster construction.

Auburn brought in around 40 new faces between transfers and freshmen. So many transfers have already seen the field this season, and many of them are in prominent positions.

The bye week is here now, and it’s a good time to do some early evaluation.

So here is the AL.com bye week report card for all the transfers as they have now had five games to get a grasp of the Auburn system.

QB Payton Throne

Grade: C-

Thorne is going to be the most dissected player on this Auburn team and for good reason as the starting quarterback. By this point, five games into the season, Thorne hasn’t necessarily been bad, but he also certainly hasn’t been good.

Thorne has been fairly effective as a runner, especially within the hedges of Jordan-Hare Stadium. Thorne rushed for 123 yards against Samford, the most by any Auburn quarterback in a decade. He added another 92 yards on the ground against Georiga last week. Pro Football Focus grades him as one of the better running quarterbacks in the nation.

He’s also been completely ineffective as a passer.

Thorne is yet to throw for 100 yards against a Power 5 opponent. The passing game struggles aren’t entirely his fault. He hasn’t consistently had reliable protection or reliable wide receiver play.

But he consistently made poor decisions throwing the ball throughout all five of Auburn’s five games whether they were missed reads, overthrows or just failing to execute.

The Texas A&M game was especially bad, including Thorne holding onto the ball for far too long leading to sacks.

Thorne has been the best of Auburn’s quarterbacks, but he also hasn’t looked the part of an unquestioned starter.

RB Brian Battie

Grade: B

The role is small, but Battie has impressed when he’s been on the field. A shoulder injury to Damari Alston has increased his playing time. He’s had his two best games of the season over the last two weeks and for a player so small, has been surprisingly nimble in between the tackles.

Battie has also been dynamic as a kick returner. He’s came within one or two tackles of returning a kickoff for a touchdown several times this season.

WR Jyarie Shorter

Grade: D-

Shorter is listed as a starter on Auburn’s depth chart. He was expected to be a big play threat for Auburn after leading the nation in yards per catch last season.

He has one catch for 10 yards total this season. The new-look group of wide receivers has fallen wildly short of expectations, and Shorter is one of them. He’s often been hardly noticeable on the field.

WR Nick Mardner

Grade: D

Mardner gets a slightly better grade despite not having a single catch this season and largely that is due to an injury that kept him out of Auburn’s first two games of the season. He likely isn’t at 100% health.

But zero catches for a player thought to be a redzone threat is not a good sign.

WR Shane Hooks

Grade: C-

There’s so much potential here and it just has not been utilized. Hooks has 8 catches for 106 yards and a touchdown this season. He played a very solid game against Samford.

But that’s about it. There was talk of Hooks being Auburn’s No. 1 receiver this season. That hasn’t happened. Hooks is one of only three Auburn receivers to even register on Pro Football Focus for player grades. This wide receiver group has not produced.

WR Caleb Burton

Grade: D-

Burton doesn’t have a catch this season. Another wide receiver who has not met the preseason hopes for production. Auburn’s website lists Burton as participating in only one game. He hasn’t been mentioned on the injury report.

TE Rivaldo Fairweather

Grade: B+

Fairweather has been Auburn’s best big-play option, and is one of the only reasons that Auburn won at Cal. He is Auburn’s second-leading receiver this year, but it only takes 145 yards to reach that placement. Pro Football Focus ranks him as one of the top 115 tight ends in the nation.

Auburn needs to get him the ball more than just the 15 catches he has.

OL Gunner Britton

Grade: B

Britton has been asked to play multiple positions across the offensive line and has received a largely favorable ranking from Pro Football Focus — positioned just outside the top 150 guards in the nation.

He initially appeared as Auburn’s right tackle but has fit better inside at guard, especially when Auburn decided to start Izavion Miller at right tackle.

OL Avery Jones

Grade: C

Jones has been reliable for his availability, but the play has been mediocre. None of his Pro Football Focus grades are objectively bad, just all pretty average. A C feels reasonable.

OL Dillon Wade

Grade: B

Wade has an excellent Pro Football Grade for his pass blocking, being ranked 29th out of 594 tackles. But his run block grade is outside the top 200 and Auburn has struggled with a number of edge rushes this season.

Wade has been penalized at times, but has remained healthy and not many of Auburn’s offensive linemen can say that.

OL Jaden Muskrat

Grade: C

Muskrat has played in all five games. He has been forced into an expanded role due to injuries. Hasn’t been anything spectacular, but hasn’t been a primary culprit on a unit that has been mediocre as a whole.

OL Izavion Miller

Grade: C-

Miller has had a wildly inconsistent season and then has dealt with injuries on top of it when he got hurt against Samford. He struggled against Cal with penalties and being beaten off the edge, but had earned himself a starting spot. A wholly mixed bag.

OL Dylan Senda

Grade: Incomplete

Senda has only played in one game and hasn’t had a route to see the field this season. His path to playing time appeared backlogged long before the season started. Hard to know what, if anything, Auburn has here just yet.

DL Lawrence Johnson

Grade: C

Johnson was expected to be a backup, which is where he ended up, and that isn’t going to mean much productivity.

Johnson has four total tackles and a sack. Another player who hasn’t had much expected of him, and hasn’t done much.

DL Justin Rogers

Grade: C-

Similar to Johnson, Rogers wasn’t expected to have significant playing time. But Rogers receives a slightly worse grade because he has produced fairly identical stats to Johnson despite having much higher hopes for his role and production.

DL Quientrail Jamison-Travis

Grade: Not enough information

Jamison-Travis has only played in one game. There aren’t a lot of stats to work on nor was he expected to have a consistent role for this team in 2023.

DE Mosiah Nasili-Kite

Grade: Incomplete

Nasili-Kite started all five games for Auburn thus far, but it was announced Wednesday that he will miss the remainder of the season with an injury. His PFF grades were not good before the injury. Nasili-Kite’s overall grade is 581st out of 838 players at this position nationally. He has played a lot of snaps, but not put up a lot of stats.

Though given the injury, it’s hard to give a full grade.

LB Elijah McAllister

Grade: B-

McAllister’s role on this team is a leader. And that is likely his more important role. His stats have been nothing special this season. He was initially a starter before Jalen McLeod was healthy, or at least healthier. His Pro Football Focus grade is fairly average.

His off-the-field grade was much higher. To be elected a team captain as a transfer in the first year says a lot.

LB Jalen McLeod

Grade: B

McLeod has long been regarded by Freeze as Auburn’s best pass rusher. He has struggled to stay healthy throughout this season.

And while he has been dynamic as a pass rusher, McLeod is yet to record a tackle for loss or a sack. Time to turn the pressure into production.

LB Stephen Sings V

Grade: C

Sings had a ton of buzz in the preseason based on his connection with Freeze at Liberty. But he’s done next to nothing this season. He has played in every game but only has four total tackles and one quarterback hit.

Auburn hasn’t had much of a pass rush this year, especially without McLeod on the field at any given point.

LB Austin Keys

Grade: Incomplete

Keys was a starter on Auburn’s defense before a thumb injury that has kept him out since Auburn’s opener against UMass. He only had two tackles in that game.

On the SEC coaches teleconference during the bye week, Freeze said Keys is still about three weeks away from deciding whether his cast will come off.

LB Larry Nixon

Grade: B+

Nixon was thrust into a starting role after Keys’ injury, and has done an impressive job stepping in. He’s second on the team in total tackles and has 1.5 tackles for loss.

He’s appeared to be more comfortable in the defense over recent weeks, and even been productive enough to be pulled into the postgame interview room for the last two games.

He’s gotten better each week, with his best game coming last week against Georgia.

DB Champ Anthony

Grade: Not enough information

Anthony hasn’t played enough meaningful snaps yet to determine his grade.

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

[aubiefifty 18,259]

 

al.com

 

Three things that might be on Auburn head coach Hugh Freeze’s bye week ‘honey-do’ list

Published: Oct. 05, 2023, 10:00 a.m.

8–10 minutes

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Hugh Freeze’s wife Jill probably saw this week’s bye week on Auburn’s schedule and thought, “Thank heavens, Hugh can finally get to that honey-do list.”

Since being hired as Auburn’s head football coach last November, Freeze likely hasn’t been able tackle too many chores at home.

First it was assembling a coaching staff that consumed his time, then doing his best to build a competitive roster via shopping in the transfer portal, then SEC Media Days, then a summer of recruiting, then Big Cat Weekend, then fall camp.

Next thing you know, it’s September and there are football games to be won.

There’s been little time for Freeze to take a breath since he got to The Plains. Heck, even last week as he and the Tigers prepared to take on the No. 1-ranked Georgia Bulldogs, Freeze said he nearly forgot his own birthday.

“Georgia will make you not think about your birthday,” he joked on the day of his 54th birthday last Wednesday.

Chances are there are still family photos to be hung on the walls, a squeaky cabinet to be silenced and boy, if he doesn’t tidy up the garage before too much longer, Ms. Jill might have a fit.

Unfortunately for Ms. Freeze – who is likely well accustomed to being a coach’s wife by now – her husband is likely taking one look at that list this week and saying something along the lines of, “Sorry, sweetheart. I promise to get to it eventually.”

Sitting at 3-2 on the season and the seven games still on the slate, Freeze and his Auburn football team still have a lot to handle.

And the Tigers’ free week this week is a perfect opportunity to do some of it.

So while the it’s not coming from the desk of his wife, Freeze still has a honey-do list of sorts to tackle this week. Here are a few things that might be featured on that list:

It’s time to hash out play-calling duties

After the Auburn offense fell flat on its face against Texas A&M on Sept. 23, it was forced to take a long, hard look in the mirror at itself.

What in the world was this offense going to look like?

“Offensively, we’re searching,” Freeze said following the 27-10 loss. “And we’ve got to find some answers.”

In the moment, Freeze wasn’t sure where he was going to find those answers.

However, he did know he wasn’t going to find them by abandoning RPO play calls, which offensive coordinator Philip Montgomery did against the Aggies in a game that saw the Tigers’ offense neglect to find the end zone.

“The week before, we were very effective in the RPO game,” Freeze said the Monday following the loss in College Station. “And in this game, we threw zero RPOs. That’s not something I’m happy about.”

Since July, Freeze assured Montgomery was hired at Auburn to call plays. But after being frustrated by the decisions made in the game against Texas A&M, Freeze couldn’t help but wonder if it might be time to step in.

In the days leading up to Saturday’s game against No. 1 Georgia, Freeze admitted that he was more involved in the offensive game plan than usual.

That said, Freeze never completely ripped away the call sheet from Montgomery and instead said he “approved every call”.

“(Freeze will) call his own plays every now and then but coach Mont, he’s still running the show,” Auburn running back Brian Battie said after Auburn’s 27-20 loss to Georgia.

The Tigers’ offense was more balanced in the loss to the Bulldogs. Not to mention, Auburn was able to move the ball much more effectively against the No. 1 team in the country than it did the week prior against an unranked Texas A&M squad.

RPO plays also returned to the call sheet and more often than not, Auburn capitalized on them.

But how will the play-calling situation shake out moving forward? That’s on Freeze’s bye-week list to figure out.

“It’s a constant evolving thing,” Freeze said Monday. “This week, a lot of discussions will take place.”

Find solutions the issues on third down

In their loss to Georgia on Saturday, the Tigers couldn’t find any success – on either side of the football – on third down.

“I think you look back at this game, you look at third downs,” Freeze said following the game. “You look at our third-down offense and you look at our third-down defense, and I think that’s where the game was lost for us.”

Offensively, Auburn was just 2-for-12 on third down.

The Tigers’ offense averaged needing 7.2 yards to convert on third down and only faced a third-and-long situation three times. But more times than not, the Auburn offense simply could not find ways to stay on the field.

On the other side of the football, the story was the opposite: The Auburn defense couldn’t find a way to get off the field, allowing the Georgia offense to convert eight of 13 third-down tries. All the while, Georgia quarterback Carson Beck – in his first road start – went 8-for-10 for 115 yards on third down alone.

That can’t happen. But it did, and it wasn’t the first time.

Auburn also struggled on third down against Texas A&M the week prior, when the offense converted just three of 15 attempts and the defense allowed the Aggies to convert 5-of-12 third down tries.

Through five games, Auburn’s offense ranks 105th of 133 teams in the FBS as the Tigers have taken 63 offensive snaps on third down but have only converted 22 of them.

Meanwhile, Auburn’s defense ranks 39th in the country on third down defense as Opposing offenses have tried for 63 third downs and have converted 23 of them.

“The critical downs have been somewhere we have got to change that,” Freeze said during the SEC coaches teleconference Wednesday. “You look at the Georgia game, the critical downs on 3rd and 4th in the fourth quarter really told the story of the game.”

Freeze added that correcting those issues boils down to awareness, planning and execution.

Improve the passing game

Though Auburn’s passing attack looked the best is has against Power 5 competition against the top-ranked Bulldogs Saturday, it still left plenty to be desired.

For the second week in a row, the Tigers’ quarterbacks finished with less than 100 yards of passing through an entire game. Fortunately for Auburn, its ground game was able to find its stride against Georgia but Freeze still has to find a way get Auburn’s offense more balanced.

“We’re still searching a bit, not so much in the running game, Freeze said. “But in the pass game as to what we really look like and who we’re really going to be.”

The good news for Auburn fans is that historically, Freeze has been known for his balanced offenses.

The bad news for Auburn fans is that it could take time, especially considering how many factors go into the Tigers’ success – or lack of thereof – in the passing game.

“When I say that, I do not say that that’s all on the quarterback. A lot of it is on receiver play, coaches,” Freeze said. “Is it a combination of protections and the quarterback?”

Perhaps some of Auburn’s struggles in the pass game have to do with the play-calling situation between Freeze and Montgomery.

On Saturday, some of the mess had to do with Auburn’s receivers not holding up on their end of the bargain as six of Payton Thorne’s nine incompletions hit his respective target in the hands.

“I thought Payton (Thorne), of his nine incompletions Saturday, I really felt like five of those should have been caught,” Freeze said. “And that makes a difference in those games and it makes a difference in how you perceive the play of a quarterback.”

Surely the offensive line plays a critical role in the prospective success of the pass game, too. Against Texas A&M two weeks ago, the Auburn offensive line was as porous as ever as it allowed 15 negative plays and seven sacks.

Following that same game, Thorne was a whipping post for criticism after being benched in the third quarter against the Aggies. Freeze said the Tigers had receivers open, but for one reason or another, Thorne missed them.

“It’s a combination and we’re still searching some. I’ve been honest about that, and we’ve got to improve.”

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[aubiefifty 18,259]

 

[aubiefifty 18,259]

 

[aubiefifty 18,259]

 

[aubiefifty 18,259]

very little out there today. i have posted baseball and basketball video's in their sports categories.............

[aubiefifty 18,259]

 

[aubiefifty 18,259]

 

[aubiefifty 18,259]

 

[aucanucktiger 1,892]

I'm amazed at the lack of media comments/analysis of our consistently poor snaps vs UGa -  regularly and most notably on some huge plays, like turning it over on downs on UGa's 12 yd line. 

[AUINSY 2,249]

24 minutes ago, aucanucktiger said:

I'm amazed at the lack of media comments/analysis of our consistently poor snaps vs UGa -  regularly and most notably on some huge plays, like turning it over on downs on UGa's 12 yd line. 

Absolutely! If the center just snapped the ball well on that 4th down and got knocked off his block, he would have at least given the QB the opportunity to make a play. But by the time the QB gathered the ball from the bad snap, the play was over. 

[CR 2,465]

On 10/6/2023 at 6:57 AM, aubiefifty said:

 

al.com

 

The Auburn report card: A bye week look at Auburn football’s transfers performance

Updated: Oct. 06, 2023, 6:41 a.m.|Published: Oct. 06, 2023, 6:30 a.m.

9–11 minutes

---

There were few bigger stories entering the 2023 Auburn football season than head coach Hugh Freeze’s attempt at roster construction.

Auburn brought in around 40 new faces between transfers and freshmen. So many transfers have already seen the field this season, and many of them are in prominent positions.

The bye week is here now, and it’s a good time to do some early evaluation.

So here is the AL.com bye week report card for all the transfers as they have now had five games to get a grasp of the Auburn system.

QB Payton Throne

Grade: C-

Thorne is going to be the most dissected player on this Auburn team and for good reason as the starting quarterback. By this point, five games into the season, Thorne hasn’t necessarily been bad, but he also certainly hasn’t been good.

Thorne has been fairly effective as a runner, especially within the hedges of Jordan-Hare Stadium. Thorne rushed for 123 yards against Samford, the most by any Auburn quarterback in a decade. He added another 92 yards on the ground against Georiga last week. Pro Football Focus grades him as one of the better running quarterbacks in the nation.

He’s also been completely ineffective as a passer.

Thorne is yet to throw for 100 yards against a Power 5 opponent. The passing game struggles aren’t entirely his fault. He hasn’t consistently had reliable protection or reliable wide receiver play.

But he consistently made poor decisions throwing the ball throughout all five of Auburn’s five games whether they were missed reads, overthrows or just failing to execute.

The Texas A&M game was especially bad, including Thorne holding onto the ball for far too long leading to sacks.

Thorne has been the best of Auburn’s quarterbacks, but he also hasn’t looked the part of an unquestioned starter.

RB Brian Battie

Grade: B

The role is small, but Battie has impressed when he’s been on the field. A shoulder injury to Damari Alston has increased his playing time. He’s had his two best games of the season over the last two weeks and for a player so small, has been surprisingly nimble in between the tackles.

Battie has also been dynamic as a kick returner. He’s came within one or two tackles of returning a kickoff for a touchdown several times this season.

WR Jyarie Shorter

Grade: D-

Shorter is listed as a starter on Auburn’s depth chart. He was expected to be a big play threat for Auburn after leading the nation in yards per catch last season.

He has one catch for 10 yards total this season. The new-look group of wide receivers has fallen wildly short of expectations, and Shorter is one of them. He’s often been hardly noticeable on the field.

WR Nick Mardner

Grade: D

Mardner gets a slightly better grade despite not having a single catch this season and largely that is due to an injury that kept him out of Auburn’s first two games of the season. He likely isn’t at 100% health.

But zero catches for a player thought to be a redzone threat is not a good sign.

WR Shane Hooks

Grade: C-

There’s so much potential here and it just has not been utilized. Hooks has 8 catches for 106 yards and a touchdown this season. He played a very solid game against Samford.

But that’s about it. There was talk of Hooks being Auburn’s No. 1 receiver this season. That hasn’t happened. Hooks is one of only three Auburn receivers to even register on Pro Football Focus for player grades. This wide receiver group has not produced.

WR Caleb Burton

Grade: D-

Burton doesn’t have a catch this season. Another wide receiver who has not met the preseason hopes for production. Auburn’s website lists Burton as participating in only one game. He hasn’t been mentioned on the injury report.

TE Rivaldo Fairweather

Grade: B+

Fairweather has been Auburn’s best big-play option, and is one of the only reasons that Auburn won at Cal. He is Auburn’s second-leading receiver this year, but it only takes 145 yards to reach that placement. Pro Football Focus ranks him as one of the top 115 tight ends in the nation.

Auburn needs to get him the ball more than just the 15 catches he has.

OL Gunner Britton

Grade: B

Britton has been asked to play multiple positions across the offensive line and has received a largely favorable ranking from Pro Football Focus — positioned just outside the top 150 guards in the nation.

He initially appeared as Auburn’s right tackle but has fit better inside at guard, especially when Auburn decided to start Izavion Miller at right tackle.

OL Avery Jones

Grade: C

Jones has been reliable for his availability, but the play has been mediocre. None of his Pro Football Focus grades are objectively bad, just all pretty average. A C feels reasonable.

OL Dillon Wade

Grade: B

Wade has an excellent Pro Football Grade for his pass blocking, being ranked 29th out of 594 tackles. But his run block grade is outside the top 200 and Auburn has struggled with a number of edge rushes this season.

Wade has been penalized at times, but has remained healthy and not many of Auburn’s offensive linemen can say that.

OL Jaden Muskrat

Grade: C

Muskrat has played in all five games. He has been forced into an expanded role due to injuries. Hasn’t been anything spectacular, but hasn’t been a primary culprit on a unit that has been mediocre as a whole.

OL Izavion Miller

Grade: C-

Miller has had a wildly inconsistent season and then has dealt with injuries on top of it when he got hurt against Samford. He struggled against Cal with penalties and being beaten off the edge, but had earned himself a starting spot. A wholly mixed bag.

OL Dylan Senda

Grade: Incomplete

Senda has only played in one game and hasn’t had a route to see the field this season. His path to playing time appeared backlogged long before the season started. Hard to know what, if anything, Auburn has here just yet.

DL Lawrence Johnson

Grade: C

Johnson was expected to be a backup, which is where he ended up, and that isn’t going to mean much productivity.

Johnson has four total tackles and a sack. Another player who hasn’t had much expected of him, and hasn’t done much.

DL Justin Rogers

Grade: C-

Similar to Johnson, Rogers wasn’t expected to have significant playing time. But Rogers receives a slightly worse grade because he has produced fairly identical stats to Johnson despite having much higher hopes for his role and production.

DL Quientrail Jamison-Travis

Grade: Not enough information

Jamison-Travis has only played in one game. There aren’t a lot of stats to work on nor was he expected to have a consistent role for this team in 2023.

DE Mosiah Nasili-Kite

Grade: Incomplete

Nasili-Kite started all five games for Auburn thus far, but it was announced Wednesday that he will miss the remainder of the season with an injury. His PFF grades were not good before the injury. Nasili-Kite’s overall grade is 581st out of 838 players at this position nationally. He has played a lot of snaps, but not put up a lot of stats.

Though given the injury, it’s hard to give a full grade.

LB Elijah McAllister

Grade: B-

McAllister’s role on this team is a leader. And that is likely his more important role. His stats have been nothing special this season. He was initially a starter before Jalen McLeod was healthy, or at least healthier. His Pro Football Focus grade is fairly average.

His off-the-field grade was much higher. To be elected a team captain as a transfer in the first year says a lot.

LB Jalen McLeod

Grade: B

McLeod has long been regarded by Freeze as Auburn’s best pass rusher. He has struggled to stay healthy throughout this season.

And while he has been dynamic as a pass rusher, McLeod is yet to record a tackle for loss or a sack. Time to turn the pressure into production.

LB Stephen Sings V

Grade: C

Sings had a ton of buzz in the preseason based on his connection with Freeze at Liberty. But he’s done next to nothing this season. He has played in every game but only has four total tackles and one quarterback hit.

Auburn hasn’t had much of a pass rush this year, especially without McLeod on the field at any given point.

LB Austin Keys

Grade: Incomplete

Keys was a starter on Auburn’s defense before a thumb injury that has kept him out since Auburn’s opener against UMass. He only had two tackles in that game.

On the SEC coaches teleconference during the bye week, Freeze said Keys is still about three weeks away from deciding whether his cast will come off.

LB Larry Nixon

Grade: B+

Nixon was thrust into a starting role after Keys’ injury, and has done an impressive job stepping in. He’s second on the team in total tackles and has 1.5 tackles for loss.

He’s appeared to be more comfortable in the defense over recent weeks, and even been productive enough to be pulled into the postgame interview room for the last two games.

He’s gotten better each week, with his best game coming last week against Georgia.

DB Champ Anthony

Grade: Not enough information

Anthony hasn’t played enough meaningful snaps yet to determine his grade.

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

Fifty, could you post this as its own topic? Think it will interest people that dont always read the articles topic. Thanks for all the effort you put into bringing info here