10.27.23 Football Articles

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auburnwire.usatoday.com

Tale of the Tape: Auburn vs Mississippi State

Brian Hauch

4–5 minutes

The 3-4 Auburn Tigers are finally favored to win a football game this week when they host the 4-3 Mississippi State Bulldogs at Jordan-Hare Stadium this Saturday.

The Tigers are currently favored by nearly a touchdown to win this game according to BetMGM and ESPN FPI agrees with the oddsmakers, as the model gives Hugh Freeze’s team a 62.7% chance to snap their four-game losing-skid come Saturday.

Will the tale of the tape agree that Auburn will win their first game in over a month, or does a further look into the matchup show us this game will be closer than expected?

As always, we’ll start by looking at the quarterbacks.

Mississippi State faces uncertainty at the quarterback position heading into this one. Starter Will Rogers is dealing with a shoulder injury that forced him to miss last week’s game against Arkansas. 

Head coach Zach Arnett was ambiguous talking about his quarterback’s status, saying “he is progressing well” but refusing to label Rogers in or out for Saturday.

If Rogers is unable to go, the offense will be left in the hands of senior Mike Wright.

In limited work this year, Wright has thrown for 146 yards and 2 touchdowns. He has also added 106 rushing yards and 3 rushing touchdowns.

As for the Auburn signal-callers, they are still struggling.

Through 7 games, starter Payton Thorne has thrown for 845 yards, 5 touchdowns, and 5 interceptions.

The Tigers top option is averaging just over 120 passing yards per game to go along with 0.7 touchdowns and interceptions per game.

That is not good.

Once again, Auburn loses the quarterback battle. It is much closer than it has been in previous SEC games however, and it’s almost even if Will Rogers is forced to sit on the bench.

The battle of the skill positions is even closer.

Neither team boasts a top-notch playmaker that give a defensive coordinator a worse headache than a night out at Quixote’s, nor do they do anything on offense particularly well.

Mississippi State’s best player on the scoring side of the ball is probably running back Jo'Quavious Marks.

The senior back has been a workhorse for the Bulldogs offense. The senior from Atlanta is averaging 14 carries for 71 yards a game and has scored five total touchdowns.

Auburn’s best playmaker is also their number one running back, junior Jarquez Hunter.

After a slow start to the season for Hunter, he has come alive of late, and now leads all Auburn rushers with 309 yards and 5 rushing touchdowns. He has also added 61 receiving yards.

Neither receiving core is worth mentioning ahead of the other, although Mississippi State receiver Lideatrick Griffin has the most yards out of any pass catcher in this game with 494.

The skill position battle is a wash.

Auburn does finally get an edge in the defensive department, although it is closer than you might think.

Jaylin Simpson, Eugene Asante, and the Auburn Tigers defense have been great all year long.

Unfortunately for them, Mississippi State has been pretty much just as good, at least according to the numbers.

Auburn’s defense has given up 25.7 points and 397.3 yards per game this season.

Mississippi State has given up 28.8 and 393.8, respectively.

As good as Auburn linebacker Eugene Asante has been, linebacker Nathaniel Watson has been even better.

Overall, these two teams are extremely similar and a 6.5-point spread only makes sense if Will Rogers can’t go. If he does, Auburn may be in some trouble come Saturday.

Contact/Follow us @TheAuburnWire on  X (Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Auburn news, notes, and opinion. You can also follow Brian on Twitter @TheRealBHauch

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si.com

The top four matchups for Auburn vs Mississippi State

Lance Dawe

3–4 minutes

Auburn football needs a rebound win badly.

The Tigers are off to their first 0-4 start in SEC play since the dreadful 3-9 season in 2012. The offense has been horrid, the defense has been holding on, and the staff seems to be trying to rally the troops for what should be a much easier back half of the 2023 slate.

Thankfully, there's a stretch of easier contests coming up before the end of the season against Alabama. The first game of the stretch is at home against Mississippi State, a team the Tigers have dominated in their all-time series.

However, both teams are really struggling to find their offense right now. Auburn has one of their worst offenses in over a decade. Mississippi State lost quarterback Will Rogers to injury and scraped by Arkansas 7-3 last weekend.

It's ugly for both teams right now... and that could create an even uglier game this weekend between the two schools.

Here are the top four matchups for this weekend.

Auburn’s running backs vs MSU’s defensive line

The Tigers' rushing attack has been at they have had on that side of the ball this season. The four-headed backfield led by Jarquez Hunter has proven to be effective.

State has an average rush defense (127.57 yards per game is 8th in the SEC). Auburn's only hope to move the ball offensively could come down to this matchup here.

Auburn’s pass rush vs MSU’s offensive line

Pass rush has been hard to come by for Auburn this season. Auburn is 8th in the conference in total sacks (16.0) and has only eight sacks through four SEC games. State is also average in this stat category (2.14 sacks allowed per game).

Not letting dual-threat QB Mike Wright extend plays on third-down will be crucial. The Bulldogs are right there at the bottom of the league with Auburn in third-down conversion percentage.

Special teams

Mississippi State is 10th in the SEC in punt return averaged allowed and 11th in field goal percentage (75%). The Tigers have yet to miss a field goal this season.

This may be the game that Alex McPherson, Brian Battie or Keionte Scott come up big for AU.

Auburn’s passing game vs itself

The Tigers are dead last in the SEC in passing yards per game, averaging just over 150 per contest.

That's probably not going to change for the rest of the season. However, if Auburn can somehow mange to figure out how to get their numbers over, say, 200 yards in this one vs MSU's secondary? That would be big for their chances of victory.

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247sports.com

PMARSHONAU Phillips Thursday afternoon musings

Phillip Marshall

7–9 minutes

A must-win for Auburn?

Auburn went through most of its four-game losing streak without defensive back Keionte Scott, linebacker Austin Keys and running back Demari Alston. All three players were significant parts of Auburn’s plans. Scott and Keys played against Ole Miss. Head coach Hugh Freeze said Wednesday he expects Alston to play in Saturday’s game against Mississippi State at Jordan-Hare Stadium. Getting all those players back could be a very big deal.

Is Saturday’s game a must-win for Auburn? It feels that way, but coaches try their best to keep players from looking at games that way. Win or lose, there will be more games ahead. But for Auburn (and Mississippi State), this game could be significant in getting to bowl games. That matters if, for no other reason, the 15 extra practices that go with a bowl bid.

At the same time, the loser won’t be out of the bowl picture. Coaches have to try to hold their teams together, regardless of the outcome.

Tigers try to avoid third straight losing season

Auburn needs to win enough games to avoid making some unhappy history. Auburn has not had three consecutive losing seasons, officially, since losing records from 1946-1950 led to the hiring of Shug Jordan. Auburn had losing records from 1975, Jordan’s final season, through 1977. But the 1977 team got a forfeit when Mississippi State was harshly penalized by the NCAA and officially finished 6-5.

These days, penalties more often include vacating victories. In other words, the team that won loses the win but the team that lost doesn’t get a win.

What is happening with NIL

What’s really happening with NIL? That’s a question that is difficult to answer because the NIL business is largely conducted away from the public eye. What follows is what I have been told by people who know.

--Are Power 5 players getting wealthy? A small number are making seven figures. A significant number are making six figures, but those are still in the minority. Most players are getting something.

--Is it legal to pay high school players? Not in most states. Are high school players getting paid? No question about it.

--What seems to be happening is that, as legislators pass laws to ostensibly help programs in their states, others are saying “If they can do it, we’re going to do it, too.” The NCAA and deserves criticism for letting all this get out of hand early on, but at this point there is not much it can do.

--What do players do to earn the money? Some high-profile players do commercials for big companies. Most are paid by collectives and work for the collectives. That usually means a few Tweets now and then.

--The NCAA demanded early on that NIL agreements could not be pay for play. To no one’s surprise, that’s exactly what they have become.

--What’s going to happen? Most believe the power programs will eventually begin sharing money with players. What form that would take is uncertain. No one wants to create a situation where players are considered employees. That would not be good for college football programs, and it would not be good for most players.

 Michigan scandal keeps getting worse

As the burgeoning Michigan scandal seems to grow every day, there seems to be a significant lack of understanding. Michigan is not in trouble for looking across the field and stealing signs. That is legal. It is in trouble for in-person scouting of future opponents and using electronic means to do it. That is very much against the rules.

Here is Hall of Fame coach Bob Stoops’ take:

"Everyone is saying 'Oh, it happens all the time!' No, it doesn't. I've never heard of that in all my years of football and every team I've ever been on. Sure, do we look across the field and if you can see it, that's your job to do. If I'm able to just with my plain eye look over there and know what they're doing, I should be doing that.

"But to video people and to send people to scout and marry up a signal with the play? No, no, no. That's terrible. It goes against everything we're about. That's wrong, if it happened."

To me, here’s a significant question: If Michigan didn’t believe what it was doing would provide a competitive advantage, why do it?

In search of a winning edge

Everybody in college football (and other sports) is looking for an edge. There are few if any coaches out there who aren’t willing to operate in the gray area. That was true before coaches started getting paid like kings.

Some, of course, are willing to push the envelope further than others. So it has always been.

In 2003, I did an interview in Abbeville with the late Robert Vann, who signed with Auburn in 1937. Here is what he told me:

Red Drew, then an assistant at Alabama, had arrived in Abbeville intent on talking Vann, a hard-nosed fullback at Abbeville High School, into playing for the Crimson Tide.

"Coach Drew came down here with a new Chevrolet, 4-door," Vann said. "He handed me the keys and said, 'Come to Alabama.' "

But Vann wasn't going to Alabama. He was going to Auburn, the setting for the stories his father had told him about football when it was new, a brutal game in which only the strong survived.

"I just wanted to go to Auburn because my daddy went to Auburn," Vann said. "He never told me he wanted me to go, but I knew. There wasn't any question about it."

Freeze left Liberty loaded

It is clear that Freeze left Liberty with quite a roster when he left for Auburn last December. The Flames, in their first season in Conference USA, are 8-0. With their victory over Western Kentucky, they became the first team in the FBS to clinch a spot in a conference championship game.

Jacksonville State fun to watch

Speaking of Conference USA, Jacksonville State is really fun to watch. The Gamecocks are transitioning from the FCS to the FBS and are, by rule, ineligible for a bowl. Their only loss is to Liberty, and that came when they were down to their third-team quarterback in the second half.

Rich Rodriguez seems to have finally found a home there. By the way, his offensive line coach is Rick Trickett, who is in his 47th year of coaching college football. Trickett, as colorful as any coach you will find, was Auburn’s hard-nosed offensive line coach from 1993-1998.

UAB struggles as Dilfer goes quiet

Former Super Bowl quarterback Trent Dilfer talked a good game when he took over as head coach at UAB after last season, but things have not gone so well in the Blazers first season in the American Athletic Conference. They are 2-6, their only wins over North Carolina A&T and South Florida.

They haven’t exactly taken the city by storm. In last Saturday’s loss to Memphis, the announced crowd at Protective Stadium in Birmingham was 20,269.

Rebounding from first-year troubles

Something to consider: Florida and Miami had losing seasons in 2022 under first-year head coaches. This season, they have four losses between them. One of those was a gift from Miami to Georgia Tech. The struggles of those two teams last season came on the heels of coaches who had been largely ineffective on the recruiting trail being fired. Sound familiar, Auburn fans?

That’s not to say Auburn or its fans should simply roll over and say Hugh Freeze’s first season is going nowhere. It still might go somewhere. But the fact is that, if it doesn’t go well, that does not mean a dark future.

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saturdaydownsouth.com

 

Hugh Freeze explains why Cadillac Williams is a ‘valuable’ assistant

Ethan Stone | 2 days ago

~3 minutes

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Cadillac Williams went 2-2 with Auburn last season following the firing of Bryan Harsin.

The former Tigers RB earned his first win against Texas A&M and won over the Auburn fanbase, as well as a few fans across the SEC.

Williams was retained by Hugh Freeze when he took the head coaching job at the end of last year. On Wednesday during the SEC’s weekly teleconference, Freeze was asked about the value that Williams brings to the table.

Freeze had plenty to say about Williams. Check it out below:

“He’s somebody I lean on to get the pulse of the team for sure, he’s got great relationships with the team and brings great energy to practice and to the games and to the building,” Freeze said. “And obviously, he had the ear of the players because he’s walked in their shoes at this place, done it at a high, high level and I think he’s got great insight from time to time also that we might need to try to — as we try to right the ship and continue to build this program. So he’s very valuable.”

Williams is the current Associate head coach and works with running backs as well.

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247sports.com

Auburn Opponent Preview Mississippi State offense

Jason Caldwell

4–5 minutes

With Zac Arnett taking over for Mike Leach following his untimely death, the Mississippi State Bulldogs come into Saturday’s game at Jordan-Hare Stadium with a much different looking offense than the one the Auburn Tigers have seen the last few seasons and that’s a good thing based on the last couple of seasons.

Losing two straight to the Bulldogs, Auburn’s defense has allowed 82 total points with quarterback Will Rogers torching the Tigers. In last season’s overtime game, Rogers completed 42-59 passes for 357 yards and three touchdowns with one interception. Two years ago in Jordan-Hare Stadium, Rogers led the Bulldogs to a victory after trailing 28-3 in the first half. In that game, he completed 44-55 passes for 415 yards and six touchdowns with no interceptions.

Starting 38 straight games, Rogers missed last week’s win over Arkansas with a shoulder injury and is questionable for Saturday’s game. If he plays it will look much different than the offense Auburn fans have seen the last few years. In six games this season, Rogers has completed 61.4 percent of his passes for 1,275 yards and 10 touchdowns with four interceptions. If he’s unable to go, Vanderbilt transfer Mike Wright will get the call. He is 16-23 on the season passing, but has 198 yards rushing and three touchdowns.

The biggest injury question may be with star running back Jo’Quavious Marks, who was hobbled in last week's win. Leading the team with 97 carries for 500 yards and four touchdowns while adding 18 catches for 138 yards and another score, he’s the heart and soul of the Mississippi State offense. In his career, Marks is closing in on both 2,000 rushing and receiving yards and is already the record holder for most receptions by a Bulldog with 206. Backups Seth Davis and Jeffery Pittman have combined for just 205 yards on 43 carries this season.

Outside at receiver, the guy to watch is Lideatrick Griffin. Returning a kickoff for a touchdown last season against the Tigers, he leads the team this season with 32 catches for 494 yards and three touchdowns. Big Justin Robinson is second on the team with 14 catches for 184 yards while true freshman Creed Whittemore has 10 catches for 95 yards and two touchdowns. 

The strength of the Mississippi State offense is up front where the Bulldogs put a group on the field that has a combined 143 starts with all five starting at least 20 games in their career. Right tackle Kameron Jones leads the way with 38 starts under his belt while center Cole Smith has started 34 contests in Starkville. There are three graduates and two seniors that make up the starting five for the Bulldogs. 

LT 

69 Kwatrivous Johnson (6-7, 330, Gr.) 

75 Percy Lewis (6-8, 345, Sr.) 

LG 

66 Nick Jones (6-3, 300, Sr.) 

76 Albert Reese IV (6-7, 320, R-So.) 

C 57 Cole Smith (6-3, 305, Gr.) 

72 Canon Boone (6-4, 305, R-So.) 

RG 64 Steven Losoya III (6-4, 320, R-Sr.) 

52 Grant Jackson (6-6, 325, R-Jr.) -or - 

79 Jakson LaHue (6-5, 315, R-Fr.) 

RT 58 Kameron Jones (6-5, 315, Gr.) 

67 Leon Bell (6-8, 325, Jr.) 

QB 

2 Will Rogers (6-2, 215, Sr.) 

14 Mike Wright (6-4, 195, Sr.) 

RB 

7 Jo’Quavious Marks (5-10, 210, Sr.) 

25 Jeffery Pittman (5-11, 205, Jr.) 

23 Seth Davis (5-7, 185, Fr.) 

WR (X) 3 Justin Robinson (6-4, 220, R-Jr.) -or - 

19 Freddie Roberson (6-2, 190, R-Sr.) 

WR (H) 

5 Lideatrick Griffin (5-10, 180, Sr.) 

85 Creed Whittemore (5-11, 185, Fr.) -or - 

81 Antonio Harmon (6-3, 215, R-So.) 

WR (Z) 

1 Zavion Thomas (5-11, 190, So.) 

11 Jaden Walley (6-0, 195, Sr.) -or - 

18 Jordan Mosley (6-0, 190, R-So.) 

TE 

88 Ryland Goede (6-6, 260, Gr.) -or - 

98 Malik Ellis (6-5, 265, Fr.

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247sports.com

PMARSHONAU Memorable moments from AuburnMississippi State series

Phillip Marshall

5–7 minutes

Other than Georgia, Auburn has played more football games against Mississippi State than against any opponent. The Tigers have dominated the series, but in recent years, the Bulldogs have more than held their own, winning the last two meetings and three of the last five.

Auburn leads the series 62-31-3, but it is a series that has provided some memorable and even humorous moments, many of them involving former Mississippi State coach Jackie Sherrill.

On Saturday afternoon at Jordan-Hare Stadium, the Tigers and Bulldogs will get together again with first-year head coaches on both sidelines – Hugh Freeze at Auburn and Zach Arnett at Mississippi State. There are no championship implications, but it is a big one for both teams. Mississippi State is 4-3 and coming off a 7-3 win at Arkansas. Auburn is 3-4 and on a four-game losing streak.

The winner will move a step closer to a winning season and a bowl game. For Auburn, after facing a four-game murderer’s row of ranked teams, it is an opportunity for a reset.

1953

In Starkville, Auburn rallied from a 21-0 deficit to escape with a 21-21 tie against the team then known as the Maroons and superstar quarterback Jackie Parker. You have to remember, that 21-deficit in 1953 was akin to a deficit of 35 points or more in today’s game.

‌1963

In Jackson, Mississippi State turned a late interception into the game-winning field goal in a 13-10 victory. It would be Auburn’s only regular-season loss. Paul Davis, the Mississippi State head coach, would later become an iconic defensive coordinator at Auburn.

1974

After a 24-20 Auburn win in Jackson, Auburn coach Shug Jordan complained long and loud about the Mississippi State cowbells. He was not alone in his feelings. As a result, they were outlawed until 2010.

1993

Sherrill accused Auburn of putting helium in footballs used by All-America punter Terry Daniel in a 31-17 Tiger victory. Yes, Sherrill really did that. Later, an independent test showed that footballs filled with helium actually didn’t travel as far as those filled with air. Auburn, of course, did not put helium in any footballs.

1995

Auburn won 48-20 at Jordan-Hare Stadium. Sherrill was angry because Auburn backup quarterback Jon Cooley threw a short third-down pass for a first down that allowed Auburn to run out the clock.

When Sherrill met Auburn coach Terry Bowden at midfield, his first words were “I hope Florida beats the f--- out of you next week.” Bowden just smiled and said “Good luck, Coach.” What Sherrill didn’t know was that Bowden was wired for sound by the Auburn Network and the whole thing was caught on audio and video. Auburn coaches had quite a good time watching it the following week.

1997

Auburn was riding high and had started a Heisman Trophy campaign for quarterback Dameyune Craig when Mississippi State came to town. Auburn would eventually make it to the SEC Championship Game, but the Bulldogs won 20-0 that day and Craig’s Heisman hopes faded.

2002

With the game safely in hand in the fourth quarter, Auburn coach Tommy Tuberville called for a fake field goal. It was no secret that Tuberville and Sherrill had little love for one another, going back to Tuberville’s days at Ole Miss. Auburn won 42-14.

“I didn’t know what else to do,” Tuberville said with a straight face after the game.

Sherrill was not amused.

"You have to consider the source,” Sherrill said. “That's part of the deal. I always have been a person who says, 'Fine, take your lick.' Would I have done it? No, but that's OK. That's Tommy. Everybody has to understand that. The old saying is what goes around, comes around.”

2008

In the third game of Tony Franklin's ill-fated half-season as Auburn's offensive coordinator, the Tigers won 3-2 in Starkville in an all-time display of offensive ineptitude. Just think if Mississippi State had gotten a safety and won 4-3;

2010

The Auburn and Mississippi State rivalry took an ugly turn with the Cam Newton saga in 2010. Mississippi State coach Dan Mullen, who coached Newton as Florida’s offensive coordinator, did all he could to get his former pupil ruled ineligible. Auburn won a tight one 17-14 in Starkville.

2013

At Jordan-Hare Stadium, junior college transfer quarterback Nick Marshall took Auburn 88 yards with no timeouts in the final 1:56, throwing a touchdown pass to C.J. Uzomah with 10 seconds left. The victory broke a 10-game Auburn losing streak in SEC games. The victory started Auburn’s run to an SEC championship and the BCS Championship Game.

2021

Auburn led 28-3 in the second quarter and was seemingly on its way to a blowout. But Mississippi State roared back, scoring 40 unanswered points and held on to win 43-34. Auburn quarterback Bo Nix, in what would be his last Auburn game, played on after suffering a broken ankle early in the second half.

2022

In Starkville, Cadillac Williams worked his first game as interim head coach just five days after being named.

Offensive line coach Will Friend and receivers coach Ike Hilliard combined to run the offense. The Tigers trailed 24-6 early but rallied to take a 25-24 lead with 6:36 left in the game. The Bulldogs went ahead 30-25, but Auburn struck back to take a 33-30 lead with 1:05 left. Mississippi State tied it on a 44-yard field goal with 29 seconds left.

Auburn came up empty on the first possession of overtime when Anders Carlson missed a 38-yard field goal try. Mississippi State scored a touchdown and escaped with a 39-33 victory.

Maybe, after Saturday’s game, there will be more stories to tell.

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al.com

How are Auburn's players are embracing the changing culture under Hugh Freeze?

Updated: Oct. 26, 2023, 7:55 a.m.|Published: Oct. 26, 2023, 6:40 a.m.

5–7 minutes

Mondays at Auburn’s Woltosz Football Performance Facility are for truth meetings and life talks.

Truth meetings are a time for Auburn’s football team to reflect back on its performance from the Saturday prior.

As one could imagine – with Auburn looking to snap its four-game losing streak this week against Mississippi State – recent truth meetings have forced the Tigers to take long, hard looks in the mirror. But once that truth meeting is over, that game is in the trashcan.

What happens next is where the life talks come into play.

This week’s life talk was all about “closed doors and unmet expectations”, Auburn head coach Hugh Freeze revealed during the SEC Coaches’ Teleconference Wednesday afternoon.

“All of us face — at some point or another — closed doors or unmet expectations. And that’s never going to go away in life,” Freeze said Wednesday, echoing his message to the team. “And how we handle them, I think, will really determine how we get through them.”

And it’s the “handling them” part that has changed at Auburn since Freeze’s arrival.

Linebacker Eugene Asante was on Auburn’s roster last year as the Tigers went on a five-game skid, while also having to navigate their head coach being fired midway through the season.

It was a lot. And it was hard for those in the locker room to handle.

“I think a little bit last year was guys hanging their head and the blame game,” Asante said of last season. “When people start pointing fingers, the team starts to lose chemistry.”

When Freeze first arrived to The Plains last November, he sensed a lack of accountability inside the locker room.

And while many of examples he saw were little things like getting to class late or skipping out on meals, he knew allowing his players to get away with those would eventually bleed onto the football field on Saturdays.

“I really believe that long term for Auburn, to be where we want it to be, that the accountability of those little things — you can’t slide on those,” Freeze said Monday. “I think that’s kind of, maybe when I got here, is something that they felt like they could.”

But that has since improved, Freeze says.

And as a result, the finger-pointing and head-hanging as stopped, too, Asante says.

“We understand that we have to play our best football in order to win games,” Asante said. “I think everybody is really reflecting inward and on things they can do rather than this guy’s not doing their job or this guy’s not doing their job. That’s what you really do need in a team sport.”

However, getting players to take accountability is just half the battle.

Once they accept it, they then have to be willing to put in the work to improve what needs improving – and that can be hard when in the midst of adversity.

“The challenge and temptation that most people have when they have an unmet expectation or a closed door is they become disengaged and therefore, just flow and don’t get better,” Freeze said. “And so my challenge to our staff and to our players this week is men, let’s just get 1% better.”

Since losing to LSU in Baton Rouge on Oct. 14 in a game that featured an uncharacteristic lack of effort from both sides of the football, Freeze has been looking for more energy and intensity out of his team during practices.

Heading into last week’s game against Ole Miss, Freeze was looking for “passionate, hard-working” practices, and he got them on Tuesday and Wednesday, he said last Thursday during his time on Auburn’s Tiger Talk radio show.

When asked about this week’s practices during Wednesday’s teleconference, Freeze said he thought Auburn had one of its better-looking Tuesdays than it’s had all year.

While it hasn’t been easy, sophomore quarterback Robby Ashford, who was also a part of last year’s team, says the team is bought in.

“With the streak that we’ve been on, it’s hard,” Ashford said Tuesday. “But at the end of the day, we know who’s got to come to work. It’s really who wants to work when times get hard. We’ve gotta come out and work. I mean, if you’re not on board with us, then you don’t need to be with us.

“The guys who are onboard — and that’s pretty much this whole team — are ready to work and ready to give it their all.”

What happened in Auburn’s first seven games is in the rearview mirror now. And that’s been the case since the Monday morning truth meeting that followed each one.

And just like veteran defensive back Jaylin Simpson said he and the defense in did after the LSU game, the last four losses have been thrown in the trash.

After all, there’s plenty to look ahead at – including the prospect of reaching bowl eligibility.

“We just want to get a bowl game so we can feel some kind of success for the season because right now I feel like a lot of people ain’t feeling that right now,” Simpson said Tuesday. “So we get this first win and keep it rolling, get a bowl game.”

And it all starts on Saturday with a game against the Mississippi State Bulldogs, which is slated for a 2:30 p.m. kickoff.

“I think everybody’s just — things aren’t going our way, but we’re just, we’re going to keep going,” Simpson said.

“A lot of it came from Coach Freeze yesterday, I think, the talk he had with us.”

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[SaltyTiger 8,579]

2 hours ago, aubiefifty said:

1953

In Starkville, Auburn rallied from a 21-0 deficit to escape with a 21-21 tie against the team then known as the Maroons and superstar quarterback Jackie Parker. You have to remember, that 21-deficit in 1953 was akin to a deficit of 35 points or more in today’s game.

Good morning and thanks again Fiddy. Beautiful busy day here on the Plains.

Didn’t realize or forgot they were known as the Maroons back then. Maybe @augolf1716 will fill us in.

[augolf1716 21,969]

17 minutes ago, SaltyTiger said:

Good morning and thanks again Fiddy. Beautiful busy day here on the Plains.

Didn’t realize or forgot they were known as the Maroons back then. Maybe @augolf1716 will fill us in.

Never heard of Maroons