10/2/22 Auburn Articles

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Bye bye, Harsin. 

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abc3340.com

 

Harsin on future: "Control what you can, right?"

Jeff Speegle

2-3 minutes

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Auburn had just lost to LSU 21-17 to fall to 3-2, 1-1 in the SEC. The Tigers committed four turnovers and pretty much gifted the game to the Bengal Tigers. Afterwards, Coach Bryan Harsin held his postgame news conference and the first question from the media was this: "How confident are you that you will be allowed to finish out the season as Auburn's Head Coach?"

“That’s my job, every day, is to show up and make sure that I’m prepared and that we get this football team prepared,” Harsin said. “That doesn’t change, whatsoever, and I told the team that. That’s always been how I’ve approached each and every day of every job I’ve had. That’ll be no different. Tomorrow we have things we’ve got to get better at, and win or lose, you’re always going to find ways to improve as a football team; you have to. That’s really what it comes down to. That’s how I’ll approach each and every day, and our players know that, and everybody on our staff knows that, and that’s always been the mentality that we have.”

The loss evens Harsin's record to 9-9 since taking over as the Tigers' head coach in 2021. And it doesn't gny easier. #1 Georgia is next in Athens, followed by a trip to #14 Ole Miss. Both teams improved to 5-0 with close wins Saturday; The Bulldogs beating Missouri 26-22 and the Rebels beating Kentucky 22-19. Harsin says the competition the Tigers have in front of them is enough to handle at the moment.

"Control what you can, right?” Harsin said. “That’s really what it comes down to. It’s the same message you tell your players, and the same things you learned over your career as a player and a coach and all the things you do I think just as a person in whatever profession you’re in; like, control what you can, alright?”

Harsin is under contract through Dec. 31, 2026, on a six-year deal worth an average of $5.25 million per year. If he is fired without cause before the end of his contract, Harsin will be owed 70 percent of the remaining value on the deal.

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247sports.com

 

Auburn-LSU notes & quotes: Pappoe likes the effort, LSU coach likes his team's grit

Guy Rhodes

6-7 minutes

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AUBURN, Alabama–Senior linebacker and Auburn team captain Owen Pappoe didn’t like what happened to his team, but did say he was pleased with the effort.

“We played our hearts out there,” he said following a 21-17 home loss to LSU. “Mistakes were made and that cost us some big plays, but overall we played our hearts out that whole entire game. I am still proud of my guys, even though We did not get the outcome we had wanted.”

The Auburn defense allowed just 270 total yards and 14 points. LSU’s other touchdown came on a fumble recovery returned for a touchdown, one of four Auburn turnovers in the game at Jordan-Hare Stadium as LSU overcame a 17-0 deficit.

“It is frustrating,” said Pappoe, who finished the game with eight tackles. “We just have to do a better job on our end and take care of the ball. We can’t have too many turnovers like that because that can really hurt us. We just have to be better all around.”

LSU’s head coach, Brian Kelly, said, “It was an exciting win for our guys. Certainly after coming back from a 17-0 deficit on the road is not where you want to be, but we found a way. It’s been the DNA of this group to battle, to fight. They certainty did that tonight. They found a way to win.

“At the end of the day, there’s a saying in golf, ‘there are no pictures on the scorecard, it is just what you score.’ Tonight, there’s no pictures on the scorecard for us. We just found a way to win this game. That’s what you are really trying to do in the SEC West. It’s tough competition going on the road with the crowd you have to overcome. Is that our best performance? I hope not, but it was gutting. It was gritty.”

In other news and notes:

* Auburn’s 99-yard drive in the second quarter was its first of that distance since the 2020 LSU game. It was Auburn’s eighth 99-yard drive since 1996. Last year’s long drive was 98 yards against Georgia State.

* For the fourth time in five games, Auburn allowed a team to score a touchdown with less than a minute left in the opening half. The only team that didn’t score a TD in the final minute of the first half was Penn State, which scored a touchdown with 1:46 left in the opening half.

* Robby Ashford’s 53-yard touchdown pass to Ja’Varrius Johnson was Johnson’s first score of the season and third career TD catch.

* Ashford, whose 20th birthday was on Saturday of the LSU game, finished with a career-high passing total of 337 yards with 19 completions on 38 attempts with two touchdowns and on interception. The last Auburn quarterback to pass for 300 yards in a game was Bo Nix with 300 yards even against LSU in 2020.

* Freshman wide receiver Camden Brown scored his first touchdown on an 18-yard pass from Ashford. It was Ashford’s third TD pass of the season.

* Jarquez Hunter’s 61-yard reception from Ashford in the second quarter was a career-long completion for both.

* Tank Bigsby now has 2,259 career rushing yards, to rank 15th all-time at Auburn, passing Cameron Artis-Payne (2,218 from 2013-14). Next are James Joseph (2,264 from 1986-90) and Michael Dyer (2,335 from 2010-11).

* John Samuel Shenker is second in career tight end receptions (60), passing Fred Baxter (57 from 1990-92), Robert Johnson (57 from 2002), Walter Reeves (58 from 1986-89) and Philip Lutzenkirchen (59 from 2009-12). The career record holder is Cooper Wallace (63 catches from 2002-05.)

* Shenker is fourth in tight end career receiving yardage (718). Next is Robert Johnson (741 from 2000-02).

* Omari Kelly’s 25-yard reception from Ashford was a career-long play for Kelly. Tyler Fromm’s 35-yard reception was a career-long.

* Wesley Steiner’s 11 tackles are his most in a game.

* Colby Wooden’s sack was his 2nd of the season and 11th of his career. He now has 23.0 career TFL. Derick Hall’s sack was his 4th of the season, and he has 16.5 sacks for his career and 24.5 career TFL.

* Marcus Bragg recorded his first sack at Auburn.

*Ande\ers Carlson is third in career PAT made at Auburn with 164, passing John Vaughn (162 from 2003-06). Next is Wes Byrum (183 from 2007-10). Carlson (377) is now seventh among SEC career scoring leaders. Next is Leigh Tiffin, Alabama (385 from 2006-09).

 * Carlson (72) is tied for 8th among SEC career leaders in field goals made, tied with Austin MacGinnis, Kentucky (72 from 2014-17) and Parker White, South Carolina (72 from 2017-21) and passing Fuad Reveiz, Tennessee (71 from 1981-84) and Seth Small, Texas A&M (71 from 2018-21). Next is Blair Walsh, Georgia (76 from 2008-11)

* Changes in the starting lineup for Auburn included Koy Moore at wide receiver instead of Malcolm Johnson Jr.; D.J. James at cornerback ahead of Jaylin Simpson; Brandon Council at center over the injured Tate Johnson. Alec Jackson made his first start of the season playing right guard with Kam Stutts starting at left guard.

* Joining permanent captains Derick Hall, Owen Pappoe and Shenker as a captain for the LSU game was safety Zion Puckett.

Owen Pappoe was second on the team in tackles with eight, three behind fellow linebacker Wesley Steiner. (Photo: Greg McWilliams, Inside the Auburn Tigers, 247Sports)

* LSU leads the all-time series with Auburn 32-24-1 with Auburn leading the series in games played at Auburn the Tigers of Auburn lead 13-9. The home team has won 18 of the last 23 in the series. Twelve of the last 19 meetings have been decided by seven points or less, including the four games from 2016-19 were decided by a total of 14 points.

*Auburn’s 48-11 win over LSU the last time the two teams played at Jordan-Hare Stadium was the most points scored in the series by either team.

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Auburn blows another lead, falls to LSU 21-17

JD McCarthy

3 minutes

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For the fifth straight time, Auburn had a double-digit lead against an SEC opponent.

Auburn is now 1-4 in those games.

Buy Tigers Tickets

LSU scored 21 unanswered points Saturday night in Jordan-Hare Stadium to win 21-17 and make Auburn 1-1 in the SEC 3-2 overall.

Auburn outgained LSU and held them to 85 yards passing but turned the ball over four times, missed a field goal, made multiple questionable play calls, and failed to score in the second half.

Robby Ashford showed why Auburn’s coaching staff is so excited about his future on the first drive. With the Tigers facing third-and-eight from their 47 he evaded an LSU pass rusher and found a streaking Ja'Varrius Johnson for the 53-yard touchdown pass.

After the teams traded punts he once again showed off his arm. He found a wide-open Jarquez Hunter for a 61-yard gain and then an uncovered Camden brown for the touchdown and the 14-0 lead with 13:58 left in the second quarter.

Auburn took a 17-0 lead on their next possession on a 29-yard field goal from Anders Carlson after their drive stalled out in the red zone.

After playing a nearly perfect game Ashford made his first mistake on Auburn’s next drive. On 1st-and-10 he rolled to his right trying to keep the play alive but LSU pass rusher BJ Ojulari was able to catch him for the strip sack which they picked up for the scoop and score.

That marked a turning point in the game. Auburn was able to move the ball on their next drive but Carlson missed the 40-yard field goal with 1:58 left in the first half.

As he normally does, Bryan Harsin used his time out aggressively to get the ball back and it would have worked had Derick Hall not been penalized for illegal hands to the face and given LSU a first down on third down. LSU took advantage of the second chance, making it a 17-14 Auburn lead when Jayden Daniels punched it in from the one-yard line just before the half ended.

Auburn saw their lead get erased completely in the third quarter after a failed conversion on fourth-and-10 gave LSU a short field. They did not complete a pass on their 7-play 63-yard drive that ended with a John Emery Jr. 20-yard touchdown that gave them a 21-17 lead with 3:32 left in the third quarter.

Auburn had a chance to retake the lead in the fourth quarter, driving to the LSU 10-yard line but Koy Moore threw an ill-advised pass on a trick play and LSU picked it off to end the threat. Despite LSU fumbling it away a few plays later, Ashford was picked off when an LSU defender ripped the ball away from Moore to all but end the game.

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Takeaways from Auburn's 21-17 loss to LSU

The Tigers blew a 17-0 lead to LSU.

Lance Dawe

9 hours ago

What a game.

Auburn loses to LSU by four after a wild fourth quarter that featured multiple turnovers. The biggest takeaway, however, was the 17 point lead the Tigers blew to LSU.

Is the Bryan Harsin era over?

Here are five more takeaways from the loss.

The offensive line shift (almost) worked

Eric Starling/Auburn Daily

The Tigers moved Brandon Council over to center and averaged 3.8 yards per carry (sack adjusted).

The offense tried to get creative. Roll outs, trick plays, downfield shots. 6.3 yards per play. Auburn just couldn't get it done.

Ja'Varrius Johnson is that dude

Eric Starling/Auburn Daily

Johnson averaged 24.6 yards per catch (three receptions, 74 yards).

If Auburn is going to have any offensive success moving forward, they're going to have to try more shots downfield like they did tonight. Johnson needs to be fed the ball.

That is, if a quarterback can get it to him.

Ashford did what he could

Eric Starling/Auburn Daily

Ashford completed 19 of 38 pass attempts for 337 yards and two touchdowns. He threw a costly interception at the end of the game.

He did what he could. He's inconsistent. That's what freshmen do. Get him some coaching and he can be special.

The defense lacks adjustments

Eric Starling/Auburn Daily

After gaining a 17-0 lead on the opposition, the defense slowly but surely folded against LSU's ground game.

Either the adjustments aren't there or they don't work. LSU had 69 rushing yards in the first half and over 120 in the second.

There's not much else to say. Auburn can't close out.

This should be it

Eric Starling/Auburn Daily

Harsin should be done after this game. Will Auburn let him go? Not sure. It's all about optics at this point.

The Tigers are horrendously coached. Their recruiting is awful. They're regressing. Bottom line.

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'We had that game:' Squandered leads have become customary for Auburn

Nathan King

5-6 minutes

AUBURN, Alabama — If SEC football lasted only 30 minutes, Auburn might be a serious contender under Bryan Harsin.

Unfortunately for Harsin’s program, it’s been the next half-hour of conference competition that’s doomed them, dating all the way back to last season. Auburn’s ineptitude on offense after halftime seemed to reach critical mass last week with a scoreless third and fourth quarter against Missouri.

Then Harsin’s team did it again.

Auburn failed to score for the rest of the game after going up 17-0 on LSU in the second quarter, with a 21-17 home loss adding to what’s been a mind-boggling series of meltdowns for the Tigers against Power Five and SEC opponents.

“We had that game,” edge rusher Derick Hall said. “There were a couple of opportunities where we gave that game away.”

Auburn has still yet to score more than 6 points in the second half against a Power 5 team since the road win at Arkansas last October. In SEC play more specifically, Auburn has grabbed a double-digit lead in five straight games. It’s 1-4 in that span, with the only win coming miraculously against Missouri, when the visiting Tigers missed a chip-shot field goal at the end of regulation, then dropped the ball into the end zone in overtime.

Auburn players harped on execution — and the lack of it — after halftime as a common thread in their SEC struggles. Auburn turned the ball over three times in the second half against LSU and went 1-for-6 on third down.

As Harsin likes to say, things are pretty “matter of fact.”

“ I know that everyone wants an answer that's greater than (execution), but it really comes down to that,” Harsin said. “We were leading; we started fast. We came out — like I told our guys, we needed to start fast in this game and bring energy and have themselves ready to go. … Overall it comes down to four quarters of executing and doing the little things — the details and the things that show up. .. Every single play, there's a chance for you to be successful. That's why you focus on the details and why we talk about execution.”

Here are the advantages Auburn has spotted its last five SEC opponents, and when in the game it took those double-digit leads:

* 28-3 vs. Mississippi State (second quarter)

* 14-0 at South Carolina (first quarter)

* 10-0 vs. Alabama (third quarter)

* 14-0 vs. Missouri (first quarter)

* 17-0 vs. LSU (second quarter)

Auburn’s execution wasn’t perfect in the early going, with quarterback Robby Ashford’s playmaking outside the pocket serving as its best form of offense. But Ashford was able to generate explosiveness the Tigers hadn’t seen much from their passing game in 2022; Auburn had four passing plays of 30-plus yards against LSU, matching their total from the season entering the game. Ashford had 274 yards through the air in the first half.

“We know what we can do,” offensive lineman Brandon Council, who started at center Saturday, said. “We've just got to learn to carry it over from the first half to the second half. Just execute and finish these games out.”

Auburn outgained LSU 438-270 for the game, but keeping up with its dreadful turnover trend, it had four turnovers, including a whopping three in the fourth quarter.

Ashford was strip-sacked in the second quarter, and the ball was picked up by LSU’s Jay Ward for a fumble recovery touchdown. On a trick play at the start of the fourth quarter, receiver Koy Moore was picked off inside LSU’s 10-yard line, as Auburn was attempting to retake the lead. Keionte Scott then muffed a punt, giving the ball back to LSU with 5:31 remaining. After Auburn got the ball right back with a fumble recovery, Ashford was intercepted by Greg Brooks at LSU’s 25-yard line.

All that happened as Auburn’s defense clamped down on an LSU offense that was playing highly conservative with its backup quarterback, Garrett Nussmeier, in the game for an injured Jayden Daniels. After its go-ahead touchdown drive in the third quarter, Auburn forced two straight punts and a fumble.

“Our defense went out and did exactly what they should do,” Harsin said. “They showed up on the field and tried to get the ball back and create momentum. They gave our offense an opportunity to answer back. At the end of the day, the takeaways just became too much.”

Auburn is now at a minus-9 turnover margin on the season.

“When you look — overall yardage-wise and everything, we outgained LSU — but the turnovers you can't get back,” Harsin said. “That's the difference in the game. In order to win and be consistent, you've got to find ways to be on the positive side of that."

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Bryan Harsin gets hammered for Auburn 4th quarter offensive play call, loss vs. LSU

Jon Cooper

4-5 minutes

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Bryan Harsin and the Auburn Tigers blew a 17-point first-half lead against the LSU Tigers Saturday night. In fact, LSU scored 21-unanswered points to beat Auburn 21-17.

However, Auburn had a great opportunity early in the fourth quarter to score points, but thanks to a questionable play-call, LSU got the ball back on an interception.

The play call in question came with 12 minutes left in the fourth quarter with Auburn down by 4 and on the 10-yard line. Quarterback Robby Ashford took the snap and handed it to receiver Koy Moore. Moore then looked to pass the ball, but instead of throwing it away because no one was open, he threw it directly to LSU linebacker Harold Perkins.

Auburn fans are STUNNED after this play call by Bryan Harsin ?pic.twitter.com/98ivZRBkMk

— Action Network (@ActionNetworkHQ) October 2, 2022

Well, needless to say, Harsin drew quite the reaction from that play call, as Auburn didn’t score again after 9:38 in the second quarter.

Bryan Harsin coaching like he wants the ASU job.

— ASU_SuperFan (@ASU_SuperFan) October 2, 2022

Ok yeah safe to say Bryan Harsin has gotta be intentionally tanking the team because he knows he’s dead

— Griff (@Griffis_25) October 2, 2022

Fire Bryan Harsin on the spot. pic.twitter.com/ErXAy9ZVe1

— Jim Weber (@JimMWeber) October 2, 2022

The Bryan Harsin era summed up in one play

pic.twitter.com/ep8IDH7z1i

— Brendan Moore (@bmoorecfb) October 2, 2022

auburn is gonna fire bryan harsin on monday only for the interim to have to face a pissed off georgia team pic.twitter.com/o8ZI8kC1OK

— Alec Crouthamel (@alec_c2001) October 2, 2022

bryan harsin has to be doing a bit right?

— Brian Floyd (@BrianMFloyd) October 2, 2022

That might’ve been a $15M play call by Bryan Harsin.

— Jason Marks (@OnTheMarksMedia) October 2, 2022

Bryan Harsin is like a dead clock. Right twice a day, wrong all the other times

— Kacie Cooper (@kacie_cooper) October 2, 2022

Idk how Bryan Harsin keeps his job after this

— Joe Taslim fan account (@GingerKing_668) October 2, 2022

Bryan Harsin deserves to be fired on that horrendous call. Why a halfback pass there? #LSUvsAuburn #WarEagle

— Obstructedviewer (@Obstructedview2) October 2, 2022

Auburn needs to fire Bryan Harsin immediatetly

— Sir Yacht? (@SirYacht_) October 2, 2022

Yea Bryan Harsin just got fired with that play call ??

— Brandon Bennett (@CoachB_Bennett) October 2, 2022

Jon Cooper

A regular SEC Football expert who writes about the 14 teams, all the while preparing for an eventual QB challenge with any and all 3rd-string QBs in the SEC.

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All these articles are right and that sucks . I hate AU is going through this. I hate sports. 
 

I’ll be back next Saturday 

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Bryan Harsin assesses job security after Auburn’s latest setback against LSU

Updated: Oct. 02, 2022, 2:03 a.m.|Published: Oct. 01, 2022, 11:20 p.m.

4-5 minutes

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Bryan Harsin recaps Auburn's loss against LSU; Tigers blow 17-pt lead

Bryan Harsin was left searching for answers but determined to forge onward after another letdown for his program.

This one? A 21-17 loss to SEC West rival LSU in which Auburn let a 17-point first-half lead slip away. It was the type of loss that has become commonplace for Auburn under Harsin, who is now 9-9 as the program’s head coach, including 3-2 overall and 1-1 in SEC play this season as the team wraps up its season-opening five-game homestand.

Read more Auburn football: What Bryan Harsin said about Auburn’s 21-17 loss to LSU

Rewinding Auburn’s 21-17 loss to LSU

Instant analysis: Auburn blows 17-point lead at home against LSU

Following his team’s latest setback, Harsin was asked if he’s confident he will finish this season as Auburn’s head coach, as the schedule does not let up after the team wrapped its season-opening homestand. Auburn travels to No. 1 Georgia next week and then to No. 14 Ole Miss (primed to move into the top-10 following a win against Kentucky in Week 5) the following week.

“That’s my job, every day, is to show up and make sure that I’m prepared and that we get this football team prepared,” Harsin said. “That doesn’t change, whatsoever, and I told the team that. That’s always been how I’ve approached each and every day of every job I’ve had. That’ll be no different. Tomorrow we have things we’ve got to get better at, and win or lose, you’re always going to find ways to improve as a football team; you have to. That’s really what it comes down to. That’s how I’ll approach each and every day, and our players know that, and everybody on our staff knows that, and that’s always been the mentality that we have.”

Auburn’s stagnation under Harsin — with blown double-digit leads in five straight SEC games and woeful second-half offensive efforts in eight straight games against Power 5 competition — has increased the pressure on the embattled second-year head coach, whose already-warm seat has gotten considerably hotter in the last three weeks.

Since starting last season 6-2, Auburn has gone 3-7 in its last 10 games under Harsin. That includes just 1-6 against Power 5 competition, with the lone win coming last week in overtime against Missouri, which lost on an unforced fumble just shy of the goal line in overtime.

“The program’s right where it’s at now,” Harsin said when asked to assess the program through his first 18 games. “I mean, that’s really — you know, what happens, what happened in the past — I mean, we can focus on now. That’s what you have to do. That’s always our focus. We can’t go back and change. The records are what they are, but we can’t go back and change those now. What do we do moving forward, that’s really what it comes down to. And that’s the message to our team and our staff, and that’s always, win or lose, that has to be the focus, alright? Because you have a lot of football left to play. And for our guys, they signed up to go out there and play all these games. We all did.

“And if you take all of what you did in the past, good or bad, and you lean on that too much, it’s going to affect you in the future. And so we’ve got to just keep learning from this one. What do we do now? What did we do well in this game, and what are the things we have to do better?”

Harsin is under contract through Dec. 31, 2026, on a six-year deal worth an average of $5.25 million per year. If he is fired without cause before the end of his contract, Harsin will be owed 70 percent of the remaining value on the deal.

“It’s life; it’s the same thing: Control what you can, right?” Harsin said. “That’s really what it comes down to. It’s the same message you tell your players, and the same things you learned over your career as a player and a coach and all the things you do I think just as a person in whatever profession you’re in; like, control what you can, alright?”

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

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Observations from Auburn’s 21-17 loss against LSU

Published: Oct. 02, 2022, 6:30 a.m.

6-8 minutes

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Agony and angst for Auburn fans swept across Jordan-Hare Stadium when Greg Brooks Jr picked off a Robby Ashford pass intended for Koy Moore with 2:18 left in the fourth quarter.

Auburn had one last chance to redeem losing a 17-0 advantage before Brooks Jr nabbed the ball and ran it for 30 yards to the Auburn 45-yard line. Bryan Harsin’s squad was rendered powerless to stop LSU from ending the game in victory formation.

Ashford had 337 passing yards. He got off to a hot start with a 53-yard pass to Ja’Varrius Johnson for Auburn’s first touchdown. His 18-yard pass to Camden Brown put Auburn ahead 14-0 early in the second quarter against LSU.

Read More Auburn Football: Instant Analysis: Auburn drops a 17-point lead in 21-17 loss against LSU

Rewinding Auburn’s 21-17 loss to LSU

What LSU coach Brian Kelly and players said about beating Auburn 21-17

Anders Carlson hit a 29-yard field goal set up by a 31-yard pass to LSU-transfer Koy Moore and an 11-yard reception by John Samuel Shenker.

It was all good for Auburn until it wasn’t.

“We knew we had that game, and there were a couple of opportunities,” We gave that game away. We have to take care of the ball better and on defense, and we have to get more stops, obviously. We’re going to keep grinding, put in work tomorrow, and get prepared for Georgia.”

Let’s get into a few observations from a disappointing loss for Auburn.

-- Harsin is 9-9 in his tenure on the Plains. One of the issues is that Auburn has given up double-digit leads in their last five SEC games, going back to blowing a 28-3 lead last season against Mississippi State. The Tigers are 1-4 in those games and needed the fumble by Nathaniel Peat in overtime, and a missed chip shot field goal last week to beat Missouri.

Auburn didn’t score in the second half in consecutive games. Giving up leads and getting outscored in the second half against conference opponents leads to the first question of the press conference being about his job security in his second season.

“I mean that’s—that’s my job, every day is to show up and make sure that I’m prepared and that we get this football team prepared,” Harsin said when asked if he was confident if he’d finish the season as Auburn’s head coach. “That doesn’t change whatsoever, and I told the team that. That’s always been how I’ve approached every day of every job I’ve had. That’ll be no different.”

-- Auburn and LSU played a game laden with penalties. Auburn had eight infractions for 80 yards. LSU committed 10 penalties for 96 yards. One of the more costly fouls for Auburn happened in the second quarter. Auburn held a 17-7 lead with 1:43 left in the first half. Harsin called a timeout after LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels gained three yards on first down from the LSU 23 and called a second timeout after LSU lost three yards on second down.

Harsin was trying to get the ball back with some time left on the clock for a possible score. It made sense, considering that LSU had 73 yards in the first half before the 3rd & 10 play. Derick Hall was called for illegal hands to the face 15-yard penalty on an incomplete pass. Hall was trying to get past a larger offensive lineman, and the refs threw the flag.

“Any time you have a chance to stop the,m and there’s a penalty that extends the drive, that’s obviously going to have an impact on your team,” Harsin said about the third down play. “So those ended up being hurtful. Again, we send those plays in (to the SEC conference office for review) every single week. I couldn’t tell you right now if it was or it wasn’t, but the flag was thrown, and it impacted us on that drive in particular.

LSU scored a touchdown on a Daniels quarterback sneak nine players to cap off a scoring drive. Auburn had a chance to gain a 20-7 lead if Carlson didn’t miss a 40-yard field goal to a three-point lead after getting off to a 17-0 advantage in the first half. Auburn led 17-14 at halftime.

-- LSU scored their first touchdown on a strip-sack in the second quarter. Auburn allowed four turnovers versus one by LSU.

I think the tale of the game comes down to the turnovers is what it comes down to, and you look at the numbers there,” Harsin said. We put the ball on the ground too many times, and they won the turnover battle tonight.”

-- Wide receiver Koy Moore threw a costly interception on a trick play in the fourth quarter. It’s hard to blame Moore because there’s a reason why he’s not a quarterback; however, the throw was ill-advised.

“We were trying to get our playmakers a chance to go out there and make plays,” Harsin said. That one didn’t go our way, but several others did. That’s the story of the game.”

Moore had a similar play last week against Missouri. He made a better choice and ran for a 20-yard gain when there weren’t any receivers open. Against LSU, he threw into double-coverage and got picked off.

-- Auburn had opportunities to win but couldn’t finish off LSU. Despite all of the miscues, the Tigers fought until the end. Donovan Kaufman forced a fumble that Jayson Jones recovered with less than five minutes left in the game. Kaufman gave Auburn’s offense another chance two plays after a muffed punt by Keionte Scott with Auburn down by three points.

-- Ashford threw for two touchdowns. He also fumbled four times, losing one, and threw the game-ending interception in the fourth quarter. It’s imperative to remember that it was his second start in college. Ashford showed a lot of promise despite his mistakes. If Ashford continues to develop, there could be hope for Auburn in the future.

-- Auburn ends the five-game homestand 3-2 and 1-1 in SEC play. Wins against Mercer, San Jose State, and Missouri weren’t inspiring, while a 29-point loss and blowing a 17-point lead against LSU is a sobering dose of reality. Next up for Auburn is a visit to defending national champion UGA.

“We’re flipping the page tomorrow. We want to be 2-0 in the SEC, and we are not, we are 1-1. But it’s still early in the season, and we’re going to get to work tomorrow, get ready for Georgia, and be a better team next Saturday.”

Nubyjas Wilborn covers Auburn for Alabama Media Group.

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Bryan Harsin increasingly grilled on future with Auburn football: What happens after LSU loss?

 

Bennett Durando, Montgomery Advertiser

Sun, October 2, 2022 at 12:07 AM

 

 

AUBURN — The first time this season that Bryan Harsin was asked about his future as Auburn football coach occurred after a demoralizing beatdown. Losing 41-12 to Penn State − the program's largest home margin of defeat since 2012 − was a legitimate destroyer of optimism for many fans.

Harsin's next loss two weeks later wasn't as miserable or one-sided. It was just numbing.

It was the same game that he has lost over and over.

In just 18 games of Harsin, the feeling of defeat for Auburn has grown numb. He is 9-9 overall and 4-6 in the SEC. He has coughed up double-digit leads in five consecutive SEC games. He has led Auburn's offense to two second-half touchdowns, nine second-half turnovers and 23 second-half punts in the last eight Power Five games. The latest was a 21-17 collapse against LSU on Saturday night that once again resulted in Harsin fielding questions − more of them this time − about his job security.

 

A sampling: How confident is Harsin that he will finish the season as Auburn's coach?

"That's my job," he answered. "Every day is to show up and make sure that I'm prepared and we get this football team prepared. I mean, that doesn't change whatsoever. And I told the team that. That's always how I've approached each and every day of every job I've had."

How would Harsin assess where the Auburn program is at this point in his tenure?

"Well the program's right where it's at now," Harsin said, although it's unclear what he meant by the word "right."

"What happened in the past, we can focus on now," he continued. "That's what you have to do. That's always our focus. ... The records are what they are, but we can't go back and change those now. What do we do moving forward? That's really what it comes down to. And that's the message to our team and our staff."

How does Harsin handle the speculation about his job?

"It's life. It's the same thing," he said. "Control what you can, right? That's really what it comes down to. It's the same message you tell your players."

OUR OBSERVATIONS:Auburn football blows 17-point lead in self-destructive loss to LSU

COACHING STYLEThe Bryan Harsin way worked at Boise State. Is his time almost up at Auburn football?

As for his players, they defend him by explaining the second-half meltdowns as a matter of "execution."

“That’s not my job and I really don’t want to comment on (Harsin's job security)," Auburn captain Derick Hall said, "but I know one thing: He’s with this team and we’re with him."

But what about when Auburn (3-2, 1-1 SEC) outgains LSU (4-1, 2-0) by 438 total yards to 270? What about when Auburn's defense allows 3.27 yards per passing attempt, which is the best pass defense performance against an SEC opponent since 2008? Losing in spite of those stats can't be attributed to execution. Auburn outplayed LSU.

"That's what was really frustrating, right?" Auburn tight end John Samuel Shenker said. "We thought we played a good enough game to win."

When it's a trend, it's coaching.

Before Auburn's season-opening five-game home stretch, the expectation for Harsin was this: Win four games and you have a chance to make it through the fall. Win three or fewer, not so much.

Timing is the biggest question now. Auburn plays at No. 1 Georgia next week. On one hand, it would be a downer to make the interim coach's debut an inevitable , ugly loss. On the other hand, if minds are made up that a change is needed − that's an if − why wait? Getting a head start on coaching searches can be valuable. Resetting the program image for recruits before the early signing period is even more important.

Right now, this is the image: Auburn averaged 7.2 yards per play through three quarters vs. LSU. It averaged 2.6 per play in the fourth quarter.

Harsin says control what you can. That's what the head coach is supposed to be able to control.

This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: Bryan Harsin's future at Auburn football: What's next after LSU loss?

[AuCivilEng1 11,004]

Guy doesn’t even seem like he wants to be here anymore. The day Auburn rids itself of this jacka** is going to be glorious. What a terrible decision by Green, etc to bring him in in a year that you could have pulled Cristobal, Napier, Heupel, Kiffin, Sark, etc. 

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Auburn football is stagnant under Bryan Harsin. So are its grades.

3

Bennett Durando, Montgomery Advertiser

Sat, October 1, 2022 at 10:13 PM·2 min read

In this article:

Bryan Harsin

American football player and coach

AUBURN — Auburn football is 9-9 in the Bryan Harsin era after its latest blown double-digit lead.

The Tigers led LSU 17-0 late in the first half Saturday. They lost 21-17.

Auburn (3-2, 1-1 SEC) is facing the same questions that have confronted Harsin's program since last November, when he made a trend of blowing leads.

Here are the grades from the latest defeat at Jordan-Hare Stadium.

Offense: D+

You get what you pay for with Robby Ashford − he's unexperienced, unrefined and 50% passing is to be expected − but he averaged 17.7 yards per completion with several dazzling throws Saturday. It was probably his best college game, but it ended in an interception on Auburn's last offensive snap. The Tigers turned it over three times on offense, including twice in the fourth quarter. They have not scored a second-half point in either of their SEC games.

Defense: B+

Opposing quarterbacks are 24-for-50 (48%) against Auburn in SEC play. Before the first two games, that probably would have been a sign of Auburn's success. LSU finished with 85 passing yards. The pass rush disrupted Jayden Daniels. Colby Wooden was particularly dominant with two tackles for loss including a sack. The defense did what it needed to do.

OBSERVATIONS How Auburn blew another SEC double-digit lead to LSU

QUARTERBACK DISCIPLES The Bryan Harsin way worked at Boise State. Is his time almost up at Auburn football?

Special teams: D

Anders Carlson missed another field goal, this time from 40 yards. Auburn's future at the kicker position seems uncertain. And Keionte Scott muffed a fourth-quarter punt as the Tigers were trying to stage a game-winning drive. But punter Oscar Chapman put together a solid game when Auburn needed to win the field-position battle.

Coaching: F

Harsin's timeout usage was questionable. His offense continues to regress after halftime, an indicator that his staff is either running out of ideas or lacking in-game adjustments. His team outgained LSU 438 yards to 270 and lost. That's on coaching, not execution.

Overall: D+

Auburn had a chance to escape the five-game home stand with the minimum requirement of four wins. Instead, Harsin's fate feels closer to sealed. It might be a matter of when, not if.

This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: Auburn football is stagnant under Bryan Harsin. So are its grades.

[Bottomfeeder 244]

2 hours ago, aubiefifty said:

 

His presser could have been limited to 60 seconds. That allows more time to change things for the rest of the year. Harsin doesn't have time to waste if he wants to win the rest of the games on the schedule. If I were him, I would have ended it at 46 seconds. That's where I ended it.