11.18.23 Football Articles

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247sports.com

PMARSHONAU Phillips gameday musings

Phillip Marshall

11–14 minutes

#PMARSHONAU: Phillip's gameday musings

An interesting weekend on and off field, a significant game for Auburn and more

Games and more in season’s home stretch

It’s an interesting time of year in college football. Rival games are fun. Much remains to be decided in the race for the final four-team College Football Playoff. And, as always, many of the headlines are about coaches on the move, voluntarily or otherwise.

I have talked to a few coaches still in the business, and I have heard some interesting things. Some examples:

--Gus Malzahn, who recently received a contract extension at Central Florida, will be highly interested if Arkansas moves on from Sam Pittman. A fact: Since going 12-2 and winning the SEC championship in his first Auburn season, Malzahn has lost four or more games in 10 consecutive seasons at Auburn and UCF.

--An ESPN report that Bobby Petrino, as Texas A&M offensive coordinator, was essentially running Jimbo Fisher’s offense was accurate. It didn’t work, just like such setups usually don’t work.

--It is believed by other coaches that Hugh Freeze has taken over play-calling at Auburn, though he continues to say it is a collaborative effort with offensive coordinator Philip Montgomery.

--Freeze and Auburn have gotten the attention of other programs with their efforts on the recruiting trail. “Some people are surprised,” one SEC assistant coach told me. “I don’t know why. Not many are better at it than Hugh.”

NMSU’s Kill ‘will have a plan for winning’

No one expects New Mexico State to beat Auburn today at Jordan-Hare Stadium, but Aggies’ head coach Jerry Kill is highly respected as a person and as a coach.

“They probably don’t have enough to win, but he will have them ready to play and believing they can win,” one coach said. “He’ll have a plan for winning. Auburn best be ready to play.”

Much to be gained for Auburn

Today’s game really is an important one for Auburn. The Tigers have an opportunity to win their fourth straight and get to seven wins for the season, better than most expected. That could enhance their bowl standing, regardless of what happens against Alabama next Saturday.

Some big SEC games today

The penultimate weekend of the regular season has become known as “cupcake week” for the SEC. We get games like Alabama-Chattanooga, Arkansas-FIU, Texas A&M-Abilene Christian, LSU-Georgia State and Ole Miss-ULM. Auburn’s game against New Mexico State was scheduled to be one of those kinds of games, but it remains to be seen if it will be. But there are some significant  SEC games, too.

No. 1 Georgia goes to Tennessee. Florida goes to Missouri and Kentucky goes to South Carolina. The biggest of those games is in Knoxville, though that one lost some of its shine when Tennessee was blown out 36-7 at Missouri last Saturday.

Former Auburn coach leads Mississippi State

Greg Knox, Auburn’s wide receivers coach for all of Tommy Tuberville’s tenure, is Mississippi State’s interim head coach for the second time. In the wake of Zach Arnett being fired before the end of his first season, Knox will lead the Bulldogs in today’s game against Southern Mississippi. The Golden Eagles aren’t much, but who knows how Mississippi State players will respond?

Reality of coaching searches

As coaching searches heat up, it gives reality a chance to catch up. Maybe the No. 1 reality is that success in the Group of 5 often does not translate to success in the Power 5, especially for coaches without Power 5 experience. Remember when Scott Frost was the coach everybody had to have? Billy Napier? Tom Herman?

That’s certainly not to say that some Group of 5 coaches have not made the transition smoothly. But how many have been long-term success? I don’t have any numbers, but it seems to me Power 5 coaches that were assistants when they were hired have more success. Three of the top six teams in the latest CFP rankings – Georgia, Ohio State and Oregon – are led by first-time head coaches.

According to reports, Texas A&M has interviewed Texas-San Antonio coach Jeff Traylor. He has been highly successful at UTSA, but that doesn’t mean he is prepared to take over an SEC program outsized expectations. Maybe he is, but maybe he’s not.

No more ‘receipts’ for Prime Time

The Prime Time football show is officially over. The  56-14 beating the Buffaloes took from Washington State, loser of six straight going into the game, was the final chapter in what was always a make-believe tale. They have one game left, another likely blowout at Utah. But they have now lost seven of eight. There will be no bowl game, no “receipts” to show.

The game was already getting away when Shedeur Sanders, son of the coach and a heck of a quarterback, finally succumbed to a season-long pounding and had to leave the game. In 11 games, he has been sacked 53 times. Had he played the entire game, it might have been a little closer. But it wouldn’t have mattered.

Washington State edge rusher Brennan Jackson returned two fumbles, one of them by Sanders, for touchdowns. Leyton Smith returned a kickoff 98 yards for a touchdown. Without Shedeur Sanders, I am not certain this Colorado team would have done any better than last season’s 1-11 record.

Deion Sanders likes to say that people who know football can see what is being built at Colorado. Maybe so. But I don’t see much.

Sanders’ celebrity, his entourage of entertainers and his boasting created interest in Colorado football. But the harsh glare of the spotlight has not been kind.

Michigan saga a long way from over

The Michigan saga has reached the point of absurdity. Having seen damning evidence, Michigan suddenly decided maybe the Big Ten had it right all along when head coach Jim Harbaugh was suspended for three games and dropped its lawsuit. A linebackers coach was fired. That was after the president and the AD trashed the Big Ten and did their best to make Michigan a victim.

The Wolverines still can win the national championship. Harbaugh can return for the Big Ten Championship Game if they get there. They have actually gotten off easy so far. But it is far from over. The NCAA will have its say and isn’t likely to be so kind.

Tigers start strong, defeat St. Bonaventure to win Legends Classic

Johni Broome was named the event's MVP

For the second time in program history, Auburn walked away from Brooklyn as the champion of the Legends Classic. The Tigers earned the title of the event by defeating the home-state St. Bonaventure Bonnies 77-60 on Friday night.

"That's a good St. Bonaventure team," said head coach Bruce Pearl. "Everybody knows what a great coach Mark Schmidt is, the job that he does...Overall, good win for us and proud of our kids for making history."

The score was tied at six just over three minutes in. Then, Denver Jones hit a 3-pointer, St. Bonaventure turned it over twice, Johni Broome scored a pair of close-range baskets, and the Tigers led the rest of the way. A pair of Aden Holloway free throws capped off the 9-0 run.

The run was Auburn’s first of three sustained scoring runs in the first half. The Tigers also put up a 13-4 run midway through the period and an 8-0 run to close out the half. 

Against Notre Dame, Auburn held a 15-point lead with 3:51 to go, only to surrender a run and see the lead reduced to six at the half. Against the Bonnies, it was the Tigers who went on the late first-half run. Ahead by 10 with 3:14 to play in the half, Auburn scored 13 of the final 16 points before going to the locker room.

"The last few minutes of the first half was pretty exciting basketball," Pearl said.

The Tigers shot 54.8 percent in the first 20 minutes, going 17-of-31 from the field, with Broome scoring 13 in the frame to lead his team. In the first half, Auburn made 50 percent of its 3-pointers, going 7-of-14 behind the arc.

The second half was not as kind to the Tigers, with the Bonnies outscoring Auburn 32-29, but the Tigers’ strong first half was too much for their opponent to overcome. The Tigers shot just 38.1 percent in the second half, and made just one of 10 3-pointers in the frame, factoring into the team’s failure to reach 80 points for the first time this season. Auburn also hurt itself with eight turnovers in the second half of play.

"We didn't shoot the ball as well in the second half," Pearl said. "That's probably the first half all year we really didn't shoot it well...that may have been a factor in our not continuing to build our lead."

Holloway, who came into the game shooting just over 52 percent from 3-point range, was just 2-for-7 from behind the arc. Jones, however, picked him up, shooing 3-for-3 from 3-point range.

Broome led the Tigers with 18 points, with Jaylin Williams and Jones joining him in double figures. Broome was 7-of-11 from the field and Williams led the Tigers with 10 rebounds, earning a double-double for the first time this season. Though Broome came into the game shooting just over 64 percent from the foul line, he made just four of his 11 free-throw attempts in the game.

As a team, Auburn was 19-of-27 from the foul line. The result was largely skewed due to Broome’s output, however, as four Tigers were perfect on free throws, including a 6-for-6 performance from Dylan Cardwell.

"When Johni had missed some free throws, we played the last four minutes with Dylan Cardwell in there and Dylan made all of his free throws," Pearl said. "Dylan's a career 40 percent free-throw shooter, he went 6-for-6 tonight. I know Dylan's shooting coach is smiling somewhere and look at the work Dylan has done, but he was poised and played great defense down the stretch."

The Tigers were active on the offensive glass, getting 11 offensive rebounds and turning those into 16 second-chance points. Williams had three of Auburn's offensive boards. The Bonnies were equally active on the offensive boards, though they did not take advantage as well as the Tigers, scoring 11 second-chance points from 12 offensive rebounds.

The active Auburn defense factored into the win, affecting the Bonnies, who committed several uncharacteristic miscues. St. Bonaventure came into the game averaging 11 turnovers per game but had 11 turnovers in the first half alone. For the game, the Bonnies had 16 turnovers, resulting in 24 Auburn points.

For the second straight game in Brooklyn, Auburn benefitted from its opponent’s inability to make 3-pointers. One day after Notre Dame finished 2-of-26 from behind the arc, the Bonnies made just three of their 24 3-point attempts. Combined, Auburn's opponents in the Legends Classic were just 5-of-50 from 3-point range.

Auburn, for the first time this season, was able to consistently get stops without fouling in the second half. Auburn’s first three opponents combined for 56 second-half free-throw attempts, but the Bonnies shot just 13 free throws in the entire game, with just ten attempts in the second half.

After scoring a combined 33 points in the two tournament games, Broome was named MVP of the Legends Classic, with Williams also making the all-tournament team.

"Honestly, I didn't know I was going to get MVP," Broome said. "I was focused on my teammates and celebrating a win. I was trying to get hyped."

From 2005 to 2018, Auburn did not win a multi-team tournament event. The Tigers’ victory in the Legends Classic, however, was their third win in such events since 2019, and their second straight. The Tigers won the Legends Classic in 2019 and the Cancun Challenge in 2022.

The Tigers outscored their two Legends Classic opponents by a combined 41 points, beating Notre Dame by 24 and the Bonnies by 17. After three neutral-site contests in four games, Auburn returns home to face Alabama A&M on Tuesday evening.

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theplainsman.com

Players to watch, keys to victory against New Mexico State

4–5 minutes

With its crushing defeat over Arkansas, Auburn won its third straight game against an SEC opponent, raising its season record to 6-4 and giving the Tigers bowl eligibility. Auburn comes back to Jordan-Hare Stadium after two weeks on the road to face the New Mexico State Aggies, who are doing well on their own with an 8-3 record on the season.  

The Aggies have won their past six games, with their recent victory coming against Western Kentucky 38-29. The Aggies are led by head coach Jerry Kill who has an overall record of 14-9 at the school over two seasons.  

Auburn leads the series 3-0 all-time, where all the games have been played on its own turf and its last win coming in 2012 42-7. With a win in Jordan-Hare this weekend, the Tigers would be on a four-game win streak heading into the Iron Bowl. 

PLAYERS TO WATCH  

AUBURN: 

Jarquez Hunter 

Hunter is continuing his pursuit of a 1,000-yard season on the ground with a great performance last week against Arkansas, rushing for 109 yards on 16 carries for his third straight game with at least 100 yards rushing. If Hunter can carry his momentum into the game against New Mexico State and get the Tigers some easy opportunities in the red zone, this game could go to the Tigers early. 

Payton Thorne 

Thorne is fresh off last week’s game where he had a solid performance with a four-touchdown showing against the Razorbacks in which he threw for three and rushed for one. He also tacked on 163 yards passing and threw one interception. Look for Thorne to get some more looks down field in the passing game to open the field and get some big plays early. This is the kind of game where Thorne can show what progress he has made as a passer throughout the season.

NEW MEXICO STATE: 

Diego Pavia 

The Aggies' quarterback has thrown for 2,257 yards and 19 touchdowns along with six interceptions this season. He is also their leading rusher with 705 yards on five scores. It will be essential for the Aggies' offense to get started early with a score to keep the Tigers on their heels and alleviate some pressure from the Aggies defense. 

Keys to Victory  

AUBURN: 

No turnovers. One interception or one fumble could allow the Aggies to get the ball one more possession than they should have, which would keep the game from being won early on and force the Tigers to keep their starters in for longer than they would like. The defense will also look to get off the field on third down to give the offense more chances to stretch a potential lead. 

NEW MEXICO STATE: 

The Aggies have lost each of their 27 meetings against SEC opponents. To get their first win, the Aggies will have to establish their running game. The Aggies have run for 170 or more yards in 14 consecutive games – looking to extend that streak to 15. 

Auburn and New Mexico State kick off Saturday, Nov. 18, at 3 p.m. CST in Jordan-Hare Stadium. The game will be televised on SEC Network.  

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William Halliday | Sports Writer

William Halliday started with The Plainsman in fall 2022. He is a journalism major from Memphis, Tennessee.

Twitter: @wphalliday3

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How much is New Mexico State getting paid to play Auburn this weekend?

Published: Nov. 17, 2023, 12:39 p.m.

2–3 minutes

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1. Auburn Football

What is Auburn paying New Mexico State to play this week? Here’s what the contract says

 

Head to Head: Auburn vs. New Mexico State

Auburn is set to write a $1.85 million check to the New Mexico State athletics department for this weekend’s game at Jordan-Hare Stadium, according to the game’s contract acquired by AL.com through a public records request.

This matchup, which was agreed upon in March 2019, will kick off at 3 p.m. Saturday and will be aired on the SEC Network.

The money is owed to New Mexico State on or before March 1, 2024.

Auburn is providing 300 complimentary tickets to New Mexico State, according to the contract, and up to 419 seats for the New Mexico State band. Any tickets the band does not use are not to be used to New Mexico State’s ticket allotment. Cheerleaders and “mascots in uniform” will be admitted free of charge.

The contract does allow for an undetermined number of consignment tickets — meaning tickets Auburn did not sell — to be given to New Mexico State. However, Auburn sold out the game, so there were no additional tickets provided.

Auburn enters this weekend on a three-game winning streak and a 6-4 overall record. It clinched bowl eligibility last week with a win over Arkansas. Nex Mexico State comes in on a six-game winning streak and with an 8-3 overall record.

These two schools have played three times before and Auburn won all three matchups — all at Jordan-Hare Stadium. The most recent game was a 42-7 Auburn win in 2012. Auburn also won in 2007 and 1993.

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

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247sports.com

 

The Real Deal New Mexico State week

Jason Caldwell

3–4 minutes

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Auburn tight end Luke Deal gives us his thoughts as the Tigers get ready for New Mexico State.

AUBURN, Alabama—Don't take your foot off the gas. That's the message from Auburn tight end Luke Deal as the Tigers get ready to face New Mexico State in the final non-conference game of the regular season. Kickoff is scheduled for 3 p.m. on the SEC Network as Hugh Freeze's team looks to win its fourth straight game following victories over Mississippi State, Vanderbilt and Arkansas.

A team that comes in 8-3 overall and heading towards its conference championship game, New Mexico State knows how to win and is a confident team heading into the Saturday showdown. Deal said that shows when you watch the Aggies and they have Auburn's attention this week. 

For Auburn, the message is straightforward. Just keep doing what you've been doing. Focusing on improvement each week has worked well for the Tigers and Deal said that's the goal once again.

Watch as we catch up with Deal for this week's The Real Deal.

 

Jason Caldwell's Friday Auburn mailbag column

Talking plenty of Auburn football as the Tigers prepare for NMSU

M5guy: What if?? Thorne had been the starter all along & we had been fast paced. Would we have 2 more wins or lost by larger margins to A&M, Georgia & OM because the offense would have been 3 & out a bunch & defense would have been tired? Your best educated guess!!

I think because of the issues executing the offense earlier in the season, going fast-paced might have helped you beat Ole Miss but you might have lost the game to Cal playing that way. Just no way of knowing how it’s going to go. I 100 percent believe that playing the way they did gave them the best chance to beat that Georgia team. Now, sticking with one quarterback could have impacted things a lot more as they got more reps together. Probably the biggest thing they've done is simplify things to allow guys to play fast. Not sure that would have happened early in the year, so there could have been some issues no matter how things went.

BayEagle: Jason, after going through 11 weeks of College Football Season. Has your opinion changed on the New Clock Rule or is it working out better than you anticipated? Thanks.

Honestly, it hasn’t been that noticeable in terms of the game itself. Where I have noticed it is in the number of timeouts. Being on the field, every time I turn around I’m seeing the clock guy walk out and set the timer at 3:00. It’s just beyond infuriating to have a TV timeout on third down, a punt, and then another TV timeout. That’s probably been the biggest issue for me.

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si.com

Auburn's Best-Case Scenario at WR in the 2024 Recruiting Class

Lance Dawe

3–4 minutes

Auburn is in need of some new wideouts in 2023.

The Tigers have struggled at the position for a couple of seasons now, and Hugh Freeze is doing his best to bring in some fresh talent while keeping some of the production that's currently on the roster.

The 2024 class already features five-star Perry Thompson, who Auburn flipped from Alabama earlier this year. Four-stars Bryce Cain and Malcolm Simmons are also committed.

However, there are a couple of massive potential additions that Auburn could flip from SEC schools over the next few weeks.

Here's the best-case scenario for Auburn if they land all of the receivers they want.

Perry Thompson, Five-star (No. 6 WR)

Thompson flipped from Alabama back in July and gave Auburn their first five-star commit since the 2019 recruiting class. The No. 32 overall prospect is a big, physical receiver with a large catch radius. Just how Freeze likes his receivers.

Auburn desperately needs some height and aggression on the outside, and Thompson provides that.

Ryan Williams, Five-star (No. 1 WR)

Williams is currently committed to Alabama, but Auburn is pushing Williams and could be in position to flip him away from the Tide as well within the next few weeks.

He's the No. 1 receiver in the nation and provides insane speed and elusiveness. This is a surefire first-round receiver that would be a demon in Freeze's offense.

Cam Coleman, Five-star (No. 3 WR)

It surprised everyone when Coleman committed to Texas A&M in the summer, but now that A&M head coach Jimbo Fisher is out of the picture, Auburn is right back in the race for Coleman.

We could see a flip coming soon from Coleman, a tall vertical threat that is compared to former Georgia receiver George Pickens.

Bryce Cain, Four-star (No. 33 WR)

Cain has risen in the rankings since his commitment to Auburn. The elite route runner from Baker High School (Mobile, AL) showed off great hands and coordination during a camp at Auburn in the summer.

He may get overlooked because of the high-end talent the Tigers may pull, but Cain is smooth and possesses track speed.

Malcolm Simmons, Four-star (No. 16 ATH)

Criminally underrated. That's what Malcolm Simmons is.

He's a track star, but Simmons also has hops. He was 6A state champion as a junior in both high and long jump.

The six-foot 165-pound athlete/wide receiver chose the Tigers over Arkansas, Georgia Tech, and West Virginia. 

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[SaltyTiger 8,680]

Looks like a gorgeous day in the works here on the Plains Fiddy. Happy game day. Thanx