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9/25/22 Auburn Articles


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Joseph Goodman: It was an instant classic for the SEC’s village idiots

Published: Sep. 24, 2022, 6:23 p.m.
5-6 minutes

It was entertaining in the way that drunken amateur backyard wrestling might capture the imaginations of village idiots.

What am I looking at?

How is any of this even legal?

Anyone who watched the entirety of Auburn 17, Missouri 14 on Saturday at Jordan-Hare Stadium muttered variations of those words again and again and again throughout the game like some brain-addled degenerate staring into a black sun. In the end, we were all blinded by our own idiocy for not looking away. There were no winners in that backyard of freaks where self-harm is fun, but sooner or later someone had to lose it all trying to be a hero.

Seriously, what did I just watch?

RELATED: Harsin puts 4th-and-1 mentality to test

RELATED: Everything Harsin said about Auburn’s victory

RELATED: Everything Eli Drinkwitz said after Missouri’s loss

RELATED: Auburn rides wave of emotions in 17-14 OT win

Auburn coach Bryan Harsin went into the game needing a win to maybe save his job. The 41-12 loss to Penn State was bad. This win against Missouri was maybe worse. It was a wild joyride through the halls of Arkham Asylum — memorable like PTSD is memorable, imprinting some glorious calamity forever in the consciousness of a place that does that better than anywhere else.

Auburn celebrated in its locker room like the Great War had just ended. Some people criticized them for that. Not me. It felt like the necessary reaction to the ending of something profound. Please, god, let trench warfare in all its forms be gone from this earth forever.

Auburn had 217 yards of total offense and didn’t lose.

“I think everybody in that locker room is exhausted in a good way,” Harsin said in his post-game news conference. “I told our players I’m proud of them.”

Champions of glory, all, and backyard barn-ery.

Auburn won it in overtime when Missouri running back Nathaniel Peat fumbled going untouched into the end zone. Auburn’s Cayden Bridges fell on the ball to mercifully end all suffering. It was a win by fumble recovery. The Tigers went first in overtime and kicker Anders Carlson missed from 44 yards, but got a second chance from the Mizzou 39 due to an offsides penalty.

“There were certainly some tough circumstances,” Harsin said. “At the end of the game.”

Tough circumstances?

Playing in a driving rainstorm without shoes might be considered tough circumstances. Missouri failed to win the game twice in the span of a few minutes. It was absurdist art. It was Les Miles football on five sheets of high powered blotter acid.

And I’m a sick, sick puppy because for some reason I want to watch it all again. At least it was a win. Auburn might not have many more, if any at all. Next up, a team familiar with “tough circumstances”: LSU.

Encore, anyone?

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Kevin Scarbinsky: The fire this time on the Plains isn’t just Auburn being Auburn

Published: Aug. 28, 2022, 5:00 a.m.
3 minutes

It is the easiest narrative in college football. Whenever something goes awry in the house that Pat Dye built, when the football program makes the kind of headlines for which Friday afternoon news dumps were created, people far and wide tend to decide that, details aside, the underlying explanation is rooted in the soil.

It’s just Auburn being Auburn, where they have met the enemy and it is them and the circular firing squad never runs out of ammo. Auburn fans themselves have embraced this dubious distinction and turned it into an acronym, JABA as shorthand when talking amongst themselves.

On the surface, Auburn parting company with Athletics Director Allen Greene eight days before kickoff of another football season looks like the latest in a continuing series of juicy JABA moments. Hold open the door for the AD with football coach Bryan Harsin on the hot seat in the wake of an SEC basketball title, a College World Series trip and the school’s first Final Four in gymnastics?

You can’t spell that kind of audacity without AU, amirite, although this episode is unique in that it prompted outrage and outrageous public slander from Tennessee AD (and Allen Greene friend and mentor) Danny White. His reprimand from SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey for his intraconference impudence should be on the way as we speak.

You could jump to the convenient conclusion, but it’s always better to dig deeper. In this case, after conversations with multiple Auburn insiders, it appears that letting Greene go was not short-sighted but long overdue, not the unfortunate result of another internal power struggle but the next logical and necessary step as Auburn seeks to get its proud house in order.

The first step was hiring a longtime Auburn man, Dr. Christopher B. Roberts, as university president. Good people of long standing on the Plains have been singing his praises since his hire. Their educated take is that Roberts is just the man to hire the right person to help him straighten out an athletics department whose success on the scoreboard too often obscures the dysfunction behind the scenes.

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31 minutes ago, aubiefifty said:

Kevin Scarbinsky: The fire this time on the Plains isn’t just Auburn being Auburn

Published: Aug. 28, 2022, 5:00 a.m.
3 minutes

It is the easiest narrative in college football. Whenever something goes awry in the house that Pat Dye built, when the football program makes the kind of headlines for which Friday afternoon news dumps were created, people far and wide tend to decide that, details aside, the underlying explanation is rooted in the soil.

It’s just Auburn being Auburn, where they have met the enemy and it is them and the circular firing squad never runs out of ammo. Auburn fans themselves have embraced this dubious distinction and turned it into an acronym, JABA as shorthand when talking amongst themselves.

On the surface, Auburn parting company with Athletics Director Allen Greene eight days before kickoff of another football season looks like the latest in a continuing series of juicy JABA moments. Hold open the door for the AD with football coach Bryan Harsin on the hot seat in the wake of an SEC basketball title, a College World Series trip and the school’s first Final Four in gymnastics?

You can’t spell that kind of audacity without AU, amirite, although this episode is unique in that it prompted outrage and outrageous public slander from Tennessee AD (and Allen Greene friend and mentor) Danny White. His reprimand from SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey for his intraconference impudence should be on the way as we speak.

You could jump to the convenient conclusion, but it’s always better to dig deeper. In this case, after conversations with multiple Auburn insiders, it appears that letting Greene go was not short-sighted but long overdue, not the unfortunate result of another internal power struggle but the next logical and necessary step as Auburn seeks to get its proud house in order.

The first step was hiring a longtime Auburn man, Dr. Christopher B. Roberts, as university president. Good people of long standing on the Plains have been singing his praises since his hire. Their educated take is that Roberts is just the man to hire the right person to help him straighten out an athletics department whose success on the scoreboard too often obscures the dysfunction behind the scenes.

Good points in this article.  The Joseph Goodman article is Bama trash.  

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1 hour ago, 3rdgeneration said:

Good points in this article.  The Joseph Goodman article is Bama trash.  

I’ve never read anything that was worth the time from Goodman. He’s a turd through and through. 

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In His Own Words: Harsin on Auburn's escape vs. Missouri

By Nathan King84 mins

0

AUBURN, Alabama — "Survived" might not be a strong enough word for what Auburn did at home in a 17-14 win over Missouri on Saturday afternoon. Twice, the visiting Tigers had a chance to win the game on a routine play — a 26-yard field goal at the end of regulation, and a clear-path touchdown run in overtime — and botched both. As a result, Bryan Harsin and Auburn are 3-1 and 1-0 in SEC play. Here's everything Harsin had to say about his team's great escape in Jordan-Hare Stadium.

Opening remarks ...

"Well, I think everybody in that locker room is exhausted in a good way. And I told our players I'm proud of them. They did what they needed to do to win the football game. And that was the message this week — just play every play, you know? Simple. Just play the play. And that's really what happened, if you look at the game towards the end. And I'll get to that here in just a minute. But first of all, you know, Missouri is a very good football team. They're very well-coached. Their staff had them prepared. I knew Eli would do that, and he did exactly that. And they did some really good things. And we had to overcome a tough opponent and certainly some tough circumstances at the end of the game. They put themselves in position to win the game. And we were able to have that play go our way with the field goal and go into overtime. Then we have an opportunity for Anders to go out there and make the kick, which he did. And then, at the very end of it, we played that last play, and the ball comes out. That's really the tale of the game right there — the ball comes out, and we're able to recover. 

"We had two turnovers today. So we were plus-two, on the turnovers, which is what we wanted to be. That was a big factor in the game. But just overall, it's the effort of our guys and the sideline and the energy and the focus each and every play. The execution part of it, we'll go back and look at that. We know that's always a message that we're going to have from me and our coaches. Everybody in that room, the execution — we're going to have to figure out, you know, how we do those things better. And that's the beauty of having another week to go prepare for another SEC opponent. But, overall, I mean, that was a great game. Our crowd was fantastic. To get up early and to be there at 11 a.m., to go out there have the energy that we did — I thought we started off fast. And so you can feel that. I thought we had momentum early in the game. And then things started to slow down, it was just kind of a back-and-forth slugfest at that point."

"I thought our defense did some really good things. They got the turnover early in the game. And then we were able to get them — I don't know how many three-and-outs we had. And they made a few plays. Then in the second half, we got ourselves into some behind-the-chains situations. That is what we did. We want to stay ahead of the chains. We got behind the chains. And so, second-and-12, second-and-15, we didn't recover from there as well as we'd like to. We've gotta learn from that.  But overall, you know, in that locker room right there, there's a lot of guys in there that I'm very proud of. I appreciate the effort. The coaches, you know, for not panicking and sticking with the plan and making some adjustments that we needed to. We'll learn from that. 

"So we have today to sit back and kind of just watch some other teams and take in what occurred in this game. We've got tomorrow to go back to work. And then we'll do that. That's the one thing — you get into SEC play, it's going to be every single week. And it's really like that. You're playing good opponents every week that are well-coached, that have great players. And sometimes, you've got to find a way. And we did that. We found a way to win the game. And I'm really proud of our guys for that."

Ever coach in a game like that? ...

"No. Right now? I mean, there's been some crazy games — but no, not like that. I think if you looked at the end of the game there, we put ourselves in a position. When they went to take a knee and really center the ball... that's what they were doing, they were going to center the ball. That's the right thing to do. I don't think you put yourself in a position where you're going to put the ball in harm's way. So I thought they executed what they needed to do to put themselves in a position to win. I think we applied some pressure. I couldn't tell you what caused the kick to maybe just go wide right — if it was the pressure that we were bringing. And one of the things about that is just an accumulation of the game, right? As you're out there and you have a chance to get your field-goal block team out there, sometimes that does affect the kicker.

"But you get into overtime. You want to score a touchdown, we end up kicking a field goal. And you think that might be a pick right there, and it ends up not being a pick. And so we get another chance, which was huge. You know that ball hitting the ground — it's just, you know, it comes down to a game of inches. That's what it comes down to. Their kids were out there trying to make plays, too. And so it went our way. We were able to get the field goal out of it. And at the end, you know, that's just one of those things where — I know how it's taught on our end, and I know it's taught in Missouri as well. As you put the ball out there, things can happen. And then that's what happened. The guy's trying to make a play, and the ball goes into the end zone and he fumbles. We recover that, and that's the end of it. So, crazy finish. Both teams fighting hard to win the football game, and we were able to find a way to get it done."

Offensive line play; Tate Johnson's status ...

"Yeah, Tate — I don't know the status of Tate right now and what that means moving forward. So we'll get more of that tomorrow. Yeah, well, we struggled in some of our pass protection, no question. I also think (Missouri) did a good job. But you know, that's an area that we're going to continue to keep emphasizing and keep working on. And it's not going to go away until we fix some of our own problems. That's the focus that you have on your own football team. And our guys know that. A lot of our week in preparation still is about us, right? We played Missouri today. But a lot of it was about what we had to do, how we had to execute. And you know, the message during the week was focus and execution — focus on the task at hand and then execute the plays and do our job, basically, out there. 

"We've got to be better on the offensive line. We've got too much pressure. Robby did a good job today. I was really proud of Robby. Robby ran around, made some plays. You know, that's the one thing that Robbie did a really good job of — he made things happen. And he ran the ball well. Towards the end there, we had a little fade ball that he threw that was nice. Koy had a great catch on that. Those guys had that dialed in. That wasn't necessarily what we thought they might do. But they came up and pressed us. We had a chance for that. You don't know if they're gonna press or not. But he gave us an opportunity to make that throw, and we did. We executed that, so it helped us get into field-goal range, or, better field position."

"But overall, yeah, we've got to fix some of those things up front. And you know, that ties in the run game. And, you know, for us, just so we're clear: We want every single play to be successful. We want to stay ahead of the chains. And when you don't, that's where you've gotta look back and go, 'Alright, what are we doing schematically? How are we coaching it? What are the things we're doing in our drills to make sure that we're in better positions than what we were today?' That's what we get to do as coaches — go figure out how we can help our players be better in those areas. And that's our job, to do that. And those guys, they're going to work hard at it. And we got to make sure that we do a great job this week of working on some of those things and getting better in those areas."

Was Geriner in the game plan, or just because of Ashford's injury? ...

“Yeah, it was more of that. Robby got a little bit — he got hit, and so he needed a minute there to recover, so to get Holden in there and play. I’ll say this: Holden had a very good week, and Holden has — Holden is coming on, alright? He is coming on. He’s learning. He’s been involved in every game plan, maybe not as far as playing, but he knows the gameplan, he knows what to do, and we put him out there. We felt good. We felt like he could go out there and execute the plays. I don’t think anything had to do with Holden, necessarily; it kind of comes back to the question about protection. We need to do a better job giving him a little bit more time, but felt good about when he came in there. We actually gave him another drive and gave him another chance, kind of felt like he was ready to go again, then Robby came back and we were able to finish the game with him.”

Wave of emotions on Ashford's near-interception ...

“Yeah, well, I think No. 1, you’re hoping it’s not. You see the ball, and that’s why you get a chance; that’s why they have replay. Obviously, in that moment right there, that’s obviously not what you want to have happen. Those guys — that’s a turnover, that’s huge, that’s game-changing in that moment. It didn’t go their way; it went our way. Then in the end of the game, you see — I kind of saw what you guys all saw too. I’ll watch it more in detail, but you see their back break it, and our guys are charging on the ball, and then the ball comes out and you just don’t know what’s going to happen. I don’t know if he crossed the line with it. I don’t know if it’s going out of the back of the end zone. I don’t know if he stepped out of bounds. You don’t know anything, because it’s on their sideline. All you know is that they’re advancing the football, and they’re getting closer and closer to the end zone, and if they score a touchdown, it’s over. That’s really what it comes down to: They can’t score. They kick a field goal, we go to another overtime and then we’re into our two-point conversions after that, but that didn’t happen. The ball came out. Our guys finished the play. They were truly playing that play, and that’s what happened on it, and we’re able to win the game.”

Fourth-and-1 call on last drive of regulation ...

“Yeah, well, we went for it — I don’t know how many, but we went for it quite a bit today on fourth down. There was another one that I called a timeout that we were going to kick it, and then no. We talk about this stuff in the staff room, and we watch quite a bit of film of what other teams do in certain situations of just learning, and in that moment, it was like, ‘we need to go for it. You’re here to win this football game,’ and I thought that was the right call: call timeout and go for it, finish out getting our guys a chance to hopefully finish that drive and get the first down. The one at the end, I thought we had the first down. I thought we had the first down, and we were going to go fast in that moment. They called a timeout, and I don’t know — it was six inches, maybe, right? It was very short. It might’ve been longer than that.

“But it felt like from what we had done, and stuff we had discussed too, that we could get that. I really believe our guys can get that, and that we needed that as well. They did a great job. They played. They did a great job with their front, knocked us back. They beat us on the edge, I think is what happened, then they got into the backfield and we didn’t get it. But that was more us being aggressive in that moment, and it’s inches, and we felt like we could get it because we had done that throughout the game.”

Defense stepped up in second half ...

“Yeah, we really leaned on our defense a lot, and those guys, they came up big. I thought the D-line did a really good job. They tried to run the football, and Missouri coming into this game, we felt like they had done a good job in their run game—the schemes they run, how they do it. We knew we were going to get a bunch of formations and personnel groups, which you know, Coach Drinkwitz does an awesome job with that. He’s very hard to defend with a lot of the things that he does. We got a bunch of different looks, but the D-line came up big. I thought our edges made some big plays when they needed to. So, that was huge. It was huge for our defense to get those stops, to get the ball back in our offense’s hands. They did everything they could to give us a chance to put more points on the board, so I thought those guys executed like they should and really tried to help our football team. We got to complement that on the offensive side, but they did a very good job of making that happen.”

Missouri's fumble — how do you teach pylon-reaching? ...

"Yeah, you know what, it’s really that. I’m sure they’ve coached it the same way at Missouri as well. And it’s hard. I mean, just in the moment, right? You got to think about this too. And I know it’s coached up and you don’t want to stick the ball out and you do on fourth down, right? If it’s fourth down, you got to get it. Right? That’s always the coaching point, you got to do whatever you have to do to put the ball in the end zone. On an early down, no, you don’t. If you stretch the ball out, there’s a chance — there’s a chance — that that that ball comes out. But we see it all the time, some guys palm that ball and they stick the ball out there and they score. Right? You see that as well. And it’s a great play. And everybody cheers that. So when something like that happens, that’s one—this would be a play that everybody in the country will look at. Every staff in America will have this play, and they’ll look at it and it’ll be another—It’s like when guys run and drop the ball before the endzone, right? And that happens.

"You coach those things up. I know that their player was trying to score, he’s doing everything he can to put the ball in the endzone. And, you know, the ball comes out. And that’s, that’s why you coach it that way. But again, when you’re out there, you’ve got 11 guys running after you and you’re trying to make a play. You know, sometimes you’ve got to remember those things. And, you know, but I mean, it’s just guys are playing hard guys. Guys are playing hard and that happened. And I think that’s the number one thing to learn from, you know, and certainly for their players, they were trying to win the football game too, and fortunately for us, and hard for them, I mean, that’s what happened in the game. That’s football and those things happen and the ball bounced our way. We hadn’t had a lot of things necessarily go our way. And we needed that. You know, we needed that turnover. We needed that ball to come out in situations like that — or that situation and that’s what happened. We were able to win."

Resiliency of your team after last week ...

"Yeah, they’re resilient. Every week, there’s going to be — I mean, we talk about it. And you guys know, this, too: There’s a lot of noise around every game, right? And that’s just something you’ve got to deal with every week. Either, if you lost, it wasn’t good enough. Even if you won, maybe sometimes it’s not good enough. Right? There’s just a lot of things that go into it. And I think our biggest challenge is keeping our guys focused on what happens in our facility, and the things that we know are going to help us be successful. And that is—that really is—that’s our biggest challenge. Every single week, win or lose, right? You can’t get too high, you can’t get too low, you’ve got to flush the games, you’ve got to learn from things you did. And we won this game, plenty to learn from, and then tomorrow night, we’ve got to flush this, we’ve got to move on to LSU. So that right there, that’s to me where the discipline comes in. And you know that’s a big word that we use in our program, the discipline to just focus on the things you need to and to do the assignments that are right in front of you. And, you know, I thought our guys did that this week.

"That was one of the messages this week is like, ‘Look, you know, stay focused on the task at hand, and then just concentrate on the execution of the play.’ And tonight, you know, sometimes it doesn’t always work that way: As a coach, you use things for your players. It doesn’t always go that way. Tonight it did. And so, you know, our guys learned a valuable lesson. Alright? The game is never over, even if you think it is, and everybody else thinks it is. You’ve just got to play that play. And if you do, and it goes in your favor, you’ve got to be ready to go out there and execute whatever you have to do to win the game. And so as long as we can do that, as long as we can keep that message tight within that room, and the guys listen to what the things that we have to say and what our coaches have to say, then that’s going to help us continue to keep growing as a football team and helping us stay focused on what we have to do to win games."

Derick Hall's huge game ...

"Well, I mean, Derick’s a captain. There’s a reason why he is. And you know he’s going to step up. And you know, in this game, we come in, it’s tied 14-14 at halftime … right? … Yeah it was 14-14 at halftime, so really 0-0 halftime is what it was. And you know, everybody sat down, dehydrated, they got on the whiteboards and started making adjustments and things we had to do. I mean, that to me, like that’s a that’s a step in the right direction. And the leaders on the team are a big part of that. So that’s why you have leaders, and he’s one of them. And he stepped up today—and so did other guys. You know, there were some things too in the backend in coverage that we did a good job. You know, we were running hip to hip with a lot of guys. And we didn’t have too many penalties.

"I thought special teams, we tried to create some things—stuff we talked about showed up on special teams in a positive way. So, you know, it just goes back to some of the stuff that we worked on this week that showed up in this game. And it goes into overtime. It’s a three-point ball game, but we did some really good things. That’s one thing. We did some really good things that we worked on this last week that showed up in this game that, we’ve got plenty more to get better at, but you know, I’m proud of our coaches for emphasizing that and the players executing it and doing what they needed to do to to find a way to win. And that’s what happened."

Considered Anders Carlson in the fourth quarter? ...

"Yeah, we trust Anders. I mean, there’s no doubt about it. And even, you know, we talk about that fourth down—we trust him in that moment, too. We just felt like we could really get it and that would help us get a little bit closer. But he came through. They had the penalty. I think he missed it. And there was a penalty, we came back, he made it. I know we missed one in regulation there. But we trust Anders. Every single week he comes to work, he prepares himself, he’s ready to go. He’s got a great calmness about him that you have to have in that position.

"Because, you know, for kickers, the one thing I always tell them: You get one shot. Everybody else is out there playing — right? — you can kind of get into a groove of play, get three, four plays or whatever. When you come in, it’s one play. And so those guys, they’re over there kicking in the net, and doing whatever they got to do, but you get one shot. And so I think you’ve got to be extremely mentally strong, to be able to go out there and have that moment and really just capture it with just executing and doing your assignment, which is what he did when we needed it most. And he was able to help us win the game."

How Hall set the tone for defense ...

"Yeah. I think he did that. I think other guys did that. That’s part of it. I think that’s part of learning how to win, is deciding that you’re gonna go out there and do everything you can to put yourself in a position to do that. And that’s something that he’s been a part of, we talked about, and he certainly brought that today. He’s great on the sideline, he was great in the locker room, he was great during the game. He went out there and produced that’s what great players do, they lead, they set the example, and he did that. So more and more guys — and on the defensive side, too, like, you know, they follow that. They follow Owen, they follow Eku, they follow those guys.

"You know, Colby, you know — one guy tonight, or today, I thought was really good was Colby Wooden. You know, every moment, every time—now we had, it seemed like we had a football game in the middle of commercials, is what it seemed like. There was a lot of commercials today. Alright? So I asked the guy, I’m like, ‘How many more of these we got?’ Like, there’s a football game going on. And anyhow, but every one of those everyone was breaks, you know, Colby just had a smile on his face, and was just nodding, like, ‘We’re gonna get it done.’ And, you know, that was good. It was good for our team. It was good for him. It was good for everybody. And so those guys were in tune with what we had to do to win."

Big hug with Ashford after the win ...

"Yeah, you know, Robby was emotional, as he should be. I mean, that’s a that’s a huge opportunity for him, you got to start. And, you know, he did some really good things tonight. And he’s just, he’s, he’s excited. He was excited about having the chance to do that. He played extremely tough. He showed tremendous toughness today. And it’s important to him. And that’s, that’s the other part too. It’s really important to these players, what they do, how they perform, what they’re trying to accomplish for their teammates. I can feel that, and that was just, that was him. It was a chance to just embrace, and know that we put a really hard day of work in to win this game. He played really well. He worked really hard this week to get himself prepared and ready. And that’s how it should feel, right?

"That’s the beauty of what we get to do. And I talk about the arena. And when we’re in it, you know, it’s an emotional game. And you’ve got to stay locked in and focused to execute but there’s emotions when the game is over and you’ve won a game like that and you found a way to get it done, you should feel that way. You should feel that joy and you should feel that excitement because of a hard day’s work and you’re proud that you’re able to go out there and help your team win the football game."

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Bryan Harsin puts 4th-and-1 mentality to the test in win vs. Missouri

Updated: Sep. 24, 2022, 5:54 p.m.|Published: Sep. 24, 2022, 5:53 p.m.

5-6 minutes

Bryan Harsin spent the last 21 months talking about instilling a “fourth-and-1 mentality” in his program. In Auburn’s SEC opener against Missouri, he practiced what he preached.

Auburn went for it four times on fourth down Saturday, converting three of them in a 17-14 overtime win against Missouri.

“We went for it quite a bit today on fourth down,” Harsin said.

Read more Auburn football: Watch: Wild, unlikely finish saves Auburn from overtime loss to Missouri

Instant analysis from Auburn’s 17-14 overtime win

What Bryan Harsin said about Auburn’s improbable SEC-opening win

Auburn attempted two fourth-down conversions in each of its first three games this season, extending drives on four of them entering SEC play. Coming off a lopsided home loss to Penn State, though, and with plenty on the line against Missouri, Harsin chose to be particularly aggressive in those situations Saturday at Jordan-Hare Stadium.

Auburn went for and converted two fourth-and-short situations on its opening possession—a 14-play, 59-yard scoring drive that put it ahead, 7-0, midway through the first quarter. Tank Bigsby converted both of them, picking up 2 yards on fourth-and-1 at midfield early in the drive and then gaining 3 yards on fourth-and-2 at the Missouri 14-yard line.

That set up Robby Ashford’s 11-yard touchdown for the early lead.

The third attempt came in the second quarter after Missouri cut Auburn’s lead in half, 14-7. Auburn faced fourth-and-1 at its own 34-yard line and trotted Oscar Chapman and the specialist unit onto the field to punt. Harsin then called a timeout to talk it over before sending the offense back out onto the field.

Ashford kept it on a sneak, pushing the pile forward for 2 yards and a first down.

“We were going to kick it, and then no,” Harsin said. “We talk about this stuff in the staff room, and we watch quite a bit of film of what other teams do in certain situations and just learning, and in that moment, it was like, ‘We need to go for it. You’re here to win this football game,’ and I thought that was the right call: Call timeout and go for it, finish out getting our guys a chance to hopefully finish that drive and get the first down.”

Perhaps the most consequential of those fourth-down decisions came in the final two minutes of regulation. Auburn had the ball and was driving in Missouri territory with the game knotted at 14-14. Ashford was stopped short of the line to gain on third down, setting up fourth-and-1 at the Missouri 29-yard line with 1:43 to play.

Auburn was within range for Anders Carlson to attempt a go-ahead field goal. It would have been a 46-yarder to put Auburn in front, 17-14, with about 90 seconds to play.

Missouri called a timeout after stopping Ashford on third down, and Harsin chose to go for the first down to try to finish off the game with the ball in Auburn’s hands.

“We trust (Carlson) in that moment,” Harsin said. “We just felt like we could really get it and that would help us get a little bit closer.”

The call backfired, as Bigsby was stuffed in the backfield and short of the first down.

“I thought we had the first down,” Harsin said. “I thought we had the first down, and we were going to go fast in that moment. They called a timeout, and I don’t know—it was six inches, maybe, right? It was very short. It might’ve been longer than that. But it felt like from what we had done, and stuff we had discussed too, that we could get that. I really believe our guys can get that, and that we needed that as well. They did a great job. They played. They did a great job with their front, knocked us back. They beat us on the edge, I think is what happened, then they got into the backfield and we didn’t get it.

“But that was more us being aggressive in that moment, and it’s inches, and we felt like we could get it because we had done that throughout the game.”

Missouri took over with 1:37 to play and a chance for the win. Eli Drinkwitz’s team nearly pulled it off, too. Brady Cook orchestrated a drive that got Missouri down to the Auburn 3-yard line, but Harrison Mevis missed a 26-yard would-be game-winner as time expired, sending the game into overtime.

Everyone knows what happened next: Carlson put Auburn ahead with a 39-yard field goal to open overtime, and then Missouri’s Nathaniel Peat fumbled the ball just inches shy of the end zone on what would have been a walk-off touchdown, with Cayden Bridges recovering for Auburn and securing the win.

“It was just a grimy game,” Auburn quarterback Robby Ashford said. “…It came down the final play — literally. Credit to Missouri: They played their butts off. But credit to my team, as well, even more because we got the W.”

Tom Green is an Auburn beat reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Tomas_Verde.

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Five takeaways from Auburn's win over Missouri

River Wells
4 minutes

Of all the football games to ever happen, that was certainly one of them.

Auburn beat Missouri by a score of 17-14 — more aptly, Missouri beat Missouri twice by both missing a field goal on the goal line as time expired and then subsequently dropping a football right before it crossed the plane. As such, rumors that Bryan Harsin would be fired if he lost to Missouri can be put on hold for now, but the win was an ugly one that won’t leave Auburn fans too happy.

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Here are five takeaways from a rare win that most involved would like to forget:

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USA Today Network

Auburn is set to play a stretch of football against LSU, Georgia, Ole Miss, Arkansas, Mississippi State and Texas A&M in its next six games. It will not be a fun time.

The Tigers realistically should have lost to Mizzou twice here, and the escape with a win against the now-worst team in the conference shouldn’t be inspiring anybody. Auburn is about to have a very bad time along this stretch and will likely be outplayed significantly by each of its upcoming opponents, which leads to the next point…

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(AP Photo/Butch Dill)

Rumors had it that Bryan Harsin would be fired should the team have lost to Mizzou. His Auburn Tigers were dead to rights at two different points at the game’s end and managed to escape, but that shouldn’t save Harsin’s job.

Here’s the deal: Auburn is unlikely to win any of its next six games, and those losses would look a little better to recruits and national perception if an interim coach lost them. Everyone wants Harsin gone, and removing him now wouldn’t look bad on the athletic association and the Tigers could get to rebuilding with a jump on any teams that may be looking to do the same.

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John Reed-USA TODAY Sports

This game hurt to watch, but Auburn’s Oscar Chapman was simply excellent.

Props where props are due. Chapman averaged 45.9 yards per punt and downed the football inside the 20-yard-line three different times. Chapman was great, but Auburn also brought him out to punt eight times — might want to avoid letting him show his skills too often in the foreseeable future.

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USA Today Network

I mentioned in my defensive keys that the defense needed to get turnovers and force Mizzou quarterback Brady Cook out of his comfort zone, and they certainly did just that.

The Tigers finally got their turnover when Derick Hall picked off a tipped ball early in the game. He also had three tackles for loss, which terrorized Missouri’s offense in combination with Auburn’s four total sacks. It was exactly the day that unit needed to get right back on track, and it certainly shined in comparison to Auburn’s other side of the ball.

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USA Today Network

The Tigers offense threw 21 passes and ran 45 times. The team averaged 6.4 yards per attempt through the air and 1.8 yards per attempt on the ground.

Is that good?

The answer, unfortunately, is no, and it’s only a continuation of Auburn’s offensive woes across this year. Quarterback Robby Ashford and running back Tank Bigsby picked up a touchdown on the ground, but the production overall was miserable — what’s more, Ashford’s work in the passing game was unsustainable. Tigers fans may have to wait a long time before they’re wowed by this Auburn unit going forward.

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2-2, 0-1 Conf
142.png&h=100&w=100
14
Final/OT
  1 2 3 4 OT T
MIZ 0 14 0 0 0 14
AUB 14 0 0 0 3 17
2.png&h=208&w=208
17
2.png&h=100&w=100
3-1, 1-0 Conf
 
142.png&h=100&w=100Missouri Passing
  C/ATT YDS AVG TD INT QBR
Brady Cook 14/24 179 7.5 0 1 52.7
TEAM 14/24 179 7.5 0 1 --
2.png&h=100&w=100Auburn Passing
  C/ATT YDS AVG TD INT QBR
Robby Ashford 12/18 127 7.1 0 0 31.0
Holden Geriner 2/3 8 2.7 0 0 0.5
TEAM 14/21 135 6.4 0 0 --
142.png&h=100&w=100Missouri Rushing
  CAR YDS AVG TD LONG
Nathaniel Peat 20 110 5.5 0 20
Cody Schrader 7 29 4.1 1 9
Brady Cook 10 -1 -0.1 1 13
Team 2 -5 -2.5 0 0
TEAM 39 133 3.4 2 20
2.png&h=100&w=100Auburn Rushing
  CAR YDS AVG TD LONG
Robby Ashford 15 46 3.1 1 13
Tank Bigsby 19 44 2.3 1 14
Jarquez Hunter 7 13 1.9 0 8
Damari Alston 1 1 1.0 0 1
John Samuel Shenker 1 -5 -5.0 0 0
Holden Geriner 2 -17 -8.5 0 0
TEAM 45 82 1.8 2 14
142.png&h=100&w=100Missouri Receiving
  REC YDS AVG TD LONG
Dominic Lovett 5 102 20.4 0 40
Mookie Cooper 3 32 10.7 0 17
Kibet Chepyator 3 26 8.7 0 14
Barrett Banister 1 9 9.0 0 9
Nathaniel Peat 1 7 7.0 0 7
Tauskie Dove 1 3 3.0 0 3
TEAM 14 179 12.8 0 40
2.png&h=100&w=100Auburn Receiving
  REC YDS AVG TD LONG
Koy Moore 4 74 18.5 0 24
John Samuel Shenker 3 39 13.0 0 18
Omari Kelly 1 12 12.0 0 12
Camden Brown 2 8 4.0 0 5
Shedrick Jackson 1 1 1.0 0 1
Luke Deal 1 1 1.0 0 1
Tank Bigsby 2 0 0.0 0 0
TEAM 14 135 9.6 0 24
142.png&h=100&w=100Missouri Fumbles
  FUM LOST REC
Nathaniel Peat 1 1 0
Dominic Lovett 1 0 0
TEAM 2 1 0
2.png&h=100&w=100Auburn Fumbles
  FUM LOST REC
Derick Hall 0 0 2
Robby Ashford 1 0 0
Holden Geriner 1 0 0
TEAM 2 0 1
142.png&h=100&w=100Missouri Defensive
  tackles misc
  TOT SOLO SACKS TFL PD QB HUR TD
Ty'Ron Hopper 10 8 1 3 0 2 0
Jaylon Carlies 7 7 1 1 0 0 0
Joseph Charleston 5 4 0 1 0 0 0
Isaiah McGuire 4 3 1 1 0 0 0
Kris Abrams-Draine 4 3 0 0 0 0 0
Kristian Williams 4 2 0 1 0 0 0
Jayden Jernigan 4 2 0 0.5 0 0 0
Daylan Carnell 3 3 0 1 1 0 0
Dameon Wilson 3 2 0 0 0 0 0
Josh Landry 3 1 0 0.5 0 0 0
Martez Manuel 2 2 1 1 0 0 0
Trajan Jeffcoat 2 2 0 0 0 0 0
Ennis Rakestraw Jr. 2 2 0 0 0 0 0
Darius Robinson 2 2 0 0 0 0 0
Realus George Jr. 2 1 0 0 0 0 0
DJ Coleman 2 1 0 1 0 0 0
Zeke Powell 1 1 0 0 0 0 0
Dreyden Norwood 1 1 0 0 0 0 0
Tyrone Hopper 1 0 0 0.5 0 0 0
Chad Bailey 1 0 0 0.5 0 0 0
TEAM 63 47 4 12 1 2 0
2.png&h=100&w=100Auburn Defensive
  tackles misc
  TOT SOLO SACKS TFL PD QB HUR TD
Owen Pappoe 8 7 0 0 0 0 0
Derick Hall 6 5 2 3 0 0 0
Jaylin Simpson 4 4 0 0 1 0 0
Keionte Scott 4 4 0 0 0 0 0
Eku Leota 4 3 1 1 0 0 0
Colby Wooden 4 3 1 1.5 0 1 0
Cam Riley 4 2 0 0 0 0 0
Marcus Bragg 3 2 0 1 0 0 0
Jayson Jones 3 1 0 0 0 0 0
Marcus Harris 3 0 0 0.5 0 1 0
D.J. James 2 2 0 0 1 0 0
Zion Puckett 2 0 0 0 0 0 0
Cayden Bridges 2 0 0 0 0 0 0
Eugene Asante 1 1 0 0 0 0 0
Nehemiah Pritchett 1 1 0 0 0 0 0
Wesley Steiner 1 0 0 0 0 0 0
Marquis Burks 1 0 0 0 0 0 0
TEAM 53 35 4 7 2 2 0
142.png&h=100&w=100Missouri Interceptions
  INT YDS TD
No Missouri Interceptions
2.png&h=100&w=100Auburn Interceptions
  INT YDS TD
Derick Hall 1 19 0
TEAM 1 19 0
142.png&h=100&w=100Missouri Kick Returns
  NO YDS AVG LONG TD
Kris Abrams-Draine 1 16 16.0 16 0
TEAM 1 16 16.0 16 0
2.png&h=100&w=100Auburn Kick Returns
  NO YDS AVG LONG TD
No Auburn Kick Returns
142.png&h=100&w=100Missouri Punt Returns
  NO YDS AVG LONG TD
Luther Burden III 1 3 3.0 3 0
Dominic Lovett 1 -4 -4.0 -4 0
TEAM 2 -1 -0.5 3 0
2.png&h=100&w=100Auburn Punt Returns
  NO YDS AVG LONG TD
Keionte Scott 2 9 4.5 9 0
TEAM 2 9 4.5 9 0
142.png&h=100&w=100Missouri Kicking
  FG PCT LONG XP PTS
Harrison Mevis 0/1 0.0 0 2/2 2
TEAM 0/1 0.0 0 2/2 2
2.png&h=100&w=100Auburn Kicking
  FG PCT LONG XP PTS
Anders Carlson 1/2 50.0 39 2/2 5
TEAM 1/2 50.0 39 2/2 5
142.png&h=100&w=100Missouri Punting
  NO YDS AVG TB In 20 LONG
Jack Stonehouse 8 384 48.0 1 3 68
TEAM 8 384 48.0 1 3 68
2.png&h=100&w=100Auburn Punting
  NO YDS AVG TB In 20 LONG
Oscar Chapman 8 367 45.9 0 3 61
TEAM 8 367 45.9 0 3  
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Grading Auburn’s 17-14 overtime win against Missouri

Published: Sep. 25, 2022, 7:00 a.m.
9-11 minutes

There was a collective sigh, amid all the disbelief, from Auburn’s sideline as Cayden Bridges fell on the ball deep in the south end zone of Jordan-Hare Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

Somehow, some way, Auburn survived its SEC opener against Missouri, 17-14 in overtime. Despite a failed fourth-down call in the final two minutes. Despite an all-but-certain chip-shot field goal attempt by Missouri at the end of regulation. Despite a near interception thrown by Robby Ashford in overtime and despite a missed Anders Carlson field goal that was afforded another opportunity thanks to an offside penalty. And, above all, despite Missouri running back Nathaniel Peat coming within mere inches of sending Auburn to rock bottom on a would-be walk-off touchdown.

Read more Auburn football: Bryan Harsin puts fourth-and-1 mentality to the test in SEC opener

Watch: Wild, unlikely finish saves Auburn from overtime loss to Missouri

Goodman: It was an instant classic for the SEC’s village idiots

Auburn won. It wasn’t pretty, by any means, but Bryan Harsin’s team is now 3-1 and 1-0 in SEC play.

So, with that in mind, let’s hand out position-by-position grade from Saturday’s SEC-opening win:

Quarterback: C-

Robby Ashford’s first career start saw the former Oregon transfer complete 12-of-18 passes for 127 yards while he ran for another 46 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries. Ashford wasn’t asked to do too much in the passing game, as Auburn leaned on its run game to build up a 14-0 lead in the first quarter. Ashford made some nice plays with his legs, including his first career touchdown run to open the scoring Saturday, and while the 67 percent completion clip was a significant improvement over his 51.7 percent entering the game, Auburn’s offense hardly wowed against Missouri. He was 8-of-8 passing for 64 yards on attempts at or behind the line of scrimmage, while he was 1-of-3 on passes within 5 yards of the line, 2-of-3 passing on attempts between 5 and 14 yards downfield and 2-of-5 passing for 38 yards on deep balls of 15-plus yards. He had a fumble on a sack that was recovered by offensive lineman Jalil Irvin, and he had a would-be interception in overtime overturned upon review.

Saturday also saw the debut of freshman Holden Geriner, who played parts of two drives following a brief injury-related exit by Ashford in the third quarter. Geriner completed 2-of-3 passes for 8 yards and lost 18 yards on a pair of credited rushes (one of which was a backward pass that was ruled a fumble for a loss of 11 yards)

Running back: D

Harsin came under scrutiny last week regarding Tank Bigsby’s involvement in the gameplan, when he had just nine carries for 39 yards in a loss to Penn State, including none in the second quarter when the game was still close. That changed out of the gate against Missouri, with Bigsby eclipsing last week’s carries in the first quarter alone: 10 rushes for 37 yards and a touchdown as Auburn built a 14-0 lead. Bigsby finished the game with just 44 yards on 19 carries, as Auburn’s run game—and offense overall—struggled to generate any sort of push up front. Auburn’s running backs averaged just 2.14 yards per carry on 27 touches out of the backfield, finishing the game with a combined 58 rushing yards from Bigsby, Jarquez Hunter and Damari Alston.

Wide receiver: D*

This one comes with a caveat. Auburn’s passing attack was nearly nonexistent, with its 135 yards through the air the fewest since its regular-season finale against Mississippi State (the day before Gus Malzahn was fired). Of those 135 yards, 95 came on eight receptions by the receiving corps. Four of those catches came from Koy Moore, who proved to be Auburn’s most explosive weapon Saturday. Moore had 74 yards and was responsible for Auburn’s three longest plays of a game — receptions of 20, 21 and 24 yards. The rest of Auburn’s receivers combined for four catches and 21 yards. That’s not going to cut it, even on a day when Auburn didn’t exactly try to air it out.

Tight end: D

John Samuel Shenker was a reliable option in the passing game for Ashford, catching three passes for 39 yards, while Luke Deal had one reception for 1 yard. It wasn’t a lot, but neither was Auburn’s offense on Saturday. Add in the lack of push Auburn got in the run game, and it just wasn’t a great day.

Offensive line: F

It all starts up front, and Auburn’s offensive line simply couldn’t get it done against Missouri—especially after the first two drives of the game. Auburn finished the game with just 82 rushing yards (somehow worse than last week against Penn State). It was the third time in the last nine games that Auburn has been held below 100 yards rushing. Moreover, the Tigers averaged just 1.8 yards per carry; its only worse marks since 2019 have come against rivals Alabama and Georgia. Missouri is not either of those programs.

The pass protection wasn’t much better. Missouri recorded four sacks while finishing the day with 12 tackles for loss. Auburn finished the day averaging just 3.3 yards per play, which was the fourth-lowest single-game average since 2017.

Defensive line: A

Credit to Auburn’s defensive line for showing up and not folding—both after last week’s poor performance against Penn State and after Missouri tied things up in the first half. The defensive front accounted for all four sacks Saturday, which was a season-high and matched the team’s total sacks through the prior three games. Derick Hall came up with two, while Colby Wooden and Eku Leota each came through with one. The unit also accounted for all seven of the team’s tackles for loss, and Hall produced the season’s first takeaway — a first-quarter interception after a pass breakup by Nehemiah Pritchett. Auburn didn’t make things easy for Missouri, and it started up front.

Linebackers: A

Owen Pappoe led the team with eight tackles, including seven solo stops, while Cam Riley had four tackles (tied for third-most on the defense). The linebackers helped limit Missouri’s run game, which finished regulation with 140 yards on 33 carries (4.24 yards per attempt). Most importantly, though, Auburn’s defense came through in the second half, when it limited Missouri to just 55 rushing yards and forced three-and-outs on five of Missouri’s seven possessions (and six straight forced punts after halftime).

Defensive backs: B

Auburn’s secondary still got beat on a couple of one-on-one opportunities downfield, with Brady Cook throwing passes of 40 and 39 yards on the afternoon. The first one aiding Missouri’s game-tying touchdown drive in the second quarter and the second one nearly costing Auburn in the final minute of regulation. Outside of those two plays, though, Auburn’s secondary looked much improved this week. Cook completed just 14-of-24 passes for 179 yards and a touchdown, while Jaylin Simpson and D.J. James were both credited with pass breakups (Pritchett probably should have been credited with one on the Hall interception, too).

Oh, and safety Cayden Bridges was on the right end of the most consequential play of the game, recovering Missouri’s fumble in the end zone in overtime to secure the win for Auburn.

Special teams: C

Oscar Chapman was solid on a busier-than-expected day punting the ball, averaging 45.9 yards on eight punts. Anders Carlson also gets credit for what proved to be the deciding score: a 39-yard field goal in overtime. But the veteran kicker also whiffed on three other attempts (though only one of the misses actually counted). He had two tries at a field goal to put Auburn ahead just before halftime, missing the first wide left from 50 yards out and then getting a mulligan thanks to a Missouri penalty, only to push that 45-yard try wide right. In overtime, he missed a 44-yard attempt but was again gifted a do-over thanks to a Missouri penalty. This one was good, putting Auburn ahead 17-14. Auburn also had some adventures on punt return, with Keionte Scott netting minus-9 yards on two attempts.

Coaching: D

The defensive gameplan, especially after halftime, is keeping this from an F. Bottom line, Auburn was fortunate to get out of this one with a win. Missouri had two chances to put this game away, and if not for the missed 26-yard field goal at the end of regulation and an unlikely fumble on what should have been a game-winning touchdown, Harsin and his staff would have been handed an almost inexplicable loss that likely would have cost the second-year coach his job. Instead, Auburn survived, and so did Harsin — at least for now. Things won’t get easier moving forward, with LSU next week followed by back-to-back road games at Georgia and Ole Miss. Harsin and his staff are going to have to do much better if they hope to turn things around, because the last four weeks—and the last two in particular — won’t cut it.

Tom Green is an Auburn beat reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Tomas_Verde.

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After opening as slight favorite, Auburn set to be underdog against LSU

Updated: Sep. 25, 2022, 10:23 a.m.|Published: Sep. 25, 2022, 9:16 a.m.
3 minutes

FTBL: FOOTBALL

Sep 24, 2022; Auburn, Al, USA; Robby Ashford (9) celebrates after scrambling in for a touchdown during the game between Auburn and Missouri at Jordan Hare Stadium. Todd Van Emst/AU AthleticsTodd Van Emst/AU Athletics

Auburn opened as a slight favorite for its Week 5 tilt against LSU, but will now head into its SEC West matchup as a one-score underdog.

After opening as an early 1.5-point favorite against LSU last month, Auburn is expected to be a one-score underdog, with Fan Duel setting the line at LSU minus-6.5 on Sunday morning. Auburn (3-1, 1-0 SEC) welcomes LSU (3-1, 1-0) to Jordan-Hare Stadium on Saturday for a 6 p.m. kickoff under the lights on ESPN.

Read more Auburn football: Robby Ashford’s injury against Missouri nothing “too bad”

Grading Auburn’s 17-14 win against Missouri

Bryan Harsin puts “fourth-and-1 mentality” to the test in SEC opener

Auburn has failed to cover the spread in four straight games to open the year, most recently with a 17-14 overtime win against Missouri. In that game, Auburn’s offense struggled to do much of anything after the first quarter, and Bryan Harsin’s team survived two close calls late -- a missed 26-yard walk-off field goal attempt by Missouri at the end of regulation, and a fumble into the end zone mere inches before Missouri’s Nathaniel Peat crossed the goal line for what would have been the game-winning touchdown. Auburn recovered the ball in the end zone to survive its SEC opener and bounce back from a humiliating loss to Penn State at home a week earlier.

LSU heads to the Plains on a three-game winning streak. Brian Kelly’s team dropped its season opener to Florida State in New Orleans but has started to hit its stride, with wins Southern, Mississippi State and New Mexico, all at Tiger Stadium.

LSU’s trip to Jordan-Hare Stadium will mark the program’s first true road game of the season. For Auburn, it will be the last game of a season-opening five-game homestand before it hits the road for two straight weeks: at Georgia and then at Ole Miss.

LSU leads the all-time series with Auburn, 31-24-1, but Auburn has won each of the last two meetings between the SEC West rivals. Harsin’s team won in Baton Rouge, La., last season for the first time since 1999, while Auburn demolished LSU, 48-11, in Jordan-Hare Stadium in 2020. It was the most lopsided result in series history.

Auburn is also 13-8 all-time at home against LSU.

Tom Green is an Auburn beat reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Tomas_Verde.

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flywareagle.com
 

Auburn football fans hopeful about Deion Sanders after flight info revealed

Andrew Hughes
3 minutes

Auburn football fans are hopeful that possible flight information for Deion Sanders could lead to a possible hiring as the next head coach Mandatory Credit: The Clarion-Ledger

Auburn football fans are hopeful that possible flight information for Deion Sanders could lead to a possible hiring as the next head coach Mandatory Credit: The Clarion-Ledger

 

Auburn football fans are hoping that the flight information provided by one Twitter user showing a flight last Sunday from Jackson, Mississippi to Auburn, Alabama means exactly what they think it indicates.

Is ‘Prime Time’ visiting Auburn to meet with interim Athletic Director Rich McGlynn about replacing Bryan Harsin and becoming the next Tigers head coach? What a spectacular circumstance that would be.

Deion Sanders has taken a 4-8 Jackson State program to an 11-2 SWAC powerhouse in 2021 — leading to the Tigers landing No. 1 overall recruit Travis Hunter and No. 1 Slot Receiver Kevin Coleman Jr. this past recruiting cycle.

Auburn football fans remain hopeful that this flight information is an indicator that the Plains is going ‘Prime Time’:

Per @flightaware, a plane took off from Jackson, MS and landed in Auburn, AL last Sunday morning (9/18) after Auburn’s loss to Penn State.

As reported on Sunday, Flight #N719TH departed Jackson-Medgar Wiley Evers International Airport (JAN) and arrived at Auburn University Regional Airport (AUO) Sunday.

We do have confirmation that Deion Sanders was on board as first reported by @great_tweeter, per @AuburnPlane https://t.co/Yd3rOLbdD6

— shaquille oatmeal (@shaquil91357742) September 22, 2022

Deion Sanders and the Jackson State Tigers defeated Grambling State 66-24 at home to improve to 3-0 less than 24 hours beforehand. pic.twitter.com/t20tiS9aSW

— jack (@great_tweeter) September 22, 2022

IT’S FLIGHT TRACKING SEASON…AGAIN https://t.co/bGHVqs29gK

— D.B. COOPER FOREVER (@LonelyTalegater) September 23, 2022

FLIGHT TRACKER SZN IN SEPTEMBER

(I’m not getting my hopes up about Deion Sanders going to Auburn but holy cow is it ever my pipe dream pick) https://t.co/KGS61FCSDa

— Nathan Deal (@NattyD13) September 22, 2022

Auburn football is not the No. 1 choice for Deion Sanders

Not only because the program is one in flux and has booster meddling the likes of which few schools in the league possess, but Auburn also isn’t the ideal dream job for Deion Sanders because he has ties to a program that currently has a recruiting edge over the Tigers — not to mention far less internal infighting.

Florida State, where Sanders made a name for himself in the mid 80s, is on the come-up once more. If for whatever reason Mike Norvell and the Seminoles go their separate ways, Sanders is next in line.

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'I thought he was in': How much time can 1 yard buy Bryan Harsin on Auburn football hot seat?

189046d35f870f4393bd71fd3ec5665b

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Bennett Durando, Montgomery Advertiser
Sat, September 24, 2022 at 5:24 PM·4 min read
 
 
In this article:
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  • Bryan Harsin
    American football player and coach
 
 

AUBURN — Colby Wooden whiffed. Then he looked up at the runner he was now helpless to catch. His heart sunk.

He had missed the tackle that would cost Auburn football the game. And possibly a lot more.

Half an hour later, he was able to blow a raspberry and laugh it off.

"You know, great," he said, shrugging. "For us."

Missouri's Nathaniel Peat fumbled at the 1-yard line as he was about to score a game-winning touchdown Saturday, Auburn's Cayden Bridges recovered in the end zone and Auburn survived its SEC opener 17-14 with uncertainty swirling around coach Bryan Harsin's future.

 

A loss might have equaled a swift pink slip for Harsin. Instead, for the first time in his tenure, he finally found Jordan-Hare Stadium's patented dark magic that has hexed opponents for decades. So far, it had only hexed him. If Auburn (3-1, 1-0 SEC) had lost, this would have been the team's fourth consecutive SEC game coughing up a double-digit lead.

If Peat had crossed the goal line.

"I came through, missed the tackle. I was watching (Peat) run," Wooden told the Montgomery Advertiser. "Initially, I thought he got in (before fumbling). I was watching the whole time. I thought he was in."

But he wasn't. Way back at the 50-yard line on Auburn's sideline, tight end John Samuel Shenker was straining to get a good view. Peat disappeared from his vision. "It looked like he was going to score," Shenker said. "Then all I see is the ball shoot out. You couldn't explain that emotion."

Derick Hall was up close, trying to take Peat out of bounds. He saw the fumble "like at a 45-degree angle," he said. "I wasn’t at a sideways angle to really see."

Shenker joined kicker Anders Carlson and other teammates blindly sprinting onto the field in celebration, even though the result was anything but definitive. "I got about halfway, then I realized they were about to review it," Shenker said.

Carlson felt more confident: "Crazy things happen in this stadium," the senior said plainly.

Every player turned his gaze to the jumbotron, where it became clear that Jordan-Hare's latest chapter was exactly as crazy and weird as it seemed in real time.

POSTGAME:Auburn football coach Bryan Harsin defends failed call to go for fourth-and-1 vs. Missouri

CHAOTIC ENDING:With Bryan Harsin's job on the line, Auburn football escapes Missouri on overtime miracle

EXCLUSIVE:Mizzou coach Eli Drinkwitz's first college football job? Coffee intern and national champ at Auburn football

Which turns the question to what's next: How much time does one yard buy Harsin on the hot seat?

As LSU and Georgia loom, this result is unlikely to do anything more than delay the inevitable. In fact, there probably should be grounds to fire Harsin after a win this ugly, if Auburn so desired.

It's taking a toll on the players.

"We know what's at stake," said Carlson, whose missed field goals nearly cost Harsin before he redeemed himself with the game-winner. "We know Auburn's got to win."

"We love coach Harsin," senior Eku Leota said. "We're fighting every day just to block the distractions."

Fittingly, the one yard that may or may not have halted the proceedings presents a coaching moment for Harsin.

"You don't want to stick the ball out," Harsin said. "You do on fourth down. If it's fourth down, you've got to get it. That's always the coaching point. ... On an early down, no, you don't. (It was second down.) If you stretch the ball out, there's a chance that ball comes out. But we see it all the time. Some guys palm that ball and they stick the ball out there and they score. You see that as well. And it's a great play and everybody cheers that. ... Every staff in America will have this play, and they'll look at it."

He will show the replay to his team and use it as a lesson. As long as Auburn continues paying him to do so.

This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: How much time can 1 yard buy Bryan Harsin on Auburn football hot seat?

 
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8 minutes ago, W.E.D said:

Ty for consolidating these, 50

it is really weird wed. if articles are posted separately they get more looks unless i am looking at it wrong than they do if posted in one thread. and i mean by thousands. the board had a mod ask me to do it this way and here we are. but it is not my board and i could be looking at it wrong. hell i even thought it was covid fog but i got tested. now i am type two diabetic and it is my understanding sugar can cause confusion as well as just feeling bad. it is a struggle. i just wanted to come back and thank you instead of just a thumbs up sign.

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4 minutes ago, aubiefifty said:

it is really weird wed. if articles are posted separately they get more looks unless i am looking at it wrong than they do if posted in one thread. and i mean by thousands. the board had a mod ask me to do it this way and here we are. but it is not my board and i could be looking at it wrong. hell i even thought it was covid fog but i got tested. now i am type two diabetic and it is my understanding sugar can cause confusion as well as just feeling bad. it is a struggle. i just wanted to come back and thank you instead of just a thumbs up sign.

Well I can view your post 1x and read 10 articles vs looking at 10 individual posts.

Makes the board cleaner and it's easier to read all related articles if I want. Win win

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Auburn football coach Bryan Harsin is sick of TV commercial breaks too

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Bennett Durando, Montgomery Advertiser
Sat, September 24, 2022 at 5:39 PM·1 min read
 
 
In this article:
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  • Bryan Harsin
    American football player and coach
 
 

AUBURN — You're not alone: Auburn football coach Bryan Harsin is sick of how long the commercial breaks are too.

Harsin was in the middle of an answer about team leaders during his postgame press conference Saturday when he had a brief aside devoted to the bane of every college football fan's existence.

"It seemed like we had a football game in the middle of commercials," Harsin said after Auburn's 17-14 overtime win against Missouri. "There was a lot of commercials today. So I asked a guy, I'm like, 'How many more of these we got? Like, there's a football game going on. Anyhow. But every one of those breaks, Colby (Wooden) just had a smile on his face and was just nodding like, 'We're going to get it done.'"

REPORT CARDAuburn football and Bryan Harsin didn't deserve to beat Missouri. Our grades reflect that.

 

INSIDE THE FINAL PLAY'I thought he was in': How much time can 1 yard buy Bryan Harsin on Auburn football hot seat?

Auburn (3-1, 1-0 SEC) was in the 11 a.m. ESPN kickoff slot on the SEC's television schedule. Games on ESPN and CBS tend to have more extended commercial breaks.

The Tigers received good fortune from a missed field goal and an 11th-hour fumble to beat Missouri (2-2, 0-1) at Jordan-Hare Stadium.

This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: Auburn football coach Bryan Harsin is sick of commercial breaks too

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Holden Geriner: 3 things to know about Auburn football backup quarterback

 

Bennett Durando, Montgomery Advertiser
Sat, September 24, 2022 at 1:06 PM
 
 

AUBURN — The quarterback situation at Auburn football took an unexpected turn entering the Tigers' SEC opener.

Starter T.J. Finley suffered a right shoulder injury against Penn State and is not expected to play. Third-string Zach Calzada plans to undergo left shoulder surgery and seek a medical redshirt. Suddenly, that leaves Auburn (2-1) with Robby Ashford as the starter and true freshman Holden Geriner as the backup.

The two of them have 29 combined career pass attempts (all Ashford). But what about Geriner? Here are three things to know.

Holden Geriner's recruiting ranking

Auburn's 2022 quarterback signee was a critical blue-chip recruit in an otherwise iffy commitment class for Bryan Harsin.

 

Geriner was the No. 271 overall recruit in the 2022 class, according to the 247Sports Composite. He was the No. 18 quarterback and the No. 25 prospect in Georgia.

His other offers included Tennessee, Kentucky, Cincinnati, Arkansas, LSU, Florida State, Michigan and Michigan State.

Auburn Tigers quarterback Holden Geriner (12) and Auburn Tigers quarterback Zach Calzada (10) talk on the sideline during the A-Day spring practice at Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn, Ala., on Saturday, April 9, 2022.
 
Auburn Tigers quarterback Holden Geriner (12) and Auburn Tigers quarterback Zach Calzada (10) talk on the sideline during the A-Day spring practice at Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn, Ala., on Saturday, April 9, 2022.

What Auburn football coaches have said about Holden Geriner

Auburn, of course, didn't plan for Geriner to be second on the depth chart entering SEC play. But such is the unpredictable nature of football injuries. Here's what coaches and teammates have said.

Bryan Harsin (Aug. 22): “Holden hasn’t had a ton of reps. Holden comes out there today (in preseason scrimmage) and he’s firing the ball better than all of them, in my opinion. We’re trying to do these drills, and all of the sudden Holden comes out of nowhere and he’s one of the best throwers that I’ve coached. He’s getting some things figured out fundamentally.”

Eric Kiesau, offensive coordinator (Aug. 19): "He's just really young. He needs some time to develop and get better, which he will. And it's just right now, the pressure is more on the other three guys right now. ... And not saying Holden didn't do it or didn't get a chance. It's just that as camp went on, you kind of saw the older guys mature a little bit. He just needs more time to mature and really kind of learn the system and have that college command."

Marcus Harris, junior defensive lineman (Sept. 21): "He carries himself like a pro already. He's staying after practice with guys and different receivers and passing the ball. Even after practice, even though he's not playing right now, he still does those types of things."

EXCLUSIVEMizzou coach Eli Drinkwitz's first college football job? Coffee intern and national champ at Auburn football

MY PICKAuburn football vs. Missouri prediction: My scouting report, final score pick

Our scouting report on Holden Geriner

In a room with four quarterbacks, it was always clear that Geriner might have the highest ceiling in terms of pure arm talent. He's a pro-style pocket passer with good deep ball potential, and he throws it with a lot of zip. It's easy to imagine him being a high-quality SEC quarterback in two years.

But like the other three Auburn QBs, his accuracy was inconsistent this offseason. And perhaps more importantly, his understanding of Harsin's complex offensive scheme isn't fully developed yet − not like it should be. He's a true freshman. He was the fourth-string for a reason.

 

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the auburn football review is out but i cannot repost because it has nfl footage on it. how weird is that? it is on youtube for those wanting to watch it.

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